Background: In the U.S., Hispanics have among the highest rates of overweight and obesity when compared to other racial/ethnic groups placing them at a greater risk for obesity-related disease. Identifying intervention strategies to reduce caloric intake and/or improve cardiometabolic health in Hispanics is critical to reducing morbidity and mortality among this large and growing population. Evidence exists to support diet-specific behavioral interventions, including beverage modifications, in reducing obesity-related health risks. However, the acceptability and feasibility of a beverage intervention in obese Hispanic adults has not been robustly evaluated. Methods: The objective of this pilot study is to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a randomized, controlled beverage intervention in 50 obese Hispanic adults ages 18-64 over 8-weeks. Eligible participants were obese (30-50.0 kg/m(2)), between the ages 18-64, self-identified as Hispanic, and were able to speak, read, and write in either English and/or Spanish. Study recruitment was completed August 2017. Upon the completion of baseline assessments, participants will be randomized to either Mediterranean lemonade, Green Tea, or flavored water control. After completing a 2-week washout period, participants will be asked to consume 32 oz. per day of study beverage for 6-weeks while avoiding all other sources of tea, lemonade, citrus, juice, and other sweetened beverages; water is permissible. Primary outcomes will be recruitment, retention, and acceptability of the intervention strategies. Our study will also evaluate participant-reported tolerance and as an exploratory aim, assess safety/toxicity-related to renal and/or liver function. Fasting blood samples will be collected at baseline and 8-weeks to assess the primary efficacy outcomes: total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Secondary outcomes include fasting glucose, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). Discussion: This pilot study will provide important feasibility, safety, and early efficacy data necessary to design a larger, adequately-powered randomized controlled trial.

The South African wine market is undergoing changes at both the producer and retail levels, such as the influx of the new brands and new consumer demands with respect to health, biodiversity concerns and ethical issues. Although South Africa has no dominant wine culture and South Africans are predominantly beer and brandy drinkers, the industry has to develop the local market, especially the black consumer market. The most powerful marketing trend in the South African economy in the last 10 years has been the emergence and growth of the black middle class, increasingly referred to as Black Diamonds, which have emerged as the strongest buying influence in the economy. This has seen the propagation of a westernized culture in local communities. There is an overwhelming desire among the latter group to have access to a lifestyle they believe is their right. Making inroads in understanding this market presents a good opportunity since this is an important economic group. Black wine drinkers have to overcome individual families' attitudes to wine drinking. It is high on the industry’s agenda to swing the emerging black middle class market from high-end whiskies, cognac and beer, to wine while at the same time promoting the wine culture because this market is still hugely untapped. They also seek to vanquish the illusion of wines as a drink for white people by focusing on young upcoming black professionals as a target market. The data in this study was collected from an integration of a consumer behaviour survey (through a choice based conjoint analysis undertaken at the Soweto wine festival in Johannesburg); as well as personal interviews with industry stakeholders and reference group discussions. The study found that although there is limited consumer knowledge about wines and low levels of brand awareness, black consumers are willing and yearning to learn more about wines as they view them as an aspirational lifestyle beverage. The study also asserts that women are significantly more adventurous than their male counterparts in terms of experimenting with wines although the latter exhibit a higher willingness to pay for what they consider to be premium wine brands. Black consumers are still unsure about what wine attributes are important in choosing a wine. The industry needs to increase its efforts in educating and understanding this diverse market as the cultural attitudes towards wine are indeed changing. The study identified four wine consumer market segments among the Black Diamonds. The industry’s target market should be focused on women and the “Start me up” age group as they show the highest willingness to learn about wines and pay for brands that they consider to be premium brands as has been the case in all new wine markets. While still focusing on the 4 P’s of marketing, various new brand communication platforms can be explored to reach this market. These include co-opetition, extended service offerings, wine tourism and e-marketing. The success of the domestic market will be determined by new innovative insights into this market and complimentary market strategies. / Dissertation (MSc(Agric))--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

The purpose of this survey of selected Chinese restaurants in the Greater Miami area is to determine management and guest perceptions as to the role of alcoholic beverage with respect to profits, competition and image in Chinese restaurant.

This diploma thesis deals with sensory evaluation of herbal non-alcoholic beverages, being a part of a new product development. The theoretical part provides information concerning chemical composition, health effects, food applications and aroma compounds of the herbs of interest (peppermint (Mentha piperita), sage (Salvia officinalis), St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) and lemon balm (Melissa officinalis). Another topic is a description of sensory methods, requirements and arrangement of the analysis, statistical methods, and also technological processes leading to herbal syrups and beverages production. The practical part comprises sensory analysis of a few, newly designed, formulas of one-component and two-component alcohol free herbal beverages. The sensory panel consisted of 40 students of master's and also doctoral study programme at Faculty of chemistry, University of Technology Brno. Four subsequent experiments are introduced, each of them consisting of a few sensory tests and including corresponding sensory forms attached. The sensory tests arrangement was based on currently valid Czech Technical Standards, using a ranking, descriptive, paired comparison, sensory profile testing and scaling methods. For the purpose of statistical evaluation, Friedman, Kruskal-Wallis, PCA and Faktor analysis were used. Level of abilities and sensory experience of panelists were found comparable to consumer testing. The results include sensory characteristics of all of the beverages tested. In general, the one-component beverages were preferred to the two-component beverages and the additive colouring with aronia concentrate wasn´t found any benefitial, from the sensory point of view. The consumer questionnaire proved all of the samples to be very promising, but based on the sensory results, we would consider the mint and the sage-mint beverages being the most potentialy applicable samples.

The former finance minister stated in his budget speech in 2016 that sugar tax would come into force in South Africa from 1 April 2017. The treasury's reason for implementing sugar taxation is to reduce the health problems caused by sugar. It is nothing new to use fiscal measures to recover both taxes and to prevent health problems but it was not yet possible to reach a definite conclusion about the impact of sugar tax on the consumption of sugary drinks and the prevalence of obesity. The reason for this is that there is evidence that the implementation of food tax in different countries has shown different results in terms of public health issues and tax benefits. In South Africa, the implementation of sugar tax can either reduce the prevalence of obesity and thereby have a positive effect on the economy or its implementation may adversely affect the economy. If treasury does not implement sugar tax the economy can also be adversely affected by the prevalence of obesity. This dissertation deals with the effects of non-communicable diseases and sugar tax on the South African economy. The focus is on how sugar tax is being implemented internationally and how South Africa intends to implement sugar tax. / Die voormalige minister van finansies het in sy begrotingstoespraak in 2016 vermeld dat suikerbelasting vanaf 1 April 2017 in Suid-Afrika in werking gaan tree. Die tesourie se rede vir die implementering van suikerbelasting is om, in samewerking met die Departement van Gesondheid, die gesondheidsprobleme wat deur suiker veroorsaak word te verminder. Dit is niks nuuts om fiskale maatstawwe te gebruik om beide belasting in te vorder en gesondheidsprobleme te voorkom nie, maar dit was nog nie moontlik om tot ’n definitiewe gevolgtrekking te kom oor die impak van suikerbelasting op die verbruik van suikerversoete drankies en die voorkoms van vetsug nie. Die rede hiervoor is dat daar bewyse is dat die implementering van voedselbelasting in verskillende lande verskillende resultate getoon het in terme van openbare gesondheidskwessies en belastingvoordele. In Suid-Afrika kan die implementering van suikerbelasting óf die voorkoms van vetsug verminder en sodoende die ekonomie bevoordeel óf die implementering daarvan kan die ekonomie negatief beïnvloed. Indien die tesourie nie suikerbelasting implementeer nie kan die ekonomie as gevolg van die voorkoms van vetsug negatief beïnvloed word. Die kern van hierdie skripsie handel oor die gevolge van nieoordraagbare siektes en suikerbelasting op die Suid-Afrikaanse ekonomie. Daar word spesifiek gefokus op hoe suikerbelasting internasionaal geïmplementeer word en hoe Suid-Afrika beoog om suikerbelasting te implementeer. / Mini Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Mercantile Law / LLM / Unrestricted

Thesis (M. A. (Social Work)) --University of Limpopo, 2019. / The study was aimed at exploring the family member‟s experiences of living with people who consume home brewed alcohol (spayoni) in Oakley. Oakley is a village based in Ehlanzeni district, Mpumalanga province. The researcher looked into the financial management, balancing of the work-family nexus and the manner in which people that consume spayoni deal with and conduct themselves in violent situations. A qualitative research approach was used by the researcher through an exploratory design. A total number of nine (9) respondents took part in the study. They were identified by the use of a purposive and snowball sampling method. Furthermore, the researcher used a semi-structured interview to collect data which was analysed by a thematic analysis structure. Data obtained from the study reveals that people that consume spayoni spend less time with family members as they are either out at work or drinking spayoni throughout the day. They leave home very early in the morning and come back late at night. Family roles and relationships are negatively affected by their routines. The people that consume spayoni mostly rely in piece jobs hence they don‟t have stable income. Nonetheless, the little money that they get is spent solely on the purchase of spayoni. They do not prioritise financial contribution towards household needs. The study also identified that people that consume spayoni are generally disrespectful when drunk but refrain from violent situations. In order to combat the challenges faced by the family members, internal and external measures should be put in place. The use of community awareness campaigns is one method which can help in reducing the demand of spayoni in Oakley village. Involvement of monitoring bodies such as the Liquor control boards and the local traditional authorities will assist the community to have regulations governing the supply of home brewed alcohol. Family members should also develop platforms of open communication between each other to avoid misunderstandings and build a more positive family environment.

Background: Low health literacy is a significant problem affecting our country.  While the associations between low health literacy and poorer health outcomes have been well documented (Berkman et al., 2011), the literature lacks evidence of effective strategies to address health literacy in the context of health behaviors such as diet and physical activity (PA). Likewise, few interventions have reported on how health literacy status influences performance and engagement in the intervention. Two potential intervention strategies include the teach back method or teach to goal approach and interactive voice response (IVR) technology. These strategies hold promise as a means of improving health literacy and reaching vulnerable, low health literate populations, but these strategies have not been widely explored in the literature (Paasche-Orlow et al., 2005; Baker et al., 2011; Schillinger et al., 2009; Bennett et al., 2012; Piette et al., 1999). Primary Aims: This research was embedded in a larger trial, Talking Health, which is a 6-month, 2 group randomized controlled trial to determine the effects of a health behavior intervention on reducing sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption in Southwest Virginians. The primary aims of this study were to examine the associations between health literacy status and 1) number of rounds of teach back needed to reinforce key concepts, 2) proportion of correct answers on the first round of teach back, 3) level of intervention engagement (i.e., completion rates for teach back call, IVR calls, and small group classes), and 4) perceptions of the intervention components. Methods: The data reported represent the first 3 cohorts of the Talking Health trial including participants in Lee, Giles, and Pulaski Counties. Eligibility requirements included being 18 years or older, English speaking, consuming at least 200 calories per day from SSB, able to participate in moderate intensity PA, and having reliable access to a telephone. Data were collected at baseline and at the 6-month follow-up assessment. Health literacy was assessed using the validated Newest Vital Sign. Participants were randomized to a behavioral intervention aimed at decreasing SSB consumption (SipSmartER) or to a matched-contact control group targeting PA (Move More). Both groups participated in 3 small group education sessions, received a live teach back call, and 11 supportive IVR calls. Participants completed a summative evaluation at the 6-month follow-up, which captured their perceptions of the intervention components. ANOVAs were used to measure differences in outcomes by health literacy status, randomized condition, and interactions. Results: Of the 125 enrolled participants, 92.0% were Caucasian, 76.8% were female, 29.6% had d high school education, 64.0% had <$25,000 annual household income, and 32.8% had low health literacy skills. Eighty-five participants (68.0%) completed the teach back call. The overall model when looking at the degree to which health literacy status and randomized condition predicted the number of rounds of teach back needed to reinforce key concepts was significant (F= 8.323, p < 0.001). Out of 3 possible teach back attempts, participants in the low health literacy category required a significantly higher number of teach back attempts as compared to those with high health literacy (F= 16.769, p <0.001), and participants randomized to Move More required a significantly higher number of teach back attempts compared to SipSmartER participants (F=7.296, p= 0.008). Similarly, the overall model when looking at the degree to which health literacy status and randomized condition predicted the proportion correct on the first round of teach back was significant (F= 9.836, p<0.001), such that those with higher health literacy status  (F= 19.176, p< 0.001) and those randomized to SipSmartER condition answered a significantly higher proportion of questions correct (F= 9.783, p= 0.002). Intervention engagement including completion of the small group education sessions, the live teach back call, and the IVR calls did not vary significantly across randomized condition or literacy levels. Low health literate participants had a significantly higher overall perceived satisfaction with the IVR, as compared to high health literate participants (F= 5.849, p= 0.020). However, perceptions of other intervention components (e.g., small group sessions, teach back call, personal action plans, drink diaries/exercise logs,) were similar among participants with low and high health literacy status and across randomized conditions.   Conclusion: These data confirm the importance for multiple teach back opportunities and additional exposure to health information to ensure participant comprehension of key intervention content"in particular for those with lower health literacy. This research also supports that IVR is an effective approach to reaching vulnerable, low health literate populations. Future research should investigate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of utilizing teach back methods delivered using automated technologies. Future research also is needed to determine how teach back performance are related to other study factors such as retention, engagement, and health outcomes. / Master of Science

BACKGROUND: Current efforts to control the obesity epidemic has focused on sugar sweetened beverages (SSB), particularly soda, and less on alcohol intake even though alcohol is also a source of “empty calories”. Few data are available about the association between soda and excessive alcohol consumption and whether people may substitute one form of beverage for the other, essentially “choosing their poison”. METHODS: We used the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data from 2017 to examine the relationship between alcohol and soda consumption in adults 18 and older. We first compared the rates of different types of sweetened beverage consumption soda in our population. We then examined the association between the sugar-sweetened beverage and alcohol drinking status using regression models adjusted for potential confounders. Analyses were weighted and adjusted using SAS 9.4 to account for the complex sampling methods. RESULTS: Based on 2017 BRFSS data, we found an inverse relationship between heavy drinking and soda consumption after adjusting for age, sex, race, income, education, marital and insurance status, smoking, diabetes, and hypertension. Compared to those who don’t drink soda, the odds ratio of heavy drinking was 0.75 (95% CI 0.63, 0.90) for those who drink up to one soda/week; 0.66 (0.53, 0.81) for those drinking >1 to <7 sodas/week; 0.73 (0.65, 0.97) for ≥7 to <14 sodas/week; and 0.70 (0.49, 1.02) for ≥14 sodas/week. CONCLUSION: There seems to be an inverse association between soda and alcohol consumption. Public health efforts may want to consider targeting both behaviors concurrently to avoid beverage substitution.

The purpose of the present work was three-fold: (1) to determine the number of microorganisms found in root beer ready for consumer used, (2) to study the effects of various temperatures and durations of incubation on this microbial population, and (3) to characterize the predominant species of contaminating bacteria.

No description available.