Matching Items (74)
The Association Between Time to Eat and Students Fruit & Vegetable Consumption, Selection, and Waste
Description
Background: Studies have examined student fruit/vegetable (FV) consumption, selection, and waste related to lunch duration and found that longer duration at lunch was associated with greater consumption, selection, and reduced waste. However, few studies have investigated the relationship between time to eat and FVs. The aim of this research is to analyze the relationship between objective time to students took to eat (“time to eat”) as it relates to their fruit and vegetable consumption, selection, and plate waste.in elementary, middle, and high schools. Methods: A secondary analysis of cross-sectional study of 37 Arizona schools to discover the differences in the selection, consumption, and waste of FVs from students (Full N = 2226, Elementary N = 630, Middle School N = 699, High School N = 897) using objective time to eat measures. Zero-inflated negative binomial regressions examined differences in FV grams selected, consumed, and wasted adjusted for sociodemographics including race, ethnicity, eligibility for free or reduced lunch, academic year, and sex and clustering for students within schools. Results are presented across school level (elementary, middle, and high school).
Results: The average time taken to eat ranged from 10-12 minutes for all students. The association of time to eat and lunch duration were not closely related (r=0.03, p = 0.172). In the count model for every additional minute spent, there was a 0.5% greater likelihood of selecting FVs for elementary kids among those who took any FVs. In the zero-inflated model, it was found that there was a statistically significant relationship between time spent eating and the selection of fruits and vegetables. For the total sample and high schoolers, a minute more of eating time was associated with a 4.3% and 8.8% greater odds of selecting FV. This means that longer eating time increased the likelihood of choosing fruits and vegetables. The results indicated that the longer students took to eat, the higher the likelihood of consuming more of FVs. Each 10 more minutes spent eating (i.e., time to eat) is associated with a 5% increase in grams of FV selected relative to mean (for those that chose FV) over 1 week this equates to 32 g increase of FV selected. However, for middle schoolers, the time to eat was not found to be significant in relation to the grams of fruits and vegetables consumed. There was some significance in the sociodemographic factors such as gender (all) and other (middle school). There was a relationship between time taken to eat and waste as a proportion for fruits and vegetables. For example, among those among the students who wasted something (as a proportion of selection), each additional 10 minutes of eating time was associated with a .6% decrease in waste relative to the mean (for those who chose fruits and vegetables) over a week, resulting in a decrease in waste percentage of 16.5%. Among high schoolers, males had a slightly higher odds of wasting a proportion of fruits and vegetables.
Conclusions: This study aimed to examine the association between the time students take to eat during lunch and their fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption, selection, and plate waste. The findings revealed that the time to eat was related to FV consumption, depending on the school level. However, it was not significantly associated with FV selection or waste. The study emphasized the need for further research on time to eat, distinguishing it from the duration of lunch. Longer lunch periods and adequate time could influence better food choices, increased FV consumption, and reduced waste. The study highlighted the importance of interventions and school policies promoting healthier food choices and providing sufficient time for students to eat. Future research should validate these findings and explore the impact of socialization opportunities on promoting healthier eating habits. Understanding the relationship between lunch duration, time to eat, and students' dietary behaviors can contribute to improved health outcomes and inform effective strategies in school settings.
ContributorsDandridge, Christina Marie (Author) / Adams, Marc (Thesis advisor) / Whisner, Corrie (Committee member) / Bruening, Meg (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Cities globally are experiencing substantial warming due to ongoing urbanization and climate change. However, existing efforts to mitigate urban heat focus mainly on new technologies, exacerbate social injustices, and ignore the need for a sustainability lens that considers environmental, social, and economic perspectives. Heat in urban areas is amplified and urgently needs to be considered as a critical sustainability issue that crosses disciplinary and sectoral (traditional) boundaries. The missing urgency is concerning because urban overheating is a multi-faceted threat to the well-being and performance of individuals as well as the energy efficiency and economy of cities. Urban heat consequences require transformation in ways of thinking by involving the best available knowledge engaging scientists, policymakers, and communities. To do so, effective heat mitigation planning requires a considerable amount of diverse knowledge sources, yet urban planners face multiple barriers to effective heat mitigation, including a lack of usable, policy-relevant science and governance structures. To address these issues, transdisciplinary approaches, such as co-production via partnerships and the creation of usable, policy-relevant science, are necessary to allow for sustainable and equitable heat mitigation that allow cities to work toward multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) using a systems approach. This dissertation presents three studies that contribute to a sustainability lens on urban heat, improve the holistic and multi-perspective understanding of heat mitigation strategies, provide contextual guidance for reflective pavement as a heat mitigation strategy, and evaluate a multilateral, sustainability-oriented, co-production partnership to foster heat resilience equitably in cities. Results show that science and city practice communicate differently about heat mitigation strategies while both avoid to communicate disservices and trade-offs. Additionally, performance evaluation of heat mitigation strategies for decision-making needs to consider multiple heat metrics, people, and background climate. Lastly, the partnership between science, city practice, and community needs to be evaluated to be accountable and provide a pathway of growth for all partners. The outcomes of this dissertation advance research and awareness of urban heat for science, practice, and community, and provide guidance to improve holistic and sustainable decision-making in cities and partnerships to address SDGs around urban heat.
ContributorsSchneider, Florian Arwed (Author) / Middel, Ariane (Thesis advisor) / Vanos, Jennifer K (Committee member) / Withycombe Keeler, Lauren (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Extreme heat and its human impacts are significant public health challenges that disproportionately affect certain populations. Often, people with the least resources to cope with the heat also live in the hottest regions of cities. Previous heat vulnerability research has predominantly been conducted at a coarse geographic scale, yet translating relationships measured at aggregated scales to the individual level can result in ecological fallacy. Prior work has also primarily studied the most severe health outcomes: hospitalization/emergency care and mortality. It is likely that magnitudes more people are experiencing negative health impacts from heat that do not necessarily result in medical care. Such less severe impacts are under-researched in the literature.This dissertation addresses these knowledge gaps by identifying how social characteristics and physical measurements of heat at the individual and household level act independently and in concert to influence human heat-related outcomes, especially less severe outcomes. In the first paper, meta-analysis was used to quantify the summary effects of vulnerability indicators on incidence of heat-related illness. More proximal vulnerability indicators (e.g., residential air conditioning use, indoor heat exposure, etc.) tended to have the strongest impact on odds of experiencing heat-related illness than more distal indicators. In the next paper, indoor air temperature observations were related to the social characteristics of the residents. The strongest predictor of indoor air temperature was the residents’ ideal thermally comfortable temperature, despite affordability. In the final paper, fine scale biometeorological observations of the outdoor thermal environment near residents’ homes were linked to their experience with heat-related illness. The outdoor thermal environment appeared to have a stronger, more consistent impact on heat-related illness among households in a lower income neighborhood compared to a higher income one. These findings affirm the value of employing residential heat mitigation solutions at the individual and household scale, indoors and outdoors. Across all chapters, the indoor thermal environment, and the ability to modify it, had a clear impact on residents’ comfort and health. Solutions that target the most proximal causal factors of heat-related illness will likely have the greatest impact on reducing the burden of heat on human health and well-being.
ContributorsWright, Mary K (Author) / Hondula, David M (Thesis advisor) / Larson, Kelli L (Committee member) / Middel, Ariane (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Adaptive capacity to climate change is the ability of a system to mitigate or take advantage of climate change effects. Research on adaptive capacity to climate change suffers fragmentation. This is partly because there is no clear consensus around precise definitions of adaptive capacity. The aim of this thesis is to place definitions of adaptive capacity into a formal framework. I formalize adaptive capacity as a computational model written in the Idris 2 programming language. The model uses types to constrain how the elements of the model fit together. To achieve this, I analyze nine existing definitions of adaptive capacity. The focus of the analysis was on important factors that affect definitions and shared elements of the definitions. The model is able to describe an adaptive capacity study and guide a user toward concepts lacking clarity in the study. This shows that the model is useful as a tool to think about adaptive capacity. In the future, one could refine the model by forming an ontology for adaptive capacity. One could also review the literature more systematically. Finally, one might consider turning to qualitative research methods for reviewing the literature.
ContributorsManuel, Jason (Author) / Bazzi, Rida (Thesis director) / Pavlic, Theodore (Committee member) / Middel, Ariane (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
With the increase in the severity of drought conditions in the Southwest region of the U.S. paired with rising temperatures, it is becoming increasingly important to look at the systems used to keep people cool in hot-arid cities like Tempe, Arizona. Outdoor misting systems are often deployed by businesses. These systems rely on the evaporative cooling effect of water. This study examines the relationship between misting droplet size, water usage, and thermal comfort using low-pressure misting systems, tested within hot and dry conditions representative of the arid U.S. southwest. A model misting system using three nozzle orifice sizes was set up in a controlled heat chamber environment (starting baseline conditions of 40°C air temperature and 15 % relative humidity). Droplet size was measured using water-reactive paper, while water use was determined based on weight-change measurements. These measurements were paired with temperature and humidity measurements observed in several locations around the chamber to allow for a spatial analysis. Thermal comfort is determined based on psychrometric changes (temperature and absolute humidity) within the room. On average, air temperatures decreased between 2 to 4°C depending on nozzle size and sensor location. The 0.4 mm nozzle had a decent spread across the heat chamber and balanced water usage and effectiveness well. Limitations within the study showed ventilation is important for an effective system, corroborating other studies findings and suggesting that adding air circulation could improve evaporation and comfort and thus effectiveness. Finally, visual cues, such as wetted surfaces, can signal businesses to change nozzle sizes and/or make additional modifications to the system area.
ContributorsJohnson, Trevor (Author) / Vanos, Jennifer (Thesis director) / Middel, Ariane (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
Tools designed to help match people with behaviors they identify as likely to lead to a successful behavioral outcome remain under-researched. This study assessed the effect of a participant-driven behavior-matching intervention on 1) the adoption of a new behavior related to fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption, 2) study attrition, and 3) changes in F&V consumption. In this two-arm randomized controlled trial, 64 adults who did not meet standard F&V recommendations were allocated to an intervention (n=33) or control group (n=31). Participants in the intervention group ranked 20 F&V-related behaviors according to their perceived likelihood of engagement in the behavior and their perception of the behavior’s efficacy in increasing F&V consumption. Participants in the intervention group were subsequently shown the list of 20 behaviors in order of their provided rankings, with the highest-ranked behaviors at the top, and were asked to choose a behavior they would like to perform daily for 4 weeks. The control group chose from a random-order list of the same 20 behaviors to adopt daily for 4 weeks. During the study period, text messages were sent to all participants 90 minutes before their reported bedtime to collect Yes/No data reflecting successful behavior engagement each day. The binary repeated-measures data collected from the text messages was analyzed using mixed-effects logistic regression, differences in attrition were assessed using log-rank analysis, and change scores in F&V consumption were compared between the two groups using the Man-Whitney U test. P<0.05 indicated significance. The rate of successful behavior adoption did not differ significantly between the two groups (b=0.09, 95%CI= -0.81, 0.98, p=0.85). The log rank test results indicated that there was no significant difference in attrition between the two groups (χ2=2.68, df=1, p=0.10). F&V consumption increased significantly over the 4 weeks in the total sample (Z=-5.86, p<0.001), but no differences in F&V change scores were identified between the control and intervention groups (Z=-0.21, p=0.84). The behavior-matching tool assessed in this study did not significantly improve behavior adoption, study attrition, or F&V intake over 4 weeks.
ContributorsCosgrove, Kelly Sarah (Author) / Wharton, Christopher (Thesis advisor) / Adams, Marc (Committee member) / DesRoches, Tyler (Committee member) / Grebitus, Carola (Committee member) / Johnston, Carol (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
The measurement of the radiation and convection that the human body experiences are important for ensuring safety in extreme heat conditions. The radiation from the surroundings on the human body is most often measured using globe or cylindrical radiometers. The large errors stemming from differences in internal and exterior temperatures and indirect estimation of convection can be resolved by simultaneously using three cylindrical radiometers (1 cm diameter, 9 cm height) with varying surface properties and internal heating. With three surface balances, the three unknowns (heat transfer coefficient, shortwave, and longwave radiation) can be solved for directly. As compared to integral radiation measurement technique, however, the bottom mounting using a wooden-dowel of the three-cylinder radiometers resulted in underestimated the total absorbed radiation. This first part of this thesis focuses on reducing the size of the three-cylinder radiometers and an alternative mounting that resolves the prior issues. In particular, the heat transfer coefficient in laminar wind tunnel with wind speed of 0.25 to 5 m/s is measured for six polished, heated cylinders with diameter of 1 cm and height of 1.5 to 9 cm mounted using a wooden dowel. For cylinders with height of 6 cm and above, the heat transfer coefficients are independent of the height and agree with the Hilpert correlation for infinitely long cylinder. Subsequently, a side-mounting for heated 6 cm tall cylinder with top and bottom metallic caps is developed and tested within the wind tunnel. The heat transfer coefficient is shown to be independent of the flow-side mounting and in agreement with the Hilpert correlation.
The second part of this thesis explores feasibility of employing the three-cylinder concept to measuring all air-flow parameters relevant to human convection including mean wind speed, turbulence intensity and length scale. Heated cylinders with same surface properties but varying diameters are fabricated. Uniformity of their exterior temperature, which is fundamental to the three-cylinder anemometer concept, is tested during operation using infrared camera. To provide a lab-based method to measure convection from the cylinders in turbulent flow, several designs of turbulence-generating fractal grids are laser-cut and introduced into the wind tunnel.
ContributorsGupta, Mahima (Author) / Rykaczewski, Konrad (Thesis advisor) / Pathikonda, Gokul (Thesis advisor) / Middel, Ariane (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024
Description
The global increase in urbanization has raised questions about urban sustainability to which multiple research communities have entered. Those communities addressing interest in the urban heat island (UHI) effect and extreme temperatures include land system science, urban/landscape ecology, and urban climatology. General investigations of UHI have focused primarily on land surface and canopy layer air temperatures. The surface temperature is of prime importance to UHI studies because of its central rule in the surface energy balance, direct effects on air temperature, and outdoor thermal comfort. Focusing on the diurnal surface temperature variations in Phoenix, Arizona, especially on the cool (green space) island effect and the surface heat island effect, the dissertation develops three research papers that improve the integration among the abovementioned sub-fields. Specifically, these papers involve: (1) the quantification and modeling of the diurnal cooling benefits of green space; (2) the optimization of green space locations to reduce the surface heat island effect in daytime and nighttime; and, (3) an evaluation of the effects of vertical urban forms on land surface temperature using Google Street View. These works demonstrate that the pattern of new green spaces in central Phoenix could be optimized such that 96% of the maximum daytime and nighttime cooling benefits would be achieved, and that Google Street View data offers an alternative to other data, providing the vertical dimensions of land-cover for addressing surface temperature impacts, increasing the model accuracy over the use of horizontal land-cover data alone. Taken together, the dissertation points the way towards the integration of research directions to better understand the consequences of detailed land conditions on temperatures in urban areas, providing insights for urban designs to alleviate these extremes.
ContributorsZhang, Yujia (Author) / Turner, Billie (Thesis advisor) / Murray, Alan T. (Committee member) / Myint, Soe W (Committee member) / Middel, Ariane (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
Objective: It’s not well understood how youth perceive existing fruit and vegetable (FV) marketing materials available in schools. This ancillary study sought to assess the acceptability of FV marketing materials freely available to schools among adolescents in grades 6-12.
Methods: Middle and high school adolescents (n=40; 50% female; 52.5% Hispanic) in the Phoenix, AZ area were asked to rank marketing materials (n=35) from favorite to least favorite in four categories: table tents, medium posters, large posters and announcements. Favorites were determined by showing participants two items at a time and having them choose which they preferred; items were displayed to each adolescent in a random order. Adolescents participated in a 20-30 minute interview on their favorite items in each category based on acceptance/attractiveness, comprehension, relevance, motivation and uniqueness of the materials. A content analysis was performed on top rated marketing materials. Top rated marketing materials were determined by the number of times the advertisement was ranked first in its category.
Results: An analysis of the design features of the items indicated that most participants (84%) preferred marketing materials with more than 4 color groups. Participant preference of advertisement length and word count was varied. A total of 5 themes and 20 subthemes emerged when participants discussed their favorite FV advertisements. Themes included: likes (e.g., colors, length, FV shown), dislikes (e.g., length, FV shown), health information (e.g., vitamin shown), comprehension (e.g., doesn’t recognize FV), and social aspects (e.g., peer opinion). Peer opinion often influenced participant opinion on marketing materials. Participants often said peers wouldn’t like the advertisements shown: “…kids my age think that vegetables are not good, and they like food more than vegetables.” Fruits and vegetable pictured as well as the information in the marketing materials also influenced adolescent preference.
Conclusion: Students preferred advertisements with more color and strong visual aspects. Word count had minimal influence on their opinions of the marketing materials, while information mentioned and peer opinion did have a positive effect. Further research needs to be done to determine if there is a link between adolescent preferences on FV marketing materials and FV consumption habits.
Methods: Middle and high school adolescents (n=40; 50% female; 52.5% Hispanic) in the Phoenix, AZ area were asked to rank marketing materials (n=35) from favorite to least favorite in four categories: table tents, medium posters, large posters and announcements. Favorites were determined by showing participants two items at a time and having them choose which they preferred; items were displayed to each adolescent in a random order. Adolescents participated in a 20-30 minute interview on their favorite items in each category based on acceptance/attractiveness, comprehension, relevance, motivation and uniqueness of the materials. A content analysis was performed on top rated marketing materials. Top rated marketing materials were determined by the number of times the advertisement was ranked first in its category.
Results: An analysis of the design features of the items indicated that most participants (84%) preferred marketing materials with more than 4 color groups. Participant preference of advertisement length and word count was varied. A total of 5 themes and 20 subthemes emerged when participants discussed their favorite FV advertisements. Themes included: likes (e.g., colors, length, FV shown), dislikes (e.g., length, FV shown), health information (e.g., vitamin shown), comprehension (e.g., doesn’t recognize FV), and social aspects (e.g., peer opinion). Peer opinion often influenced participant opinion on marketing materials. Participants often said peers wouldn’t like the advertisements shown: “…kids my age think that vegetables are not good, and they like food more than vegetables.” Fruits and vegetable pictured as well as the information in the marketing materials also influenced adolescent preference.
Conclusion: Students preferred advertisements with more color and strong visual aspects. Word count had minimal influence on their opinions of the marketing materials, while information mentioned and peer opinion did have a positive effect. Further research needs to be done to determine if there is a link between adolescent preferences on FV marketing materials and FV consumption habits.
ContributorsPisano, Sydney Alexis (Author) / Bruening, Meg (Thesis advisor) / Adams, Marc (Committee member) / Grgich, Traci (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
Urban-induced heating is a challenge to the livability and health of city dwellers. It is a complex issue that many cities are facing, and a more urgent hazard in hot urban deserts (HUDs) than elsewhere due to already high temperatures and aridity. The challenge compounds in the absence of more localized heat mitigation understanding. In addition, over-reliance on evidence from temperate regions is disconnected from the actualities of extreme bioclimatic dynamics found in HUDs. This dissertation is an integration of a series of studies that inform urban climate relationships specific to HUDs. This three-paper dissertation demonstrates heat mitigation aspirational goals from actualities, depicts local urban thermal drivers in Kuwait, and then tests morphological sensitivity of selected thermal modulation strategies in one neighborhood in Kuwait City.
The first paper is based on a systematic literature review where evidence from morphological mitigation strategies in HUDs were critically reviewed, synthesized and integrated. Metrics, measurements, and methods were extracted to examine the applicability of the different strategies, and a content synthesis identified the levels of strategy success. Collective challenges and uncertainties were interpreted to compare aspirational goals from actualities of morphological mitigation strategies.
The second paper unpacks the relationship of urban morphological attributes in influencing thermal conditions to assess latent magnitudes of heat amelioration strategies. Mindful of the challenges presented in the first study, a 92-day summer field-measurement campaign captured system dynamics of urban thermal stimuli within sub-diurnal phenomena. A composite data set of sub-hourly air temperature measurements with sub-meter morphological attributes was built, statistically analyzed, and modeled. Morphological mediation effects were found to vary hourly with different patterns under varying weather conditions in non-linear associations. Results suggest mitigation interventions be investigated and later tested on a site- use and time-use basis.
The third paper concludes with a simulation-based study to conform on the collective findings of the earlier studies. The microclimate model ENVI-met 4.4, combined with field measurements, was used to simulate the effect of rooftop shade-sails in cooling the near ground thermal environment. Results showed significant cooling effects and thus presented a novel shading approach that challenges orthodox mitigation strategies in HUDs.
The first paper is based on a systematic literature review where evidence from morphological mitigation strategies in HUDs were critically reviewed, synthesized and integrated. Metrics, measurements, and methods were extracted to examine the applicability of the different strategies, and a content synthesis identified the levels of strategy success. Collective challenges and uncertainties were interpreted to compare aspirational goals from actualities of morphological mitigation strategies.
The second paper unpacks the relationship of urban morphological attributes in influencing thermal conditions to assess latent magnitudes of heat amelioration strategies. Mindful of the challenges presented in the first study, a 92-day summer field-measurement campaign captured system dynamics of urban thermal stimuli within sub-diurnal phenomena. A composite data set of sub-hourly air temperature measurements with sub-meter morphological attributes was built, statistically analyzed, and modeled. Morphological mediation effects were found to vary hourly with different patterns under varying weather conditions in non-linear associations. Results suggest mitigation interventions be investigated and later tested on a site- use and time-use basis.
The third paper concludes with a simulation-based study to conform on the collective findings of the earlier studies. The microclimate model ENVI-met 4.4, combined with field measurements, was used to simulate the effect of rooftop shade-sails in cooling the near ground thermal environment. Results showed significant cooling effects and thus presented a novel shading approach that challenges orthodox mitigation strategies in HUDs.
ContributorsAlKhaled, Saud R A H (Author) / Coseo, Paul (Thesis advisor) / Brazel, Anthony (Thesis advisor) / Middel, Ariane (Committee member) / Cheng, Chingwen (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019