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Preliminary Efficacy Of Group Medical Nutrition Therapy And Motivational Interviewing Among Obese African American Women With Type 2 Diabetes: A Pilot Study, Stephania T. Miller, Veronica J. Oates, Malinda A. Brooks, Ayumi Shintani, Tebeb Gebretsadik, Darlene M. Jenkins

Human Sciences Faculty Research

Objective. To assess the efficacy and acceptability of a group medical nutritional therapy (MNT) intervention, using motivational interviewing (MI). Research Design & Method. African American (AA) women with type 2 diabetes (T2D) participated in five, certified diabetes educator/dietitian-facilitated intervention sessions targeting carbohydrate, fat, and fruit/vegetable intake and management. Motivation-based activities centered on exploration of dietary ambivalence and the relationships between diet and personal strengths. Repeated pre- and post-intervention, psychosocial, dietary self-care, and clinical outcomes were collected and analyzed using generalized least squares regression. An acceptability assessment was administered after intervention. Results. Participants (n = 24) were …

Reduction Of Obesity-Associated Oxidative Stress By Low-Fat Yogurt Consumption, Diana M. Dimarco

Master's Theses

Excess macronutrient intake leads to an increase in formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This causes an imbalance between ROS generation and the ability of the body to neutralize these radicals, a state known as oxidative stress. Previous research suggests the ability of dairy products to attenuate the postprandial response, which may reduce ROS formation. Therefore, this study aimed to elucidate the impact of low-fat yogurt consumption on fasting and postprandial oxidative stress in obese women.

We hypothesized that co-consumption of low-fat yogurt and a high-calorie, high-fat meal would reduce postprandial elevations in oxidative stress in obese women. To test …

A Longitudinal Analysis Of Body Mass And Morbidity: Evidence From The Health And Retirement Study, Jamie Boydstun

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation aimed to investigate the direct and indirect pathways between body mass and three indicators of morbidity – health conditions, disability, and self-rated health status – and how these associations differed across birth cohorts. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative longitudinal sample of adults age 51 or older, I used latent growth curve modeling to investigate the association of body mass on morbidity for five cohorts. Latent growth curve models allow for changes in body mass, health conditions, disability, and self-rated health over several waves of data to be assessed. To determine if the …

Obesity And Mortality: Are The Risks Declining? Evidence From Multiple Prospective Studies In The United States., Tapan S. Mehta, Kevin R. Fontaine, Scott W. Keith, Sripal S. Bangalore, Gustavo De Los Campos, Alfred Bartolucci, Nicholas M. Pajewski, David B. Allison

Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Faculty Papers

We evaluated whether the obesity-associated years of life lost (YLL) have decreased over calendar time. We implemented a meta-analysis including only studies with two or more serial body mass index (BMI) assessments at different calendar years. For each BMI category (normal weight: BMI 18.5 to <25 >[reference]; overweight: BMI 25 to60, YLL for grade 1 obesity decreased by 1.02 years (P < 0.001) and increased by 0.63 years for grade 2-3 obesity (P = 0.63). Among women aged ≤60, YLL for grade 1 obesity decreased by 4.21 years (P < 0.001) and by 4.97 years (P < 0.001) for grade 2-3 obesity. In women aged >60, YLL for grade 1 obesity decreased by 3.98 years (P < 0.001) and by 2.64 years (P = 0.001) for grade 2-3 obesity. Grade 1 obesity's association with decreased longevity has reduced for older Caucasian men. For Caucasian women, there is evidence of a decline in the obesity YLL association across all ages.

Using The Bite Counter To Overcome The Effect Of Plate Size On Food Intake, Phillip Jasper

All Theses

According to a recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, overweight and obesity have reached epidemic levels in the United States (Flegal et at., 2010, NHANES, 2010) There are many treatments for overweight and obesity, the most popular being behavioral interventions (Berkel et al., 2005). Self-monitoring is one of the most important factors of successful behavioral interventions (Baker & Kirschenbaum, 1993). The Bite Counter is a newly developed tool for weight loss that aids in the self-monitoring process (Dong et al., 2011). The purpose of the current study was to determine if bite count feedback and an instruction on the …

The Effect Of Leucine Supplementation On Biomarkers Of Mitochondrial Biogenesis And Protein Synthesis In Soleus Muscle Of Rats Fed A High-Fat Diet, Gina Davis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mitochondrial dysfunction is a contributing factor to the advancement of various diseases including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Impairment in mitochondria brings about a diminished mitochondrial number and oxidative capacity. Leucine is known to stimulate muscle protein synthesis through transcription and translation of nuclear DNA leading to increases in mitochondrial biogenesis and fatty acid oxidation. However, the effects of leucine on anabolic factors of the mitochondrial genome, during catabolic conditions are not known. PURPOSE: To determine if leucine supplementation alters the negative effects of a high fat (60%) diet (HFD) on the mitochondrial genome by measuring the gene expression of …

Cardioprotection By Controlling Hyperamylinemia In A "Humanized" Diabetic Rat Model, Sanda Despa, Savita Sharma, Todd R. Harris, Hua Dong, Ning Li, Nipavan Chiamvimonvat, Heinrich Taegtmeyer, Kenneth B. Margulies, Bruce D. Hammock, Florin Despa

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Chronic hypersecretion of the pancreatic hormone amylin is common in humans with obesity or prediabetic insulin resistance and induces amylin aggregation and proteotoxicity in the pancreas. We recently showed that hyperamylinemia also affects the cardiovascular system. Here, we investigated whether amylin aggregates interact directly with cardiac myocytes and whether controlling hyperamylinemia protects the heart.

METHODS AND RESULTS: By Western blot, we found abundant amylin aggregates in lysates of cardiac myocytes from obese patients, but not in controls. Aggregated amylin was elevated in failing hearts, suggesting a role in myocyte injury. Using rats overexpressing human amylin in the pancreas (HIP …

25-Hydroxyvitamin D, Igf-1, And Waist Circumference A Cross-Sectional Study, Damon Mccune

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Purpose: Waist circumference has been shown to have a link to various forms of chronic disease and low levels of Vitamin D (25(OH)D) and IGF-1. The purpose of this study is to assess if there is a relationship with Vitamin D (25(OH)D) and IGF-1 levels and waist circumference.

Methods: As part of a cross-sectional correlation study, participants were males and females (n=26), ages 25-65, who were students at UNLV and/or individuals who attend local health and wellness facilities as well as attendees of classes held by the UNLV Nutrition Center. Participants reported to UNLV to review and sign informed consent …

The Environmental And Health Costs Of Alternative Diets: A Comparative Study Of The U. S. Diet Relative To The French, Japanese, Mediterranean, And Nordic Diets, Sarah Rehkamp

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis contributes to the literature on sustainable consumption by using scenario analysis to evaluate the environmental and health costs of the U.S. diet relative to the French, Japanese, Mediterranean, and Nordic diets, identified in the literature as healthier diets. As a first step in estimating environmental costs, the energy efficiencies of each diet are calculated by decomposing each of the diets into their respective components. Then, the dietary efficiencies are translated into CO₂ emissions. As a first step in estimating health costs, a pooled cross-section time-series dataset is used to find the association between BMI and five countries, …

Automatically Measuring Individual Consumption Events During Natural Eating Using A Table Embedded Scale, Ryan Mattfeld

All Theses

This thesis is motivated to improve the tools available for tracking energy intake. The goal of this work is to develop a table-embedded scale capable of measuring the weight of individual consumption events during unrestricted eating. The method was tested on a data set gathered from 276 subjects eating 518 courses consisting of 22,383 marked individual consumption events in a cafeteria environment. Approximately 30% of the consumption events can be detected and weighed. The remaining 70% of the events occur without participants interacting with the scale or when noisy interactions with the scale prevent weight measurement. The relationship between bite …

The Association Of Wellness Policy Quality And Percentage Of Obesity In Schools, Bryce M. Abbey

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

Schools possess a unique opportunity to reach a large captive audience and are becoming one of the battlegrounds for childhood obesity. To address the school environment’s role on the influence of American children’s nutritional intake and participation in physical activity, the United States (US) Federal Government adopted the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, placing an emphasis on implementation of the local school wellness policy (LSW). The purpose of this study was to examine the association between LSW and percentage of obesity in school districts within Nebraska. Aggregate district-wide body mass index (BMI) percentile data were utilized from previously collected …

The Use Of Non-Nutritive Sweeteners In Establishing And Maintaining A Healthy Weight, Derrick Pickering, Mary Williams

Student Works

Obesity is an epidemic and continues to rise. The associated increased risk of mortality and co-morbid conditions is well documented. The use non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) is a strategy being used to manage weight by reducing calorie intake. Research is inconclusive regarding the efficacy of NNS in weight management due to their inappropriate use and also the potential they may increase appetite. To most effectively manage weight, a comprehensive individualized plan must be devise of which proper use NNS may be a part.

Effects Of Dietary Stimulators Of Metabolism And Mitochondrial Biogenesis In Vitro And In Vivo: Implications For Metabolic Disease, Roger Vaughan

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

Background: Commercially available dietary products advertised to promote weight loss are an under researched but heavily purchased commodity in the United States. Despite only limited evidence, interest in dietary supplements continues to increase. Obesity is an increasingly prevalent and preventable morbidity with multiple behavioral, surgical and pharmacological interventions currently available. Commercially available dietary supplements are often advertised to stimulate metabolism and cause rapid weight and/or fat loss, although few well controlled studies have demonstrated such effects. This work uniquely summarizes the current evidence evaluating the efficacy of several over-the-counter thermogenic products for their effects on resting energy expenditure. Additionally, this …

Restructuring Local School Wellness Policies: Amending The Kids Act To Fight Childhood Obesity, Rebecca Edwalds

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Childhood obesity is a major problem plaguing the United States. Over one-third of children are overweight, and there is little indication that this trend will reverse in the near future. The federal government has attempted to combat childhood obesity through the National School Lunch Act, which regulates the quality of foods federally subsidized schools may serve to children, and provides broad goals for physical activity. These basic goals leave extensive room for states to implement different standards, and they are not sufficient to effectively confront the childhood obesity problem. This Note proposes amendments to the National School Lunch Act that …

"Do You Bant?" William Banting And Bantingism: A Cultural History Of A Victorian Anti-Fat Aesthetic, Jaime Michelle Miller

English Theses & Dissertations

In the second half of the nineteenth century, a retired Victorian undertaker named William Banting (1796-1878) dramatically altered attitudes toward fat by initiating the profoundly consequential idea of the diet as a saleable commodity capable of marking identity within particular social and racial contexts and connecting obesity with degeneracy, illness, and evil. His work Letter on Corpulence Addressed to the General Public self-published in 1863 describes how, with physician William Harvey, Banting reduced his weight by nearly fifty pounds by following a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet. Banting and his dieting phenomenon transformed the English cultural consciousness of fatness, and created a …

Report Of A Curriculum Used In A Peer-Delivered Intervention To Reduce Obesity Of Adolescents In Southern Appalachia And Its Relationship To The National Health Education Standards, Diana Mozen, William Dalton, Taylor Mckeehan, Deborah Slawson

International Journal of Health Sciences Education

Adolescent obesity in Southern Appalachian is among the highest in the nation. Even though adolescent obesity is a major public health concern, effective interventions are limited. Team Up for Healthy Living is a cluster-randomized control trial developed to test the effectiveness of a cross-peer intervention with high school students focusing on healthy eating and physical activity. This instructional article describes the 8-week curriculum developed and utilized by Team Up for Healthy Living with an emphasis on the relationship to National Health Education Standards. This is important given the standards were created to promote and support health-enhancing behaviors for students all …

Vitamin D Status And Demographic And Lifestyle Determinants Among Adults In The United States (Nhanes 2001-2006), Yan Cao, Katie L. Callahan, Sreenivas P. Veeranki, Yang Chen, Ying Liu, Shimin Zheng

ETSU Faculty Works

This study looked at risk factors associated with vitamin D levels in the body among a representative sample of adults in the U.S., NHANES III (2001-2006) data were used to assess the relationship between several demographic and health risk factors and vitamin D levels in the body. The Baseline-Category Logit Model was used to test the association between vitamin D level and the potential risk factors age, education, ethnicity, poverty status, physical activity, smoking, alcohol, obesity, diabetes and total cholesterol with both genders. Vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency were significantly associated with age, race, education, physical activity, obesity, diabetes and …

The Adolescent Female's Lived-Experience Of Obesity, Jamie L. Randall-Arell, Rose Utley

The Qualitative Report

For adolescent girls, negative messages about obesity and body image from society, media, school, family, and peers are plentiful. Yet the lived-experience of obese adolescent girls has rarely been reported in scientific literature. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived-experience of the obese adolescent female and understand the impact of the messages received. A descriptive phenomenological approach was used to conduct face-to-face interviews with eight adolescent girls, age 11-18. Participants were recruited through network sampling and had a body mass index of 30 or more. Merleau-Ponty’s philosophy of embodied perception guided interpretation and data analysis. Seven themes …

Resveratrol And Cancer: Focus On In Vivo Evidence, Lindsay G. Carter, John A. D'Orazio, Kevin J. Pearson

Graduate Center for Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

Resveratrol is a naturally occurring polyphenol that provides a number of anti-aging health benefits including improved metabolism, cardioprotection, and cancer prevention. Much of the work on resveratrol and cancer comes from in vitro studies looking at resveratrol actions on cancer cells and pathways. There are, however, comparatively fewer studies that have investigated resveratrol treatment and cancer outcomes in vivo, perhaps limited by its poor bioavailability when taken orally. Although research in cell culture has shown promising and positive effects of resveratrol, evidence from rodents and humans is inconsistent. This review highlights the in vivo effects of resveratrol treatment on breast, …

Utility Of Anthropometric Measures In A Multiethnic Population: Their Association With Prevalent Diabetes, Hypertension And Other Chronic Disease Comorbidities, Heather P. Tarleton, Lisa V. Smith, Zuo-Feng Zhang, Tony Kuo

Health and Human Sciences Faculty Works

Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) are two common anthropometric measures of obesity in clinical and public health practice. Consensus, however, remains elusive regarding their utility for predicting cardiovascular disease risk in multiethnic populations. We address this gap in the literature by analyzing cross-sectional data from the first round of the Los Angeles County Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2011. We characterized the relationships between BMI, WC, waist-to-hip ratios, waist-to-height ratios, and chronic disease extent, as confirmed by the presence of hypertension, diabetes, and/or two or more other chronic conditions as defined by a composite indicator ‘comorbidity’. To …

Limiting What We Can Eat: A Bridge Too Far?, Lawrence O. Gostin

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Innovative mayors across America are seeking to shape personal decisions about diet and physical activity, taking a page from tobacco control. But attempts to limit personal choices of what to eat have drawn the ire of vocal critics and sometimes the rebuke of judges, with former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg’s limit on soda portions becoming a key flash point. The public broadly accepts state power to control infectious diseases, but often draws a line at limiting dietary choices. The author wants to dispel some of the well-worn arguments in the obesity wars.

Reporting Risk, Producing Prejudice How News Reporting On Obesity Shapes Attitudes About Health Risk, Policy, And Prejudice, Abigail C. Saguy, David Frederick, Kjerstin Gruys

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

News reporting on research studies may influence attitudes about health risk, support for public health policies, or attitudes towards people labeled as unhealthy or at risk for disease. Across five experiments (N = 2123) we examined how different news framings of obesity research influence these attitudes. We exposed participants to either a control condition, a news report on a study portraying obesity as a public health crisis, a news report on a study suggesting that obesity may not be as much of a problem as previously thought, or an article discussing weight-based discrimination. Compared to controls, exposure to the public …

An Examination Of An Environmental Change In Beverages Available To High School Students In Santa Maria, California On Their Consumption Behavior, Susan Eileen Klucker

Master's Theses

Hypothesis: "By an environmental change in high school vending machines, making water available, students will choose water over the sugar sweetened sodas."

This document highlights a case study analysis of vendor-provided refill data for forty-five beverage vending machines at two campus sites in one high school district in 2003 and 2004. The innovative study and publicized negotiated soda contract of a 50:50 (healthy to unhealthy) beverage ratio stipulation became the “Win-Win-WEAN” compromise, in which exposure to healthier beverage options for students might prove to provide the same income opportunity for the school district.

An overview of the political …

Bariatric Surgery Versus Lifestyle Interventions In Managing Obesity In Patients With Type Ii Diabetes: A Systematic Review, Leslie C. Nakaya, Mary Williams

Student Works

Obesity, with coexisting T2DM, is difficult to treat successfully for various reasons and carries enormous health risks and financial burdens. The purpose of this systematic review is to compare outcomes of conventional medical treatment to bariatric surgery for the treatment of T2DM, and determine which patients may be appropriate for referral. Data Sources: An electronic search of the literature was conducted to identify studies from 2008 to 2014 in the following databases: CINAHL, National Library of Medicine PubMed®/MEDLINE®, EBSCO, SciVerse®, Springer Link®, and the Cochrane library. Conclusions: Bariatric surgical options, even before weight loss occurs, positively affect glucose homeostasis and …

Impact Of Pediatric Obesity On Grades In Elementary School, Craig A. Johnston, Jennette P. Moreno, Tzu-An Chen, Sandra A. Stansberry, Deborah Woehler

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Objective: The current study examines the relationship between obesity and academic performance among second grade students. We hypothesized that students who were overweight or obese would have poorer grades than students who were normal weight.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Setting: Seven elementary schools from a southeast Texas Independent School District.

Participants: The sample was composed of 798 ethnically and racially diverse elementary school children. Students were classified as normal weight, overweight, and obese.

Main Outcome Measures: Differences in cumulative grades (math, science, and reading) across weight classifications were examined using sex, race/ethnicity, and school socioeconomic level as covariates. Additionally, all subject areas …

Exercise And Time Of Day: Influence On Hunger And Caloric Intake Among Overweight/Obese Adults, Molly C. Weber

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not the time of day at which exercise was performed, morning compared to evening, influences acute daily caloric intake and hunger in overweight/obese sedentary adults. 8 overweight/obese (Age: 40 ± 4 yrs, Height: 170 ± 4 cm, Weight: 85.7 ± 6.4 kg, BMI: 29 ± 2 kg/m2) sedentary adults completed 3 trials: control, morning, evening in a randomly counterbalanced cross over design. Caloric intake was assessed over three 4-day periods with subjects consuming ad libitum diets. Hunger was measured 15 minutes before exercise and 15 and 30 minutes following exercise. …

Phytochemicals Added To The Feed Of Ovariectomized Adult Rats Increase Brown Adipose Activity, Colette N. Miller, Suresh Ambati, Erica Bass, Natalie Hohos, Diane Hartzel, Emily England, Mary Anne Della-Fera, Srujana Rayalam, Clifton A. Baile

Research Day

Background: Brown adipose tissue (BAT) uncouples respiration, using lipids as an energy source while dissipating heat. Increases in BAT activity are protective against obesity, thus compounds that increase BAT activation may help prevent weight gain. Resveratrol (R) increases BAT activity by upregulating thermogenic genes. As phytochemicals have synergistic properties, our research strategy has included investigation of the efficacy of relatively low concentrations of phytochemical blends on BAT activation. Methods: Previously, we showed that R combined with genistein (G) and quercetin (Q) reduced weight gain in aged ovariectomized (OVX) female rats. In the current study, OVX rats were fed diets containing …

Dopaminergic Genetic Contributions To Obesity In Kidney Transplant Recipients, Ashley Grimes Stanfill

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Background: Kidney transplant recipients are a population who experience a high likelihood of gaining a significant amount of weight (between 6 and 13 kilograms) during the first year after transplantation. However, not all kidney transplant recipients gain weight. Studies have found little difference in physical activity and nutritional intake among those who do and do not gain weight. Immunosuppressant medications have also not been shown to play a substantive role in post-transplant weight gain. Additionally, although some studies have shown that age, gender, and race can influence weight gain, this information does not fully capture the observed variance. These observations …

Fact Sheet #2: How Do Mainecare Providers Perform On Childhood Screening And Prevention?, Jean A. Talbot Phd, Mary Lindsey Smith Phd, Msw, Kimberley S. Fox Mpa

Population Health & Health Policy

The annual Survey of Children Served by MaineCare, which collects a wealth of data on the experiences of MaineCare families, examines the extent to which MaineCare providers follow Bright Futures guidelines during well-child visits. This fact sheet presents findings on Bright Futures adherence from the 2013 survey.

Make Your Garden Grow: Designing A Physical Activity Estimation Improvement Game, Ashish Amresh, Leigh Small

Publications

We present a novel game and virtual world based application that is aimed at improving the physical activity estimation skills of parents. It has been well established that lack of proper estimation of preschool children’s activity levels may be one of the main causes for childhood obesity. Childhood obesity has several long term health effects ranging from cardio-vascular disease to type II diabetes and obese preschool children are at risk for later life. We have developed an application that caters to both the parent and the child and uses a virtual garden as a fledgling ecosystem controlled both by the …