Page 382 - Encyclopedia of Nursing Research

NuTRITION IN THe eLDeRLy n 349

American Heart Association (2009) and the nursing research focused on promotion and
revised Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 determinants of breastfeeding in diverse
(u.S. Department of Agriculture, Center for populations include those conducted by Dr. N
Nutrition Policy and Promotion, 2010) pro- Linda Spatz and colleagues at the university
vide more specific recommendations on of Pennsylvania and Dr. Paula Meier at the
implementation. From a pediatric popula- university of Michigan. Drs. Mary and
tion perspective, numerous factors influence Marguerite engler at the university of
dietary intake including the contexts of fam- California–San Francisco have implemented
ily, school, and community (Gidding et al., a program of research focused on endothe-
2009; Hayman et al., 2004; Popkin, Duffey, lial function and dyslipidemia in children
& Gordon-Larsen, 2005). Traditional, indi- with emphasis on the effects of antioxidants.
vidualized approaches to dietary behavior using a gene–diet–environment interac-
change in children and youth have yielded tion paradigm, they are currently extending
varying results. Recent data support ear- this research with inclusion of additional
lier observations and suggest an ecological genetic determinants of cardiovascular dis-
approach to improving the nutritional sta- ease. With emphasis on prevention and man-
tus of u.S. children with efforts that extend agement of type 2 diabetes in children and
beyond the individual level to the school and youth, Dr. Margaret Grey and colleagues at
community environments. By definition, yale university include nutritional assess-
such interventions will be multicomponent, ment and management as a major compo-
require a multidisciplinary team approach, nent of this well-established program of
and involve formulation and implementation research. Finally, research in progress by
of health policies on both local and national Dr. Bernadette Melnyk and colleagues at
levels. With knowledge of nutritional science, Arizona State and Dr. Laura Hayman and
human behavior, and experience and exper- a multidisciplinary team of investigators
tise across the continuum of health care, at uMass Boston and GoKids Boston is
nurses and nursing are particularly well designed to modify patterns of dietary intake
qualified to participate in these efforts. as part of multicomponent health promotion
Programs of nursing and multidisciplin- and weight loss interventions.
ary research focus on feeding practices and A major challenge for all nutrition and
dietary intake in infancy and childhood; behavioral lifestyle interventions is mainte-
results to date have contributed to the exist- nance of behavioral change over time. From
ing body of knowledge in these areas of pedi- a health-promotion and disease-prevention
atric health care and have influenced clinical perspective, adherence to dietary recommen-
practice. Nurse researchers and scholars have dations continues to be a viable area for nurs-
also contributed to evidence-based scien- ing and multidisciplinary research.
tific statements and guidelines designed to
improve the nutrition of infants, children, Laura L. Hayman
and adolescents in clinical and community- Alyson Karakouzian
based settings. As Kennedy (1997) observed,
nursing research has contributed substantial
information relevant to neonatal and pre-
term infant feeding. Nurse-initiated research NutritioN iN the elderly
focused on infancy and childhood has been
primarily descriptive in design; however,
nurses have contributed in various roles in Research on nutrition in the elderly
multidisciplinary research that incorporated focuses on the older person’s (aged 65
dietary interventions. Relevant programs of years and older) balance of nutrient intake,