Throughout the twentieth century, Maori life expectancy for both men and women has increased significantly. For most health conditions however, medical statistics show that the Maori mortality rate remains significantly higher than the rate for the NZ non-Maori population. The results of epidemiological studies show that some of these health conditions may be environmentally induced. There appears to be a high incidence of obesity in the Maori population which has been related to dietary intake, with an associated high incidence of diabetes, heart disease and hypertension. These conditions appear to be particularly prevalent among Maori women. It is thought that the Maori population are gentically susceptible to obesity; a trait which manifests itself when there is a plentiful food supply in the population. At present, there is very little information available about the dietary intake of the Maori population, or the effect of diet upon obesity and associated health disorders in this group. The aim of this survey was to obtain information about the dietary intake of a sample of Dunedin Maori women using the diet history method of assessment. Also to determine the incidence of obesity and other dietry related health conditions in this group. Chapter 2 reviews the change in food habits and health status of the Maori population over the last two centuries, as well as reviewing the different methods by which information for dietary surveys is obtained. After setting out the methods and findings of the survey, Chapter 5 discusses the results in light of information obtained from similar dietary studies of NZ women. The samples intake is compared to recommended nutrient allowances for NZ women and the incidence of dietary related health disorders is also discussed. Overall, Dunedin Maori women�s diet was not deficient in any of the recorded nutrients. Dunedin Maori women, in their middle years, exhibited substantially higher energy intakes than middle years non-Maori women in the 1977 National Dietary Survey. The level of Dunedin Maori women�s carbohydrate intake was the main contributing factor for this higher energy intake. Dunedin Maori women over 50 years of age exhibited substantially higher energy intakes than NZ women aged 50-54 years in the 1985 Timaru Health District Survey, with an overall higher consumption of carbohydrate, protein and fat. Over half of Dunedin Maori were classified as overweight or very overweight. Hypertension and diabetes were reported, and obesity was commonly found among women with these health conditions. Over half of Dunedin Maori women used cigarettes, the majority using between ten and thirty cigarettes per day. Dunedin Maori women are relatively isolated from the more densely populated areas of North Island Maori. As a result, the survey results cannot be interpreted as characteristic of NZ Maori women in general. The significance of these findings is rather the elucidation of a regional situation. Further studies of Maori women in both rural and urban areas of the North and South Island are necessary to determine if an overall pattern of high intake exists with a deleterious impact upon the health of Maori women.

Stable isotope analysis of human tissue can provide information about diet independent of artifactual remains. Food is broken down and used in the synthesis of body tissue, so the isotopic composition of hair keratin reflects the isotopic composition of foods consumed. Therefore, the analysis of hair can provide a window into broad dietary practices, and this view can supplement the information that is inferred from artifacts such as hunting tools and hearths. This project details the use of historic Plains Indians hair as a sample material for carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis. A minimum specimen size of a 2-cm (l00- 150 μg) segment of a strand was established. This indicates that small hair fragments found in archeological excavations can be informative. It also allowed the testing of up to 12 sequential segments from strands up to 24 cm long. Since hair grows about 1 cm per month, a 24-cm strand provided about a 2-yr record of isotopes and diet. The isotopic variations along some strands were as high as 0.49‰ for δ¹⁵N and 1.05‰ for δ¹³C, exceeding the background analytical uncertainty of 0.22‰ for δ¹⁵N and 0.2l‰ for δ¹³C. Differences between individuals and between population groups also exceeded this background level, validating the use of this isotope technique in discriminating isotopic differences between hairs and between people. No isotopic differences were found between males and females, and no isotopic differences were found based on the age of the individual. This suggests that there are no physiological differences by gender or age affecting isotope metabolism, which means that should a study find an isotopic difference between men and women, it would reflect dietary differences, not physiological ones. Isotope testing produced distinct isotope profiles (δ¹⁵N vs. δ¹³C) for two cultural groups, the Lower Brule reservation Sioux of 1892 and the reservation Blackfoot of 1892 and 1935. The resultant dietary profiles indicate a higher consumption of meat by the Blackfoot and a higher consumption of corn by the Lower Brule. The two groups of Blackfoot fit into the same profile despite the passage of several decades. This raises the possibility that stable isotope analysis can also be used to identify members of the same cultural population. / Graduation date: 2003

This project researched the effects of pullet-phase feed restriction methodology or management and hen-phase diet fortification on female broiler breeder BW and carcass trait uniformity as well as on performance of the broiler offspring. Feed treatments had a significant effect on female BW and carcass trait uniformity at 22 wk of age, with sorting and scatter treatments having the highest uniformity estimates, compared to limited daily, skip-a-day and fibre-diluted programs. Feed and premix treatments did not affect traits after 22 wk of age as individual caging at 22 wk of age unified female BW uniformity across all treatments. Feed treatments did not affect the uniformity of age at sexual maturity, first egg characteristics or production parameters. Premix treatment resulted in decreased shell uniformity and increased uniformity of one of the production parameters, total egg mass. Feed treatments may have a greater effect on female broiler breeder efficiency than previously suggested. / Animal Science

Processes occurring during the early life of marine fishes encompassing the larval, settlement, and juvenile stages can have important impacts on recruitment and subsequent population dynamics. Yet these life stages remain poorly understood, especially in coral reef-associated species of commercial and recreational fisheries interest. Two years (2003-2004) of monthly sampling of 17 stations along a transect spanning the east-west axis of the Straits of Florida revealed consistent spatiotemporal patterns in larval abundance, growth, and mortality of several snapper and barracuda species. Much of the species-specific variability in these patterns tracked adult life history, and spatial (several snapper species) and temporal (Sphyraena barracuda) patterns in larval growth were related to larval food availability. While no patterns were identified in larval mortality rates, tethering experiments examining relative rates of predation on late-stage Lutjanus griseus larvae in surface waters of the lower Florida Keys revealed that relative predation rate and probability of predation in oceanic areas seaward of the reef was significantly greater than over reef or nearshore seagrass/hardbottom habitats. The combined effects of mortality during these early stages in concert with variability in early life traits caused selective mortality to be pervasive throughout the early life stages of snappers and barracudas. Patterns in selective mortality were investigated by tracking and repeatedly sampling several cohorts of larvae in 2007 and 2008, and for the first time in tropical reef fishes, linking young pelagic larvae with settlement-stage fish and juveniles. In agreement with the growth-mortality hypothesis, large size-at-hatch and fast larval growth conveyed a survival advantage in most species examined, but several switches in the direction of selection with ontogeny and over time occurred, and were contrary to this hypothesis. Consistent patterns of trait-mediated selective mortality lower trait variability in the surviving population, while inconsistencies in these patterns may contribute to the high degree of variability that characterizes these early life stages. Results presented in this dissertation help fill knowledge gaps critical to the understanding and modeling of dispersal and connectivity in several economically valuable snapper and barracuda species. In addition, the identification of life history traits important to the survival of individuals through the larval and into the juvenile stage, has implications for future management of these ecologically and economically valuable species.

Objective: Utilizing a conceptual model of the impact of disasters on children╒s functioning, the current study examined unhealthy diet and sedentary activity levels of children exposed to Hurricane Ike. Exposure stressors (perceived and actual life threat) and recovery stressors (hurricane-related stressors and major life events), were hypothesized to be associated with unhealthy diet and sedentary activity. Exposure stressors, recovery stressors, and child demographic characteristics were also expected to be associated with posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms. It also was predicted that physical activity would attenuate the relationship between recovery stressors and children╒s PTS symptoms. Finally, the feasibility of collecting health behavior information from children was examined. Method: Utilizing a cross-sectional design, 204 children (51% girls; M age = 9.23, SD = .79; grades 3 and 4) from Galveston, Texas were evaluated 8 months after Hurricane Ike (Time 1). At Time 1, children completed self-report measures of traumatic experiences, major life events, PTS symptoms, height and weight, and health behaviors. 53 children were reevaluated two weeks later (Time 2) to examine the stability and validity of health-related measures. Children completed a second measure of their height, weight, and health behavior measures, and actual measurements of height and weight were also taken. Results: Consistent with expectations, exposure and recovery stressors were associated with sedentary activity and PTS symptoms. Exposure stressors were indirectly related to sedentary activity and PTS symptoms through recovery stressors. However, contrary to expectations, stressors were not associated with unhealthy diet. African American ethnicity, Hispanic ethnicity, and female gender were related to PTS symptoms through recovery stressors. Physical activity did not attenuate the relationship between recovery stressors and children╒s PTS symptoms. In terms of health behaviors, children╒s self-reported weight was both stable and valid from Time 1 to Time 2. Self-reported height was stable but invalid. Measures of children╒s unhealthy diet and sedentary activity showed moderate stability. The measure of physical activity exhibited low stability and low validity. Conclusions: Sedentary activity may be a particularly important health behavior to examine after disasters. Implications for schools, families, and future research are discussed. Alternative measures of physical activity should be considered.

The physical properties (i.e., mass, particle diameter and composition) of apolipoprotein B (apoB)-containing lipoproteins (apoB-LP) are a major determinant of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk. The objective of this research was to investigate how nascent apoB-LP physical properties affect circulating lipoprotein profiles and risk of disease. Relationships between apoB-LP physical properties and arterial plaque formation in four genotypes of mice with apoB isoform specific clearance defects were investigated. Multivariate statistical analysis found that arterial lesions were most closely related to genetic background and apoB concentration related to delayed clearance rate. For defining the dietary effects on circulating lipoprotein profiles, the physical properties of lipoproteins in hamsters fed high-carbohydrate diets containing either 60% fructose or 60% cornstarch for 2 wk were studied. Fructose increased very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) particle diameter and decreased low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particle diameter. Elevations in all high-density lipoprotein (HDL) fractions were observed in the fructose-fed group. Further investigation was made of whether changes to the physical properties in circulating lipoproteins resulted from changes to nascent particles in the assembly and secretion processes. Intermediate particles used for lipoprotein assembly were isolated from rough endoplasmic reticulum of hamster liver, and nascent VLDL were isolated from plasma after Triton WR-1339 injection of hamsters. A large, TG-rich apoB-deficient particle and a small, lipid-poor apoB-containing particle were isolated in each dietary setting. The diameter of first-step particles was larger in fructose feeding, which indicated that apoB degradation decreases and provides the basis for apoB oversecretion. Fructose feeding significantly increased the concentrations recovered from liver for these two particles and for nascent particles compared with chow or starch feeding. Collectively, these results demonstrate: 1) genetic factors can dictate metabolism, and metabolic conditions can critically affect the physical properties and further atherogenicity of apoB-LP; 2) changes in physical properties of circulating apoB-LP are derived from changes to the nascent particles; and 3) dietary factors can influence the assembly, secretion, and metabolism of apoB-LP. The findings of the research may provide a metabolic basis for the recognition of new targets that could regulate apoB-LP metabolism to prevent and treat ASCVD.

This study investigated the relationship between varied amounts of wheat bran incorporated into peanut butter cookies, and the objective and sensory qualities of the cookies. Bran was incorporated at 0 percent, 10 percent, 30 percent and 50 percent of the weight of the flour. The researcher conducted objective evaluations. The data indicated that as bran was increased the cookies became less tender and height decreased slightly. Neither volume nor spread were consistently affected by bran level. A panel of 11 home economists taste-tested the cookies with the different bran levels and completed a rating card for each on various sensory qualities. Another panel of 11 fifth grade students rated the cookies on the basis of overall acceptability and willingness to eat the various cookies. The 10 percent bran level cookie was given the highest rating by both panels. None of the cookies were found to be unacceptable.

Background: Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death and disability among chronic diseases in the United States. Type 2 diabetes, which accounts for 90-95% of all diabetes cases, is a preventable form of disease which can be controlled through diet and physical activity. But residents of places such as ‘food deserts’, with no access to fresh food, often bear the burden of chronic diseases such as diabetes. There have been very few studies which have particularly looked at the association between food environment and diabetes prevalence in such deprived areas. Objective: The study investigated the association between living in food desert and developing diabetes or dying from the disease. It considered factors such as access to grocery stores and supermarkets, convenience stores, food joints and owning a personal vehicle that might affect diabetes related morbidity and mortality. It has also looked at factors such as income and race which might influence the association. Methodology: The study emphasizes on the lack of access to food, in low income and deprived neighborhoods and its impact on diabetes mortality and morbidity at the micro level of census tracts in Fulton County, Georgia. Diabetes related data was obtained from OASIS and Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness for the years 1994-2010 for 204 census tracts of Fulton County. Data for food desert distribution was extracted from the ‘Food desert Locator’ tool of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Data on food stores was obtained through ReferenceUSA. Demographic information was acquired from American Fact Finder of the US Census Bureau. SPSS version 21 was used to calculate Pearson’s correlation to find the association between food environment and diabetes as well as to see whether there is an association between income and vehicle ownership with diabetes occurrence. ArcGIS 10.1 was used to represent data as maps showing the geographical distribution of various factors across the County and their association with the occurrence of diabetes. Results: Low income African American dominated census tracts which have been designated as food deserts have a higher occurrence of morbidity and mortality from diabetes. The correlation between number of supermarkets and grocery stores, convenience stores and full service restaurants has no statistically significant relation with diabetes. Similarly, there is no statistically significant relation between car ownership and diabetes. But the relationship between income and diabetes has a statistical significance. Conclusion: This study did not find any significant statistical association between diabetes and living in food desert. But from the GIS maps it can be observed that the number of food markets (supermarkets and grocery stores) is much less in the low income tracts than elsewhere and these are also the tracts which have higher occurrence of diabetes. Similarly, the numbers of convenience stores, which usually do not have a healthy collection of food, are more in the low income neighborhoods. The weak association between the factors studied might be because other factors such as education and access to healthcare have not been considered for this study. More research in this field is required to get a better picture of the diabetes health status in food desert areas.

Study Objective. To assess the dietary intakes of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD); including macro- and micronutrient intake, the percentage of low nutrient density foods in the diet, as well as specific biochemical and anthropometric parameters. Design. Observational study. Setting. Provincial ADHD Program of BC, Children’s’ Hospital, Vancouver, BC. Sample. 44 children aged 6 - 12 years with ADHD, treatment-naïve or stable on medication for 6 months or longer. Main Results. ADHD Children were taller and heavier than population norms, and significantly taller than previously reported in ADHD. Of children aged 6-8 years, 28% were below the Estimate Average Requirement (EAR) for zinc and 61% of children aged 9-12 years were below the EAR for zinc. In addition, 28% of children aged 6-8 years and 39% of children aged 9-12 years were below the EAR for copper. Only 2% of children in the sample were below lab normal cutoffs for ferritin; however, 73% had serum zinc values below lab normal cut-offs and 23% had serum copper below lab normal cutoffs. Overall prevalence of serum zinc below the 2.5 percentile was 23% compared to 2% from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey II (NHANES) data. Additionally, mean serum copper was significantly lower than NHANES II data. Mean energy intake was comparable to mean Estimated Energy Requirement (EER) based on the age, gender, height, weight and physical activity of subjects. In addition, mean dietary intake of Low Nutrient Density foods was not significantly different from NHANES II data and there was no significant difference in energy intake or the proportion of daily energy from protein, fat, and carbohydrate than what is observed from CCHS data. Medication treatment for ADHD was not associated with altered dietary intake or nutrient status. Conclusion. Results are suggestive of low zinc status in ADHD.

Background: Recently, some US cohorts have shown a moderate association between red and processed meat consumption and mortality supporting the results of previous studies among vegetarians. The aim of this study was to examine the association of red meat, processed meat, and poultry consumption with the risk of early death in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Methods: Included in the analysis were 448,568 men and women without prevalent cancer, stroke, or myocardial infarction, and with complete information on diet, smoking, physical activity and body mass index, who were between 35 and 69 years old at baseline. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to examine the association of meat consumption with all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Results: As of June 2009, 26,344 deaths were observed. After multivariate adjustment, a high consumption of red meat was related to higher all-cause mortality (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01 to 1.28, 160+ versus 10 to 19.9 g/day), and the association was stronger for processed meat (HR = 1.44, 95% CI 1.24 to 1.66, 160+ versus 10 to 19.9 g/day). After correction for measurement error, higher all-cause mortality remained significant only for processed meat (HR = 1.18, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.25, per 50 g/d). We estimated that 3.3% (95% CI 1.5% to 5.0%) of deaths could be prevented if all participants had a processed meat consumption of less than 20 g/day. Significant associations with processed meat intake were observed for cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and 'other causes of death'. The consumption of poultry was not related to all-cause mortality. Conclusions: The results of our analysis support a moderate positive association between processed meat consumption and mortality, in particular due to cardiovascular diseases, but also to cancer.