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Item An induced acceleration analysis of the barbell back squat(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2024) Goodman, William Wesley; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Dawn Tarabochia; This is a manuscript style paper that includes co-authored chapters.The barbell squat exercise is performed in settings ranging from rehabilitation through to developing muscle size, strength and power. Unfortunately, the lower extremity coordination producing the squat is not clearly understood. This thesis involves three studies evaluating how lower limb joints and muscles coordinate varied squat performance. Study one-three included 13 females who performed squats at three randomized depths (above parallel, parallel, below parallel) using 85% of their 1 repetition maximum at each respective depth. In study one, performance was evaluated by estimating the individual muscle force production and the individual muscle contribution to whole body acceleration using a musculoskeletal model. In study two, performance was evaluated by estimating the individual muscle force production and the individual muscle contribution to the lower body joint accelerations using a musculoskeletal model. In study three, knee joint contact loads were estimated using an advanced musculoskeletal model. Because muscles can accelerate all joints in the body, including a joint that it does not span, musculoskeletal models are necessary to determine muscle function. Varied coordination indicates that depth and load specificity is important and should be taken into consideration when programming based on the status and goals of the individual.Item The mental wellness conversation curriculum: better understanding the gap between facilitator training and community conversations(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2024) Sutphen, Katharine Nora; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Michelle U. Grocke-DeweyThis thesis whether the MSU Extension Mental Wellness Conversation Curriculum (MWCC) is effective in terms of adequately preparing newly trained facilitators to lead their own community based MWCC conversations. The MWCC is a mental health and wellness conversation pedagogy designed to be delivered in rural communities by community volunteer facilitators. The Social Ecological Model (SEM) explains the nuance of this program and incorporates supporting studies that leverage community-based and volunteer-led techniques. The results from the volunteer training evaluation data, a pre-and post- survey, indicate a positive change in awareness, knowledge, and beliefs among the 24 facilitators regarding specific mental health and wellness content presented in the training. The results indicate high favorability from volunteers regarding their experience at the MWCC training and optimism about the future of MWCC as a mental health and wellness program. However, despite favorable and statistically significant improvements from pre and post training data, there has been stagnation among community volunteers leading their own MWCC conversations. In response to this finding, a follow up exploration into possible explanations was conducted. Results indicated the importance of volunteer training as a predictor of volunteer engagement success. Additionally, the following themes were explored to understand the impact they had on MWCC volunteer engagement: 1) the duality of agency and autonomy in volunteering, 2) the explanatory power of the Self-determination Theory as it relates to volunteer motivation, 3) the importance of volunteer recruitment strategies and clear objectives, 4) the value of skills-based volunteering, and 5) the importance of content delivery within a training to maximize future engagement. Minor adaptations to the MWCC training and evaluation efforts would be beneficial for improved volunteer engagement going forward. Future research suggestions include further exploring how social context and environmental factors may impact the success of community based MWCC conversations.Item Impact of cattle feeding-style on beef and human postprandial inflammation(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2024) Spears, Meghan Leigh; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Mary P. Miles; This is a manuscript style paper that includes co-authored chapters.Purpose: Various cattle-feeding styles have arisen in recent years, impacting the sustainability and environmental practices of many producers. While these changes are known to have an impact on the environment, little is known about the direct impact cattle raised using different feeding styles has on human health. Acute response focused studies, like this, are a glimpse into the expected impact of a certain food on the diet over time. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of cattle-feeding style on postprandial inflammation. Methods: A randomized, double blind, crossover study design was used to compare grass-fed (GRA) and conventional (CON) beef. Subjects (n=10) were comprised of men and women with a healthy body mass index (BMI) and no preexisting metabolic conditions. Blood samples were collected fasted and postprandially for four hours. Blood samples were analyzed for inflammation markers (TNF-alpha, IL-23, IL-17, IL-10, IL-1beta, IL-6, IFN-gamma and GM-CSF) at hourly timepoints. To observe postprandial changes with and without consideration for cattle feeding style, the net area under the curve (AUC) was calculated. Maxchange and CMAXtime were calculated by finding the maximum value of each cytokine between hours one and hour postprandially and subtracting that from the fasting value. CMAXtime represents the time at which the maximum value of each cytokine was reached in hours. Maxchange and AUC responses were compared to zero using a one-sample t-test to determine if response was greater than fasting. Results: In response to beef, maxchange of all measured markers and IFNgamma AUC were significantly greater than zero (p< 0.05). No differences were shown between GRA and CON in inflammation AUC (p> 0.05). Conclusion: This demonstrates that beef consumption does increase postprandial inflammation, but cattle-feeding style does not significantly impact this response.Item Covid-19 response and recovery by tribes and urban Indian organizations in Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2024) Sorrell, Anna Whiting; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Alexandra K. Adams; This is a manuscript style paper that includes co-authored chapters.Research shows American Indians and Alaska Natives' resilience when they are connected to cultural lifeways, beliefs, and in relationship with families, their communities, and Tribes. It aids in traumatic times. This was true during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, it still disproportionally affected AIANs in the number of cases, hospitalizations, stays in intensive care units, deaths, and at younger ages than non-Hispanic Whites. This unequal impact of COVID-19 may be explained using the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's social determinants of health, but also raises doubt on the accuracy and thoroughness of data collected for AIANs. Additionally, when Tribes and urban Indian organizations responded to meet the needs of their members and communities, there were positive outcomes. This dissertation shows lessons learned in the response and recovery led by Tribes and Urban Indian Organizations, while successful, may have been improved if their actions were guided by a Tribal or UIO specific, comprehensive emergency preparedness plan. The literature review is a comprehensive examination of available reports, newspaper stories, and journal articles. It found there are gaps in available data that is tribal or UIO specific that has confidence of accuracy and cultural appropriateness as determined by Indigenous researchers. The co-authored manuscript focuses on the social, mental, physical, and spiritual impact COVID-19 had on one Native American and one Hispanic community. While the findings of the study revealed the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic on each of these qualities, there were positive realization about resilience and adaptability. The third dissertation product builds on the findings of the first two products and interviews from two Tribes and one UIO to create an Indigenous strategic planning process for Tribes and UIOs to use when they develop their own emergency preparedness plan to guide their response to the next emergency, crisis, or pandemic. These plans must be written by the Tribe or UIO and incorporate tribal lifeways, beliefs, and values, and shared with key stakeholders. Collectively, the three dissertation products affirm Indigenous leadership is fully capable of directing Tribes and UIOs recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and set plans to prepare for the next emergent event.Item High versus low carbohydrate in Skimo race performance: a randomized controlled trial(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2024) Topf, Rachel Marie; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Mary P. Miles; This is a manuscript style paper that includes co-authored chapters.Ski mountaineering (skimo) is a high-intensity sport with several race disciplines of varying lengths in which competitors face many challenges that can make consuming food and fluids difficult. There is currently a scarcity of literature on skimo, particularly on nutrition in individual-format races. Exercise >1.5 h, as in an individual skimo race, may benefit from high carbohydrate consumption of > or = 90 g/h compared to lower recommendations of 60 g/h. However, gastrointestinal upset is worsened with increasing amounts of carbohydrate consumption, especially during high-intensity exercise. Highly-branched cyclic dextrin is a glucose polymer with a low osmolality allowing it to have a fast gastric emptying rate which can decrease gastrointestinal upset during exercise. The first purpose of this study was to survey skimo athletes about their nutrition knowledge and practices. With this new information combined with recommendations on carbohydrate and fluid intake, the second purpose of this study was to test an 18% solution of highly-branched cyclic dextrin + fructose (3:1) in a skimo race. It was hypothesized that an 18% solution (90G) would improve performance in an individual race compared to a 6% solution (30G) without contributing to gastrointestinal upset. Fifteen participants completed the randomized controlled crossover trials. Average carbohydrate consumed was 27 and 85 g/h and race time 105 and 107 min in 30G and 90G, respectively. Overall race times were not significantly different. Gastrointestinal upset trended higher in 90G (p=0.07). When the four participants with high gastrointestinal upset (rating >4/10) were removed from analysis, there was a main effect for drink on percent lap time change (p<0.001), with 30G having a greater percent increase in lap time throughout the trial. In conclusion, a high-carbohydrate drink was created to address the needs of skimo athletes. It was found that an 18% carbohydrate solution had significantly higher gastrointestinal upset ratings and did not confer additional performance benefit compared to a 6% solution. Additionally, high gastrointestinal upset with the 18% solution appears to have contributed to slower time; however, those without high gastrointestinal upset with the 18% solution had a lesser percentage change in lap time throughout the trial compared to 6%.Item Food Insecurity Experience: Building Empathy in Future Food and Nutrition Professionals(Elsevier, 2017-03) Harmon, Alison; Landolfi, Kara; Shanks, Carmen Byker; Hansen, Leanna; Iverson, Laura; Anacker, MelodyOBJECTIVE To assess changes in empathy in students completing a food insecurity experience. DESIGN Mixed methods; quantitative data from survey in years 1 and 2; qualitative data extracted from students\' workbooks in years 2-5. This study was conducted over 10 weeks annually for 5 years. SETTING Northwest US land-grant university. PARTICIPANTS Students enrolled in a community nutrition course who chose to complete the food insecurity exercise. Total included 58 students in quantitative analysis in years 1 and 2 and 119 in qualitative analysis, years 2-5. INTERVENTION(S) The intervention was a food insecurity experience in which participants spent no more than $3/d on food for 5 days ($15 total) while striving for a nutritious diet and reflecting on their experience. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Empathy scores measured by Likert scales; participant responses and reflections recorded in workbook journals. ANALYSIS Comparison of means across time using paired t tests (P < .05); coding and sorting themes from workbook journals. RESULTS Quantitative findings indicated that both classroom content and experiential exercises were important for enhancing empathy about food insecurity. Empathy scores increased from time I to time II and from time I to time III. Qualitative reflections among participants included terms such as guilt, empathy, compassion, and raised consciousness about food insecurity. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Experiential and transformational learning to develop empathy can take place in a 5-day food insecurity experience during a typical university-level community nutrition course. This intervention can be tested for applications in other contexts.Item The impact of acoustic stimulation and daytime napping on heart rate variability and sleep architecture(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2023) Nicevski, Jennifer Rose; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Dawn TarabochiaReceiving adequate overnight sleep is imperative for proper autonomic nervous system function. Recent studies utilizing acoustic stimulation (AS) have shown an improvement in sleep quality when applied during nighttime sleep, although the implications of AS on napping are not known. The purpose of the current study was to assess the impact of AS during a daytime nap on sleep and autonomic function. We hypothesized that AS (0.8 Hertz monaural beats at 30 decibels) would improve heart rate variability (HRV) during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and increase time spent in slow wave sleep in young adults. 25 young healthy adult subjects (12 men, 13 women, age: 23 + or - 1 yrs, BMI: 24 + or - 1 kg/m2) took part in the study. Participants were enrolled into a randomized, placebo-controlled crossover design where they completed two 90-minute afternoon nap opportunities with or without AS, at least one day apart. During each testing session, participants were fitted with gold-standard polysomnographic (PSG) equipment and five-lead electrocardiogram (ECG). Subjective questionnaires assessing sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale) and anxiety (Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory) were given prior to and following each nap opportunity. ECG was recorded continuously starting 5 minutes prior to lights out until awakening, allowing assessment of wake and sleep HRV. Contrary to our hypothesis, there were no significant changes in total sleep time (Control: 73 + or - 4 vs. AS: 72 + or - 4 min, P=0.850), slow wave sleep (Control: 30 + or - 4 vs. AS: 31 + or - 4 min, P=0.855), or other objective sleep measurements between conditions (All P>0.05). AS did not impact sleep HRV measures (All P>0.05). However, there was a significant main effect for time where napping resulted in a significant increase in the R-R interval (F(1,19)=25.683, P<0.001) and reduction of self-report anxiety (F(1,24)=8.229, P=0.008), but these responses were not different across conditions (time x condition, P>0.05). Napping elicited a paradoxical increase of diastolic (F(1,24)=14.483, P=0.001) and mean (F(1,24)=10.857, P=0.003) arterial pressure, but again these responses were not different across conditions (time x condition, P>0.05). In summary, the current study supports beneficial impacts of daytime napping on anxiety levels, but minimal effects of AS on sleep architecture and autonomic function.Item Using a beam theory model to quantify metatarsal bone stress during running(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2023) McKibben, Kaitlyn Marie; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: James N. Becker; This is a manuscript style paper that includes co-authored chapters.Running is a common fitness activity that is associated with a high incidence of overuse injuries, including metatarsal stress fractures. One contributor to stress injury is repetitive loading of the metatarsals without adequate recovery time and experiencing larger volumes and magnitudes of bone loading may increase injury risk. Thus, quantifying metatarsal loads can be beneficial to understanding injury risk. However, it is currently difficult to estimate bone stress in clinical settings and unclear how bone stress changes following a long run. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis was to 1) characterize changes in metatarsal bone stress before and after the completion of a long-distance run, and 2) suggest a clinically feasible method for estimating metatarsal bone stress. Study 1 involved 21 healthy long-distance runners who ran 25% of their average weekly mileage on an instrumented treadmill. Foot kinematics, ground reaction forces, and in-shoe plantar pressures were collected at the beginning and end of the run and a mathematical model was used to estimate bone stresses and bending moments for all five metatarsals. Plantar stress, dorsal stress, and midshaft bending moments in the second and third metatarsals were greater after the completion of the run. This is consequential for injury risk because the second and third metatarsals are the most susceptible to stress fracture development. In study 2, seventeen runners ran barefoot across a force plate overlaid with a plantar pressure mat while foot kinematics were recorded. The same mathematical model of the metatarsals was used to estimate third metatarsal bone stresses and bending moments, and linear regressions determined whether force or pressure beneath the metatarsal predicted bone loads. A model containing head and base pressure differentials and force beneath the metatarsal head was the best predictor of bone loading, indicating that the use of plantar pressure measurements as a surrogate measure of bone stress could be a time and cost-effective method for estimating bone stress in clinical settings. Moving forward, elucidating how metatarsal bone stress changes over the course of a long run and finding more accessible ways to quantify bone stress could help alleviate injury risk.Item Built environment approaches: Extension personnel's preferences, barriers, and facilitators(Frontiers Media SA, 2022-10) Balis, Laura E.; Grocke-Dewey, Michelle U.Introduction: Interventions that modify the built environment can increase population physical activity levels and prevent chronic disease. The national Cooperative Extension System is poised to implement built environment approaches (i.e., pedestrian/bicycle infrastructure and enhanced access to physical activity spaces), but implementation strategies (i.e., methods or techniques to move research to practice) are needed to improve uptake. Effective implementation strategies address relevant barriers and capitalize on facilitators. The purpose of this study was to understand 1) barriers and facilitators to implementing built environment approaches in two state Extension systems, 2) preferences for built environment approaches, and 3) preferences for implementation strategies. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was used to understand Extension personnel's preferences for and barriers and facilitators to built environment approaches through a mixed-methods study design. This work was informed by anthropological inquiry as the overall research philosophy, and by the Health Impact Pyramid, Leeman et al.'s classification of implementation strategies, and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research as the theoretical frameworks. The survey was distributed to eligible Extension personnel (n = 42) in two states. Quantitative data analysis consisted of numbers/proportions and Friedman tests. Qualitative analysis was completed through a rapid deductive approach to quickly produce actionable results. Results: Fourteen respondents (33%) completed the survey. Most had not implemented physical activity interventions in their communities or had implemented only individual-level interventions, though were interested in implementing built environment approaches. Benches, playground improvements, and crosswalks were the most desired approaches, while facilitation, assessing community strengths and needs, and technical assistance were desired implementation strategies. The most common barriers were relative priority and available resources; facilitators were external policy and incentives and implementation climate. Discussion: Extension personnel are receptive to built environment approaches and engaged with community coalitions. Yet, invested parties prefer individual-level interventions, and agents perceive a lack of resources for implementation. Implementation strategies that build capacity in both the Extension system and community coalitions may address these barriers through increasing relative priority and sharing existing resources. This work is a first step toward compiling implementation strategies to address relevant barriers to built environment approaches in community settings.Item Manipulating implement weight during warm up to improve shot put performance(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2023) Klein, Leah Nicole; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: James N. Becker; This is a manuscript style paper that includes co-authored chapters.The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of overweight and underweight implements impacts on shot putting performance along with technical and physiological changes. Ten collegiate shot putters participated in this study (6 male, 4 female). Each participant completed 3 non consecutive days of data collection. Each day consisted of 3 warm up throws followed by 6 maximal effort regulation weighted throws. Warm up throws consisted of one of three conditions: (1) overweight (2) underweight or (3) regulation. In agreement with prior literature on post-activation potentiation (PAP), those who threw with overweight implements showed significant increases in performance. No changes in critical factor kinematics or ground reaction force measures were affected by warm up weight. Results of this study conclude that using a heavy implement during warmups is a functional way to improve performance, however more research is needed to further uncover the underlying mechanisms.