Matching Items (187)
Description
There are two goals for this honors student project: (1) to determine (using an online survey) what college students do and do not know about cooking and preparing foods and (2) to video record short demonstrations of several cooking skills that college students lack the most based on survey responses. Ultimately, this project hopes to help students develop skills they can use in the kitchen to encourage more cooking at home and less eating out, dietary changes that should lead to more healthful meals and a healthier population. Links to cooking videos: https://youtu.be/ufsVYnfoCQM https://youtu.be/aZCIH33ebZ0
ContributorsKarr, Alexandra Rose (Author) / Johnston, Carol (Thesis director) / Jacobs, Mark (Committee member) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Many individuals are not following healthy lifestyles as evidenced by the high obesity rates and poor physical activity levels. Many do not know how to eat healthy and exercise effectively, especially given busy schedules and no time to cook or go to the gym. However, people do spend a significant amount of time on their mobile device using social media. This outlet can potentially be used to inspire and teach individuals how to cook healthy simple meals, or find motivation to get off the couch for some exercise. In this study, strategies were identified that would increase the comments, likes, and followers of the investigator's Instagrams, which were designed to motivate followers to live a healthier lifestyle. Initially, 462 posts were assessed retrospectively to determine how the number of likes and comments were influenced by hashtags, category of posts (nutrition, fitness, or inspiration), and/or type of app, PicPlayPost, Instaframe, and the updated Instagram. These results were used in a 1-month prospective study to increase likes and followers to the investigator's Instagrams. In the retrospective study, it was determined that hashtags influenced the number of comments and likes across the categories and that the PicPlayPost app increased the likes in all categories. Hence, for the prospective study, the investigator wrote 1 nutrition and 1 fitness post daily for 28 days using a minimum of 15 hashtags per post. In addition, 3 nutrition posts and 3 fitness posts per week used the PicPlayPost app. This posting strategy increased the number of likes per post by 100%, and the number of followers increased from 369 to 1082 in one month. Interestingly, the nutrition posts received 27% more likes than the fitness posts, and the PicPlayPost app increased comments by 134%. In conclusion, the use of hashtags, PicPlayPost, and Instaframe apps increased the likes and comments on social media. These strategies may increase audience's attention on a certain topic and be used to improve individuals' lifestyles.
ContributorsTomasso, Bernice Grace (Author) / Johnston, Carol (Thesis director) / Dixon, Kathy (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
Height is an essential measure for the evaluation of an adult's health, and especially important for the measure of children's health.4 Lasers have been popularly used in many areas such as construction, engineering, government for defense purposes, and for equestrians. Lasers are depended on for their accuracy, reliability, and ease of use.8, 9 It can be reasoned then that lasers should be a reliable way of measuring height, proving to be accurate and easy to use. Currently, stadiometers are the standard way of measuring height. For the study a laser tool was created to measure the volunteers' heights. Volunteers were recruited from a total of four various public sites in different cities. Participants were categorized into three groups, children (ages 2-12), adolescents (13-18), and adults (19+). A total of 128 participants were measured. Results showed a strong positive correlation between measurements of the stadiometer and the laser (figure 3). While there were limitations to this study, results show that a laser may be a validated tool to measure height accurately
ContributorsGarcia-Turner, Vanessa Marie (Author) / Mayol-Kreiser, Sandra (Thesis director) / Johnston, Carol (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
Background. Research suggests that fish oil can be used as an intervention to increase clotting times and reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Objective. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of fish oil supplementation on blood coagulation parameters in adults with blood type A (BTA) compared to blood type O (BTO) over an eight-week intervention.
Design. The study was a randomized, double-blind dietary intervention using healthy adults with blood types A or O. A total of 18 participants completed the study. Subjects were randomized into two groups: an experimental group (fish oil) made up of 7 BTO and 4 BTA adults, and a control group (coconut oil) made up of 4 BTO and 3 BTA adults. Non-fasting blood was drawn and analyzed for prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (PTT), and international normalized ratio (INR) at weeks 0 and 8. A food frequency questionnaire was completed at week 0, and anthropometric data collected at weeks 0 and 8.
Results. Baseline PTT results differed significantly between blood types, 28.1±1.4 seconds and 29.7±1.3 seconds for BTA and BTO respectively (p<0.05). Physical activity differed significantly between the experimental and control group at baseline, 53.9±26.8 METS and 86.0±41.9 METS, respectively (p<0.05). In the Fish oil group, prothrombin time increased for BTA vs. BTO, 0.18±0.29 seconds vs -0.11±0.31 seconds respectively (p<0.10indicating a statistical trend). There were no other differences between groups for the other outcome variables.
Conclusion. Fish oil supplementation prolonged clotting time in BTA adults and may be a useful strategy in this population for reducing cardiovascular disease risk. More research is needed to verify and expand these results.
Objective. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of fish oil supplementation on blood coagulation parameters in adults with blood type A (BTA) compared to blood type O (BTO) over an eight-week intervention.
Design. The study was a randomized, double-blind dietary intervention using healthy adults with blood types A or O. A total of 18 participants completed the study. Subjects were randomized into two groups: an experimental group (fish oil) made up of 7 BTO and 4 BTA adults, and a control group (coconut oil) made up of 4 BTO and 3 BTA adults. Non-fasting blood was drawn and analyzed for prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (PTT), and international normalized ratio (INR) at weeks 0 and 8. A food frequency questionnaire was completed at week 0, and anthropometric data collected at weeks 0 and 8.
Results. Baseline PTT results differed significantly between blood types, 28.1±1.4 seconds and 29.7±1.3 seconds for BTA and BTO respectively (p<0.05). Physical activity differed significantly between the experimental and control group at baseline, 53.9±26.8 METS and 86.0±41.9 METS, respectively (p<0.05). In the Fish oil group, prothrombin time increased for BTA vs. BTO, 0.18±0.29 seconds vs -0.11±0.31 seconds respectively (p<0.10indicating a statistical trend). There were no other differences between groups for the other outcome variables.
Conclusion. Fish oil supplementation prolonged clotting time in BTA adults and may be a useful strategy in this population for reducing cardiovascular disease risk. More research is needed to verify and expand these results.
ContributorsRyder, Ashley Brooke (Author) / Johnston, Carol (Thesis director) / Lespron, Christy (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
Early humans adapted to eating cooked food with increased energy density and absorption of macronutrients. However, in modern times many suffer from diseases like obesity and type 2 diabetes which can result from too much energy being absorbed from food. This study measures glucose responses to a high glycemic meal with a side dish of raw or cooked vegetables. There was a slight trend for raw vegetables to have decreased postprandial blood glucose responses when compared to cooked vegetables.
ContributorsWilkins, Christine Marie (Author) / Johnston, Carol (Thesis director) / Jacobs, Mark (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
Background: The American Heart Association has created an Official 2012 Hands-Only CPR Instructional Video that is approximately one minute in length and has been viewed over 600,000 times on YouTube. Objective: To evaluate the video's effectiveness in teaching adolescents aged 12-17 hands-only CPR. Methodology: The study took place in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Study participants were recruited from high schools, junior high schools and the Tempe Boys & Girls Club. The 100 study participants took a short, four question survey and watched video on either a laptop computer or video projector. Participants were then subjected to a cardiac arrest mock scenario in which they were tested on calling 911, compression rate, compression depth, and hand placement using a Lifeform CPArlene Recording Manikin. In analysis of the data, subjects were separated into four groups: 12-14 year olds (middle school aged) who had previous CPR training (MSG-T), 12-14 year olds with no previous training (MSG-U), 15-17 year olds (high school aged) who had previous training (HSG-T) and 15-17 year olds with no previous training (HSG-U). Results: Every study participant performed hands-only CPR during the mock scenario. Between the two middle school-aged groups, the MSG-U was more likely to call 911 during the mock scenario (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in compression rate and depth between the MSG-U and MSG-T. Between the two high school-aged groups, the HSG-T was more likely to call 911 during the mock scenario (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in compression rate between the HSG-T and HSG-U groups. The HSG-T compressed the chest significantly deeper than the HSG-U group (P<0.05). The HSG-T was the only group to statistically be on par with the AHA recommended 100 compressions/minute (P<0.05). All other groups were significantly below the 100 compressions/minute standard. No groups were statistically on par with the AHA recommended compression depth of two inches. Conclusion: The Official 2012 Hands-Only Instructional Video should not be used as a definitive training tool to teach school-aged adolescents hands-only CPR. This video, as well as other similar training videos, would be useful as introductory tools for children 12-14 years of age or as a refresher for older children who have received previous training.
ContributorsChoppi, Joseph Anthony (Author) / Johnston, Carol (Thesis director) / Hall, Rick (Committee member) / Gross, Toni (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
Neophobia is a sensory phenomenon common in children that makes novel foods taste unpleasant. Our study tested exposure and pairing effects on neophobia in children by exposing them to novel vegetables paired with varying textures. Results showed a significant increase in liking for all subject groups after six exposures, which is less exposure than required in other studies. Except in one case, texture was not related to a change in liking that differed significantly from other groups.
ContributorsMiller, Eric James (Author) / Phillips, Elizabeth Capaldi (Thesis director) / Johnston, Carol (Committee member) / Bruening, Meg (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
Thirty six percent of Americans are obese and thirty three percent are overweight; obesity has become a known killer in the U.S. yet its prevalence has maintained a firm grasp on the U.S. population and continues to spread across the globe as other countries slowly adopt the American lifestyle. A survey was compiled collecting demographic and body mass index (BMI) information, as well as Tanofsky-Kraff’s (2009) “Assess Eating in the Absence of Hunger” survey questions. The survey used for this study was emailed out to Arizona State University students in Barrett, The Honors College, and the ASU School of Nutrition and Health Promotion listservs. A total of 457 participants completed the survey, 72 males and 385 females (mean age, 24.5±7.7 y; average body mass index (BMI), 23.4 ± 4.8 [a BMI of 25-29.9 is classified as overweight]). When comparing BMI with the living situation, 71% of obese students were living at home with family versus off campus with friends or alone. For comparison, 45% of normal weight students lived at home with family. These data could help structure prevention plans targeting college students by focusing on weight gain prevention at the family level. Results from the Tanofsky-Kraff (2009) survey revealed there was not a significant relationship between external or physical cues and BMI in men or women, but there was a significant positive correlation between emotional cues and BMI in women only. Anger and sadness were the emotional cues in women related to initiating consumption past satiation and consumption following several hours of fasting. Although BMI was inversely related to physical activity in this sample (r = -0.132; p=0.005), controlling for physical activity did not impact the significant associations of BMI with anger or sadness (P>0.05). This information is important in targeting prevention programs to address behavioral change and cognitive awareness of the effects of emotion on over-consumption.
ContributorsGarza, Andrea Marie (Author) / Johnston, Carol (Thesis director) / Jacobs, Mark (Committee member) / Coletta, Dawn (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
With obesity and metabolic diseases reaching epidemic levels, it is important to find ways to increase physical activity and improve diet. Previous studies have shown that improvements in mood can increase desire to perform physical activity, and that vitamin C intake is linked to improvements in mood. Based on this, two hypotheses were formed and tested to investigate the effect on physical activity levels and mood states from vitamin C supplementation at a dose of one gram per day in the form of a novel functional food. Thirty-one college students or faculty at Arizona State University were screened from a pool of applicants and placed into either a vitamin C or placebo group; all participants received the novel functional food to eat daily for four weeks. Serum levels of vitamin C, weight, height, BMI, body fat percentage, mood, and physical activity were measured before and after the functional food intervention. Vitamin C changed significantly through the course of the study in the experimental group. Baseline data for participants showed a positive correlation between vitamin C status and vigor, and a negative correlation between vitamin C status and weight and BMI. Physical activity was not related to vitamin C status, according to baseline data, and it did not significantly change over the course of the study. The results indicate that variance in BMI can be attributed to vitamin C status, but the study should be refined and tested again.
ContributorsHelland, Stephanie Lynn (Author) / Johnston, Carol (Thesis director) / Sweazea, Karen (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Graduate College (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
High fat diets (HFD) are known to cause hepatic non-alcoholic steatosis in rats in as few as four weeks. Accumulation of triglycerides in liver and skeletal muscle is associated with insulin resistance and obesity. However, studies of fat accumulation in cardiac muscle are not as prevalent. Therefore, the first hypothesis of this study was that HFD would lead to hepatic steatosis as well as lipid accumulation in pectoralis and cardiac muscles, tissues responsible for the majority of postprandial glucose disposal. Prior studies also indicated that HFD leads to increased inflammation and oxidative stress within the vasculature resulting in impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation, however biomarkers of immune system reactivity were not assessed. Therefore, the second aim of this study was to explore additional pathways of immune system reactivity and stress (natural antibodies; heat shock protein 60 (HSP60)) in rats fed either a control (chow) or high fat (HFD) diet. HSP60 has also recently been recognized as an early marker of vascular dysfunction in humans. The hypothesis was that immune system reactivity and early vascular dysfunction would be heightened in rats fed a HFD compared to chow-fed controls. Young male Sprague-Dawley rats (140-160g) were maintained on a chow diet (5% fat, 57.33% carbohydrate, 3.4kcal/g) or HFD (60% fat, 20% carbohydrate, 5.24 kcal/g) for 6 weeks. HFD rats developed hepatic steatosis with significantly elevated liver triglyceride concentrations compared to chow-fed controls (20.73±2.09 vs.9.75±0.52 mg triglycerides/g tissue, respectively; p=0.001). While lipid accumulation appeared to be evident in the pectoralis muscle from HFD rats, triglyceride concentrations were not significantly different from controls. Likewise, there was no evidence of lipid infiltration in cardiac muscles of HFD rats. Lipid accumulation in the liver of overweight HFD rats may contribute to the observed insulin resistance in these animals. Contrary to the second hypothesis, there were no significant differences in plasma HSP60 expression between HFD and chow rats (p>0.05). Likewise, hemagglutination and hemolysis responses were similar between HFD and chow-fed rats (p>0.05). These findings suggest that immune system responses may not be affected by 6 weeks of high fat intake and that HSP60 is not an early marker of vascular dysfunction in this rodent model.
ContributorsLiss, Tyler Jessee (Author) / Sweazea, Karen (Thesis director) / Shaibi, Gabriel (Committee member) / Johnston, Carol (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor)
Created2013-05