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This note presents the results of interviews with twenty-five participants in a fruit and vegetable walking program in Central Appalachia. Individuals joined and used the program for a number of diverse reasons, most commonly with the hope of improving their health. Participants also valued the abundance of food and social opportunities. Overall, participants enjoyed the program and utilized it in ways that funders and evidence-based medicine (EBM) methodologies of biometric and anthropometric data collection are not equipped to capture. This research illustrates how people within socioeconomically marginalized regions such as Appalachia utilize community-based networks of social and economic relations to exercise agency and maneuver around broader economic and political constraints.

In the United States, 6.5 million children experience food insecurity. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the Building Blocks for Healthy Kids summer nutrition education program for low-in...

The purpose of this study was to determine if the amount and variety of fruits and vegetables consumed increased among community-dwelling older adults participating in Kentucky's congregate meal site program following a series of five nutrition education lessons. A convenience sample of older adults attending senior centers (n=35), two intervention (n=19) and two control (n=16) centers, participated in this quasi-experimental pilot study. Following the intervention there was a significant increase in actual fruit and vegetable intake in the intervention group (p

Background Farmers' markets (FM) provide an opportunity for consumers to support local producers and promote fruit and vegetable (FV) intake. Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud (PIUKP) develops healthy recipes incorporating locally-produced specialty crops and educational resources that are then delivered by Extension professionals. In collaboration with local producers, Extension professionals often set up at the FM to provide PIUKP resources and recipe samples. As part of the PIUKP project, evaluation data is collected annually at FM throughout the state. Objective To evaluate the relationship between self-reported FV intake and dermal carotenoid scores in adult FM patrons and to assess the impact of PIUKP recipe sampling at the FM on intent to purchase and prepare locally-produced FV. Study Design, Setting, Participants Over a period of 3 summers, adult patrons (n = 751) at diverse FM's throughout the state were invited to sample a seasonally-appropriate PIUKP recipe and complete a short survey with questions about their typical FV intake, sampling experience, and FM purchasing habits. Dermal carotenoid levels were also evaluated in years 2 and 3 (n = 525) through reflection spectroscopy using the Veggie Meter. Measurable Outcome/Analysis Descriptive statistics are provided. Correlation analyses were used to evaluate the relationship between self-reported FV intake and dermal carotenoid scores. Results The study participants reported consuming an average of 2.22 ± 1.18 servings of fruits and 2.91 ± 1.48 servings of vegetables daily. Mean dermal carotenoid scores were 200.3 ± 87.6; a weak (r = 0.32) positive correlation was found between self-reported FV intake and dermal carotenoid scores. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being “Contributes a Lot,” participants indicated both recipe sampling (7.83 ± 2.23) and recipe cards (7.76 ± 2.34) contributed to their making a recipe using FV purchased at the FM. The majority (77.6%) of participants indicated they were very likely to purchase the FV highlighted in the sampled recipe. Conclusions Self-reported FV intake was weakly correlated with dermal carotenoid scores, indicating further research is needed to evaluate the use of reflection spectroscopy as a marker of FV intake. As well, providing samples of healthy recipes and recipe cards incorporating FV being sold at the FM contributed to the likelihood of purchase and later preparation of the recipe.

Background College food insecurity impacts a significant number of students, potentially having a negative effect on academic success, physical and mental health, and/or wellness. For this reason, interventions that address college food insecurity are vital. Objective To evaluate the demographics and food security status of students utilizing the Farm-to-Fork free weekly lunch initiative at a large land-grant institution and to assess the meal planning and dietary habits of these college students. Study Design, Setting, Participants A 3-semester, cross-sectional study collecting online survey responses from a convenience sample of students participating in the Farm-to-Fork free weekly lunch program. Measurable Outcome/Analysis Primary survey data was used in Pearson chi-square tests to analyze the associations between food security status, demographics, behaviors, and program evaluation findings. Results The survey response rate was 31%. Of the 397 students who completed the online survey, 61% reported experiencing some level of food insecurity with only 13% utilizing campus or community resources to access food. Food security status was significantly associated with daily consumption of 5 food groups (P Conclusion The Farm-to-Fork program provides students with a free well-balanced lunch and educational resources to address issues surrounding college food insecurity and to support student success and wellness. However, there is a need to improve students’ eating habits and utilization of resources for food in times of crisis. Funding University of Kentucky Student Opportunity Grant from The Food Connection, University of Kentucky Student Sustainability Council Grant.

The aging process makes older adults vulnerable to the detrimental health effects of environmental contaminants. Our study assessed older adults’ perceptions regarding diet being protective against environmental contaminants, their levels of concern about exposure, and their interest in learning about protective food-related strategies. A needs assessment to collect such information has not been conducted among older adults. Health fair survey results showed that they perceived diet as beneficial against contaminants, were concerned about health implications of exposure, and were interested in learning how to protect health through diet-related strategies. Results suggest that a nutrition-focused curriculum addressing how dietary strategies can help protect against environmental contaminants is needed for Extension professionals.

Objective To develop, implement, and evaluate Farm-to-Fork, a free weekly meal program for college students that integrates social, sustainable, local, and educational elements at the University of Kentucky (UK). Use of Theory or Research Of the 1,854 students surveyed at UK, 43% experience some level of food insecurity while the majority of student focus group participants (n = 33) shared specific challenges related to affording healthful food, including fresh fruits and vegetables (FV). Research suggests a need for more nutrition education for college students, as more than half of students in one large study did not receive nutrition-related information and desired such information from the university. Target Audience Farm-to-Fork targets food insecure college students at UK. Program Description Farm-to-Fork offers a multidimensional, interdisciplinary approach using the socioecological model with policy, system, and environment changes. Within the community-level and individual-level environment, Farm-to-Fork partners with various entities, while addressing student's physical, social, and economic environment, by providing educational resources, healthy lunchtime meals using recovered foods and produce, and a stigma-free social space to approximately 120 students weekly. Evaluation Methods Electronic surveys from students at Farm-to-Fork were recorded weekly for 12 weeks. Results In Fall 2018, Farm-to-Fork served 1,397 meals to 574 individuals and 70 student volunteers dedicated 400 hours. The average cost per meal was only 61 cents as a result of 1,100 pounds of recovered foods with an estimated value of $1,837 utilized for the meals. Of the 153 students completing an online survey about the Farm-to-Fork program, 65% experienced some level of food insecurity and 83% did not consume foods from the five food groups daily. FV were the most common food groups lacking in the diet. Though improvement suggestions were related to the meal quality and quantity, 96% provided positive feedback on the meal quality. Conclusions Findings from the Farm-to-Fork initiative suggest that it is effective, and there is a need for innovative programming that addresses college food insecurity to promote student success and wellness. Funding University of Kentucky Student Opportunity Grant from Food Connection.

Objective Examine food in cable television programming specifically targeting 11- to 14-year-olds (“tweens”). Design Content analysis of food-related scenes (FRS)—in which food was shown, mentioned, and/or consumed—in 880 minutes of programming was conducted. Setting Five days of afternoon/early evening television programs on the Disney Channel. Main Outcome Measures and Analysis Food references were compared with USDA MyPlate and classified according to modified Ratio of Recommended to Restricted Food Components. Results The authors found 331 FRS, averaging 16.6 scenes/h. Preponderance of FRS was physiological needs (40.7%), followed by display (10%), party (8.5%), social event (8%), and retail store (6.6%). Snacks dominated 41% of FRS, and breakfast, lunch, and dinner were much lower in frequency. Half of FRS was visual only, followed by verbal only. Food references were not congruent with MyPlate recommendations; 42% of food items did not fit into MyPlate food groups. Only 24% of food items were fruit or vegetables, which is considerably less than recommended by MyPlate guidelines. Using modified Ratio of Recommended to Restricted Food Components, 66% of food items scored Conclusions and Implications Tween television programming regularly includes non-nutritious food, which likely influences tweens' attitudes and behaviors. Television programming may consider past approaches to tobacco smoking and health messages on television. More attention is warranted regarding television programming by nutrition educators, researchers, health professionals, and industry specialists.

BACKGROUND Inflammation is commonly associated with malnutrition and cardiovascular disease in end-stage renal failure patients. Anti-inflammatory properties of the isoflavones, a micronutrient component of soy, have been reported in several experimental models and disease conditions, but never in renal failure. We hypothesized that dietary soy isoflavones correct laboratory evidence of systemic inflammation in haemodialysis (HD) patients with underlying high blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP). METHODS End-stage renal disease patients on chronic HD, with elevated CRP (>10.0 mg/l) were enrolled in this pilot study. The subjects were double-blind randomly distributed with 2 : 1 ratio to receive isoflavone-containing soy-based nutritional supplements (soy group) or isoflavone-free milk protein (control group) for 8 weeks. Serum isoflavone, inflammatory markers and nutrition markers were assessed at baseline and at the end of the treatment. RESULTS Thirty-two subjects were enrolled. Fifteen subjects in the soy group and 10 in the control group completed the study; five dropouts were due to acute illness and two due to food intolerance. After intervention, blood isoflavone levels were 5- to 10-fold higher in the soy group than in the control group [e.g. median genistein (25-75th percentile): 337.9 (175.5-1007) nM in the soy group vs 41.4 (22.9-100.4) nM in the control group; P < 0.001]. However, the isoflavone levels ranged widely in the soy group (e.g. genistein: 33-1868 nM) and, depending on the individual compound, four to seven subjects had end-of-treatment levels that were not different from baseline. Variation from baseline of the individual serum isoflavone levels (Delta-isoflavone) and CRP displayed a strong inverse correlation in the soy group (R = -0.599, P < 0.02). In addition, Delta-isoflavone correlated positively with the variation of albumin (R = 0.522, P = 0.05) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (R = 0.518, P < 0.05). Group levels of CRP were not statistically different after intervention although a trend towards lower levels was noted in the soy group [18.2 (12.7-29.1) mg/l at baseline vs 9.7 (5.2-20.7) mg/l at week 8; NS] but not in the control group [20.6 (9.2-38.5) vs 17.6 (9.1-40.7) mg/l]. CONCLUSION These data suggest the possibility of beneficial effects of isoflavone-rich soy foods on the inflammatory and nutritional status of HD patients with underlying systemic inflammation.

OF THESIS COLOR YOUR PLATE: A PILOT NUTRITION EDUCATION INTERVENTION TO INCREASE FRUIT AND VEGETABLE INTAKE AMONG OLDER ADULTS PARTICIPATING IN THE CONGREGATE MEAL SITE PROGRAM IN KENTUCKY SENIOR CENTERS The purpose of this study was to determine if the amount and variety of fruit and vegetable intake increased among community-dwelling older adults participating in Kentucky’s congregate meal site program following a series of educational nutrition lessons. A convenience sample (n=35) of community-dwelling older adults at two intervention (n=19) and two control (n=16) senior centers in central Kentucky participated in this quasi-experimental pre-post pilot study. Following the intervention there was a trend towards increased self-reported intake in the variety of fruit and vegetables among the intervention group (range:0.03+3.31 to 1.32+2.75 servings per week); a significant increase in the number of days participants incorporated at least 4.5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day intake; significant increases in the incorporation of fruits and vegetables in evening meal, and all meals (p