Meena Mahadevan

Culinary efficacy: an exploratory study of skills, confidence, and healthy cooking competencies among university students

Aims: This study was conducted to determine whether a group of college-age students in New Jersey, USA, had the requisite culinary skills, knowledge, and confidence to take personal control of their meal planning and production. The long-term threat to the public health systems posed by high rates of obesity among young adults in higher education institutions has garnered widespread attention across the world. Studies have shown that assuming personal responsibility over preparing and consuming food can play a key role in addressing the problem of poor nutrient intakes. Methods: Focus groups were conducted with students (N = 24) who fit the eligibility criteria of not having a university meal plan, and living independently at the time of the study (not with family members). The sessions were recorded, transcribed, and then coded into themes. Two trained research assistants tested the results and inter-rater reliability was confirmed. Results: Content analysis revealed three major themes: Health Perceptions, Life influences, and Barriers to Cooking and Eating Healthy. The students’ comments indicated that while they had a basic knowledge of the key principles of eating a balanced diet, it may not have necessarily translated into actual food choices and cooking practices. Several students reported an overreliance on processed and prepared foods, and they consumed few fruits and vegetables. Conclusions: Factors such as lack of culinary knowledge and skill, financial instability, inadequate access to healthy food options, and other time/lifestyle constraints may have played a significant role in limiting their ability to prepare and consume healthy meals. The findings of this study highlight the importance of designing programmes with effective strategies to motivate and encourage college students to improve their food behaviours and practices.

Factors Influencing the Nutritional Health and Food Choices of African American HIV-Positive Marginally Housed and Homeless Female Substance Abusers

The toll of HIV/AIDS and drug abuse on economically disadvantaged women of color in the United States is a public health problem of epidemic proportions. Malnutrition, believed to be pervasive in this population, exacerbates the devastating health effects of addiction and HIV. This study documented dietary deficiencies in this population and examined factors influencing the food choices and eating patterns of marginally housed and homeless African American HIV-positive substance abusing women. Data were collected from 28 women ages 19–55 using two 24-hour dietary recalls and a semi-structured interview guide. Data revealed multiple nutritional intake hazards including skipped meals, substitution of carbohydrate-laden foods for dairy foods rich in animal fat and proteins, and an absence of raw fruits and vegetables indicative of deficiencies in key macro- and micronutrients. Food risks were increased for homeless women who were more likely to lack public assistance, have difficulty accessing free food service, and frequently eating food from dumpsters. Qualitative data analysis of interviews generated three major themes describing the context in which nutritional deficiencies emerged: (1) diet-disease and food-safety misconceptions; (2) socio-cultural and lifestyle barriers; and (3) lack of personal resources and neighborhood food availability and affordability. The relevance of these findings to nutrition intervention programs for this population is discussed.

Menu engineering: A strategy for seniors to select healthier meals:

Aims: The specific objective of this ongoing investigation is to assess various menu manipulations and nutrition labelling to determine if they can effectively guide the older adult consumer to select healthier food items from a menu offering meals with differing nutritional attributes. Methods: One of three randomly assigned menus and a questionnaire were distributed to 150 senior adults (> 60 years of age) living in three assisted living residences, three congregate senior day programmes, and one senior church group in New Jersey, USA. A generic control menu, a treatment menu that used various merchandizing tools to promote the healthier menu items and the same treatment menu with nutritional labels added were designed. Participants selected their top five choices and then answered a short questionnaire, which surveyed demographics and menu selection background information. Results: The researchers found that certain menu merchandizing tools were effective, while nutrition labelling did not have a substantial effect for this population. Conclusions: Nutrition labels did not encourage healthier choices for the seniors surveyed in this study. Therefore, subliminal menu treatments may be more effective than nutrition labelling of menu items for elderly populations. Menu design has the potential to encourage healthier decisions through hidden persuaders, without infringing on the rights of elderly consumers to choose more indulgent menu options. However, menus are not effective tools for seniors who cannot cognitively and independently understand the menu. In certain circumstances, a non-select meal offering might be the best option. The menu strategies used in this study are most effective for those who are able to make independent menu choices.

Ethical Issues in Research with Hispanic Drug Users: Participant Perspectives on Risks and Benefits

There has been considerable discussion in the research ethics literature concerning special researcher responsibilities in studying vulnerable populations, including whether or not drug addicts, as a result of their health condition and craving for drugs, constitute a vulnerable group from a human subject perspective. In the assessment of ethical issues, researchers in recent years have begun to recognize the critical importance of hearing the subjects voice and learning the concerns and attitudes of those who participate in research. To date, however, despite a significant increase in studies of not-in-treatment drug users, little attempt has been made to determine the perspectives of drug users about participation in research, especially ethnic minority drug users, and in particular, Hispanic drug users. Based on recent findings of a study of drug user attitudes and perspectives on research, this paper reports on the perceived risks and benefits of participation in research of a subsample of Hispanic street drug users from Hartford, Connecticut

Menu Psychology to Encourage Healthy Menu Selections at a New Jersey University

The objective of this research was to investigate whether merchandizing strategies could encourage college students to make healthy foodservice menu selections. Two hundred sixty-six Montclair State University, New Jersey, students participated during the spring 2011 semester. Three menus were adapted from previous research: a generic control menu; a treatment menu, which utilizes menu merchandizing strategies to promote the healthier items; and a duplicate of the treatment menu with nutrition labels added. A demographic questionnaire was also distributed. The merchandising treatments were not significant for the participants’ top choice, though placing boxes around healthy items had a significant effect (p = 0.025). This positive effect was mitigated when nutrient labels were added. Overall, nutrient labeling was not an effective strategy for promoting healthy food choices in this study. Menus designed to promote good nutrition may have the potential to encourage healthier decisions through hidden persuaders, without restricting students’ freedom of dietary choice.

Salt, chefs, and public health: an exploratory investigation of hospitality professionals’

Purpose – Public health policy has long called for significant reductions in salt intake. To date most research has been confined to processed foods. This approach fails to include the foodservice industry and its impact on population health. The purpose of this paper is to understand perceptions of what responsibility, if any, these professionals felt they had within the public health agenda. International comparisons were made to assess whether previous reductions of salt intake among UK adults was attributable to groundswell attitudinal changes at the chef/manager level, which US counterparts may not have embraced. Design/methodology/approach – This study took the qualitative approach of phenomenology as the research strategy to explore prevailing perceptions of the role and responsibility of food service regarding salt intake. Chefs and managers who deal directly with consumers were given in-depth semi-structured interviews designed to reveal the underlying themes that inform the participant’s percept...

Changing Food Habits in a South Indian Hindu Brahmin Community: A Case of Transitioning Gender Roles and Family Dynamics

This study was conducted to explore the perceptions of 20 South Indian Hindu Brahmin women on the factors influencing their food habits upon immigrating to America. The competing demands of juggling a new career and managing their family’s nutritional needs at the same time, all without the support of extended family members, played an important role in steering these women away from cooking traditional healthy meals, and resorting to fast foods instead. Intervention strategies should be directed toward improving the barriers to eating healthy that were specifically identified within the confines of shifting gender roles and limited family support networks.

Changes in Food Habits of South Indian Hindu Brahmin Immigrants in State College, PA

This study was conducted to understand the factors influencing changes in the food habits of south Indian Brahmin immigrants in State College, PA. Data was collected from participants (n = 28) using a semi-structured interview based on the PRECEDE framework, and participant observations. Analysis of the data used grounded theory generated themes highlighting their food acculturation experience. Adjusting in State College was described as a “delicate balance” that meant maintaining their south Indian traditions while at the same time adapting to the cultural milieu of a town that favored north Indian cuisine, and “blending in” with the larger American society.

Perceived barriers to optimum nutrition among congregate (sheltered) housing residents in the USA

Objective: Malnutrition, secondary to decreased food intake, is a public health problem of epidemic proportions among older adults in the United States of America (USA). Compared to community-dwelling senior citizens, congregate (sheltered) housing residents are found to be frailer, with documented deficiencies in several major and minor nutrients, and associated health complications. While studies have quantified these problems, translational research examining the perceived factors influencing their daily food habits is lacking. Design: Using a qualitative approach, this study was undertaken to further and enhance understanding of this complex, under-researched area, and to form the basis for better nutritional management of this group. Setting: Participants (n = 46) were convenience sampled from four sheltered housing settings located in the suburbs of northern New Jersey, USA. Method: Data were collected using a brief demographic questionnaire, and a focus group guide designed utilizing constructs derived from socio-ecological theory. Results: Content analysis of the transcripts identified several themes suggesting that a repertoire of individual, interpersonal, and organizational factors may serve as barriers to optimum nutritional health among residents. With an emphasis on utilizing their perspectives to explain and interpret behaviour, the qualitative approach adopted offered a perfect vehicle for shifting the focus from measuring dietary outcomes to clarifying how participants arrive at the decisions they made. Conclusion: This study is a step forward in providing the empirical foundations necessary to design a comprehensive intervention with effective strategies to motivate and encourage sheltered housing residents to make healthier food choices and improve their overall health.

Assessing the Nutritional Health Outcomes of African American Women with HIV and Substance Abuse Disorders Using a Socioecological Approach

It is well established that poor nutritional status leaves HIV-positive substance abusers especially vulnerable to an increased risk of opportunistic infections and other illnesses. Socioecological frameworks have been useful for identifying multiple influences on health risks, leading to the development and evaluation of promising community-based interventions for diseases such as cancer and diabetes. This article presents a conceptual model, based on the socioecological approach, to examine the mechanisms and pathways by which the various contextual factors unique to HIV-positive African American women with substance abuse disorders intersect to impact their nutritional health outcomes. The mediating effects of the interpersonal, environmental, and psychological factors on the direct links between disease symptomology, demographic and socioeconomic variables, and nutritional health are emphasized. The long-term goal is to provide the empirical foundation necessary to design targeted interventions that meet the unique personal, social, and familial needs of this population with multiple vulnerabilities.