Scholarly Work - Health & Human Development
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/2920
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Item Internationalizing Sustainable Agriculture Education(2012-05) Schroeder-Moreno, Michelle; Clark, Susan; Byker Shanks, Carmen; Zhao, XinIntegration of international learning experiences into sustainable agriculture (SA) educational programs represents a unique and effective approach to help students improve their global awareness and citizenship, intercultural communication, problem-solving skills, and career development. While there are challenges to establishing international educational activities in emerging SA programs, the benefits of providing students with a global perspective to the worlds' food systems far exceed those challenges. This paper formalizes key considerations and diverse approaches for developing student-centered international educational opportunities for sustainable agriculture that have been assembled from literature research and from the collective experiences of the authors. A holistic approach is described, beginning with developing strong international partnerships built on reciprocity and understanding the diversity of international learning opportunities and development considerations; establishing learning outcomes and assessment; and appreciating current opportunities and challenges. While many of the experiences and examples come from land-grant universities (LGUs), enhancing a global perspective to all types of SA programs at various institutions is vital for preparing future food system leaders to advance sustainable agriculture in the global community. The information in this paper is valuable for SA educators interested in developing new international educational opportunities and also may stimulate further communication about shared pedagogical strategies related to international SA education.Item Sustainable Agriculture Education and Civic Engagement: The Significance of Community-University Partnerships in the New Agricultural Paradigm(2012-05) Niewolny, Kim; Grossman, Julie; Byker Shanks, Carmen; Helms, Jennifer; Clark, Susan; Cotton, Julie; Jacobson, KristaUniversities and colleges across the United States are making innovative strides in higher education programming to catalyze a more sustainable era of agriculture. This is clearly exemplified through the formation of community-university partnerships as critical illustrations of civic engagement (CE) for sustainable agriculture (SA) education. This paper explores the praxis of CE for SA education by focusing on the ways in which five land-grant universities (LGUs) with undergraduate programs in SA have developed and put into practice community-university partnerships. Drawing upon these programs and supportive literature, this article specifically attempts to describe the role and significance of CE for SA education, emerging community-university partnership models and their implications for prompting food and agriculture sustainability, and student learning and program assessment outcomes. We also reveal the many challenges and opportunities encountered by stakeholders involved in the creation and continuation of these programs and their subsequent coursework. Conclusions offer "real world" recommendations for other faculty, staff, student, and community stakeholders to implement and generate action-oriented scholarship for and with communities as a viable thread of SA education.Item Heifer International Alternative Break: Sustainable Dietary Impacts(2012-09) Byker Shanks, Carmen; Clark, Susan; Enoch, J. Rex; Montgomery, Todd; Serrano, Elena L.This study examines Heifer International's alternative break and its impact on dietary and sustainable food system change for participants. The program teaches college participants about ending poverty and hunger while caring for the earth through incorporating sustainable practices into daily life. Although increases in local/organic foods were observed, there were no significant changes in dietary quality. Significant increases in local/organic food consumption for individuals who consumed less than 50% of their calories from sustainable foods at baseline were observed, based upon paired t-tests (P < .05). Dietary changes varied in significance based upon previous sustainable food consumption exposure and habits.Item Recent population adherence to and knowledge of United States federal nutrition guides, 1992–2013: a systematic review(2010-09-10) Haack, Sarah A.; Byker Shanks, CarmenThe Dietary Guidelines for Americans dictates the federal nutrition programs, policies, and recommendations of the United States. Corresponding nutrition guides have been established to help educate the public about the dietary intake patterns recommended in these guidelines as well as to ameliorate the US obesity epidemic and its health-related outcomes. The purpose of this systematic review was to summarize population adherence to and knowledge of these guiding US nutrition guides issued since 1992, including the Food Guide Pyramid, MyPyramid, and MyPlate. Of the 31 studies included in the review, 22 examined adherence, 6 examined knowledge, and 3 examined both adherence and knowledge. Across studies, adherence to nutrition guides was low, with participants consuming inadequate levels of fruit, vegetables, and dairy in particular. Knowledge of nutrition guides increased over time since publication and decreased with age of the participants. An association between knowledge of and adherence to nutrition guides was not found. Disparities in knowledge and adherence existed across demographic groups. Based on these findings, it is suggested that federal dietary guidance can be strengthened by increasing dissemination of nutrition guides to the public and tailoring promotional activities to specific demographic and socioeconomic groups.Item The Benefits, Challenges, and Strategies of Adults Following a Local Food Diet(2010-08) Byker Shanks, Carmen; Rose, Nick; Serrano, Elena L.Supported in part by a variety of popular books, websites, and other media, the interest in local food is building dramatically, and a growing number of people are increasing their purchases of local food. This paper describes a study that explored the perceived benefits and challenges of following a diet consisting exclusively of local food in south-western Virginia, as well as the strategies for coping with its limitations. Nineteen individuals participated in a four-week Local Food Diet Challenge, which included eating only foods produced from within 100 miles of the participants’ homes. Part of a larger study looking at the nutritional impacts of a local food diet, this study included a pre-diet questionnaire that gathered participants’ demographic characteristics, shopping patterns, eating behaviors, and attitudes toward local foods; consumption-reporting forms during the diet period; and a post-diet focus-group discussion for participants to share their experiences in following the local food diet. In this paper we report the major themes that emerged in the focus groups and offer recommendations for locavores and organizations attempting to maximize local food consumption.Item Building Public Health and Community in a University Town: Motivational Factors for Shopping at a Local Farmers Market by Graduate Students(2012-07) Byker Shanks, Carmen; Awando, Maxwell; Golliher, Steven; Span, Kati; Stack, Maria; Tendhar, ChosangFarmers markets represent a unique venue for analyzing the dynamic nature of communities. The purpose of this study was to describe the factors that motivate graduate students to patronize a local farmers market. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six graduate students from a large university located in a rural town in the southern United States. Interviews were analyzed using constant comparative methods. Eight themes emerged: (1) Location and Distance, (2) Seasonality, (3) Community, (4) Social Interactions, (5) Consumer and Producer/Vendor Connection, (6) Production Methods, (7) Environmental Concerns, and (8) Economic Reasons. The results have potential to guide a marketing framework and strategies to help farmers markets appeal to a younger demographic of consumers. Future research should focus on farmers market patronage by other populations.