Nutrition Commons^™

Enhancing Efficiency Of The Nutrition Education For Utah Refugees, Habiba Ali Nur

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Refugees face many challenges related to obtaining and preparing adequate and culturally acceptable and desirable foods in their resettlement communities. These challenges often lead to risk of food insecurity and chronic diseases. A review of literature identified the existing delivery strategies and highlighted the need for nutrition education tailored to the refugees’ conditions. This study identified some of the barriers that refugees face, including the English language, transportation, finding items in grocery stores, availability of ingredients and equipment needed for cooking, affordability of food and budgeting. It also highlighted participants’ preference for having nutrition education.

To overcome these challenges, the …

The Impact Of A Graduate-Level Applied Research Course On Graduate-Level Nutrition Students’ Research-Related Perceptions, Attitudes, And Knowledge, Alexandria Caljean, Kaitlyn M. Eck

Journal of Dietetic Education

Nutrition professionals report low levels of research utilization and engagement. This study explored the associations between completion of an applied nutrition research (capstone) course and students’ research-related perceptions, attitudes, and knowledge. Nutrition graduate students at a university in Pennsylvania completed an online survey at the beginning and end of a semester. The survey assessed perceptions of research participation and application, attitudes regarding research, and self-efficacy for conducting research, engaging in evidence-based practice, and collaborating on research. Students in a capstone course (n=17) learned about applying research in the field and conducted a research project. Non-capstone students (n=11) were not in …

Examining The Perspectives And Experiences Of Nutrition Educators Working With Clients In Substance Use Recovery Settings, Cora Teets, Paula Plonski, Omolola Adedokun, Heather Norman-Burgdolf

Dietetics and Human Nutrition Faculty Publications

Substance use disorder (SUD) is one of the most detrimental health, social, and economic problems in the United States. Limited studies suggest providing tailored nutrition education during SUD treatment correlates with positive recovery outcomes. The University of Kentucky Nutrition Education Program conducted two focus group sessions to explore and determine educators’ instructional and programmatic needs who deliver nutrition education to clients in substance use recovery throughout Kentucky. The study team identified four emerging themes and several subthemes related to Nutrition Education Program educators working with clientele in recovery. The four emerging themes included: (1) current experiences working with the audience, …

The Difference In A1c Of Children And Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Using Carbohydrate Counting Compared To Those Using A Structured Meal Plan, Alia El Kubbe

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Carbohydrate counting (CHO) is a nutrition education tool used by patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). The primary objective was to assess glycated hemoglobin (A1C) in participants with T1DM using CHO counting vs. those using a structured meal plan (SMP). The secondary objectives were to determine if BMI-for-age, parental income, parental involvement, and mothers’ educational level were associated with their children’s glycemic control. A cross sectional study was conducted, where participants aged 4-18 years, or their parents completed a survey. Total sample size was 88 participants (77 in the CHO counting group and 11 in the SMP group). There …

Program Coordinators’ Experiences With Introducing Parent-Focused Health Lessons To A Child-Centered Micronutrient Supplementation Program: An Exploration Of Recent Programmatic Changes In Liahona Children’S Foundation, Shannon Barham

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper utilizes survey responses from local coordinators of LCF, an international micronutrient supplementation humanitarian organization, to provide insight into the challenges and personal rewards of providing nutrition education to parents of malnourished children. LCF is based in Utah and operates in 19 countries throughout the world. LCF recently introduced a series of health lessons geared toward parents of malnourished children. A survey was sent to LCF workers in 12 countries in order to gather feedback about the health lessons. Qualitative survey responses are explored, and potential suggestions for future changes to the health lessons are proposed. Additionally, data gathered …

The Impact Of School Nutrition Education And Physical Education Programs On Weight Status Of Obese Children Aged 5-12 Years, Lamia Alotaibi

Masters Theses

Epidemiological studies indicate that 12.5 million children and adolescents are considered obese (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). Obesity is on the rise globally, and while it affects both children and adults, early measures can be taken to reduce the number of children who are obese, and therefore, come into adulthood at a higher risk for obesity-related diseases, such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and sleep apnea. There are many studies in which programs are implemented and tested for effectiveness; therefore, a systematic review of these studies that examine which factors play into overall obesity prevention and health improvements among …

Pink And Dude Chefs: Effectiveness Of An After-School Nutrition Knowledge And Culinary Skills Program For Middle School Students To Increase Fruit And Vegetable Consumption, Alyssa S. Vaziri

Master's Theses

The rate of overweight and obesity among adolescents aged 12-19 years has more than tripled since 1980, and disproportionately impacts low-income and marginalized populations. Reduction in adolescent obesity rates may result in decreased health risks, decrease healthcare costs, and increased quality of life. Effective intervention methods for adolescent participants have incorporated nutrition knowledge and culinary skill building into afterschool programs. This study examines whether building knowledge, skills, and confidence through a culinary intervention can improve adolescent participants’ choices of healthful foods through increased fruit and vegetable intake.

Pink and Dude Chefs (PDC) is an afterschool nutrition education and culinary skills …

The Rd Parent Empowerment Program Creates Measurable Change In The Behaviors Of Low-Income Families And Children: An Intervention Description And Evaluation, Rosa K. Hand, Amanda Birnbaum, Betty Jean Carter, Lisa Medrow, Emily Stern, Katie Brown

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Dietary and physical activity habits are developed early in life and are influenced by family environments. We describe and evaluate an intervention for low-income families to encourage healthy habits. The RD Parent Empowerment Program (http://www.eatright.org/programs/kidseatright/activities/content.aspx?id=6442477891) consists of four workshops centered on the 8 Habits of Healthy Children and Families (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation). Registered dietitian nutritionists conduct the workshops in school and community settings using a structured leader guide and tailor the communication and interactive activities to the audience. Participants are parents of young children. Our goals were to use a phenomenologic approach to elicit participant …

A Review Of Health Literacy And Its Relationship To Nutrition Education, Heather Diane Gibbs, Karen Chapman-Novakofski

Faculty Scholarship – Family and Consumer Science

Health literacy has emerged as a focus of increasing research in the medical literature, yet it has received little attention in the nutrition literature. Because nutrition practice is an important sector of the health care environment and reduced health literacy confers known health consequences, dietitians should be equipped with an understanding of how health literacy extends to nutritional care. Identification instruments that are available fail to provide an understanding of nutrition literacy. Nutrition literacy may include knowledge of nutrition principles and nutrition skills. Additional research into the development of appropriate nutrition literacy tools and their application is needed.

Impact Of The Home Food Environment On Dietary Intake, Obesity And Cardiovascular Health Of U.S. Children And Adolescents, Aged 6-19, Melissa A. Masters

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Youth obesity is an ongoing problem in the United States. Obese children and adolescents are likely to be obese as adults and have an increased risk of developing chronic diseases, including coronary heart disease, earlier in life. The multifactorial nature of obesity continues to challenge researchers and health professionals to determine methods for preventing and reducing childhood obesity. Research has suggested that obesity is a normal response to an “obesigenic” environment. Emerging as one of the most influential environments in obesity and behavior development is the home food environment. However, little is understood about the role of the home food …

Nutrition Literacy: Foundations And Development Of An Instrument For Assessment, Heather Diane Gibbs

Faculty Scholarship – Family and Consumer Science

Health literacy has emerged as an area of increasing research focus in the medical literature, yet it has received little attention in the nutrition literature. Registered dietitians (RDs) should be concerned about low health literacy considering its associations with decreased knowledge of disease and management, increased hospitalizations, decreased use of preventive care services, and increased cost of health care. Thus, this research attempts to apply the concept of health literacy into the context of nutrition.

Investigation into whether RDs screen for health literacy and/or adjust teaching methods for different level learners revealed that 79.2% (n=99) of RDs surveyed (n=125) did …