Nutrition & Food Science
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Item EXPLORATION OF THE FOOD WASTE ENVIRONMENT IN THE UNIVERSITY SETTING AND ITS IMPLICATIONS TOWARD A SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEM(2020) Pavone, Lauren; Song, Hee-Jung; Nutrition; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Americans are throwing away an alarmingly high amount of food. As highlighted in this thesis project, a multitude of factors account for why food waste occurs, but also a significant potential exists for food waste reduction. The purpose of this research was to investigate the food waste environment in the university setting to better understand where to focus food waste reduction strategies. The volume of student plate waste was quantified, and the nutritional and environmental value of this plate waste was calculated. Further, a behavioral survey guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior helped to identify the key factors influencing food waste behaviors in this setting. Plate waste was found to be 5%-14% of all food served in the dining hall facility. The top three food groups that were most frequently discarded included starch and added sugars, fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Food waste related behaviors were found to be strongly influenced by having the confidence and skills for proper food management, feeling guilty about throwing food away, and having financial concerns related to food waste. The results of this research suggest that student plate waste is a significant problem with enormous potential for food waste reduction.Item From China to the US: nutrition, diet and acculturation of Chinese employed in high-tech industries - Results from a web-based survey(2007-08-06) Wang, Chunling; Sahyoun, Nadine; Nutrition; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Background: Due to the fast development of economies in China and the great needs of professionals in the US, the population of highly educated young Chinese professionals working in high-tech industries has grown very fast in both countries. This population was suggested to have risk of consuming high energy and fat diet in both countries. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the associations of dietary intake with nutrition knowledge, attitude, dietary self-efficacy and acculturation among Chinese working in high-tech industries in China and in the US. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional self-administered online survey. We studied 925 Chinese aged 20-45 years, who worked in high-tech industries and had at least a bachelor degree in four sub-groups: employees of Chinese companies in China; employees of American companies in China; Chinese-born immigrant in the US; and American-born Chinese in the US. A web-based questionnaire including a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was developed to assess total energy and fat intakes, nutrition knowledge, attitudes, dietary self-efficacy. Four domains of acculturation were assessed among Chinese in the US. Using these data, we compared the four sub-groups and tested the prediction model of dietary intake and BMI. Results: Our results showed that American-born Chinese participants consumed significantly higher energy and fat than the other three groups. Participants in the US had higher nutrition knowledge, attitude and self- efficacy than participants in China. Chinese-born immigrant men in the US had the highest nutrition knowledge and attitude and the lowest prevalence of overweight among the four study groups of men. The study results suggested that preferring Chinese food and Chinese leisure activity are predictors of lower energy and fat intake in Chinese-born immigrants. Conclusions: The Chinese-born immigrants showed significant advantages in nutrition knowledge, attitude, and dietary self-efficacy and had the lowest prevalence of overweight in men. American-born Chinese consumed the highest energy and fat among the four study groups even though their nutrition knowledge, attitude and self-efficacy were high. Future nutrition promotion programs should make use of these cultural and environmental differences when designing theses programs. The web-based survey method can be utilized in future nutrition research.Item What Does This Question Mean To You? Cognitive Interviewing to Pretest a Questionnaire for Older Adults(2006-08-10) Enagonio, Elisabeth Mary; Sahyoun, Nadine; Nutrition; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Seven cognitive interviews were conducted in adults aged 80 and older to pretest a questionnaire for the Community Connections - Moving Seniors Toward Wellness research project. Respondents participated in intensive one-on-one interviews. The questionnaire was administered, and respondents were probed for comprehension of question content. Older adults with physical limitations answered questions about depression based on physical rather than emotional status, made distinctions between capacity and performance regarding physical function, and failed to understand key medical terms. Wording of questions about personal hardiness was confusing to older adults. The findings were used to simplify wording throughout the questionnaire. Survey designers should be aware that questions about depression may be testing physical rather than emotional status. Questions about physical function should make a distinction between capacity and performance. Common language rather than medical terminology should be used when surveying older adults. Rewritten hardiness questions may be useful in assessing older adults.