FOOD WASTE IN MANHATTAN, KANSAS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LUNCH

Master of Public HealthSecurity Studies Interdepartmental ProgramDavid A. DzewaltowskiIn the United States (US) 133 billion pounds of food was wasted at the consumer and retail level in 2010, resulting in a total loss of 161.6 billion dollars (Buzby, Wells, & Hyman, 2014). This translates into 387 billion calories per day being wasted, of which 96% ends up in landfills (Buzby et al., 2014). Moreover, decomposing food waste in landfills emits methane, a potent greenhouse gas, that accounts for 20% of all methane emissions (EPA, 2014). Food waste can come from a variety of sources, including at the farm level (e.g., food lost to a unfavorable environment conditions), the farm to retail level (e.g., foods that do not meet food safety regulations; are misshapen or blemished), the retail level (e.g., dented cans; damaged packaging), and the consumer level (e.g., plate waste; food that spoils before consumption) (Buzby et al., 2014). In 2013 the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched the U.S Food Waste Challenge in an attempt to reduce, recover, and recycle food waste in the United States (USDA OCE, n.d.). One of the major commitments of the project was to minimize waste in school meal programs, where studies have shown plate waste to be 29-43% of food taken (Cohen, Richardson, Parker, Catalano, & Rimm, 2014)

The social contexts of youth settings for influencing physical activity

Doctor of PhilosophyDepartment of KinesiologyDavid DzewaltowskiEmily MaileyDespite health benefits of physical activity (PA) in youth, worldwide estimates indicate that only 10% of children meet recommended PA guidelines of 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day.¹,² The places where children go to live, learn, and play influence the amount of PA children accrue,³,⁴ therefore, purpose of this dissertation was to examine social contexts of youth settings and describe contextual influences on youth PA. Chapters one and two address the methods of direct observation (DO) used to characterize contextual influences on youth PA. Chapter 1 serves as a review of the methods of current DO systems, and Chapter 2 describes the implications of using different methods to characterize contexts and PA in youth settings. Using youth sport (YS) as an example, we examined the distinct types of data that resulted from two DO systems, and discussed implications for describing influences of children’s PA. Little is known about the distribution of PA among children within setting time, such as whether social contexts promote inequalities in PA where some children are very active and others are inactive. Therefore, the purpose of the study in Chapter 3 was to describe the distribution of PA during time segmented YS practices and identify whether inequalities in PA exist. We hypothesized that inequality would vary between time segments of different contexts, specifically, that segments that fostered inclusion (i.e., optimal demand) would have lower inequality than segments that fostered exclusion (i.e., disadvantaged demand). We found that inequality in PA was varied between segment types and that social contexts of task (i.e., purpose of the segment time) and demand influenced inequality in PA. To create improvements in child population PA, we propose researchers and practitioners should focus not only on the mean PA of setting time, but also on the distribution of PA within setting time. Chapter 4 focuses on the social structure of relationships within a school district that may influence implementation of wellness policies within school systems. The study described a method and investigated the social structure between school district wellness committees and their associated elementary schools. Results of the study showed variability in the pattern of social structure between and within school districts, with some districts having a social structure with representation of schools on the district wellness committee, and other districts with no representation. As social structure characteristics influence the implementation of policies and practices within social systems, these characteristics should be investigated by researchers, and should be used to enhance implementation, rather than be disregarded. In conclusion, this dissertation provided recommendations for describing the social contexts of youth settings, provided preliminary evidence that social contexts influence the amount and distribution of PA within youth settings, and that social contexts are highly variable within and between settings. Further research is needed to find the combination of social contexts most conducive to youth PA, and future researchers should consider social contexts when designing and implementing interventions for improving youth PA within settings

Physical activity patterns across time-segmented youth sport flag football practice.

BACKGROUND: Youth sport (YS) reaches a large number of children world-wide and contributes substantially to children's daily physical activity (PA), yet less than half of YS time has been shown to be spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Physical activity during practice is likely to vary depending on practice structure that changes across YS time, therefore the purpose of this study was 1) to describe the type and frequency of segments of time, defined by contextual characteristics of practice structure, during YS practices and 2) determine the influence of these segments on PA. METHODS: Research assistants video-recorded the full duration of 28 practices from 14 boys' flag football teams (2 practices/team) while children concurrently (N = 111, aged 5-11 years, mean 7.9 ± 1.2 years) wore ActiGraph GT1M accelerometers to measure PA. Observers divided videos of each practice into continuous context time segments (N = 204; mean-segments-per-practice = 7.3, SD = 2.5) using start/stop points defined by change in context characteristics, and assigned a value for task (e.g., management, gameplay, etc.), member arrangement (e.g., small group, whole group, etc.), and setting demand (i.e., fosters participation, fosters exclusion). Segments were then paired with accelerometer data. Data were analyzed using a multilevel model with segment as unit of analysis. RESULTS: Whole practices averaged 34 ± 2.4% of time spent in MVPA. Free-play (51.5 ± 5.5%), gameplay (53.6 ± 3.7%), and warm-up (53.9 ± 3.6%) segments had greater percentage of time (%time) in MVPA compared to fitness (36.8 ± 4.4%) segments (p ≤ .01). Greater %time was spent in MVPA during free-play segments compared to scrimmage (30.2 ± 4.6%), strategy (30.6 ± 3.2%), and sport-skill (31.6 ± 3.1%) segments (p ≤ .01), and in segments that fostered participation (36.1 ± 2.7%) than segments that fostered exclusion (29.1 ± 3.0%; p ≤ .01). Significantly greater %time was spent in low-energy stationary behavior in fitness (15.7 ± 3.4%) than gameplay (4.0 ± 2.9%) segments (p ≤ .01), and in sport-skill (17.6 ± 2.2%) than free-play (8.2 ± 4.2%), gameplay, and warm-up (10.6 ± 2.6%) segments (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: The %time spent in low-energy stationary behavior and in MVPA differed by characteristics of task and setting demand of the segment. Restructuring the routine of YS practice to include segments conducive to MVPA could increase %time spent in MVPA during practice. As YS reaches a large number of children worldwide, increasing PA during YS has the potential to create a public health impact

Physical activity during recreational youth sport: does coach training have an influence?

Master of Public HealthKinesiologyDavid A. DzewaltowskiBackground: This study examined youth moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) levels during flag football practice and compared youth MVPA in practices led by trained or untrained, and by experienced or inexperienced coaches. Methods: Boys (n = 111, mean age= 7.9 ± 1.2 years) from 14 recreation flag football teams wore an accelerometer during two practices. Each team's volunteer head coach reported prior training and coaching experience. Results: Mixed-model team-adjusted means showed the proportion of practice time spent in sedentary (13 ± 1%), MVPA (34 ± 2%), and vigorous (12 ± 1%) activity. Practice contributed ~20 minutes of MVPA towards public health guidelines. There was no significant difference in percentage time spent in MVPA between teams with trained (mean = 33.3%, 95% CI = 29.4%, 37.2%) and untrained coaches (mean= 35.9%, 95% CI = 25.5%, 42.4%) or between experienced (mean = 34.1%, 95% CI= 30.2%, 38.0%) and inexperienced coaches (mean = 33.8, 95% CI = 27.9%, 39.7%). Conclusion: Although sport provides a setting for youth to be physically active at a moderate to vigorous level, two-thirds of practice was spent sedentary or in light activity. Having participated in a coach training program was not associated with higher MVPA. Further research is needed to inform volunteer coach training programs that provide coaches with skills necessary to increase the percentage of practice time spent in MVPA.

Preschool daily patterns of physical activity driven by location and social context

BACKGROUND: Preschool children are recommended to spend at least 15 minutes/hour (25% time) in light-to-vigorous physical activity (total physical activity, TPA). Preschool provider practices, such as whether children are put in small group or whole-group activities, are likely to affect children's TPA levels during preschool. The current study characterized the pattern of physical activity across the preschool day, and examined the relationship of location and social arrangement to TPA. METHODS: Fifteen days from 8 preschool classrooms in 2 preschool centers were video-recorded, and children (N = 73, age = 3-6 years, M = 4.36 ± 0.85, Boys = 47%) wore accelerometers for the duration of the preschool day. We observed contextual variables of time (ie, morning or afternoon), location (ie, indoor or outdoor), and for a subsample, social arrangement (ie, activity centers, small group, whole group). RESULTS: Across the whole day, children spent 69.5 ± 12.4% time sedentary/inactive and 30.5 ± 13.5% time in TPA. Children spent a significantly greater percentage of time in TPA outdoors, compared to indoors (t = 10.00, p <.001), and while in small groups compared to whole groups (t = 3.35, p =.009). CONCLUSION: Children spent approximately 30% of the preschool day in TPA. Providing more time outdoors and restructuring preschool activities from whole group to small group could increase the amount of TPA that children accumulate during preschool

Impact of troop leader training on the implementation of physical activity opportunities in Girl Scout troop meetings

Girl Scouts (GS) is a setting with large reach to target increased moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in girls. The Scouting Nutrition and Activity Program (SNAP) increased MVPA during intervention troop meetings; therefore, further examination of implementation of SNAP components is warranted to determine the processes contributing to intervention success. The purpose of this study is to examine variability in implementation of an active recreation (AR) policy into GS troop meetings. Troop leaders (n = 7) were randomized to receive SNAP, an intervention training on implementing a policy promoting AR, or a standard control. Meetings (seven meetings/troop) were observed, and girls in attendance (n = 76, 9-13 years, mean + SD = 10.51 + 1.19 years) wore ActiGraph GT1M accelerometers. Two observers attended each meeting and recorded start/stop points of AR time segments, as well as other tasks (i.e., opening/closing, snack, and Girl Scout curriculum [GSC]). Time-segmented accelerometer data were analyzed using Evenson cut points and paired with observation data. Researchers observed 181 segments (mean/day + SD = 3.77 + 1.24). Intervention troops implemented more AR segments/day (mean/day = 0.86; 95% CI = 0.62-1.09) than control troops (mean/day = 0.18; 95% CI = 0.00-0.39). A greater percentage of time (%time) was spent in MVPA during AR segments (mean = 10.99; 95% CI = 7.16-14.82) compared with GSC segments (mean = 0.73; 95% CI = 0.00-4.10), opening/closing (mean = 3.96; 95% CI = 0.54-7.38), and snack (mean = 0.74; 95% CI = 0.00-4.10) segments, and during opening/closing segments compared with GSC and snack segments. Intervention troops implemented more AR segments than control troops. Troop meeting patterns of PA were influenced by task. Adding time segments conducive to PA could increase the %time spent in MVPA during GS troop meetings

A systematic review of children's dietary interventions with parents as change agents : application of the RE-AIM framework

Introduction Interventions targeting children's dietary behavior often include strategies that target parents as implementation agents of change, though parent involvement on intervention effectiveness is unclear. The present study systematically assessed (1) reporting of reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation and maintenance (RE-AIM) of child dietary intervention studies with parents as change agents and (2) evaluated within these studies the comparative effectiveness of interventions with and without a parent component. Methods The search was conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library. Eligible studies were required to include a condition with a parental component, a comparison/control group, and target a child dietary behavior outcome. Forty-nine articles met criteria. Raters extracted RE-AIM and parent implementation information for each study. Results Effectiveness (72.5%) was the highest reported RE-AIM element, followed by reach (27.5%), adoption (12.5%), implementation (10%), and maintenance (2.5%). Median reporting of parent implementation was highest for adoption and enactment (20%), followed by receipt (7.5%), and maintenance (2.5%). Six studies tested comparative effectiveness of parental involvement on child dietary outcomes. Conclusion Current RE-AIM reporting among children's dietary interventions is inchoate. The contribution of parental involvement on intervention effectiveness remains unclear. Increased focus should be placed on reporting of external validity information, to enable better translation of research to practical applications

Physical activity patterns across time-segmented youth sport flag football practice

Abstract Background Youth sport (YS) reaches a large number of children world-wide and contributes substantially to children’s daily physical activity (PA), yet less than half of YS time has been shown to be spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Physical activity during practice is likely to vary depending on practice structure that changes across YS time, therefore the purpose of this study was 1) to describe the type and frequency of segments of time, defined by contextual characteristics of practice structure, during YS practices and 2) determine the influence of these segments on PA. Methods Research assistants video-recorded the full duration of 28 practices from 14 boys’ flag football teams (2 practices/team) while children concurrently (N = 111, aged 5–11 years, mean 7.9 ± 1.2 years) wore ActiGraph GT1M accelerometers to measure PA. Observers divided videos of each practice into continuous context time segments (N = 204; mean-segments-per-practice = 7.3, SD = 2.5) using start/stop points defined by change in context characteristics, and assigned a value for task (e.g., management, gameplay, etc.), member arrangement (e.g., small group, whole group, etc.), and setting demand (i.e., fosters participation, fosters exclusion). Segments were then paired with accelerometer data. Data were analyzed using a multilevel model with segment as unit of analysis. Results Whole practices averaged 34 ± 2.4% of time spent in MVPA. Free-play (51.5 ± 5.5%), gameplay (53.6 ± 3.7%), and warm-up (53.9 ± 3.6%) segments had greater percentage of time (%time) in MVPA compared to fitness (36.8 ± 4.4%) segments (p ≤ .01). Greater %time was spent in MVPA during free-play segments compared to scrimmage (30.2 ± 4.6%), strategy (30.6 ± 3.2%), and sport-skill (31.6 ± 3.1%) segments (p ≤ .01), and in segments that fostered participation (36.1 ± 2.7%) than segments that fostered exclusion (29.1 ± 3.0%; p ≤ .01). Significantly greater %time was spent in low-energy stationary behavior in fitness (15.7 ± 3.4%) than gameplay (4.0 ± 2.9%) segments (p ≤ .01), and in sport-skill (17.6 ± 2.2%) than free-play (8.2 ± 4.2%), gameplay, and warm-up (10.6 ± 2.6%) segments (p < .05). Conclusions The %time spent in low-energy stationary behavior and in MVPA differed by characteristics of task and setting demand of the segment. Restructuring the routine of YS practice to include segments conducive to MVPA could increase %time spent in MVPA during practice. As YS reaches a large number of children worldwide, increasing PA during YS has the potential to create a public health impact

A Scoping Review of Whole-of-Community Interventions on Six Modifiable Cancer Prevention Risk Factors in Youth: A Systems Typology

Whole-of-community interventions delivered across entire geospatial areas show promise for improving population health for youth cancer prevention. The aims of this scoping review were to synthesize the whole-of-community intervention literature on six modifiable risk factors in youth for cancer prevention (alcohol use, diet, obesity, physical activity, sun exposure, tobacco use) and to develop and apply a typology describing the inclusion of fundamental control system functional characteristics. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Embase, PsycINFO, and Scopus for studies published to the end of 2019. Eligible studies included a geospatially defined whole-of-community intervention; youth 0–18 years; and at least one of the six cancer risk factor outcomes. An iterative process was undertaken to create a typology describing the functions for whole-of-community interventions guided by systems theory, and the typology was used to code the included interventions. A total of 41 interventions were included. Most interventions (43.9%) assessed multiple cancer risk factors. Few interventions provided fundamental functions necessary for community system coordination: sensor, controller, effector. Although communities are a patchwork quilt of microsystems where individuals interact in geographically bounded places nested within larger whole systems of influence, a control systems approach has not been used to frame the literature. Whole-of-community interventions can be characterized by the fundamental system functions necessary for coordinating population health improvement. Future whole-of-community intervention efforts should draw on fundamental knowledge of how systems operate and test whether adoption of the key functions is necessary for whole-of-community population health improvement

Influence of session context on physical activity levels among Russian girls during a summer camp

Purpose: This study investigated the effect of summer camp session context on Russian girls’ physical activity (PA). Method: Girls (n = 32, Mage = 10.7 years, SD = 0.6 years) from a resident summer camp taking place in the Vologda Region of Russia were exposed to 1 session context/day (i.e., free play, organized with no choice, organized with choice) on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for 3 weeks, with the context order counterbalanced across the 3 weeks. The organized session sport/game changed weekly. The primary outcome was accelerometer-assessed PA. Repeated-measures mixed models were used to analyze all outcome data. Results: Findings showed that girls spent a greater percentage of session time (%time) in moderate-to-vigorous PA (p &lt;.001; effect sizes between free play and organized with no choice and organized with choice, respectively =.60,.42) and moderate PA (p &lt;.001; effect size =.57,.39) and a lower %time in light PA (p &lt;.001; effect size =.55,.52) in organized PA contexts compared with free play. Conclusions: This study provides novel findings in a Russian setting, suggesting that a well-planned, organized camp session can elicit higher PA levels in girls, relative to a free-play session