Teaching professional practices, such as the Nutrition Care Process (NCP), in lecture-based undergraduate nutrition courses can be difficult. Online Interactive Learning Assessments (ILAs) were pilot tested as a way to teach the NCP in an undergraduate nutrition course at a state university. Participating students were satisfied with the ILAs and reported that they provided the feel of authentic practical experience with the NCP. As measured by examination performance, students had similar mastery of content knowledge introduced via ILAs versus lecture. ILAs may allow students to gain content knowledge and effective professional practice skills.

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IntroductionAlthough recent studies indicate that rates of childhood obesity and severe obesity may be declining, few studies have reported prevalence trends in early childhood or differences in trends across sociodemographic groups. The primary aim of this study was to report trends in prevalence of early childhood obesity and severe obesity 2007 through 2014 in a diverse, metropolitan school district in the southwestern United States and determine whether these trends vary by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and disability status.MethodsWe analyzed height, weight and demographic data from 43,113 kindergarteners enrolled in a large, urban school district in the southwestern United States for 7 school years. Adjusted odds of obesity and severe obesity were calculated to assess changes in prevalence for non-Hispanic white, Hispanic, and American Indian students; free or reduced-price lunch participants and nonparticipants; and students with and without disabilities. To test for differences in obesity trends, interaction terms were added to the logistic regressions between school year and sex, race/ethnicity, free or reduced-price lunch participation, and disability status.ResultsThe adjusted prevalence of both obesity (from 13.1% in 2007–2008 to 12.0% in 2013–20014) and severe obesity (from 2.4% in 2007–2008 to 1.2% in 2013–2014) declined overall. We found no significant interactions between the adjusted prevalence of obesity over time and any of the sociodemographic subgroups. Obesity prevalence declined more among American Indian students than among Hispanic or non-Hispanic white students.ConclusionIn this district, from 2007 through 2014, severe obesity decreased and obesity did not increase, overall and across all sociodemographic subpopulations for kindergarten students.

A systematic literature review of prospective cohort studies was conducted to investigate the association between consumption of fat-free/1% versus reduced- and/or full-fat dairy on the incidence of overweight/obesity, central adiposity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes mellitus in adults. Fifteen articles met the inclusion criteria. No significant relationships between dairy fat intake and cardiovascular disease or type 2 diabetes mellitus were found. The limited research published on the relationship between overweight/obesity, central adiposity, and dairy fat intake makes it difficult to draw generalizable conclusions at this time. Registered dietitian nutritionists should continue to encourage clients to eat calorically balanced, nutrient-dense diets, and engage in regular physical activity.

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