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National Cancer Institute: Research Tested Intervention Program (RTIP) 2008
The adminstration of the National Cancer Institute and independent NIH consultants have approved the DINE Healthy: Diet Improvement Software (and related materials including the Eating and Fitness Excellence text, the Curriculum Guide and peripherals) for inclusion on the Research-Tested Intervention Programs (RTIPs) Web site.
The RTIP Web site represents an effort by the National Cancer Institute to provide easy and immediate access to interventions tested in a research studies. To be listed on RTIPs, programs must have been developed and tested through a peer-reviewed research grant, have outcomes of the intervention published in a peer-reviewed research journal, and have intervention components that can be implemented in other community or clinical settings.
The DINE Healthy: Diet Improvement Software was scored at the highest level for dissemination capability and five (5) peer-reviewed research publications were cited as evidence for reseach integrity and intervention impact.
Tablet Initiative Proposal 2008
Nutrition 101, a proposed trial course in the Department of Health and Applied Human Sciences, will be designed to improve the food choices and eating behaviors of incoming freshman students. The course will feature a tablet-based electronic food and activity log designed to capture the student’s food choices and related eating behaviors. Upon completion of their daily log, the students “click to send” these data to the instructor for analysis. The analyses will include PDF and TIF files that graphically indicate their energy balance and adherence to United States Department of Agriculture and Institute of Medicine standards. The selected software, DINE Healthy, has been research-tested and approved by the National Cancer Institute for weight loss and weight management programs. With WiFi and Internet connectivity students will be able to access segmented links that will serve as the text for the course. Students will meet with the instructor in small group sessions every other week to review and discuss their analyses. Weight management and adherence to selected dietary guidelines will serve as the dependent measures for the course. The final project will include the development of a personalized nutrition lifestyle management program for the student’s college years.
According to an American Medical Association study, obesity among college age students has increased from seven percent in 1991 to 12 percent in 2003 (Manson et al, 2004). College students, some for the first time away from home for an extended period, tend to eat exclusively in fast food restaurants (Dennison, 2005). The University of North Carolina - Wilmington has approximately 43 convenience and/or fast food restaurants within a two mile radius of the campus.
The dreaded “freshman 15” refers to the amount of weight many students gain during their first year of college. Some weight gain is often related to stress, a sedentary lifestyle, and changes in food intake and diet patterns. Meals are often skipped by college students, especially during exams and finals. Class and work schedules change daily, as well as every semester. Lifestyle changes, peer pressure, limited finances, and access to food also contribute to erratic eating patterns.
College students have little variety in their diet and often turn to coin operated machines that feature high-fat snacks. Carbohydrate (particularly sugar) and fat intakes often exceed recommended levels and dietary fiber and vitamin C intakes do not reach recommended levels. Calcium, iron, and zinc intakes are low, while sodium intake is generally higher than recommended among college students. Many college students drink alcoholic beverages that further diminish the quality of their diet. Late night snacking, often with soda or alcohol, is tradition. Poor nutrition and lack of physical activity during the college years are often cited as the precursor to nutrition related issues, including heart disease, certain cancers, stroke, and high blood pressure later in life (Brug et al, 1999)
The focus of this course will be on the actual food choices of the students. The objectives for the students include: 1) record their food choices and eating behaviors using an electronic system, 2) analyze these behaviors via nutrient analysis software, 3) compare these behaviors with established United States Department of Agriculture dietary standards to identify salient strengths and weaknesses, and 4) develop a nutrition lifestyle management program. The strategy will be to use the students’ own food choices and eating behaviors as a basis to learn about and improve their nutrition and health. With the exception of the small group sessions, the process will be electronic and virtual.
A 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey reported that about two-thirds of adults in the United States were overweight and almost one-third obese. College freshmen are greatly influenced by society and peers which generally result in selecting foods that are high in empty calories (fat, trans fat, sodium, refined sugar) and low in vital nutrients and fiber. The collected descriptive data from this initiative will be analyzed to assess baseline and follow-up eating behavior of selected college freshmen. These data will be used to determine equivalence, feasibility, and to generate power estimates for future experimental-based research on college freshmen, our future leaders.
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American Cancer Society Project 2002
Darwin Dennison, PI; Mike Perko, Co I; John Bennett, Co I
Cancer Prevention Nutrition Intervention 2003
The purpose of this study was to develop a nutrition and physical activity intervention for students in rural middle schools in North Carolina to promote and sustain protective nutritional lifestyle behaviors. During this one-year development study, protocol focused on the prevention of nutrition-related cancers through the improvement of food choice behavior and increased physical activity of middle school students. The developed intervention modified the American Cancer Society's "Changing the Course" intermediate curriculum, and integrated Pyramid Challenge: The CD ROM Healthy Eating Guide. The Activated Health Education (AHE) model was used to provide the theoretical framework for the intervention. Major objectives were to 1) increase the consumption of fruits, juice, and vegetables (FJV) and 2) reduce the consumption of fat, sodium, and sugar (FSS) of the students. The final completed intervention was submitted and appoved by the American Cancer Society.
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Charles L. Cahill Project 2001
Darwin Dennison
Abstract: The purpose of this project was to 1) obtain additional pilot data from middle school students and their parents/caregivers in Pender, Columbus, and Brunswick Counties, and 2) collect supportive information from selected middle school personnel in the same counties to improve the review score of an application submitted March 1, 2000, to the American Cancer Society (ACS). This project will increase the probability of funding of the ACS grant by attending to each and every suggestion cited by the reviewers. The project will focus upon an enhanced, more competitive application including an updated review of the literature and a new intervention feature to increase physical activity.
Objectives of the Project: The revised objectives of this project include the following: 1) identify an equivalent sample of underserved, rural, middle school students and their parents and caregivers, 2) secure administrative, health teacher, physical education teacher, food service personnel and parent cooperation and support to conduct a long-term study, 3) collect additional baseline data from to determine feasibility and generate power estimates for sample size, and 4) organize a multidisciplinary research team to conduct the multi-year field study.
Results of the student/parent/caregiver data were as follows:
| Samplel(n) |
Mean Age (years |
FJV (mean servings) |
Fat (% of total calories) |
Sugar(% of total calories) |
Sodium (milligrams) |
Dietary Fiber(grams) |
| Students(20) |
12.5 |
1.50 |
35 |
17 |
3443 |
11.7 |
| Parents(16) |
42.5 |
1.33 |
32 |
15 |
3284 |
12.5 |
| Recommended |
|
5 or more servings |
<30% |
<10% |
500-2400mg |
20-35 g |
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Charles L. Cahill Project 2000
Darwin Dennison
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to 1) measure the food choices of eighth grade students in three underserved, rural school districts in southeastern North Carolina, 2) review policy regarding the school lunch and food vending machine program, and 3) organize a comprehensive, school-based intervention to improve nutritional status. The selected schools reported an average poverty index of 30 percent, with free or reduced price lunches served to an average of 65 percent of the students. This presentation will focus on the students’ food choice behavior. Project staff trained health education and homeroom teachers to instruct the students to record their food intake for 3 days. Food record sheets, and oral and written instructions were given to each child. Breakfast and lunch meals were recorded at school and dinner/snack foods were recorded as homework assignments for three days. On the fourth day, a project staff member returned to individually review/interview students to clarify foods consumed and amounts eaten using food models. Food record data from 86 eighth grade students were analyzed to determine 1) the number of servings of fruits, fruit juice, and vegetables (FJV) per day and 2) the fat, sugar, and sodium (FSS) content of the foods. The records were coded for servings of FJV eaten at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. The average number of servings of FJV consumed by the students over the three-day period was 1.5 servings. Over the three-day period analyzed, the students consumed an average of 36 percent of calories from fat, 20 percent from added sugar, and 2719 milligrams of sodium. Each of these values exceeded recommended dietary standards. Formative data regarding school nutrition policy and the development of an intervention to improve the food choice behavior will also be presented.
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Public Broadcasting Service Project 1999 - 2000: MediaSeek
Darwin Dennison, Mike Perko, Carl Stockton, John Bennett.
Abstract: The purpose of this project was to develop a Health Knowledge Base that will be connected to educational resources and education standards’ databases. The Health Knowledge Base was designed to enable health educators to comprehensively review, develop, and evaluate curricula in health education based upon health education standards. Additionally, health educators will be able to review and select educational resources that focus on the statements in the Health Knowledge Base to ensure inclusion and logical sequence. The project called upon ten nationally recognized content experts to submit the depth and breathe of concepts and facts in the following areas: Environmental Health, Human Growth and Development, Injury Prevention and Safety, Consumer Health, Nutrition, Fitness and Health, Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs, Mental and Emotional Health, Human Diseases, and Personal Health. Each expert developed statements, including conceptual understandings, processes and facts that were submitted to a university-based central depository. The statements were then edited and placed in a sequential K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 format. The project used a continuous information distillation method via email with the experts to develop the database. The Knowledge Base serves as a “connecting table” through which the three other elements (educational resource references, educational standards data, and curricula) were interrelated. These three elements were independently “correlated” to the Knowledge Base and were matched to one another as the result of connections to common Knowledge Base Statements.
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