Matching Items (4)
Description
Although many studies have looked into the benefits and consequences of consuming breakfast, most have not looked into the unintended consequences of breakfast being served at school; specifically the consumption of an additional breakfast. This cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence and health related outcomes of the consumption of an additional breakfast at school amongst youth using a survey assessing possible predictors (i.e. parental education, morning activities, race), the ASA-kids 24-hr dietary recall, and height and weight measurements. A total of fifty-eight participants (aged 13.5±1.6 years; 55.2% male) were recruited at after school library programs and Boys and Girls Clubs in the Phoenix, Arizona Metro Area during 2014. The main outcomes measured were BMI percentile, total calories, iron, sodium, carbohydrates, added sugar, and fiber. In the study, the prevalence of consumption of an additional breakfast at school at least once a week or more was 32.7%. There were no significant differences between the consumption of an additional breakfast and not an additional breakfast amongst the main outcomes measures. The directionality of the relationship between the consumption of an additional breakfast and overweight/obesity amongst youth was inverse (OR = 0.309; p-value = 0.121), but this was not significant. This study found that the consumption of an additional breakfast at school is not contributing to overweight/obesity in youth, nor does it alter overall caloric and nutrient intake. School breakfast programs are important for providing breakfast and key nutrients to youth.
ContributorsSimpson, Julie (Author) / Bruening, Meg (Committee member) / Ohri-Vachaspati, Punam (Committee member) / Rider, Linda (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
Availability and accessibility of foods in the home influence dietary behaviors. However, much of the literature involving measurement of the home food environment (HFE) has examined only self-reported data, and home food inventory tools have not been used to assess behavior change intervention efficacy. Thus, this quasi-experimental study was conducted to test the preliminary efficacy of a 10-week dietary behavioral intervention on the HFE, measured through the presence of fruits, vegetables, and sources of sugars in the household. Participants included 23 parents (21 females; age=36±5.5) of children 6-11 years old living in an ethnically diverse community within a Southwestern metropolitan area. Sociodemographic information was collected at baseline using a survey. A modified version of the Home Food Inventory was completed in the homes of participants by trained research assistants at baseline and following termination of the intervention. Relative to baseline, the intervention resulted in significant increases in availability of different types of fruits (7.7±3.2 vs. 9.4±3.1; p=0.004) and high fiber/low sugar cereal (2.3±1.4 vs. 2.7±1.4; p=0.033). There was a significant reduction in availability of sugar-sweetened beverages (3.2±1.9 vs. 1.7±1.3; p=0.004), and an increase in the number of households with accessible 100% fruit juice (3 vs. 17 households; p=0.001) and bottled/contained water (9 vs. 22 households; p<0.001). Moreover, there were meaningful changes in the number of households with accessible chocolate milk (7 vs. 0), strawberry milk (3 vs. 0), and diet soda pop (2 vs. 0). There was a significant increase in the number of households with accessible ready-to-eat vegetables (8 vs. 19 households; p=0.007), and ready-to-eat fruit (8 vs. 17; p=0.022), and a significant reduction in available prepared desserts (3.0±2.0 vs. 1.7±1.3; p=0.005), and candy (2.0±1.7 vs. 0.6±0.7; p<0.001). There were no significant changes in availability of vegetables and sugar-laden cereals, or accessibility of fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, dry cereal, candy, soda pop, desserts, and sports/fruit drinks. Overall, results suggest that the current dietary behavior change intervention resulted in positive changes in the HFE. Further research to confirm these results in a randomized controlled trial is warranted.
ContributorsCassinat, Rachel (Author) / Vega-Lopez, Sonia (Thesis advisor) / Bruening, Meredith (Committee member) / Crespo, Noe (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
Despite the literature suggesting that fruits and vegetables (F&V) can have a protective outcome against overweight, obesity and chronic diseases, consumption is still inadequate. In order to address under consumption of F&V among children, schools have become a platform for a variety of food programs. The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) initiative, aims to increase exposure and consumption of F&V in low-income school children by providing F&V snacks. Participation in FFVP has been associated with higher preference and consumption of F&V and research also suggests that the program has the potential to decrease rates of overweight and obesity. The benefits of this program have been found to extend outside of the school setting, with higher requests for F&V at home and at the grocery store. This study aims to explore how children’s participation in the FFVP influences home food environments and shopping practices through qualitative analysis focus group data. Four focus groups were held with parents (n=25) from three FFVP participating schools. The data was analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis approach to find themes within the discussions. The findings were grouped into three categories: General Perceptions of FFVP, Impact of FFVP on the Home Food Environment, and Impact of FFVP on Shopping Practices. For General Perceptions of FFVP, themes were: Children learn about and enjoy F&V, awareness of farm to school programs, and children make healthier choices. Impact of FFVP on the Home Food Environment included the themes: Choosing heathier foods and snacks, parent F&V behaviors, children request F&V at home, and children talk about or bring F&V home. Finally, Impact of FFVP on Shopping Practices included the themes: children’s involvement in shopping, children request to buy F&V, children request non-produce items, and parents decline or limit unhealthy requests. This qualitative study provides valuable insights about how FFVP participation influences child and family behaviors towards F&V at home and in the grocery store. School food programs, such as the FFVP, have a positive influence on F&V related behaviors among children and should be continued and expanded.
ContributorsAcosta Ortiz, Marina (Author) / Ohri-Vachaspati, Punam (Thesis advisor) / DeWeese, Robin (Thesis advisor) / Gruner, Jessie (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
This study tested the preliminary effectiveness of a health belief and text messaging intervention for parents of five- to eight-year-old children to determine whether health beliefs and influenza vaccine receipt differ when compared to a text messaging control group. Children are almost four times more likely to be infected with influenza than adults (Belshe Piedra, & Block, 2009), shed the greatest quantities of influenza virus, and have been recognized as vectors for spread of disease (Neuzil, Mellen, Wright, Mitchel, Jr., & Griffin, 2002b). The influenza immunization rate for school-age children is less than 56% (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014). Reasons for the low vaccination rate include parents’ misperceptions of influenza disease and vaccinations (Bhat-Schelbert et al., 2012; Taylor et al., 2002). There are few theory-based interventions for increasing influenza vaccination rates of school-age children; however, promising results have been found when using the constructs of the health belief model (HBM) (Chen et al., 2011; Coe, Gatewood, Moczygemba, Goode, & Beckner, 2012). Mobile technology using Short Message Service (SMS) text messaging may increase vaccination rates to a greater extent than traditional vaccine reminders (Daley et al., 2002; Grajalva, 2006). Prior to starting this study, only one randomized controlled trial testing text messaging to increase children’s influenza vaccination rates was found (Stockwell et al., 2012). In this study, text messaging was effective in promoting behavioral changes leading to a 4% increase in influenza vaccination (27.1% vs. 22.8%, RR = 1.19, p < .001). This study was a randomized controlled trial using a two-group pre- and posttest experimental design. This study found that a theory-based intervention (SayNo2Flu) guided by the HBM and combined with the use of mobile technology (SMS text messaging) did change parents’ influenza vaccination perceptions. It had an overall increase of 38.1% in Influenza vaccination rates in the intervention group (OR: 4.46, 95% CL, 1.705-11.706, p < .001). These results offer some insight into the use of theory-based preventative interventions for parents of young school-age children.
ContributorsWiseman, Patricia (Author) / Reifsnider, Elizabeth G. (Thesis advisor) / Cesarotti, Evelyn (Committee member) / Black, Andy (Committee member) / Kim, Sunny (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015