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abstract: Food banks are the foundation of the emergency food network, and while their chief mission is to mitigate hunger, the rise in obesity and other diet-related diseases among clientele has incited the need for better nutritional control with regards to procurement of inventory at food banks. The purpose of this research was to determine if procured inventory at United Food Bank in Mesa, Arizona could meet minimum MyPlate recommendations for a typical food bank client and what implications the results could have for future policy. Inventory data was obtained from United Food Bank for fiscal year 2013-2014 and analyzed utilizing the MyPlate Analysis Program to determine contributions of each food category to MyPlate recommendations. Inventory was separated by MyPlate food category and analyzed to determine contribution towards a meal built around MyPlate recommendations. Results showed that the inventory could meet the minimum requirements for protein and grains for a family of four for at least three days, the amount of time an emergency food box is designed to last. On the contrary, the inventory did not meet minimum vegetable, fruit or dairy requirements. These results indicate that typical food bank inventory does not meet USDA MyPlate recommendations and that having nutritional policy in place could potentially drive donations and purchases to enhance the nutritional quality of future food bank inventory. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Nutrition 2015

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This study examines the influence of teaching digital resources of MyPlate on the nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to healthy eating habits among first and second-grade students. A pre-and post-assessment of this quasi-experimental research study measured the baseline KAP levels of 45 participants regarding healthy eating habits. Students were divided into three groups: digital MyPlate (n =16), pencil-and-paper (n =15), and control (n =14). Following the pre-assessment, an intervention was conducted involving teaching MyPlate and the five food groups. A post-assessment was then implemented to measure the change in KAP levels resulting from the intervention. In addition to the surveys, digital photography observation was used to assess the practice component of the intervention. Participants' lunch meals at the cafeteria were photographed before and after consumption to observe food variety and meal composition. An ANOVA was used to analyze the differences in post-assessment scores between the three groups: 2 intervention groups (the digital MyPlate group and the pencil-and-paper group) and the control group for knowledge, attitudes, and practice. For knowledge, F(2, 42) = 15.55, p < .001 indicating significant differences between groups for knowledge post-assessment. For attitudes, ANOVA revealed no significant differences, F(2, 42) = 1.619, p < .21. For practice, ANOVA revealed differences that approached but were not quite significant, F(2, 42) = 3.025, p < .0593. Tukey’s post-hoc tests showed a significant difference in the outcome between the digital MyPlate group and the control group (diff = 4.41, p-value of 0.00), and the pencil-and-paper group and the control group (diff = 3.68, p-value of 0.00) for knowledge. Both the digital MyPlate and pencil-and-paper group scored significantly higher than the control group on knowledge post-assessment. However, when pre-test and post-test measures of knowledge, attitudes, and practice were analyzed, there were no significant changes between pre- and post-test data for any of the groups (digital, pencil-and-paper, control). This study had several limitations such as a small sample size and intervention duration. This research can be used as a basis for future studies on MyPlate by expanding the intervention or investigating if this knowledge can lead to behavioral changes.

Background: Hispanics are the largest minority group in the U.S. and by the year 2060 the number of Hispanics is projected to double. They are disproportionately affected by obesity and chronic diseases which translate into decreased quality of life, loss of work opportunities and perceptions of injustice for the Hispanic population. The Dietary Guidelines (DG) provide information to help Americans make healthy food and physical activity choices and if followed can be a means of reducing the health disparity gap. However, culturally relevant recommendations specific to Hispanics’ health and nutritional habits are often lacking. The purpose of this study was to examine Hispanics’ knowledge, perceptions, benefits and barriers to the recommendations in the DG for Americans, Choose MyPlate, and the Department of Health and Human Services physical activity guidelines. Methods: A qualitative research design was used. Focus groups were conducted in Spanish and audiotapes were transcribed and then, translated into English. Thematic analysis was used to identify different key concepts subgrouping these topics according to common emergent themes. Results: A total of 24 participants took part in the study. Participants viewed healthy eating in terms of portion sizes. They viewed the DG as helpful but felt they needed more information to follow the guidelines. Several barriers were identified in following the MyPlate: lack of availability of healthy, fresh, inexpensive grocery options in Hispanic neighborhoods. Participants described the benefits of physical activity as related to improved mental health and quality of life such as looking and feeling better. Conclusion and Implications: Promoting nutrition education that is culturally and linguistically appropriate for Hispanics might help facilitate the adoption of the DG and MyPlate recommendations. Also, improving the design of existing low-income neighborhoods is still a challenge to improve participation in physical activity among Hispanics’.