There is always something going on in the N.I.C.E. lab. From juggling multiple Ph.D. projects, collaborating on large federally funded grants, learning more about how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced family eating patterns to developing nutrition education interventions to help family improve their health. Below will you find just some of the projects we are currently working on!
Family Meal Project
The Family Meal Project started as an United States Department of Agriculture Nutrition Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) funded grant (#2018-69001-27552) which aimed to develop and examine a family-focused nutrition ecosystem intervention that leverages parents as agents of change to improve children’s diet behaviors and minimize risks for childhood obesity. Although the original project incorporated in-person and online components we have recently adapted much of the information from this project to a web-based platform.
Examining Dietary Self-Regulation in ADHD and Typically Developing Children
Dr. Coccia is excited to be a co-investigator on the Predicting Early Childhood Obesogenic Mechanisms grant led by co-PIs Dr. Paulo Graziano and Dr. Anthony Dick. This NIH funded grant examines the role of self-regulation on the progression of childhood obesity. In addition to providing training for several nutritional aspects of this grant, the N.I.C.E. lab has played a major role in the lunch-time self-regulation food trials where we conducted trayline assessments and measured food waste.
Child Nutrition During COVID-19
Through this CRUSADA Supplemental Pilot Program we were able to follow up with the families in the Predicting Early Childhood Obesogenic Mechanisms grant to examine the role of family resiliency factors and stressors along with their effects on childhood obesity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically we looked at parental stress, food insecurity and familism on child dietary intake using the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) at multiple time points during the pandemic.
School-based Programing to Reduce Childhood Obesity
This United States Department of Agriculture Nutrition Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) funded grant (#2015-69001-23241) developed and examine an elementary school obesity prevention intervention that leveraged pre-service classroom teachers as agents of change to improve children’s nutrition and physical activity behaviors and minimize risks for childhood obesity. Pre-service teachers, inservice teachers and school administrators were assessed to determine the teachers’ perceived role in promoting nutrition and physical activity knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors.
Based on the information gained from school personnel the intervention was developed to enhance pre-service teacher nutrition and physical activity knowledge, motivation, and health messaging to impact: 1) in-service teacher interactions with children and parents and 2) in-service teacher classroom modeling of healthy eating and classroom physical activity. Continued support over the implementation period consisted of a teacher website and social media-based project extension.
To see the online component of this project along with teacher lesson plans that connect nutrition content to common core standards please visit the MENTOR project website.
Mobile Gardening and Cooking Unit
Several studies have noted beneficial effects of gardening on health outcomes including increased physical activity, increased fruit and vegetable intake, increased quality of life scores and reductions in depression, anxiety and BMI. However despite these positive outcomes many people 1. don’t know how to garden or 2. don’t know how to prepare the foods that they grow.
In order to address some of these issues, we have created a mobile gardening and cooking demo unit to provide nutrition education and on-site cooking demonstrations. We are currently testing the use of the demo unit along with a theory based nutrition education program with various populations.
If you are interested in having the mobile gardening and cooking demo unit at one of your events please Contact Us.
