FACTORS RELATING TO HPV BEHAVIORS OF FEMALE COLLEGE STUDENTS

This study examined the knowledge, sources of information, reasons for and against Gardasil® uptake, and possible relationships between unhealthy behaviors and vaccination for undergraduate college females at a public university. Utilizing an online survey, 2400 random students were emailed as well as recruited through online classes. The final sample size was 516 females. The study determined how many participants had been vaccinated and their rationale for or against vaccination. The majority of study participants were knowledgeable about HPV and Gardasil®. The primary sources of information about HPV and Gardasil® were doctors and television; however parents and friends were also common sources of information. Predictors for HPV inoculation included race, the belief that the vaccine would protect against HPV, alcohol use, and engagement in anal intercourse. Over 50% of participants had received at least one dose of Gardasil®, and 82% had completed the series. The most common rationale for not getting the vaccine, or not completing the vaccination series, was concern about side effects. The most common rationale for completing the vaccination or intending to complete the series was protection from cervical cancer. In conclusion, there is a continued need provide health education about HPV and HPV vaccination for college females

COMMUNICATING SOCIAL SUPPORT: UNDERSTANDING COMPLEXITIES OF BREASTFEEDING COMMUNICATION AMONG AFRICAN AMERICAN MOTHERS

Breast milk is the best choice for meeting the nutritional needs for an infant whenever possible. Despite the knowledge that this nutritional choice is the best choice for an infant, data demonstrates that there is a sharp decline in the rates of breastfeeding mothers. Among African Americans, breastfeeding rates are significantly lower than the national averages. Despite many of the applications of social support in communication research, there is a gap in knowledge on the social support systems in the context of breastfeeding, especially for African Americans. With the social ecological model as a framework, social support theory provides understanding of the exchange between the mothers and their interpersonal relationships and community resources in the provision of emotional, tangible, and informational support. Study 1 consisted of focus group interviews with mothers and grandmothers. Mothers (n=16) discussed their experiences in receiving social support and grandmothers (n=12) discussed their experience giving social support to the mothers. The findings revealed the different communication and actions that mothers received from healthcare providers, peers, loved ones, strangers, and the grandmother of the child. Healthcare providers and peers seemed to have the largest positive communication in regards to a mother’s initiation and sustainment of breastfeeding; strangers had both positive and negative supportive interactions, and family members and grandmothers were reported to provide negative support. Further exploration into the mother/ grandmother communication detailed the dissonance between the giver of support (the grandmother) and the receiver (the mother). Study 2 explored how breastfeeding champions (community level support) reported providing social support to breastfeeding mothers. Breastfeeding champions (n= 13) provided positive emotional, tangible, and informational support to mothers. The findings from these studies are discussed in terms of family relationship dynamics, the types of community level support, and future directions for communication research

A Community-Based Marketing Campaign at Farmers Markets to Encourage Fruit and Vegetable Purchases in Rural Counties with High Rates of Obesity, Kentucky, 2015-2016

Availability of farmers markets may increase fruit and vegetable consumption among rural residents of the United States. We conducted a community-based marketing campaign, Plate it Up Kentucky Proud (PIUKP), in 6 rural communities over 2 years to determine the association between exposure to the campaign and fruit and vegetable purchases, adjusted for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipient status. Logistic regression was used to examine the odds of the PIUKP campaign influencing purchases. Awareness of the PIUKP marketing campaign was significantly associated with a willingness to prepare fruits and vegetables at home. Using marketing strategies at farmers markets may be an effective way to improve fruit and vegetable purchases in rural communities

Health in All Policies: Working Across Sectors in Cooperative Extension to Promote Health for All

A Health in All Policies approach engages cross-sector stakeholders to collaboratively improve systems that drive population health. We, the members of the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP)’s Health in All Policies Action Team, propose that adopting a Health in All Policies approach within the national Cooperative Extension System will better prepare us to contribute meaningfully to improving the nation’s health. We first explain the Health in All Policies approach and argue for why and how it is relevant for Extension. We then present insights gathered from Extension Family and Consumer Sciences program leaders and state specialists to assess whether national and state leadership are poised to adopt a Health in All Policies approach within their affiliated programs. Although participant leaders saw the value of the approach in contributing to population health improvement, they generally saw the Extension system as having lower levels of readiness to adopt such an approach. Six themes emerged as ways to increase Extension’s engagement in Health in All Policies: a paradigm shift within Extension, professional development of competencies, transformational leaders and leadership support, continued and new partnerships, information access for all levels and disciplines of Extension

EFFECTS OF CONSUMING PEANUT BUTTER FOR 7-WEEKS ON BODY COMPOSITION IN FIREFIGHTERS

BACKGROUND: Many firefighters have BMI above average and are considered overweight or obese. Considering that obesity is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), one of the leading causes of death amongst firefighters, it is important that firefighters achieve and maintain a healthy body composition. Studies have shown that diets high in monounsaturated fatty acids, which are prevalent in peanut butter, can help prevent conditions such as CVD. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if prolonged peanut butter consumption would alter body composition in full-time firefighters. METHODS: Forty firefighters participated in this randomized, controlled 8-week study that consisted of two groups: a peanut butter group (n=20) and a control group (n=20). After a one-week baseline period, the peanut butter group was provided peanut butter to consume five nights per week for seven weeks. The control group was to maintain their normal diet. Waist and hip circumference, BMI, and body fat percentage via bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) were measured at the beginning (PRE) and end (POST) of the 8-week period. Mixed-factorial ANOVAs were completed in SPSS version 29 to analyze the effects of group (peanut butter or control) and time (PRE and POST) on the following variables: waist circumference, hip circumference, body fat percentage, and BMI. Alpha level was set at .05 and Bonferroni adjustments were used for post-hoc tests when appropriate. The magnitude of Cohen’s d is reported as effect size. RESULTS: There was no significant effect of group or time, or interaction effect, on any of the variables analyzed. Favorable changes over time were observed in the peanut butter group for body fat percentage (-0.27%, CI95%: -0.69-0.15%, d = 0.33) and BMI (-0.30 kg/m2, CI95% = -0.72-0.13 kg/m2, d = 0.27), while non-significant increases were observed in the control group. CONCLUSION: Overall, within this subgroup of firefighters, there were no significant differences observed between groups over time. There was a small decrease in fat percentage and BMI in the peanut butter group, but the effect size was not significant. Consuming peanut butter 5 nights/week for 7 weeks did not negatively affect body composition and should be examined further as an affordable alternative for improving body composition

TRYPTOPHAN IN PEANUT BUTTER; IS IT ENOUGH TO IMPROVE SLEEP IN SHIFT WORKING FIREFIGHTERS?

BACKGROUND: Sleep is vital for mental health, physical health, quality of life, and safety. Firefighters are at a higher risk for chronic sleep disruption due to a combination of factors including rotating 24-hour on and 48-hour off work schedules, unpredictable and hazardous work obligations, and/or traumatic events experienced while on shift. Tryptophan is an amino acid found in peanuts that has been positively associated with sleep quality due to its influence on melatonin and serotonin levels in the body. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effect of consuming peanut butter at night on aspects of sleep in shift-working firefighters. METHODS: 40 firefighters participated in this 8-week study and were randomized into a peanut butter group (n=20) or control group (n=20). An Actigraph GT3X sleep and activity wristwatch was worn for 8 weeks to assess sleep quality and quantity. Participants of both groups completed a baseline week of normal living before beginning the 7-week intervention. During the intervention, both groups were asked to stop eating two hours before bedtime. The peanut butter group was asked to consume a serving of peanut butter two hours before bedtime for five nights a week. SPSS version 29 was used to analyze the variables latency, efficiency, time in bed, time asleep, time until first awakening, number of awakenings, and time spent awake via separate linear mixed-effects models. Individual subjects were specified as a correlated random effect. Averages for each week were computed and designated as the repeated measures variable Time with 8 points (baseline and weeks 2-8). The fixed factors were Time and Group (peanut butter or control). RESULTS: There appeared to be a significant effect of Time on latency, F7, 154.77 = 2.71, p = .011, which was higher at week 8 (23.35 min, CI95% = 13.43-33.23 min) than at baseline (8.98 min, CI95% = 1.91 - 16.04 min). However, no time point differences were significant following Bonferroni adjustments. There were no main effects of Time or Group, or interaction effect, on any of the other variables. CONCLUSION: Peanut butter did not alter sleep variables compared to the control group in this study, nor were the sleep variables impaired by peanut butter consumption. However, the data does demonstrate abnormal sleep patterns of firefighters and further research is needed to find simple strategies to improve sleep in this population. Grant Information: The Peanut Institute funded this study