An Acquired Taste: Evolving Approaches to Nutrition Education in the United States

This thesis considers the effectiveness of three approaches to nutrition education in the United States: classroom lessons about nutrition, cooking classes, and a mandate for educators to improve the food environment. It brings interviews with eight Philadelphia-area nutrition educators into conversation with scholarly program evaluations in order to explore the impacts and outcomes of nutrition education policy change on students, educators, and communities. Especially given high rates of obesity, it is a goal of nutrition education to influence children’s behavior in a way that is conducive to healthy eating. The feedback of nutrition educators and scientific evaluations of each method support that hands-on nutrition education through cooking classes is more effective than conventional nutrition lessons at improving children’s eating behavior. Instead of devoting substantial resources to cooking programs, however, recent federal policy has promoted an abstract mandate for nutrition educators to improve the food environment in and around under-resourced schools. This mandate has strained educators, who are often neither trained nor given the authority to enact environmental change. The thesis concludes with a sketch of food education in Japan, which is built into the school system through teachers of dietetics who engage children in preparing and serving school meals. Japan’s system is a compelling model of how to integrate hands-on nutrition education with environmental change initiatives while supporting educators, rather than overtaxing them

The Role of College Radio in the Music Industry: A Descriptive Study

The purpose of this research was to describe the role of college radio in the music industry. The current environment surrounding the college radio scene was documented through interviews with nine record label executives and eight college music directors. The researcher also documented the historical relationship between the radio and recording industries and examined the ideological influences and the economic structures of the music business. The study indicated that the counterculture phenomenon known as alternative rock has emerged from the underground into a legitimate commercial format. Alternative music is no longer the disregarded fringe of the music industry, but instead an aggressively marketed division of popular music. There are presently heavy promotional endeavors directed at college radio by the major labels in an attempt to increase the popularity of the alternative format. As a result, college radio has become a sub-industry of the corporate music culture. The data gathered from the interviews revealed a high degree of divergence between major labels and independent labels, not only in their organizational structure, but in their philosophy and approach toward marketing music to college radio. All the respondents included in this study acknowledged the domination of major labels over every aspect of the college radio industry. Several of the respondents indicated that major label representatives are manipulating college music directors in their attempt to promote music to Commercial Alternative stations, where the potential for profit is greater. The study indicated that charts have become institutionalized in the college radio circuit as the focal point in the promotion of the alternative format. The charts were viewed with a high degree of skepticism. All the music directors acknowledged that they felt pressure from major label representatives to add music to their rotation in an effort to gain chart position. The respondents interpreted the record companies\u27 pursuit of chart position as exploitive. Throughout the interviews the issue of integrity was raised. The interviews indicated that airplay decisions are influenced by factors other than the quality of the music and whether it is right for their station. The respondents observed that college playlists show little experimentation. They expressed concern that college music directors are taking fewer chances on innovative music. The research revealed a trend toward the homogenization of college radio. The respondents concluded that the survival of college radio as an outlet for music innovation and free expression depends on the ability of college music directors to get back to the basic precept upon which college stations were founded: experimentation in music

Does Aerobic Exercise Increase 24-Hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure Among Workers With High Occupational Physical Activity?-A RCT.

ObjectiveHigh occupational physical activity (OPA) increases cardiovascular risk and aerobic exercise has been recommended for reducing this risk. This paper investigates the effects of an aerobic exercise intervention on 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) among cleaners with high OPA.MethodsHundred and sixteen cleaners between 18 and 65 years were randomized. During the 4-month intervention period, the aerobic exercise group (AE) (n = 57) performed worksite aerobic exercise (2 × 30 minutes/week), while the reference group (REF) (n = 59) attended lectures. Between-group differences in 4-month ABP changes were evaluated by intention-to-treat analysis using a repeated-measure 2 × 2 multiadjusted mixed-models design.ResultsRelative to REF, 24-hour ABP significantly increased in AE: systolic 3.6 mm Hg (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.6-5.7) and diastolic 2.3 mm Hg (95% CI 0.9-3.8). Cleaners with high aerobic workload exhibited particularly high 24-hour ABP increases: systolic 6.0 mm Hg (95% CI 2.4-9.6), and diastolic 3.8 mm Hg (95% CI 1.3-6.4).ConclusionAerobic exercise increased 24-hour ABP among cleaners. This adverse effect raises questions about the safety and intended benefits of aerobic exercise, especially among workers with high OPA and a demanding aerobic workload. http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN86682076. Unique identifier ISRCTN86682076.Clinical trial registrationTrial Number ISRCTN86682076

Assessing physiological response mechanisms and the role of psychosocial job resources in the physical activity health paradox : study protocol for the Flemish Employees' Physical Activity (FEPA) study

Background: In the current labour system many workers are still exposed to heavy physical demands during their job. In contrast to leisure time physical activity (LTPA), occupational physical activity (OPA) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and all-cause mortality, termed the physical activity (PA) health paradox. In order to gain more insight into the PA health paradox, an exploration of structural preventive measures at the workplace is needed and therefore objective field measurements are highly recommended. The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the protocol of the Flemish Employees' Physical Activity (FEPA) study, including objective measurements of PA, heart rate (HR) and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) to gain more insight into the PA health paradox. Methods: A total of 401 workers participated in the FEPA study across seven companies in the service and production sector in Belgium. The participants comprised 167 men and 234 women, aged 20 to 65years. OPA and LTPA were assessed by two Axivity AX3 accelerometers on the thigh and upper back. Ambulatory HR was measured by the Faros eMotion 90 degrees monitor. Both devices were worn during two to four consecutive working days. In addition, CRF was estimated by using the Harvard Step Test. Statistical analyses will be performed using Pearson correlation, and multiple regression adjusted for possible confounders. Discussion: This study aims to provide a better insight in the PA health paradox and the possible buffering factors by using valid and objective measurements of PA and HR (both during LTPA and OPA) over multiple working days. The results of the study can contribute to the prevention of cardiovascular disease by providing tailored recommendations for participants with high levels of OPA and by disseminating the results and recommendations to workplaces, policy makers and occupational health practitioners