The Healthy Communities Research Institute (HCRI) was launched as part of Kent State University's strategic roadmap. HCRI promotes transdisciplinary research and endeavors to build connections between researchers at Kent State University and beyond to tackle some of today's most pressing health issues. The Healthy Communities Research Institute Collection highlights research that has been conducted by HCRI members.
Browse the Healthy Communities Research Institute (HCRI) scholarly publications Collections
Dietary Intake, Energy Availability, and Power in Men Collegiate Gymnasts
09/17/2024Introduction
The purpose was to examine the prevalence of low energy availability (LEA), explore dietary behaviors in men collegiate gymnasts (n = 14), and investigate the relationships between energy availability (EA), body composition, and plyometric performance.
Methods
Body composition was measured using air displacement plethysmography. Lower- and upper-body peak power (PWRpeak) and modified reactive strength index (RSImod) were calculated from countermovement jump (CMJ) and plyometric push-up (PP) assessments. Energy expenditure was tracked over 3 days, while daily energy and macronutrient intake were recorded. EA was calculated and used to categorize athletes into LEA and non-LEA groups. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to examine relationships between EA, body composition, and performance metrics.
Results
85.7% of athletes (n = 12) exhibited LEA (20.98 ± 5.2 kcals/kg FFM), with non-LEA athletes (n = 2) marginally surpassing the <30 kcal/kg of fat-free mass (FFM) threshold (30.58 ± 0.2 kcals/kg FFM). The cohort (n = 14) consumed insufficient energy (30.5 ± 4.5 kcal/kg/day) and carbohydrates (3.7 ± 1.1 g/kg/day), resulting in LEA (22.36 ± 5.9 kcal/kg/FFM). EA was not correlated with body composition or performance metrics.
Discussion
A high prevalence of LEA may exist in men gymnasts, largely due to a low relative energy and carbohydrate intake.
Co-occurring trajectory of housing stability and parenting stress with child behavior problems: A randomized trial of a housing intervention for young mothers experiencing homelessness
09/2024This study examined the effects of an integrative housing intervention (Ecologically Based Treatment, EBT – independent housing and supportive services) on the co-occurring pattern of housing stability and parenting stress among a sample of substance-using mothers who experience homelessness and have young children in their care. The association between the co-occurring patterns of housing stability and parenting stress and child internalizing and externalizing behaviors was also examined. Mothers were randomized to one of the three conditions: EBT (n = 80), Housing-only (HOU; n = 80), or Services as Usual (SAU; n = 80). Follow-up assessments were completed at 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-months post-baseline. The dual-trajectory latent class growth analyses identified five subgroups of co-occurring patterns: low-greatly improved housing paired with moderate-improved parenting stress, low-greatly improved housing paired with high-improved parenting stress, low-moderately improved housing paired with moderate-static parenting stress, low-worse housing paired with moderate-improved parenting stress, and low-worse housing paired with high-static parenting stress. Findings showed that EBT was more effective in improving housing stability and reducing parenting stress compared to HOU and SAU conditions, and further, HOU was more effective than SAU. Additionally, children whose mothers reported increased housing stability together with improved parenting stress had lower levels of internalizing and externalizing behaviors. The findings provide support to the efficacy of EBT in increasing housing stability and reducing parenting stress. The observed improvements subsequently benefited children's behavioral outcomes.
Unveiling the Landscape of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Education: A Comprehensive Taxonomy of Applications, Challenges, and Future Prospects
08/13/2024The rapid advancement of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) models, particularly ChatGPT, has sparked widespread discussion among educators and researchers regarding their potential implications for education. This study presents a comprehensive taxonomy of GenAI in academia and education, encompassing a wide range of applications, challenges, ethical considerations, and future prospects. Drawing on a scoping review of 453 articles, including the 50 most cited works throughout 2023, the taxonomy provides a state-of-the-art analysis of the current landscape of GenAI in education. The taxonomy offers a theoretical framework that aligns with the current discourse in GenAI and education, providing a critical evaluation of the existing literature and proposing innovative perspectives and solutions. The practical implications of the taxonomy for educators, researchers, and policymakers are highlighted, emphasizing the need for ethical considerations and informed policies to maximize the benefits of GenAI while minimizing its risks and negative impacts.
How are you feeling today? Dynamic and static indices of daily affect predict psychological adjustment one year later in a multi-cohort, longitudinal investigation
08/2024Background
Dominant psychotherapies target how individuals experience and understand their daily emotion. Therefore, research examining how daily emotions influence long-term mental health outcomes may help inform treatment development.Methods
This investigation applied a multi-cohort (n = 378; n = 460), longitudinal design to test how reports of daily emotion predict psychological symptoms, loneliness, and wellbeing one-year later. Dynamic indices (polarity, inertia) reflecting “how” emotional experiences are conceptualized moment-to-moment and static indices (person-mean, standard deviation) of emotion were extracted from 10 daily reports. Each index was modelled individually, in concert with others, and in relation to a key dispositional factor in symptom development: trait anxiety.Results
Dynamic indices predicted outcomes one-year later, but only the effect of positive emotional inertia remained significant after accounting for mean intensity of affect. Daily reports of emotion also predicted small but significant variance in outcomes beyond trait anxiety.Conclusions
Results highlight the role of daily subjective experiences of emotion in long-term mental health outcomes and reinforce their importance as targets for treatment.Virtual Program Delivery: Learning Through Extension Nutrition Educators' Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic
08/2024Objective: To describe and analyze how Extension nutrition educators in one state system transitioned from primarily face-to-face to virtual nutrition education programming.
Design: This exploratory case study gathered data through nutrition educator interviews, virtual program delivery guides, and nutrition educators’ program impact statements.
Setting: Southeastern State Extension system in late 2022.
Participants: The sample included 15 participant interviews, multiple virtual program delivery guides, and 43 program impact summaries.
Phenomenon of Interest: The use of Cultural Historical Activity Theory as a framework to explore educators’ learning process with virtual program delivery and how this learning influenced community nutrition program delivery choices.
Analysis: Qualitative data was analyzed with ATLAS.ti using a priori coding.
Results: Two key findings emerged from the data: educators were more likely to deliver programs in a virtual setting when the programs aligned with their values and skills, and educators preferred flexible program curricula and delivery guides because it allowed them to address their community’s specific needs.
Conclusions and Implications: Educators plan to continue to deliver certain community nutrition programs virtually. Future research is needed to explore additional perspectives on virtual delivery, such as program participants and state program managers.
Fixation Disparity: A Possible Index of Visuospatial Cognition during Authentic Learning Tasks
08/2024Abstract This article describes a novel method for quantifying fixation disparity and evaluates its role in visuospatial cognition during an authentic learning task, specifically, the determination of molecule chirality in organic chemistry involving mental rotation and pattern comparison. The first study examined the influence of molecular model dimensionality (2D vs. 3D) on chirality determination performance and visual attention of 55 participants. The second study explored how the sustained playing of the tile-matching game Mahjong, a pattern comparison game, can affect visual attention and visuospatial performance during the chirality determination task of 59 participants. Fixation disparity was one of the eye tracking variables explored. Both studies revealed that (1) individuals with higher fixation disparity underperformed on the chirality task, which involves mental rotation and pattern comparison, and (2) fixation disparity improved over time in participants who played Mahjong. This work provides important implications for using fixation disparity as a possible biomarker of visuospatial performance.