The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of 'Foodstyles: Perspectives on Food for People' (Foodstyles), on the teaching practices of secondary Home Economics educators in British Columbia. Foodstyles is a nutrition innovation intended for use in conjunction with the Foods and Nutrition section of the provincial Home Economics Curriculum. The design of the study was developed from curriculum evaluation literature. Research questions were derived from the concerns of program developers, workshop leaders and teachers. The questions investigated how teachers use Foodstyles, if teachers who use the program accept its rationale, what factors influence use of the program and in what ways Foodstyles is of value in nutrition education practice. Patterns of teacher use of Foodstyles were selected as the criteria for judging the impact of the innovation. Data were obtained by questionnaires and interviews. Questionnaires were mailed to teachers who had attended a Foodstyles workshop and who were teaching Home Economics in school districts that agreed to participate in the study. Of the 113 teachers who responded (51.8 percent), 75 taught Foods and Nutrition during 1980-81 and were included in the analyses. A sample of ten respondents were interviewed to obtain descriptions of their use of Foodstyles. Results of the analyses of questionnaire data together with descriptions from the interviews were used to construct "Profiles of Teacher Use of Foodstyles" for high, moderate and low-users. A panel of nutrition education experts used these three profiles to judge the value of the innovation. Results of the study indicated that teachers used individual activities from Foodstyles that were congruent with their own objectives. They most frequently used junior-level activities that were presented at workshops, were related to factors influencing food choice and were ready for immediate classroom use. Correlational analysis indicated a significant positive relationship between use of Foodstyles activities and selection of teaching strategies which reflect acceptance of the Foodstyles rationale. During interviews, high-users (18.7 percent) reported that they selected activities from Foodstyles to encourage students to choose food patterns consistent with their needs and lifestyles. High-users included Foodstyles in lessons as intended by program developers and as the panel believed it should be used. Low-users, (33.3 percent), reported using the innovation only to teach nutrition information. Program developers and members of the panel considered that this was not consistent with the intents of the innovation. Moderate users (48.0 percent) showed no distinguishing characteristics in their use of Foodstyles. Teachers were found to be more likely to use Foodstyles if they taught senior classes, taught only Foods and Nutrition courses, attended a workshop as a teacher rather than as a student-teacher, received the newsletter "In Touch" and had positive attitudes toward the program as measured by the questionnaire. The panel judged Foodstyles to represent a valuable approach to the teaching of nutrition. The results of the study, however, indicated that Foodstyles has had only a moderate impact on the teaching practices of secondary Home Economics teachers in British Columbia. Several implications related to nutrition education practice and to nutrition education research were inferred from the study. Specific recommendations for the review and modification of the Foodstyles program and workshop also emerged. Overall, the approach to evaluation used in this study permitted judgements to be made about the impact of the innovation in nutrition education practice. This approach is recommended for the evaluation of those innovations which are designed to complement existing provincial curricula. / Land and Food Systems, Faculty of / Graduate

Factors associated with and barriers to participation in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the effect participation has on food security, nutrition status, disease status and quality of life was investigated in a cross-sectional study including 175 HIV infected individuals. In addition, the effect of a targeted nutrition education on nutrition knowledge, readiness to dietary behavior change, nutrition status, disease status and quality of life was also investigated among a subset of the population (N = 45) in a randomized clinical control trial. SNAP participation rate was 70.3%, similar to the State of Florida and national participation rates. SNAP participation was positively and independently associated with being born in the US (P < 0.001), having monthly income less than $1000 (P = 0.006), and receiving antiretroviral treatment (P < 0.001). Participation barriers include denial of participation by program, recent incarceration, living in a shelter where participation is not allowed and unawareness of eligibility status. In regression analyses, SNAP participation was not significantly associated with improved food security, nutrition status, disease status and health related quality of life (HRQOL). Over half (56%) of the population experienced food insecurity and had inadequate intakes of half of the nutrients assessed. Illicit drug, alcohol and cigarette use were high in this population (31%, 55% and 63% respectively), and affected food security, nutrients intake, disease status and HRQOL. The nutrition education intervention resulted in a trend towards improvements nutrition knowledge, self-efficacy, and readiness to change without impacting nutrition status, disease state and quality of life. Food insecurity and other nutrition related issues, with implications for treatment, management and cost of HIV disease, continue to plague infected individuals living in poverty. More resources, including food and nutrition programs, specifically targeted towards this population are needed to address these issues.

Health coaching is a promising approach to support self-management of chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes; however, there aren’t enough coaching practitioners to support those in need. Advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) have the potential to enable innovative, automated health coaching interventions, but important gaps remain in applying AI and ML to coaching interventions. This thesis aims to identify computational approaches and interactive technologies that enable automated health coaching systems. First, I utilized computational approaches that leverage individuals’ self-tracking and health data and used an expert system to translate ML inferences into personalized nutrition goal recommendations. The system, GlucoGoalie, was evaluated in multiple studies including a 4-week deployment study which demonstrated the feasibility of the approach. Second, I compared human-powered and automated/chatbot approaches to health coaching in a 3-week study which found that t2.coach — a scripted, theoretically-grounded chatbot designed through an iterative, user-centered process — cultivated a coach-like experience that had many similarities to the experience of messaging with actual health coaches, and outlined directions for automated, conversational coaching interventions. Third, I examined multiple AI approaches to enable micro-coaching dialogs — brief coaching conversations related to specific meals, to support achievement of nutrition goals — including a knowledge-based system for natural language understanding, and a data-driven, reinforcement learning approach for dialog management. Together, the results of these studies contribute methods and insights that take steps towards more intelligent conversational coaching systems, with resonance to research in informatics, human-computer interaction, and health coaching.

With the background of the complexity about food and nutrition in today’s society the purpose of this study is to investigate how high school students in Sweden describes their experience of nutrition education in physical education. The study focuses on how the students talk about food and nutrition and the approaches to health that are made visible within different subjects.The study was made with a qualitative method and consisted of eleven semi-structured interviews. The respondents were students from two different Swedish high schools who all had completed the course PE1. Data were collected and categorized using a step-based model which created four main themes. These were then analyzed using a patogenic and salutogenic approach on health and Britta Tedin Jakobssons didactic operationalization of Aaron Antonovsky’s theory Sense of coherence.The results suggest that education about nutrition in PE gets minimal lesson time. The content was characterized by a pathogenic, physiological approach with a focus on food and eating habits which was good for the human body. The students experienced the content relevant and important in relation to the PE subject and wanted more education about nutrition. There was however almost no description of the content that included social and psychological approaches in relation to food. Such approaches would be important within a salutogenic approach and the SOC theory. When the students talked about food and eating habits without connection to the PE subject, they showed that it was more than just eating healthy food for the body. For the majority of the students, nutrition was part of a complex project with an aim of minimizing anxiety associated with what unhealthy food and sedentary did to the body.The conclusion of the investigation was that the students felt a kind of sense of coherence within the nutrition education. But it was relatively clear that they were talking and caught in a traditional health discourse which is common in discussions about PE. Thus, the results arouse questions if it actually is that sense of coherence some students experienced that is desirable in the subject, or if the teacher instead should open up new perspectives and visions about nutrition for the students, a kind of salutogenic approach on food. This is of importance if the nutrition education should lead to a different sense of coherence. One that makes students experience health in relation to food.

The purpose of the study was to determine if the health parameters of female employees would improve, as measured in the posttest data, following the completion of a 12-week employee wellness program. The participants included 17 female employees from the Carter County Health Department located in Elizabethton, Tennessee. The principle investigator assessed the changes in the pretests and posttests and analyzed the data using SPSS. The results showed on average an increase in fruit and vegetable consumption and in the number of days exercised per week as well as improved diastolic blood pressure and triglyceride levels. The employees who experienced weight loss, consumed at least four servings of fruit and vegetables per day, and exercised at least 30 minutes five or more days per week had the greatest improvement in health parameters.

No description available.

Background: College students experience food insecurity at a rate 3.5 times higher than the U.S. general population, affecting 43% of students. Furthermore, college students consume high amounts of ultra-processed products. NOVA, a food classification system, takes into account food processing and is thought to better fit the modern food environment. Purpose: The purpose of this research project was to examine the impact of CalFresh enrollment on food security status. This study also evaluated the impact of two different nutrition education interventions (MyPlate and MyPlate+NOVA) on participants’ dietary habits and nutrition knowledge. Methods: Food security, dietary habits, and nutrition knowledge were assessed at baseline, three-month, and at six months follow-up. Food security status was measured using the USDA 6-item Short Form Food Security Assessment Module. A 12-week mobile nutrition education intervention providing MyPlate or MyPlate+NOVA nutrition messages was implemented, and dietary habits were assessed using an adapted NHANES 2009-2010 dietary screener questionnaire, while nutrition knowledge questions were created from the nutrition education messages. Results: Food insecurity decreased by approximately 63% among CalFresh participants. There were no differences in dietary habits or nutrition knowledge among any of the intervention groups or the control group.

Background: South Africa is a multicultural, multi-ethnic developing country currently experiencing a unique quadruple burden of disease, of which malnutrition (both over- and under nutrition) is one of them. The increase in childhood obesity within the current South-African health setting is of serious concern, approximately 14% boys and 18% girls currently are overweight and it is estimated that this number will increase to 25% within the next decade. Healthy eating habits and increased physical activity are important components of a healthy lifestyle, and decrease the risk of overweight and obesity. It is also often the corner stone of many lifestyle modification intervention programmes aimed at preventing or decreasing overweight/obesity. Aim: This sub-study was part of a larger intervention study where a nutrition education intervention programme (NEIP) for children in the form of a musical play (based on the South African Food Based Dietary Guidelines [SAFBDG]) was developed to increase nutrition knowledge and thereby also contribute towards healthy lifestyle behaviour. The aim of this sub-study was therefore to explore and describe the attitude of a specific group of primary school children (aged 6-12 years) towards healthy eating, unhealthy eating, and physical activity before and after a NEIP as well as the standard school curriculum. Secondly, it was aimed to identify possible barriers to and motivators for healthy eating, unhealthy eating and physical activity. Methods: Children were randomly selected from the experimental group (n=143) of the main study. Children were selected into one of four focus groups per school (6 children per focus group) from which qualitative data were gathered on children’s attitude and perception towards healthy eating, unhealthy eating, and physical activity. Focus groups were defined by age and gender (boys and girls seperately, grades I-III and grades IVVI seperately), totalling a number of 96 children. A total of 75 children completed this sub-study, 21 children dropped out due to school-related problems or after school activities that clashed with the time slots during which the NEIP was implimented. Quantitative data was gathered with a socio-demographic and physical activity questionnaire, as well as a 3-point hedonic facial expression scale which was used to quantify attitude towards healthy eating, unhealhty eating and physical activity. All data (quantitative and qualitative) were collected at both baseline and end measurements. Results: The main findings of this sub-study were that the attitude of most primary school children towards healthy eating, unhealthy eating or physical activity remained unchanged after a unique NEIP. Five major themes were identified out of focus group discussions namely health awareness, healthy eating, unhealthy eating, physical activity, and consequences of unhealthy eating and sedentary behaviour. Mothers were identified as the main motivator for eating healthy and avoiding unhealthy eating. The taste and smell of food were both either identified as motivators or barriers for healthy eating and unhealthy eating. Older girls associate unhealthy eating with becoming fat while many children associate the combination of unhealthy eating and being sedentary with becoming fat. Most children have a positive attitude towards physical activity and enjoy doing it although the biggest motivator for partaking in physical activity is their parents and not themselves. Conclusion: Even though some children’s attitude did change in the desired direction after the implementation of a unique and fun NEIP, most children’s attitude towards healthy eating, unhealthy eating and physical activity remained unchanged. This might have been due to the measurement tool that was not sensitive enough to detect subtle changes. Various factors that can influence children’s attitude and perceptions towards healthy eating, unhealthy eating and physical activity both positively or negatively were identified. This study is one of only a few that explored and described the ‘true’ motivators of and barriers for children’s attitude towards healthy eating, unhealthy eating and physical activity. Results generated from this sub-study can thus make a valuable contribution to the existing literature available in this specific study field. / Thesis (MSc (Dietetics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012

Au cours de leur croissance, les jeunes sont exposés à des facteurs de risques de maladies associés aux habitudes de vie, notamment celles alimentaires. Les interventions scolaires mises en place en vue de modifier leurs comportements nutritionnels sont plus efficaces lorsque les parents prennent part aux activités. Toutefois, les travaux réalisés dans ce domaine font état d’un faible taux de participation des parents dans les activités proposées. Les recherches effectuées sur la participation parentale dans les interventions d’éducation nutritionnelle à l’école, révèlent des lacunes importantes quant à la définition du concept. L’investissement parental y est défini par la fréquence d’apparition des parents à l’école et le rôle de ceux-ci dans les interventions; ce qui constitue, à notre avis, une vision réductionniste des dimensions du concept. De plus, ces études répertoriées dans la littérature mettent l’emphase sur la proportion de parents participants et l’influence de celle-ci quant aux effets sur les enfants, sans se préoccuper de ce qui pourrait expliquer leur implication aux activités proposées. L’objectif de cette thèse est de documenter les mécanismes qui sous-tendent la participation des parents dans les programmes de promotion de la santé dispensés en milieu scolaire. Plus spécifiquement, notre étude vise à identifier la relation entre les différentes dimensions de l’implication parentale et les comportements alimentaires des enfants suite à l’exposition de ces derniers à un projet d’éducation à la nutrition mis en place dans huit écoles primaires de milieux défavorisés de Montréal, le Projet PC-PR, tout en appréciant l’influence de certaines caractéristiques familiales sur ce lien. Puis, explorer la relation entre des facteurs qui motivent les parents à participer et l’investissement de ces derniers dans le projet. La présente recherche est conduite grâce à une analyse secondaire de données d’un échantillon de parents d’enfants fréquentant les écoles qui participent au projet PC-PR (N=502). La participation parentale est conceptualisée en quatre dimensions faisant référence à la notion du mésosystème proposée par Bronfenbrenner (1979), alors que les motifs d’implication sont définis en s’inspirant des travaux de Hoover-Dempsey et Sandler (1995, 1997). Des analyses descriptives, bivariées et multivariées sont effectuées. L’analyse du discours des parents montre une association positive entre la participation parentale aux activités (soit l’investissement à la maison, la communication et la connaissance intermilieu) et le développement de comportements alimentaires des enfants. Des effets modérateurs de certaines variables familiales (la langue, le nombre d’enfants à la maison, l’âge et l’opinion du parent sur la nécessité que l’enfant sache faire à manger) sur cette relation sont aussi identifiés. Les raisons qui poussent un parent à participer (la compréhension du rôle, le sentiment de compétence et les occasions offertes par les ateliers) sont liées à la participation de ce dernier aux activités de cuisine-nutrition. Les résultats de cette recherche contribuent non seulement à l’avancement des connaissances dans le domaine, mais servent de prémisses à une réflexion visant à mieux orienter les interventions en promotion de la santé. / In the course of their growth, young people are exposed to disease risk factors associated with lifestyle, including food. Evidence has shown that school-based interventions implemented to change their dietary behavior are more effective when parents take parts in the activities. However, studies carried out in this areas show a low level of parental involvement in the suggested activities. Research on parental involvement in school nutrition education interventions reveals significant gaps regarding the definition of the concept. Parental involvement is defined by the frequency of appearance of parents in school and the role of these interventions, in what in our view, constitutes a reductionist vision of the dimensions of the concept. Moreover, these studies in the literature emphasize the proportion of participating parents and its effect on children, without being concerned with what could explain their involvement with the suggested activities. The aim of this thesis is to document the mechanisms underlying the involvement of parents in health promotion school-based programs. More specifically, this study aims to identify the relationship between the different dimensions of parental involvement and children feeding behaviors following the exposure of the latter to a nutrition education project implemented in eight primary schools in disadvantaged neighborhoods of Montreal: Project PC – PR, while assessing the influence of certain family characteristics on this link. We also explore the relationship between factors that motivate parents to participate and their investment in the project. This research is a secondary analysis of data from a sample of parents of children attending schools participating in the Project PC-PR (N = 502). Parental involvement is conceptualized in four dimensions with reference to the notion of the mesosystem proposed by Bronfenbrenner (1979), while the factors associated with parental involvement are defined by drawing on the work of Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler (1995, 1997). Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed. Analyses of parental views show a positive association between parental involvement in activities (i.e. home-based involvement, intersetting communications and intersetting knowledge) and the development of children's eating behaviors. The moderating effects of family variables (language, number of children at home, parents’ age and views on the need that the child knows how to eat), on this relationship are also identified. Parents’ motivations for involvement (parental role construction, parents’ sense of efficacy and opportunities offered by the project to encourage parental involvement) are related to the latter's participation in food nutrition activities. The results of this research not only contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the field, but provide grounds for a reflection to better guide health promotion interventions.

Introdução: A disseminação das recomendações de guias alimentares é vista globalmente como primordial na agenda de promoção da alimentação adequada e saudável, destacando-se a capacitação dos seus facilitadores. Objetivo: Desenvolver e validar tecnologias de apoio à implementação do Guia Alimentar para a População Brasileira na Atenção Básica em Saúde (ABS). Metodologia: Foram produzidos três manuscritos sobre desenvolvimento e validação de instrumentos de aferição. Artigo 1 - GAB1 (escala de mensuração do conhecimento de profissionais de saúde da ABS sobre o Guia Alimentar) foi desenvolvida e validada em seis etapas: desenvolvimento dos itens, validação de conteúdo com painel de juízes, validação aparente com potenciais usuários da escala, reavaliação online, aplicação online com profissionais de saúde da ABS de todas as macrorregiões brasileiras e análise fatorial confirmatória para validação de constructo. Artigo 2 - GAB2 (escala de mensuração da autoeficácia e eficácia coletiva de profissionais de saúde da ABS para aplicar o Guia Alimentar) passou pelas mesmas etapas metodológicas do artigo 1. Artigo 3 - GAB3 (escala de avaliação da abordagem do Guia Alimentar por profissionais de saúde da ABS em intervenções educativas) foi desenvolvida, validada e testada em cinco etapas: desenvolvimento dos itens; validação de conteúdo com painel de juízes; validação aparente com potenciais usuários da escala; reavaliação online; teste e reteste para análise da concordância e confiabilidade intra e interobservadores com especialistas aplicando GAB3 na avaliação de 4 vídeos produzidos para o estudo. Resultados: Artigo 1 - GAB1 foi desenvolvida com 25 itens, passando para 22 itens após validação de conteúdo e aparente. Na reavaliação, 21 itens foram considerados claros e representativos do Guia Alimentar e 1 foi excluído. Essa versão da escala foi aplicada pela internet com 209 profissionais de saúde da ABS. Foram excluídos 5 itens na análise fatorial confirmatória, sendo 4 por células bivariadas vazias e 1 por baixa discriminação. O modelo final com 16 itens compondo 1 dimensão retornou bons índices de ajuste. O pico de informação da escala esteve abaixo da média. Artigo 2 - GAB2 foi desenvolvida inicialmente com 22 itens, chegando a 24 itens divididos igualmente em 2 seções (autoeficácia e eficácia coletiva) após validação de conteúdo e aparente. Todos os itens foram considerados claros e representativos do Guia Alimentar na reavaliação. O modelo multidimensional da GAB3 apresentou excelentes índices de adequação na análise fatorial confirmatória e a versão final obteve pico de informação na média. Artigo 3 - GAB3 teve seus itens reduzidos de 72 para 25 na validação de conteúdo. Na validação aparente passou para 17 itens, acompanhando manual de preenchimento revisado posteriormente por especialistas. Todos os itens foram considerados claros e representativos do Guia Alimentar na reavaliação e ajustes de conteúdo no manual foram realizados nessa etapa. Trinta especialistas no Guia Alimentar empregaram GAB3 assistindo aos vídeos no teste e 28 no reteste. Todos os vídeos obtiveram kappas combinados >0,4. No teste-reteste, 1 avaliador teve concordância consigo mesmo <0,4 e para confiabilidade, 2 avaliadores apresentaram kappa <0,4. Conclusões: Foram produzidas escalas e vídeos como tecnologias de apoio à implementação do Guia Alimentar na ABS. / Introduction: The dissemination of dietary guidelines is globally seen as crucial for the healthy eating promotion policies, especially those targeting the training of facilitators. Objective: To develop and validate technologies to support the implementation of the Brazilian Dietary Guidelines (BDG) in Primary Health Care (PHC). Methodology: Three manuscripts about development and validation of measurement tools were written. Manuscript 1 - GAB1 (scale for measuring the knowledge of PHC professionals about the BDG) was developed and validated in six steps: items\' development, content validation with panel of experts, face validation with potential users, online reevaluation by health professionals and experts, online application with PHC professionals working all over Brazil\'s macro-regions, confirmatory factor analysis to investigate construct validity. Manuscript 2 - GAB2 (scale for measuring the self-efficacy and collective efficacy of PHC professionals to apply the BDG) were submitted to the same procedures described in manuscript 1. Manuscript 3 - GAB3 (scale for evaluating the implementation of the BDG in PHC educational interventions) was developed, validated and tested in five steps: items\' development; content validation with panel of experts; face validation with potential users; online reevaluation; test-retest to analyze intra and interobserver agreement and reliability with experts applying GAB3 while watching 4 videos produced for this study. Results: Manuscript 1 - GAB1 was initially developed with 25 items and it was reduced to 22 items after content and face validation. GAB1\'s items were considered clear and representative of the BDG, with exception of 1 item that was excluded when the scale was reevaluated. This version of the scale was applied to 209 PHC professionals through a website. In the confirmatory factor analysis, GAB1\'s initial model constituted by 21 items had 5 items excluded: 4 returned bivariate empty cells and 1 with lowest discrimination value. All the fit indices returned a well-fitted model constituted by 16 items loaded onto 1 dimension, with peak of information centered below the mean. Manuscript 2 - GAB2 was initially developed with 22 items and it reached 24 items equally divided in part A (self-efficacy) and B (collective efficacy) after content and face validation. All GAB2\'s items were considered clear and representative of the BDG when reevaluated. GAB2 showed to have excellent fit indices, with peak of information centered around the mean. Manuscript 3 - GAB3\'s items were reduced from 72 to 25 after content validation. The scale reached 17 items in the face validation accompanied by a completion manual, reviewed by specialists. All the 17 items were considered clear and representative of the BDG when reevaluated and adjustments in the manual\'s content were made. Thirty raters applied GAB3 to watch the videos for test and 28 for the retest. All videos obtained combined kappa values>0.4. In the test-retest, only one rater had an agreement <0.4 and for reliability, only two raters had kappa values <0.4. Conclusions: Scales and videos were produced as technologies to support the implementation of the BDG in PHC.