Early childhood is an optimal time for establishing healthy eating habits which may prevent disease later in life. In Georgia, the child obesity rate?hovers at 13% with the majority being children from low-income Black or Hispanic families. Currently, the "Dietary Guidelines for Americans" recommend children aged 2-5 consume 1-1.5 cups…

The prevalence of food allergies is a growing concern in the United States. Approximately 8% of the pediatric population has some form of food allergy. Many of these children are either in the preschool and primary school setting, which is where the majority of allergic reactions occur. If the symptoms of a food allergy reaction are not treated…

Navigating through life with a peanut allergy is challenging for children and requires developmentally appropriate self-management or children could experience unfavorable allergic reactions. This research study presents self-efficacy as an important construct of peanut allergy management in childhood. This study aimed to illuminate the extent…

College students, on average, do not consume enough fruits and vegetables. Contributing to poor eating habits is an overall decline in young adults' cooking skills as compared to previous decades, with today's college students often relying on ubiquitous convenience food options. The detriments associated with these food choices are linked to a…

Food allergies are an increasing health concern in the United States, affecting nearly 6 million children under the age of 18 years. Research has suggested that 18% of school-age children will have their first allergic reactions at school. Life-threatening allergic reactions experienced by children in the school setting are on the rise; however,…

This dissertation conducted a science classroom intervention using two instructional approaches, computational modeling and paper-based pictorial modeling, in the context of food webs. A series of research papers were written on the impact of the intervention on students' attitudes and learning, and on teachers via professional development and…

Given the challenge of cooking traditional Caribbean meals so they are consistent with the goals of diabetes prevention and management, the researcher created and evaluated a new website portal as e-health tailored to be culturally appropriate and teach the following: how to cook and prepare "Healthy Diabetes" Caribbean Plates. A social…

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of Snacks on secondary school students' science learning and science self-efficacy. This study also explored the relationship between teacher science self-efficacy and confidence. The study utilized thirteen (13) teachers participating in an inquiry science professional development that…

This study determined attitudes of kindergarten through fifth grade teachers about school nutrition environments, their perceived influence on school nutrition environments, and self-reported classroom behaviors. Specific objectives were to: (a) identify perceived factors that influence the school nutrition environment, according to teachers…