Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Commons^™

Assessment Of The University Of Rhode Island's Dining Halls And Student Perceptions Of On-Campus Dining, Maria Cherry

Senior Honors Projects

University dining halls are understudied food environments that affect student diet quality. This study (1) assessed dining hall offerings at the University of Rhode Island (URI) using the Partnership for a Healthier America’s Healthier Campus Initiative (PAHA) criteria for healthier campus food environments and (2) evaluated student perceptions of the dining hall through a campus-wide survey (n=165). We evaluated breakfast, lunch, and dinner using spring cycle menus (16 weeks in 2019 and 4 in 2021) from two full-service dining halls totaling 29 meals in 2019, and 84 meals in 2021 to determine adherence with PAHA criteria for availability of: 1) …

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 …

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 …

Organ Fat In Latino Youth At Risk For Type 2 Diabetes, Janiel L Pimentel, Kiley B Vander Wyst, Erica G Soltero, Armando Peña, Houchun H Hu, Smita S Bailey, Amber Pokorney, Stephanie L Ayers, Ana Martinez Valencia, Micah L Olson, Gabriel Q Shaibi

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Purpose: Obesity in youth increases the risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D) and elevated abdominal adipose tissue and organ fat may be particularly deleterious. The purpose of this study was to examine associations among measures of adiposity including total, visceral, and organ fat (hepatic and pancreatic) and whether these measures were independently associated with glycemia in Latino youth at risk for diabetes.

Methods: Latino adolescents (47 boys and 32 girls, 13.7 ± 1.4 years) with obesity (BMIz 2.3 ± 0.3) were assessed for total fat by DXA and visceral and organ fat by 3 T magnetic resonance imaging. Glycemic indicators …

Sustainability Via Active Garden Education: The Sustainability Action Plan Model And Process, Rebecca E Lee, Jacob Szeszulski, Elizabeth Lorenzo, Anel Arriola, Meg Bruening, Paul A Estabrooks, Jennie L Hill, Teresia M O'Connor, Gabriel Q Shaibi, Erica G Soltero, Michael Todd

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Sustainability of intervention programming is challenging to achieve under real world conditions, since few models exist and many studies do not plan far beyond the funding period. Programming content in early care and education centers (ECECs) is often driven by guidelines. However, implementation is very sensitive to contextual factors, such as the setting and implementer (teacher) characteristics. This paper presents the model, definitions, and methodology used for the sustainability action plan capitalizing on a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach, developed for a multi-site, multi-level garden-based childhood obesity prevention study, Sustainability via Active Garden Education (SAGE). The Ecologic Model of Obesity …

Toll-Like Receptor 1 Locus Re-Examined In A Genome-Wide Association Study Update On Anti-Helicobacter Pylori Igg Titers, Suk Yee Lam, Michiel C Mommersteeg, Bingting Yu, Linda Broer, Manon C W Spaander, Fabian Frost, Stefan Weiss, Henry Völzke, Markus M Lerch, Ben Schöttker, Yan Zhang, Hannah Stocker, Hermann Brenner, Daniel Levy, Shih-Jen Hwang, Alexis C Wood, Stephen S Rich, Jerome I Rotter, Kent D Taylor, Russell P Tracy, Edmond K Kabagambe, Marcis Leja, Janis Klovins, Raitis Peculis, Dace Rudzite, Liene Nikitina-Zake, Girts Skenders, Vita Rovite, André Uitterlinden, Ernst J Kuipers, Gwenny M Fuhler, Georg Homuth, Maikel P Peppelenbosch

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Background & aims: A genome-wide significant association between anti-Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) IgG titers and Toll-like receptor (TLR1/6/10) locus on 4p14 was demonstrated for individuals of European ancestry, but not uniformly replicated. We re-investigated this association in an updated genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis for populations with low gastric cancer incidence, address potential causes of cohort heterogeneity, and explore functional implications of genetic variation at the TLR1/6/10 locus.

Methods: The dichotomous GWAS (25% individuals exhibiting highest anti-H pylori IgG titers vs remaining 75%) included discovery and replication sampls of, respectively, n = 15,685 and n = 9676, all of European …

Assessing Nutritional Health Knowledge In Sharing Clinic Patients With Diabetes, Minden Huntrods

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Effective diabetes prevention and management relies on nutritional behaviors, thus a basic level of health knowledge is important for patients with diabetes and their caregivers in their quest to acquire acute glycemic control and minimize negative health outcomes (Ley et al., 2014). The purpose of this study was to assess the nutrition-related health knowledge of patients living with diabetes who are seen at the UNMC Sharing Clinic by use of a verbal questionnaire. This nutritional health knowledge assessment was a quantitative, prospective, survey-based study utilizing descriptive statistics. Approximately 86% of patients were proficient in food group and nutritious foods knowledge …

Plant-Based Diets And Metabolic Syndrome: Evaluating The Influence Of Diet Quality, Lydia Mcgrath

Honors Scholar Theses

Background: Diet plays a critical role in the prevention and treatment of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Plant-based diets (PBDs) have demonstrated a broad range of health benefits, including a protective effect against MetS. Most research on this topic has focused on PBDs as a whole, without considering the influence of diet quality. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between plant-based diet quality and biomarkers of MetS.

Methods: Data were obtained from a clinical nutrition study at the University of Connecticut. 29 participants with MetS were included. PBD quality was assessed using 2 measures: healthful PBD index (hPDI) …

Home Cooking Quality Assessment Tool Validation Using Community Science And Crowdsourcing Approaches, Margaret Raber, Nalini Ranjit, Larkin L Strong, Karen Basen-Engquist

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: To refine a measure of home cooking quality (defined as the usage level of practices with the potential to influence the nutrient content of prepared foods) and conduct a construct validation of the revised tool, the Healthy Cooking Questionnaire 2 (HCQ2).

Design: Two validation approaches are described: (1) a community science approach used to refine and validate Healthy Cooking Questionnaire (HCQ) constructs, and (2) responses to the revised HCQ (HCQ2) in a sample of Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) workers to determine questionnaire comprehension.

Setting: The Community Scientist Program at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center facilitated discussion …

May 2022, Swosu Bulldog Wellness Committee

SWOSU BULLDOG WELLNESS

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

• 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience a mental health condition each year.
• You are not alone on your mental health journey.
• Mental illness affects more than 50 million people in the U.S.

#Together4MH

Skeletal Muscle Mass Recovery Early After Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation In Patients With Advanced Systolic Heart Failure, Amanda R Vest, William W Wong, Joronia Chery, Alex Coston, Laura Telfer, Matthew Lawrence, Didjana Celkupa, Michael S Kiernan, Gregory Couper, Masashi Kawabori, Edward Saltzman

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Background: Patients with advanced systolic heart failure are at risk of unintentional weight loss and muscle wasting. It has been observed that left ventricular assist device (LVAD) recipients gain weight after device implantation, although it is unknown whether this represents skeletal muscle mass gains. We aimed to determine whether skeletal muscle mass increases early during LVAD support.

Methods: We prospectively recruited 30 adults with systolic heart failure ±21 days from LVAD implantation. Participants underwent whole-body dual X-ray absorptiometry to measure fat free mass, appendicular lean mass (ALM, lean mass in the arms and legs) and fat mass. Dual X-ray absorptiometry …

Anthropometric Measures Correspond With Functional Motor Outcomes In Females With Rett Syndrome, Kathleen J Motil, Suzanne Geerts, Fran Annese, Jeffrey L Neul, Tim Benke, Eric Marsh, David Lieberman, Steven A Skinner, Daniel G Glaze, Peter Heydemann, Arthur Beisang, Shannon Standridge, Robin Ryther, Jane B Lane, Lloyd Edwards, Alan K Percy

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Objective: To characterize growth and anthropometric measurements in females with Rett syndrome and compare these measurements with functional outcomes.

Study design: We obtained longitudinal growth and anthropometric measurements from 1154 females with classic and atypical Rett syndrome seen between 2006 and 2019 in the US Natural History Study. We calculated the Clinical Severity Score, Motor Behavior Assessment score, and arm and leg muscle areas and recorded the functional assessments of arm and hand use and ambulation. We compared growth and anthropometric variables from females with Rett syndrome in regard to normative data. We analyzed Clinical Severity Score, Motor Behavior Assessment, …

Florida Healthcare Workers Responses To Covid-19, Kristen K. Hicks-Roof

Showcase of Faculty Scholarly & Creative Activity

These two articles were published to describe the landscape of Florida healthcare professionals' responses to COVID-19. These data were collected in mid-2020 when times were unpredictable. These findings shed a lot of light on how we need to better train healthcare professionals on telehealth, interprofessional collaboration and communication among each other and patients.

From Liability To Asset: A Large Health System’S Approach To Transforming Hospital Food, Sven Gierlinger, Bruno Tison, Nicole Giammarinaro

Patient Experience Journal

Historically, hospitals are infamous for poor food quality. Valuing food as a tenant of health and well-being, Northwell Health, New York’s largest healthcare system, is transforming its hospital food program to become an asset and market competition differentiator. By focusing on structure, workforce, procurement and process, Northwell has improved patient experience performance “Quality of Food” by 61 percentile rank points within three years with minimal impact on budgetary cost.

Experience Framework

This article is associated with the Environment & Hospitality lens of The Beryl Institute Experience Framework (https://www.theberylinstitute.org/ExperienceFramework).

• Access other PXJ articles related to this lens.
• Access other …

Promoting Healthy Eating In Latin American Restaurants: A Qualitative Survey Of Views Held By Owners And Staff, Fuster, Melissa, Rosa Abreu, Margaret A. Handley, Donald Rose, Michelle A. Rodriguez, Emily G. Dimond, Brian Elbel, Terry T. K. Huang

Publications and Research

Background

Restaurants, particularly independently-owned ones that serve immigrant communities, are important community institutions in the promotion of dietary health. Yet, these restaurants remain under-researched, preventing meaningful collaborations with the public health sector for healthier community food environments. This research aimed to examine levels of acceptability of healthy eating promotion strategies (HEPS) in independently-owned Latin American restaurants (LARs) and identify resource needs for implementing HEPS in LARs.

Methods

We completed semi-structured, online discussions with LAR owners and staff (n = 20), predominantly from New York City (NYC), to examine current engagement, acceptability, potential barriers, and resource needs for the implementation …

Future Of Biomedical, Agricultural, And Biological Systems Research Using Domesticated Animals, Thomas E Spencer, Kevin D Wells, Kiho Lee, Bhanu P Telugu, Peter J Hansen, Frank F Bartol, Leann Blomberg, Lawrence B Schook, Harry Dawson, Joan K Lunney, John P Driver, Teresa A Davis, Sharon M Donovan, Ryan N Dilger, Linda J Saif, Adam Moeser, Jodi L Mcgill, George Smith, James J Ireland

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Increased knowledge of reproduction and health of domesticated animals is integral to sustain and improve global competitiveness of U.S. animal agriculture, understand and resolve complex animal and human diseases, and advance fundamental research in sciences that are critical to understanding mechanisms of action and identifying future targets for interventions. Historically, federal and state budgets have dwindled and funding for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) competitive grants programs remained relatively stagnant from 1985 through 2010. This shortage in critical financial support for basic and applied research, coupled with the underappreciated knowledge of …

Examining The Perspectives And Experiences Of Nutrition Educators Working With Clients In Substance Use Recovery Settings, Cora Teets, Paula Plonski, Omolola Adedokun, Heather Norman-Burgdolf

Dietetics and Human Nutrition Faculty Publications

Substance use disorder (SUD) is one of the most detrimental health, social, and economic problems in the United States. Limited studies suggest providing tailored nutrition education during SUD treatment correlates with positive recovery outcomes. The University of Kentucky Nutrition Education Program conducted two focus group sessions to explore and determine educators’ instructional and programmatic needs who deliver nutrition education to clients in substance use recovery throughout Kentucky. The study team identified four emerging themes and several subthemes related to Nutrition Education Program educators working with clientele in recovery. The four emerging themes included: (1) current experiences working with the audience, …

Unifying Multi-State Efforts Through A Nationally Coordinated Extension Diabetes Program, Laura Balis, Shari Gallup, Heather Norman-Burgdolf, Julie Buck, Pam Daniels, Dan Remley, Lisa Graves, Margaret Jenkins, Gayle Price

Dietetics and Human Nutrition Faculty Publications

The Cooperative Extension System translates research to practice and “brings the University to the people” throughout the U.S. However, the system suffers from program duplication and is challenged to scale-out effective programs. One program, Dining with Diabetes (DWD), stands out for its dissemination to multiple states. DWD is a community-based program aimed at improving diabetes management, nutrition, and physical activity behaviors. DWD was coordinated through a national working group and implemented by state Extension systems. A pragmatic, quasi-experimental study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the national coordination model and the overall impact of DWD. Four states reported data …

Dietary Supplement Used Among Americans, Okiki Adegboro, Akeisha Belgrave

Harrisburg University Research Symposium: Highlighting Research, Innovation, & Creativity

This project is to show the intake of vitamins before and after the pandemic among Americans. To get this information, I made a survey with a sample size of 100 people, and the questions that were asked were; "What is your gender?" Do you take vitamins? "How often do you take vitamins?" "Types of vitamins?" Age group? and "Did your use of vitamins grow due to the pandemic?. (Class Project)

The Interrelationships Between Food Choice Motives, Food Insecurity, And Substance Use Among Us College Students, Natalie Nieschwitz

Honors Projects

Dietary quality declines during college and is exacerbated by food insecurity (FI) and substance use (SU), leading to negative health and academic consequences. Purposes of this study were to investigate rank importance of food choice motives (FCM), relationships between FI intensity and FCM, and relationships between SU intensity and FCM.

College students aged 18-30 were recruited by Facebook. The USDA 6-item Food Security Survey Module (FSSM); Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT); Extended Drug Use Disorders Identification Test (DUDIT-E); and Food Choice Motives Questionnaire were used. FCM were analyzed using Friedman and Dunn-Bonferroni tests. Relationships between FCM and FI and …