Matching Items (12)
Description
ABSTRACT Epidemiological studies have suggested a link between nut consumption and weight. The possible effects of regular nut consumption as a method of weight loss has shown minimal results with 2-3 servings of nut products per day. This 8 week study sought to investigate the effect of more modest nut consumption (1 oz./day, 5 days/week) on dietary compensation in healthy overweight individuals. Overweight and obese participants (n = 28) were recruited from the local community and were randomly assigned to either almond (NUT) or control (CON) group in this randomized, parallel-arm study. Subjects were instructed to eat their respective foods 30 minutes before the dinner meal. 24 hour diet recalls were completed pre-trial and at study weeks 1, 4 and 8. Self-reported satiety data were completed at study weeks 1, 4, and 8. Attrition was unexpectedly high, with 13 participants completing 24 dietary recall data through study week 8. High attrition limited statistical analyses. Results suggested a lack of effect for time or interaction for satiety data (within groups p = 0.997, between groups p = 0.367). Homogeneity of of inter-correlations could not be tested for 24-hour recall data as there were fewer than 2 nonsingular cell covariance matrices. In conclusion, this study was unable to prove or disprove the effectiveness of almonds to induce dietary compensation.
ContributorsJahns, Marshall (Author) / Johnston, Carol (Thesis advisor) / Hall, Richard (Committee member) / Wharton, Christopher (Christopher Mack), 1977- (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
Dietary self-monitoring has been shown to be a predictor of weight loss success and is a prevalent part of behavioral weight control programs. As more weight loss applications have become available on smartphones, this feasibility study investigated whether the use of a smartphone application, or a smartphone memo feature would improve dietary self-monitoring over the traditional paper-and-pencil method. The study also looked at whether the difference in methods would affect weight loss. Forty-seven adults (BMI 25 to 40 kg/m2) completed an 8-week study focused on tracking the difference in adherence to a self-monitoring protocol and subsequent weight loss. Participants owning iPhones (n=17) used the 'Lose It' application (AP) for diet and exercise tracking and were compared to smartphone participants who recorded dietary intake using a memo (ME) feature (n=15) on their phone and participants using the traditional paper-and-pencil (PA) method (n=15). There was no significant difference in completion rates between groups with an overall completion rate of 85.5%. The overall mean adherence to self-monitoring for the 8-week period was better in the AP group than the PA group (p = .024). No significant difference was found between the AP group and ME group (p = .148), or the ME group and the PA group (p = .457). Weight loss for the 8 week study was significant for all groups (p = .028). There was no significant difference in weight loss between groups. Number of days recorded regardless of group assignment showed a weak correlation to weight loss success (p = .068). Smartphone owners seeking to lose weight should be encouraged by the potential success associated with dietary tracking using a smartphone app as opposed to the traditional paper-and-pencil method.
ContributorsCunningham, Barbara (Author) / Wharton, Christopher (Christopher Mack), 1977- (Thesis advisor) / Johnston, Carol (Committee member) / Hall, Richard (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
This study explores how newspapers framed the weight-loss drugs Xenical®(orlistat) and Alli® (over-the-counter orlistat) during the time period of three months prior to their approvals by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration until one year after each became available on the market. As of June 2011, orlistat is the only weight-loss drug available for long-term use in the U.S. Newspapers are influential sources of information about health issues. Agenda-setting, framing, and priming in news articles can have a powerful effect on public perceptions and behaviors. To conduct the content analysis, researchers first developed a codebook containing variables that described the sources of attribution and the features of each drug. They tested the codebook in a series of pilot tests to ensure inter-rater reliability. The sample of texts for the content analysis, drawn from LexisNexis Academic, contained 183 newspaper articles composed of 85 Xenical articles and 98 Alli articles. The overlap was 25% for inter-rater reliability as well as intra-rater reliability. Frequencies were tabulated using Predictive Analytics SoftWare, version 18.0.3. Results demonstrated that Xenical and Alli were framed differently in some critical ways. For example, there were twice as many quotes from the manufacturer for Alli than for Xenical. Researchers concluded that the reporting on Alli was heavily influenced by the manufacturer's multi-media public relations campaign in the months prior to the market-release date.
ContributorsLehmann, Jessica (Author) / Hampl, Jeffrey S. (Thesis advisor) / Bramlett-Solomon, Sharon (Committee member) / Hall, Richard (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
The purpose of this study was to gather qualitative data on different and novel methods used to self-monitor diet and exercise during a weight loss study. Participants who used either a traditional paper and pencil method or a smart phone weight loss app for diet and exercise tracking were recruited for focus groups. Focus group discussions centered on the liked and disliked aspects of recording, perceived behavior changes, and suggestions for improved self-monitoring. Focus groups were organized based on the method of self-monitoring. The app group tracked calorie intake and expenditure via the "Lose It" app on their smart phones. The paper & pencil group recorded exercise and food intake in a journal and self-regulated diet based on recommended servings from each food group (or exchange lists). Focus group sessions were audio-recorded, transcribed and coded by the researcher and an independent coder. Results indicated that app participants liked the convenience, affordability, and user-friendly features, but wanted more nutrition advice. App participants liked self-managing their diet, not restricting certain foods or food groups and allowing for indulgences by balancing calories and exercise. Also, they desired an accurate estimation of energy expenditure from an app, based on individual characteristics (i.e., gender and age). Participants who recorded on paper liked the size for a visual layout of food entries, but desired a technology-enhanced method with an auto-calculation of calorie intake and expenditure. They also suggested increased accountability and opportunities for social support would enhance self-monitoring. Overall, an ideal technology-assisted self-monitoring app or program would be free and include an auto-calculation of calorie intake, a gender- and age- specific estimation of calories expended, easy entry of foods from a large database, the ability to enter whole recipes, nutrition information and recommendations, and be available via phone, tablet or computer (based on personal preference).
ContributorsSterner, Danielle (Author) / Wharton, Christopher (Christopher Mack), 1977- (Thesis advisor) / Johnston, Carol (Committee member) / Hall, Richard (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
This creative project seeks to demonstrate the nutritional and financial benefits of cooking in versus eating out to college age students. We sought to determine what factors significantly differentiated restaurant meals versus home-cooked versions, and how we could share this information with our peers to potentially influence them to make a healthy lifestyle change. The first step was to determine the factors that influence college-aged students eating habits, and was presented with a review of relevant literature in several topics. We researched food literacy in young adults, the impact of fast food, social media's role in healthy eating habits, health behavior change in young adults, and the benefits of home cooking to obtain a general baseline of the knowledge of college-aged students. The initial research was utilized to write more effective blog posts that appropriately addressed our targeted demographic and to determine what platforms would be most appropriate to convey our information. These ideas were taken and then translated into a blog and Instagram account that contained healthy, copycat recipes of popular restaurant meals. We wrote 30 blog posts which were made up of 20 original recipes, 8 nutrition informational posts, and an introduction/conclusion. Finally, a focus group was hosted to ascertain the opinions of our peers, and to determine if they would be willing to make a lifestyle change in the form of cooking more frequently as opposed to eating out regularly. We provided them with a pre and post survey to gather their opinions before and after reviewing the findings of our research and project. We concluded that if given the information in an accessible way, college students are willing to eat in, not out.
ContributorsKirch, Jayme Elizabeth (Co-author) / Sanford, Victoria (Co-author) / Lehmann, Jessica (Thesis director) / Martinelli, Sarah (Committee member) / Levinson, Simin (Committee member) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
College students experience a significant weight gain that is much greater than an age matched population. The rate of gain is 5.5 times greater than the average population, leading to the popularization of the term "Freshman 15". The etiology of weight gain among college students is multifactorial, and it includes stress, time management, GPA pressures, extracurricular activities, financial obligations, transportation challenges, and often a new living situation. Other factors include bring unhealthy habits from their family of origin to their new university, and they are introduced to an environment that is unfamiliar, and they are expected to be independent and make their own decisions about a variety of lifestyle habits. Understanding the factors that influence food literacy, food choices, and lifestyle habits are integral to understanding which stage of change within the Transtheoretical Model an individual is in is ey to developing strategies for combating weight related health issues. The purpose of presenting a food demonstration to a group of freshman dorm dwelling students was to determine what stage of change in the Transtheoretical Model the average college freshman is in. The study found that exposing this group to the food demonstration pushed the students into either the contemplative stage or preparation stage for adopting healthy behavior changes regarding eating habits.
ContributorsMelikian, Alexandra Julia (Author) / Schmidt, Cheryl (Thesis director) / Lehmann, Jessica (Committee member) / Grgich, Traci (Committee member) / Arizona State University. College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
Obesity is currently a prevalent health concern in the United States. Essential to combating it are accurate methods of assessing individual dietary intake under ad libitum conditions. The acoustical monitoring system (AMS), consisting of a throat microphone and jaw strain sensor, has been proposed as a non-invasive method for tracking free-living eating events. This study assessed the accuracy of eating events tracked by the AMS, compared to the validated vending machine system used by the NIDDK in Phoenix. Application of AMS data toward estimation of mass and calories consumed was also considered. In this study, 10 participants wore the AMS in a clinical setting for 24 hours while all food intake was recorded by the vending machine. Results indicated a correlation of 0.76 between number of eating events by the AMS and the vending machine (p = 0.019). A dependent T-test yielded a p-value of 0.799, illustrating a lack of significant difference between these methods of tracking intake. Finally, number of seconds identified as eating by the AMS had a 0.91 correlation with mass of intake (p = 0.001) and a 0.70 correlation with calories of intake (p = 0.034). These results indicate that the AMS is a valid method of objectively recording eating events under ad libitum conditions. Additional research is required to validate this device under free-living conditions.
ContributorsSteinke, Amanda (Author) / Johnston, Carol (Thesis advisor) / Votruba, Susanne (Committee member) / Hall, Richard (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
ContributorsWickman, Skylar (Author) / Levinson, Simin (Thesis director) / Lehmann, Jessica (Committee member) / O'Keefe, Kelly (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor)
ContributorsWickman, Skylar (Author) / Levinson, Simin (Thesis director) / Lehmann, Jessica (Committee member) / O'Keefe, Kelly (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor)
Description
A large amount of research associates the lack of fruit and vegetable consumption and the intake of animal-based foods with poor health outcomes. Making shifts towards a plant-focused diet could benefit the health of individuals. Individuals who show the highest long-term adherence to the avoidance of animal-based foods are those who value animal welfare. PURPOSE: The primary purpose of this study is to explore the validity of a novel animal food frequency questionnaire (AFFQ) in relation to dietary animal food intake using 3-day dietary food logs and measuring potential renal acid load (PRAL). PRAL is the amount of acid that is produced by the body after digesting food. Fruits and vegetables produce a lower acid load, which is reflective of positive health outcomes. A secondary aim of this study is to explore the relation between AFFQ scores and measures of empathy. METHODS: Participants complete a 10-minute survey including the AFFQ and the BES-A. The Basic Scale of Empathy for adults will be viewed based on the 2 factor and 3 factor analysis assessing: Affective empathy, Cognitive empathy, Emotional contagion, and Emotional Disconnection. The AFFQ will be scored and correlated with the 3-day food log and PRAL to explore validity of the new AFFQ scale. Secondarily, the AFFQ will be scored and correlated with the BES-A to explore an association. RESULTS: The null hypotheses H01 and H02 were rejected. H01 showed that AFFQ correlates significantly with percentage of dietary protein coming from animal- based products (r=.676, p=.016). H02 showed AFFQ has a significant correlation to PRAL (r=.831, p<.001). PRAL and the percentage of protein in the diet coming from animal-based products have a significant correlation (r=.725, p=.008). The null hypothesis H03 was accepted with AFFQ and BES-A 2 factor and 3 factor’s correlations showing (r= -.412, p=.183) and (r= -.307, p=.332). CONCLUSION: The AFFQ was able to reflect differences in frequency of animal-based food intake among the convenience sample. The AFFQ and individuals’ food choices were not related to their empathy levels.
ContributorsAlpine, Evajean May (Author) / Wharton, Christopher (Thesis advisor) / Lehmann, Jessica (Committee member) / Johnston, Carol (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021