A Qualitative Study of Perceived Barriers to Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Among Low-Income Populations, North Carolina, 2011.
A Qualitative Study of Perceived Barriers to Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Among Low-Income Populations, North Carolina, 2011.
Prev Chronic Dis. 2013 Mar; 10: E34
Haynes-Maslow L, Parsons SE, Wheeler SB, Leone LA
INTRODUCTION: Obesity is the leading preventable cause of illness and a major contributor to chronic disease. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables can help manage and prevent weight gain and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Low-income communities often lack stores that sell fresh fruit and vegetables and have instead stores that sell foods low in nutritional value. The objective of this study was to understand perceived community-level barriers to fruit and vegetable consumption among low-income people. METHODS: We conducted 8 focus groups involving 68 low-income participants in 2 North Carolina counties, from May 2011 through August 2011. The socioecological model of health guided data analysis, and 2 trained researchers coded transcripts and summarized findings. Four focus groups were conducted in each county; 1 was all male, 5 all female, and 2 mixed sexes. Most participants were black (68%), most were women (69.1%), and most had a high school education or less (61.8%). Almost half received support from either the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or another government assistance program. RESULTS: We identified 6 major community-level barriers to access to fruits and vegetables: cost, transportation, quality, variety, changing food environment, and changing societal norms on food. CONCLUSION: Policymakers should consider supporting programs that decrease the cost and increase the supply of high-quality fruits and vegetables in low-income communities. HubMed – eating
Merging dietary assessment with the adolescent lifestyle.
J Hum Nutr Diet. 2013 Mar 13;
Schap TE, Zhu F, Delp EJ, Boushey CJ
The use of image-based dietary assessment methods shows promise for improving dietary self-report among children. The Technology Assisted Dietary Assessment (TADA) food record application is a self-administered food record specifically designed to address the burden and human error associated with conventional methods of dietary assessment. Users would take images of foods and beverages at all eating occasions using a mobile telephone or mobile device with an integrated camera [e.g. Apple iPhone, Apple iPod Touch (Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA, USA); Nexus One (Google, Mountain View, CA, USA)]. Once the images are taken, the images are transferred to a back-end server for automated analysis. The first step in this process is image analysis (i.e. segmentation, feature extraction and classification), which allows for automated food identification. Portion size estimation is also automated via segmentation and geometric shape template modeling. The results of the automated food identification and volume estimation can be indexed with the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies to provide a detailed diet analysis for use in epidemiological or intervention studies. Data collected during controlled feeding studies in a camp-like setting have allowed for formative evaluation and validation of the TADA food record application. This review summarises the system design and the evidence-based development of image-based methods for dietary assessment among children. HubMed – eating
Sheepmeat flavor and the effect of different feeding systems: a review.
J Agric Food Chem. 2013 Mar 14;
Watkins P, Frank DC, Singh T, Young O, Warner R
Lamb has a unique flavor, distinct from other popular red meats. Although flavor underpins lamb’s popularity it can also be an impediment to consumer acceptance. Lack of familiarity with sheepmeat flavour itself can be a barrier for some consumers and undesirable feed-induced flavours may also compromise acceptability. Against the backdrop of climate uncertainty and unpredictable rainfall patterns, sheep producers are turning to alternatives to traditional grazing pasture systems. Historically, pasture has been the predominant feed system for lamb production in Australia and around the world. It is for this reason that there has been a focus on ‘pastoral’ flavor in sheep meat. Pasture associated flavors may be accepted as “normal” by consumers accustomed to meat from pasture fed sheep; however these flavors may be unfamiliar to consumers of meat produced from grain fed and other feed systems. Over the last few decades, studies examining the impacts of different feeds on lamb meat quality have yielded variable consumer responses ranging from “no effect” to “unacceptable”, illustrating the diverse and sometimes inconsistent impacts of different forages on sheepmeat flavor. Despite considerable research there is no consensus on which volatiles are essential for desirable lamb aroma and how they differ compared to other red meats, for example beef. In contrast, comparatively little work has focussed specifically on the non-volatile taste components of lamb flavour. Diet also impacts the amount of intramuscular fat and its fatty acid composition in the meat which has a direct effect on meat juiciness and texture as well as flavour, and its release, during eating. The effect of diet is far from simple and much still needs to be learned. An integrated approach which encompasses all input variables is required to better understand the impact of the feed and related systems, on sheepmeat flavor. This review brings together recent research findings and proposes some novel approaches to gain insights into the relationship between animal diet, genetics and sheepmeat quality. HubMed – eating