SAES-422 Multistate Research Activity Accomplishments Report
Sections
Status: Approved
Basic Information
- Project No. and Title: NE1439 : Changing the Health Trajectory for Older Adults through Effective Diet and Activity Modifications
- Period Covered: 10/01/2016 to 09/30/2017
- Date of Report: 11/07/2017
- Annual Meeting Dates: 06/11/2017 to 06/13/2017
Participants
Prema Ganganna (UDC), Sabine O’Hara (UDC), Sarah L. Francis (ISU), Nancy Cohen (UMass), Chery F. Smith (UMN), Matthew Delmonico(URI), Ingrid Lofgren(URI), Furong Xu(URI), William J. Belden (Rutgers), Melissa Marra (WVU), David Buys (MSU), Kathleen Woolf (NYU), Judith Gilbride (NYU), Nadine Sahyoun (UMD)
The meeting minutes were provided under "Participants." Attached here is a summary of our meeting outcomes.
Accomplishments
Short-term Outcomes:
- For Objective 1, a breakthrough was made in adapting the Leukocyte Telomere Length (LTL). Telomere length was used as an outcome measure of a telehealth intervention for men that was conducted in West Virginia.
- The projects conducted under Objective 2 added to the body of knowledge on the importance of the community food environment and how it can be enhanced so that older adults can improve their dietary intake.
- For Objective 3 projects we noted an improved understanding of nutrition related concerns for older adults with chronic disease. For example, Iowa-based projects resulted in maintained the nutritional status, increased familiarity with recommended lifestyle practices concerning eating three meals daily, being physically active, eating produce daily, and increasing protein intake. Needs assessments also identified the food safety needs of older adults taking part in the congregate meal program. Additionally, in Rhode Island pilot work on sarcopenia interventions helped to improve the health of older women through addressing sarcopenia classification of Rhode Island women, which may have future impacts on sarcopenia interventions or prevention.
Outputs:
- Collectively we trained 21 undergraduate students, 15 graduate students, and 12 Extension personnel. The skills acquired by these trainees include:
- Quantitative research (e.g., data collection, data entry, analysis)
- Qualitative research (e.g., conducting focus groups, analyzing focus group data, etc.)
- Professional writing (e.g., manuscripts, abstracts, theses)
- Laboratory skills (e.g., telomere length assays, northern blots, etc.)
- Anthropometric measures (e.g., height, weight, skin folds, etc.)
- Nutritional Status assessment (e.g., DST, MNA)
- Dietary Intake Assessment (e.g., 24-hour food recalls, food records, etc.)
- Collectively we received 8 grants ($212,097 Total): 3 state, 6 university, and 2 research station grants. (see list below)
- The team had 3 joint journal articles and 3 joint abstracts
- The team facilitated 1 symposium at the 2017 International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics Conference: “Successes in Older Adult Nutrition and Physical Activity Studies: a USDA Multistate Research Project."
Activities:
- Three states (Massachusetts, Iowa, and Illinois) collaborated on the Consumer's perception of the food environment study (Objective 2). During this study, 142 surveys were collected in older consumers from MA, IL and IA this year. Data analysis will continue next year, along with manuscript submissions.
- Two states (West Virginia and New Jersey) worked together on a Telomere study (Objective 1) that used blood from participants in a telemedicine study (Objective 3). For this study, Telomere length was assayed (in NJ) from 96 men who were taking part in a telehealth study (in WV).
- Based on the assessments conducted under Objectives 2 and 3, team members from Rhode Island, Mississippi, Minnesota, West Virginia and Iowa wrote and submitted two grant applications (NIH R21 [October 2016] and NIFA Rural Health and Safety Education [June 2017]) to support a community-based sarcopenia prevention program that included both nutrition and physical activity. Neither were funded; however, the NIFA application was ranked high. The team is exploring other funding opportunities.
Milestones:
We achieved two major milestones related to Objective 1, Experiment 1. First, we have fully adapted the Leukocyte Telomere Length (LTL) Assay. This was first developed in zebrafish and then confirmed in mice. The second milestone came when we assayed Telomere length from 96 individuals as part of an NE1439 collaboration with West Virginia University (WVU). Blood samples were collected from 96 individuals and sent to Rutgers University. We extracted DNA and performed the TLT assay. Data was then sent back to WVU. We also did some pilot experiment to measure markers of inflammation. Using the sera from the remaining blood samples we perform an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) looking at tumor narcosis factor alpha (TNF alpha). Results from the ELISA were also sent to WVU and correlation between diet, carotenoids, telomere length and TNF alpha are currently underway.
NE:1439 Grant Awards from October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017
Funding Period: October 2013 - Present
Title of Grant: Fresh Conversations Evaluation
Funder: Iowa Department of Public Health
Grant Amount: $56,471 (2016-17)
Role: Sarah Francis, Consultant
Funding Period:October 2012 - Present
Title of Grant: Promoting Wellness and Independence for Midlife and Older Iowans through the Iowa Food Assistance Program (2012-2013: Reaching Out to Mid-Life and Older Iowans and to Promote Wellness and Independence through the Iowa Food Assistance Program)
Funder: Iowa Department of Human Services
Grant amount: $43,858 (2016-17)
Role: Sarah Francis, PI
Funding Period:July 1, 2016 - June 30, 2019
Title of Grant: Nutrition Education with Seniors (NEWS) education program
Funder: Department of Community, Family and Youth Services’ Senior Services and Commodity Supplemental Foods Programs in Polk CountyÂ
Grant Amount: $15,996 (2016-17)
Role: Sarah Francis, PI
Funding Period: October 1, 2016 - September 30, 2017
Title of Grant:A technology-based assessment of sedentary behaviors and physical activity patterns in adults with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis compared to healthy controls.
Funder: New York University, University Research Challenge Fund
Grant Amount: $12,000
Role: Kathleen Woolf, PI
Funding Period: 10/01/2016 - 07/01/2017
Title of Grant: Meals Enhancing Nutrition after Discharge (MEND) for Older Adults in Rural Settings
Funder: Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station
Grant Amount: $22,570
Role: David Buys, PI
Funding Period: 05/01/17 - 04/31/2018
Title of Grant: Expanding Community Nutrition to a Service-learning Course
Funder: Mississippi State University, Center for Teaching and Learning
Grant Amount: $2,953
Role: David Buys, Co-PI
Funding Period: 03/15/17 - 06/30/18
Title of Grant: Experiential Learning in Community Nutrition
Funder: Mississippi State University, Division of Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine
Grant Amount: $2,050
Role: David Buys, Co-PI
Funding period: May 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018
Title: Food access, specialty diet adherence, diet perception, and cultural appropriateness of meal programs for older African American women with hypertension and diabetes who qualify for food assistance
Funder: University of Minnesota, RAP
Grant: $1,500 Authors
Co-PIs: Eva Knezic, Chery Smith
Funding Period: July 1 - September 1, 2017
Title of Grant: The Impact of Periodized Resistance Training on Sarcopenia in Older Women
Funder: The University of Rhode Island Grant Amount: $2,200
Role: Furong Xu, PI; Matthew Delmonico & Ingrid Lofgren, Co-PIs
Funding Period: January 1, 2017 - December 31, 2017
Title of Grant:Â Targeting diabetes-promoting gut microbiota in adult pigsÂ
Funder: Special Research Initiative, Mississippi Agricultural & Forestry Experiment Station
Grant Amount: $50,000
Role: Wen-Hsing Cheng, PI
Impacts
- This multistate project targets nutrition scientists, dietitians, as well as community-residing adults ages 45+ living in rural, urban and suburban areas of the country. First, the activities under Objective 1, Experiment 1 targeted scientists and nutritionists with the long-term goal that it will be of benefit to the public. Understanding how diet can affect the circadian clock, which in turn protect one’s genome from DNA damage that causes disease, will promote healthier and more independent lifestyles in an aging population. This in turn will provide ancillary benefits to the economy and society. We have recently fully adopted the Leukocyte Telomere Length Assay. We have also conducted the Telomere length assessment of older men in a telehealth study. Secondly, Objective 2 projects included the development of a food environment assessment tool, conducting needs and preference assessments, promoting SNAP outreach, and pilot testing sarcopenia prevention programs. The work on the food environment assessment tool has expanded the knowledge of the importance of the community food environment and how it can be improved for better older adult nutrition. This food environment work adds to the body of knowledge on the importance of the community food environment and how it can be enhanced so that older adults can improve their dietary intake. It may also inform local communities and encourage discussions of potential policy changes and ideas for community planning to facilitate fruit and vegetable consumption in their older adult residents. Next, the SNAP outreach program resulted in the referral of 29 older adults. If each older adult who was referred met the eligibility criteria and received SNAP benefits, the potential annual economic impact for this group would be $27,840 (29 older adults x $80 average SNAP [in Iowa] to adults age 50+ x 12 months]). Additionally, every $1.00 provided in SNAP benefits generates $1.73 in local economic activity. Furthermore, several of the lifestyle intervention projects under Objective 3 have resulted in improved nutrition and health status for older adults with chronic disease. For example, based on our peer-reviewed published research, our project helps to improve the health of older women through addressing sarcopenia classification of Rhode Island women, which may have future impacts on sarcopenia interventions or prevention.
Publications
As a group we 10 published journal articles, 19 presentations (both oral and poster), 10 research abstract, 5 theses/dissertations and 1 Extension curriculum. Of these 3 journal articles, 3 reserach abstracts and 3 presentations were NE-1439 joint products.