Eating Disorders: Service-Learning in Higher Education Relevant to the Promotion of Physical Activity, Healthful Eating, and Prevention of Obesity.
Service-learning in Higher Education Relevant to the Promotion of Physical Activity, Healthful Eating, and Prevention of Obesity.
Filed under: Eating Disorders
Int J Prev Med. 2012 Oct; 3(10): 672-81
Rosenkranz RR
Service-learning is a type of experiential teaching and learning strategy combining classroom instruction and meaningful community service and guided activities for reflection. This educational approach has been used frequently in higher education settings, including an array of disciplines such as medicine, theology, public health, physical education, nutrition, psychology, anthropology, and sociology. The purpose of the present review paper was to provide guidance on the use of service-learning within higher education, relevant to the preventive medicine and public health topics of healthful eating, physical activity, and obesity prevention. In service-learning, coursework is structured to address community needs, and to benefit students through the real-world application of knowledge. The benefits for students include positive impacts on social skills, empathy, awareness, understanding, and concern regarding community issues, plus greater confidence and skills to work with diverse populations, increased awareness of community resources, improved motivation, and enhanced knowledge. Educational institutions may also benefit through improved “town and gown” relations, as strong ties, partnerships, and mutually beneficial activities take place. The present literature review describes several service-learning applications such as nutrition education for kids, dietary improvement for seniors, foodservice recipe modification on a college campus, an intergenerational physical activity program for nursing home residents, motor skill development in kindergarteners, organized elementary school recess physical activities, health education, and obesity prevention in children. From this review, service-learning appears to have great potential as a flexible component of academic coursework in the areas of preventive medicine and public health.
HubMed – eating
Weighing in on the Issue: A Longitudinal Analysis of the Influence of Selected Individual Factors and the Sports Context on the Developmental Trajectories of Eating Pathology Among Adolescents.
Filed under: Eating Disorders
J Youth Adolesc. 2012 Oct 31;
Fay K, Lerner RM
Eating disorders, and related issues (e.g., body dissatisfaction, weight control behaviors), represent pressing and prevalent health problems that affect American adolescents with alarming frequency and potentially chronic consequences. However, more longitudinal research is needed to elucidate the developmental processes that increase or maintain risk for, and that protect against, eating- and weight-related problems among adolescents. Accordingly, the current study used longitudinal data from 1,050 male and female (68.0 %) adolescents (Grades 9-11)-the majority of whom were European Americans (72.2 %)-who participated in the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development to (a) describe trajectories of adolescents’ eating pathology and body dissatisfaction, (b) identify individual and contextual correlates of these pathways, (c) examine whether trajectories of eating pathology and body dissatisfaction related to adolescents’ depressive symptoms, and (d) elucidate whether sports participation moderated associations between specific trajectories of eating pathology and body dissatisfaction and adolescents’ depressive symptoms. Results suggest that the diverse pathways of eating pathology and body dissatisfaction that exist across middle adolescence, in combination with adolescents’ sports participation, have important implications for the positive and problematic development of our youth. In addition, the findings underscore the need to evaluate the interindividual differences that exist in regard to how sports participation may relate positively and negatively to developmental outcomes.
HubMed – eating
Short-term and Mid-term Effects of Fasting and Downset Meal Pattern on Lipid Profile in Iranian Fasted Women.
Filed under: Eating Disorders
J Relig Health. 2012 Oct 31;
Rabiee S, Afghari N, Rastmanesh R
It is not clear that whether the effects of fasting and downset meal pattern on lipid profile are limited only to Ramadan or do they remain after that month. The cohort study was conducted on 49 women aged 20-45 who worked at Shahid Motahari hospital in Isfahan. They put on groups of 23 consuming downset meal and 26 non-consuming downset meal persons. Serum triglyceride, cholesterol, LDL, and HDL were measured on the 3 days before the beginning, 3 and 30 days after the end of Ramadan. Repeated measure test was used to determine the changes during times and the interaction effects between times and nocturnal eating pattern. This study showed that fasting causes some short-term and mid-term changes in triglyceride and HDL that is mostly attributable to changes in dietary habits during Ramadan, rather than downset meal pattern.
HubMed – eating
Family Meals among New Zealand Young People: Relationships with Eating Behaviors and Body Mass Index.
Filed under: Eating Disorders
J Nutr Educ Behav. 2012 Oct 27;
Utter J, Denny S, Robinson E, Fleming T, Ameratunga S, Grant S
OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between family meals and nutrition behaviors of adolescents. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of Youth’07, a nationally representative survey. SETTING: Secondary schools in New Zealand. PARTICIPANTS: Randomly selected adolescents (aged 13-17 years, n = 9,107) completed a multimedia and anonymous survey about their health. VARIABLES MEASURED: Body mass index and eating behaviors. ANALYSIS: Multiple logistic regression equations were used to determine the associations between family meals and body size and dietary behaviors, controlling for demographic variables. RESULTS: Nearly 60% of young people shared a meal with their families 5 or more times in the previous week. Frequent family meals were associated with greater consumption of fruits and vegetables (P < .001), and breakfast (P < .001). Adolescents who frequently shared family meals were also more likely to report that what they ate in the past week was healthy than adolescents who did not (P < .001). There was no relationship between frequency of family meals and body mass index (P = .60). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Data from the current study suggest that family meals cannot be used as a single strategy for obesity prevention, but they may provide an important opportunity for young people to consume healthy food. HubMed – eating
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