Progress 10/01/09 to 09/30/14
Outputs
Target Audience: This year our group particpated in Objective (1)To examine novel interventions to increase fruit, vegetable and whole grain intake and physical activity in older adults. The whole grain curriculum developed by the team was used for 75 adults over 65 years of age throughout the state of NH (and Iowa) in a 3 part education program with the intended goal of increasing awareness and consumption of whole grains assessed using a pre-test/post-test format. The program developed by the multistate research team in consultation with a group of older adult participants was presented to 157 adult participants in NH and Iowa. Two hundred and fifty six undergraduate (256) students at the University of New Hampshire completed the pre-test survey to assess their knowledge and consumption of whole grains. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? UNH Graduate student Kristin Davis will complete her MS thesis on this project. Several undergraduate students have received training on disseminating the whole grain curriculum and working with an older adult population. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The results of this research project were presented at the Technical Meeting of the NE Regional Multistate Research project in June and to the Department of Molecular Cellular and Biomedical Sciences in September. Information from this project will be presented at Experimental Biology 2015 in Boston in March and the summary and associated booklet of information is available through UNH Cooperative Extension. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The average adult in America eats less than one serving of the recommended three serving minimum of whole grains each day. Consumption of whole grains in older adults is particularly low; consumption in college students is even lower. As part of our collaborative research project to investigate barriers to fruit, vegetable and whole grains in older adults, this pilot study investigated the effectiveness of a three-session nutrition education program, entitled Is It Whole Grain? to improve older adults knowledge, identification and consumption of whole grains. Objective 1, Experiment 2 Pre-testing a whole grain foods education program (UNH lead; MA, MD participating stations) Research results from the NE1023 project (2004-2009) indicate that older adults utilize the ingredient list, Nutrition Facts panel, and other package information to determine if a food is whole grain. Based on these results, a draft whole grain foods education curriculum was designed collaboratively with a group of older adult volunteers in Manchester NH. The curriculum design selected by the older adult volunteers was a series of three face-to-face meetings. This experiment will pre-test this curriculum and explore expanding content and design to other food groups such as fruits and vegetables. This study addressed the research question: Can an education program increase whole grain food consumption in older adults? Based on the analysis of pre- and post- intervention whole grain questionnaire responses from 157 older adults, aged 60 or older, residing in New Hampshire and Iowa, significant improvements in older adults' knowledge and intake frequency of whole grains were shown. Participants' mean pre- to post- whole grain knowledge scores increased significantly from 15.46 ± 0.38 to 21.96 ± 0.31 (p < 0.001). Participants' median frequency of whole grains consumed increased significantly from eight to ten times a week (p=0.009).
Publications
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
A Whole Grain Education Program for Older Adults: Its Effectiveness on Older Adults Knowledge and Intake of Whole Grains and its Implications for Use with Younger Adults. MS Thesis University of New Hampshire 2014
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Progress 10/01/12 to 09/30/13
Outputs
Target Audience: This year our group pariticpated in Objective (1)To examine novel interventions to increase fruit, vegetable and whole grain intake and physical activity in older adults. The whole grain curriculum developed by the team was used for 75 adults, over 65 years of age, throughout the state of NH (and Iowa) who participated in a 3 part education program with the intended goal of increasing awareness and consumption of whole grains assessed using a pre-test/post-test format. Changes/Problems: I was on medical leave for a portion of the project. The time away and transition back has influenced the ability to maximize accomplishment. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? UNH Graduate student Kristin Davis will complete her MS thesis on this project. Several undergraduate students have received training on disseminating the whole grain curriculum and working with an older adult population. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Participation in the whole grain curriculum project provides engagement with the research for older adult participants. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Two graduate students will complete their MS thesis based on the research on the project and plan on disseminating information at professional meetings in spring and fall 2014.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Age related eye disease is associated with decline in independence and quality of life for older adults. Changes in lifestyle factors in emerging adults and through the adult years may influence the health outcomes later. Factors such as changes in body weight as well as diet quality, in particular access and use of green, red and orange vegetables are emerging as influential factors. In addition, the consumption of whole grain foods has been shown to reduce risk of age related diseases. This project is providing evidence for recommendations as well as identifiying barriers to consumption of healtherier diets. The accomplishments in process of being assessed are 1. the role of BMI on lutein uptake and distribution to macular pigment; this is a biomarker of eye health with aging. 2. the impact of the whole grain curriculum on increasing the knowledge and the intake of whole grains in the older adult population.
Publications
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Progress 10/01/11 to 09/30/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Objectives 1. To examine novel interventions to increase fruit, vegetable and whole grain intake and physical activity in older adults. Students are trained to deliver a curriculum developed from results of NE 1023 (2004-9) for improving the intake of whole grains, delivered through various community settings in NH, IA and MA and evaluated. Alternative delivery methods such as web-based programming that might extend the reach of the program to older adults is planned. 2. To identify effective biomarkers and other indicators that reflect improvement in diet (fruit, vegetables, and whole grains) and physical activity and chronic disease risk in older adults. Twenty normal and overweight adult are being assessed for macular pigment density as a marker of carotenoid status following supplementation and related to diet, body mass index BMI and markers of inflammation. PARTICIPANTS: Karen Semo, Senior Lab Technician was responsible for HPLC analysis of carotenoids Bianca Ciufreddo, BS is a graduate student working on the project Adam Wenzel, PhD. St Anselm College was a collaborator who recruited subjects, collected dietary data, measured macular pigment density and evaluated lipid profiles. Catherine Violette, PhD RD is Extension Professor responsible for the whole grain education program TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience is the older population in community settings. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
Objective 1. training of students to facilitate the delivery of the whole grain curriculum. The impact on behavior is being assessed. Objective 2. Outcome expected is the relationship between body weight and changes in macular pigment, relationship to inflammatory markers and risk of age-related eye disease.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 10/01/10 to 09/30/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Normal, mild and overweight college students are recruited for macular pigment optical density (MPOD) measurement using heterochromatic flicker photometry. In this study the retinal carotenoid density is being assessed relative to body weight, BMI, lifestyle questionnaire and dietary intake evaluation using the LZQ questionnaire for lutein and zeaxanthin. Information on the significance of the research has been presented to a research team from the IdEA Network for Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) A second output is participation in a priority-setting project to determine key environmental supports for promoting healthy eating among older adults. While there has been attention paid to the role of the environment (grocery stores, schools, parks, farmers' markets, etc.) in facilitating access and affordability of healthful diets, most of these studies focus on reducing obesity or increasing fruits and vegetables in general or in children. There are very few studies addressing this topic in older adults, and very little guidance available for communities who are planning initiatives to improve healthful eating for all of their residents, including older adults. Analytic Hierarchy Process are working to identify key behavioral settings and strategies for enabling healthful eating in older adults at the environmental level. PARTICIPANTS: The project was enhanced with a partnership with Adam Wenzel, PhD, St Anselm College in Manchester NH and two graduate students. Participants in the study have been recruiting from the St Anselm faculty, staff and students. The multistate team engaged a group of community nutrition experts for the Analytic Hierarchy Assessment lead by Nancy Cohen, PhD, University of Massachusetts TARGET AUDIENCES: Target audience for this research are older adults who will benefit from understanding the role of diet on age related eye disease and the role of the environment on healthful eating. The environment scan results will help target effective environmental modification to enhance access to healtful diet for older adults. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
The role of inflammation in age-related eye disease is documented. Investigating the influence of excess adiposity on macular pigment density and the relationship to diet, serum and marker of inflammation will provide additional support for maintaining healthy weight with aging. Understanding role of the environment in reducing obesity and/or increasing fruit and vegetables in older adults will provide guidance for interventions to improve healthful eating behaviors with aging.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 10/01/09 to 09/30/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The research is focused on determining if and how changes in diet and exercise patterns will influence disease risk as we age. This is the first year of the project so outputs for this reporting period are limited to one research discussions at The American Dietetic Association meeting, incorporating the MPOD methodology into graduate training in nutrition and incorporating the objective and methodology into a collaborative project through the IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE-NH). PARTICIPANTS: The work is in collaboration with researchers at experiment stations in NH, RI and LA and involves graduate students in research training. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience includes elderly, especially low income and minority adults at risk for diet related disease and older women with risk factors for AMD. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
In year one the recruitment assurances, policies and procedures have been developed.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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