Many nutrition experts think many teens are still not eating enough healthy foods. Cathy Isom explains the project underway to sway teens away from the sugary snacks. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
Teens Snacks
Dr. Alison Gustafson
Dr. Gustafson’s research focuses on the food environment as a distal determinant in obesity among rural populations. She has worked extensively with local and state health departments conducting community based behavioral interventions focused on chronic disease prevention.
Dr. Gustafson is a member of the American Dietetic Association, The Obesity Society, American Public Health Association, and The American Society Nutrition. She serves on the Research Group for the American Dietetic Association.
Project Summary (from Dr. Gustafson)
The objective of this project is to develop and test the effectiveness of a Cooperative Extension enhanced intervention titled “Smart Shopping,” aimed at improving the shopping practices of adolescents with the ultimate goal of increasing fruit and vegetable intake. To achieve this goal, we will conduct formative research (Year 1) via a community-wide analysis of the school, home and neighborhood food environments. In collaboration with Extension staff and faculty, this formative research will provide insight into the development and enhancement of the “Smart Shopping” curriculum (adapted from the “Cooking Matters” Extension curriculum, Year 2). In Years 3-4, we (Read the full Project Summary)
From: SurfKY News
UK Researcher to Focus on Improving Diets of Teens
The teenage years are a time when many individuals develop habits, both good and bad.
A University of Kentucky researcher is beginning a project to try to improve the eating habits of teens.
Dr. Alison Gustafson Photo courtesy of UK Public Relations
With a grant funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Alison Gustafson will study the food purchasing patterns of teens in rural areas of Kentucky and North Carolina. The end result will hopefully be improved overall health and well-being of the participants.
“Teens purchase quite a bit of food themselves,” said Gustafson, an assistant professor in the UK Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. “They also have a huge influence on the foods that their parents purchase.”
Information provided to SurfKY News by Katie Pratt, UK News.
Permission granted for use of this article from SurfKY News.