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An increase in population and need to protect the planet has created many initiatives and research goals in developing alternatives methods of fueling. Federal and state policies have provided a push for industries to find ways to of reducing their impact on the environment while maintaining competitiveness. In the sector of alternative fuels, large policies such as the Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS) in the United States are making goals to reduce vehicular fuel from coal and oil, and focus on alternative fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel. Along with the RFS and other federal policies, states are introducing independent initiatives to promote the use of alternative fuels.
Research has shown that other crops besides corn can feasibly be used to produce ethanol for fuel use. One of the major crops of interest currently is switchgrass (Panicum Virgatum L.) because of its ability to grow under a variety of weather conditions and soil types. Switchgrass does not require as much maintenance as corn and is a perennial grass that can have high yielding fields for up to 9 years.
This report focuses on the impacts from using switchgrass-derived ethanol to meet the state of Arizona’s policy to have government fleet vehicles operating on alternative fuels. The study uses a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach to evaluate 22 million gallons of ethanol produced in Arizona and stored at fueling stations for use. Impacts in land use, global warming, and water quality are evaluated using software tools and databases in Ecoinvent and Simapro.
The results of the study indicate that the cultivation and harvest phase of the process will contribute the most to negative environmental impacts. According to the study, application of heavy nutrient fertilizer and the machinery needed for the additional agriculture have the potential to contribute over 36 million moles of hydrogen and 89 million CTU eq. to the air, soil, and water.
Obesity is a significant national public health crisis, affecting one-third of American adults. It is a complex and multifactorial disease that increases the risk of multiple chronic medical conditions including coronary heart disease, diabetes, and even leading to potential premature mortality. Moreover, increased health care utilization and escalating medical costs associated with obesity treatment are overwhelming an already burdened health care system. Obesity is nondiscriminatory, affecting individuals from various demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds, even extending to our unique population of active duty military service members and veterans.
Despite mandatory physical fitness and body composition requirements, active duty service members continue to experience an increasing prevalence of obesity. The obesity epidemic has considerable implications for military readiness, accession, and retention. Limited studies have examined weight-loss interventions including self-paced and provider-led interventions among active duty military service members with varying degrees of success. The purpose of this evidence based doctoral project was to examine the effectiveness of a twelve-week group lifestyle intervention involving education regarding healthy diet, physical activity and behavior change recommendations on weight and body mass index (BMI). The study demonstrated no significant differences in initial and post intervention weight and BMI.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected employment and food security globally and in the United States. To understand the impacts of COVID-19 on food security in Arizona, a representative survey of Arizona households was launched online from July 1 to August 10, 2020. This brief provides an overview of changes in food security rate, perceived worries and challenges about food security, as well as behavioral changes and strategies adopted since the pandemic. Additional briefs from the Arizona survey covering topics on economic consequences, food access, and participations in food assistance programs during the pandemic are also available.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led to disruptions in the food supply and high rates of unemployment and under-employment, both in Arizona and nationally. These emergencies required food assistance programs to adapt quickly and in unprecedented ways by relaxing eligibility criteria, improvising on delivery modalities, and increasing benefits. To examine food assistance program participation during the pandemic, we collected data from a representative sample of 620 Arizona households. The sample was drawn from across Arizona in July-August 2020 using an online survey. This brief provides the summary for participation in key food assistance programs, namely, the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Special Supplemental Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC), School Food Programs, and the emergency food assistance provided through food pantries.
This study answers the question, “In Adult Hispanic BMI ≥ 30 (P), how does development of a weight loss program that utilizes Motivational Interviewing (I) compared to counseling and educational materials only (C) affect weight loss over the period of three months (T).” There are limited published systematic reviews and randomized control trials to evaluate the effectiveness of Motivational Interviewing (MI), in conjunction with diet and exercise to promote weight loss. Participants (n = 5) were Latino patients of a local community health care center who were overweight and medically at risk due to unhealthy lifestyles that were determined through a screening test.
The 4-week clinical pathway program used motivational interviewing in one-on-one sessions every other week, and implemented the “Your Heart, Your Life” curriculum the other weeks. One expected outcome included lower anthropometric measurement numbers of participants’ WL, BMI, WC, and BP. Another expected outcome was an increase in physical activity. Participants were also expected to earn a higher score on a post-test about nutrition and healthy living. A paired t-test and power analyses were used to assess its effectiveness.
Results indicated significant decrease in weight loss (t [5] = 3.68, p = .0211, Cohen’s dz=1.647). For heart healthy habits, there were significant increases all three categories: weight management (t [5] = - 3.36, p = .0211), cholesterol and fat (t [5] = - 3.138, p =.035, salt and sodium (t [5] = - 4.899, p = .008). In addition, there was an increase in knowledge (t [5] = - 4.000, p = .016). Every participant showed small gains. Future implications should include more participants, including males, a control group, innovative activities that help to motivate a community of learners and more flexibility in allotted time for interventions.
Purpose: This project examined the effectiveness of an online educational module on basic Motivational Interviewing (MI) techniques for Nurse Practitioners (NPs) providing obesity management to middle-aged women.
Background: Middle-aged women experience distinct physiological and psychosocial factors that contribute to weight gain and make obesity management especially challenging. The evidence supports the use of motivational interviewing (MI) interventions as a highly effective approach to obesity management in combination with standard medical weight loss programs. Educating NPs that provide medical weight loss on basic MI counseling techniques is necessary to facilitate the use of this intervention.
Methods: NP providers at a group of seven medical weight loss clinics in the southwestern United States completed an online MI educational module that was developed for this project. The module content covered basic MI counseling techniques. MI knowledge was assessed using a 6-item pre/post-test. Participants completed an 8-item course evaluation to provide additional feedback.
Results: Ten of the 13 NPs eligible participated in the project. The overall response to the project was positive as demonstrated by high scores on the course evaluation. The average post-test knowledge scores increased after completion of the module, however no statistical significance was noted.
Conclusions: The basic MI education module was beneficial for NPs providing obesity management and future research should focus on developing standardized MI weight loss interventions.
With more than 19 million confirmed COVID-19 cases across the United States1 and over 500,000 in Arizona as of December 2020, the ongoing pandemic has had devastating impacts on local, national, and global economies. Prior to the pandemic (February 2020), based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the unemployment rate in Arizona was 6.5%, compared to 4.9% at the national level.3 Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020), the United States has experienced striking increases in the unemployment rate, reaching 13.2% in April. Similarly, in Arizona, the unemployment rate jumped to over 13.5% in April. The unemployment rates have since declined both nationally and in Arizona but remain higher compared to February 2020. In November 2020 (the most recent data available), the national unemployment rate was 6.7%, while in Arizona the rate was 7.8%—the 10th highest unemployment rate among all U.S. states.