Recipient Organization
TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
TUSKEGEE,AL 36088
Performing Department
Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences
Non Technical Summary
In Alabama, the prevalence of obesity is 35.7% and ranks 3rd in the nation. Obesity is a multifactor condition that arises from complex interactions among genetic predisposition, nutritional, and environmental factors. It is associated with prohibited health-care cost, reduced quality of life, and increased risk of chronic diseases and premature death Disparities exist in the distribution of overweight and obesity with higher rates being reported from groups with low education and income levels, racial and ethnic minorities, rural and high poverty areas. There are concerns with health disparities for overweight, obesity, and other chronic diseases in Alabama and specifically in the Black Belt counties. Tuskegee University, Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, George Washington Carver Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension's mission is to provide practical solutions to childhood obesity, nutrition and health-related issues.The long-term goal of the proposed project is to reduce childhood overweight and obesity in limited resource populations in selected Black Belt Counties over the next five years using multiple integrative strategies to increase nutrition knowledge, access to fresh fruits and vegetables at low cost, and modifying dietary behaviors. This project is designed to reduce overweight and obesity by utilizing multiple approaches that will increase knowledge about nutrition (by engaging parents and children), increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables in model convenience stores (CS) at affordable cost that will lead to modification of dietary behaviors. Furthermore, convenience store (CS) owners/manager, farmers, will experience increased knowledge about food safety and better handling of the produce along the supply chain. It will also provide evidence of the effectiveness of "pair" impact on overweight and obesity, and potential comorbidities. Additionally, the project will also utilize locally grown purple hull peas in the development/optimization of a value-added product, a healthy meat alternative that will serve to increase diet variety. Also benefits will be gained from the development of bioactive packaging that can be used as packaging for the value -added product during storage and shelf-life study. Finally, the proposed integration of this project will serve to develop technical and functional competence for undergraduate and graduate students in FNS, consistent with NIFA's challenge and priority areas.
Animal Health Component
80%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
10%
Applied
80%
Developmental
10%
Goals / Objectives
The long-term goal of the proposed project is to reduce childhood overweight and obesity in limited resource populations in selected Black Belt Counties over the next five years using multiple integrative strategies to increase nutrition knowledge, access to fresh fruits and vegetables at low cost, and modifying dietary behaviors.Specific ObjectivesTo use the findings from the formative evaluation to partner with selected CS owners/managers and create model convenience stores in four Alabama Black Belt Counties to while also for the stores.Conduct food safety training for small farmers, packers and convenient stores owners/managers.To deliver an integrative, interactive nutrition education and physical activity program for parents and children in selected Black Belt counties (Marengo, Perry, Dallas) in Alabama in the prevention and reduction of overweight obesity.To examine the familial determinants of childhood overweight-obesity i.e. Parental, sibling, and grandparent characteristics'To optimize of purple hull peas-based product on findings from preliminary data obtained on prototype.To develop environmentally friendly smart packaging systems with bio-polymeric components as well as nanoparticles, and evaluates its functional properties on shelf-life stability study of value-added food products.
Project Methods
The project has six objectives. The method will involve, recruitment, data collection (survey instrument) , interactive delivery of nutrition education; food safety instruction, recruitment of convenience stores managers/owners, Fresh fruits and vegetables displays Chemical, physical, and biological analyses of value-added products. Statisticalanalyses will be used to address each objective.Statistical AnalysisFor objective 1, the survey instrument will use Teleform software (version 10.7, HP, Palo Alto, CA) and completed surveys will be scanned and verified. Descriptive statistics, chi-square and t-tests will be calculated to examine differences in responses between customers and store owners in the four counties.For objective 2. Focus group data will be analyzed using excerpts from the transcripts and grouped using computer assistance. ANOVA (SAS Inst., Inc., Cary, North Carolina) will be used to analyze changes in weight, BMI, systolic diastolic pressure, and total cholesterol (TC) etc.; significant difference will tested at p<0.05. Information from the survey will be coded and entered into SPSS Windows, version 2013, and analyze using descriptive frequencies, correlations, and chi-square.In objective 3. Data will be analyzed using SAS, (Cary, NC). The generalized linear model (GLM) will be conducted to determine mean differences. Pearson's Correlation will be conducted to determine the strength and direction of the relationships among parents, siblings and grandparents and obesity.For objective 4. Statistical computation will be done using SAS (version12.1). Product quality traits (protein, cooking loss, bacterial counts, proximate, color etc.) will be evaluated using the GLM procedure. Interaction and differences based on optimization parameters will be determined. All tests will be conducted at the 95% level of confidence.In objective 5, GLM will be used to test the mechanical, barrier, and thermal properties of each biofilm and effectiveness of the bioactive antimicrobial component each product.