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Texas A&M names leading nutrition scientist to Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture

Kendall Bassett · January 31, 2023 ·

IHA will design study to improve maternal, child health

The Texas A&M AgriLife Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture, IHA, announced that Catharine “Cathy” Ross, Ph.D., has joined the Department of Nutrition in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, elevating Texas A&M’s integrated approach to public health nutrition, with an emphasis on maternal and child health.

Cathy Ross posing for a photo
Catharine “Cathy” Ross, Ph.D., scientific director of maternal/child cohort study, professor in the Department of Nutrition. (Courtesy photo)

Ross joined the IHA as the scientific director of a maternal/child cohort study and professor in the Department of Nutrition. Her addition is part of the Governor’s University Research Initiative, enacted in 2015 to help higher education public institutions in recruiting distinguished researchers from around the world to Texas.

Ross is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a private, nonprofit society of distinguished scholars charged with providing independent, objective advice to the nation on matters related to science and technology. She has twice served on the Food and Nutrition Board of the Health and Medicine Division, forming networks with leading academic centers across the country.

With the addition of Ross, the IHA now has three National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine members with IHA Director Patrick Stover, Ph.D., also a National Academy of Sciences member, and IHA Associate Director for Precision Nutrition Regan Bailey, Ph.D., registered dietician and a member of the National Academy of Medicine.

“Thanks to Governor Abbott’s University Research Initiative, we’re investing in top talent that will make the IHA a nationally known name,” said John Sharp, Chancellor of The Texas A&M University System. “Dr. Ross’ leadership will be instrumental in our ability to improve public health in Texas and across the country.”

Building leadership and response

Ross’ appointment is the latest in a series of leadership and research advances at IHA, the world’s first academic institute to bring together precision nutrition, responsive agriculture and behavioral and social science studies to reduce diet-related chronic disease.

“We are honored Dr. Ross has joined the Department of Nutrition and the IHA as we continue to elevate Texas A&M as a leader in connecting responsive agriculture, precision nutrition, and social and behavioral healthy living research for the benefit of public health,” said Stover.

Ross is recognized for her extensive research with vitamins A and D, pregnancy, lactation, and neonatal lung and immune responses.

“I look forward to working with Dr. Ross and our IHA leadership team on upcoming opportunities and innovative approaches to improve maternal and child health outcomes and address the chronic disease risk resulting from suboptimal nutrition during these life stages,” said Bailey.

Ross will also help position the Department of Nutrition and the IHA at the forefront of integrating basic science into community health projects. She will support faculty recruitment efforts in applied nutrition and oversee the current team to drive research discoveries, and train and mentor students and postdoctoral fellows.

“The addition of Dr. Ross expands our capacity to take an integrated approach to community nutrition with an emphasis on improving pregnancy outcomes, and fostering the department’s micronutrient research,” said Rebecca Seguin-Fowler, Ph.D., registered dietician and IHA associate director for Healthy Living as well as a professor in the Department of Nutrition.

Ross’ career reflects a long-standing commitment to academic affairs and public service, publishing over 270 peer-reviewed research articles, book chapters and reviews. Most recently, she served as the head of the Department of Nutritional Sciences at The Pennsylvania State University.

Ross also served as a scientific adviser to the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture.

Ross earned her undergraduate education at the University of California at Davis, and master’s degree in nutrition and doctorate degree in biochemistry from Cornell University.

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Encouraging physical activity to upgrade quality of life

Kendall Bassett · January 25, 2023 ·

Texas A&M study finds intervention program increases exercise and health outcomes in older adults

As we age, strength training and aerobic exercise become increasingly important. Studies have shown strength training may enhance quality of life and improve our ability to do everyday activities, while physical inactivity—also known as sedentary behavior—can lead to numerous adverse health conditions and outcomes, including premature death.

Aging rural women are at particular risk for physical inactivity due in part to environmental, sociocultural and psychosocial factors. One way to counter this is through intervention programs that encourage and make it easy for people to be physically active.

Older people doing yoga
Older people doing yoga. (Adobe Stock Image)

Findings recently published by researchers with the Texas A&M University School of Public Health, the Texas A&M AgriLife Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture, IHA, and other colleagues looked at changes in physical activity and associated factors from a multicomponent community-engaged intervention trial and found that participants in the intervention group reported more physical activity than those in the control group.

Jay Maddock, Ph.D. Fellow of American Academy of Health Behavior and professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the School of Public Health and director of the Center for Health and Nature served as first author on the study. Rebecca Seguin-Fowler, Ph.D., registered dietitian and associate director for Healthy Living at the IHA, was the principal investigator of the National Institute of Health-funded study and corresponding author.

The results of the study were recently published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.

The intervention program, named Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities 2.0, SHHC-2.0, was built on the results of a previous study, SHHC-1.0, conducted by the researchers.

“In the first trial, we observed significant improvements in outcomes and behaviors, but through process evaluation we knew adaptations to the program were needed to maximize effectiveness and feasibility,” Seguin-Fowler said. “This resulted in the SHHC-2.0 trial to rigorously evaluate the impact of those adaptations.”

SHHC-2.0 was a 24-week program that consisted of twice-per-week, 60-minute experiential group physical activity and nutrition education classes with sessions on social and environmental change.

Classes led by health educators were held at various community locations such as libraries, town halls and churches. Participants were provided with exercise equipment, aerobic exercise videos, participant guides and health journals.

The classes included progressive strength training and aerobic exercise, which included walking and aerobic dance and progressed from low intensity to moderate intensity. Participants were also encouraged to engage in physical activity outside of the classes, and they were provided with strategies and recommendations for exercising in bad weather.

Participants were asked to wear an accelerometer and complete an online survey that included questions related to sociodemographic factors, physical activity behaviors, psychosocial measures and other relevant topics. The surveys were completed prior to the start of intervention, midway through or at 12 weeks, and immediately following the conclusion of the 24-week program.

In total, 316 individuals were screened, and 182 women were enrolled in the trial. Of those women, 70 were age 60 or older.

The research team found that the participants in the intervention group had significantly higher levels of objectively measured and self-reported physical activity at 12 weeks and 24 weeks than the control group. Additionally, the findings were consistent among the 70 participants who were age 60 and older.

“Being physically active throughout the lifespan is essential for good health,” Maddock said. “These results are promising for the effectiveness of the Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities program to help people get and remain active.”

From their findings, the research team concluded that the intervention program successfully increased physical activity among previously sedentary, at-risk older rural women at both 12 weeks and 24 weeks.

“Given the positive, significant impacts across numerous clinical outcomes and health behaviors due to the SHHC 2.0 program overall, and in comparison to SHHC 1.0, we are eager to move the program to national dissemination research studies,” Seguin-Fowler said.

In the future, the team will focus these efforts on implementation and testing in more diverse populations across the U.S.

Additional authors include Texas A&M AgriLife Research’s Margaret Demment, lead data analyst; Meredith Graham, program evaluation and data systems manager; and Galen Eldridge, research specialist, all at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Dallas; Sara Folta from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University; David Strogatz from the Bassett Healthcare Network; Miriam Nelson of Newman’s Own Foundation; and Seong-Yeon Ha at the Texas A&M University Department of Statistics.

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Story by Tim Schnettler first appeared on the Texas A&M Health Vital Record website.

Media contact: Dee Dee Grays, grays@tamu.edu, 979-436-0611

Improvements and Maintenance of Clinical and Functional Measures Among Rural Women: Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities-2.0 Cluster Randomized Trial

Kendall Bassett · November 3, 2022 ·

Rebecca A. Seguin-Fowler, Galen D. Eldridge, Chad D. Rethorst, Meredith L. Graham, Margaret Demment, David Strogatz, Sara C. Folta, Jay E. Maddock, Miriam E. Nelson and Seungyeon Ha


Abstract

Background:

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States; however, women and rural residents face notable health disparities compared with male and urban counterparts. Community-engaged programs hold promise to help address disparities through health behavior change and maintenance, the latter of which is critical to achieving clinical improvements and public health impact.

Methods:

A cluster-randomized controlled trial of Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities-2.0 conducted in medically underserved rural communities examined health outcomes and maintenance among women aged ≥40 years, who had a body mass index >30 or body mass index 25 to 30 and also sedentary. The multilevel intervention provided 24 weeks of twice-weekly classes with strength training, aerobic exercise, and skill-based nutrition education (individual and social levels), and civic engagement components related to healthy food and physical activity environments (community, environment, and policy levels). The primary outcome was change in weight; additional clinical and functional fitness measures were secondary outcomes. Mixed linear models were used to compare between-group changes at intervention end (24 weeks); subgroup analyses among women aged ≥60 years were also conducted. Following a 24-week no-contact period, data were collected among intervention participants only to evaluate maintenance.

Results:

Five communities were randomized to the intervention and 6 to the control (87 and 95 women, respectively). Significant improvements were observed for intervention versus controls in body weight (mean difference: −3.15 kg [95% CI, −4.98 to −1.32]; P=0.008) and several secondary clinical (eg, waist circumference: −3.02 cm [−5.31 to −0.73], P=0.010; systolic blood pressure: −6.64 mmHg [−12.67 to −0.62], P=0.031; percent body fat: −2.32% [−3.40 to −1.24]; P<0.001) and functional fitness outcomes; results were similar for women aged ≥60 years. The within-group analysis strongly suggests maintenance or further improvement in outcomes at 48 weeks.

Conclusions:

This cardiovascular disease prevention intervention demonstrated significant, clinically meaningful improvements and maintenance among rural, at-risk older women.

Registration:

URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03059472.


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MORE ABOUT OUR HEALTHY LIVING PROGRAM

Aggies tout agricultural research in combating diet-related chronic disease

Kendall Bassett · October 10, 2022 ·

https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2022/10/10/aggies-tout-agricultural-research-in-combating-diet-related-chronic-disease/

Texas A&M AgriLife institute awards $1.5 million for diet-related research

Kendall Bassett · September 6, 2022 ·

[Read more…] about Texas A&M AgriLife institute awards $1.5 million for diet-related research

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