Nutrition Commons^™

Identifying Youth Appeals In Alcohol Alternative Social Media Content Through Framing, Melina Oneal

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Proposed regulations for alcohol advertising prevent beverage companies from targeting people under the legal drinking age. However, similar regulations for alcohol alternative beverages are less explored, which could allow alcohol alternative products to create awareness for alcoholic beverages among youth. Alcohol alternatives beverages, including no-alcohol and low-alcohol products, are increasing in popularity and can function as compliments to alcoholic products to decrease the total alcohol volume consumed or as substitutes for alcoholic products. Framing theory can be operationalized through the Content Appealing to Youth Index, an index of content elements found in research literature to be appealing to youth, to …

The Last Of Us In Therapy: How Mind-Controlling Fungi And Gut Bacteria Affect Your Mental Health, Anastasia Lyon

Journal of Pharmacology & Nutritional Sciences

The "psilocybiome" represents the mutually beneficial relationship between ourselves, our bacteria, and psychedelic drugs. This short review briefly discusses the benefits and limitations surrounding the potential for psychedelic therapy to synergize with gut bacteria to help regulate and maintain proper balance in the immune system, diet, and stress levels. Psychedelic therapy is a novel treatment strategy that has the potential to improve patient mental health, and, by identifying the types of gut bacteria present in patients, it can aid in personalizing medicine by determining how well their "psilocybiome" may respond.

Covid-19, Nutrition, And Gender: An Evidence-Informed Approach To Gender-Responsive Policies And Programs, Anna Kalbarczyk, Noora-Lisa Aberman, Bregje S M Van Asperen, Rosemary Morgan, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Bianca Carducci, Rebecca Heidkamp, Saskia Osendarp, Neha Kumar, Anna Lartey

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

In addition to the direct health impacts of COVID-19, government and household mitigation measures have triggered negative indirect economic, educational, and food and health system impacts, hitting low-and middle-income countries the hardest and disproportionately affecting women and girls. We conducted a gender focused analysis on five critical and interwoven crises that have emerged because of the COVID-19 crisis and exacerbated malnutrition and food insecurity. These include restricted mobility and isolation; reduced income; food insecurity; reduced access to essential health and nutrition services; and school closures. Our approach included a theoretical gender analysis, targeted review of the literature, and a visual …

Active Consideration Of Health And Nutritional Quality Of Food Choices, Christopher R. Gustafson

Cornhusker Economics

Everyone can be positively influenced by effective interventions promoting healthier food choices. A handful of recent papers have documented positive impacts on dietary quality resulting from interventions that remind people to consider health through prompt messages or subtle priming in supermarkets and in controlled, online experiments. These studies have focused on the impact of reminders on nutritional quality rather than explaining how reminders work. An exception, Arslain, Gustafson, and Rose (2021), collected data on multiple elements of individuals' choice processes to trace the impact of reminders on decisions, showing that reminder messages led people to consider a healthier set of …

Exploring Factors Associated With The Eating Behaviours And Influences On Food Choice In Irish Teens, Aisling Daly

Doctoral

Aim The aim of this research was to understand the eating behaviour traits and food choice motivations of Irish teens, and to investigate the social, psychological, and attitudinal determinants of these eating behaviour traits and influences on food choice.

Methods Mixed methods were used in this research, using quantitative analysis of data from the National Teens’ Food Survey II (NTFSII), a cross-sectional study of teens aged 13-18 years old (N=428). Data predominantly came from the TFEQ-r18 and VARSEEK tools for eating behaviour traits, and the FCQ tool for food choice motivations, as well as socio-demographics, anthropometrics, behaviour/attitudes and dietary intakes. …

Desired Resources For Changing Diet Among Persons With Multiple Sclerosis: Qualitative Inquiry Informing Future Dietary Interventions, Stephanie L Silveira, Emma V Richardson, Robert W Motl

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: There are approximately 1 million adults in the United States with multiple sclerosis (MS). Persons with MS are interested in diet as a second-line therapy for improving MS symptoms and disease progression. Examination of desired resources regarding diet among persons with MS is necessary for supporting behavior change.

METHODS: Twenty-five adults with MS completed 1-on-1, online semistructured interviews. An inductive, 6-phase, semantic thematic analysis was applied to identify themes associated with participant preferences for dietary behavior change.

RESULTS: The research team crafted 4 key themes from the data that encompassed participants' desired resources for dietary behavior change. Theme 1, …

Developing An Online Health Community For Autoimmune Disease Patients Through Self-Managed Diet, Rachel Greene

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

Part I, Autoimmune Disease Management and the Need for Intervention, discusses current and standard Autoimmune Disease- (AI/AID) management and the shortcomings within. Typical AID-management led by healthcare professionals lacks a holistic, symptom-based approach, thus further contributing to the daily chronic pain of the afflicted. This analysis indicates the need to connect those suffering with AID’s to scientific research that has determined strict dieting can significantly reduce symptoms associated with AID’s. Part II, Synthesizing A Model For Online Health Community Engagement, examines the website prototype of Greenebean, which is an online community developed via user-centric design, in a theoretical, physical, and …

Changing Weight Management Self-Efficacy Among Obese Puerto Rican Adults: A Quantitative Study Using A Health Coaching Intervention, Richard Valentin Ayala, Josh Bernstein

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Obesity and associated healthcare-related issues continue to increase. The prevalence of obesity is on the rise, which has led many health professionals to find ways to improve health interventions. Health coaching can be a viable tool to reduce the obesity epidemic. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the effects of an 8-weekhealth coaching intervention in obese individuals from Puerto Rico and to determine if self-esteem and body image influence weight managementself-efficacy. Method: A pretest-posttest design using a weight management self-efficacy scale helped the researcher evaluate the effectof the coaching sessions. In addition, body image …

Decomposing Trends In Child Obesity, Ashley Wendell Kranjac, Robert L. Wagmiller

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

We unravel the absolute level and relative prominence of two demographic processes that are relevant for childhood obesity, and that will ultimately determine the long-term course and pace of change in child obesity rates. We leverage data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to decompose change in child obesity from 1971 to 2012. We partition change into that attributable to (1) healthier, more nutritionally and economically advantaged cohorts in the population being replaced by cohorts of children who are less advantaged (between-cohort change), and (2) the health habits, nutrition, and social and economic circumstances of all cohorts of …

Effects Of An Educational Intervention On Exclusive Breastfeeding Rates In Marshallese Mothers Residing In The U.S., Connor K. Otto

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background: The largest population of Marshallese immigrants in the Contiguous U.S. resides in Northwest Arkansas. Despite adequate access to healthcare, the Marshallese face many health disparities, perhaps partly due to the language barrier they face in healthcare settings and education. Regarding breastfeeding rates, women in the Marshall Islands have a significantly higher rate of exclusive breastfeeding than in Marshallese women residing in the U.S. who face cultural barriers. Breastfeeding is positively correlated to many benefits for infants and is recommended exclusively for at least 6 months by pediatric policy organizations.

Objective: The purpose of this research is to examine breastfeeding …

Decomposing Trends In Adult Body Mass Index, Obesity, And Morbid Obesity, 1971-2012, Ashley Wendell Kranjac, Robert L. Wagmiller

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

Trends in adult obesity have been used to motivate key public health policies in the United States. While these analyses provide important insights into the broad historical contours of the obesity epidemic in the U.S., they shed less light on the proximate mechanisms that have generated these changes and that will ultimately determine the long-term course and pace of change in obesity rates. We used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), Glenn Firebaugh's linear decomposition technique, and Kitagawa's algebraic decomposition method to decompose change in body mass index (BMI), obesity, and morbid obesity from 1971 through …

Obesity Over The Life Course: Perspectives In Health And Mortality, Noura E. Insolera

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation seeks to examine obesity in different contexts throughout the life course. Through empirical analyses, separate stages of the life course are considered: namely childhood through adolescence, young adulthood, and adulthood. By using a life course perspective, it is possible to consider longitudinal and intergenerational approaches to these questions, which will update and inform the current debates surrounding obesity.

Beginning with children, the intergenerational transmission of diet disease knowledge, socioeconomic status, and child health behaviors are considered in their associations with the outcomes of child diet in 2002, and in turn their associations with child obesity in 2007. Information …

Food Insecurity And Housing Instability In Vulnerable Families, Christian King

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Reducing the prevalence of household food insecurity has been a long-standing objective of the federal government. Previous research has found many negative consequences of food insecurity for families and households but has not examined its relationship with housing instability. Using longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, difference-in-difference models show that food insecurity is associated with housing instability. The association remains statistically significant after accounting for potential selection and unobserved heterogeneity using propensity score matching and excluding households that experienced prior housing instability from the sample. Examining potential mediating factors, I find that material hardship explains about …

A Qualitative Phenomenological Exploration Of Teachers’ Experience With Nutrition Education, Elisha M. Hall, Weiwen Chai, Julie A. Albrecht

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background:

Nutrition education delivered by classroom teachers has become a popular intervention designed to combat childhood obesity. However, few qualitative studies have explored nutrition education with teachers.

Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to explore how elementary teachers describe their experience with nutrition education.

Methods:

A qualitative phenomenological approach was used. Semistructured interviews, observations, and document analysis were conducted with 10 teachers who delivered nutrition education in their classrooms. Inductive coding was used to determine invariant constituents, reduce constituents to categories, and cluster categories into themes. Reliability and validity were accomplished through intercoder agreement, audio recording, triangulation, bracketing, and …

Wellness And Food Preferences Among Children Of Latino Immigrant Families In The Arcadia Community Of Spartanburg County, Sarah Grace Keaveny

Student Scholarship

The topic of this capstone is the result of my synthesis across disciplines. As a student with majors in Biology and Spanish with a concentration in Medical Humanities, I wanted to research a topic that would include my disciplines in a way that would meaningfully prepare me to leave my undergraduate years for medical school. This project seeks to generate an understanding of the culturally created eating habits and perceptions of wellness in Latino children living in the Arcadia Community, as told by their mothers. By seeking this understanding, I hope that this project may serve as a tool to …

The Consequences Of Malnutrition Following Discharge From Rehabilitation To The Community: A Systematic Review Of Current Evidence In Older Adults, Skye Marshall, Judith Bauer, Elisabeth Isenring

Skye Marshall

Understanding The Behavior And Attitude Of Professional Athletes In Saudi Arabia Toward Dietary Supplements, Sulaiman O. Aljaloud

Dissertations

A dietary supplement is defined as a product taken orally that contains a "dietary ingredient" (vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids, enzymes, etc.), and is intended to supplement one's diet. Dietary supplements include plant extracts and concentrates from foods. Supplements help provide required nutrients to fulfill nutritional levels for daily training or competitive performance, and can help remedy nutritional deficiencies. Therefore, it is important that sports professionals have a thorough knowledge of these supplement products. However, athletes need to be informed about the use and possible benefits, side effects, and risks associated with the use of dietary supplements. Four objectives guided …

Findings From The Nutrition Challenge Program, Rayleen Earney, Nicole Bungum, Timothy J. Bungum

Nevada Journal of Public Health

Obesity is an epidemic in the United States. Over 61% of U.S. adults and 58% of Nevada adults have Body Mass Index’s (BMI) that classify them as either overweight or obese (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System [BRFSS], 2005). According to a recent article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, obesity was the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States behind tobacco use (Mokdad, Marks, Stroup & Gerberding, 2004).

While obesity and overweight are complex, multi-factorial health conditions, an important contributor to the overweight and obesity epidemic is poor dietary habits. One of the major …

A Study To Determine If University Athletic Teams In Desert Environments Experience Risky Diet-Related Behaviours, Susan Meacham, Christine Bergman, Marcia M. Ditmyer, Kyle Wilson, Connie Mobley

Nevada Journal of Public Health

Training and competing in desert environments may exacerbate concerns related to disordered eating, supplement use, and hydration in some student athlete populations. A survey administered equitably to both genders solicited self-reported responses from members of 18 different teams over four years from a southwestern United States university athletic program. More than 1,700 athletes responded to 42 items on the questionnaire. Teams, not individual student athletes, were the units of measure for statistical analyses. Initial analysis of results indicated that there were no overt concerns regarding dietary behaviors due to training and competing in the desert environment. Further analysis subjected the …

The Effects Of Television Food Advertising On Childhood Obesity, Aleathia Cezar

Nevada Journal of Public Health

Children’s food choices are influenced by the media, television advertising, focusing directly at infants and toddlers. This literature review presents multiple studies that explain how TV advertising of fast food, sugary cereals and other foods high in calories, fat, sugar, sodium and low in nutrients are contributing to the increase rates of childhood obesity. It is concluded that children are exposed to high amounts of food advertisements which affect young children’s food choices and poor food consumption. Due to the growing numbers of hours that children sit in front of the television, less physical activity and the epidemic of childhood …

Carbohydrate Consumption And Fatigue: A Review, Jennifer R. Pharr

Nevada Journal of Public Health

Fatigue is a condition that negatively impacts quality of life and occurs in about twenty four percent of adults worldwide. Many factors may contribute to fatigue. One factor is the macronutrient composition of a person’s diet, particularly, the amount of simple carbohydrates. This paper is a review of the current literature and examines the relationship of carbohydrate consumption and fatigue to determine if a diet low in simple carbohydrates results in an improvement in fatigue ratings. Results of studies regarding carbohydrate consumption and fatigue vary, the preponderance demonstrate a positive relationship between simple carbohydrate consumption and fatigue. Additionally, diets low …

Association Of Vitamin D Deficiency With Hypertension In Uninsured Women, Sreenivasa R. Chandana, Lakshmi P. Kocharla, Susan S. Harris, Radhika R. Kakarala

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Vitamin D deficiency is an epidemic in the United States. Uninsured women are at high risk due to a lower intake of vitamin D and limited sun exposure. We examined the association between vitamin D deficiency and hypertension in 96 uninsured women at a County Free Medical Clinic in urban Michigan. Questionnaires were used to obtain information about demographics, medical history including hypertension, and dietary habits. Measurements including blood pressure and serum 25(OH)D level were also collected. Prevalence of hypertension was higher in subjects with 25(OH)D less than 50nmol/l compared with others (85% vs. 27.3%, p = 0.014). For every …

Kentucky Wic Participants’ Knowledge, Attitudes, And Beliefs Regarding Grains, Dustin Tyler Reed

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

Obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and poor dietary habits are major healthcare problems in the United States. These issues are especially prevalent in the state of Kentucky and among at-risk populations such as Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) participants. Studies have found that whole grains play a role in weight maintenance, protection against type 2 diabetes, and lowering cholesterol. Interventions aimed at improving WIC participant dietary behavior and intake has been successful as well. This study assessed Kentucky WIC participants’ knowledge of the benefits of consuming grains, attitudes and beliefs regarding food purchasing and grains, and identified grains consumed in a …

Review Of: Health And Disease In Human History (Robert I. Rotberg Ed.), Terry Cromwell

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Review of the book: Health and Disease in Human History: A Journal of Interdisciplinary History Reader (Robert I. Rotberg ed., MIT Press 2000). ISBN 0- 262-18207-6 [345 pp. $25.00 Paper, 5 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02142].