Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The study reported here aimed to identify the relationship of parents' calcium knowledge with diet-related parental practices and determinants of calcium knowledge. A cross-sectional survey was conducted measuring parental practices,... more
The study reported here aimed to identify the relationship of parents' calcium knowledge with diet-related parental practices and determinants of calcium knowledge. A cross-sectional survey was conducted measuring parental practices, calcium knowledge, and demographics. A convenience sample of 599 racially/ethnically diverse parents of children 10-13y completed questionnaires. Higher education and having a daughter were associated with higher calcium knowledge; being Asian or Hispanic and born outside the U.S. were associated with lower calcium knowledge. Parents with greater calcium knowledge were more likely to engage in healthy parenting practices. These factors may be important considerations for Extension educators in nutrition education.
Research Interests:
Parental practices such as role modeling and making calcium-rich foods available have an influence on intake of calcium-rich foods and beverages (CRFB) in early adolescents. This study aimed to test two messages promoting these practices... more
Parental practices such as role modeling and making calcium-rich foods available have an influence on intake of calcium-rich foods and beverages (CRFB) in early adolescents. This study aimed to test two messages promoting these practices with respect to comprehension, cultural and personal relevance, and ability to motivate parents to encourage CRFB availability and intake. Interviews were conducted with 17 Hispanic and 18 Asian parents from five states to evaluate two messages containing images and taglines tailored to the target audience. Responses were reviewed for common themes. For the message, “Good play starts with calcium,” Hispanics recognized the connection between calcium and strong bones. Both groups understood the importance of providing CRFB for adequate calcium intake. For the message, “Strong families start with good nutrition,” both groups had difficulty understanding that the foods pictured contained calcium and should be provided to ensure adequate intake. For both messages, respondents...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Evaluation of Breastfeeding Curriculum in Didactic Programs in Dietetics and Dietetic Internships Across the United States Maria Diane Swiss Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Science, BYU Master of Science Background:... more
Evaluation of Breastfeeding Curriculum in Didactic Programs in Dietetics and Dietetic Internships Across the United States Maria Diane Swiss Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Science, BYU Master of Science Background: Breastfeeding is known to have many benefits for both mothers and infants. With the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding, health professionals have increased their attention on breastfeeding competency. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate breastfeeding curricula that are currently being covered in didactic programs in dietetics (DPDs) and dietetic internships (DIs) across the United States. Methods: Two-part surveys were sent to all directors of DPDs and DIs (n=475) with instructions to forward the second portion of the survey to instructors of classes that taught about breastfeeding. Qualtrics software was used for data collection. Descriptive statistics were used to illustrate what was currently being done to educate students about...
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Epidemiology and Medicine
Objective:Recent research on access to food among low-income populations in industrialised countries has begun to focus on neighbourhood food availability as a key determinant of dietary behaviour. This study examined the relationship... more
Objective:Recent research on access to food among low-income populations in industrialised countries has begun to focus on neighbourhood food availability as a key determinant of dietary behaviour. This study examined the relationship between various measures of food store access and household fruit and vegetable use among participants in the Food Stamp Program, America's largest domestic food assistance programme.Design:A secondary data analysis was conducted using the 1996–97 National Food Stamp Program Survey. The survey employed a 1-week food inventory method, including two at-home interviews, to determine household food use. Separate linear regression models were developed to analyse fruit and vegetable use. Independent variables included distance to store, travel time to store, ownership of a car and difficulty of supermarket access. All models controlled for a full set of socio-economic variables.Subjects:A nationally representative sample of participants (n = 963) in the...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Parental practices influence intake of calcium-rich foods and beverages (CRFB) in adolescents. This study aimed to test two posters promoting such parental practices for comprehension, cultural and personal relevance, and ability to... more
Parental practices influence intake of calcium-rich foods and beverages (CRFB) in adolescents. This study aimed to test two posters promoting such parental practices for comprehension, cultural and personal relevance, and ability to motivate parents to encourage CRFB intake. Interviews were conducted with 14 Hispanic and 6 Asian parents to evaluate two posters entitled “Good play starts with calcium” and “Strong families start with good nutrition.” Responses were reviewed for themes. For “Good play,” both racial/ethnic groups of parents understood the message to provide CRFB. Only Hispanics, however, recognized the connection between calcium and strong bones. For “Strong families,” both groups had difficulty understanding that foods pictured were calcium rich. Both posters were considered culturally and personally relevant; however, not all respondents indicated motivation to provide CRFB. Modifications are needed to emphasize the connection between images and taglines and calcium i...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Factors Influencing Shopping and Eating Behaviors Among Low-Income Families During a One-month Period of Time. Janice Darko Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science Master of Science Objective: To evaluate changes in shopping... more
Factors Influencing Shopping and Eating Behaviors Among Low-Income Families During a One-month Period of Time. Janice Darko Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science Master of Science Objective: To evaluate changes in shopping behaviors among low-income families over a onemonth period of time in Utah County, Utah. Design: Two researchers conducted thirteen 90-minute focus groups. Setting: Two community organizations serving low-income populations and a university campus. Participants: Seventy-two low-income adults who were the primary household food shoppers and who had at least one child less than 18 years in their household. Main Outcome Measures: Shopping behavior changes during one month period of time. Analysis: Focus groups were recorded and transcribed, and then coded independently by two researchers with any differences reconciled. Paired t-tests were used to test differences of food expenditures by food group between the beginning and end-of-the-month shopping be...
Research Interests: Business and Low Income
Obesity is more prevalent among racial minority children in the United States, as compared to White children. Parenting practices can impact the development of children’s eating behaviors and habits. In this study, we investigated the... more
Obesity is more prevalent among racial minority children in the United States, as compared to White children. Parenting practices can impact the development of children’s eating behaviors and habits. In this study, we investigated the relationships among racial/ethnic backgrounds, parenting practices and styles, and eating behaviors in adolescents. Fifty-one parent–adolescent dyads were interviewed to characterize parenting practices and styles, as well as the consumption of dairy, fruits and vegetables, and unhealthy snacks. Height and weight were measured to calculate parent BMI and adolescent BMI-for-age percentiles. Three parenting practice categories—modeling, authoritative, and authoritarian—were found to be related to race/ethnicity. A higher score in authoritarian parenting practices was related to higher BMI percentiles among African American adolescents, whereas a higher score in monitoring practices was related to lower BMI percentiles among non-Hispanic White adolescents...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT Role modeling, making calcium-rich foods (CRF) available at home, and setting healthful beverage expectations are parenting practices associated with calcium intake among early adolescents. The purpose was to test messages... more
ABSTRACT Role modeling, making calcium-rich foods (CRF) available at home, and setting healthful beverage expectations are parenting practices associated with calcium intake among early adolescents. The purpose was to test messages designed to motivate Hispanic and Asian parents of adolescents (10-13 years) to engage in these practices for comprehension, persuasion, relevance and acceptability via an online survey. Parent-reported calcium intake and frequency of parenting practices were also assessed and compared to reactions to messages. Emotion-based messages were developed and pretested with 35 parents from 5 states. Findings were used to revise messages and develop a survey which was administered via Amazon MechanicalTurk to a convenience sample of Hispanic (n=184) and Asian (n=166) US parents. The majority of parents had some college (82%), were married (72%) and had lived in the US >10 years. The majority (>74%) indicated they understood the messages with no differences by demographic characteristics. The messages were motivational, relevant and acceptable (67-81%). Reported frequency of parenting practices was consistent with parent calcium intake, home availability and healthy beverage expectations. No differences were observed by race/ethnicity for reactions to messages or frequency of parenting practices. Results indicate the messages are appropriate for Hispanic and Asian parents of early adolescents to encourage CRF and beverage parenting practices.
Research Interests:
ObjectiveTo examine relationships between frequency of adolescents eating alone (dependent variable) and diet, weight status and perceived food-related parenting practices (independent variables).DesignAnalyses of publicly available,... more
ObjectiveTo examine relationships between frequency of adolescents eating alone (dependent variable) and diet, weight status and perceived food-related parenting practices (independent variables).DesignAnalyses of publicly available, cross-sectional, web-based survey data from adolescents.SettingOnline consumer opinion panel.SubjectsA US nationwide sample of adolescents (12–17 years) completed Family Life, Activity, Sun, Health, and Eating (FLASHE) Study surveys to report demographic and family meal characteristics, weight, dietary intake, home food availability and perceptions of parenting practices. Parents provided information about demographic characteristics. Logistic regression analyses were used to test for associations between variables.ResultsAbout 20 % of adolescents reported often eating alone (n 343) v. not often eating alone (n 1309). Adjusted odds of adolescents often eating alone were significantly higher for non-Hispanic Black compared with non-Hispanic White adolesc...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
To assess qualitatively and quantitatively college students' perceived differences between a real meal, meal, and snack. A descriptive study design was used to administer an 11-item online survey to college students. Two university... more
To assess qualitatively and quantitatively college students' perceived differences between a real meal, meal, and snack. A descriptive study design was used to administer an 11-item online survey to college students. Two university campuses in the western US. Pilot testing was conducted with 20 students. The final survey was completed by 628 ethnically diverse students. Students' perceptions of the terms real meal, meal, and snack. Three researchers coded the data independently, reconciled differences via conference calls, and agreed on a final coding scheme. Data were reevaluated based on the coding scheme. Means, frequencies, Pearson chi-square, and t test statistics were used. More than half of students perceived a difference between the terms real meal and meal. Most (97.6%) perceived a difference between the terms meal and snack. A marked difference in the way students defined these terms was evident, with a real meal deemed nutritious and healthy and meeting dietary re...
Research Interests: Psychology, Education, Food and Nutrition, Adolescent, Medicine, and 15 moreStudents, Humans, Female, College Students, Male, Nutrition Education and Promotion, Universities, Meals, Middle Aged, Adult, Snacks, Meal, Cross Sectional Studies, Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, and Medical and Health Sciences
Research Interests:
Objective: There is little evidence of how fruit and vegetable (FV) household food availability changes over a one-month period among low-income households. The objective of this study was to analyze how FV variety and sustainability... more
Objective: There is little evidence of how fruit and vegetable (FV) household food availability changes over a one-month period among low-income households. The objective of this study was to analyze how FV variety and sustainability changes over a 4-week period. Design: Inventories were conducted in low-income family households (n=49) once a week over a 4-week period. Trained researchers gathered the weights of all FV, including legumes, within the home. Previously determined mean container weights were subtracted to obtain the estimated weight of the FV. All weights were then converted to edible cups of FV, taking into account the weight that is removed when stems, peels, skins, and canning liquid are removed. Analysis: Variety was measured by analyzing the number of kinds of FV within the USDA subgroups (100% fruit juice, citrus fruits, other fruits, dark green vegetables, orange vegetables, dry beans and peas, starchy vegetables, and other vegetables) found in the home. In addit...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Parents play an important role in developing the eating behaviors of their children by adopting specific parenting practices. As the prevalence of obesity is high amongst African American adolescents, investigations into associations of... more
Parents play an important role in developing the eating behaviors of their children by adopting specific parenting practices. As the prevalence of obesity is high amongst African American adolescents, investigations into associations of specific parenting practices and adolescents’ eating behaviors are essential. In this exploratory study, 14 African American parent–adolescent dyads were interviewed to characterize the influence of eight different parenting practices on the consumption of three main food categories (dairy, fruits and vegetables, and unhealthy snacks). The results revealed that authoritarian parenting practices were correlated with a higher BMI percentile in adolescents, whereas modeling and monitoring are correlated with a higher parent BMI. In addition, reasoning, monitoring, modeling, and authoritative parenting practices were associated with less unhealthy snack consumption among adolescents. Reasoning and monitoring were the only parenting practices associated w...
Research Interests:
Background: Previous research has suggested many households are meeting the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s 3-day emergency food and water storage recommendations. The impact of limited economic household resources on emergency... more
Background: Previous research has suggested many households are meeting the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s 3-day emergency food and water storage recommendations. The impact of limited economic household resources on emergency preparedness practices related to food and water is uncertain. The purpose of this study was to compare emergency preparedness practices in households participating in United States’ food assistance programs with households not participating in these programs. Methods: A convenience sample of adults (n = 572) completed an online Qualtrics survey. Descriptive statistics, chi-square statistics, and independent t-tests were used to measure differences between households participating in food assistance programs vs. non-participating households. Results: Most households participating in food assistance programs felt prepared to provide household members with food and water during an emergency, which did not significantly differ from non-participating househ...
Research Interests:
Public health education is a key component in the variety of services provided by local health departments, particularly for the low-income demographic. In addition to helping the participants to live a healthier lifestyle, nutrition... more
Public health education is a key component in the variety of services provided by local health departments, particularly for the low-income demographic. In addition to helping the participants to live a healthier lifestyle, nutrition education sessions are a required component of a specific program for low-income mothers and children, entitled the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). However, some women in the Utah County WIC program were not receiving the sessions because the inconvenient class times and scheduling difficulty. With the increasing availability of the internet access by WIC participants, we can increase the availability and effectiveness of the nutrition education by providing courses online via the Utah County's WIC website. We are designing a system consisting of a web interface and a database backend, where health workers can author and publish interactive content, track users' progress, and evaluate the outcome of...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Objective: To evaluate food and water storage practices in the United States, including the extent that government emergency preparedness guidelines were followed. Methods: Qualtrics panelists (n = 572) completed a 142-item online survey... more
Objective: To evaluate food and water storage practices in the United States, including the extent that government emergency preparedness guidelines were followed. Methods: Qualtrics panelists (n = 572) completed a 142-item online survey in August 2014. Cognitive interviews (n = 5) and pilot data (n = 14) informed survey development. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze quantitative data. Open-ended responses related to water storage preparation were classified into 5 categories. Results: Many respondents reported being somewhat or well prepared to provide food and water for their households during a large-scale disaster or emergency. Only 53% met Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) guidelines to have water last at least 3 days. Based on respondents’ self-report, it appeared that those who prepared personally-filled containers for water did not carefully follow FEMA instructions. Most respondents had non-perishable foods available, with 96% meeting the FEMA guidelines ...
Background: Men’s attitudes toward public breastfeeding may influence a woman’s decisions about breastfeeding and her perceived comfort with public breastfeeding. Research aim: This study aimed to evaluate factors associated with men’s... more
Background: Men’s attitudes toward public breastfeeding may influence a woman’s decisions about breastfeeding and her perceived comfort with public breastfeeding. Research aim: This study aimed to evaluate factors associated with men’s visual perception of images of public breastfeeding. Methods: A 95-item online survey was administered to 502 U.S. men ages 21 to 44. Respondents were presented with four images of women breastfeeding and asked to evaluate agreement with 15 adjectives describing each image. Based on factor analysis, 13 of these adjectives were combined to create the Breastfeeding Images Scale for each image. An 8-item Situational Statements Scale and the 17-item Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale (IIFAS) were used to assess breastfeeding knowledge and attitudes. Multiple regression was used to evaluate the association between breastfeeding attitudes and knowledge and the Breastfeeding Images Scale. Results: The image depicting a woman breastfeeding privately at home h...
Research Interests:
Objective: To evaluate if frequent usage of canned foods in childhood households affected college students’ current understandings of, perceptions towards, and usage of canned foods. Methods: A secondary data analysis was conducted based... more
Objective: To evaluate if frequent usage of canned foods in childhood households affected college students’ current understandings of, perceptions towards, and usage of canned foods. Methods: A secondary data analysis was conducted based on data collected from students who completed The Perceptions and Use of Canned Foods questionnaire. ANOVA statistics were used to make comparisons between students exposed (ECF; n=65) and not exposed (NECF; n=237) to canned foods during childhood. Results: Compared with NECF, the ECF more strongly agreed that canned foods counted towards United States’ dietary recommendations (p<0.001). The ECF, compared to NECF, showed a trend towards significance related to canned foods’ ability to contribute to easy meal preparation (p=0.006). Conclusions and Implications: Frequent usage of canned foods during childhood positively affected students’ perceptions towards canned foods’ ability to meet dietary recommendations. Encouraging parents to incorporate h...
Research Interests:
The purpose of this formative, cross-sectional study was to describe independent eating occasions (iEOs) among a convenience sample of low-income early adolescents (10–13 years, n = 46) in 10 U.S. states, including environmental context,... more
The purpose of this formative, cross-sectional study was to describe independent eating occasions (iEOs) among a convenience sample of low-income early adolescents (10–13 years, n = 46) in 10 U.S. states, including environmental context, foods selected and reasons for selection, and parental rules about foods consumed. Participants took pictures of all foods consumed over 24 h and participated in semi-structured interviews to describe the context of each eating occasion using the pictures as a guide. Responses based on a total of 304 eating occasions were coded to classify foods based on United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) MyPlate food groups and to characterize parental rules and reasons for food selection. Average age was 10.9 ± 1.1 years and 60% were female. Approximately 58% of eating occasions were classified as iEOs with approximately 65% as snacks. Most iEOs took place at home. Foods frequently consumed during iEOs were from the sweets, total fruit, dairy, and whol...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to investigate how shopping behaviors and environment influence dietary intake and weight status among homeless Minnesotans living in food deserts. Seven focus groups (n = 53) and a... more
Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to investigate how shopping behaviors and environment influence dietary intake and weight status among homeless Minnesotans living in food deserts. Seven focus groups (n = 53) and a quantitative survey (n = 255), using the social cognitive theory as the theoretical framework, were conducted at two homeless shelters (S1 and S2) in the Twin Cities area. Heights, weights,
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
... Page 3. © Rickelle Richards 2007 Page 4. ... The application process was also 4 Page 15. altered, offering applicants the option to apply via phone or mail, but also created a 30-day waiting period for approval and distribution of... more
... Page 3. © Rickelle Richards 2007 Page 4. ... The application process was also 4 Page 15. altered, offering applicants the option to apply via phone or mail, but also created a 30-day waiting period for approval and distribution of food stamps26'28. ...
Research Interests: Nutrition and Food Choice
Research Interests:
This study evaluated environmental, personal, and behavioral correlates of BMI-for-age percentiles, dietary intake (kilocalories, carbohydrates, protein, fat, and Food Guide Pyramid food groups), and physical activity variables among... more
This study evaluated environmental, personal, and behavioral correlates of BMI-for-age percentiles, dietary intake (kilocalories, carbohydrates, protein, fat, and Food Guide Pyramid food groups), and physical activity variables among homeless children. A 74-item survey, using social cognitive theory as the theoretical framework, height, weight, and one 24-hour recall were collected from homeless children aged 9-13 (n=159) at two shelters in Minneapolis, MN. Principal component analysis was performed on the subsections of the survey. Independent t-tests, Fisher exact tests, and chi-squared statistics evaluated sociodemographic and BMI percentile variables. Nonparametric tests evaluated dietary data. Stepwise regression models evaluated correlates of BMI percentiles, physical activity, and dietary intake variables. Approximately 45% were overweight or obese (≥85(th) percentile). Dietary data represented intake on a given day, with children consuming a median 1.2 servings from the frui...
Research Interests:
To determine whether participation in the Women, Infants, and Children Program is associated with improved maternal and infant health outcomes among homeless women in the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. Analyses were based on... more
To determine whether participation in the Women, Infants, and Children Program is associated with improved maternal and infant health outcomes among homeless women in the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. Analyses were based on Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System participants from 31 states/cities in the United States, 2000-2007 (n=272,859). Overall, 4% of women completing the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System survey were homeless, with 76% participating in the Women, Infants, and Children Program, a federally-funded supplemental nutrition program for low-income women and children less than 5 years old. Among women in the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System survey who reported using the Women, Infants, and Children Program, those experiencing homelessness were older, less educated, less likely to have private health insurance, and more likely to receive government assistance. Homeless women in the Women, Infants, and Children Program compared wit...
Research Interests: Health Behavior, Preventive medicine, Adolescent, Maternal Health, Birth Weight, and 15 morePregnancy, Humans, United States, Female, Young Adult, Newborn Infant, Adult, Breast feeding, Curriculum and Pedagogy, Health surveys, Gestational Age, Public Assistance, Pregnancy Outcome, Homeless Persons, and Infant Health
Dietary calcium sources may differ by race/ethnicity and dietary acculturation. A cross-sectional, convenience sample including 587 United States (US) Asian, Hispanic and non-Hispanic White parent-child (10-13 years) pairs completed a... more
Dietary calcium sources may differ by race/ethnicity and dietary acculturation. A cross-sectional, convenience sample including 587 United States (US) Asian, Hispanic and non-Hispanic White parent-child (10-13 years) pairs completed a calcium food frequency questionnaire. Calcium sources were ranked by mean percent contribution to total adjusted calcium intake, and compared by ethnic group and parents&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39; location of birth. Five foods (fluid milk, cheese, milk on cereal, yogurt, and lattes) represented 49 % of total calcium intake for parents. The same foods (except lattes) represented 55 % of total calcium for early adolescent children. Fluid milk provided the largest mean percentage of intake for all race/ethnic groups among parents and children. Several food sources of calcium were greater for foreign-born versus US-born Asian or Hispanic parents and children. Understanding calcium food sources and changes in dietary patterns that affect calcium intake among parents and children is important to better promote adequate intake.