The goal of this study was to record Muncie, Indiana residents’ change in eating habits over time. Objectives: 1) Identify key determinants that influence a change in participants’ eating habits; 2) Analyze the data for convergent themes among participants and draw patterns; and 3) Compare patterns found in this study population with existing literature and/or accepted theories within the field. Hypotheses on changes in food patterns included: 1) Socio-economic status in the middle-class population maintained daily food production to remain inside the home; 2) Women working outside the home reduced labor hours allotted to home cooking; and 3) Social norms valued home cooking resulting in home prepared meals. Methods: The study used a cross-sectional, oral-history, interview format. The study sample consisted of 25 seniors (65y - 100y old) from a convenience sample taken from one, medium-sized, mid-western town, Muncie, Indiana. The study involved use of a semi-structured, questionnaire/interview script, (approved by Ball State University’s IRB committee). Results: Economics greatly influenced, and continues to influence, food consumption patterns for depression-era born adults. Women who grew up on home-only cooked meals, but entered the workforce adjusted traditional meals in favor of convenience. Implications: Health care providers trying to change dietary habits of older residents residing in the Midwest will need to consider foods and food preparatory methods introduced in childhood; these remained key components of the diet later in life and removing them may be met with resistance

The medicinal use of chocolate has a long history in North America dating back to the 16th century. From Mesoamerican Codices and European Treatises scholars have determined that for hundreds of years the beverage called chocolate was administered to the sick and prescribed homeopathically to prevent illness. Yet, little scholarship exists that focuses on medicinal chocolate usage in early North America (18th-19th century). This paper examines medical practices during this era and associated medicinal norms with special attention given to chocolate/cocoa usage. Given the current scientific attention on the relationship between dark chocolate consumption and heart disease attenuation it is timely to investigate and chronicle America's medical forebears' understanding of, and practices related to, the medicinal use of chocolate. Indeed, there is a significant amount of literature to suggest that chocolate was used for wellness and to treat illness.

The medicinal use of cocoa has a long history dating back almost five hundred years when Hernán Cortés’s first experienced the drink in Mesoamerica. Doctors in Europe recommended the beverage to patients in the 1700s, and later American physicians followed suit and prescribed the drink in early America―ca. 1800s. This article delineates the historic trajectory of cocoa consumption, the linkage between cocoa’s bioactive-mechanistic properties, paying special attention to nitric oxides role in vasodilation of the arteries, to the current indicators purporting the benefits of cocoa and cardiovascular health.

Family and consumer sciences (FCS) programs in colleges and universities in the United States reported that a total of 540 theses and dissertations were completed in 2011. This number was an increase from the total of 263 theses and dissertations completed in 2010. However, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reported that 2,876 theses and dissertations were awarded within FCS fields of study in 2009/2010 (the latest reporting year). The much larger number reported by NCES indicates that research is needed to learn more about the factors associated with underreporting. To develop this report, the authors contacted each college and university three times to obtain information. This resulted in an increase in participation to 36 colleges and universities compared with 19 colleges and universities who reported in 2011. Nutrition and Dietetics was the leader in the number of dissertation titles submitted with 22 titles followed by Institution, Hotel and Restaurant Management with 21 titles, and Family Relations with 19 titles. Nutrition and Dietetics was also the leader in the number of master's thesis titles submitted with 74 titles followed by FCS Education with 59 titles, and Child Development with 55 titles. One of the trends noted this year is that master of science programs are increasingly offering nonthesis options.

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PAGES: 110Adolescents do not consume the recommended daily amount of whole fruit. As part of the effort to improve the dietary choices of adolescents, traditional nutrition education alone has not been successful. School cafeterias are a strategic place to focus efforts to promote positive behavior change at the site of students' food selection and consumption. Garden-based sustainability programs correlate with the state-mandated science standards taught in the middle school classroom and have been effective at increasing fruit consumption in children. This study measured the effect of a vermicomposting model on whole fruit consumption in the middle school lunch room. Students were introduced to the concept of vermicomposting in the classroom through a lesson plan. Students were invited to participate in the vermicomposting process by contributing their fruit scraps to a worm bin that was placed in the school cafeteria for the duration of the study. A significant increase in familiarity with the topic of vermicomposting was observed after implementation of the lesson plan. Compared to baseline, the control school experienced an overall increase in fully consumed and partially consumed fruit, while the intervention school experienced a simultaneous decrease in consumption. No significant changes in fruit selection were observed.iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The purpose of this study was to measure the perceived value of the American Association of Family and Consumer Science (AAFCS) accreditation. The overarching research question was how faculty and administrators at institutions in the United States perceived the value of AAFCS accreditation. The study used an exploratory research method to determine whether there were barriers to institutions obtaining or retaining AAFCS accreditation. A survey was developed and e-mailed to faculty and administrators in higher education in accredited and unaccredited academic units. Of the 1,910 e-mail invitations, 345 returned survey responses, leaving 317 useable surveys. Questions focused on the purposes and benefits as stated by the AAFCS accreditation program. Also, the survey included questions on whether the resources required to obtain certification were worth the benefits from being certified. Results showed that the perceived benefit of accreditation did not differ by participants who were employed in accredited programs, but results differed by AAFCS membership status. Implications suggest support is needed from AAFCS and that there are concerns in regard to competing associations' accreditations.