The purpose of the study was to determine if nutrition knowledge would increase, indicated by improvements in pretest and posttest scores, following implementation of a nutrition lesson plan. The subjects included 532 fourth through eighth grade students from Johnson County, a rural county in northeast Tennessee. The lesson plans and pretests and posttests were developed to be appropriate for each grade level, with increased complexity in higher grades. The principal investigator graded the pretests and posttests and analyzed the data using SPSS. The results showed a significant improvement from pretests to posttests for all grades given a p-value of <0.05.

The purpose of this study was to increase the nutrition knowledge of elementary school students by implementing nutrition education lessons. The subjects included 49 kindergarten through third grade students in Johnson County, Tennessee during the fall of 2004. Knowledge increase was measured by pretest and posttest scores. The tests were analyzed by paired t-tests. While all students showed an increase in mean score, kindergarten and first grade students did not show a significant increase in posttest scores. However, second and third grade students showed a significant increase in posttest scores, indicating an increase in nutrition knowledge.

The purpose of this study was to determine if patients with head or neck cancer receiving radiation were satisfied with the nutrition counseling they were receiving and if they obtained any benefit. Radiation to the head or neck region promotes side effects such as taste changes and chewing and swallowing difficultly that decrease food and fluid intake. A reduction in nutrients leads to weight loss, and weight loss in cancer patients increases the risk of morbidity and morality as well as decreases quality of life. Subjects were recruited from a local cancer treatment facility and a survey was administered. Subjects were found to manage the side effects better after counseling from the registered dietitian, and a minimal amount of weight loss was observed. Registered dietitians when incorporated into a radiation treatment facility can provide an effective nutrition program targeted at reducing weight loss and improving quality of life.

The purpose of this study was to determine and evaluate the dietary intake of pregnant women living in this geographical area, evaluate how their diets related to their iron status, how their nutrient intakes compared with other studies, and how their iron status and diet affected infant iron status and development, as assessed by the Bayley Scale of Infant Development. The study involved 32 pregnant women who were between 8 to 14 weeks gestation and 20 to 35 years of age. They were followed through pregnancy and their infants were followed until three months of age. Three-day dietary records, a questionnaire and a blood sample were completed at the initial visit (8 to 14 weeks gestation). Six of the nutrients analyzed were consumed in amounts less than the Recommended Dietary Allowances: iron 77%, magnesium 58%, zinc 51%, vitamin B6 65%, folacin 30% and pantothenic acid 89%. Use of a prenatal vitamin/mineral supplement was beneficial in increasing most of these nutrients to within acceptable range. Zinc was not included in the supplement and thus remained at 51 % of the RDA. Magnesium was increased to 80% of the RDA. Nutrient intakes were very similar to the USDA Nationwide Food Consumption Survey for pregnant women (1985). Mean iron status of the subjects was within acceptable range. A food frequency questionnaire and a blood sample were analyzed at 32 weeks gestation. Iron and vitamin C intake remained fairly constant throughout pregnancy. Fifty-six percent of the subjects had become depleted of iron stores at this time. Cord blood analysis revealed a relationship between maternal iron status and infant iron status at birth. Infant iron status and diet were analyzed at three months gestational stage. Infant iron status appeared to be within normal range. Maternal iron status and diet did not have a significant effect on infant iron status or infant development as assessed by the Bayley Scale of Infant Development.

The obesity epidemic remains a serious issue in the United States leading to significant public health implications and costs. Few weight loss interventions paring mobile technology with face-to-face interventions have been conducted in rural communities. Yet, mobile technology interventions offer good potential for delivery but it is unclear if the combination of these weight loss strategies are beneficial. This study sought to examine how integrating mobile technology with face-to-face weight loss interventions in rural communities affects weight loss. Additionally, to determine if mobile technology paired with face-to-face interventions could increase autonomous and controlled motivation levels among adults in rural Kentucky. The addition of mobile technology with face-to-face intervention provided no significant interaction effect for weight loss compared to the mobile technology group alone. However, a group and time effect was observed for weight loss change. An interaction effect for autonomous motivation indicated that neither group changed independently, but comparing their change over time, the intervention group increased while the control group decreased. A time effect was found as controlled motivation decreased from baseline to final. Future research is required to develop weight loss interventions using technology and face-to-face strategies that may enhance motivation and weight loss outcomes.

Mental health disorders are rising in children and being referred to as an epidemic. Numerous studies have shown micronutrient deficiencies and poor diet quality are suspected of playing a contributory role in the escalation of certain disorders. However, there is no research in young children focusing specifically on social emotional disorders and possible links to nutrition. Conventional treatment for social emotional disorders in children typically involves medication. Parents are increasingly turning to complementary and alternative medicine to treat their children with a method that is individualized and holistic. The biopsychosocial model provided the theoretical framework for this correlational study that investigated the association between nutrient intake and social emotional functioning. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine if diet/health indicators were significant predictors of any of the subscale scores on the Behavior Assessment System for Children - Second Edition (BASC-2), Parent Rating Scale -Preschool social emotional variables. Intake of food categories was measured by the amount reported by a sample of 119 parents over a three-day period. Higher levels of processed food consumption significantly predicted higher scores of atypicality. Additionally, reporting a family history of mental illness was associated with lower levels of hyperactivity and depression. The relationships between the other diet quality/health indicators and social emotional functioning in children were non-significant. The results of this study offer an alternative or supplemental treatment modality to psychotropic drugs. With the increasing health and economic burden of mental health disorders in children, the investigation of risk factors such as nutrient intake, is an essential and pressing research initiative.

The prevalence of diabetes and other pathophysiological conditions has been correlated with the incidence of obesity. A large portion of an adult community in the northwestern United States suffers from excessive weight that has been linked to premature mortality rates and certain forms of diabetes. Excess calories from carbohydrate have been shown to increase weight. Therefore, diets that are modified in carbohydrate and calories may help mitigate weight and obesity comorbidities. This qualitative, single case study's purpose was to explore the methods health care professionals use for teaching adults about controlling weight. Altheide and Johnson's analytic realism theory, in which they describe how the experiences of educators and learners affect the way information is perceived, formed the conceptual framework for this study. An illustrative case study paradigm was used to identify the perceptions of licensed health care practitioners regarding the current adult teaching methods for modifying dietary carbohydrate and excess weight. Using a purposeful sample, data were collected in 2 phases with 5 licensed health care practitioners: Phase 1 entailed an open-ended electronic questionnaire and semistructured telephone interviews with open-ended questions during phase 2. Data were analyzed through coding and aggregation by NVivo and Tosmana software, respectively. The findings indicated that the American Diabetes Association (ADA) plate method was the most effective teaching model for controlling weight and carbohydrate intake. Consequently, the ADA plate method was used to create a professional development program to teach health care educators about nutrition instruction methods for adults. The study contributes to positive social change by enhancing preventive health measures for the local adult population through diet therapy education.

Poor diet quality is a source of morbidity and mortality within the United States. Previous researchers have examined psychosocial influences on diet; however, the relationship between life chaos, a psychosocial measure, and diet quality was not known. The purpose of this cross-sectional survey study was to use the Life Chaos Scale and the Healthy Eating Index-2010 to collect data on life chaos and diet quality, consistent with the biopsychosocial model of health, from a sample of 103 U.S. adults. Regression analysis was used to construct a predictive model. According to the study results, life chaos was not a significant predictor of diet quality (p = .699), although household income, when added to the model, was a predictor of diet quality (p = .011). Although there was no relationship between life chaos and diet quality, life chaos could be found universally throughout household income levels. Additionally, diet quality had a negative correlation with household income. Life chaos was not a significant predictor of diet quality, while confirming the role of income in diet quality. As inequalities of health and nutrition continue to be better understood through studies such as this, social change efforts can be targeted in an evidence-based way to bring the health benefits of a high quality diet to more Americans starting with greater outreach to low-income individuals.

Development of an Educational Program to Obtain and Maintain Healthy Weights Among 4th and 5th Grade Students By Stephanie D. Black MSN, University of Phoenix, 2008 BSN, Southwest Baptist University, 2006 ASN, Southwest Baptist University, 2003 Capstone Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Nursing Practice Walden University October 2017 Obesity is prevalent in schoolchildren and increases risk of chronic diseases throughout the lifespan. Strategies are needed to address this growing health problem. Education in elementary schools targeting the topics of nutritional choices and prevention of obesity, particularly in 4th-5th grade population, is one strategy researchers have identified as effective. This quality improvement project designed an educational toolkit to provide students educational knowledge and assist them to develop and explore how to incorporate healthy habits and choices into their daily lives. The purpose of this project was to develop an educational program for use in a southwestern elementary school to improve and/or maintain the weights of 4th and 5th grade students. The educational tool kit was developed for the school to implement to fill a gap their curriculum identified by school board members and educators. Orem's self-care deficit theory informed the development of this program, the educational toolkit, and all associated supplementary materials. An interdisciplinary project team of community and institutional stakeholders led by the Doctor of Nursing Practice student worked together to review peer-reviewed evidence, consider contextual challenges, and develop a curriculum suitable for the population. Plans for program implementation and evaluation were also developed to provide the school with a turnkey solution to the problem of child obesity. This initiative has great potential to promote positive social change through improving the health of local elementary school students and other elementary schools in the area may use it as a model for their own curriculum to improve knowledge, habits, and practices of elementary students relevant to positive nutritional choices.

Vitamin A nutrition status was evaluated in 110 pairs of women and their preschool children at rural health posts in two different ecological regions of Northeast Brazil. Serum retinol and carotene, weight, height, tricep skinfold and mid-arm circumference were measured from each mother and child. Nutrition knowledge of mothers, socioeconomic living conditions and consumption of retinol and carotene food sources were assessed. Nine children (8 percent) and one mother had less than acceptable serum retinol (less than 20 μg/dl). Additionally, 21 percent of the children and six percent of the mothers had "low" serum carotene levels. Thirty-seven percent and 57 percent of the children were at or below the tenth percentile for height and weight, respectively, when compared to Brazilian standard tables, and 30 percent were below the tenth percentile of weight for height. When compared to NCHS standard tables, 34 percent were below the tenth percentile for weight/height. Nutrition knowledge was very limited, but opportunities for nutrition education are great as mothers wanted more nutrition and feeding information. Squash, carrots and mangoes were more common sources of vitamin A than were animal sources. Multiple regression models indicated statistical significance among mothers' serum retinol, survey site, and mothers' weight/height percentile and among mothers' vitamin A intake, survey site, and mothers' ages. The data indicate that vitamin A nutrition status is suboptimal in Northeast Brazil, but appropriate food sources exist. Long-term intervention projects need to focus on increasing the production, distribution, and consumption of preformed vitamin A- and carotene-rich foods.