Corporate Investments in College Readiness and Access

Examines support for college readiness and access initiatives among Fortune 100 companies, best practices in helping disadvantaged students, and case studies. Discusses the importance of higher education to enhancing the U.S. workforce's competitiveness

From Aspirations to Action: The Role of Middle School Parents in Making the Dream of College a Reality

Looks at the number of parents who have taken steps to prepare for their children's college education by the time their children are in middle school

Are Changes in Consumption of “Healthy” Foods Related to Changes in Consumption of “Unhealthy” Foods During Pediatric Obesity Treatment?

Increasing fruits and vegetables (FVs), a dietary recommendation for pediatric weight management, is theorized to reduce energy intake by reducing intake of more energy-dense foods, such as snack foods (SFs). This study examined the relationship between changes in FV, SF, and energy intake in children enrolled in a 6-month, family-based behavioral pediatric weight management trial. Secondary data analyses examined dietary intake in 80 overweight (≥85th to <95th percentile for body mass index [BMI]) and obese (≥95th percentile for BMI) children (7.2 ± 1.7 years) with complete dietary records at 0 and 6 months. Participants were randomized to one of three treatment conditions: (1) increased growth monitoring with feedback; (2) decrease SFs and sugar sweetened beverages; or (3) increase FVs and low-fat dairy. With treatment condition controlled in all analyses, FV intake significantly increased, while SF and energy intake decreased, but not significantly, from 0 to 6 months. Change in FV intake was not significantly associated with change in SF consumption. Additionally, change in FV intake was not significantly related to change in energy intake. However, reduction in SF intake was significantly related to reduction in energy intake. Changing only FVs, as compared to changing other dietary behaviors, during a pediatric obesity intervention may not assist with reducing energy intake

Higher Education in Michigan: Overcoming Challenges to Expand Access

Examines in detail the barriers to higher education in three underserved Michigan communities, and recommends options for improving access at the state level, coordination among institutions, healthcare training, public transportation, and affordability

Behavioral Lifestyle Intervention in the Treatment of Obesity

This article provides an overview of research regarding adult behavioral lifestyle intervention for obesity treatment. We first describe two trials using a behavioral lifestyle intervention to induce weight loss in adults, the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) and the Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) trial. We then review the three main components of a behavioral lifestyle intervention program: behavior therapy, an energy- and fat-restricted diet, and a moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity prescription. Research regarding the influence of dietary prescriptions focusing on macronutrient composition, meal replacements, and more novel dietary approaches (such as reducing dietary variety and energy density) on weight loss is examined. Methods to assist with meeting physical activity goals, such as shortening exercise bouts, using a pedometer, and having access to exercise equipment within the home, are reviewed. To assist with improving weight loss outcomes, broadening activity goals to include resistance training and a reduction in sedentary behavior are considered. To increase the accessibility of behavioral lifestyle interventions to treat obesity in the broader population, translation of efficacious interventions such as the DPP, must be undertaken. Translational studies have successfully altered the DPP to reduce treatment intensity and/or used alternative modalities to implement the DPP in primary care, worksite, and church settings; several examples are provided. The use of new methodologies or technologies that provide individualized treatment and real-time feedback, and which may further enhance weight loss in behavioral lifestyle interventions, is also discussed

Your Hypothesis or Mine? Terminological and Conceptual Variation Across Disciplines

Cross-disciplinary research (CDR) is a necessary response to many current pressing problems, yet CDR practitioners face diverse research challenges. Communication challenges can limit a CDR team’s ability to collaborate effectively, including differing use of scientific terms among teammates. To illustrate this, we examine the conceptual complexity and cross-disciplinary ambiguity of the term hypothesis as it is used by researchers participating in 16 team building workshops. These workshops assist CDR teams in finding common ground about fundamental research assumptions through philosophically structured dialogue. Our results show that team members often have very different perceptions about the nature of hypotheses, the role of hypotheses in science, and the use of hypotheses within different disciplines. Furthermore, we find that such assumptions can be rooted in disciplinary-based training. These data indicate that potentially problematic terminological differences exist within CDR teams, and exercises that reveal this early in the collaborative process may be beneficial

Dietary energy density and successful weight loss maintenance

Research shows a positive relationship between dietary energy density (ED) and body mass index (BMI), but dietary ED of weight loss maintainers is unknown. This preliminary investigation was a secondary data analysis that compared self-reported dietary ED and food group servings consumed in overweight adults (OW: BMI=27–45 kg/m2), normal weight adults (NW: BMI=19–24.9 kg/m2), and weight loss maintainers (WLM: current BMI=19–24.9 kg/m2 [lost≥10% of maximum body weight and maintained loss for ≥5 years]) participating in 2 studies, with data collected from July 2006 to March 2007. Three 24-h phone dietary recalls from 287 participants (OW=97, NW=85, WLM=105) assessed self-reported dietary intake. ED (kcal/g) was calculated by three methods (food+all beverages except water [F+AB], food+caloric beverages [F+CB], and food only [FO]). Differences in self-reported consumption of dietary ED, food group servings, energy, grams of food/beverages, fat, and fiber were assessed using one-way MANCOVA, adjusting for age, sex, and weekly energy expenditure from self-reported physical activity. ED, calculated by all three methods, was significantly lower in WLM than in NW or OW (FO: WLM=1.39±0.45 kcal/g; NW=1.60± 0.43 kcal/g; OW=1.83±0.42 kcal/g). Self-reported daily servings of vegetables and whole grains consumed were significantly higher in WLM compared to NW and OW (vegetables: WLM=4.9±3.1 servings/day; NW=3.9±2.0 servings/day; OW=3.4±1.7 servings/day; whole grains: WLM=2.2±1.8 servings/day; NW=1.4±1.2 servings/day; OW=1.3±1.3 servings/day). WLM self-reported consuming significantly less energy from fat and more fiber than the other two groups. Self-reported energy intake per day was significantly lower in WLM than OW, and WLM self-reported consuming significantly more grams of food/ beverages per day than OW. These preliminary findings suggest that consuming a diet lower in ED, characterized by greater intake of vegetables and whole grains, may aid with weight loss maintenance and should be further tested in prospective randomized controlled trials

Reconciling Social and Biological Needs in an Endangered Ecosystem: the Palouse as a Model for Bioregional Planning

The Palouse region of southeastern Washington State and an adjacent portion of northern Idaho is a working landscape dominated by agricultural production, with less than 1% of the original bunchgrass prairie remaining. Government agencies and conservation groups have begun efforts to conserve Palouse prairie remnants, but they lack critical information about attitudes and perceptions among local landowners toward biological conservation. Knowledge about the location and condition of native biological communities also remains sparse. Using a bioregional approach, we integrated data collected through biological surveys and social interviews to investigate relationships between biologically and socially meaningful aspects of the landscape. We combined GIS layers of participant-identified meaningful places with maps of native biological communities to identify the overlap between these data sets. We used these maps and interview narratives to interpret how stakeholder perceptions of the landscape corresponded with patterns of native biodiversity. We found several prominent landscape features on the Palouse that supported diverse biological communities and were important to stakeholders for multiple reasons. These places may be expedient focal points for conservation efforts. However, the many small prairie remnants on the Palouse, although ecologically important, were mostly unidentified by participants in this study and thus warrant a different conservation approach. These findings will assist government agencies and conservation groups in crafting conservation strategies that consider stakeholder perceptions and their connection with the Palouse landscape. This study also demonstrates how GIS tools can link biological and social data sets to aid conservation efforts on private land