Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Farm To School: Strategies For Urban Health, Combatting Sprawl, And Establishing Community Food Systems, Mark Vallianatos, Robert Gottlieb, Margaret Haase

Mark Vallianatos

Farm-to-school is a new, innovative strategy with multiple planning-related objectives. The article evaluates the significance of farm-to-school in relation to improving the health and nutrition of school-age children, particularly low-income youth; strengthening the capacity of local farmers, particularly those engaged in sustainable practices; adding to the toolkit of strategies designed to contain and ultimately reduce sprawl-inducing developments by helping preserve farmland; and helping establish a community food systems approach no longer entirely dependent on the global food system that has come to dominate food growing, processing, distribution, and consumption patterns around the world.

Portion Size Communication By Means Of Package Design, Tami J. Strickland

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study assessed consumers’ current methods of determining portion sizing of chicken products and examined their perceptions of how effectively three package designs communicate portion size. Everett M. Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations (DI) Theory analyzes the characteristics of the consumer of the innovation (adopter) and the impact these characteristics have on adopting new innovations. The innovation in this study will be the prototype packaging. Focusing on Rogers’ adopter characteristics and defined proprietary consumer segmentation characteristics, this study will be pivotal for future package design projects targeting nutrition education.

Focus group questions were scrutinized through a pilot study and revised …

Responses Of Two Strains Of Broilers To Diets Varying In Essential Amino Acid Density And Energy Levels, Tyler James Clark

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The responses of two different commercial strains of broilers to diets varying in overall amino acid levels and metabolizable energy levels were observed. Amino acid levels used were 80%, 90%, 100%, 110%, 120%, and 130% of Ross recommended minimum digestable levels of essential amino acids. Energy levels used were either below or above Ross recommended metabolizable energy levels. Diets were fed for 56 days. The two strains were a fast growing broiler strain and a slower growing broiler strain. A selection of birds from each pen was processed at 35, 43, and 56 days of age. Average body weights, cumulative …

A Comparison Of Beliefs And Attitudes About Body Image, Eating And Weight Between Incarcerated And Non-~Incarcerated Females, Anne R. Lindsay

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Abstract

Incarceration and substance abuse are two of the largest public health issues in America. While the U.S. makes up only 5% of the world’s population, it accounts for 25% of its prisoners. Incarceration affects more than 2.2 million individuals who will eventually return to their families and communities with ongoing family, social and health issues. Women in prison are a particularly vulnerable and underserved population, generally of low education and socio-economic status and although they account for a small percent of the prison population, many are mothers of young children who are likely to become incarcerated themselves. Substance abuse …

Nutrition And Education In An Urbanizing Nation, Molly Pritz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Child malnutrition is a growing public health issue in Nepal, particularly in urban areas. Not eating enough, or not eating enough of healthy foods, can have life-long implications on development and cognitive ability. Because of its relevance to development within the country, many donor organizations and non-governmental organizations are working to promote child nutrition education programs. The purpose of this research is to investigate the implementation and structure of urban child nutrition educational programs involving treatment and prevention in Kathmandu, Nepal. Through qualitative interviews and field observations with three primary organizations, this research analyzes the patterns and disconnects between various …

The Food Education Project: Teaching Nutrition Through Environmental Awareness, Caren R. Pinto

Master's Projects and Capstones

This paper examines a 300-hour fieldwork internship that took place during a summer semester at a local non-profit called the Food Education Project (FEP). FEP provided a practical and hands- on opportunity, which allowed for the knowledge gained over the past two years at the University of San Francisco’s Public Health Program to be put to public health practice. The experience was invaluable for the author’s professional and personal growth.

The paper will explore the prevalence of obesity and type II diabetes in the nation’s youth today. Second, a literature review will be conducted to examine the relevance of in …

Food And Diet In The Andes: Changing Markets And Lives In Nuñoa, James A. Fisher

Masters Theses

The town of Nuñoa, located in the southern Peruvian Andes, has been the ongoing focus of anthropological research. Household surveys of diet and food security (n=69) administered during 2012 are analyzed here and compared to past studies from previous decades. Study results show clearly that the amount and diversity of new foods available in the area has increased dramatically, but also gives evidence for continued disparate access to certain types of food along class lines. Socioeconomic status had a significant negative correlation with food insecurity and poor households more frequently consumed both potatoes and other cheap, high carbohydrate foods such …

Comparative Analysis Of Dietary Guidelines In The Spanish-Speaking Caribbean, Melissa Fuster

Publications and Research

Objective: Dietary guidelines are important education and policy tools to address local nutrition concerns. The current paper presents a comparative analysis of nutrition messages from three Spanish-speaking Caribbean countries (Cuba, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic) to explore how these dietary guidelines address common public health nutrition concerns, contextualized in different changing food environments and food culture similarities.

Design: Qualitative, comparative analysis of current dietary guideline documents and key recommendations.

Results: Key recommendations were categorized into sixteen themes (two dietbased, ten food-based and four ‘other’). Only the Cuban dietary guidelines included diet-based key recommendations. Of the ten food-based …

The Relationship Between Sleep And Nutrition In Message Framing Among College Students, Abbey G. White

Doctoral Dissertations

The college years are often depicted as a time of immense change, specifically in relation to college students' level of nutrition and sleep quality. However, these health concerns not only impact college students' health but also their academic performance, mood, and as a result their future. The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether technologically enhanced health messages are more effective than the traditional text format for creating healthy behavioral changes amongst college students. Secondly, the study provides the opportunity to examine previous research involving message framing, specifically, regulatory focus theory and self-efficacy, in order to provide further …

Ethno-Racial Disparities In Health Outcomes: Evidence From The Aging Population, Olufolake Odufuwa

Economics ETDs

This dissertation assesses racial and ethnic disparities in health outcomes of the aging population, with focus on improving functional health, health status and quality of life at both individual and community levels. Chapter 2 examines racial and ethnic disparities in willingness to pay (WTP) for improved health among an aging population sample while also examining the impact of health status and risky health behaviors. Results indicate that racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to have a positive WTP for improved health than non-Hispanic Whites. However, WTP for minorities is found to be significantly lower than for non-Hispanic Whites. However, …

Gender, Nutrition, And The Human Right To Adequate Food: Toward An Inclusive Framework, Anne C. Bellows

Food Systems Summit 2015

The food crisis of 2008 was not an isolated incident or unique event from which the world economy and food security has re-stabilized. Rather, as Valente and Suárez Franco (2010, 455) state, "[the 2008 food crisis] is not new for more than 840 million people who have constantly been subjected to hunger over the last thirty years, millions of whom died of malnutrition and associated diseases, or had their quality of life severely affected by the consequences of malnutrition." Although estimates of food insecurity differ, the geography and socio-demographic profile of the food insecure remains unaltered (FAO, WFP, IFAD 2012; …

Associations Between Family Functioning And Adolescent Health Behaviors, Megan S. Fleming

Senior Honors Projects

Background: The obesity epidemic has been a concern across the globe, affecting about 20% of adolescents in the U.S. Physical activity and nutrition-related behaviors that develop during adolescence carry through into adulthood. Adolescents’ perceptions of how their family functions may be associated with health behaviors, including physical activity and diet.

Objective: To determine whether there is an association between perceived family functioning and adolescent health behaviors among a national sample of adolescents aged 11 to 16 who participated in the 2009-2010 Health Behaviors of School-Aged Children survey.

Methods: Participants reported on demographics and measures of family function, which included …

“The Hunger Games” Media Representation Of The National School Lunch Program, Danielle Lee

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) was designed to help ease the financial burden of eligible families and provide a hot and nutritious meal for students. This program offers assistance to families who otherwise may not be able to afford consistent nutritious meals for their children. There is a lack of research in the area of media representation of public welfare programs, including the National School Lunch Program. The purpose of this research was to examine how both national (The New York Times) and local (Minneapolis Star Tribune and St. Paul Pioneer Press) newspapers portrayed NSLP in the 1960’s, 1980’s, …

Exploring Diet Within Treatment Of Persons With Serious And Persistent Mental Illness, Farah Lee

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Studies suggest that persons diagnosed with serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI) die prematurely compared to the rest of the general U.S. population. Previous research implies that this is due to disproportionate rates of chronic medical conditions prevalent in the SPMI population. Contributing factors to the mortality of those with SPMI include poor diet, lifestyle, and mental illness. This research aimed to discover how providers incorporate dietary practices into their work with persons diagnosed with SPMI. To further explore this topic this researcher analyzed data from qualitative semistructured, face-to-face interviews with licensed professionals, medical doctors, and certified practitioners (n = …

The Symbiosis Of Creativity And Wellness: A Personal Journey, Jennifer A. Quarrie

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

The Symbiosis of Creativity and Wellness project explored how holistic personal wellness practices nurture creativity, and conversely, how creativity fosters personal wellness. The project specifically explored wellness from the standpoint of sleep and circadian rhythms, somaticism and movement, nutrition and hydration, meditation and mindfulness, as well as connection and support. By immersing in research-based wellness practices and building a customized approach to personal wellness, this project not only facilitated measurable personal wellness improvements over the six-week period, but also highlighted more profound insights within the relationship between creativity and wellness. Overall this work resulted in significant lifestyle changes, a more …

Le Mieux? French Healthcare's Toll On Nutritional Decisions, Mehdi Hami

Collection of Engaged Learning

This project involves interviewing French taxpayers in an attempt to see if there is a connection between nutritional decisions and the amount of taxes in France. France has the best healthcare system in the world but also some of the highest taxes. This study takes into consideration the quantitative but also the qualitative data from participants so as to understand the personal effects of taxes upon nutritional decisions.

Zach's News, Georgia Southern University, Zach S. Henderson Library

University Libraries News Online (2008-2023)

• Einstein's General Relativity Centennial Exhibit, March 14-31
• Hot Doc: Celebrate National Nutrition Month
• Hot Doc: Celebrate National Nutrition Month

Is Nutritional Labeling A Sustainable Option For Restaurants?, Rajee Olaganathan, Zack Ho Xuan Yi, Alvin Tan Jie Chong, Wong Xue Feng, Soh Mei Yi, Felicia Tan Pei Zhen

Publications

This paper will examine the feasibility of restaurants integrating or providing nutritional information labels on food menus to increase business sales and gain customer satisfaction. It weighs the pros and cons of the usage of nutritional information labeling that has changed over time due to government policies, and clearly explains how restaurants can make use of nutrition labeling to increase and sustain the business. It will then further analyze both general advantages and disadvantages, consisting of economic, social, health and environmental impacts with an unbiased perspective. With a different set of clientele for the varying types of restaurants, nutritional information …

Adolescent Perceptions Of Nutrition: Identifying Memorable Messages, Audrey S. Bachman

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

Research is necessary to uncover ways to improve adolescent nutrition and reduce obesity rates, particularly in the Appalachian region, which has high rates of food insecurity and adolescent obesity. The current study examines rural cultural norms about food, memorable messages adolescents received about nutrition, and the sources of identified memorable messages. Adolescents shared memorable messages during comprehensive, semi-structured, small group interviews in which participants revealed their individual experiences. Thematic framework analysis is used to present the range and nature of memorable messages about nutrition and to develop strategies for future health campaigns and interventions. This qualitative method of sequential inductive …

The Power Of Soccer: A Promising Tool For Youth Empowerment A Case Of Soccer-Based Health Program At El Nacional Public School In Ecuador, Haruna Higa

MA IDS Thesis Projects

The purpose of this culminating project was to identify the power of soccer in the context of international development and apply it to soccer-based youth empowerment programs, specifically an after-school program at El Nacional public school in Ecuador. Soccer is becoming one of the best approaches to connect various peoples who do not share the same language or cultural traditions because of its universal popularity, as evidenced by the more than one billion people who watched coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2014 Final Match (numbers to be consolidated) (“The 2014 FIFA World Cup,” n.d.). Given the evidence that soccer …

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act And High School Obesity, Derek Grills

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

United States high school student obesity rates have doubled in the past 30 years to 13%, threatening the health of millions of adolescents. To mitigate the epidemic, Congress passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) in 2010, which mandated significant changes to school nutrition and physical education. From a public policy perspective, the HHFKA changed school nutrition and exercise policy to affect obesity rates by changing intake and energy expenditure at school, though no study using national-level data examined this relationship. As such, the purpose of the study was to examine whether HHFKA policy compliance had a statistically significant effect …

School Gardens: Cultivating A Child’S Nutritional Habits, Environmental Knowledge, And Sustainability Practices, Jeffrey Meltzer

Honors Theses

School gardens have existed since the late nineteenth century and today are becoming increasingly popular in many parts of the world, including where I studied in Maine and Australia (AUS). Multiple organizations support school gardens in Maine, including the Maine School Garden Network, which has over 125 registered school gardens. In AUS, the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation primarily supports the school garden movement and has over 800 registered school gardens. While many researchers have studied school gardens, few have compared two countries, focused on environmental sustainability, or investigated Maine in particular. This thesis combines information from literature reviews, and …

Does A Pilot Resistance Training Exercise Program For Haemodialysis Patients Increase Dietary Intake And Quality Of Life?, Kelly Lambert, Maureen A. Lonergan, Yvonne White, Natalie M. Stapleton

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Objective: To determine the impact of progressive resistance training for haemodialysis patients on dietary intake, body composition and quality of life. Design: A pilot uncontrolled intervention study, with subjects recruited from two satellite haemodialysis units. Fourteen patients enrolled in the study, with six patients completing the full 24-week exercise program. Intervention: A thrice-weekly, individualised, progressive resistance training program was provided to eligible consenting patients. Patients performed upper and lower body training before and during their usual dialysis treatment for 24 weeks. Main outcome measures: Dietary intake and nutritional status was assessed using a diet history, the Appetite and …