Nutrition Commons^™

Comparing The Effectiveness And Acceptability Of The Jump Into Foods And Fitness (Jiff) And Quest For Health Nutrition Interventions Within An African-American Population, Jermaine Shaw

All Theses

The severity of the obesity epidemic has increased the necessity for nutrition education programs. These programs must be culturally and age appropriate in order to be more effective in bringing about positive behavior changes in the target populations.
This study examined the effectiveness and acceptability of the Jump into Foods and Fitness (JIFF) and Quest for Health nutrition education programs within a pre-adolescent African-American population. Two classes from the Boys and Girls Club of Sumter, S.C. were randomly assigned to one of the nutrition education programs. Class one was assigned to the JIFF curriculum, and included 23 participants. Class two …

Association Of Body Mass Index, Fruit And Vegetable Intake, And Acculturation In A Sample Las Vegas Hispanic Population, Anne L. Bolstad

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The U.S. is experiencing a rising prevalence of overweightedness that has been identified as the second leading cause for chronic health conditions threatening public health. Overweightedness has grown disproportionately among ethnic sub-groups. In the fastest going minority population in the U.S., Hispanic Americans are observed with disparately high body mass index, placing them at heightened risk for poor health outcomes. Research suggests five servings of fruit and vegetables, in any combination, provides a sound nutritional base for healthful living and helps to maintain normal body weight.

Americans are known to have poor eating habits while foreign-born populations have well balanced …

Sweetened Beverage Consumption And Its Contributing Factors Among School-Aged Children–A Multilevel Analysis, Meizi He, Leonard Piché, Danielle Battram, Isabelle Giroux, Charlene Beynon, Jacqline Swans, Rohna Hanning

Leonard Piché

Excessive consumption of sweetened beverages by children and youth has become an issue of great concern among health professionals and health policy makers in the U.S. and Canada. Over-consumption of sweetened beverages can have negative effects on children's nutrient profile and may increase their risk of obesity. Reducing children's sweetened beverage consumption offers an opportunity to decrease unnecessary energy intake and prevent excess weight gain.

Childhood Poverty And Abdominal Obesity In Adulthood: A Systematic Review, David González, Aydin Nazmi, Cesar G. Victoria

Aydin Nazmi

Adverse socioeconomic conditions in childhood can have lasting effects on health, but evidence is lacking from prospective studies concerning the effects of early poverty on abdominal obesity in adulthood. Cross-sectional studies in adults from middle and high-income countries show that current socioeconomic status is inversely related to obesity in women, but the pattern in men is not consistent. A systematic review was undertaken to assess the influence of early socioeconomic status on waist circumference, hip circumference, and waist-hip ratio in adulthood. Thirteen relevant articles were located (five cross-sectional and eight cohort), including only one from a middle-income country and the …

Role Of Group X Secretory Phospholipase A2 In Murine Adipocytes, Xia Li

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The secretory phospholipase A₂ (sPLA₂) family is a group of enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of glycerophospholipids at the sn-2 position, generating free fatty acids and lysophospholipids. The sPLA₂ family has been implicated in various physiological and pathological activities. Eleven sPLA₂’s have been identified in mammals, and the function of each isoform likely reflects its tissue distribution and substrate specificity. Studies in vitro indicate that Group X (GX) sPLA₂ potently releases arachidonic acid (AA) and lysophosphatidylcholine from mammalian cell membranes. Interestingly, some of the biological effects mediated by GX sPLA₂ in vitro …

Effect Of Exogenous Leptin On Thrombotic And Metabolic Profiles Of Fvb/B6 Lipodystrophic Mice, Hoda Chaouki Kadouh

Wayne State University Theses

Lipodystrophy caused by fat deficiency contributes to metabolic disease for which several treatment modalities have been implemented, with leptin therapy being the most effective to date. In addition to playing a role in energy homeostasis and metabolism, leptin was also shown to play a pro-thrombotic role in mice. This role was not examined in fatless mice, neither was thrombosis measured. The AZIP/F-1 (FVB) lipodystrophic mouse appeared to have a prolonged arterial occlusion time (p〈0.05) in a trial done in our lab, with clotting factors being normal. The present study was designed to observe the thrombotic and metabolic characteristics of fatless …

Obesity And Food Choices Among Faculty And Staff At A Large Urban University, Marjorie Freedman, Rebecca Rubinstein

Faculty Publications

Objective: In order to address increasing health care costs associated with obesity, this study sought to determine prevalence of overweight and obesity and examine eating behaviors, food choices, health beliefs, and attitudes of university employees. Participants and Methods: An online survey was distributed to > 3,800 faculty and staff at a large public metropolitan university in Winter 2008. Results: Almost half (48%) of 806 respondents were classified as overweight or obese. Compared to those with normal weights, overweight and obese respondents consumed fewer fruits and vegetables (p < .05), were less confident in making healthful food choices (p < .001), and were more influenced by food choices available in on-campus dining facilities (p < .05). Conclusions: Obesity among university employees warrants attention. Because these employees have less self-efficacy and consume less healthful diets than their normal weight colleagues, universities need to improve on-campus access to healthful foods.

Survival And Inflammation In Patients With Heart Failure: The Impact Of Overweight, Obesity, Diabetes And Fruit And Vegetable Consumption, Heather Payne-Emerson

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Overweight and obesity are paradoxically associated with better survival in patients with heart failure (HF). This association is poorly understood, in part because the impact of diabetes (DM) on survival of overweight and obese HF patients has not been considered. Inflammation may contribute to worse survival in overweight and obese HF patients with DM, and levels of inflammation may be associated with fruit and vegetable consumption. However, neither of these relationships has been investigated in patients with HF.

The purposes of this dissertation were to a) examine the effect of DM on survival of overweight and obese patients with HF, …