Donna M. Winham

Community supported agriculture membership in Arizona. An exploratory study of food and sustainability behaviours

Community supported agriculture (CSA) programs have become a viable source of locally produced foods and represent a new way to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among individuals. Because CSAs represent a way for consumers to acquire healthy foods while providing financial support to local farmers, CSA involvement could reflect, and be related to, greater concern with both health and environmental impact of food choice. As such, the aim of this study was to examine whether ecological attitudes of CSA members could predict food- and sustainability-related behaviours. Using an online survey, respondents answered questions about attitudes towards the environment, as well behaviours related to food purchases, family food preparation, composting, recycling and minimising food-packaging waste. A total of 115 CSA member responses were collected. Ordinary least squares (OLS) multivariate regression analysis was used to investigate the predictive validity of environmental attitudes on measures of behaviours. A large portion of participants reported the amount and variety of fruits and vegetables their households ate increased as a result of joining a CSA program. Ecological sensitivity was a significant predictor of sustainability-related behaviours as well as money spent eating out and times eaten away from home per week. However, it was not predictive of family involvement in home food preparation.

Knowledge of young African American adults about heart disease: a cross-sectional survey

BackgroundAfrican Americans have higher rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality than other ethnic groups. Young adults are prime targets for intervention strategies to prevent and reduce disease risk. The study purpose was to determine the level of knowledge of lifestyle risk factors for CVD among young African American adults in Phoenix. The results will be used to guide the development of CVD outreach programs targeted to this population. The Health Belief Model was used as a conceptual framework.MethodsA convenience sample of 172 African American men and women aged 18-26 years completed a questionnaire adapted from the American Heart Association national surveys. Descriptive statistics were compared by age, gender, education level, and health status variables including BMI, smoking status, and physical activity.ResultsSome aspects of heart-disease were well known among young adult African Americans. Knowledge of certain other important risk factors (menopause) and preventive behaviors (eating fewer animal products), however, was more variable and inconsistent among the respondents. Differences in knowledge of individual variables was greater by education level than by gender overall. Predictors of a summary CVD knowledge score included higher education, female gender, and high self-efficacy (adjusted R2 = 0.158, p < .001). Predictors of self-efficacy in changing CVD risk were higher education and perceived low risk of CVD (adjusted R2 = 0.064, p < .001), but these characteristics explained only 6% of the variance.ConclusionsEvaluation of baseline knowledge of CVD is essential before designing and implementing health promotion programs. Existing strengths and weaknesses in knowledge can guide tailoring of programs to be more effective. Further research would help to identify the range of other characteristics that determine knowledge and risk perception.

Perceptions of flatulence from bean consumption among adults in 3 feeding studies

BackgroundMany consumers avoid eating beans because they believe legume consumption will cause excessive intestinal gas or flatulence. An increasing body of research and the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans supports the benefits of a plant-based diet, and legumes specifically, in the reduction of chronic disease risks. The purpose of the current research was to investigate the perception of increased flatulence and gastrointestinal discomfort among participants who consumed a ½ cup of beans daily for 8 or 12 weeks.MethodsParticipants in three studies to test the effects of beans on heart disease biomarkers completed the same weekly questionnaire to assess gastrointestinal discomfort issues such as increased flatulence, stool changes, and bloating. Studies 1 and 2 were randomized crossover trials. Participants consumed ½ cup of pinto beans, black-eyed peas, and canned carrots as control (n = 17) in Study 1 for three randomized 8-week phases. For Study 2, participants ate ½ cup baked beans or canned carrots as control (n = 29) for two randomized 8-week phases. Study 3 was a parallel arm trial with 40 subjects receiving ½ cup pinto beans and 40 consuming a control soup for 12 weeks. Changes in the frequency of perceived flatulence, stool characteristics, and bloating were the primary outcome measures. Chi-square distributions were examined for the presence or absence of symptoms and demographic characteristics to determine differences by gender, age, body mass index (BMI), and bean type.ResultsLess than 50% reported increased flatulence from eating pinto or baked beans during the first week of each trial, but only 19% had a flatulence increase with black-eyed peas. A small percentage (3-11%) reported increased flatulence across the three studies even on control diets without flatulence-producing components.ConclusionsPeoples concerns about excessive flatulence from eating beans may be exaggerated. Public health nutritionists should address the potential for gastrointestinal discomfort when increasing fiber intake from beans with clients. It is important to recognize there is individual variation in response to different bean types.

Culturally Tailored Foods and Cardiovascular Disease Prevention

Culture plays an integral role in peoples food choices and lifestyle decisions. Health care messages may conflict with cultural beliefs for many immigrant, minority, and low-income populations. The multiple ways that culture can positively and negatively affect disease risk must be used in the development of culturally tailored messages or interventions. Only through the creation of interventions that are meaningful and culturally relevant can successful behavior stability or change occur. The recognition of current health-promoting factors is important to develop rapport and credibility with individuals and population groups to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and other lifestyle-based chronic diseases for optimal health.

Integration of Theatre Activities in Cooking Workshops Improves Healthy Eating Attitudes Among Ethnically Diverse Adolescents A Pilot Study

The purpose of this pilot study was to integrate theatre elements into interactive cooking workshops and assess if these experiences prompted attitude and awareness changes with adolescents about healthy eating. Over a 3-week period, 6 interactive cooking workshops were conducted by an artist-in-residence with a group of 21 low-income, predominantly Hispanic, high school sophomores. Social cognitive theory was used as a guide for lessons and outcomes assessment. Students prepared, discussed, and shared food, stories, and experiences about culture, health, and meals. Qualitative focus groups were conducted 4 weeks after the workshop series ended. The theatre-based cooking workshops elicited positive comments in attitudes about healthy eating, nutrition education, and enhanced cooking awareness among ethnically diverse youth. Results from preworkshop and postworkshop self-administered questionnaires showed positive shifts in healthy eating behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes. Qualitative statements supported ...

Adolescents report television characters do not influence their self-perceptions of body image, weight, clothing choices or food habits

Purpose – Social cognitive theory (SCT) suggests that the observation of role models prompts the formation of beliefs that will govern future behaviors. The paper’s objective is to explore the perceived influence of television media on feelings about eating habits, body image, clothing styles, and physical attractiveness attributes by high schools students in terms of SCT. Design/methodology/approach – Data on attitudes and perceptions were collected using an online survey of a convenience sample of high school students (n ¼ 467) to determine influence of television media characters on behaviors. Findings – The results of this survey suggest that high school students do not indiscriminately model behaviors depicted by television programs, but may selectively incorporate some views that fit with their reality such as the importance of attractiveness in romantic partners, but not influences of clothing styles or eating habits. Research limitations/implications – Recognition of the fictional quality of television characters does not refute that they have influence on the high school respondents, but it does suggest some degree of cognitive recognition about the lack of reality of television characters. The convenience sample of adolescents may be more media-savvy than others because of associations with high-school journalism programs.

ANEMIA AND INFECTION IN SCHOOL-AGED EGYPTIAN CHILDREN

Iron-deficiency anemia and infection are deterrents to optimal child health in many developing countries. We investigated the prevalence of anemia and elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), which reflects chronic background infection, recent illness, and diet for 190 children aged 10 to 13 years in 1995 in a Nile Delta village. The children exhibited a high prevalence of anemia (61.6%) and elevated ESR (54.9%). One-third of the children reported a minor illness within the past week, and more than 75 per cent had one or more parasites evident in stool or urine samples. There was no relationship of socioeconomic or dietary indicators to anemia or elevated ESR. Mothers’ evaluation of the child’s health status had no relationship to anemia or elevated ESR, with 43.6 per cent of mothers reporting their child’s health status as excellent or good. Maternal report of the child’s health as poor was related to recent illness. We speculate that where anemia and chronic infection are hyperendemic, both children and mothers may become habituated to the associated symptoms and consider them normal.

High School Journalists Write About Nutrition and Physical Activity

Many content analyses of mass media and health messages have been conducted, but little is known regarding the perceptions of high school students about health-related topics. The authors conducted a content analysis of 218 newspapers collected from 25 Arizona high schools published during the 2003-2004 academic year. Two independent evaluators read each entire newspaper, identified qualifying articles (n = 95), and categorized content by the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Evaluators sorted each article’s content into one or more groups reflecting the MyPyramid food categories and tracked article themes related to harms or benefits of lifestyle choices. Articles were also scored regarding information accuracy. Categorizing by the 2005 Dietary Guidelines, the most frequently mentioned article topics were “carbohydrates” or “reduced sugars” in foods (55%), “weight management” (53%), and “physical activity” (45%). In all, 15% of articles included some incorrect information in their text. These data s...