Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The National School Lunch Program: History Of The Past, Challenges Of The Present, Solutions For The Future, Hilary Annie Smith

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) was initially designed to provide nutritious meals to hungry schoolchildren. Over time, it seems as though this focus has shifted to serving as a source of proper nutrition in a society of over-fed yet undernourished children. The stated purpose of the NSLP is to "safeguard the health and well-being of the nation's children and to encourage the domestic consumption of nutritious agricultural commodities and other food." Currently, there are many challenges that the National School Lunch Program faces in meeting its goal of promoting healthful lifestyle practices among school-aged children. Three main challenges include …

Food Insecurity And Hunger In America, Elizabeth Zufelt

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Studies have shown that about twelve percent (13.5 million) of American households experience at least some form of food insecurity in one year. Causes for food insecurity include disability, low income if employed, unemployment within the past six months, and retirement. Hunger and obesity are often seen in the same person at the same time, including children. The effects of hunger and food insecurity seen among children include: anemia, higher levels of anxiety, poorer performance on mathematical tests, depression, aggression, tardiness, a poorer sense of well-being, lower physical abilities, and lower psychosocial abilities. Food insecurity also affects the elderly population. …

An Analysis Of Nutritional Services Available For Persons With Developmental Disabilities, Dawnie Elzinga

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Developmental disabled (DD) individuals are living longer, more normal lives in the United States. There has been an influx of DD individuals living in residential settings instead of the more traditional institutional setting. Consequently, dietetic professionals will encounter persons with DD in every area of practice. Nutrition therapy is becoming more important in the multidisciplinary treatment of DD individuals. Governmental legislation and community programs have improved the treatment and rights of DD persons over the past decade. Even with these advocacy efforts, DD persons are often not receiving the nutritional treatment they need. Common nutritional problems encountered in the DD …

Body Image Among Elementary-Aged Children: Development, Implications, And Interventions, Mindy Beth Probst

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Body image is the mental image or conception that one has of one's body. Its development is effected by an individual's life experiences beginning at birth. Statistics show that close to half of elementary-aged children are already dissatisfied with their bodies and have begun to develop negative body images. Review of the current literature suggests that family, peers, cultural values and the media, and changes in physical appearance related to adiposity rebound and puberty are the major causes of this unfortunate situation. Research is also showing that children are participating in unhealthy diet and exercise practices as a result of …

Nutritional Concerns In Pediatric Renal Disease, Rachael Firmage

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Chronic kidney disease is a growing area of nutritional concern as the number of diagnosed cases increases. Children suffering from these renal diseases require special attention and medical nutrition therapy because of concerns and problems unique to this renal population. Uncontrolled kidney failure in pediatric patients can result in a number of consequences, such as growth retardation, anemia, metabolic imbalances, renal osteodystrophy, anorexia, and malnutrition. With the proper guidance, medical interventions, and dietary prescriptions, these untimely side effects can be reduced or avoided all together.

Motivation And The Dietitian: Dietitians Must Increase Their Efforts To Motivate And Bring About Long-Term Success In Their Clients, Cory Ann Hansen

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Perhaps the most difficult aspect of a dietitian's job is motivating clients to make necessary changes in their lives to benefit their health. Although most people are capable of enduring short-term attempts at healthy living, a lifetime of appropriate dietary habits is difficult for virtually everyone. One of the greatest challenges of long-term success is a lack of motivation. This signifies that it is not skills or knowledge that people lack in general. Therefore, dietitians must focus part of their efforts on motivation rather than simply teaching people what they need to do. Methods that have been found to be …

Cystic Fibrosis And Nutrition Risk, Kristen Rae Stokes

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Introduction: Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive disorder with serious pulmonary and nutritional implications. Nutrition status has a direct affect on lung function and longevity. Screening patients for growth velocity makes it possible to identify patients at nutritional risk. This identification is the first step towards appropriate nutritional interventions. The current screening tool used for children and adolescents with CF is not reliable and leaves too much room for clinical judgment. It is for this reason that a new screening tool was developed. Methods: The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation established a panel of experts for the purpose of developing an …

Health Promoting Aspects Of The Mediterranean Diet, Devrie Fielding

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

In the 1960's information regarding the diet of the Mediterranean Regions was publicized as a healthful way of eating. Information was obtained from the Seven Countries Study conducted by Ancel Keys. This study revealed that residents of these regions had a lower incidence of coronary heart disease and increased longevity. Such health benefits were connected with low intakes of saturated fat. However, several other studies since then have found the Mediterranean dietary patterns to be more than cardioprotective. A decreased risk of cancer, reduced morbidity and mortality, and a decreased risk of several other diseases are also attributed to the …

Government Food Assistance Programs: A Nutritional Perspective, Marlee Harris

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Food security remains a problem in the United States. Historically, the government began to distribute excess agricultural goods to those in nutritional need. Efforts to provide food to people in need continue today through the Food Stamp Program (FSP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Nutrition status of participants in these programs demonstrates the nutritional effectiveness of these programs. These programs provide needed benefits and are making positive changes in food security, but improvements can be made to fully improve the nutrition status of these low-income participants. Nutrition professionals can be key in improving …

Electroporation Of Pediococcus Pentosaceus And The Curing Rate Of Plasmids, Heidi E. Shields

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Genetic engineering is a relatively new process and is a major focus of research in various fields, such as medicine, plant genetics, and food science. The potential applications of genetic engineering include designer drug production, mass protein production, and enhanced food processing. Finding an appropriate host organism to be used in genetic engineering is an important preliminary step. Pediococcus pentosaceus has been suggested as a bacterial species with such potential. Since plasmids are often the vector of choice in genetic recombination, this research tests the ability of P. pentosaceus to take up and incorporate plasmids into its genome. Two plasmids …

Maximum Repetition Rates In Children At-Risk For Dyslexia, Amy L. Baxter

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

My senior thesis has focused on current research exploring precursor communication skills being conducted by Dr. Ben Massen at the Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen in the Netherlands. To that end, I worked in an acoustics lab analyzing Maximum Repetition Rates (MRR), also known as diadochokinetic rates, DDKs, in young children's speech development. This four year funded research project began in 2004.

In this paper I will provide an overview of the underlying theoretical considerations guiding the study and then describe my particular contribution to the effort, completed during Fall semester 2005 while I was a foreign exchange student.

Nutritional Perspective Of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Jessianna Rose

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, incurable, autoimmune disease that affects as many as two million persons in the United States. Current nutritional guidelines are very basic and revolve around specifics of the treatment of symptoms as seen with drug-nutrient interactions. Although current opinion does not directly see the onset of this disease linked to dietary factors, recent research may indicate that there is a link to a possible deficiency of pantothenic acid. This is not a widely accepted theory, but has some very unique observations which shed a new and interesting light on possible interventions through nutrition.

The National School Lunch Program, Elizabeth Strasser

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The National School Lunch (NSLP) Program is a federally assisted meal program that began in 1946 and is designed to provide nutritionally balanced lunches to children. The program started slowly in 1853, in a few school districts around the United States. The efforts spread throughout different cities, and organizations were set in place to serve meals to children in schools under the supervision of the school boards.

The American Dietetic Association believes that all children and adolescents should have access to food and nutrition programs that ensure adequate food supply that promotes optimal physical. and social growth and development.

School …

Prevalence Of Type 2 Diabetes In Youth And Adolescents, Julie Patterson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Until recently, Type 2 diabetes was typically regarded as a disease of the middle-aged and elderly. While it is still true that this age group maintains a higher risk than younger adults, evidence is accumulating that onset in those of a much younger age. Children and adolescents are now part of this epidemic. This new phenomenon brings a serious new aspect to the global diabetes epidemic and heralds an emerging public health problem of major proportions. Prevention and treatment in these youth cannot be taken lightly. Prevention can be maintained through implementing exercise and balanced nutrition. It is essential to …

Regulation Of Cardiac Fibroblast Metalloprotease Secretion, Glen De Guzman

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) are proteolytic enzymes secreted by cardiac fibroblasts. Altered expression of MMPs plays an important role in congestive heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases^1,2. Emerging evidence has led us to consider the role of phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase (PtdIns 4-kinase) in regulating MMP secretion in cardiac fibroblast cells^3-7. PtdIns 4-kinase is a lipid kinase involved in various cellular processes including protein secretion. This project was designed to test the hypothesis that PtdIns 4-kinase controls MMP secretion. Techniques such as cardiac cell culture, transfection, and in-gel zymography were used for this experiment. Results demonstrated that PtdIns 4-kinase …

Nutrition In Traumatic Brain Injuries, Jaylene Dalley

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Nutrition intervention and support is a critical part of caring for traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients. TBI patients have high energy and protein needs, as well as increased needs for some vitamins and minerals. There are a number of ways to assess energy and protein needs for TBI patients including indirect calorimetry, the Harrris-Benedict Equations and the Glasgow Coma Scale Equation. Most TBI patients are either non-responsive (comatose) or develop some form of dysphagia and, therefore, are unable to consume adequate amounts of nutrition via the oral route. Nutrition support through enteral or parenteral routes may improve the medical outcome …

Dietary Supplement Use Among The Elderly, Diana Kristine Keith

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Introduction: According to NHANES data from 1999-2000, 52% of US adults reported talcing a dietary supplement in the last month. Even greater use of dietary supplements is observed among older individuals. Dietary supplements contain a wide range of ingredients from vitamin and minerals (VM) to botanicals, herbs, amino acids, and other ingredients sometimes referred to as non-vitamin and minerals (NVM).

Methods: Data on VM and NVM supplement use was collected in a prospective study of elderly people living in Cache Valley, Utah. The reported supplements were researched to obtain ingredient information and then categorized into groups representing the types of …

Refeeding Practices Of Malnourished Children, Marcianne Wittwer

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Over 200 million children in developing countries under the age of five are malnourished. Malnutrition contributes to more than half of the nearly 12 million under-five deaths in developing countries each year. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines malnutrition as "the cellular imbalance between the supply of nutrients and energy and the body's demand for them to ensure growth, maintenance, and specific functions." Because of the high demand for energy and essential nutrients, infants and children are at a particular risk for under-nutrition. Malnutrition is a condition that needs to be taken seriously and with proper treatment can save the …

Diet And Nutritional Concerns Of Hispanic Americans, Valerie Rawlinson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Hispanic Americans are the second largest ethnic minority group in the United States today, at 12.5% of the total U.S. population. They face considerable nutrition-related challenges, of which dietitians and other nutrition professionals who serve this population need to be aware. Their diet goes through drastic, rapid changes soon after immigration to the United States, many of which have a strong negative impact on their health, putting them at greater risk for obesity and chronic diseases than the general population. In addition to diet and disease, Hispanic Americans face other issues that hinder their ability to benefit from nutritional counseling, …

Dysphagia And Nutrition In The Elderly, Amanda Panting

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Dysphagia and nutrition in the elderly go hand in hand. As age increases, bodily functions decrease. The loss of function causes an increased susceptibility to swallowing disorders and possible malnutrition. Dysphagia in the elderly increases mortality and morbidity rates (3). This paper discusses causes, symptoms and consequences of dysphagia. Swallow studies and various feeding techniques are examined. Alzheimer's disease, dementia and stroke are diseases that are commonly seen among patients with dysphagia (3, 10). Alternative nutrition via enteral feeding has been shown to increase survival rate (14, 15, 16). The ethics of prolonging death or prolonging life through nutrition support …