Paula Peters

Among Young Adults, College Students and Graduates Practiced more Healthful Habits and made more Healthful Food Choices than did Nonstudents

OBJECTIVES Health-related characteristics and habits and food choices of young adults were compared for three groups: college students, college graduates, and nonstudents. DESIGN Subjects completed a mailed survey that included questions about demographics, attitudes, and behaviors and a food frequency questionnaire. Main outcome measures were health-related characteristics and habits and food choices. SUBJECTS Female (n = 758) and male (n = 580) 18- to 24-year-olds in nine states who were selected randomly by zip code in each state. The response rate averaged 43% for all states. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED Analysis of variance of chi 2 tests were applied to health-related personal characteristic variables and the Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance was applied to food consumption variables for women and men separately. RESULTS According to self-reported heights and weights, female nonstudents were more often overweight than female students or graduates. Nonstudents of both genders reported smoking more often than students or graduates. College students and graduates ate more grain foods high in dietary fiber, more fruits and dark-green vegetables, and more lower-fat milk and meats than nonstudents. CONCLUSIONS/APPLICATIONS Nonstudents were at greater health risk for some chronic illnesses, because of poorer health habits and food choices, than were college students and graduates. The behavior of nonstudents implies weaker response to messages promoting weight control, smoking cessation, and observance of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans than behavior exhibited by students or college graduates. Health promotion efforts could be enhanced by identifying demographic, educational, situational, and formative influences on positive health and dietary behaviors of young adults.

Ways Young Adults View Foods

Abstract To identify the ways in which 18 to 24 year olds view foods, a mail survey was constructed that included demographics, opinion items, a repertory grid rating foods against factors thought to influence food intake, and a food frequency. Of the 1475 respondents, 736 were college students (students), 237 were college graduates (graduates), and 328 were high school graduates not attending school (nonstudents). Factor analysis for the total group and for each subgroup examined underlying views held by the respondents. Findings showed that the respondents viewed foods in terms of physical/social aspects, whether they were health-promoting or fattening, importance of nutrition with adequacy of money and food shopping/preparation skills, and adequacy of stores and cooking facilities. For students, importance of nutrition disappeared as a perception while convenience emerged. For graduates, adequacy of money disappeared while importance of nutrition appeared as a strong perception. The nonstudents showed a fifth factor identifying satiety value of food as a strong perception while importance of nutrition disappeared. Habit was the individual variable showing the highest correlation with frequency of consumption of selected foods. The results suggest that respondents viewed foods differently based on ’whether or not they were students. Nutrition messages may need to focus on the different ways in which foods are viewed to be effective.

The National Weight Control Registry: A Critique

This article is a critique of the claim that the National Weight Control Registry provides data showing that a significant number of adults in the United States have achieved permanent weight loss. We believe that promoting calorie-restricted dieting for the purpose of weight loss is misleading and futile. We advocate the adoption of a health-at-every-size (HAES) approach to weight management, focusing on the achievement and maintenance of lifestyle changes that improve metabolic indicators of health.

A quasi-experimental study to mobilize rural low-income communities to assess and improve the ecological environment to prevent childhood obesity

BackgroundThe Ecological Model of Childhood Overweight focuses on characteristics that could affect a child’s weight status in relation to the multiple environments surrounding that child. A community coaching approach allows community groups to identify their own strengths, priorities and identity. Little to no research currently exists related to community-based efforts inclusive of community coaching in creating environmental change to prevent childhood obesity particularly in rural communities.MethodsA quasi-experimental study will be conducted with low-income, rural communities (n = 14) in the North Central region of the United States to mobilize capacity in communities to create and sustain an environment of healthy eating and physical activity to prevent childhood obesity. Two rural communities within seven Midwestern states (IN, KS, MI, OH, ND, SD, WI) will be randomly assigned to serve as an intervention or comparison community. Coalitions will complete assessments of their communities, choose from evidence-based approaches, and implement nutrition and physical activity interventions each year to prevent childhood obesity with emphasis on policy, system or environmental changes over four years. Only intervention coalitions will receive community coaching from a trained coach. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, annually and project end using previously validated instruments and include coalition self-assessments, parental perceptions regarding the built environment, community, neighborhood, and early childhood environments, self-reflections from coaches and project staff, ripple effect mapping with coalitions and, final interviews of key stakeholders and coaches. A mixed-methods analysis approach will be used to evaluate if Community Coaching enhances community capacity to create and sustain an environment to support healthy eating and physical activity for young children. ANOVA or corresponding non-parametric tests will be used to analyze quantitative data relating to environmental change with significance set at P < .05. Dominant emergent themes from the qualitative data will be weaved together with quantitative data to develop a theoretical model representing how communities were impacted by the project.DiscussionThis project will yield data and best practices that could become a model for community development based approaches to preventing childhood obesity in rural communities.

Exploring factors that influence the food behaviors of junior enlisted Army family members

ABSTRACT With the stress of an ongoing war and soldiers being deployed, the needs of US military families have likely increased. Young military families, generally E-4s (Specialists) and below, may suffer even more stress due to lack of experience and life skills. Many families have seen financial difficulties arise as a result of the soldier being deployed. The nutrition and health status of these families may be at risk because of some of the dietary behaviors associated with limited financial resource audiences. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore factors that influenced the food behaviors of junior enlisted (E-4s and below) Army families.

Ripple Effects of the Communities Preventing Childhood Obesity Project

This research examines the practice of community coaching within coalitions in the Communities Preventing Childhood Obesity project. A quasi-experimental design was used in seven Midwestern states. Each state selected two rural, low-income communities with functioning health coalitions. Coalitions were randomly assigned to be intervention or comparison communities. After 4 years of the coaching intervention, ripple effect mapping served as one method for examining the coalitions’ work that may affect children’s weight status. A research team from each state conducted ripple effect mapping with their two coalitions, resulting in 14 ripple maps. Community capitals framework and the social–ecological model were used for coding the items identified within the ripple maps. A quantitative scoring analysis determined if differences existed between the intervention and comparison coalitions in terms of the activities, programs, funding, and partnerships for social–ecological model score (e.g., individual, community, policy levels), community capitals score, and ripples score (e.g., number of branches formed within the maps). All scores were higher in intervention communities; however, the differences were not statistically significant (p > .05). Assessing community assets, such as availability of a community coach, is necessary in order to decide whether to deploy certain resources when designing health promotion strategies.

Are Parental Rules Associated with Low-Income Rural Children’s Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables in the Midwest?

ABSTRACT Parents of low-income preschool-aged children (N = 389) living in rural areas within seven Midwestern states were interviewed about their rules for children’s eating habits and children’s fruit and vegetable consumption. Multinomial logistic regression was conducted to test the association between parental rules and children’s fruit and vegetable consumption while also controlling for parents’ marital status. Children were 6 times more likely to consume zero daily servings of fruit if their parent had a high level of parental rules holding all other covariates constant. The amount of parental rules did not have a significant relationship with children’s vegetable intake. However, children living in single-parent households were more likely to consume more servings of vegetables per day than children living in married couple households. These results demonstrate that type of parent involvement and family structure may play an important role in influencing young children’s eating behaviors.