Correlations between dietary indicators and cardiometabolic profiles in preschool children.

ABSTRACT Background: Recent literature suggests preschool children regardless of income, age, ethnicity, and gender are subject to future cardiometabolic risk. Dietary intake, when analyzed can indicate diversity and lack of meeting adequate nutrient standards. A combination of anthropometric and blood analysis with dietary intake assessment can provide practitioners the knowledge for adequate early nutrition intervention and education. Objectives: This descriptive, cross-sectional study describes the relationship between dietary intake and cardiometabolic indicators in preschool children. There is also a comparison of mean subject values and referenced national standards. Study Sample: Four hundred seventy-one preschool children, between the ages of three and five, and parents were recruited via the Head Start program in seven different rural schools in Northeast Florida. Each parent was provided an Individual Dietary Diversity Score questionnaire. Children underwent blood sampling from a finger prick to assess lipids, glucose, hemoglobin and hematocrit. Body measurements including height, weight, waist circumference, sagittal abdominal diameter, and blood pressure were taken. Statistical Analysis: Variables of interest were uploaded into SPSS software for quantitative analysis. Means and standard deviations were calculated for the continuous variables and frequencies and percent were calculated for the categorical variables. One-way analysis of variance was used to assess the relationship between the cardiometabolic variables as dependent variables and the dichotomous explanatory variables. One-sample t-tests were used to compare the mean values of the cardiometabolic variables with national standards by age and gender. Results: Of the 471 subjects, 86 assessed via one-way ANOVA showed that lower diversity scores were significantly associated with lower blood triglycerides and higher hemoglobin (n = 137) and hematocrit % (n = 65) levels. Higher 100% fruit juice consumption was significantly associated with lower triglyceride levels. A higher intake of fresh vegetables was significantly associated with lower waist circumference and lower sagittal abdominal diameter. A higher soda consumption was significantly associated with greater waist circumference, greater sagittal abdominal diameter and higher triglyceride levels. When the cardiometabolic parameters in the study sample were compared with national standards, it was found that the height of study subjects was shorter (cm) than national standards for males and females. Waist circumference of 4 and 5-year-old males was smaller (cm) than national standards, BMI of 4-year-old females was lower than national standards, blood pressure in both male and female subject age groups was higher (mmHg) than national standards, and hematocrit % in both males and females was a higher percentage than national standards. Conclusion: This study does support the belief that a diet with a higher intake of fresh vegetables, fruits and 100% fruit juice and a lower consumption of sugary beverages such as soda promotes a decrease in body composition, specifically measurements of adiposity around the abdominal area. Lowering abdominal adiposity decreases cardiometabolic risk

Nutrition perception, dietary intake, and anthropometric correlations between Autism Spectrum Disorder and typically developing adolescents.

The adolescent’s nutrition perception is reflected in dietary intake and body composition. Obesity is prevalent among adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Dietary habits of children with ASD are affected by sensory issues, gastrointestinal factors, and parental provision of diet. This cross-sectional study identifies the relationships among variables for dietary intake, nutrition perception of intake, and anthropometric measurements for adiposity for 19 adolescents, ages 11 to 17, with ASD. Twenty-four children who are typically developing (TD) were assessed to compare all variables for significant differences. Measurements of variables of interest were obtained from the adolescent subjects: a 24-hour recall of dietary intake and a nutrition perception survey via a virtual assessment; and from parents: a single assessment of 1-year food frequency questionnaire and a body composition survey. Statistical analyses included paired-sample t-test to determine differences within and between ASD and TD mean variables. Significant differences between child-reported and parent-reported dietary intake variables determined a higher quality intake by parent report. Pearson’s r analyses assessed the correlations among variables. There were no significant inverse correlations for dietary total Healthy Eating Index score and child-reported nutrition perception for health perception. Independent sample t-tests yielded waist-to-height ratio and total nutrition perception significantly higher among ASD subjects than TD, while TD adolescents had a higher reported intake of dietary variables for whole grains and fruits than ASD, supporting prior evidence that ASD children are at a greater risk for obesity

Survey Research: Useful, Valuable Findings Require Hard Work

Gathering data using a survey is often perceived by practitioner-researchers as one of the easiest ways to carry out research; however, a well-constructed survey can be difficult to develop. Librarian practitioner-researchers often use surveys as an economical and easy way to capture information from a wide swath of people. Once the information is gathered, however, the application and usability of the data is often limited and can fall short of the standards of scholarship. Librarian practitioner-researchers may also default to a survey when it is not the most effective tool for data gathering. But when surveys are designed well and used appropriately, they can systematize evidence in ways that enable research to be used by others. Our research experience with surveys has highlighted how important it is to consider whether a survey is the most appropriate tool for a research project and to devote time and effort to developing a well-constructed survey instrument. We have also seen how inferential statistical analysis can bring depth and rigor to survey findings. When surveys are designed well and used appropriately, they can systematize evidence in ways that enable research to be used by others. This chapter demonstrates the utility and limitations of surveys using as an example a research project that we conducted from 2013 to 2017 to investigate what factors contribute to academic librarians’ research productivity

Barn og unge med kreft i skolen : utfordringer og tilpasninger

Masteroppgave i tilpassa opplæring - Universitetet i Nordland, 201

“It\u27s about Helping People”: Co‐op Experiences of LIS Students in Academic Libraries

The current study examines the prominence of service/helping in the field experiences of Library and Information Studies students, and aims to gain greater understanding of LIS students perceptions of helping as a feature of their professional identity

Bosetting av enslige voksne flyktninger. Utfordringer og muligheter for rask og god bosetting

-Rapporten er skrevet for Husbanken, og kartlegger norske kommuners utfordringer for og strategier for raskere og bedre bosetting av enslige voksne flyktninger, med et særlig fokus på boligsituasjonen. Undersøkelsen bekrefter en rekke utfordringer knyttet til bosettingsarbeidet, blant annet manglende boligsosial planlegging, mangel på egnede boliger, uforutsigbarhet knyttet til familiegjenforening, sekundærflytting og et krevende integreringsarbeid. Mulige tiltak kan være aktiv bruk av boligsosiale handlingsplaner, opprettelse av tverrsektorielle "boligteam", bruk av det private boligmarkedet, samt bofellesskap som midlertidig boløsning i påvente av familiegjenforening eller fullføring av introduksjonsprogrammet

"Det hadde vært fint å få være med å velge". Brukerundersøkelse blant flyktninger i bofellesskap

-Denne rapporten er skrevet på oppdrag fra Integrerings- og mangfoldsdirektoratet (IMDi), og kartlegger flyktningers erfaringer med å bo i bofellesskap som førstegangs botilbud etter bosetting med offentlig hjelp. Vår undersøkelse viser at det ofte er store utfordringer med denne boformen og at mange etter hvert ønsker å flytte for seg selv. Utfordringene er blant annet knyttet til overgangen mellom mottak og kommune, behovet for privatliv, konflikter mellom beboerne i forhold til praktiske forhold og manglende oppfølging i bofellesskapet. Mulige tiltak for å få bofellesskap til å fungere kan blant annet være å se bofellesskap som en midlertidig løsning, sikre god informasjon, utarbeide husregler og gjennomføre månedlig oppfølging i bofellesskapene

Determining the Usability of eBooks Using the Think-Aloud Method

Selinda Adelle Berg, Clinical Medicine Librarian, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, [email protected]; Kristin Hoffmann, Head, Research & Instructional Services, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, [email protected]; Diane Dawson, Natural Sciences Liaison Librarian, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, [email protected] widespread acceptance and enthusiasm for eJournals in recent years has led to an increased interest in developing eBook collections in academic libraries. It is generally assumed that eBooks provide the same level of convenience and usability to patrons as eJournals have. This qualitative research study examined the usability of eBooks by observing the strategies of undergraduate science students while they performed information retrieval tasks in print books and eBooks

Not on the Same Page: Undergraduates\u27 Information Retrieval in Electronic and Print Books

Academic libraries are increasingly collecting e-books, but little research has investigated how students use e-books compared to print texts. This study used a prompted think-aloud method to gain an understanding of the information retrieval behavior of students in both formats. Qualitative analysis identified themes that will inform instruction and collection practices

Examining Success: Identifying Factors that Contribute to Research Productivity Across Librarianship and Other Disciplines

While some academic librarians have embraced the role of researcher and have successfully become active researchers and authors, others have struggled to be productive in this aspect of their responsibilities. A content analysis of literature on research productivity for librarians and non-librarians was conducted in order to identify factors that have been found to affect research success. This content analysis is part of a larger study designed to develop an instrument to measure the impact of key factors on librarians\u27 success in research. This analysis reinforces the need to identify and study those factors that are truly antecedents for librarians’ research productivity, so that the academic library community can put our efforts and resources towards providing the supports that will be most helpful