Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Psychological And Physical Effects Of Childhood Obesity Into Adulthood, Ashley Urbom

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this review is to assess how adults who were obese as children are affected psychologically and physically. Understanding childhood obesity has become an important topic in the last few decades, especially in the United States. This research seeks to examine the previous literature and its gaps in making conclusions about how the diagnosis of childhood obesity affects children not only at the time of diagnosis but into adulthood as well. Articles for review sourced from PubMed and PsychInfo and were available via the University of Northern Colorado libraries. Numerous sources were found, and several had varying results. …

Barriers Faced By Members Of Marginalized Communities When It Comes To Eating Healthy And Cultural Adaptations To Nutrition Education Materials, Kennedy Larsen

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background: In the United States, major health disparities exist among low socioeconomic status (SES) and other marginalized communities. Many of these health disparities are nutrition-related and include diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Many individuals in this population lack education regarding nutrition, increasing risk of disease and the detrimental impacts that these diseases can have.

Objective: The aim of this project was to identify barriers that members of low SES and marginalized communities face and adapt nutrition education materials to be culturally appropriate for the immigrant and refugee population in the Northern Colorado area.

Methods: I conducted a needs assessment with …

An Assessment Evaluating The Possible Participation Of A Virtual Nutrition Education Program For Older Adults, Ashlyn Cobble

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The importance of proper nutrition education among older adults is crucial in promoting overall physical health and management of chronic health conditions. However, access to such education has been limited, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the current boom in social media popularity, as well as virtual communication portals such as Zoom, the question must be asked if nutrition education could be effectively implemented for the use of older adults through these electronic channels. The study design for this particular research was a cross sectional survey to inform development of an online nutrition education program for older adults in Northeast …

The Fecal Fermentation Profile Of Infants With Different Feeding Modalities, Willow Lewis, Michelle E. Johnson, William A. Clark, Amy Wahlquist

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Introduction/Background

Research indicates nutrition and environment in the first year of a child's life are crucial in their development and growth and can contribute to lower chances of developing obesity and other health concerns. Key factors that can determine these outcomes include the bacteria and resulting short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) present in the gut. This composition may be affected by feeding modality (formula feeding vs breastfeeding), exposure to the mother’s microbiota, weight status of the child, and type of delivery. This research aims to identify the impact of infant feeding modality on toddlers' fecal fermentation profile, and if there …

Omega-3 Fatty Acid Fortification Of Marinara Sauce, Hannah Collie

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In westernized culture, there is a deficit of healthy fats in the average person’s diet. Decreased intake of omega-3 fatty acids has been correlated to many different conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and chronic inflammatory issues. The “Mediterranean Diet” has been proposed as an ideal way to combat these issues. This diet promotes fish as a protein source and as a way to increase intake of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids. Due to location and dietary trends, fish is less often the main component of Northeast Tennessee's diet. This study investigated ways to fortify a more commonly consumed food in …

Program Coordinators’ Experiences With Introducing Parent-Focused Health Lessons To A Child-Centered Micronutrient Supplementation Program: An Exploration Of Recent Programmatic Changes In Liahona Children’S Foundation, Shannon Barham

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper utilizes survey responses from local coordinators of LCF, an international micronutrient supplementation humanitarian organization, to provide insight into the challenges and personal rewards of providing nutrition education to parents of malnourished children. LCF is based in Utah and operates in 19 countries throughout the world. LCF recently introduced a series of health lessons geared toward parents of malnourished children. A survey was sent to LCF workers in 12 countries in order to gather feedback about the health lessons. Qualitative survey responses are explored, and potential suggestions for future changes to the health lessons are proposed. Additionally, data gathered …

Interdisciplinary Knowledge Of Etsu Dental Hygiene And Nutrition Students, Jade Merritt

Undergraduate Honors Theses

There is a significant relationship between nutrition, systemic disease, and oral health. The integration of both nutrition and oral health information into educational programs for dental hygiene and nutrition students is vital for each profession. The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge levels of dental hygiene and nutrition students in regards to content material pertaining to each discipline. This study attempted to provide baseline data for those teaching in ETSU’s Dental Hygiene and Nutrition programs to determine if modifications in the curricula are needed to better prepare future students. Results indicated that there was not a significant …

Assessing The Nutrition Knowledge And Body Image Perceptions Of Minority Freshman At East Tennessee State University, Michele L. Becerra

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The health status of African American and Hispanic communities is in need of intervention. These minority groups have a health disparity gap from other races. The incidences of hypertension, diabetes, and obesity are greater in the African American and Hispanic communities. There is a need to continue addressing the specific health issues, along with ideas of body perception, plaguing the African American and Hispanic populations in the United States. Such disparities typically include those who follow “western” diets, have a lack of exercise, are predisposed to chronic illness, as well as have a need for continuous education of the subject …

Portion Size Selection In Relation To Hemoglobin A1cs, Brian L. Dixon

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Obesity has been recognized as an increasing issue within our country. Obesity contributes to many health related issues, including type 2 diabetes mellitus. Portion size is a factor that has generated clinical research interest. The aim of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between management of diabetes measured by hemoglobin A1c and portion size selection for type 2 diabetics. In this study, subjects selected portion sizes of four different foods. Data were compared to recent A1c levels. Due to the small sample size, nonparametric statistical analysis was used. The relationship of grain portion weight selection and …

Eating Healthy On A Budget: A Grocery Cart Display, Kara R. Wilcoxon

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Many barriers to healthy eating have been reported including having to give up favorite food dishes, consuming lesser desired food items, and perceiving that fresh, unprocessed food is too expensive. For a week, customers were able to view a display of two grocery carts: one filled with healthy foods and the other filled with unhealthy foods. Each cart had the cost and nutritive values of the contents posted. For 6 hours on 3 different days, the researcher interviewed interested shoppers (n=33). While the majority of the shoppers indicated they were very concerned about their families eating healthy (mean score 4.2/5), …

Impact Of Family Meal Time On College Students' Food Consumption And Select Lifestyle Choices, Rachael Jannusch

Undergraduate Honors Theses

People participating in family mealtimes ≥ 6 times per week while growing up are known to have a better quality diet, GPA, sleeping habits, and a normal BMI. It is hypothesized that college students with a history of family mealtimes continue to experience these benefits while in college. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of the history of family mealtime on diet quality, GPA, sleeping habits, and BMI in a college setting.

A convenience sample of students at a midwestern university (n=100) were asked to complete a 17 question survey regarding frequency of family meals, food …