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The objective of this study was to evaluate sustainability knowledge and practices in place at university-associated food pantries across the United States. A survey was sent to university- associated food pantries and responses were collected at a rate of 25% (n=84 of 326) to assess the knowledge and practices of

The objective of this study was to evaluate sustainability knowledge and practices in place at university-associated food pantries across the United States. A survey was sent to university- associated food pantries and responses were collected at a rate of 25% (n=84 of 326) to assess the knowledge and practices of this topic. The pantries surveyed were chosen solely based on ability to contact through email (emails were retrieved from online sources) and about 50% of the 680 university-associated pantries in the United States were sent the survey. The data was analyzed by quantifying the qualitative responses to the 9 sustainability- rated questions addressing zero- waste practice, barriers to offering sustainably sourced foods, types of sustainable donations, desire for sustainable products, and client demand for sustainable products and practices were posed to pantries. Results from this study provided insight into awareness of sustainability in these pantries and also assessed what sustainability practices are already being practiced by these pantries. Among those surveyed, a low percentage of university-associated pantries actually provide sustainably sourced foods (9.5%), but given the choice about a third (38.1%) would choose to offer these foods. It was reported that availability and cost were perceived as main barriers to providing sustainably sourced foods and that a small proportion of pantries teach their clients about zero waste practices, compost, and recycling. There is little client concern about this issue. Most pantries reported recycling more often than composting and also reported participating in some zero-waste practices. These results are unique to this study as not much research has been done in this area to assess environmental sustainability awareness in university-associated food pantries. Further research is required to further evaluate pantries across the nation as this sample size is approximately 12% of all university- associated pantries in the United States.
ContributorsCrowe, Alexandra B (Author) / Bruening, Meredith (Thesis director) / Payne-Sturges, Devon (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
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Description
Arizona Global Health Project is a student organization at Arizona State University whose main purpose is to volunteer in the community, both locally and globally. Through the New Birth Medical Mission Clinic, students from the University are able to volunteer at Medical Clinics in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, working hands on

Arizona Global Health Project is a student organization at Arizona State University whose main purpose is to volunteer in the community, both locally and globally. Through the New Birth Medical Mission Clinic, students from the University are able to volunteer at Medical Clinics in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, working hands on alongside various providers. It is through these clinics that leaders of the student organization began to wonder about the true needs of the community and how the care provided at the clinics could be tailored to better suit the needs of the patients. A needs assessment survey was designed with components that took into account general nutrition status, as well as demographical questions that was then administered during the Fall 2018 Medical Trip. Data was analyzed and it was found that female health providers as well as general practitioners would be crucial components of the care team, as well as a Dietitian that could address the massive amount of lifestyle related illnesses within the population. The study also showed general satisfaction with the care provided during the medical trips, but during administration of the survey, patients showed great interest in further nutrition education, all of which should be taken into account during planning for future medical trips. Further research will need to be conducted to look at how other environmental factors influence the health of the patients, as well as their nutritional status. With the data found during this study, as well as the continuation of research, Arizona Global Health Project will hopefully be able to provide succinct and tailored care to these patients that lasts between the medical mission trips.
ContributorsTaylor, Brogan (Author) / Gaughan, Monica (Thesis director) / Vega-Lopez, Sonia (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
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Description
Prior studies of Mourning Doves have observed no changed in glucose in response to either a high fat “chow” diet or a white bread diet. In the current feeding study, we fed doves an urban diet, high in carbohydrates, fat, and sodium, which is representative of typical American nutrition accessible

Prior studies of Mourning Doves have observed no changed in glucose in response to either a high fat “chow” diet or a white bread diet. In the current feeding study, we fed doves an urban diet, high in carbohydrates, fat, and sodium, which is representative of typical American nutrition accessible to the avian population in an urbanized environment. Based on studies of other avian species that examined the effects of an urban diet on physiology, I hypothesized that doves fed an urban diet would have increased plasma glucose and sodium, which would promote an increase in plasma osmolality. This hypothesis was based on preliminary data that found birds fed an urban diet developed impaired vasodilation compared to seed diet control birds. Therefore, differences in plasma glucose, sodium, and osmolality were examined as increases may contribute to the impairment. Adult doves of both sexes were captured on the Arizona State University, Tempe campus. Doves were placed in two dietary groups: an urban diet consisting of a 50/50 ratio of French fries and nutritionally-balanced bird seed (n=7) and a control group of only the seed diet (n=6). Following the four-week diets, birds were euthanized, and cardiac plasma samples were collected from birds to measure glucose, sodium, and osmolality. There were no significant differences between the two study groups in plasma glucose concentration (p=0.445), sodium concentration (p=0.731), or osmolality (p=0.692). Sodium concentrations were signficantly more variable in birds consuming a seed diet than those that were provided the mixed French fry and seed diet (p=0.014). These results suggest that glucose, sodium, and osmolality likely do not contribute to the altered vasodilation of doves fed an urban diet and that such a diet may not be as detrimental to the doves health given their phenotypic flexibility.
ContributorsKayata, Lana (Author) / Sweazea, Karen (Thesis director) / Deviche, Pierre (Committee member) / Basile, Anthony (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
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Description
Those that must follow a Celiac diet should know that there are challenges that come with it. Wheat contains a ton of essential vitamins and minerals such as folate, magnesium, thiamin and niacin among many others. By cutting these out, it is possible to become deficient in these essential nutrients

Those that must follow a Celiac diet should know that there are challenges that come with it. Wheat contains a ton of essential vitamins and minerals such as folate, magnesium, thiamin and niacin among many others. By cutting these out, it is possible to become deficient in these essential nutrients that play roles all throughout the body. One of our goals in making this cookbook was to include recipes that would be packed with these dietary components. We wanted to not only make this cookbook tangible for newly-diagnosed Celiac people, but also ensure that they have the balanced diet they need to avoid deficiencies. While admittedly not every meal is going to be loaded with those good vitamins and minerals, we believe the phrase “everything in moderation” is a good way to approach this new diet.
ContributorsMoir, Carmen Juel (Co-author) / Horner, Hannah (Co-author) / Johnston, Carol (Thesis director) / Grgich, Traci (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
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Description
Genistein, a compound found in soy that functions as a phytoestrogen, has been found to play a role in the body’s inflammatory response. By suppressing the expression of inflammatory genes and inhibiting tumor cell growth, genistein is thought to have both anti-inflammatory and cancer fighting properties. This study seeks to

Genistein, a compound found in soy that functions as a phytoestrogen, has been found to play a role in the body’s inflammatory response. By suppressing the expression of inflammatory genes and inhibiting tumor cell growth, genistein is thought to have both anti-inflammatory and cancer fighting properties. This study seeks to demonstrate genistein’s potential to mitigate the negative consequences of consuming a high fat diet specifically as it relates to increased inflammation and changes in the gut microbiome. Using an animal model, the study tested whether supplementing the mice’s diet with soy derived genistein would affect their serum IL-6 levels and the way in which their gut microbiomes responded to their high fat consumption. It was presumed that genistein supplementation would result in a less significant shift from the biomarkers tested in the control group and reduce the impact of the high fat diet. It was also hypothesized that consumption of the high fat diet would raise IL-6 levels and increase the presence of harmful bacteria in the test subjects.
ContributorsPettit, Gabrielle Sofia (Author) / Whisner, Dr. Corrie (Thesis director) / Al-Nakkash, Dr. Layla (Committee member) / Ortega Santos, Carmen (Committee member) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The majority of athletes think there is one ‘right’ way to eat. However, eating and fueling yourbody are highly individualized, especially for female athletes. We evaluated the eating habits of female student-athletes at Arizona State University (ASU) by looking at how they chose to fuel their bodies for training and

The majority of athletes think there is one ‘right’ way to eat. However, eating and fueling yourbody are highly individualized, especially for female athletes. We evaluated the eating habits of female student-athletes at Arizona State University (ASU) by looking at how they chose to fuel their bodies for training and competition. Through interviews with six female student-athletes, two Registered Dieticians, and one Sports Performance Director all from ASU, we were able to find that, while there were some common eating trends, sports nutrition is individualized. We also learned that student-athletes have room for improvement when it comes to nutrition education.

Link to documentary on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1JfwZc31Bk
ContributorsLundberg, Ellyson (Co-author) / Woodard, Kara (Co-author) / Miller, Michelle (Thesis director) / Romero, Jose (Thesis director) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Comm (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
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Description
In the United States, cardiovascular disease remains the number one cause of death. The most prevalent risk factor for cardiovascular disease is poor nutrition and thus, proper nutrition is often used as a preventative measure. With the expensive and often ineffective medications and procedures currently being used to treat cardiovascular

In the United States, cardiovascular disease remains the number one cause of death. The most prevalent risk factor for cardiovascular disease is poor nutrition and thus, proper nutrition is often used as a preventative measure. With the expensive and often ineffective medications and procedures currently being used to treat cardiovascular disease, we need to find a better solution. One promising solution is nutrition therapy, which is the implementation of proper nutrition guidelines into the treatment plan of patients with cardiovascular disease. After close research and analysis of four popular diets, a vegan (plant-based) diet, vegetarian diet, and Mediterranean diet could offer improvement of cardiovascular disease risk factors and chances of cardiovascular disease mortality. Different ways to start implementing nutrition therapy in medicine include emphasizing nutrition education in medical school and/or including registered dietitians in the treatment process for cardiovascular disease patients.
ContributorsMorris, Madison Marie (Author) / Don, Rachael (Thesis director) / Morse, Lisa (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
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Description
With the development of technology, using photographs to measure plate waste is an increasing
trend. These photographs are later analyzed when the data is being entered into a form or
system. Previously, these forms or systems have not been assessed for usability. This research
study looks at three iterations of a digital plate

With the development of technology, using photographs to measure plate waste is an increasing
trend. These photographs are later analyzed when the data is being entered into a form or
system. Previously, these forms or systems have not been assessed for usability. This research
study looks at three iterations of a digital plate waste observation system developed for the
School Lunch Study at Arizona State University. The System Usability Scale was used to
understand the functionality of the digital plate waste observation system. An area for free
responses was used to understand aspects of the system that were liked by research assistants
and what technical difficulties the research assistants encountered. These responses were used to
develop the next version of the digital plate waste observation system. Time to complete a task
was calculated to see the trends across all versions of the system. With each version, the System
Usability Scale scores increased along with the time to complete a task. This study found that
following the workflow of research assistants, being able to manipulate a photograph, having
menu items populated, and decreasing the amount of typing performed by adding selections to be
useful design aspects. Future digital plate waste observation systems can implement the
successful design aspects of this system, be aware of errors experienced, and implement helpful
features not found in this system. Future studies can look at the effect proctored training sessions
have on the time to complete a task and the relation of System Usability Scale scores with the
success of data entry.
ContributorsStott, Dahlia (Author) / Adams, Marc (Thesis director) / Barto, Henry (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-12
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Description
As a college student, living in an apartment or home with a kitchen, making your own food decisions can be daunting. After spending so much time either living at home and having food cooked for you or living in a dorm where food is provided, it is difficult to suddenly

As a college student, living in an apartment or home with a kitchen, making your own food decisions can be daunting. After spending so much time either living at home and having food cooked for you or living in a dorm where food is provided, it is difficult to suddenly have to put so much thought into something that for so long you didn’t have to think about at all. Not only that, it sometimes feels like the media is screaming from all sides that you need to eat a certain way to be ‘healthy’ or ‘fit’. I hope to be able to make this process a bit easier for you through this guide I have put together from my own experience and education.
‘Healthy’ foods always seem like the best choice, but what does it really mean to be healthy? A ‘healthy diet’ can mean any number of things depending on who you ask and where you look. Media provides an endless sea of tips, tricks, and diets for ‘eating healthy’. Oxford defines health as a state of physical, mental, and social well-being with the absence of disease and infirmity; and healthy as indicative of, conducive to, or promoting good health1. It is easy to get caught up in the excitement of fad diets, but maintaining a healthy eating pattern can be quite simple when put into practice.
ContributorsCarlson, BreeAnna Marion (Author) / Kniskern, Megan (Thesis director) / Vega-Lopez, Sonia (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Eating disorders are complex psychiatric illnesses often resulting in severe disturbances in eating behaviors and body-image related thoughts. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, nearly 30 million Americans have an eating disorder at a given time (2017). There are various types of eating disorders, the most common being anorexia

Eating disorders are complex psychiatric illnesses often resulting in severe disturbances in eating behaviors and body-image related thoughts. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, nearly 30 million Americans have an eating disorder at a given time (2017). There are various types of eating disorders, the most common being anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge-eating disorder (BED). Moreover, eating disorders are diagnosed by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
This review paper analyzes the current research on eating disorders. Some potential causes of eating disorders include the media, familial influence, and peers (Hogan & Strasburger, 2008). Also, college students are a high-risk population for eating disorders, with athletes and nutrition-related students being more high-risk than others (Arnett, 2004). The potential warning signs of an eating disorder may include (but are not limited to) weight fluctuations, excessive exercise, avoidance of food/functions with food, skipping meals, and evidence of disordered eating behaviors (such as purging) (2017). Moreover, acute medical complications may include amenorrhea (in females), dizziness, dry skin, brittle nails, unhealthy gums and teeth, lanugo, hair loss, muscle weakness, stomach cramps, poor wound healing (2017). Chronic complications of eating disorder behaviors may include osteoporosis, infertility, poor oral health, and cardiovascular abnormalities (2017). Furthermore, this paper also outlines how I have spread awareness of the topic at Arizona State University.
ContributorsDaryanani, Anita Sonu (Author) / Kniskern, Megan (Thesis director) / Vargas, Jenna (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05