The current state of mental health in college students is a universal concern. Female college students are reporting more depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms than ever before. Physical activity and diet quality can positively influence mental health symptoms. Current research provides scarce evidence that examines the relationship of these health behaviors and outcomes in the Hispanic female population. The primary aim of this study is to examine the relationship between physical health behaviors and mental health outcomes in Hispanic female college students. This is a cross-sectional study using a self-report survey to collect data from approximately 109 Hispanic female college students through in-person recruitment and flyers placed on the university campus. Measures included the Dietary Quality Questionnaire, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire- Short Form, and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale. One-way analysis of variance tests and Pearson correlations were run to determine the relationship between mental health and physical activity and mental health and diet quality. We hypothesized that diet quality and physical activity would be negatively associated with depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms. We hypothesized that there would be significant group level differences between low, moderate, and high depression, anxiety, and stress on diet quality and that there would be significant group level differences between low, moderate, and high physical activity on depressive, anxiety, and stress scores. Pearson’s correlations found diet quality was negatively associated with depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms, but physical activity was not. We found that participants with better diet quality reported lower depressive, anxiety, and stress scores, but did not find physical activity group level differences with mental ii health symptoms. These findings implicate future research to develop and test nutritional programs that target depression, anxiety, and stress of college students, specifically Hispanic female college students.

The NHLBI's Growth and Health Study (NGHS) data set provided an opportunity to test differences in diet quality and its relationship to weight classification for black (n=270) and white (n=243) adolescent females. Three-day food records from adolescents enrolled in the Washington, D.C. center of the NGHS were scored according to the Diet Quality Index (DQI) developed by Ruth Patterson and others. This index stratifies food intake into three levels for scoring across eight dietary factors. A score of zero showed that the goal was met, while a score of one indicated a fair evaluation, and a score of two indicated a poor rating to create an index score ranging from zero to 16. Statistical analysis by a t-test showed whites had significantly better DQI scores than blacks in the NGHS sample (black mean = 9.4, white = 8.1). Black females had a greater prevalence of overweight than do their white counterparts. To evaluate how dietary quality relates to the development of overweight, DQI scores were compared to body mass index measurements to note the relationship of diet quality to increasing weight for body height. No relationship was found between BMI and DQI. When the independent variables of race and body weight classification were assessed for their impact upon the dependent variable of diet quality; the influence of race proved significant while weight classification did not. This evidence suggests that practitioners must assess the current dietary status of clients prior to assuming a particular dietary pattern based upon body weight for height alone. / Master of Science

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Introdução: Índices dietéticos (ID) têm sido utilizados para estudar associações entre alimentação e doenças cardiovasculares (DCV). Um ID combina e resume aspectos de uma recomendação ou guia alimentar. Esses aspectos geralmente são a quantidade de nutrientes, alimentos ou grupos de alimentos a serem consumidos em um período de tempo (dia / semana / mês). A dieta do Programa Alimentar Brasileiro Cardioprotetor (DICA Br) classificou os alimentos em quatro grupos e definiu a quantidade diária a ser consumida. Uma vez que os aspectos nutricionais do DICA Br são diferentes de outras recomendações alimentares, não é possível utilizar os ID existentes para associar essa dieta com as DCV. Por isso, faz-se necessário o desenvolvimento de ID que considere as características da DICA Br. Objetivo: Descrever o desenvolvimento do ID DICA Br, avaliar a sua consistência interna, validade de constructo e as características da população associadas ao índice. Métodos: Foram utilizados dados de baseline do ensaio clínico randomizado DICA Br (www.clinicaltrials.gov; NCT01620398). Os quatro grupos alimentares da dieta estudada foram adotados como componentes do índice. Os critérios para atribuir pontos foram definidos a priori com base nos princípios e recomendações da DICA Br. Cada componente do índice recebeu pontos que variam de 0 a 10, portanto a pontuação total variou de 0 a 40. A consistência interna foi avaliada por meio dos coeficientes de correlação entre a pontuação total e de cada componente do índice, assim como pelo alpha de Cronbach. A validade de constructo foi avaliada verificando como nutrientes se associam com o índice por meio de testes para tendência linear. Análises de regressão linear bruta e ajustada foram realizadas para avaliar as características da população associadas ao índice. Resultados: A análise incluiu 2044 indivíduos (58,6 por cento homens). A média do índice total foi maior entre as mulheres. Os componentes do índice apresentaram baixas correlações entre si e as correlações entre cada componente isolado e o índice total foram >0,40. O alpha de Cronbach foi 0,66. Maiores pontuações no índice estiveram inversamente associadas com o consumo de energia, gordura total, gordura monoinsaturada, colesterol e diretamente associadas com a ingestão de carboidratos e fibras. Homens hipertensos e mulheres diabéticas apresentaram maiores pontuações, enquanto homens fumantes apresentaram menores pontuações. Conclusões: O ID DICA Br apresentou confiabilidade e validade de constructo satisfatórias, refletiu a ingestão de nutrientes chaves e detectou características dos indivíduos que se associam com a DICA Br. / Background: The diet of the Brazilian Cardioprotective Nutritional Programme (BALANCE) classified food into four groups and set the daily amount to be consumed. The nutritional aspects of BALANCE are different from other dietary recommendations, therefore it is not possible to use existing diet indexes (DI) to associate this diet with cardiovascular disease. Objective: To describe the development of BALANCE DI, evaluate its internal consistency, construct validity and population characteristics associated with the index. Methods: We analyzed baseline data from BALANCE randomized clinical trial (www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01620398). The four food groups of the studied diet were adopted as index components. Each index component received points ranging from 0 to 10 and the total score ranged from 0 to 40. The internal consistency was evaluated by means of correlation coefficients between total and each component index score, as well as the Cronbach´s alpha coefficient. The construct validity was assessed by checking how nutrients are associated with the index. Crude and adjusted linear regression analyses were performed to evaluate the characteristics of the population that are associated with the index. Results: The analysis included 2044 subjects (58.6 per cent men). The average of the total index was higher among women. The components of the index showed low correlations with each other and the correlations between each individual component and the total index were > 0.40. Cronbach\'s alpha coefficient was 0.66. High scores in the index were inversely associated with the intake of energy, total fat, monounsaturated fat, cholesterol and directly associated with the intake of carbohydrates and fiber. Hypertensive men and diabetic women had higher scores, while male smokers had lower scores. Conclusions: The BALANCE DI showed satisfactory reliability and construct validity, reflected the intake of key nutrients and detected characteristics of individuals that are associated with the BALANCE diet.

Introdução: Índices dietéticos (ID) têm sido utilizados para estudar associações entre alimentação e doenças cardiovasculares (DCV). Um ID combina e resume aspectos de uma recomendação ou guia alimentar. Esses aspectos geralmente são a quantidade de nutrientes, alimentos ou grupos de alimentos a serem consumidos em um período de tempo (dia / semana / mês). A dieta do Programa Alimentar Brasileiro Cardioprotetor (DICA Br) classificou os alimentos em quatro grupos e definiu a quantidade diária a ser consumida. Uma vez que os aspectos nutricionais do DICA Br são diferentes de outras recomendações alimentares, não é possível utilizar os ID existentes para associar essa dieta com as DCV. Por isso, faz-se necessário o desenvolvimento de ID que considere as características da DICA Br. Objetivo: Descrever o desenvolvimento do ID DICA Br, avaliar a sua consistência interna, validade de constructo e as características da população associadas ao índice. Métodos: Foram utilizados dados de baseline do ensaio clínico randomizado DICA Br (www.clinicaltrials.gov; NCT01620398). Os quatro grupos alimentares da dieta estudada foram adotados como componentes do índice. Os critérios para atribuir pontos foram definidos a priori com base nos princípios e recomendações da DICA Br. Cada componente do índice recebeu pontos que variam de 0 a 10, portanto a pontuação total variou de 0 a 40. A consistência interna foi avaliada por meio dos coeficientes de correlação entre a pontuação total e de cada componente do índice, assim como pelo alpha de Cronbach. A validade de constructo foi avaliada verificando como nutrientes se associam com o índice por meio de testes para tendência linear. Análises de regressão linear bruta e ajustada foram realizadas para avaliar as características da população associadas ao índice. Resultados: A análise incluiu 2044 indivíduos (58,6 por cento homens). A média do índice total foi maior entre as mulheres. Os componentes do índice apresentaram baixas correlações entre si e as correlações entre cada componente isolado e o índice total foram >0,40. O alpha de Cronbach foi 0,66. Maiores pontuações no índice estiveram inversamente associadas com o consumo de energia, gordura total, gordura monoinsaturada, colesterol e diretamente associadas com a ingestão de carboidratos e fibras. Homens hipertensos e mulheres diabéticas apresentaram maiores pontuações, enquanto homens fumantes apresentaram menores pontuações. Conclusões: O ID DICA Br apresentou confiabilidade e validade de constructo satisfatórias, refletiu a ingestão de nutrientes chaves e detectou características dos indivíduos que se associam com a DICA Br. / Background: The diet of the Brazilian Cardioprotective Nutritional Programme (BALANCE) classified food into four groups and set the daily amount to be consumed. The nutritional aspects of BALANCE are different from other dietary recommendations, therefore it is not possible to use existing diet indexes (DI) to associate this diet with cardiovascular disease. Objective: To describe the development of BALANCE DI, evaluate its internal consistency, construct validity and population characteristics associated with the index. Methods: We analyzed baseline data from BALANCE randomized clinical trial (www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01620398). The four food groups of the studied diet were adopted as index components. Each index component received points ranging from 0 to 10 and the total score ranged from 0 to 40. The internal consistency was evaluated by means of correlation coefficients between total and each component index score, as well as the Cronbach´s alpha coefficient. The construct validity was assessed by checking how nutrients are associated with the index. Crude and adjusted linear regression analyses were performed to evaluate the characteristics of the population that are associated with the index. Results: The analysis included 2044 subjects (58.6 per cent men). The average of the total index was higher among women. The components of the index showed low correlations with each other and the correlations between each individual component and the total index were > 0.40. Cronbach\'s alpha coefficient was 0.66. High scores in the index were inversely associated with the intake of energy, total fat, monounsaturated fat, cholesterol and directly associated with the intake of carbohydrates and fiber. Hypertensive men and diabetic women had higher scores, while male smokers had lower scores. Conclusions: The BALANCE DI showed satisfactory reliability and construct validity, reflected the intake of key nutrients and detected characteristics of individuals that are associated with the BALANCE diet.

Introdução. As carnes são boas fontes nutricionais para o homem, porém devem ser consumidas com moderação, pois seu consumo excessivo tem sido relacionado ao aumento do risco de doenças crônicas. Além de agravos à saúde, a carne promove grande impacto no meio ambiente a partir da sua produção. No Brasil, a disponibilidade de carnes vem aumentando na alimentação domiciliar, entretanto, dados de consumo alimentar individual de carnes são escassos no país. Objetivo. Descrever a tendência de consumo individual de carne em São Paulo na última década, e avaliar a relação entre o consumo excessivo de carne, qualidade da dieta e impacto ambiental. Métodos. Foram utilizados dados de 2361 indivíduos coletados em 2003 e 1662 indivíduos coletados em 2008 de ambos os sexos, com idade de 12 anos ou mais, incluídos no estudo transversal de base populacional: Inquérito de Saúde de São Paulo (ISA-Capital). A amostragem se deu probabilisticamente em dois estágios, setor censitário e domicílio. O consumo alimentar foi verificado em cada ano com o uso dois recordatórios alimentares de 24 horas. A estimativa de ingestão habitual das carnes foi feita pelo Multiple Source Method. A qualidade da dieta foi analisada pelo Índice de Qualidade da Dieta Revisado e o impacto ambiental pela estimativa de equivalentes de gás carbônico (CO2) a partir do consumo de carne. Resultados. O consumo de carnes em São Paulo aumentou em cerca de 20 por cento na população estudada. O consumo excessivo de carne foi observado em quase 75 por cento das pessoas e o tipo de carne mais consumido nos dois períodos foi a bovina, seguida de aves, porco e peixe. Verificou-se que o consumo de carne processada vem crescendo, principalmente entre os adolescentes. A qualidade da dieta foi inversamente relacionada com o consumo excessivo de carne de vermelha e processada em homens. O impacto ambiental do consumo de carne em São Paulo foi estimado em 18 milhões de toneladas de equivalentes de CO2, representando cerca de 5 por cento do total de CO2 emitido pela agropecuária brasileira em 2003. Conclusão. O consumo excessivo de carne foi verificado em grande parte da população, com aumento significativo ao longo dos anos, relacionado com pior qualidade da dieta em homens e considerável impacto ambiental. Assim, é fundamental o estabelecimento de políticas públicas para redução do consumo de carne, dentro dos limites recomendados, como parte de uma alimentação saudável e ambientalmente sustentável / Meat is an important food item in human nutrition, and its excessive consumption has been linked to chronic diseases, so meat should be consumed with moderation. Besides the impact on health, meat also causes major impacts on the environment because of its production. In Brazil, household meat availability has been increasing, however, there are few data on individual food consumption in Brazil. Objective. To present trends in individual meat consumption of the last decade, in the city of São Paulo, and to investigate the relationship between excessive meat consumption, diet quality and environmental impact. Methods. A cross-sectional population based survey conducted in 2003 and 2008 - Health Survey for Sao Paulo (ISA Capital) - used data from 2631 subjects in 2003, and 1662 subjects in 2008. Subjects were males and females, adolescents, adults and elderly people. A two-stage cluster sampling was used: census tracts and household. Diet was assessed by two 24 hour recalls. Usual meat consumption was estimated by Multiple Source Method. Diet quality was analyzed by Brazilian Healthy Eating Index Revised. The environmental impact was analyzed according to estimates of CO2 equivalents emitted from meat production. Results. Meat consumption showed a 20 per cent increase in all age groups, both males and females. Excessive meat consumption was observed in almost 75 per cent of the subjects and beef still represents the largest proportion of meat consumed, followed by poultry, then pork and fish. Processed meat consumption showed an increase, especially among adolescents. Diet quality was inversely associated with excessive meat consumption in men. The environmental impact of meat consumption was estimated at 18 million tons of CO2 equivalents, thus representing about 5 per cent of total CO2 emitted by Brazilian agriculture in 2003. Conclusion. In most part of the population, meat consumption was excessive and was associated with poorer diet quality in men and great environmental impact. So, it is important to implement policies to advise reducing red and processed meat consumption to the recommended amounts, as part of a healthy and environmentally sustainable diet

Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) and geostatistical techniques were used to predict diet quality of sub-Saharan African (SSA) livestock, and to create cokriged estimated diet quality maps for cattle across a landscape. Rations of native vegetation were stall-fed to cattle (Bos indicus), sheep (Ovis aries), and goats (Capra hircus) to generate diet-fecal pair data. Trials were conducted in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Ghana. Historical data from Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Niger were included. Diet samples were analyzed for crude protein (CP%), and digestible organic matter (DOM%), while feces were scanned for NIR spectra. NIRS equations were developed from data using modified partial least square (MPLS) regression. Coefficients of determination (R2) of CP for cattle, sheep, and goats were 0.92, 0.95, and 0.97, with corresponding standard errors of calibration (SEC) being 0.90, 0.79, and 0.80, respectively. Standard errors of cross validation (SECV) for CP were 1.12%, 1.08%, and 1.03% for cattle, sheep, and goats, respectively. R2 and SEC values for DOM were 0.88, 0.94, 0.94 and 2.82%, 1.68%, and 2.65%, for cattle, sheep, and goats, respectively. Corresponding SECV values for DOM were 3.26%, 2.07%, and 3.30%, respectively. The statistics reported were within the acceptable limits for NIRS calibrations. The results indicate that dietary CP and DOM of free-ranging SSA livestock can be predicted with the same precision as that of conventional wet chemistry methods. The cattle equation was used to predict cattle fecal samples collected, from February to August 2000, from selected households located within the northern Ghana savanna. The predicted CP% and DOM% were used with Normalized Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI) data, and cokriging technique to create diet quality maps for March and July 2000 for the northern Ghana savanna. Cross validation results indicated a moderate capability of cokriging to estimate predicted CP% for March (r2 = 0.687, SEp = 1.736) and July (r2 = 0.513, SEp = 1.558). Cokriged-estimated DOM value for July was above average (r2 = 0.584, SEp = 3.611), while March DOM% estimation was rather poor (r2 = 0.132, SEp = 3.891). The techniques of cokriging and creation of diet quality maps were moderately successful in this study.

Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) and geostatistical techniques were used to predict diet quality of sub-Saharan African (SSA) livestock, and to create cokriged estimated diet quality maps for cattle across a landscape. Rations of native vegetation were stall-fed to cattle (Bos indicus), sheep (Ovis aries), and goats (Capra hircus) to generate diet-fecal pair data. Trials were conducted in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Ghana. Historical data from Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Niger were included. Diet samples were analyzed for crude protein (CP%), and digestible organic matter (DOM%), while feces were scanned for NIR spectra. NIRS equations were developed from data using modified partial least square (MPLS) regression. Coefficients of determination (R2) of CP for cattle, sheep, and goats were 0.92, 0.95, and 0.97, with corresponding standard errors of calibration (SEC) being 0.90, 0.79, and 0.80, respectively. Standard errors of cross validation (SECV) for CP were 1.12%, 1.08%, and 1.03% for cattle, sheep, and goats, respectively. R2 and SEC values for DOM were 0.88, 0.94, 0.94 and 2.82%, 1.68%, and 2.65%, for cattle, sheep, and goats, respectively. Corresponding SECV values for DOM were 3.26%, 2.07%, and 3.30%, respectively. The statistics reported were within the acceptable limits for NIRS calibrations. The results indicate that dietary CP and DOM of free-ranging SSA livestock can be predicted with the same precision as that of conventional wet chemistry methods. The cattle equation was used to predict cattle fecal samples collected, from February to August 2000, from selected households located within the northern Ghana savanna. The predicted CP% and DOM% were used with Normalized Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI) data, and cokriging technique to create diet quality maps for March and July 2000 for the northern Ghana savanna. Cross validation results indicated a moderate capability of cokriging to estimate predicted CP% for March (r2 = 0.687, SEp = 1.736) and July (r2 = 0.513, SEp = 1.558). Cokriged-estimated DOM value for July was above average (r2 = 0.584, SEp = 3.611), while March DOM% estimation was rather poor (r2 = 0.132, SEp = 3.891). The techniques of cokriging and creation of diet quality maps were moderately successful in this study.

Behavioral weight loss programs have been shown to be effective for short-term weight loss, however the impact of these programs on dietary changes is unclear. This study examined the changes in participant’s diet and physical activity over the course of a 16-week Internet behavioral weight-loss program. A single-center randomized controlled trial was conducted from August 2008 to December 2008 in Lexington, KY, and sixty-six women whose mean (SD) age was 48.6 (10.8) years and body mass index was 31.8 (3.7) kg/m2 completed all dietary and physical measures. Participants received two face-to-face group sessions with a dietitian, at baseline and 4-weeks, in addition to 16 weekly behavioral weight loss lessons delivered via an Internet website. Participants showed a significant reduction in energy intake (1879.2±771.7 vs. 1372.9±423.7; p<0.001), dietary energy density (2.1±0.5 vs. 1.9±0.5; p=0.002) and a significant increase in diet quality score as measured by the HEI-2005 (53.9±9.9 vs. 57.4±10.6; p =0.002). Participants did not show significant differences in physical activity intensity, duration or energy expenditure. However, post hoc analysis revealed that those who adopted a healthy life style, such as eating more fruits and vegetables and being physically active, achieved greater weight loss than those who did not adopt a healthy lifestyle. Participation in this Internet behavioral weight loss program significantly improved dietary intake in adult women and did not significantly improve daily physical activity levels.

Athletes appear healthy according to weight for height and body fat standards. Though athletes appear to be healthy, little is known about their diets. Research states there is a connection between athletic performance and nutrition. The objective of this study was to determine the diet quality of 138 collegiate athletes. Data were collected in a laboratory. Demographics were collected via survey. Anthropometrics were assessed using a free standing stadiometer and the BodPod® for body fat assessment. Block 2005 Food Frequency Questionnaire© was used to assess diets. The Healthy Eating Index (HEI) 2005 was used to calculate diet quality scores. The average BMI was 23.2 (2.3) kg/m2 and the average body fat was17.8 % (6.5). The average HEI score was 51.2 (8.8). Higher HEI scores were correlated with higher body fat percentage in this sample. Diets were adequate in: calcium, iron, and vitamin C. Diets were inadequate in: fiber, fruits and vegetables intakes. The athletes had excessive intakes of sodium and total percent fats. These findings demonstrate the need for nutrition education for collegiate athletes.