This study was designed to examine the associations between food skills, resilience, and coping during the Covid-19 pandemic. Between April and June of 2020, a sample of 154 students, faculty, and staff from Arizona State University were surveyed. Each respondent was administered a survey containing demographic questions, a food skill questionnaire, and the 14-item Resilience Scale (RS). Results indicate that food skill was correlated with resilience (p<0.001) at an r=0.364 and r2=0.1243 and that resilience was correlated with coping during the Covid-19 pandemic (p<0.001) at an r=0.455. Correlations were also run between resilience score and the separate domains of food skill score: all domains remained significantly associated with resilience score (p<0.001) with a r=0.340 and r2=0.1173 for ‘Food Selection and Planning,’ r=0.312 and r2=0.0958 for ‘Food Preparation,’ and r=0.294 and r2=0.0767 for ‘Food Safety.’ Data seems to be consistent with contemporary research suggesting positive associations between diet quality and physiological resilience and positive associations between resilience and coping during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Objective: Migration to the United States (U.S.) has been associated with food insecurity and detrimental changes in diet quality. How these changes affect women in context of their neighborhood food environment has not been thoroughly explored. This study aimed to assess if food security is associated with diet quality and to explore if perceived food availability moderates this purported association in a sample of Mexican immigrant women.

Methods: Mexican-born women (n=57, 41±7 years) residing in the U.S. for more than 1 year self-reported food security status, monthly fast-food frequency, and their perception of fruit, vegetables, and low-fat product availability within their neighborhood via survey. Diet was assessed using the Southwest Food Frequency Questionnaire to estimate intake of fruit, vegetables, salty snacks, sugar, and healthy eating index (HEI)-2015 score. Bivariate correlations assessed the relationships between study variables. Independent samples t-tests compared dietary outcomes between women classified as food secure (n=41; high or marginal food security) and food insecure (n=16; low or very low food security). A moderation analysis assessed the effect of the perception of the neighborhood food environment on the relationship between food security and HEI-2015 score.

Results: Fifty four percent of participants worked full time and 42% had a monthly household income <$2,000. Time residing in the U.S. was 20±9 years. Relative to women classified as food secure, participants experiencing food insecurity had lower HEI-2015 (61±8 vs. 66±6; p=0.03). Albeit not significantly different, women experiencing food insecurity reported lower intake of fruit (236±178 vs. 294±239 g), vegetables (303±188 vs. 331±199 g), and salty snacks (6±5 vs. 8±10 g), as well as higher intake of sugar (99±55 vs. 96±56 g) and fast food (2.5±2.5 vs. 1.8±1.7 times per month); p>0.05 for all. Among women experiencing food insecurity, there was a trend for a lower perception of neighborhood fruit, vegetable and low-fat product availability being associated with lower HEI-2015 scores (54±6) relative to those who perceived moderate (63±6) or high (65±8) neighborhood availability of those foods (p=0.07).

Conclusions: HEI-2015 scores were associated with participants’ food security status. Findings suggest a need for better understanding of how neighborhood food availability may affect diet quality among Mexican immigrant women experiencing food insecurity.

High childhood obesity rates have resulted in many interventions to attempt to lower these rates. Interventions such as day camps, residential camps, therapy-based interventions and family-based interventions lead to changes in weight and self-esteem but family-based intervention leads to the longest-term success for children ages nine to 17. Analysis of the interventions was measured using tools such as BMI, BMI-percentiles, and weight. Psychological measures such as self-esteem, happiness, and quality of life analysis was preferred, however were not measured in all studies. While most interventions resulted in weight loss and increased self-esteem, results were often not long-term. Studies provided evidence that family-based therapy has potential to last long-term, however there is a lack of research. To determine the most effective childhood nutrition intervention research must conduct follow-ups for many years after the initial intervention to ensure they provide long-term results.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine-metabolic disorder found in 5-10% of reproductive-aged women, and is characterized by symptoms such as increased blood-sugar levels and increased androgen production, which can cause a multitude of complications, including obesity, high blood-pressure, type-2 diabetes, infertility, acne, hirsutism, and much more. All of this is predicted to be the outcome of genetics, excess insulin production, low-grade inflammation, and/or hyperandrogenaemia. In attempt to reduce these experienced symptoms/causes, it is suggested that women with PCOS adopt healthy and balanced diets that incorporate foods low on the glycemic index, high in fiber, and low in anti-inflammatory properties, to help reduce insulin levels and low-grade inflammation. This dietary alteration should also be coupled with other lifestyle changes such as exercise, stress-reduction techniques, and, if needed, medications such as oral contraceptive pills and/or metformin to help regulate hormones and insulin levels. While further research needs to be conducted, these dietary considerations may help to alleviate the symptoms experienced by women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Objectives: To investigate the potential of vinegar supplementation as a means for reducing visceral fat in healthy overweight and obese adults, and to evaluate its effects on fasting blood glucose and fasting insulin.

Subjects and Methods: Forty-five sedentary overweight and obese adult participants with a waist circumference greater than 32 inches for women and 37 inches for men were randomly assigned to one of two groups, the vinegar group (VIN, n=21) or the control group (CON, n=24), and instructed to consume either two tablespoons of liquid red wine vinegar (3.6g acetic acid) or a control pill (0.0225g acetic acid) twice daily at the beginning of a meal for 8 weeks. Participants were also instructed to maintain normal diet and physical activity levels. Anthropometric measures, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans, blood samples, and 24-hour dietary recalls were collected at baseline and at end of trial. A compliance calendar was provided for daily tracking of vinegar supplementation.

Results: Compliance to vinegar supplementation averaged 92.7 ±13.3% among the VIN group and 89.1 ±18.9% among the CON group. There were no statistically significant differences in anthropometric measurements between baseline and week 8: weight (P=0.694), BMI (P=0.879), and waist circumference (P=0.871). Similarly, DXA scan data did not show significant changes in visceral fat (P=0.339) or total fat (P=0.294) between baseline and week 8. The VIN group had significant reductions in fasting glucose (P=0.003), fasting insulin (P <0.001), and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance scores (P <0.001) after treatment.

Conclusions: These data do not support the findings from previous studies that indicated a link between vinegar supplementation and increased fat metabolism, specifically visceral fat reduction.

We faced many struggles of starting college together, one of which, being the difficulty of mealtime once you are officially on your own. To the two of us and many of our friends, it was difficult no longer having a meal that felt like it turned a house to a home. Our goal of this project was to help those who may be experiencing similar feelings.

For our Thesis Project we wanted to create a cookbook that was designed specifically for college students who are living in the dorms. Our cookbook includes recipes that are low cost and easy to make for beginners. To be sure to capture our target audience, our cookbook will only included recipes which can be created using the given appliances in most standard dorms, which are limited to a microwave, blender, refrigerator and small freezer.

For the recipes specifically, we used a lot of family recipes and recipes from peers and colleagues. A great deal of time was spent actually testing out the potential recipes so we could narrow down which would be best for our book.

As two seniors who have grown immensely over the past few years at Arizona State, we recognize the issues that students may face when moving into a dorm. It was our goal to use our own experience and knowledge combined with research of those people who have also gone through this process, to create a book that we feel would have tremendously helped us navigate through our freshman year of college.

People have become increasingly perceptive in their health and well being. As a result, people are directing their attention to unconventional diet choices. A number of individuals are turning to a veganism. In 2017, six percent of Americans identified as vegan, up from only one percent in 2014. A vegan diet has been scientifically shown to have many health benefits when compared to the average western diet, which is typically inadequate in fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and contains excessive amounts of processed foods, alcohol, salt, red meat, and sugar. With its gain in popularity, and more people adopting the diet, comes a lot of controversies. There are many who support and advocate for it, including a number of celebrities, and health organizations like the American Diabetes Association and USDA. However, many people remain skeptical about its purpose and proposed benefits. There is a general lack of knowledge when it comes to veganism. The purpose of this study was to assess the attitudes and beliefs held by college students at Arizona State University about a vegan diet. A survey was prepared and later distributed to students of different majors across Arizona State University. A total of 100 students completed the survey. The results revealed that ASU students had varying beliefs in regard to a vegan diet, some accurate beliefs, and other inaccurate beliefs. In general, the vegan participants tend to be more accurate in their knowledge of a vegan diet, however, no statistical differences were found among the vegan and non-vegan (includes vegetarian, pescatarian and omnivorous) participants. Supplemental research should include a larger sample of vegan participants and should examine behavioral differences among vegans and non-vegans.

One of the great difficulties in leading America to become a healthier nation involves overcoming the socioeconomic disparity that exists between income and health literacy. Impoverished communities consistently lack the proper health education to make quality food purchases and healthy lifestyle choices, leading to higher rates of obesity. Through FitPHX Energy Zones, an after-school program designed to encourage Phoenix youths to lead healthier lifestyles through an innovative use of library spaces, I provided health education and opportunities for physical activity for 8 to 14-year-olds in underserved Phoenix communities. However, although this intervention made significant progress with the kids' health literacy development over the course of the program, it is difficult for community-based intervention programs to continue in the long run due to budget or other extraneous circumstances. Once the program ends, there needed to be a way to continue to reach the kids beyond the scope of the program such that they can continue to experience the lessons taught during the program. Following the conclusion of FitPHX, I created an interactive book for the kids I worked with to help them retain the health and nutrition knowledge taught during the program.

University students currently lack sufficient knowledge and resources needed to support healthy eating patterns and nutrition. Comparison of the number of registered dietitians that are available to all students, along with the number of wellness events that are held at each university within the Pacific-12 conference will help determine which schools are best able to support their students' needs. Data was collected using a Google forms survey sent via email to wellness directors of each of the universities in the Pac-12 conference. Eight out of the twelve schools in the conference responded to the survey. The average number of dietitians available to all students (regardless of athlete status) was found to be 1.43 dietitians. Of the schools that responded, the University of Colorado, Boulder, has the most resources dedicated to student nutrition wellness with three dietitians available for all undergraduate students, free dietitian services, and approximately 150 wellness events each year. The success of available nutrition wellness resources was inconclusive as schools did not provide the information regarding student utilization and attendance. Future university promoted nutrition wellness programs should increase the number of affordable dietitians and total wellness events, as well as promote student health services through social media platforms to improve student nutrition knowledge and usage of resources.