A new approach for increasing graduate students' science communication capacity and confidence.

There is an increasing demand for emerging scientists to improve their ability to communicate with public audiences, yet little research investigates the effectiveness of science communication training for graduate students. We responded to this need by developing SciWrite@URI-an interdisciplinary model for science graduate students designed around three learning outcomes based on tenets from the field of writing and rhetoric-habitual writing, multiple genres, and frequent review. SciWrite students completed courses and a science communication internship, attended writing workshops, and became tutors at a newly established Graduate Writing Center.

Ultra-processed food intake is associated with low diet quality in young adult college students.

Examine associations between ultra-processed food (UPF) intake and diet quality (DQ) in college students. Analysis included 695 participants ages 18-39 years. : Dietary data were collected using the online Diet History Questionnaires II and III.

The relationship between fat distribution and diabetes in US adults by race/ethnicity.

Introduction: This study examined the relationship between fat distribution and diabetes by sex-specific racial/ethnic groups.

Methods: A secondary data analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2018 data ( = 11,972) was completed. Key variables examined were visceral adipose tissue area (VATA), subcutaneous fat area (SFA), diabetes prevalence, and race/ethnicity.

A cross-sectional study of the relationship between physical activity, diet quality, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in US adults.

Background And Aims: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is associated with many diseases, especially cardiovascular disease (CVD). Research into the independent and integrated relationships of physical activity and diet quality with hs-CRP across sex-specific cohorts is lacking.

Methods And Results: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data (2015-2018) was used to examine the relationship between physical activity and diet quality with hs-CRP and hs-CRP classified CVD risk using multiple multinormal logistic regression adjusted for covariates including demographics.

The Facilitators and Barriers to Digital Health for Managing Nutrition in People With Parkinson's Disease and Their Caregivers: A Formative, Qualitative Study.

Objective: Identify techniques to assist in designing digital health platforms for nutrition services for people with Parkinson's disease and caregivers to improve their quality of life.

Design: Semistructured, dyadic interviews with 20 dyads (20 people with Parkinson's disease and 20 caregivers).

Setting: Home visits were conducted in the northeast US.

The Sex and Race/Ethnicity-Specific Relationships of Abdominal Fat Distribution and Anthropometric Indices in US Adults.

The purpose of this study was to examine demographic-specific relationships between direct abdominal fat measures and anthropometric indices. A cross-sectional study was conducted utilizing abdominal fat measures (visceral fat area, VFA; visceral to subcutaneous adipose area ratio, VSR) and anthropometrics (body mass index, BMI; waist circumference, WC) data from the 2011-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Linear or polynomial linear regression models were used to examine the relationships of abdominal fat measures to anthropometrics with adjustment for demographics.

The Demographic Specific Abdominal Fat Composition and Distribution Trends in US Adults from 2011 to 2018.

Despite the rising awareness of abdominal adiposity associated health problems and demographic health disparities, research is lacking about abdominal fat trends using a national representative sample of US adults. Our purpose was to examine national demographic specific abdominal fat composition and distribution trends from 2011 to 2018. This trend analysis was using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data ( = 13,163).

Diet Quality and Nutrition Concerns of People with Parkinson's Disease and Their Informal Caregivers: A Mixed Methods Study.

Limited research exists regarding the diet quality and nutritional concerns of people with Parkinson's disease (PwPD) and their informal caregivers. The study's purpose was to assess diet quality via the Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) and self-reported nutrition concerns via semi-structured, dyadic interviews of 20 PwPD (69.7 ± 9.

Acceptance and perception of digital health for managing nutrition in people with Parkinson's disease and their caregivers and their digital competence in the United States: A mixed-methods study.

Background And Aims: This mixed-methods study examined participants' acceptance and perception of using digital health for managing nutrition and participants' digital competence. The results will be formative for making digital nutrition education more effective and acceptable for people with Parkinson's disease (PwPD) and their informal caregivers.

Methods: Qualitative data were collected through in-person semi-structured, dyadic interviews, and questionnaires from 20 dyads (20 PwPD and their caregivers) in the Northeastern United States and analyzed throughout the 2018 to 2019 academic year.

Maternal Blood Pressure in Relation to Prenatal Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplementation and Adverse Birth Outcomes in a Ghanaian Cohort: A Randomized Controlled Trial and Cohort Analysis.

Background: It is unknown whether prenatal lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNSs) affect blood pressure (BP). Associations between hypertension and birth outcomes using recently updated BP cutoffs are undetermined.

Objectives: We aimed to assess the impact of LNSs on maternal hypertension and associations between hypertension and birth outcomes.

Relationships of Physical Activity and Diet Quality with Body Composition and Fat Distribution in US Adults.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationships among physical activity (PA), diet quality, body composition, and fat distribution in a representative sample of US adults.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using publicly accessible data from the 2011 to 2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the Food Patterns Equivalents Database (n = 7,423). Variables from the data sets were analyzed for this study, including PA, two 24-hour dietary recalls, and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry outputs.

The Relationships between Total Protein Intake, Protein Sources, Physical Activity, and Lean Mass in a Representative Sample of the US Adults.

Background: Although dietary protein and physical activity play essential roles in developing and preserving lean mass, studies exploring these relationships are inconsistent, and large-scale studies on sources of protein and lean mass are lacking. Accordingly, the present study examined the relationship between total protein intake, protein sources, physical activity, and lean mass in a representative sample of US adults.

Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 2011-2016 US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and corresponding Food Patterns Equivalents Database ( = 7547).

Temporal Association between Abdominal Weight Status and Healthy Aging: Findings from the 2011-2018 National Health and Aging Trends Study.

Background/objectives: The longitudinal effect of abdominal weight status (AWS) defined by waist circumference (WC) on healthy aging has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine the temporal association between WC-defined AWS and a comprehensive assessment for healthy aging.

Subjects/methods: This study utilized data from 5211 respondents aged 65+ who participated in the National Health and Aging Trends Study from 2011 to 2018.

Exploring the Provider-Level Socio-Demographic Determinants of Diet Quality of Preschool-Aged Children Attending Family Childcare Homes.

Unlabelled: Since food preferences develop during early childhood and contribute to dietary patterns that can track into adulthood, it is critical to support healthy food environments in places where children spend significant amounts of time in, such as childcare. It is important to understand what factors influence the diet quality of children cared for in family childcare homes (FCCH).

Methods: This study used baseline data from a cluster-randomized trial in FCCH, Healthy Start/Comienzos Sanos.

Communication With Family Child Care Providers and Feeding Preschool-Aged Children: Parental Perspectives.

Objective: To describe parent communication about child nutrition-related topics with family child care providers (FCCPs).

Design: Five focus groups conducted from December, 2016 to July, 2017.

Participants: Parents (n = 25) of 2- to 5-year-old children attending family child care homes in Rhode Island.

Micronutrient Adequacy in Preschool Children Attending Family Child Care Homes.

Limited data is available on the micronutrient intake and adequacy in preschool children enrolled in family child care homes (FCCH). The goal of this paper is to describe the micronutrient adequacy relative to age-specific recommendations of preschool-aged children (aged 2-5 years) attending FCCH in Rhode Island (RI). Dietary data among younger preschoolers (aged 2-3 years), = 245) and older preschoolers (aged 4-5 years), = 121) in 118 RI FCCH (N = 366 children) were analyzed.

Using Interactive Nutrition Modules to Increase Critical Thinking Skills in College Courses.

Objective: To understand how the addition of an evidence-based framework to an online nutrition module influences college students' critical thinking decision making (CT-DM).

Design: Students were individually randomized into an intervention group or a control group. The nutrition modules focused on 2 topics related to different types of eating behavior.

Factors Influencing Dietary Intake Frequencies and Nutritional Risk among Community-Residing Older Adults.

Older adult (OA) dietary practices may be placing them at nutritional risk. This cross-sectional study examined the dietary intake frequencies (DIF) and nutritional risk (NR) using the Dietary Screening Tool (DST) of OA attending community-based nutrition education and physical activity programs. Most were white females aged 60-80 years.

Content Validation of a Home Parenteral Nutrition-Patient-Reported Outcome Questionnaire.

Background: Patient-reported outcome (PRO) instruments collect information from patients about health conditions and disease management, including quality of life (QOL). Clinicians acknowledge patient concerns about QOL but need guidance to assess the nature and severity of individually experienced problems. The Home Parenteral Nutrition (HPN)-Patient-Reported Outcome Questionnaire (PROQ) was developed for use during medical appointments or homecare visits to address this gap.

Differences in Psychosocial and Behavioral Variables by Dietary Screening Tool Risk Category in Older Adults.

Background: The Dietary Screening Tool (DST) has been validated as a dietary screening instrument for older adults defining three categories of potential nutritional risk based on DST score cutoffs. Previous research has found that older adults classified as being "at risk" differed from those categorized as being "not at risk" for a limited number of health-related variables. The relationship between risk categories and a wide variety of variables has not yet been explored.

The Green Eating Project: web-based intervention to promote environmentally conscious eating behaviours in US university students.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of an online, interactive intervention, referred to as the Green Eating (GE) Project, to motivate university students to adopt GE behaviours.

Design: The study was quasi-experimental and integrated into courses for credit/extra credit. Courses were randomly stratified into experimental or non-treatment control.

Cognitive status and cardio-metabolic risk of patients with acquired brain injury and Parkinson's disease.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) and acquired brain injury (ABI) share common symptoms. People with PD and ABI risk nutritional decline at diagnosis, but little is known about their long-term health a year or more after diagnosis.

Objective: This cross-sectional study describes cognitive and dietary characteristics of people living with PD or ABI 12 months or more post diagnosis to identify cardio-metabolic risk factors.

Impact of a program of Tai Chi plus behaviorally based dietary weight loss on physical functioning and coronary heart disease risk factors: a community-based study in obese older women.

This study employed a quasi-experimental design in a community-based study translating the results of our recent findings on the combined effects of Tai Chi and weight loss on physical function and coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors. A 16-week intervention was conducted to assess the impact of Tai Chi plus a behavioral weight loss program (TCWL, n = 29) on obese (body mass index [BMI] = 35.4 ± 0.

Coronary heart disease risk factors in college students.

More than one-half of young adults aged 18-24 y have at least 1 coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factor and nearly one-quarter have advanced atherosclerotic lesions. The extent of atherosclerosis is directly correlated with the number of risk factors. Unhealthy dietary choices made by this age group contribute to weight gain and dyslipidemia.

Development and validation of green eating behaviors, stage of change, decisional balance, and self-efficacy scales in college students.

Objective: To develop and validate an instrument to assess environmentally conscious eating (Green Eating [GE]) behavior (BEH) and GE Transtheoretical Model constructs including Stage of Change (SOC), Decisional Balance (DB), and Self-efficacy (SE).

Design: Cross-sectional instrument development survey.

Setting/participants: Convenience sample (n = 954) of 18- to 24-year-old college students from a northeastern university.