Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Relationship Of Omega-3 Fatty Acids On C-Reactive Protein And Homocysteine In Haitian And African Americans With And Without Type 2 Diabetes, Fatma G. Huffman, Joan A. Vaccaro, Joel C. Exebio, Sahar Ajabshir, Gustavo G. Zarini, Lemia H. Shaban

Department of Dietetics and Nutrition

Background: Omega-3 fatty acids (n-3) may be protective of cardiovascular risk factors for vulnerable populations. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between n-3 with, C-reactive protein (CRP), and homocysteine (HCY) in Black minorities with and without type 2 diabetes.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 406 participants: Haitian Americans (HA): n=238. African Americans (AA): n=172. Participants were recruited from a randomly generated mailing lists, local diabetes educators, community health practitioners and advertisements from 2008-2010. Sociodemographics and anthropometrics were collected and used to adjust analyses. All dietary variables were collected using the semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire …

Attitudes Of College Students In Relationship To Weight And Physical Activity, Emily N. Estes

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

Abstract

BACKGROUND: There is a limited amount of knowledge of the impact current and goal weights of college students have on their attitudes surrounding weight and physical activity.

OBJECTIVE: To examine weight/body image and physical activity attitudes of students and whether those attitudes correlate current and goal weights of students.

SETTING: The questionnaires utilized were completed between the years 2006-2011 at the University of Nebraska—Lincoln.

PARTICIPANTS: Male and female students from the University of Nebraska—Lincoln.

RESULTS: The mean BMI of all participants (n=2255) was 23.8 ± 4.1; for females (n=1403) 23.0 ± 4.0; and for males (n=852) 24.9 ± …

Eating Behaviors Of Older Adults Participating In Government-Sponsored Programs With Different Demographic Backgrounds, Yeon Bai, Shahla M. Wunderlich, Joseph Brusca, Johnson-Austin Marti, Michelle O'Malley

Department of Nutrition and Food Studies Scholarship and Creative Works

The purpose of this study was to determine the food behaviors of nutritionally high-risk seniors as a function of their racial background, gender, marital status, and education level. A total of 69 seniors were identified to be at high nutritional risk using the Nutrition Screening Initiative (NSI) checklist. A supplemental questionnaire (SQ) was created to examine the risk factors in relation to the participant’s demographic background. Key results indicated that Asians practiced healthy food behaviors and women were more likely to eat alone (p≤0.05). Married participants (90.9%) were most likely to consume 2 meals or more each day. College educated …

School Food Environment The Frontline For Childhood Obesity Prevention: A Mixed-Method Study Of Nutritional Competencies And Skills Of School Nutriiton Professionals In Nebraska, Zainab Rida

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

The purpose of this statewide study was to address the nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of school foodservice personnel in Nebraska regarding offering/serving healthy school meals. Moreover, this study identified some potential barriers and avenues of action for offering/serving healthy school meals. Data obtained from this study indicates that there is a strong correlation (r= .103, p r .237, p< .01) between the foodservice staff’s self-efficacy and their practices of offering/serving healthy school meals. Fortunately, the relationship between foodservice staff practices of offering/serving healthy school meals and their self-efficacy was positive and significantly predicted practices scores, β =.237, P< 0.01. The finding of the present study also identifies many barriers including lack of time and support that face the foodservice personnel in offering/serving healthy school meals. The findings suggested that there is an urgent need of a full school approach to promote and encourage healthy eating habits among students. Future research is needed to evaluate school wellness policies regarding healthy eating practices in schools. Moreover, establish partnerships with communities and universities for intervention that target students and their parents.

Advisor: Wanda Koszewski

Chhs October 2012 E-Newsletter, Dr. John Bonaguro, Dean, Vashon S. Wells, Editor, College Of Health And Human Services, Western Kentucky University

College of Health & Human Services Publications

No abstract provided.

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.

Comparison Of Glucose Monitoring Methods During Steady-State Exercise In Women, Stefanie J. Herrington, David L. Gee, Shireen D. Dow, Keith A. Monosky, Erika Davis, Kelly Pritchett

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Data from Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) systems may help improve overall daily glycemia; however, the accuracy of CGM during exercise remains questionable. The objective of this single group experimental study was to compare CGM-estimated values to venous plasma glucose (VPG) and capillary plasma glucose (CPG) during steady-state exercise. Twelve recreationally active females without diabetes (aged 21.8 ± 2.4 years), from Central Washington University completed the study. CGM is used by individuals with diabetes, however the purpose of this study was to first validate the use of this device during exercise for anyone. Data were collected between November 2009 and April …

Relationship Of Lifestyle Medical Advice And Non-Hdl Cholesterol Control Of A Nationally Representative Us Sample With Hypercholesterolemia By Race/Ethnicity, Joan A. Vaccaro, Fatma G. Huffman

Department of Dietetics and Nutrition

Objective: The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the associations of lifestyle medical advice and non-HDL cholesterol control of a nationally representative US sample of adults with hypercholesterolemia by race/ethnicity.

Methods: Data were collected by appending sociodemographic, anthropometric, and laboratory data from two cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Survey (2007-2008 and 2009-2010). This study acquired data from male and female adults aged ≥ 20 years (N = 11,577), classified as either Mexican American (MA), (), other Hispanic (OH) (), Black non-Hispanic (BNH) (), or White non-Hispanic (WNH) ().

Results: Minorities were more likely to report having …

Use Of Hemoglobin A1c To Detect Haitian-Americans With Undiagnosed Type 2 Diabetes, Joel C. Exebio, Gustavo G. Zarini, Joan Vaccaro, Cristobal Exebio, Fatma G. Huffman

Department of Dietetics and Nutrition

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the validity of hemoglobin A1C (A1C) as a diagnostic tool for type 2 diabetes and to determine the most appropriate A1C cutoff point for diagnosis in a sample of Haitian-Americans. SUBJECTS AND METHODS:

Subjects (n = 128) were recruited from Miami-Dade and Broward counties, FL. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was run in order to measure sensitivity and specificity of A1C for detecting diabetes at different cutoff points.

RESULTS: The area under the ROC curve was 0.86 using fasting plasma glucose ≥ 7.0 mmol/L as the gold standard. An A1C cutoff point of 6.26% had sensitivity of …

Weaning Onto Solid Foods: Some Of The Challenges, Annemarie E. Bennett, Annalouise O'Connor, Nicola Canning, Alice Kenny, Edel Keaveney, Katherine Younger, Mary Flynn

Articles

Weaning - the transition from milk to solid food - influences life-long health. Dietary challenges during weaning include providing sufficient critical nutrients such as iron with minimal added sugar and fat and no added salt. This study assessed the inclusion of iron-containing red meat in infant diets before age one year, and the Irish commercial baby food environment. Of mothers with an infant under 30 months of age who were surveyed in shopping centres in Ireland (n195), 82% (n159) reported wanting more weaning information. A quarter (n24) of infants over age 12 months ( …

Validation Of Food Store Environment Secondary Data Source And The Role Of Neighborhood Deprivation In Appalachia, Kentucky, Alison A. Gustafson, Sarah Lewis, Corey Wilson, Stephanie Jilcott-Pitts

Dietetics and Human Nutrition Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Based on the need for better measurement of the retail food environment in rural settings and to examine how deprivation may be unique in rural settings, the aims of this study were: 1) to validate one commercially available data source with direct field observations of food retailers; and 2) to examine the association between modified neighborhood deprivation and the modified retail food environment score (mRFEI).

METHODS: Secondary data were obtained from a commercial database, InfoUSA in 2011, on all retail food outlets for each census tract. In 2011, direct observation identifying all listed food retailers was conducted in 14 …

Gut Microbiome Composition Is Linked To Whole Grain-Induced Immunological Improvements, Ines Martinez, James M. Lattimer, Kelcie L. Hubach, Jennifer A. Case, Junyi Yang, Casey G. Weber, Julie A. Louk, Devin J. Rose, Gayaneh Kyureghian, Daniel A. Peterson, Mark D. Haub, Jens Walter

Food for Health: Publications

The involvement of the gut microbiota in metabolic disorders, and the ability of whole grains to affect both host metabolism and gut microbial ecology, suggest that some benefits of whole grains are mediated through their effects on the gut microbiome. Nutritional studies that assess the effect of whole grains on both the gut microbiome and human physiology are needed. We conducted a randomized cross-over trial with four-week treatments in which 28 healthy humans consumed a daily dose of 60 g of whole-grain barley (WGB), brown rice (BR), or an equal mixture of the two (BR+WGB), and characterized their impact on …

A Pilot Study: The Use Of A Survey To Assess The Food Knowledge Of Nutrition Students At Various Levels Of Nutrition Education, Chante Chambers

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A working definition of a concept known as ‘food literacy’ encompasses using basic food preparation knowledge that has been learned, understood, and practiced to make better food decisions. To advance these skills for client service, a post-secondary nutrition program would need to include objectives that allow application of knowledge. For this reason, the purpose of this study was to determine the difference in knowledge and application among students in 100, 200 and 400 level college nutrition course(s). A survey was developed to measure the food knowledge of these college students as they prepare for careers as health care professionals. The …

Evaluation Of A Social Marketing Campaign: 4 Day Throw Away, Katie J. James

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

Children are at a heightened risk for foodborne illness. Handling leftover food safely was identified as a concern from focus groups with the main food preparer in families with young children in two Midwestern states. To design, implement, and evaluate a theory-based food safety education intervention to raise awareness of the USDA guideline for handling leftover food. The food safety social marketing campaign “4 Day Throw Away” launched in towns throughout Nebraska and Iowa. The campaign included both traditional and social media methods to relay the message of discarding leftovers after four days. A total of 600 guardians of young …

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 …

Dietitian’S Problem Solving Knowledge To Promote And Support Breastfeeding, Cassandra L. Dytrych

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

As a result of ongoing efforts in the U.S. to promote breastfeeding as the normal way to nourish an infant, breastfeeding initiation rates are higher than they have been in decades. As the experts on food and nutrition through the lifecycle, registered dietitians (RDs) should be knowledgeable to promote and support breastfeeding. It is not well known if RDs have this knowledge. The purpose of this study was to determine the current knowledge of RDs about breastfeeding, the types of professional opportunities RDs have to promote and support breastfeeding, and the level of education RDs have to deal with breastfeeding …

A Mixed Methods Approach To Food Safety Knowledge, Beliefs And Practices In Hispanic Families With Young Children In Nebraska, Kristen M. Stenger

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This mixed methods study addresses food safety for Hispanic families with young children in Nebraska. A convergent mixed methods design was used, where qualitative and quantitative data were collected in parallel, analyzed separately and then merged in analysis and interpretation. A quantitative food safety knowledge survey (n=90, 52 from focus groups, 38 from piloting the survey), was used to assess the FightBac!™ concepts: Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill, and two additional concepts: foods that increase risk, and groups at increased risk. Qualitative focus groups explored food safety handling beliefs and practices through the lens of the Health Belief Model. Focus groups …

The Nutritional Status Of Patients With Clostridium Difficile Associeated Disease And Dietetic Practices Concerning The Management Of These Patients, Yvonne Hickey

Masters

Background: Clostridium difficile is a leading cause of noscomial infection and is responsible for increased morbidity and mortality (Hookman & Barkin, 2009). There are limited data available on the nutritional status and dietetic management of these patients. Aims: 1. To carry out an observational study to assess the prevalence of the risk of malnutrition in patients with Clostridium difficile associated disease (CDAD) and compare it to a group of patients in the same hospital. 2. To investigate dietitians’ beliefs and recommendations of probiotics in CDAD and determine the probiotic products and strains being used in this patient group. To assess …

Perception And Knowledge About Dietary Intake In Patients With Liver Cirrhosis And Its Relationship With The Level Of Education, Rustam Khan, Ashfaq Ahmed, Faisal Wasim Ismail, Shahab Abid, Safia Awan, Hasnain Shah, Saeed Hamid, Wasim Jafri

Section of Gastroenterology

Objective: To determine patients perception and knowledge regarding diet in cirrhosis and its relationship with the level of patients education.

Study Design: Cross-sectional observational study. Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at Gastroenterology Outpatient Clinics at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, the Aga Khan Health Services, Malir, Karachi and Hamdard University, Karachi, from January to December 2010.

Methodology: Consecutive adult patients with compensated cirrhosis were enrolled. Demographic data, level of education, type and reason of food restriction as well as the source of dietary information was asked. Baseline laboratory test were performed, and nutritional status was …

A Dietary Approach For Treating Dyslipidemia And Hyperglycemia, Joseph Stefon Feuerstein, Leyna Bautista, Wendy Bjerke

All PTHMS Faculty Publications

Purpose:

Elevated LDL cholesterol and impaired fasting glucose are significant risk factors for cardiovascular disease; the most prevalent cause of mortality in the USA. Many dietary approaches have been examined to help combat these medical problems. Each type of diet typically places a particular emphasis on the relative proportions of the three macronutrients; fat, carbohydrate and protein.

Identification And Assessment Of Markers Of Biotin Status In Healthy Adults, Wei Kay Eng

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

Human biotin requirements are unknown and the identification of reliable markers of biotin status is necessary to fill this knowledge gap. Here we used an outpatient feeding protocol to create states of biotin deficiency, sufficiency, and supplementation in 16 healthy men and women. Twenty possible markers of biotin status were assessed including the abundance of biotinylated carboxylases in lymphocytes, the expression of genes from biotin metabolism, and the urinary excretion of biotin and organic acids. Only the abundance of biotinylated 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase (holo-MCC) and propionyl-CoA carboxylase (holo-PCC) allowed for distinguishing among all three levels of biotin intake. The urinary excretion …

Television Watching, Diet Quality, Physical Activity And Diabetes Among Three Ethnicities In The United States, Fatma G. Huffman, Joan A. Vaccaro, Joel C. Exebio, Gustavo G. Zarini, Timothy Katz, Zisca Dixon

Department of Dietetics and Nutrition

Diabetes is a world-wide epidemic associated with multiple environmental factors. Prolonged television viewing (TV) time has been related to increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes in several studies. TV viewing has been positively associated with cardiovascular disease risk factors, lower energy expenditure, over-eating high-calorie and high-fat foods. The objective of this study was to assess the associations of hours of TV viewing with dietary quality, obesity and physical activity for three ethnic minorities with and without type 2 diabetes. Diet quality and physical activity were inversely related to prolonged TV viewing. African Americans and participants with type 2 …

Breakfast Consumption Habits Of Youth Living In Low Income Neighborhoods In A Large Three County Metropolitan Area, Elijah Dacy

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

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify youth attitudes, frequency of, and barriers for breakfast consumption and the use of available nutrition programs by youth living in poverty or food insecure households in a large three county metropolitan area. Methods: A phone survey was developed and tested in order to collect information on breakfast consumption habits and attitudes of children, targeted as food insecure. There were no incentives for persons to participate in the survey and all information gathered was kept in a secure place at the Center for Human Nutrition. Participants who were allowed to …

The Effect Of Nutrigenomics Education On The Dietary Habits Of College Students, Martha N. Harrouff

Honors Program Projects

Nutrigenomics is a newly researched area that investigates the interplay between nutrition and genetics. Theoretically, this information could enable registered dietitians to provide personalized, tailored nutrition recommendations unique to a given individual and enable individuals to alleviate future health concerns, such as cancer and heart disease. Given the potential importance of such research, the current study investigated the behavioral response of college students to this information. Seventy-five students from a small, Midwestern liberal arts university were recruited to participate in survey research. Utilizing a true experiment design, control and experimental groups completed a pretest survey measuring current dietary habits and …

Mixed Methods Analysis Of School Wellness Programs In Nebraska And Indiana: A Descriptive Study, Jessica A. Robinson

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

Schools have become one of the major fronts that the battle against childhood obesity is being fought. In 2004 the Child Nutrition Act passed by Congress required all school districts receiving funds for the National School Lunch Program to create a wellness policy. Since then there have been many research projects conducted to learn more about these policies, and their implementation as programs in the schools. Thus far, no such research has been done in Nebraska or Indiana. The purpose of this descriptive study is to describe how schools in Nebraska and Indiana are implementing wellness programs in their schools. …

Single-Chain Vαvβ T Cell Receptors Function Without Mispairing With Endogenous Tcr Chains1, David H. Aggen, Adam S. Chervin, Thomas M. Schmitt, Boris Engels, Jennifer D. Stone, Sarah A. Richman, Kurt H. Piepenbrink, Brian M. Baker, Philip D. Greenberg, Hans Schreiber, David M. Kranz

Food for Health: Publications

Transduction of exogenous T cell receptor (TCR) genes into patients’ activated peripheral blood T cells is a potent strategy to generate large numbers of specific T cells for adoptive therapy of cancer and viral diseases. However, the remarkable clinical promise of this powerful approach is still being overshadowed by a serious potential consequence: mispairing of the exogenous TCR chains with endogenous TCR chains. These “mixed” heterodimers can generate new specificities that result in graft-versus-host reactions. Engineering TCR constant regions of the exogenous chains with a cysteine promotes proper pairing and reduces the mispairing, but, as we show here, does not …

Effects Of Exercise-Related Versus Entertainment-Related Conversation On Post-Exercise Food Consumption, Christa Ahrens

Antonian Scholars Honors Program

Lifestyle choices of college students influence their risk of obesity and/or developing chronic heart disease later in life. Many students gain weight during college due to decreased exercise, overeating, and poor nutritional choices. Exercise may increase food consumption and/or the consumption of unhealthy foods due to compensation. The purpose of the study was to determine if individuals who discussed exercise-related topics would compensate by taking more food after the exercise session than those who discussed entertainment-related topics. Sixteen female college students were randomly assigned to participate in either the exercise-related or entertainment-related conversations while working out, both consisting of power …

Assessment Of Nutrition Knowledge And Self-Efficacy Of Ncaa Athletes, Melissa M. Wallinga

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

BACKGROUND Little data has been collected on the nutrition knowledge and self efficacy of NCAA Athletes, and if Sports Nutrition Departments at Universities do positively affect the nutrition knowledge and self-efficacy of athletes. OBJECTIVES To determine and compare differences in nutrition knowledge and self-efficacy of athletes at two NCAA Division I Universities, one with a Sports Nutrition Department, and one without.

SETTING Participants completed a survey in person at their respective University.

PARTICIPANTS Male and female student athletes (n=327) from two Division I Universities, participating in men’s football, men’s wrestling, women’s soccer, or women’s swimming/diving.

RESULTS Approximately 42% of the …

A Pilot Study On The Attitudes Of Management Practices In Adults With Pku, Elizabeth L. Vlock

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a genetic disorder caused by the deficiency of the enzyme, phenylalanine hydroxylase. Phenylalanine accumulation in brain causes cognitive impairment and behavioral problems, which can be prevented by dietary restriction of phenylalanine. People with PKU have to maintain a highly restrictive low protein diet throughout their entire life. PKU is typically diagnosed at birth through newborn screening. In order for a patient to reach their optimal IQ and health status, they need to maintain their blood phenylalanine (phe) level within the recommended range of 60-360 µmol/L.

The purpose of this study is to investigate attitudes of adults diagnosed …

Perceived Stress And Self‑Rated Health Of Haitian And African Americans With And Without Type 2 Diabetes, Fatma G. Huffman, Joan A. Vaccaro, Sahar Ajabshir, Gustavo G. Zarini, Joel C. Exebio, Zisca Dixon

Department of Dietetics and Nutrition

Background: Blacks have a higher incidence of diabetes and its related complications. Self-rated health (SRH) and perceived stress indicators are associated with chronic diseases. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between SRH, perceived stress and diabetes status among two Black ethnicities.
Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional study included 258 Haitian Americans and 249 African Americans with (n = 240) and without type 2 diabetes (n = 267) (N = 507). Recruitment was performed by community outreach.
Results: Haitian-Americans were less likely to report ‘fair to poor’ health as compared to African Americans [OR=0.58 (95% CI: …