Human and Clinical Nutrition Commons^™

Psychosocial Influences On And Behavioral Characteristics Of Young Adult Food Addiction, Rachel A. Wattick

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Introduction. Research on food addiction has increased in recent years, but there are few studies focusing on college-attending young adults, who may be at risk of developing food addiction due to the stress of the college environment. Additionally, causes and characteristics of food addiction are under-explored.

Aim. This dissertation aims to 1) determine the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and other early life influences on the development of food addiction in college-attending young adults and 2) determine the psychosocial and behavioral characteristics of young adults with food addiction.

Methods. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was used for aims 1 …

Evaluation Of A Telenutrition Weight Loss Intervention Among Middle-Aged And Older Men In Appalachia, Afnan Majed Alamoudi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Obesity rates among middle-aged and older men in WV are among the highest in the nation. Understanding baseline and intervention factors contributing to losing clinically significant weight are essential to developing effective interventions in target groups. Thus, the purpose of this study is to determine factors associated with losing ≥ 5% of baseline weight among participants of a 12-week pilot randomized controlled telenutrition trial for middle-aged and older men in WV. The study analyzed data from 56 participants who completed the trial. Participants were classified as losing ≥ 5 % or < 5 % of baseline body weight. Diet quality was assessed using 4-day diet records and the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015. Baseline factors and behavioral strategies (i.e., self-monitoring, self-efficacy, and social support) were assessed via survey. Inverse prediction analysis demonstrated that participants who lost ≥ 3.5% of baseline weight at 6 weeks were at least 75% likely to lose ≥ 5% weight at 12 weeks. Predictive models were developed using stepwise logistic regression to assess multiple predictors of losing ≥ 5% of baseline weight at 12 weeks and ≥ 3.5% of baseline at 6 weeks. Weight loss at 6 weeks was a strong predictor of weight loss at 12 weeks, in addition to previous weight loss attempts and weekly self-weight-monitoring (p

Therapeutic Approaches To Recovery In West Virginia, Rachel A. Wattick

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Substance use disorder (SUD) is a prevalent problem in the United States, with 19.7 million Americans aged 12 and older battling an SUD in 2017. Multiple factors influence the risk that someone will develop an SUD, including family history, childhood trauma, community factors, and poverty. West Virginia has the highest rate of overdose deaths in the nation, and individuals in WV are at high risk of SUD due to the aforementioned risk factors. There are a variety of treatment options available to someone with an SUD. These include outpatient or inpatient treatment, detoxification, therapeutic communities, and collegiate recovery programs. Despite …

Cooking And Meal Planning As Predictors Of Fruit And Vegetable Intake And Bmi In First-Year College Students, Andrea J. Hanson, Kendra K. Kattleman, Lacey A. Mccormack, Wenjun Zhou, Onikia N. Brown, Tanya M. Horacek, Karla P. Shelnutt, Tandalayo Kidd, Audrey Opoku-Acheampong, Lisa D. Franzen-Castle, Melissa D. Olfert, Sarah E. Colby

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The objective was to determine if cooking skills and meal planning behaviors are associated with greater fruit and vegetable intake and lower body mass index (BMI) in first-year college students who are at risk for excessive weight gain. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using baseline data from a multi-state research project aimed at preventing weight gain in first-year college students. Cooking type, frequency and confidence, self-instruction for healthful mealtime behavior intention, self-regulation of healthful mealtime behavior, and cup equivalents of fruits and vegetables (FV) were measured using validated surveys. BMI was calculated from measured height and weight. First-year students (n …

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 …

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 ± …

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. …

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 …

Future Implications Of Using Registered Dietitians In Multidisciplinary Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Treatment, Wendy M. Wolf, Rachel A. Wattick, Pamela J. Murray, Melanie Clemmer, Melissa D. Olfert

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common reproductive endocrine disorder in females with insulin resistance playing a key role in pathogenesis. The objective of this study was to investigate current trends and future implications of multidisciplinary PCOS clinics with inclusion of dietitians. A two-phase, formative investigation on practitioners was conducted through an anonymous survey followed by focus groups. Survey respondents included 261 health care providers from around the world; the majority (59%) representing multidisciplinary teams. Focus group participants included four dietitians, three physicians, a health psychologist and a licensed nutritionist. Primary barriers for future multidisciplinary clinics included: money/resources, insurance …