Nutrition Commons^™

Food Insecurity: United States, Courtney Handzel

Global Issues in Public Health

Food insecurity is a global issue and has caused struggles to millions of people, specifically in the United States. This environmental issue involves not having the resources to obtain adequate food supply. The economic and social influences that affect food insecurity leave vulnerable populations, such as low-income families and minority races, at a greater disadvantage. This issue causes serious health complications to arise too, the most common being diabetes. The increased risk of diabetes due to food insecurity has been studied on several occasions and the results all show the correlation, lack of food security increases the risk of diabetes. …

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 K. Kattelmann, Melissa Vilaro, James Colee, Wenjun Zhou, Lisa Franzen-Castle, Anne E. Mathews

Clinical and Translational Science Institute

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 experiences. Respondents were grouped …

“It’S Making Memories”: A Qualitative Investigation Of Family Mealtime Cognitions, Barriers And Strategies For Success Of Parents And School-Aged Kids, K. M. Eck, K. Spaccarotella, C. L. Delaney, Melissa D. Olfert, K. P. Shelnutt, C. Byrd-Bredbenner

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Objective: Family meals, particularly those occurring in calm environments, are associated with numerous health benefits for both children and parents. However, families often struggle to share meals, with the frequency declining as kids get older. This qualitative research study aimed to explore the factors influencing family meal behaviors.

Methods: Parents (n=38) and school-age children (n=37) participated in focus group discussions guided by Social Cognitive Theory.

Results: Content analysis results indicate that parents and children believed family meals were important, promoted communication, and strengthened family bonds. Parents and children reported that a calm, enjoyable, conflict-free mealtime environment bolstered mealtime enjoyment and …

Low Sucrose, Omega-3 Enriched Diet Has Region-Specific Effects On Neuroinflammation And Synaptic Function Markers In A Mouse Model Of Doxorubicin-Based Chemotherapy, Tonya S. Orchard, Monica M. Gaudier-Diaz, Panchita Phuwamongkolwiwat-Chu, Rebecca Andridge, Maryam B. Lustberg, Joshua Bomser, Rachel M. Cole, Martha A. Belury, Courtney A. Devries

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Chemotherapeutic agents such as doxorubicin may negatively affect long-term brain functioning in cancer survivors; neuroinflammation may play a causal role. Dietary approaches that reduce inflammation, such as lowering sucrose and increasing eicosapentaenoic acid plus docosahexaenoic acid (EPA + DHA), may attenuate chemotherapy-induced neuroinflammation and synaptic damage, thereby improving quality of life. Ovariectomized, C57BL/6 mice were assigned to a chemotherapy (9 mg/kg doxorubicin + 90 mg/kg cyclophosphamide) or vehicle two-injection regimen, with injections two and four weeks after starting diets. In Study 1, mice received low sucrose diets with EPA + DHA or No EPA + DHA for four to six …

Food Choice Priorities Change Over Time And Predict Dietary Intake At The End Of The First Year Of College Among Students In The U.S., Melissa J. Vilaro, Sarah E. Colby, Kristin Riggsbee, Wenjun Zhou, Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, Melissa D. Olfert, Tracey E. Barnett, Tanya Horacek, Morgan Sowers, Anne E. Matthews

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

This study assessed food choice priorities (FCP) and associations with consumption of fruits and vegetables (FV), fiber, added sugars from non-beverage sources, and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) among college students. Freshmen from eight U.S. universities (N = 1149) completed the Food Choice Priorities Survey, designed for college students to provide a way to determine the factors of greatest importance regarding food choices, and the NCI Dietary Screener Questionnaire. Changes in FCP and dietary intake from fall 2015 to spring 2016 were assessed. Multiple regression models examined associations between FCP and log-transformed dietary intake, controlling for sex, age, race, and BMI. Participant …

Genome-Wide Association Analysis With A 50k Transcribed Gene Snp-Chip Identifies Qtl Affecting Muscle Yield In Rainbow Trout, Mohamed Salem, Rafet Al-Tobasei, Ali Ali, Daniela Lourenco, Guangtu Gao, Yniv Palti, Brett Kenney, Timothy D. Leeds

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Detection of coding/functional SNPs that change the biological function of a gene may lead to identification of putative causative alleles within QTL regions and discovery of genetic markers with large effects on phenotypes. This study has two-fold objectives, first to develop, and validate a 50K transcribed gene SNP-chip using RNA-Seq data. To achieve this objective, two bioinformatics pipelines, GATK and SAMtools, were used to identify ∼21K transcribed SNPs with allelic imbalances associated with important aquaculture production traits including body weight, muscle yield, muscle fat content, shear force, and whiteness in addition to resistance/susceptibility to bacterial cold-water disease (BCWD). SNPs ere …

“Your Body Feels Better When You Drink Water”: Parent And School-Age Children’S Sugar- Sweetened Beverage Cognitions, Kaitlyn M. Eck, Aleksandr Dinesen, Elder Garcia, Colleen L. Delaney, Oluremi A. Famodu, Melissa D. Olfert, Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, Karla P. Shelnutt

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are a leading source of added sugar in the American diet. Further, ingestion of added sugars from SSBs exceeds recommendations. Thus, interventions that effectively reduce SSB consumption are needed. Focus group discussions with parents (n = 37) and school-aged children between the ages of 6 and 11 years (n = 41) from Florida, New Jersey, and West Virginia were led by trained moderators using Social Cognitive Theory as a guide. Trends and themes that emerged from the content analysis of the focus group data indicated that both parents and children felt that limiting SSBs was important to …

Detecting Body Mass Index From A Facial Photograph In Lifestyle Intervention, Makenzie L. Barr, Guodong Guo, Sarah E. Colby, Melissa D. Olfert

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

This study aimed to identify whether a research participant’s body-mass index (BMI) can be correctly identified from their facial image (photograph) in order to improve data capturing in dissemination and implementation research. Facial BMI (fBMI) was measured using an algorithm formulated to identify points on each enrolled participant’s face from a photograph. Once facial landmarks were detected, distances and ratios between them were computed to characterize facial fatness. A regression function was then used to represent the relationship between facial measures and BMI values to then calculate fBMI from each photo image. Simultaneously, BMI was physically measured (mBMI) by trained …

Integrated Analysis Of Lncrna And Mrna Expression In Rainbow Trout Families Showing Variation In Muscle Growth And Fillet Quality Traits, Ali Ali, Rafet Al-Tobasei, Brett Kenney, Timothy D. Leeds, Mohamed Salem

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Muscle yield and quality traits are important for the aquaculture industry and consumers. Genetic selection for these traits is difficult because they are polygenic and result from multifactorial interactions. To study the genetic architecture of these traits, phenotypic characterization of whole body weight (WBW), muscle yield, fat content, shear force and whiteness were measured in ~500 fish representing 98 families from a growth-selected line. RNA-Seq was used to sequence the muscle transcriptome of different families exhibiting divergent phenotypes for each trait. We have identified 240 and 1,280 differentially expressed (DE) protein-coding genes and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), respectively, in fish …

“My Tummy Tells Me” Cognitions, Barriers And Supports Of Parents And School-Age Children For Appropriate Portion Sizes, Kaitlyn M. Eck, Colleen L. Delaney, Mirian P. Leary, Oluremi A. Famodou, Melissa D. Olfert, Karla P. Shelnutt, Carol Bryd-Bredbenner

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Larger portion sizes have increased in tandem with the rise in obesity. Elucidation of the cognitions of children and parents related to portion size is needed to inform the development of effective obesity prevention programs. This study examined cognitions of parents (n = 36) and their school-age children (6 to 11 years; n = 35) related to portion sizes via focus group discussions. Parents and children believed controlling portion sizes promoted health and weight control. Some parents felt controlling portions was unnecessary, particularly if kids were a healthy weight because kids can self-regulate intake. Barriers to serving appropriate portions identified …

Relationship Between Diet And Mental Health In A Young Adult Appalachian College Population, Rachel A. Wattick, Rebecca L. Hagedorn, Melissa D. Olfert

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Young adults in Appalachia may face poor nutritional status due to low access to healthy food and high mental health symptoms attributed to high stress and the college environment. A cross-sectional design was used to investigate the relationship between diet intake and mental health status of this population via surveys. Participant responses (n = 1956) showed students’ mean number of depressed days over the past 30 days was 9.67 ± 8.80, and of anxious days, 14.1 ± 10.03. The mean fruit and vegetable intake was 1.80 ± 1.27 times per day and the mean added sugars intake was 1.79 ± …

Neck Circumference Positively Relates To Cardiovascular Risk Factors In College Students, Oluremi A. Famodu, Makenzie L. Barr, Sarah E. Colby, Wenjun Zhou, Ida Holaskova, Miriam P. Leary, Carol Bryd-Bredbenner, Anne E. Matthews, Melissa D. Olfert

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between neck circumference (NC) and other anthropometric measures and examine cut-off points for males and females according to existing waist circumference cut-off levels in this age group. Across 8 universities, 1562 students underwent a physical assessment. Spearman rho correlations (ρ) were calculated to determine associations between NC and other continuous variables of health. Receiving operating characteristic curves were constructed to assess the optimal cut-off levels of NC of males and females with central obesity. Participants were predominantly Caucasian (67%), female (70%), and outside of Appalachia 2 (82%). Forty-one percent of …

Validation Of A Dietary Screening Tool In A Middle-Aged Appalachian Population, Melissa Ventura Marra, Sowmyanarayanan V. Thuppal, Elizabeth J. Johnson, Regan L. Bailey

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Proactive nutrition screening is an effective public health strategy for identifying and targeting individuals who could benefit from making dietary improvements for primary and secondary prevention of disease. The Dietary Screening Tool (DST) was developed and validated to assess nutritional risk among rural older adults. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility and validity of the DST to identify nutritional risk in middle-aged adults. This cross-sectional study in middle-aged adults (45–64 year olds, n = 87) who reside in Appalachia, examined nutritional status using an online health survey, biochemical measures, anthropometry, and three representative 24-h dietary recalls. …

Study On The Relationship Between Expression Patterns Of Cocaine-And Amphetamine Regulated Transcript And Hormones Secretion In Porcine Ovarian Follicles, Pengfei Li, Jinzhu Meng, Jiongjie Jing, Qingling Hao, Zhiwei Zhu, Jianbo Yao, Lihua Lyu

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: Cocaine-and amphetamine regulated transcript (CART) is an endogenous neuropeptide, which is widespread in animals, plays a key role in regulation of follicular atresia in cattle and sheep. Among animal ovaries, CART mRNA was firstly found in the cattle ovaries. CART was localized in the antral follicles oocytes, granulosa and cumulus cells by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Further research found that secretion of E2 was inhibited in granulosa cells with a certain dose of CART, the effect depends on the stage of cell differentiation, sug- gesting that CART could play a crucial role in regulating follicle atresia. The objective …

Vegetarian Diet And Cardiometabolic Risk Among Asian Indians In The United States, Ranjita Misra, Padmini Balagopal, Sudha Raj, Thakor G. Patel

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Research studies have shown that plant-based diets confer cardiovascular and metabolic health benefits. Asian Indians (AIs) in the US (who have often followed plant-based diets) have elevated risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and obesity suggesting ethnic vulnerability that imply genetic and/or lifestyle causative links. This study explored the association between this ethnic group and diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome after controlling for demographics, acculturation, family history of diabetes, and lifestyle and clinical risk factors. The sample comprised of 1038 randomly selected adult AIs in seven US sites. Prevalence and metabolic syndrome was estimated, and obesity was …

A Comparison Study Of Quality Attributes Of Ground Beef And Veal Patties And Thermal Inactivation Of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 After Double Pan-Broiling Under Dynamic Conditions, Kawang Li, Amanda Gip Mckeith, Cangliang Shen, Russell Mckeith

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

This study compared the quality variation and thermal inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in non-intact beef and veal. Coarse ground beef and veal patties (2.1 cm thick, 12.4 cm diameter, 180 g) inoculated with E. coli O157:H7, aerobically stored before double pan-broiling for 0–360 s without rest or to 55, 62.5, 71.1, and 76 ◦C (internal temperature) with 0.5- or 3.5-min rest. Microbial population and qualities including color, cooking losses, pH, water activity, fat, and moisture content, were tested. After cooking the beef and veal patties, the weight losses were 17.83–29%, the pH increased from 5.53–5.60 to 5.74–6.09, the moisture …

Genetic Assessment Of Inbred Chicken Lines Indicates Genomic Signatures Of Resistance To Marek's Disease, Lingyang Xu, Yanghua He, George E. Liu, Huanmin Zhang, Hans H. Cheng, Robert L. Taylor Jr, Jiuzhou Song

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: Marek’s disease (MD) is a highly contagious pathogenic and oncogenic disease primarily affecting chickens. However, the mechanisms of genetic resistance for MD are complex and not fully understood. MD-resistant line 63 and MD-susceptible line 72 are two highly inbred progenitor lines of White Leghorn. Recombinant Congenic Strains (RCS) were developed from these two lines, which show varied susceptibility to MD.

Results: We investigated genetic structure and genomic signatures across the genome, including the line 63 and line 72, six RCSs, and two reciprocally crossed flocks between the lines 63 and 72 (F1 63 × 72 and F1 72 × …

Determination Of Selected Aromas In Marquette And Frontenac Wine Using Headspace-Spme Coupled With Gc-Ms And Simultaneous Olfactometry, Somchai Rice, Nanticha Lutt, Jacek A. Koziel, Murlidhar Dharmadhikari, Anne Fennell Dr

Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science Faculty Publications

Understanding the aroma profile of wines made from cold climate grapes is needed to help winemakers produce quality aromatic wines. The current study aimed to add to the very limited knowledge of aroma-imparting compounds in wines made from the lesser-known Frontenac and Marquette cultivars. Headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with simultaneous olfactometry was used to identify and quantify selected, aroma-imparting volatile organic compounds (VOC) in wines made from grapes harvested at two sugar levels (22° Brix and 24° Brix). Aroma-imparting compounds were determined by aroma dilution analysis (ADA). Odor activity values (OAV) were also used to …

The Effect Of Icook 4-H, A Childhood Obesity Prevention Program, On Blood Pressure And Quality Of Life In Youth And Adults: A Randomized Control Trial, Melissa D. Olfert, Oluremi A. Famodu, Sue M. Flanagan, E Smith, M. P. Leary, Rebecca L. Hagedorn, J. A. White, M. M. Koenings, Sarah E. Colby, Kendra Kattelmann, Lisa Franzen-Castle, Adrienne White

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Objective: Obesity increases the risk of developing hypertension and from population-based samples with estimations that of 2-4% of the U.S. pediatric population has hypertension, which may affect quality of life. This study examined the effects of an obesity prevention program on blood pressure and quality of life in youth and adult participants.
Methods: A multi-state research team recruited treatment dyads (youth and their adult meal preparer) to participate in a 12-week randomized control trial and follow-up through 24 months. The treatment group received a cooking and physical activity intervention, followed by booster sessions and mailed newsletters over the remaining two-year …

Wish4campus: Local And Regional Investigation Of Food Insecurity And Associated Behavioral Characteristics Among College Students, Rebecca L. Hagedorn, Melissa D. Olfert

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Eating Healthy When Away From Home: Elementary School-Age Children's Behaviors And Perceptions, M. P. Leary, Rebecca L. Hagedorn, Melissa D. Olfert, Et. Al.

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

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

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

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 …

Developing Infographic Forecast Reports For Campuses Engaged In Getfruved Using The Eb4cast Framework, Melissa D. Olfert, Makenzie L. Barr, Rebecca L. Hagedorn, Tanya M. Horacek, Sarah E. Colby, Lisa Franzen-Castle, Karla P. Shelnutt, Anne Matthews, Adrienne A. White, Geoff W. Greene, Kendra K. Kattlemann, Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, Tandalayo Kidd, Onikia Brown, Jesse S. Morrell, Terezie T. Mosby

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Katalyst Pilot Study: Using Interactive Activities In Anatomy And Physiology To Teach Children The Scientific Foundations Of Healthy Lifestyles, Rebecca L. Hagedorn, Kathryn A. Baker, Tyler A. Hendricks, Melissa P. Mcgowan, Lauren M. Joseph, Shalin H. Ghandi, Timothy R. Waanders, Melissa D. Olfert

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Eating Patterns And Behavioral Characteristics Of Young Adults In A Collegiate Recovery Setting, Rachel A. Wattick, Rebecca L. Hagedorn, Melissa D. Olfert

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Vegetarian Diets And The Risk Of Diabetes, Melissa D. Olfert, Rachel A. Wattick

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Purpose of Review

Worldwide, diabetes has increased steadily and in recent years, drastically. The majority of diabetes cases are type 2 (T2DM), caused by modifiable risk factors such as diet. Vegetarian diets have been studied over the past few decades for their preventative and therapeutic effects on diabetes and may be more beneficial than medication for diabetes management.

Recent Findings

A vegetarian diet characterized by whole plant foods is most beneficial for diabetes prevention and management.

Summary

Vegetarian diets are inversely associated with risk of developing diabetes independent of the positive association of meat consumption with diabetes development. Vegetarian diets …

A Community Based Participatory Approach To Training Young Adults To Design And Implement A Social Marketing Framed Lifestyle Intervention On Their College Campus, Melissa D. Olfert, Makenzie L. Barr, Kristin Riggsbee, Kendra K. Kattelmann, Krista Leischner, Anne E. Matthews, Melissa Vilaro, Sarah E. Colby

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: Using a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach may increase the likelihood of relevance and acceptability of the designed intervention, especially on a college campus. Furthermore, recruiting and training college students to design a social marketing framed healthy lifestyle intervention for their peers will allow the intervention to be tailored to the needs of the campus. Objectives: To describe the process of online-course training college students to develop a campus-based, social marketing health promotion intervention. Methods: Four universities recruited current college students (18+ y.o.) to develop a social marketing and environmental intervention (SMEI), which was completed during a 16-week, online/in-person …

Health Disparities Score Composite Of Youth And Parent Dyads From An Obesity Prevention Intervention: Icook 4-H, Melissa D. Olfert, Makenzie L. Barr, Rebecca L. Hagedorn, Lisa Franzzen-Castle, Sarah E. Colby, Kendra K. Kattelmann, Adrienne A. White

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

iCook 4-H is a lifestyle intervention to improve diet, physical activity and mealtime behavior. Control and treatment dyads (adult primary meal preparer and a 9–10-year-old youth) completed surveys at baseline and 4, 12, and 24 months. A Health Disparity (HD) score composite was developed utilizing a series of 12 questions (maximum score = 12 with a higher score indicating a more severe health disparity). Questions came from the USDA short form U.S. Household Food Security Survey (5), participation in food assistance programs (1), food behavior (2), level of adult education completed (1), marital status (1), and race (1 adult and …

Katalyst Pilot Study: Using Interactive Activities In Anatomy And Physiology To Teach Children The Scientific Foundation Of Healthy Lifestyles, Rebecca L. Hagedorn, Kathryn Baker, Sara E. Dejarnett, Tyler Hendricks, Melissa Mcgowan, Lauren Joseph, Melissa D. Olfert

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

This pilot study evaluated the impact of the Katalyst curriculum, a fifth-grade experiential learning program, on students’ knowledge of a healthy lifestyle’s impact on body functions. Katalyst’s interactive curriculum spans two days and includes four, 60-min stations on body systems: cardiovascular/endocrine, gastrointestinal, neurological, and respiratory/musculoskeletal. Three schools were recruited, and two schools completed the intervention sessions. Prior to beginning the stations, fifth-grade students completed a 37-item questionnaire to assess knowledge and perceptions. Students completed the same survey at the end of the Katalyst intervention. Teachers at the school also completed a survey post intervention to provide feedback on the program. …

Metabolic Syndrome Prevalence In Students Attending West Virginia University, Melissa D. Olfert, Amanda Dent, Rachel A. Wattick

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) contributes to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Few studies have investigated the MetS risk of young adults (18–24 years old). This study aims to determine the prevalence of MetS in Appalachian and non-Appalachian students attending West Virginia University. The prevalence of MetS in this population was 15%. There was no difference in MetS prevalence between male students and female students (18.8% males and 11.1% females, p-value = 0.30), or between Appalachian students and non-Appalachian students (17.7% Appalachian and 10.0% non-Appalachian, p-value = 0.33). Identification of MetS early in life is …