Scholarly Work - Health & Human Development
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Item Contextualizing CBPR: Key Principles of CBPR meet the Indigenous research context(2009-06) LaVeaux, Deborah; Christopher, SuzanneThis paper addresses two questions regarding the use of Community-based Participatory Research (CBPR) approaches with tribal communities. First, how do “gold standard” CBPR principles hold up when applied to Native American communities and what additional contextual information is necessary to understand and work with these principles in this setting? Second, what additional principles or recommendations are helpful for researchers interested in conducting research using a CBPR approach with tribal communities? We studied a variety of literature sources on CBPR and Native health research to answer these questions. We are unaware of any publications that contextualize CBPR principles for working with specific populations. This information has direct application for conducting research with tribal communities, and confirms the importance of using CBPR approaches in this setting.Item Why Musella lasiocarpa (Musaceae) is used in Southwest China to Feed Pigs.(2008-06) Long, Chunlin; Ahmed, Selena; Wang, Xiaorong; Liu, Yitao; Long, Bo; Yang, Chunyan; Shi, Yana; Li, Xingyu; Guo, RongThis study seeks to understand the usage of Musella lasiocarpa as pig fodder in southwest China by investigating its cultivation, consumption quantities, and nutrient composition. A previous report on the ethnobotany and conservation status of Musella lasiocarpa highlighted the importance of this plant for its multiple uses and services (Liu et al. 2003). The research presented here, which is a follow up effort to the previous study, is a step toward a more comprehensive exploration of the cultivation potential of Musella lasiocarpa for food and fodder in an expanded geographic area. Musella lasiocarpa (Franch.) C. Y. Wu ex H. W. Li (Fig. 1), with synonyms of Musa lasiocarpa Franch. and Ensete lasiocarpum (Franch.) E. E. Cheesman, is a species of a monotypic genus in the Musaceae family. It is endemic to the watersheds of the Upper Yangtze River and its branches between Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in southwest China (Wu and Kress 2000). Wild populations of Musella are found around cliffs in northern Yunnan and southern Sichuan. This plant is adapted to broad ecological conditions; it is able to withstand dry, cold, and mountainous environments. The literature on uses of Musella lasiocarpa focuses on practices by Han Chinese communities and reports that it is primarily used as fodder and, to a lesser extent, in the human diet. Aside from fodder and food, our previous research in the communities of Yunnan’s minority cultural groups shows that Musella is valuable for soil and water erosion control, weaving material, medicine, wine–brewing, and as a source plant for honey during the winter season (Long 1997; Liu et al. 2003). Recently, some horticulturalists from the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, and Japan have taken an interest in the commercial development of this resource as an ornamental. While the chemical composition of Musella previously has been documented (Qin et al. 2000; Yang et al. 2001), no studies have reported on its nutrient content or extent of use. Given this lack of research, coupled with Musella’s extensive use in southwest China and broad ecological adaptation, we investigated its cultivation, quantities consumed as pig fodder, and nutrient composition in order to understand the rationale for its usage and development potential.Item White and Green Teas (Camellia sinensis var. sinensis): Variation in Phenolic, Methylxanthine, and Antioxidant Profiles(2010-08) Unachukwu, Uchenna J.; Ahmed, Selena; Kavalier, Adam; Lyles, James T.; Kennelly, Edward J.Recent investigations have associated white teas with anti‐carcinogenic, immune‐boosting, and antioxidative properties that may impact human health in a manner comparable to green teas. An in‐depth chemical analysis of white tea types was conducted to quantify polyphenols and antioxidant potential of 8 commercially available white teas, and compare them to green tea. Extraction and HPLC protocols were optimized and validated for the quantification of 9 phenolic and 3 methylxanthine compounds to examine inter‐ and intra‐variation in white and green tea types and subtypes. A sampling strategy was devised to assess various subtypes procured from different commercial sources. Variation in antioxidant activity and total phenolic content (TPC) of both tea types was further assessed by the 1‐1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and Folin–Ciocalteau (F–C) assays, respectively. Total catechin content (TCC) for white teas ranged widely from 14.40 to 369.60 mg/g of dry plant material for water extracts and 47.16 to 163.94 mg/g for methanol extracts. TCC for green teas also ranged more than 10‐fold, from 21.38 to 228.20 mg/g of dry plant material for water extracts and 32.23 to 141.24 mg/g for methanol extracts. These findings indicate that statements suggesting a hierarchical order of catechin content among tea types are inconclusive and should be made with attention to a sampling strategy that specifies the tea subtype and its source. Certain white teas have comparable quantities of total catechins to some green teas, but lesser antioxidant capacity, suggesting that white teas have fewer non‐catechin antioxidants present.Item Pu-erh Tea Tasting in Yunnan, China: Correlation of Drinkers’ Perceptions to Phytochemistry.(2010-10) Ahmed, Selena; Unachukwu, Uchenna J.; Stepp, John R.; Peters, Charles M.; Long, Chunlin; Kennelly, Edward J.Aim of the study: Pu-erh (or pu’er) tea tasting is a social practice that emphasizes shared sensory experience, wellbeing, and alertness. The present study examines how variable production and preparation practices of pu-erh tea affect drinkers’ perceptions, phytochemical profiles, and anti-oxidant activity. Materials and methods: One hundred semi-structured interviews were conducted in Yunnan Province to understand the cultural and environmental context of pu-erh tea tasting. The gong fu cha dao (‘way of tea’ with ‘effort,’ ‘work,’ or ‘skill’) method of brewing tea through multiple infusions was employed to evaluate green and black pu-erh samples from smallholder agro-forests and terrace plantations. Ranking interviews, High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), and the 1-1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay were conducted to characterize color and taste profiles, Total Catechin Content (TCC), Total Methylxanthine Content (TMC), and free radical scavenging capacity (IC50). Results: Significant variation was found among pu-erh samples based on: (1) agro-ecosystem mode of production by TCC (P < 0.0001) and TMC (P < 0.0265), (2) processing method for TCC (P < 0.0001), TMC (P < 0.0027), and free radical scavenging capacity (P < 0.0001), (3) infusion sequence for TMC (P < 0.0013), (4) taste rankings for TCC (P < 0.0001), TMC (P < 0.0001), and IC50 (P < 0.0059) and, (5) color rankings for TMC (P < 0.0009) and IC50 (P < 0.0001). Samples rated as bitter and bitter-sweet contained the greatest TCC and free radical scavenging capacity. Conclusions: This research demonstrated that production environment, processing methods, and infusion sequence in preparing tea are related to the phytochemical profile, free radical scavenging activity, and flavor of tea. Findings contribute to the ethnomedical literature by supporting previous studies that have hypothesized that the taste of plants, particularly bitterness, may guide societies in the search for medicinal plants and beneficial phytochemicals.Item The Role of Montane Forests for Indigenous Dongba Papermaking in the Naxi Highlands of Northwest Yunnan, China. Mountain Research and Development.(2011-11) Yang, Lixin; Stepp, John R.; Ahmed, Selena; Pei, Shengji; Xue, DayuanChina's rapid economic development is influencing cultural practices and natural resource management in indigenous mountain communities throughout the country. Numerous studies have documented loss and change of cultural practices and environmental degradation in indigenous communities with the expansion of roads, markets, tourism, and other infrastructure development. The present study focuses on papermaking, a socioecological practice that began in China, as a case study to examine the influence of development on cultural practices and natural resource management. The Naxi are an indigenous people who primarily inhabit the mountains of the eastern Himalaya in China's northwest Yunnan province. The Naxi people are unique in that they have the last remaining pictographic writing system in the world. The Naxi pictographic script is customarily learned and mastered by shaman priests known as Dongba (Dto'mba) who transmit their knowledge to their sons. Approximately 300,000 Naxi live in this area. The pictographic system is transmitted on paper sourced from montane forest resources, primarily Wisktroemia delavayi. This cultural tradition almost disappeared during the Cultural Revolution in China during the 1960s and 1970s but has recently seen a revival. Research involved both ethnographic interviews and ecological sampling. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 100 informants between 2002–2011 to understand the management and use of W. delavayi for Dongba papermaking and the impact of market integration on papermaking. Sample plots were surveyed for floristic composition and structure in the 3 vegetation types where W. delavayi grows. Density, height, diameter, and number of branches of W. delavayiplants were recorded within each plot. Ecological importance values were calculated based on relative density, relative dominance, and relative frequency to determine the habitat where W. delavayidemonstrates the greatest growth. Additional plots were surveyed to understand the regeneration of W. delavayi after the local harvest cycle.Item Commercial Teas Highlight Plant DNA Barcode Identification Successes and Obstacles.(2011-07) Stoeckle, Mark Y.; Gamble, Catherine C.; Kirpekar, Rohan; Young, Grace; Ahmed, Selena; Little, Damon P.Appearance does not easily identify the dried plant fragments used to prepare teas to species. Here we test recovery of standard DNA barcodes for land plants from a large array of commercial tea products and analyze their performance in identifying tea constituents using existing databases. Most (90%) of 146 tea products yielded rbcL or matKbarcodes using a standard protocol. Matching DNA identifications to listed ingredients was limited by incomplete databases for the two markers, shared or nearly identical barcodes among some species, and lack of standard common names for plant species. About 1/3 of herbal teas generated DNA identifications not found on labels. Broad scale adoption of plant DNA barcoding may require algorithms that place search results in context of standard plant names and character-based keys for distinguishing closely-related species. Demonstrating the importance of accessible plant barcoding, our findings indicate unlisted ingredients are common in herbal teas.Item Increased Market Integration, Value, and Ecological Knowledge of Tea Agro-forests in the Akha Highlands of Southwest China.(2010) Ahmed, Selena; Stepp, John R.; Toleno, Robban A. J.; Peters, Charles M.This study assesses the persistence and change of traditional land use patterns and ecological knowledge in response to expanded commercialization of tea (Camellia sinensis var. assamica (L.) Kuntze Theaceae in an indigenous Akha (Hani) community in the midlevel montane forests of southwest Yunnan, China. Surveys were conducted in 2005 and 2008, over a period corresponding to a regional tea market boom and bust cycle, to compare the valuation smallholders attribute to land use types and to determine the role that value systems play in shaping environmental behavior and knowledge. At the community level, increased market integration of tea agroforests is associated with reconfiguration of land use, intensified management, reorganization of labor structures, and generation of knowledge on tea resources. Akha have tapped into customary resources and forged new social networks with tea industry agents to take advantage of emerging market opportunities. They have resisted state reforms calling for the cultivation of high-intensity plantations and introduced cultivars. Consequently, they have benefited from price premiums through niche market networks for tea sourced from agroforests and proprietary landraces not available to other communities disempowered by market cycles. Subsistence agriculture, home gardening, and foraging persist for food security despite tea wealth. However, as traditional values are reoriented toward market-based ideologies, the community may risk a breakdown of the social institutions that support sustainability.Item Teaching Food System Sustainability in Dietetic Programs: Need, Conceptualization, and Practical Approaches(2011-01) Harmon, Alison H.; Lapp, Julia; Blair, Dorothy; Hauck-Lawson, AnnieContemporary globalized food systems add new dimensions to the conceptualization of “healthy” food. The need to address biophysical, social, and environmental aspects of food systems is internationally recognized. In a survey of 265 dietetics programs, 68% of 145 educators were interested in sustainability education techniques yet felt inadequately prepared. We report on survey results and provide strategies for sustainability education (1) conceptually, as sustainable food system action goals; and (2) pedagogically, as didactic approaches to teaching that promote the sustainability goals, examples of teaching methods, and a selected reference list on sustainable food issues linked with the goals.Item Buying into Community Supported Agriculture: Strategies for Overcoming Income Barriers(2008-04) Forbes, Cristin B.; Harmon, Alison H.Community-supported agriculture provides benefits to members, including improved nutrition, economic savings, increased food security, and knowledge about the source of one's food. Unfortunately, membership may seem out of reach for limited-resource consumers because a lump sum membership fee is generally required at the beginning of the season. This article examines the strategies being used by CSA farms to help potential limited-resource members overcome income barriers. Those strategies include acceptance of government food assistance, payment plans, working shares, subsidized low-income shares, low-cost shares, transportation assistance, bartering, outreach efforts, and connections to emergency food assistance.Item Organic agriculture supports biodiversity and sustainable food production(2011-10) Underwood, Teri; Mccullum-Gomez, Christine; Harmon, Alison H.; Roberts, SusanBiodiversity is vital to several important ecosystem services that ensure sustainability of food production. In organic agriculture, land management practices that promote biodiversity and soil quality are emphasized and the goal is to maintain a sustainable agricultural system. Soil quality or soil health is the foundation for all agriculture and natural plant communities and a primary indicator of sustainable land management. Soil quality is affected by farm management and land use decisions. This article presents a review of the literature on the question: How do organic agriculture and conventional agriculture differ in regard to their impact on biodiversity and ecosystem services? All of the 22 articles identified in this review reported a significant increase in at least one variable that indicated enhanced biodiversity and/or ecosystem services on sites farmed using an organic farming system compared to sites farmed using a conventional farming system. This review underlines the importance of biodiversity, particularly soil biodiversity, to sustainable food production and underscores the need for further ecological studies on the links between farm management systems and soil quality.