Vegetarian Diets and the Risk of Diabetes

Purpose of Review Worldwide, diabetes has increased steadily and in recent years, drastically. The majority of diabetes cases are type 2 (T2DM), caused by modifiable risk factors such as diet. Vegetarian diets have been studied over the past few decades for their preventative and therapeutic effects on diabetes and may be more beneficial than medication for diabetes management. Recent Findings A vegetarian diet characterized by whole plant foods is most beneficial for diabetes prevention and management. Summary Vegetarian diets are inversely associated with risk of developing diabetes independent of the positive association of meat consumption with diabetes development. Vegetarian diets range from vegan (no animal products), lacto-ovo-vegetarian (no animal meat, but consumes milk and eggs), pesco-vegetarian (consumes fish), and semi-vegetarian (occasional meat consumption). There has been an observed difference in the extent of preventative and therapeutic effects of these different types of diets. The most important aspect of any of these types of diets is emphasizing whole grains, fruits and vegetables, legumes, and nuts and reducing saturated and trans fats

Food Insecurity and Behavioral Characteristics for Academic Success in Young Adults Attending an Appalachian University

In order to investigate the impact of food insecurity on college students in a highly health disparate region we (1) assessed the prevalence of food insecurity among young adults at a large, rural university in Appalachia, and (2) investigated the relationship between food insecurity and behavioral characteristics including academic performance, coping strategies, and money expenditure. A cross-sectional design was used to capture a representative sample of young adults attending a large, central Appalachian university in Fall 2016. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Adult Food Security Survey was used to measure food insecurity. Independent variables include money expenditure (MES), coping strategies (CSS), academic performance (APS), and demographic, health, economic and culinary variables. Participant responses (n = 692) showed one third (36.6%) of respondents were food-insecure. Students with higher scores for MES and CSS had significantly higher odds of being food-insecure (odds ratio (OR) = 2.07; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.81 to 2.38 and OR = 1.20; 95% CI 1.16 to 1.23, respectively). The odds of high APS scores (OR = 0.79; 95% CI 0.73 to 0.86) were inversely related to food insecurity. Results of the logistic regression showed MES, CSS, health, and school year remained a significant predictor of food insecurity in college students. These findings suggest behavioral differences in terms of coping strategies, money expenditure, and academic progress among food-insecure students and can be used to identify and target at-risk students to promote student food security and well-being

Metabolic Syndrome Prevalence in Students Attending West Virginia University

Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) contributes to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Few studies have investigated the MetS risk of young adults (18–24 years old). This study aims to determine the prevalence of MetS in Appalachian and non-Appalachian students attending West Virginia University. The prevalence of MetS in this population was 15%. There was no difference in MetS prevalence between male students and female students (18.8% males and 11.1% females, p-value = 0.30), or between Appalachian students and non-Appalachian students (17.7% Appalachian and 10.0% non-Appalachian, p-value = 0.33). Identification of MetS early in life is needed in order to reduce the onset of chronic disease. Therefore, implementing a screening process to identify at-risk young adults will help tailor more effective behavioral interventions

Relationship between Diet and Mental Health in a Young Adult Appalachian College Population

Young adults in Appalachia may face poor nutritional status due to low access to healthy food and high mental health symptoms attributed to high stress and the college environment. A cross-sectional design was used to investigate the relationship between diet intake and mental health status of this population via surveys. Participant responses (n = 1956) showed students’ mean number of depressed days over the past 30 days was 9.67 ± 8.80, and of anxious days, 14.1 ± 10.03. The mean fruit and vegetable intake was 1.80 ± 1.27 times per day and the mean added sugars intake was 1.79 ± 1.26 times per day. 36.7% of students were found to be food insecure. One-way ANOVA and Chi-Squared analyses were used to determine relationship between variables. Significant variables were placed into a full logistic regression model. Food insecurity and fruit and vegetable intake remained significant predictors of depression in males (odds ratio (OR) = 2.33 95% CI 1.47–3.71 and OR = 68 95% CI 50–89, respectively) and in females food insecurity remained a significant predictor of depression (OR = 2.26 95% CI 1.67–3.07). Food insecurity and added sugars intake were significant predictor of anxiety in males (OR = 2.33 95% CI 1.47–3.71 and OR = 1.09 95% CI 0.91–1.3, respectively) and for anxiety in females, added sugars intake and food insecurity were significant predictors (OR = 1.18 95% CI 1.05–1.32 and OR = 1.65 95% CI 1.27–2.16, respectively). Improving college student’s diet intake through increased access to healthy foods could improve the mental health and well-being of students

Experiences of Multidisciplinary Health Professionals From a Culinary Medicine Cultural Immersion: Qualitative Analysis

Purpose: Increasing Culinary Health Opportunities for Professionals (iCHOP) aimed to educate future and current health pro- fessionals on nutrition as medicine. Methods: Two cohorts each participated in a 16-week course followed by a cultural immersion in Tuscany, Italy. The course took place online through West Virginia University. After the course, participants traveled to Tuscany, Italy for a 2-week cultural im- mersion. The online course covered culinary medicine, the Mediterranean Diet, and cultural comparisons. The cultural immersion consisted of hands-on activities including culinary lessons, food production and organic farm tours, and tastings of Mediterranean foods. Data was collected through personal journaling in order to capture participants’ thoughts and experiences during the im- mersion. Journal entries were analyzed using NVIVO Software Version 12 in order to generate themes. Results: Cohort1(n1⁄415)consistedofcurrentlypracticinghealthprofessionalsandCohort2(n1⁄414)consistedofaspiringhealth professionals. 20 themes and 5 subthemes were generated from 9 journal topics. Themes showed that participants had an increase and knowledge and self-efficacy and applied new information to personal and professional settings. Conclusions: Cultural immersions can be an effective way to educate health professionals on nutrition as medicine and using journaling as a data collection method can effectively capture participants’ experiences

Teens Implementing a Childhood Obesity Prevention Program in the Community: Feasibility and Perceptions of a Partnership with HSTA and iCook 4-H

High school student researchers and teen leaders from the Health Science Technology Academy (HSTA), under the supervision of HSTA teachers, led a childhood obesity prevention (COP) program (iCook 4-H). The objective was to evaluate the feasibility and perceptions of having teen leaders implement a COP program for dyads of youth (9–10 years old) and their primary adult food preparer. Behavior change and perceptions were assessed through surveys and open-ended interviews. Across eight HSTA organizations, 43 teen leaders participated in teaching the iCook 4-H program to 24 dyads. Increased frequency of culinary skills, physical activity and mealtime behavior were reported by youth. Almost all adults (93%) reported that their youth had learned kitchen skills and that the program provided youth-adult quality time and developed culinary skills. Youth echoed adult perceptions with additional themes of food safety and physical activity. HSTA teen leaders perceived the program to be successful and reported the training they received to implement the program was adequate 98% of the time. HSTA teachers found the program to be beneficial for HSTA students in improving leadership, confidence and responsibility. iCook 4-H was feasible to be disseminated through teen leaders in the HSTA program. This teen-led approach could serve as a model for youth health-related programming

Detecting Body Mass Index from a Facial Photograph in Lifestyle Intervention

This study aimed to identify whether a research participant’s body-mass index (BMI) can be correctly identified from their facial image (photograph) in order to improve data capturing in dissemination and implementation research. Facial BMI (fBMI) was measured using an algorithm formulated to identify points on each enrolled participant’s face from a photograph. Once facial landmarks were detected, distances and ratios between them were computed to characterize facial fatness. A regression function was then used to represent the relationship between facial measures and BMI values to then calculate fBMI from each photo image. Simultaneously, BMI was physically measured (mBMI) by trained researchers, calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared (adult BMI). Correlation analysis of fBMI to mBMI (n = 1210) showed significant correlation between fBMI and BMIs in normal and overweight categories (p \u3c 0.0001). Further analysis indicated fBMI to be less accurate in underweight and obese participants. Matched pair data for each individual indicated that fBMI identified participant BMI an average of 0.4212 less than mBMI (p \u3c 0.0007). Contingency table analysis found 109 participants in the ‘obese’ category of mBMI were positioned into a lower category for fBMI. Facial imagery is a viable measure for dissemination of human research; however, further testing to sensitize fBMI measures for underweight and obese individuals are necessary