This study examined the social cognitive theory factors of home availability of fruits and vegetables, nutrition knowledge, food preparation ability, and cooking self-efficacy and the demographic factors of race/ethnicity, age, gender, marital status, living situation, and meal plan participation in relation to college students' fruit and vegetable consumption. The study sample was comprised of students attending on-campus classes at Utah State University during spring semester of 2009. Data were collected via traditional pencil-and-paper surveys distributed during classes with students in varying stages of their college education and from different fields of study. In total, 207 surveys were used for the linear regression analysis. Race/ethnicity was not included in the regression model due to lack of sufficient racial/ethnic diversity. Of the remaining variables, availability of fruits and vegetables in the home, cooking self-efficacy, and meal plan participation were found to be significant predictors of college students' fruit and vegetable consumption. Availability in the home was the strongest predictor of fruit and vegetable intake in this sample.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / In the United States, over 30 percent of children are categorized as overweight or obese. Comorbid conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and other health complications related to obesity, are also on the rise. This public health issue is often related to disproportionate dietary intake and lack of physical activity. Efforts that promote fruits and vegetables (F/V) as preferred food choices over high fat and high sugar foods may help combat the increasing incidence of overweight and obesity. Other benefits from F/V include prebiotics or fiber that helps to create and maintain a healthy microbiota, which is now recognized as essential for long-term positive health outcomes. Many children, however, fall short in consuming the recommended daily amounts of F/V servings, and therefore, lack key nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and fiber. This study is a pilot, quasi-experimental design that provides information related to the importance of eating F/V to children, ages 11-12 years, who attend a parochial school in Indianapolis, Indiana. The data from this study describe the amounts of F/V servings in home-prepared school lunches. The primary aim of this study is to determine if eight interactive multimedia lessons and activities delivered to one group of students (intervention) and a single lesson delivered to a different group of students in the same school and grade (control), affects the amount of lunch F/V servings, student knowledge, attitude, and self-efficacy/perception. This baseline data will contribute to the design and implementation of a health curriculum for middle school age students. Focus groups, adapted validated assessment tools as well as the on-site observation of F/V servings brought in lunches and consumed at lunch are compared between both groups to document any effects of the instruction. The results show that a statistically significant change in knowledge occurred within the intervention group following the implementation of this F/V education series. Favorable findings, with a positive upward trend in relative amounts of F/V, were identified and more research in this area is warranted.

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Over the past three decades, obesity rates for children ages 2-5 years have doubled from 5% to 10% and children ages 6-11 years have more than tripled from 4% to over 15%. Adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables in the diet are necessary to reduce increased risks associated with long term inadequate consumption of these foods. Grant recipients received funds to purchase a sectionizer and slicer to prepare more attractive fruits and vegetables for school food service lines. Through the use of a descriptive survey, recipients reported a significant reduction in workload on staff and an increase in the amounts of fruits and vegetables children took from service lines after these foods were prepared using this equipment. Using equipment designed to increase convenience or enhance appearance of fruits and vegetables in school food service operations may increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables provided to children through child nutrition programs.

U.S. imports of fresh fruits and vegetables have increased sharply since the late 1980's. With increased imports come increased concerns that pests and diseases may infest shipments of fresh agricultural products. To address this concern, USDA's APHIS implements phytosanitary measures that mitigate pest and disease risks. These regulations vary from documentation requirements, inspection, or requiring that shipments receive a phytosanitary treatment. A growing body of literature attempts to assess the generic trade flow effects of SPS measures. Still, little evidence is available to shed light on the nature, size, and scope of SPS standards and their role as "trade barriers" versus "trade catalysts." This thesis fills the void in the literature in two respects. First, a novel database on phytosanitary measures pertaining to U.S. imports of 47 fresh fruit and vegetable products from 95 countries is developed for the period 1996-2007. This disaggregated approach allows for the effects of specific phytosanitary treatments to be identified. Second, following recent literature, the issue of "zeros" is addressed while estimating a gravity model of international trade. The findings suggest that phytosanitary treatments initially inhibit fresh fruit and vegetable imports. However, their trade reducing effects are uneven across product sectors, development status categories and treatment types. Finally, globally large exporters facing a treatment requirement ship more fresh fruits and vegetable relative to small exporters facing the same regulation, suggesting the role of SPS measures as "trade barriers" versus "trade catalysts" depends on the relative size of the exporter in the global market. / Master of Science

Research suggests school-based interventions and health education programs can increase children's fruit and vegetable exposure and consumption to improve their diet quality and reduce the risk of diet-related chronic diseases during adulthood. Nevertheless, children have limited availability and access to fruits and vegetables in school environments, which is a barrier to healthy eating. Farm to school (FTS) programs are one of many synergistic interventions to increase children's intake of locally and regionally produced fruits and vegetables at school. In 2015, the United States (U.S.) Department of Agriculture reported that 42% of U.S. school districts and 57% of Virginia schools participated in FTS programs. However, there is a lack of research on FTS programs in Montgomery County, Virginia. This MS thesis describes a mixed-methods, Q Methodology study to explore the views of diverse stakeholders (n=14) regarding the benefits, opportunities, and challenges to implement FTS programs for children, aged 5-11 years, in primary schools in Montgomery County, Virginia. Objective 1 was used to identify and mapped stakeholders invested in or affected by FTS programs in Virginia. Objective 2 used Q Methodology and factor analysis to identify the views of stakeholders regarding the benefits, opportunities, and challenges of FTS programs in Montgomery County. Results found two factors that summarized all 14 participants' viewpoints. Factor one (n=12), Appreciators of Child-Centered Benefits and factor 2 (n=2), Advocates for Legislative Change. Objective 3 described policies and future actions needed to institutionalize and sustain FTS programs in Montgomery County and southwestern Virginia. / Master of Science / Research suggests school-based interventions and health education programs can increase children’s fruit and vegetable exposure and consumption to improve their diet quality and reduce the risk of diet-related chronic diseases during adulthood. Nevertheless, children have limited availability and access to fruits and vegetables in school environments, which is a barrier to healthy eating. Farm to school (FTS) programs are one of many synergistic interventions to increase children’s intake of locally and regionally produced fruits and vegetables at school. In 2015, the United States (U.S.) Department of Agriculture reported that 42% of U.S. school districts and 57% of Virginia schools participated in FTS programs. However, there is a lack of research on FTS programs in Montgomery County, Virginia. This MS thesis describes a mixed-methods, Q Methodology study to explore the views of diverse stakeholders (n=14) regarding the benefits, opportunities, and challenges to implement FTS programs for children, aged 5- 11 years, in primary schools in Montgomery County, Virginia. Objective 1 identified and mapped stakeholders invested in or affected by FTS programs in Virginia. Objective 2 used Q Methodology and factor analysis to identify the views of stakeholders regarding the benefits, opportunities, and challenges of FTS programs in Montgomery County. Results found two factors that summarized all 14 participants’ viewpoints. Factor one (n=12), Appreciators of Child-Centered Benefits and factor 2 (n=2), Advocates for Legislative Change. Objective 3 described policies and future actions needed to institutionalize and sustain FTS programs in Montgomery County and southwestern Virginia.

One-third of the American population is obese (1), and of those successful at losing weight, most return to their baseline weight within three to five years (2). In an effort to increase the success of weight loss maintenance (WTLM), research has focused on strategies that promote self-regulation (3). Self-regulation strategies, such as daily self-monitoring of body weight (4), increased step count (5, 6), and increased fruit and vegetable intake (7) have proven to be effective in long-term WTLM interventions. To date, increased water consumption has not been researched as a WTLM strategy, yet it has been shown to decrease meal energy intake (8, 9) and increase weight loss among middle-aged and older adults (10). The purpose of our first investigation was to determine if self-monitoring of increased water consumption facilitates WTLM over 12 months among middle-aged to older adults, when combined with other self-regulation strategies. Our second investigation was a review of WTLM literature to determine the translation potential published interventions using the RE-AIM (Reach, Efficacy/effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance) framework (11) to provide recommendations for future research. Our first main finding was that weekly tracking of these self-regulatory behaviors (self-weighing, step counts, fruit/vegetable intake) for 12 months promotes effective long-term WTLM among middle-aged and older adults. However, daily self-monitoring of increased water consumption (48 fl oz/day) did not appear to provide an additional benefit. Secondly, we have identified significant gaps in the WTLM literature that may hinder the translatability of existing effective interventions. Specifically, current WTLM research is limited in reporting important external validity factors (e.g. costs, adoption, participation rate). Available WTLM literature provided a more detailed overview of Reach, Efficacy, and Implementation, yet was little information on potential adoption, costs, or sustainability. Future work in this area should address these factors to increase the translation potential of WTLM interventions in clinical or community settings. / Ph. D.

The first study investigates the factors that impact the duration of U.S. fresh fruit and vegetable imports. We employ both survival analysis (Kaplan Meier estimates and Cox proportional hazards model) as well as count data models. Our results indicate that SPS treatment requirements positively impact the duration of trade while new market access has the opposite effect. Other factors typically included in trade duration models (such as: GDP, transportation costs, tariff rates, etc.) were also investigated. We also employ a probit model to understand the factors impacting the probability that a country selects into exporting fresh fruits and vegetables to the United States. The second study estimates the goods-time elasticity of substitution for Food Stamp/SNAP participants versus non participants. We find that the elasticity of substitution for SNAP participants is not statistically different from zero. This indicates that SNAP participants have Leontief production function in household food production, implying that increasing the amount of SNAP benefits paid to participants will not lead to more food production if the time households dedicate to food preparation remains unchanged. This finding extends the analysis done by Baral, Davis and You (2011) and offers insights for policies related to the SNAP program. / Master of Science