Matching Items (7)
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- All Subjects: Childhood Obesity
- Creators: School of Nutrition and Health Promotion
- Member of: Theses and Dissertations
Description
The purpose of this research was to analyze the EPODE Model for the development community-based interventions against childhood obesity and its transferability on a global scale. The Ensemble, Prevenons L'Obesite des Enfant (EPODE: Together Let's Prevent Childhood Obesity) Model was developed in France following the successful results of a community-based intervention there. The Model is illustrated by four pillars that are essential to program implementation and positive results. These pillars are: political support, research & evaluation, social marketing principles and public/private partnerships. Using these four pillars, the model has been transferred to diverse countries around the globe and has shown results in these diverse locations. In order to understand what makes this model so transferrable to so many diverse locations, this researcher traveled to the Netherlands, Belgium and France visiting program locations and interviewing professionals who have been involved in the development of the model, its modification and implementation. These interviews addressed specific modifications to the model that were made for implementation in the Netherlands and Belgium. This paper outlines the key transferrable components of this model and outlines a proposed model to be used in the United States.
ContributorsNielsen, Abigail Fanchon (Author) / Ohri-Vachaspati, Punam (Thesis director) / Barroso, Cristina (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
The purpose of this paper is to examine the current health status of children and adults in the United States as it relates to the current obesity epidemic. There will also be an examination of how nutrition education is commonly presented to children currently and how it was presented in a community-based health intervention, Athletes for Life, during a six-week pilot program of the intervention. Using the data compiled on the current health status of the population of the United States, the methods of intervention examined and the seemingly most effective means to relay nutrition information to school-age children, a coordinated nutrition curriculum will be proposed and implemented into the efficacy portion of Athletes for Life, a ten-week intervention.
ContributorsMcGhee, Andrian Q. (Author) / Crespo, Noe (Thesis director) / Vega Lopez, Sonia (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
Turmeric is the bright yellow root that has been used as a spice, healing remedy, and textile dye. Previous studies have suggested that the most active ingredient in turmeric, curcumin, could reduce serum cholesterol concentration. However, most of these studies were conducted on animals and not many have been done on controlled human trials. This randomized, double-blinded, controlled crossover study evaluates the effects of turmeric on blood cholesterol concentrations including total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HLD cholesterol, and triglycerides. In this study, eight healthy participants between the ages of 18 and 45 were randomized to receive either 500mg capsules of turmeric or placebo for a period of three weeks. Following a wash-out period of five weeks, all participants were crossed over to the alternative treatment for another three weeks. After comparing the 3 week treatment and placebo phases, turmeric showed no significant effect on serum lipid concentrations. Furthermore, a slight increase in total cholesterol concentrations was observed following the turmeric phase when compared to the placebo phase.
ContributorsDo, Ngoc Bich Thi (Author) / Johnston, Carol (Thesis director) / Whisner, Corrie (Committee member) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Turmeric, scientifically known as Curcuma longa, is a tropical plant that is most often consumed in India.1 The rhizome of the plant is dried and then ground into a fine, vibrant yellow powder. In addition to its function as a spice, turmeric is also used in traditional Ayervedic medicine due to its unique medical properties. These unique properties are attributed to the three major constituents of turmeric: curcumin, α-isocurcumin, and β-isocurcumin.2 Curcumin (Diferuloylmethane; C21H20O6), makes up 5% of turmeric by weight, and is the most prominent active ingredient within the turmeric root. Perhaps the most intriguing characteristic about curcumin is its ability to modulate targets such as, but not limited to, transcription factors, enzymes, apoptosis genes, and growth factors.1 Modern medical research has determined curcumin to be a viable treatment and prevention method for disease such as type II diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, liver cirrhosis, and certain cancers. However, research on turmeric’s effects on gastrointestinal health is significantly lacking. This randomized, double-blind, cross-over trial looked to see if supplemental turmeric (500 mg as dried root powder) would significantly raise breath hydrogen emission (BHE) and reduce small bowel transit time (SBTT) in 8 female adults who were suffering from chronic constipation. Although supplemental turmeric did not significantly impact BHE or SBTT, the number of bowel movements greatly increased during turmeric intervention.
ContributorsUgarte, Noel (Author) / Johnston, Carol (Thesis director) / Whisner, Corrie (Committee member) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
Childhood obesity is a worsening epidemic in the U.S. with substantial racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities. Community-based approaches are necessary to target populations that are disproportionately affected by childhood obesity. The current randomized controlled trial assessed the effects of Athletes for Life (AFL), a 12-week community-based nutrition education and physical activity program that aims to improve cardiovascular fitness and promote healthy eating among families in the South Phoenix region, relative to a control condition. One of the goals of the intervention was to increase participating children's intake of fruits/vegetables and reduce their sugar intake, measured by a parent-reported food-frequency questionnaire. Data were collected on 110 child participants aged 6-11 years old. Relative to baseline values, participants in the intervention reportedly increased their fruit intake frequency by 0.12 + 2.0 times per day, whereas the control group decreased their intake by 0.32 + 1.28 times per day (p=0.026). Participants in the intervention group also increased their vegetable intake by 0.21 + 0.65 times per day, whereas control participants decreased their intake by 0.05 + 0.72 times per day (p=0.019). Participants in the intervention group decreased their intake of sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake by 0.22 + 0.62 times per day, whereas control participants decreased their intake of SSBs by 0.04 + 0.40 times per day, however, the change observed in SSB intake was not significant between groups. Lastly, frequency of sugar-laden food intake decreased by 0.86 + 1.10 times per day among the intervention group, whereas control participants increased their intake by 0.02 + 1.10 times per day (p=0.033). The AFL study may serve as a framework for future community-based interventions to promote health in underserved areas.
ContributorsCirjan, Ioana Alina (Author) / Vega-Lopez, Sonia (Thesis director) / Crespo, Noe (Committee member) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Hispanic children have the highest prevalence of obesity versus other ethnic groups. This leaves this population susceptible to many adverse health risks, including hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and high blood pressure. Unfortunately, little research has been done investigating the contributing cause to this issue, specifically common sedentary behaviors in children that limit physical activity and it’s purpose in expending energy. Amongst these behaviors, amount of time spent on electronic devices has proven to have increased drastically in recent years. The relationship between screen time and electronic device use, specifically with television, video games, and computer usage, and physical activity levels, and how those affect cardiometabolic disease risk factors, were explored in this study. Participants of this study were elementary school-aged children from Maricopa County, AZ. Electronic device usage, physical activity amounts, and presence of the specific devices in the child’s were collected from the participants’ parents through self-reported survey questions. Anthropometric and biochemical markers of cardiometabolic disease risk were directly measured. The average time spent engaged in physical activity per day by these participants was 20.02 ± 21.1 minutes and the average total screen time per day was 655 ± 605 minutes. Findings showed strong significance between total screen time and computer and video game use (r=0.482; p=0.01 and r=0.784; p=0.01, respectively). Video game time in the group of children with a video game in their room (350.66 ± 445.96 min/day) was significantly higher than the sample of kids without one in their room (107.19 ± 210.0 min/day ; p=0.000). Total screen time was also significantly greater with children who had a video game system in their room (927.56 ± 928.7 min/day) versus children who did not (543.14 ± 355.11 min/day; p=0.006). Additionally, significance was found showing children with a computer in the bedroom spent more time using the computer per day (450.95 ± 377.95 min/day), compared to those children who did not have a computer in their room (333.5 ± 395.6 min/day; p=0.048). No significant association was found between metabolic markers and screen time. However, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, and insulin proved to be dependent on BMI percentile (r=-0.582; p=0.01, r=0.476; p=0.01, r=0.704; p=0.01 respectively). Our data suggest further research needs to be done investigating other potential sources that limit physical activity so that strategies can focus on reducing obesity incidence and the associated health risks. Future studies should use larger sample sizes to be more representative of this population, and develop more direct observations instead of self-reported values to limit bias.
ContributorsGaines, Michael Anthony (Author) / Vega-Lopez, Sonia (Thesis director) / Crespo, Noe (Committee member) / School for the Science of Health Care Delivery (Contributor) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
The purpose of this secondary data-analysis was to identify potential risk factors in the home at 12 months that can lead to the development of childhood overweight or obesity. Childhood obesity is a multifaceted epidemic, and is highly prevalent in low-income populations. This analysis focuses on the weight outcomes of babies at 12 months of age who are from low-income, Mexican American families. The weight and BMI of the mother, basic feeding practices, and acculturation were some of the factors that were found to have correlations with the weight of a child at 12 months. The HOME Scale was used in this data analysis, however, no significant correlations can be found at this time. Further research with children who are older than 1-year-old should be performed to determine if the HOME Inventory factors play a role in the weight outcome of a child.
ContributorsCiulla, Gabriella Rae (Author) / Reifsnider, Elizabeth (Thesis director) / Danielson, Kim (Committee member) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12