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Full-Text Articles in Nutrition

Effects Of The Implementation Of A Pilot Nutrition Education Program In A Rural Appalachian County., Leigh A. Davenport Aug 2005

Effects Of The Implementation Of A Pilot Nutrition Education Program In A Rural Appalachian County., Leigh A. Davenport

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to determine if nutrition knowledge would increase, indicated by improvements in pretest and posttest scores, following implementation of a nutrition lesson plan. The subjects included 532 fourth through eighth grade students from Johnson County, a rural county in northeast Tennessee. The lesson plans and pretests and posttests were developed to be appropriate for each grade level, with increased complexity in higher grades. The principal investigator graded the pretests and posttests and analyzed the data using SPSS. The results showed a significant improvement from pretests to posttests for all grades given a p-value of <0.05.


Dietary Patterns Of Mediterranean Adolescents, Sandra Ellan Brussee Aug 2005

Dietary Patterns Of Mediterranean Adolescents, Sandra Ellan Brussee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Mediterranean Diet (MD) is renowned for its health benefits. However, adherence appears to be lessening in the Mediterranean region as rates of overweight, obesity, and chronic disease are increasing. The adoption of a "western diet" (high amounts of meats, refined grains, snacks, and fast-food products) has been termed the "Nutrition Transition". Adolescents appear to be the most affected; therefore their diets and eating patterns were examined in this study. The objectives were to study food group-based consumption of adolescents, compare average servings with recommendations from the USDA Food Guide Pyramid (FGP) and the MD Pyramid, identify and compare eating …


The Effect Of Dietary Manganese On Arterial Functional Properties, Anastasia Z. Kalea Aug 2005

The Effect Of Dietary Manganese On Arterial Functional Properties, Anastasia Z. Kalea

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dietary manganese affects the structure and integrity of blood vessels, as well as vessel predisposition to endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular disease. In this thesis, we studied the role of manganese on the functional properties of rat aorta as defined by the endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cell pathways for adrenergic-mediated vasoconstriction and cholinergic-mediated vasodilation. Weanling Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a manganese deficient (MnD), adequate (MnA-control group) or supplemented (MnS) diet (<1, 10-15 and 45-50ppm Mn respectively). After 14 weeks on the diet the aorta was excised and four aortic rings of three mm length were prepared from each animal. Alterations in vasoconstriction among diet groups were detected by dose-response curves to the ^-adrenergic agonist LPhenylephrine in endothelium-intact and endothelium-disrupted rings. Alterations in endothelium-dependent vasodilation among diet groups were determined by doseresponse curves to Acetylcholine. We studied the mechanism by which dietary manganese affects two different endothelium-dependent vasodilation pathways: the Larginine/ nitric oxide (NO) and the cyclooxygenase (COX) pathways. Inhibition of the enzymes for NO synthesis (NOS) with L-NMMA, and of prostanoids (COX I and II) with Mefenamic acid, determination of NOS expression, and in vitro addition of L-Arginine (substrate for NO formation) to vessel rings revealed the effect of manganese on the regulation of endothelium-mediated vasodilation and vasoconstriction. Dose-response curves to sodium nitroprusside provided data for the dietary effect on endotheliumindependent vasodilation. Supplementary dietary manganese increased adrenoreceptor-mediated vascular smooth muscle contraction, which was significantly reduced in the presence of functional endothelium. Absence of dietary manganese increased endothelial cell sensitivity to the (Xi-adrenergic vasoconstrictor agent. Manganese had a small effect on the cGMP-pathway for dilation of vascular smooth muscle but affected vasodilation primarily through an endothelium-mediated pathway, probably by preserving NO bioavailability. Inhibition of vasodilation in Mn deficiency appears to occur through an endothelium-derived vasoconstrictor, possibly thromboxane with a concomitant decrease in the synthesis of endothelium-mediated vasodilator prostanoids. Our results demonstrate that dietary manganese influences the contractile machinery of vascular smooth muscle cells and regulates the bioactivity of endothelium-mediated vasodilators to affect agonist-induced signaling pathways that participate in the regulation of vasomotor tone. This suggests possibilities for dietary intervention in blood pressure regulation.


Efficacy Of Cardiac Education On Dietary Habits Of Subjects Participating In Cardiac Rehabilitation., Marie-Rose Antoine Abdo May 2005

Efficacy Of Cardiac Education On Dietary Habits Of Subjects Participating In Cardiac Rehabilitation., Marie-Rose Antoine Abdo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if cardiac nutrition education can affect dietary patterns of subjects participating in Cardiac Rehabilitation. Surveys, a pretest given prior to the first cardiac class and a second identical test, administered following cardiac rehabilitation classes, were conducted. Fifty-five randomly selected participants from the outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation Program were initially given the posttest. Thirty-three of the 55 surveys were returned. Cardiac health classes offered by various health professionals included cardiac nutrition education, group nutrition classes, guest lectures on nutrition, and cooking demonstrations. The tests were compared to measure changes in diet and were analyzed …


Development Of An East Tennessee Tri-County Community Food Assessment Instrument To Aid In The Construction And Implementation Of A Working Food Model., Alison Suzanne Brooks May 2005

Development Of An East Tennessee Tri-County Community Food Assessment Instrument To Aid In The Construction And Implementation Of A Working Food Model., Alison Suzanne Brooks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the needs and relationships of high-risk community members in Cocke County Tennessee to food sources. Cocke County was chosen as the representative county in this pilot study due its high percentage of residents living at or below the poverty level, which can lead to hunger and food insecurities. A community food assessment was conducted among residents participating in a commodities disbursement program in Cocke County. Two hundred seven individuals participated in this survey. The results of the surveys were posted and analyzed using an online statistical analysis software program. With the needs …


Efficacy Of A Nutrition Education Program Designed For Grades K-3 Piloted In Johnson County Schools., Allison Nicole Lowry May 2005

Efficacy Of A Nutrition Education Program Designed For Grades K-3 Piloted In Johnson County Schools., Allison Nicole Lowry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to increase the nutrition knowledge of elementary school students by implementing nutrition education lessons. The subjects included 49 kindergarten through third grade students in Johnson County, Tennessee during the fall of 2004. Knowledge increase was measured by pretest and posttest scores. The tests were analyzed by paired t-tests. While all students showed an increase in mean score, kindergarten and first grade students did not show a significant increase in posttest scores. However, second and third grade students showed a significant increase in posttest scores, indicating an increase in nutrition knowledge.


The Impact Of Prealbumin On Postoperative Length Of Stay In Elderly Orthopedic Patients., Brandy Paige Pennington May 2005

The Impact Of Prealbumin On Postoperative Length Of Stay In Elderly Orthopedic Patients., Brandy Paige Pennington

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to evaluate whether serum prealbumin levels would serve as a predictor of hospital length of stay for elderly orthopedic patients who underwent hip replacement surgery. The study consisted of a set of 54 patients admitted to a hospital in Bristol, Tennessee. Patients with depleted prealbumin levels, low to low/normal prealbumin levels, or normal prealbumin levels were analyzed. Data collected from a retrospective chart review included: age, length of stay, serum glucose, sodium, potassium, hematocrit, hemoglobin, BUN, creatinine, WBC, prealbumin, and post operative diet consumption. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance for treatment effects. …