Sheri Zidenberg-Cherr

Use of school gardens in academic instruction.

OBJECTIVE To determine the status of gardens in California schools. DESIGN A self-administered Internet and mailed survey was sent to all California principals (N = 9805). PARTICIPANTS 4194 California school principals. VARIABLES MEASURED School garden practices, attitudes associated with the use of gardens in schools, and perceptions of barriers to having and using school gardens in academic instruction. ANALYSIS Descriptive statistics and chi-square; P < .05. RESULTS A 43% response rate was achieved. The most frequent reason for having a garden was for enhancement of academic instruction. Gardens were most commonly used for teaching science, environmental studies, and nutrition. Principals strongly agreed that resources such as curriculum materials linked to academic instruction and lessons on teaching nutrition in the garden would assist in the school garden being used for academic instruction. Principals deemed the garden as being not to slightly effective at enhancing the school meal program. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS School gardens appear to be predominantly used by most schools to enhance academic instruction. There is a need for curriculum materials and teacher training for gardening and nutrition. The link between the garden and the school meal program is an area that clearly requires attention. School lunch would be a logical setting for provision of edible produce, in addition to taste-testing of fresh produce in the garden or classroom setting.

Influence of Short-Term Maternal Zinc Deficiency on the In Vitro Development of Preimplantation Mouse Embryos

Abstract In this study, we evaluated the use of mouse preimplantation embryos as a model to study zinc deficiency-induced abnormal development. In Experiment 1, the effect of culture medium Zn concentrations on blastocyst development was studied. Preimplantation embryos (2 and 4 cells) obtained from superovulated females developed normally in media containing 0.7–30 μM Zn for up to 72 hr; higher levels of medium Zn resulted in abnormal development. In Experiment 2A, females were fed diets containing 50 (+Zn) or 0.4 (-Zn) μg Zn/g (760 vs 6 nmol/g, respectively) from 1 day before to 1 day after mating (3 days total). Preimplantation embryos were removed from the dams and cultured for 72 hr in 0.7 μM Zn medium. Embryos from the –Zn dams were morphologically normal at time zero; however, over the 72-hr period, these embryos tended to develop at a slower rate than controls, although compaction and cavitation frequency were similar. By the end of the 72-hr culture period, embryos from –Zn dams had significantly fewer cells than did embryos from control dams. In Experiment 2B, an extended period of maternal Zn deprivation (6 days) was used to investigate the potential for further impairment of in vitro preimplantation embryo development observed in Experiment 2A. Results from this experiment were consistent with those from Experiment 2A, in addition to providing evidence that the developmental progress of embryos obtained from mice fed Zn-deficient diets for 6 days was significantly impaired. In Experiment 3, the potential for supplemental Zn in culture medium to overcome the impairment in development due to maternal Zn deficiency was investigated. Embryos from female mice subjected to the same dietary regimen described in Experiment 2A were cultured to the blastocyst stage in medium containing Zn at a concentration of either 0.7 or 7.7 μM. Medium Zn supplementation did not improve development of embryos from dams fed Zn-deficient diets. In summary, embryos from mice fed –Zn diets for a 3-or 6-day period encompassing oocyte maturation and fertilization exhibited impaired development in vitro. This impairment was not overcome by medium Zn supplementation.

Best Practices Models for Implementing, Sustaining, and Using Instructional School Gardens in California

To ascertain best practices for schools implementing or sustaining instructional school gardens by interviewing key members in 10 schools with exemplary instructional school gardens programs in California. Practices of schools with exemplary instructional school gardens programs were analyzed by constant comparative analysis using qualitative data analysis software. Seven of the 10 schools had people from at least 3 of the following 4 groups: administrators, teachers, parent and community volunteers and garden coordinators. Nine of 10 schools had a part- or full-time garden coordinator. Results demonstrated that a committee committed to instructional school gardens is the most important step towards success.

Effect of Participation in Congregate-Site Meal Programs on Nutritional Status of The Healthy Elderly

OBJECTIVE This study was designed to evaluate whether participation in a congregate-site meal program influenced the nutritional status of a group of healthy elderly. DESIGN Nutritional status, as defined by dietary intake and biochemical indexes, was assessed in free-living persons (aged 60 to 89 years) who either did (n = 70) or did not (n = 65) participate in the meal program. Three-day mean intakes of 17 nutrients and serum levels of 13 indexes of nutritional status were measured. STATISTICAL ANALYSES Multifactorial analysis of variance was used to determine differences in nutrient intake data and biochemical indexes between the groups. By means of correlation analysis, relationships between income and main outcome measures were examined. chi 2 Analysis was used to determine differences in response to categorical variables of the questionnaire. RESULTS In general, dietary intakes of participants did not differ significantly from those of nonparticipants, nor did the meal provided at the site significantly affect the overall dietary intake of participants. Mean biochemical indexes of nutritional status were within normal ranges for participants and nonparticipants, except for iron. However, 26% of the population consumed diets that may place them at risk for nutritional inadequacy. CONCLUSIONS Mean dietary intake data and biochemical indexes of nutritional status suggest that the congregate-site meal program did not significantly affect the nutritional status of the population surveyed. Additional studies focusing on the nutritional intake and status of low-income, ethnic minority, and socially isolated participants in the congregate-site meal program are needed to assess which populations are at risk for nutritional deficiencies.

Essential Trace Elements in Antioxidant Processes

The antioxidant defense system is comprised of a number of interconnecting, and overlapping, components that include both enzymatic and nonenzymatic factors. The trace elements Cu, Zn, and Mn are critical components for a number of these processes, and a deficiency of any one of these elements can result in an impairment of the functioning of the overall antioxidant system. This impairment can be physiologically significant, particularly if the animal is exposed to environmental challenges that increase the production of oxygen radicals over normal physiological levels.

Learner-Centered Nutrition Education Improves Folate Intake and Food-Related Behaviors in Nonpregnant, Low-Income Women of Childbearing Age

BACKGROUND Recent studies suggest low-income women of childbearing age may be at risk of suboptimal folate intake. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of learner-centered nutrition education on folate intake and food-related behaviors among nonpregnant, low-income women of childbearing age, compared to education unrelated to nutrition. DESIGN Participants were randomly assigned by recruitment site to receive either the nutrition lesson or a control lesson about resource management. PARTICIPANTS Nonpregnant, low-income (< or =185% federal poverty level) women of childbearing age (18 to 45 years, n=155) from five California counties. MAIN OUTCOME VARIABLES Changes in folate intake and other food-related behaviors. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Analysis of covariance, adjusting for baseline responses and potential confounders. RESULTS Adjusting for baseline, participants who received the nutrition education had greater increases in folate intake and use of the Nutrition Facts label than the control group. Change in intake of specific folate-rich foods differed by ethnicity. Participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children who received the nutrition education increased folate intake but had no significant changes in other food-related behaviors. Food stamp recipients who received the nutrition education had no significant changes in folate intake but did increase the frequency of eating more than one kind of vegetable each day, compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS This study supports the use of learner-centered approaches to nutrition education for low-income audiences, compared to education unrelated to nutrition. Future work is needed to compare learner-centered techniques to traditional pedagogical nutrition education, and to determine whether observed changes from this study persist over the long term.

The Shaping Healthy Choices Program: Design and Implementation Methodologies for a Multicomponent, School-Based Nutrition Education Intervention

OBJECTIVE To provide a framework for implementation of multicomponent, school-based nutrition interventions. This article describes the research methods for the Shaping Healthy Choices Program, a model to improve nutrition and health-related knowledge and behaviors among school-aged children. DESIGN Longitudinal, pretest/posttest, randomized, controlled intervention. SETTING Four elementary schools in California. PARTICIPANTS Fourth-grade students at intervention (n = 252) and control (n = 238) schools and their parents and teachers. Power analyses demonstrate that a minimum of 159 students per group will be needed to achieve sufficient power. The sample size was determined using the variables of nutrition knowledge, vegetable preference score, and body mass index percentile. INTERVENTION A multicomponent school-based nutrition education intervention over 1 academic year, followed by activities to support sustainability of the program. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Dietary and nutrition knowledge and behavior, critical thinking skills, healthy food preferences and consumption, and physical activity will be measured using a nutrition knowledge questionnaire, a food frequency questionnaire, a vegetable preferences assessment tool, the Test of Basic Science Process Skills, digital photography of plate waste, PolarActive accelerometers, anthropometrics, a parent questionnaire, and the School and Community Actions for Nutrition survey. ANALYSIS Evaluation will include quantitative and qualitative measures. Quantitative data will use paired t, chi-square, and Mann-Whitney U tests and regression modeling using P = .05 to determine statistical significance.

Tissue and subcellular distribution of bismuth radiotracer in the rat: considerations of cytotoxicity and microdosimetry for bismuth radiopharmaceuticals

The whole-body clearance, organ distribution, and subcellular distribution of no-carrier-added and carried-added intraperitoneally administered bismuth radiotracers (205Bi-206Bi) has been determined in Sprague-Dawley rats. Differences in clearance rate kinetics were observed for this study with the administration of neutral solutions of tracers in a carbonate buffer compared to other studies with other chemical forms. The final organ distribution was not strongly dependent on administered chemical form. We provide definitive evidence that bismuth does indeed enter subcellular organelles such as the nucleus and the mitochondria, which had 30-50% and 10-25%, respectively, of activity in kidney tissue. The kidneys were the main sink for radiotracer with uptake ranging from 20 to 50% of total body activity. The calculated energy deposition by recoil nuclei after alpha emission of potentially therapeutically useful 212Bi was found to equal or exceed the alpha energy deposition per organelle if the source is inside the cell nucleus or mitochondria.

Influence of dietary manganese and vitamin e on adriamycin toxicity in mice

Adriamycin (ADR) administration can result in cardiac toxicity. One suggested mechanism of damage is through increased lipid peroxidation. We have evaluated the biochemical response of mice to ADR treatment when fed Mn-sufficient, vitamin E-sufficient (+Mn, +E); Mn-sufficient, low vitamin-E (+Mn, -E); Mn-deficient, vitamin E-sufficient (-Mn, +E); or Mn-deficient, low vitamin-E (-Mn, -E) diets. Mice were injected i.p. with ADR (10 mg/kg bw) or saline (0.9% w/v). ADR injection resulted in a reduction of food intake by 2 days postinjection; by 5 days postinjection ADR-treated mice lost an average of 6.0 g. Heart Mn superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity of -Mn mice was 50% that of +Mn mice; ADR did not affect MnSOD activity. Lipid peroxidation was highest in the -Mn, -E mice, being 2-fold higher than that observed in +Mn, +E mice. ADR injection did not affect lipid peroxidation. An interaction between Fe and ADR treatment was apparent; ADR injected -Mn, -E mice had liver Fe concentrations which were twice that of the saline injected mice fed -Mn, -E diets. These data show that the antioxidant status of an animal may influence ADR toxicity.

Evaluating the relationship between plasma and skin carotenoids and reported dietary intake in elementary school children to assess fruit and vegetable intake.

Accurate assessment of dietary intake of children can be challenging due to the limited reliability of current dietary assessment methods. Plasma carotenoid concentration has been used to assess fruit and vegetable intake, but this testing is rarely conducted in school settings in children. Resonance Raman spectroscopy (RRS) is emerging as a useful method to objectively assess fruit and vegetable intake. This methodology has been validated in adults, but limited work has been done in children, particularly in the school setting. The purpose of this research is to further validate the RRS methodology in children. Children (9-12 year) participating in a school-based intervention were recruited. Plasma carotenoids were quantified using HPLC, skin carotenoid status was measured using RRS, and dietary intake of carotenoids was measured with the Block Food Frequency Questionnaire Ages 8-17. Total plasma carotenoid concentrations and skin carotenoid intensities were strongly correlated (r=0.62, p<0.001, n=38). Reported total carotenoid intake correlated with skin carotenoids (r=0.40, p<0.0001, n=128). Skin carotenoid status as measured by RRS can be a strong predictor of plasma carotenoid status and dietary intake of carotenoids in children. RRS may be used as a valid, non-invasive, and useful method to assess fruit and vegetable intakes in this population.