Browsing by Subject "Nutritional status"
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Item Impact of food rescue nutrition(2017-01-23) Mousa, Tamara Yousef; Freeland-Graves, Jeanne H.; Jolly , Christopher; Tiziani, Stefano; Lewis, Karron; Hersh, Matthew; Herzele, CharlotteFood insecurity affects 13.4% of Americans, although 30-40% of food is deposited in landfills. Food rescue nutrition is the process of redistribution of surplus food to the low-income. This research consists of four studies. In study 1 and 2, the extent of involvement and motivations of organizations and volunteers in food rescue nutrition were documented. In study 1, food rescue nutrition survey was developed, validated and tested to obtain information from 100 organizations in eight Southwestern states. The organizations donated an average of 2 million kg of food/month to 41,734 clients. These agencies were dependent on an average of eight workers and 3,081 volunteers. Challenges reported were the reduction of food portions and turning away clients due to lack of resources. In study 2, the Motivations to Volunteer Scale was created to measure motivations to volunteer in food rescue nutrition, and validated in 40 adults, then tested in 300 individuals. This newly developed scale was documented to be a valid tool (mean score = 9.15 ± 0.17), and consisted of four factors: requirement, career improvement, social life and altruism. Study 3 assessed the impact of food donations on diet quality and nutritional status of 222 clients of a soup kitchen and food pantry. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, food frequency questionnaire and list of food donations. The food pantry donations supplemented the total diet with ≥ 50% of the client's daily needs of energy, macronutrients, vitamins B₆ and B₁₂, phosphorus, copper and selenium. The total diet of these clients also met the 2015 United States Dietary Guidelines for refined grains, fruits, vegetables and meat, but not for whole grains and dairy foods. Study 4 was similar to study 3, but included clients of a soup kitchen. Dietary intake of these participants was much poorer than those of the food pantry, and 95% were homeless. The soup kitchen meal lacked vegetables and meat; nonetheless, it improved total diet quality by 10%. Thus, organizations and volunteers were highly involved in food rescue nutrition. Furthermore, food donations from the food pantry and soup kitchen improved nutritional status and diet quality of the clients.Item What influences within-household differences in adult nutritional status? : findings from panel data in Bangladesh(2018-05) Ismail, Ghida Alaa; Lentz, Erin C.; Coffey, DianeIn Bangladesh, rates of child undernutrition are improving, although still high. However, we know less about undernutrition in adults. The aim of the study is to understand adult members of the household’s nutritional status and intra-household heterogeneity, which can shed light on the efficiency of policies and programs that equate the well-being of the individual to the average well-being of the household. Using the six-year panel Village Dynamics in South Asia (VDSA) data from 2009 to 2014, I examine the relationship between adults’, aged between 20 and 60 years, nutritional status, as measured by the body mass index (BMI), and various demographic, livelihood and gender parity factors. I also attempt to identify any yearly changes in nutritional outcomes in the households from 2011 to 2014, and factors that might have induced these changes. Furthermore, I investigate intra-household heterogeneity and inequalities among individuals in the household and attempt to understand the drivers of intra-household inequality across time in nutritional status by using the ratio of women’s BMI to men heads’ BMI as outcome of analysis. I find that there exists intra-household heterogeneity that follows an age trend and depend on each member’s position in the family and bargaining power. Moreover, contrary to what is argued in previous literature, women do not face greater risk of undernourishment than men. Therefore, research on intra-household inequalities should look beyond gender factors. I also find that very few factors have been successful in changing members’ nutritional status across years as well as moving individuals out of undernourishment and reducing intra-household nutritional disparities. Furthermore, while certain empowerment and bargaining factors might positively impact some members in the household, they can also fail in contributing to the nutritional status of other members and in reducing intra-household disparities. Therefore, programs should be designed with care and be specifically targeted to reduce disparities considering intra-household dynamics.