Browsing by Subject "Community gardens"
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Item Open Access Understanding Pathways to Contaminant Exposure in North Carolina’s Community Gardens(2017-04-28) Henson, Reilly; Tenorio Fenton, Sofia; Tikalsky, ElissaUrban agriculture and community gardens can be a means to increase the wellbeing of vulnerable communities, including reductions in food insecurity, opportunities for outdoor exercise and social interaction and even increases property values (Folstad et al., 2015). Unfortunately, community gardeners may potentially be exposed to contaminants through contact with soil at garden sites or through pesticide usage. There are three major factors that can increase the potential for the presence of contaminants and for subsequent exposure: i) the site's history and surrounding land uses; ii) land management practices in the garden; and iii) community gardeners' behaviors and perceptions (US EPA, 2011a). Additionally, based on previous research in North Carolina by the Duke Superfund Research Center, community gardens at risk of having contaminated soils often overlap with areas with a higher-than-average percentage of low-income and minority populations. There are, however, a number of land use practices that may reduce the potential for exposure to contaminants. In addition, individual behaviors surrounding personal hygiene, food safety, use of protective equipment, and additional precautions may also reduce the potential for exposure (Folstad et al., 2015). Our study applied a mixed methods approach to understand the extent to which community gardeners currently employ the land use management practices and individual behaviors that reduce exposure, as well as the barriers to adoption of these behaviors. Our findings will inform future efforts on the part of the Duke University Superfund Research Center to collaborate with community gardeners to reduce the potential for contaminant exposure.Item Open Access Validity of 24-Hour Dietary Recall in Children Age 8 to 16 in Western Kenya(2013) Sable, Sylvia KrivanekObjective: The primary objective of this study is to test the validity of 24-hour dietary recall methods compared to the gold standard of measured portions and observed food intake in the study population for improvement of this assessment in similar low-resource settings.
Study Population:Located in Western Kenya in Nyanza Province, Migori County is the setting for this research. Children were recruited from two out of four primary schools taking part in a larger study. Children ranged in age from eight to sixteen, an age range within which accuracy of diet recall has been found to increase as children age.
Methods: Thirty-eight children were observed eating a measured meal at their school. Thus, for our study sample we know exactly what children consumed at this meal. The next day, the selected children were invited back to complete an interviewer-assisted 24-hour dietary recall using methods adapted for use in the study population. Single sample t-tests were conducted in order to test the validity of the dietary recall methods by comparing recalled food amounts with the gold standard of measured portions and observed food intake. Finally, two-sample t-tests were conducted in order to compare differences across age, sex, standard and school.
Results:The dietary recall methods used to obtain recalled food amounts do not appear to be a valid method for obtaining detailed information about children's food intake in our study population. For the large majority of food volume and macro- and micro-nutrient categories, the mean deviation for recalled values and those measured and observed was statistically different from 0 (p<.05). However, results appear to have been largely influenced by serving methodology, a potential confounder in this study, suggesting that the dietary recall method may in fact be valid after accounting for serving methodology.
Conclusions and Implications: Although the small sample size limits firm conclusions, the results provide evidence-based direction for future food intake validation studies and improvement of this assessment in similar low-resource settings. Future studies should increase the sample size in order to reach more robust conclusions and carefully consider approaches to improve the validity of this assessment in low-resource populations.