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Overweight And Underserved In Children: A Contemporary American Paradox, Elyse J. Barletta-Sherwin, Ramona Stone

Public Health Sciences Student Work

• Childhood overweight and obesity trends are serious problems placing children at greater risks for adverse health outcomes and developmental issues.

• Between 2011 and 2014, obesity prevalence hovered near 17% for children 6-12 years.

• As of 2014, an estimated 14% of U.S. households were labeled food insecure, with 7.9 million children living within these underserved domains. In recent years, there has been growing concern that food insecurity and overweight and obesity conditions may be associated with each other, especially amongst children.

Annual Report: Nebraska Extension In Lancaster County, January 1, 2018 Through December 31, 2018

Lancaster County, Nebraska Extension: Reports

Lancaster County Extension information from 2018. Contents include:

1) About Extension - Lancaster County Extension mission statement, overview and impact reports;

2) Staff and Programs - staff directory and Extension Educator monthly narratives summarizing program highlights;

3) Financials - summaries of 2017-18 budget expenditures and current fiscal year 2018-19 budget; and

4) Media - website and social media information, samples of our monthly newsletter, the Nebline, and local newspaper articles.

Gardening Experience Is Associated With Increased Fruit And Vegetable Intake Among First-Year College Students: A Cross-Sectional Examination, Jennifer Loso, Daniel Staub, Sarah E. Colby, Melissa D. Olfert, Kendra Kattelmann, Melissa Vilaro, James Colee, Wenjun Zhou, Lisa Franzen-Castle, Anne E. Matthews

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background Gardening interventions have been shown to increase fruit and vegetable (F/V) intake among school-aged children. It is unknown whether these effects persist into later adolescence or adulthood, and little is known about whether gardening in later adolescence is related to F/V intake. Objective To identify the relationship between both childhood and recent (within the past 12 months) gardening experiences and current F/V intake among college students. Design/participants A cross-sectional evaluation of 1,121 college freshmen with suboptimal F/V consumption from eight US universities. Main outcome measures Participants completed the National Cancer Institute Fruit and Vegetable Screener and questions about gardening …

Teens Implementing A Childhood Obesity Prevention Program In The Community: Feasibility And Perceptions Of A Partnership With Hsta And Icook 4-H, Rebecca L. Hagedorn, Jade A. White, Lisa Franzen-Castle, Sarah E. Colby, Kendra K. Kattelmann, Adrienne A. White, Melissa D. Olfert

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

High school student researchers and teen leaders from the Health Science Technology Academy (HSTA), under the supervision of HSTA teachers, led a childhood obesity prevention (COP) program (iCook 4-H). The objective was to evaluate the feasibility and perceptions of having teen leaders implement a COP program for dyads of youth (9–10 years old) and their primary adult food preparer. Behavior change and perceptions were assessed through surveys and open-ended interviews. Across eight HSTA organizations, 43 teen leaders participated in teaching the iCook 4-H program to 24 dyads. Increased frequency of culinary skills, physical activity and mealtime behavior were reported by …

Hidden Hunger: Solutions For America’S Aging Populations, Manfred Eggersdorfer, Ucheoma Akobundu, Regan L. Bailey, Julie Shlisky, Amy R. Beaudreault, Gilles Bergeron, Robert B. Blancato, Jeffrey B. Blumberg, Megan W. Bourassa, Filomena Gomes, Gordon Jensen, Mary Ann Johnson, Douglas Mackay, Keri Marshall, Simin Nikbin Meydani, Katherine L. Tucker

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

The global population, including the United States, is experiencing a demographic shift with the proportion of older adults (aged ≥ 65 years) growing faster than any other age group. This demographic group is at higher risk for developing nutrition-related chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes as well as infections such as influenza and pneumonia. As a result, an emphasis on nutrition is instrumental for disease risk reduction. Unfortunately, inadequate nutrient status or deficiency, often termed hidden hunger, disproportionately affects older adults because of systematic healthcare, environmental, and biological challenges. This report summarizes the unique nutrition challenges facing the …

An Impact Mapping Method To Generate Robust Qualitative Evaluation Of Community-Based Research Programs For Youth And Adults, Melissa D. Olfert, Rebecca L. Hagedorn, Jade A. White, Barbara A. Baker, Sarah E. Colby, Lisa Franzen-Castle, Kendra Kattelmann, Adrienne A. White

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Ripple Effect Mapping (REM) is an evaluation approach that has traditionally been used in community settings to visually map the impact of programming and community interventions. This manuscript utilizes the Community Capitals Framework (CCF) to inform REM and to better highlight the changes and impact between various levels of a community, following a childhood obesity prevention intervention. The addition of in-depth qualitative analyses makes this approach particularly useful for the evaluation of interventions with a research–community partnership focus. The objective of this study was to describe a CCF-informed REM approach with detailed protocol, training, and application to the community-based, childhood …

Development Of Igrow: A Curriculum For Youth/Adult Dyads To Increase Gardening Skills, Culinary Competence, And Family Meal Time For Youths And Their Adult Caregivers, Jade A. White, Rebecca L. Hagedorn, Nicole L. Waterland, Makenzie L. Barr, Oluremi A. Famodu, Amy E. Root, Adrienne A. White, Sarah E. Colby, Lisa Franzen-Castle, Kendra Kattelmann, Melissa D. Olfert

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

This manuscript describes the development of a “learn by actively participating” curriculum for youth and their adult caregivers (dyad pair) to increase gardening skills, culinary competence, and family meal time. The curriculum was developed by integrating “iCook 4-H” and Junior Masters Gardener “Health and Nutrition from the Garden”, and “Essential Elements of 4-H Youth Development” curriculums with additional resources for gardening activities from the USDA’s My Plate and garden-based recipes. Expert reviewers (n = 11) provided feedback on the curriculum content, session structure, dosage, age appropriateness, and balance of the three focused areas. Seven family dyads (n = …

Targeting The Cd4 Binding Site Of Hiv, Lotta Von Boehmer

Student Theses and Dissertations

The immunologic obstacles to develop a broadly neutralizing antibody (bNAb) against HIV by vaccine mandate for methodical testing in order to understand and direct the immune response. A mouse model with the predicted human heavy chain variable domain of a bNAb precursor or mature version introduced into the mouse heavy chain immunoglobulin locus proved to be very useful. The immunoglobulin heavy-chain of the predicted germline (GLVH) or mature mutated (MuVH) version of 3BNC60 was knocked into the JH4 locus in mice. 3BNC60 is a bNAb that targets the CD4 binding site (CD4bs) of HIV-1 and belongs to the IgHV1-2 class …

Control Of Salmonella Virulence By Microbiota-Derived And Dietary Fatty Acids, Zhenrun J. Zhang

Student Theses and Dissertations

The intestinal microbiota plays critical roles in human physiology and diseases. While recent research has revealed many mechanisms by which gut microbiota influences host immunity to defend against invading pathogens, how microbiota directly antagonizes pathogen virulence is less studied. In particular, gut microbiota produces large amounts and varieties of small molecules that may impact both host immunity and pathogen virulence. In this thesis, I describe how fatty acids, derived from both gut microbiota and diet, contribute to attenuation of virulence of enteric pathogen Salmonella. In Chapter 1, I review how dietary and microbiota metabolites affect different aspects of host-microbe interactions. …

Making Ribosomes: Biochemical And Structural Studies Of Early Ribosome Biogenesis In Yeast, Malik Chaker-Margot

Student Theses and Dissertations

The ribosome is a complex macromolecule responsible for the synthesis of all proteins in the cell. In yeast, it is made of four ribosomal RNAs and 79 proteins, asymmetrically divided in a small and large subunit. In a growing yeast cell, more than 2000 ribosomes are assembled every minute. The ribosome is assembled through a highly complex process involving more than 200 trans-acting factors. Ribosome assembly begins in the nucleolus where RNA polymerase I transcribes a long polycistronic RNA, the 35S preribosomal RNA which contains the sequences for three of the four ribosomal RNAs, as well as spacer sequences which …

Assessing The Relationship Between Parenting Styles And Dietary Behaviors Among Young Adults, Breanna Tofteland

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Food continues to be the focus of lifelong dietary and social habits. Past studies have shown the importance of creating healthy habits in childhood to increase the probability of healthy dietary behaviors as adults. A concern nationwide is that unhealthy dietary habits formed as a child translates to habits practiced as an adult, resulting in obesity (CDC, 2016). Past studies have shown that parenting styles are one of the contributing factors that influence how young adults view and interact with food. Branen & Fletcher's study concluded that there are significant correlations between habits formed in childhood that are still happening …

The 2015 University Of Missouri Protests And Their Lessons For Higher Education Policy And Administration, Ben L. Trachtenberg

Faculty Publications

In the tradition of legal narrative and storytelling, this Article explores how the University of Missouri managed to fare so badly after students began protesting during the fall of 2015. It draws upon both public sources and the author's own observations as a faculty leader. The Article reviews the details and context of the Missouri protests and then presents a case study of crisis management and conflict resolution gone awry. Applying observations about higher education policy and administration to the phenomenon of student protests - particularly those related to race - the Article identifies potential pitfalls for university administrators and …

Going Beyond Ethics And Compliance: The Growing Corporate Movement To Embrace Social Value Creation, Seth J. Green

School of Business: Faculty Publications and Other Works

A growing number of companies are embracing social value creation as a core part of their business strategy. This Essay illuminates why businesses are increasingly committed to doing well and doing good and then analyzes how corporate law is evolving to support this growing corporate movement.

Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis: Role Of Gut Microbiota Is Dependent On Lipopolysaccharide-Toll-Like Receptor-4 Axis, S. M. Touhidul Islam

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Hepatic steatosis is the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome which is increasingly becoming a health problem worldwide, especially in the western hemisphere. Hepatic steatosis is benign, but long standing hepatic steatosis can lead to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NASH is a form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease where excessive fat accumulation in the liver leads to chronic inflammation of a patient without any history of alcohol abuse. However, the mechanism underlying the progression of hepatic steatosis to NASH is unclear. Role of gut microbiota in metabolic syndrome has long been reported. Here, we hypothesized that gut microbiota plays an important role …

Occupational Therapy Intervention For Project Search Interns With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Potential For Improved Transition Outcomes, Jessie L. Bricker

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

As the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) continues to rise, it is increasingly important to address the needs of adults with ASD as they transition into the work world. Project SEARCH, an internationally recognized program, has been successful in assisting individuals with disabilities in attaining competitive employment. Yet even in this program model, individuals with ASD have lower employment outcomes than individuals in other disability categories. The purpose of this action research study was to explore the needs of individuals with high functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD) within the Project SEARCH program from their own perspectives, and to examine …

Life Chaos As A Predictor Of Diet Quality In U.S. Adults, Heidi Barbara Buchert Egan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Poor diet quality is a source of morbidity and mortality within the United States. Previous researchers have examined psychosocial influences on diet; however, the relationship between life chaos, a psychosocial measure, and diet quality was not known. The purpose of this cross-sectional survey study was to use the Life Chaos Scale and the Healthy Eating Index-2010 to collect data on life chaos and diet quality, consistent with the biopsychosocial model of health, from a sample of 103 U.S. adults. Regression analysis was used to construct a predictive model. According to the study results, life chaos was not a significant predictor …

Nursing Pain Management In An Emergency Room With Hallway Overflow, Zaida Ruiz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Overcrowded emergency rooms (ERs) decrease the flow of nursing care creating a delay in nurse-administered pain management leaving patients in pain. The project-focused question asked if ER nurses felt that overcrowding in the ER led to inadequate pain management and if a clinical practice guideline (CPG) could be developed to promote effective pain management in the setting. Callista Roy's theory of human adaptation was used to guide the project. To prepare for CPG development, data from a simple random selection of 10 nurses who had worked in the ER for a minimum of 6 months was obtained from the practice …

Patient Satisfaction Management In Office Visits And Telehealth In Health Care Technology, Todd Price

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Telehealth and remote medical treatments have begun to be more commonly used in healthcare systems. Researchers have theorized that providers' abilities to treat patients are not directly tied to the proximity of the patient to the doctor, but by the identification and treatment of the patient's symptoms. Although the treatment and cure rates are being established within individual health systems and professional medical associations, empirical research is lacking regarding patient satisfaction with this remote treatment situation. The purpose of this quantitative study was to address this gap by examining satisfaction ratings of patients between virtual provider visits and face-to-face provider …

Perceptions Of Obese African American Women Regarding Altering Traditional Soul Food Preparation, Patricia A. Young

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The obesity epidemic continues to be a major concern in the United States. The World Health Organization reported that 1.4 billion adults were either obese or overweight. African American (AA) women have the highest incidence of obesity worldwide. The obesity rate among AAs has continued to rise over the past 2 decades. The problem is that AA women prepare and consume high caloric foods that contribute to obesity. This qualitative descriptive study explored the perceptions that obese AA women have about altering how they prepare soul food to make it a healthier soul food. The empowerment model and the health …

Early Interventionists' Perspectives Of Self-Efficacy With Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, Adrienne Anderson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An increasing number of infants are diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) as a result of prenatal opioid exposure. Early intervention services are recommended for this population of children and families to mitigate developmental delays associated with NAS. The effectiveness of early intervention is dependent on the ability of interventionists who deliver these services. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore early interventionists' perspectives of self-efficacy when working with infants diagnosed with NAS and their families. Bandura's self-efficacy theory and Rotter's concept of locus of control provided the conceptual framework for this study. The study's guiding research …

Quantifying The Spectrum Of Depression, Octavious Bishop

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Walden University

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by

Octavious Bishop

has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects,

and that any and all revisions required by

the review committee have been made.

Review Committee

Dr. Thomas Edman, Committee Chairperson, Psychology Faculty

Dr. Ricardo Thomas, Committee Member, Psychology Faculty

Dr. Joanna Bissell-Havran, University Reviewer, Psychology Faculty

Chief Academic Officer

Eric Riedel, Ph.D.

Quantifying the Spectrum of Depression

by

Octavious Bishop

MA, University of Texas at Austin, 2008

BS, University of Texas at Austin, 2001

Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment …

Changes In Attitudes Towards Substance Use Among High School Students, Laura Sue Catherine Elias

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Use of alcohol and illicit drugs during adolescent development can have negative effects on cognitive functioning and mental health. The purpose of this cross sectional study was to examine grade level, sex, athletic affiliation, and ethnicity as they relate to substance-using attitudes to isolate the period in which shifts in attitudes toward substance use in adolescents occur. The social learning theory provided the framework for the study. Participants included 276 high school students from a midsized Midwestern city. Students in the ninth, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades who participated in the study were asked to complete a brief electronic survey …

Second Grade Teachers' Perspectives On Differentiated Instruction, Alyssa Simmons

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite various instructional efforts, the second grade students in a mid-sized Southwestern school district failed to progress in reading. Although differentiated instruction has been shown to improve literacy skills for young readers, many teachers at the study site did not differentiate instruction for all students. Grounded in theories of social constructivism and differentiated instruction, the purpose of this study was to investigate second grade teachers' perspectives about using differentiated literacy instruction and the effect of their teaching experience and participation in professional development on those perspectives. Data for this nonexperimental, causal-comparative study were collected from 93 second grade teachers via …

Minimizing Home Health Care-Acquired Pressure Injuries Through Effective Nursing Teamwork, Juliana Baah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Pressure injuries (PIs) affect an estimated 2.5 million people in America and cost the nation approximately $11.6 billion each year. The goal of this DNP project was to minimize the rate of PIs at a home health care agency through effective teamwork. Prevention of PIs is very important because PIs damage patients' skin integrity, cause significant amount of pain, are costly to treat, and cause life-threatening infections. The purpose of this DNP project was to evaluate nursing compliance with PI prevention measures and the level of nursing teamwork at the project agency. The Braden-Bergstrom conceptual framework was used to explain …

Meeting The Nutritional Needs Of Very Low Income Diabetic Patients, Mary Hossley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adult Type II diabetes is an increasing public health problem, particularly among very low-income minority populations. The purpose of this study was to create a nutritional guide for a diabetic specific meal plan with an accompanying food pantry nutrition packet for very low-income Type II diabetic patients at a rural Mississippi Free Clinic. The practice-focused question is: Will a nurse-prepared nutritional guide with supplemental food packets improve the glucose control in low income diabetic patients? The gap in practice is that there has been no structured nutrition education guide and no food pantry support plan for Type II adult diabetics. …

Perceptions Among African American Women Welfare Recipients In Advocating For Welfare Reform, Linda Denise Scope

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act (PRWORA) significantly affected many families by changing public assistance from an entitlement program to a work program for recipients and imposing a 60 month maximum period for receiving assistance. Unanticipated outcomes created deleterious results for many single parents. This multiple case study explored the experiences of four African American single mothers in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States receiving assistance regarding welfare reform, the welfare system and their perceptions of welfare advocacy. Black feminist and empowerment theories framed the study to examine how welfare policy changes affected African American women's families …

What Matters Most To Mayors Making Interlocal Agreement Decisions, Douglas C. Haney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Local governmental units in the United States are struggling to cope with dwindling public resources and surging public demands. They often turn to interlocal agreements (ILAs) as a collaborative means by which to more effectively serve their constituents. Unfortunately, many ILAs never materialize or fail prematurely. The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of 13 purposefully selected mayors in the State of Indiana to discover what factors they considered important when making their ILA entry and continuation decisions. It utilized a conceptual framework based on the transaction costs theory, as informed by the utility maximization, …

Self-Disclosure Of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Status In Personal Relationships: Perceptions Of South Africans Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Delile Gertrude Langeni

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite enormous research on the experience of living with HIV, many questions remain regarding self-disclosure of HIV status to sexual partners by people living with HIV (PLWHIV), which is essential to reducing further infection. In this study, a phenomenological approach captured the experience of self-disclosure among South Africans living with HIV in Louwsburg, South Africa. The health belief model served as a theoretical framework, and in-depth interviews were conducted with 12 PLWHIV (8 women, 4 men) who self-disclosed their HIV status to their sexual partners. Their experiences were explored, discovering their illness, motives for self-disclosure, feelings regarding disclosing, responses of …

Complementary Infant Feeding Practices In Afghanistan, Hasibullah Na Niayesh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Children are at greater risk of malnutrition in Afghanistan than they are in many other countries. Malnutrition impairs the mental and physical growth of more than 50% of children in Afghanistan. It also exacerbates the risks of mortality by 45% in infants and children in Afghanistan. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between mothers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding complementary feeding and malnutrition in children in Afghanistan. The precaution adoption process model served as a theoretical framework in this quantitative cross-sectional research study. Data analyzed were collected from 306 mothers and children at 6 randomly selected …

Energetic Consequences For A Northern, Range-Edge Lizard Population, Sean D. Powers, Matthew R. Mcternan, Donald R. Powers, Roger A. Anderson

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

Lizards at the northern, cool edge of their geographic range in the northern hemisphere should encounter environmental conditions that differ from those living near the core of their range. To better understand how modest climate differences affect lizard energetics, we compared daily feeding and metabolism rates of individual Sceloporus occidentalis in two populations during mid-summer. Chuckanut Beach (CB) was a cool, maritime climate in northern Washington State, and Sondino Ranch (SR) was a warmer, drier climate in southern, inland Washington. We found no difference between populations in daily energy expenditure (DEE), as calculated from doubly labeled water estimates. The CB …