Grace Stott | Graduate Student
Hometown: Lebanon, New Hampshire
Why Did You Chose Your Major/Program? I have always been interested in nutrition, particularly how we can design and implement programs that benefit large populations, ensuring nutritious, culturally sensitive food access to all. I chose the UNH nutrition graduate program because I was excited to delve further into the science of nutrition, as well as have the opportunity to explore my own research interests.
What is the Focus of Your Research? I am researching the prevalence of food insecurity among college students with and without disabilities, using CHANAS data from 2018-2020. A large body of research currently shows that individuals with disabilities experience higher rates of food insecurity than the general population, but the college experience has never before been examined. Knowing that college students also face higher food insecurity rates, I am finding that college students with disabilities have a significantly higher prevalence of food insecurity than their non-disability counterparts.
Why Did You Chose Your Major/Program? I have always been interested in nutrition, particularly how we can design and implement programs that benefit large populations, ensuring nutritious, culturally sensitive food access to all. I chose the UNH nutrition graduate program because I was excited to delve further into the science of nutrition, as well as have the opportunity to explore my own research interests.
What is the Focus of Your Research? I am researching the prevalence of food insecurity among college students with and without disabilities, using CHANAS data from 2018-2020. A large body of research currently shows that individuals with disabilities experience higher rates of food insecurity than the general population, but the college experience has never before been examined. Knowing that college students also face higher food insecurity rates, I am finding that college students with disabilities have a significantly higher prevalence of food insecurity than their non-disability counterparts.
Bilal Chaudhry | Graduate Student
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Why Did You Choose Your Major/Program? I chose the master's in kinesiology program here at UNH due to the variety of learning opportunities as well as the focus on interdisciplinary work. Being in the healthcare field it's easy to fall into your niche (exercise, nutrition, medicine, etc.) but we must take a step back and remember to take a more holistic approach. The human body doesn't operate through a singular pathway, rather there are multiple interconnected mechanisms that influence our overall health and well-being.
What is the Focus of Your Research? My current research project is focusing on the effects of sleep duration on metabolic syndrome severity scores in emerging adults. Emerging adulthood is a crucial point in an individual's development, the behaviors adopted at this stage of life are likely carried on into later life. Previous literature has identified inadequate sleep as a risk factor for elevated blood pressure, glucose, obesity, and ultimately Metabolic Syndrome. We are moving past the binary diagnosis of metabolic syndrome and examining the effect of sleep duration on the overall severity of metabolic syndrome. This research will allow us to thoroughly understand how sleep duration can influence an individuals disease risk and what practices need to be put in place to mitigate this risk.
Why Did You Choose Your Major/Program? I chose the master's in kinesiology program here at UNH due to the variety of learning opportunities as well as the focus on interdisciplinary work. Being in the healthcare field it's easy to fall into your niche (exercise, nutrition, medicine, etc.) but we must take a step back and remember to take a more holistic approach. The human body doesn't operate through a singular pathway, rather there are multiple interconnected mechanisms that influence our overall health and well-being.
What is the Focus of Your Research? My current research project is focusing on the effects of sleep duration on metabolic syndrome severity scores in emerging adults. Emerging adulthood is a crucial point in an individual's development, the behaviors adopted at this stage of life are likely carried on into later life. Previous literature has identified inadequate sleep as a risk factor for elevated blood pressure, glucose, obesity, and ultimately Metabolic Syndrome. We are moving past the binary diagnosis of metabolic syndrome and examining the effect of sleep duration on the overall severity of metabolic syndrome. This research will allow us to thoroughly understand how sleep duration can influence an individuals disease risk and what practices need to be put in place to mitigate this risk.
Mallory Robertson | Graduate Student
Hometown: Newburyport, Massachusetts
Why Did You Choose Your Major/Program? After discovering that I had a nut allergy at the age of 17, I began paying more attention to what I put into my body. As I spent more time looking at nutrition labels, I became intrigued by the meanings of the numbers and unknown ingredients printed on the packaging. I picked nutrition as my undergraduate major on a whim, before even knowing the extent of what the field offered. At the time I didn't even know what a registered dietitian was. Since then, I have fallen in love with the intricacies of food and the direct impact that it has on the human body as well as the social and emotional role that food plays in our lives. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition: Dietetics, I decided to continue my time at UNH in the Masters of Nutritional Sciences with Dietetic Internship Program in order to pursue a career as a registered dietitian, likely in the clinical field. As a future RD, I value food as a powerful form of medicine, but also strive to help others find the joy in nourishing their bodies.
What is the Focus Of Your Research? My research is focused on the impacts that weight-related goals have on college students' eating competence. A healthy relationship surrounding food is challenged by the pressures of society and the negative influences of the diet industry. As a graduate teaching assistant for NUTR 400, I noticed an alarmingly high number of students writing about body dissatisfaction and intentions to change their weight. This was often accompanied by comments about dietary restriction and negative attitudes surrounding food. This prompted me to dive into the impacts that different types of weight-altering goals may have on college students' relationships with eating. I looked at students who wanted to either lose weight, gain weight, maintain their weight, or did not have a weight-related goal and compared eating competence scores between the groups. As I had hypothesized, individuals with weight loss goals had significantly lower eating competence than any other group indicating more negative and restrictive eating patterns. The college population is at such an imperative time in their life for determining future health-related behaviors. I hope this research can lead to more awareness of the negative impacts of diet culture and tailor education towards supporting self-body image and positive food attitudes.
Why Did You Choose Your Major/Program? After discovering that I had a nut allergy at the age of 17, I began paying more attention to what I put into my body. As I spent more time looking at nutrition labels, I became intrigued by the meanings of the numbers and unknown ingredients printed on the packaging. I picked nutrition as my undergraduate major on a whim, before even knowing the extent of what the field offered. At the time I didn't even know what a registered dietitian was. Since then, I have fallen in love with the intricacies of food and the direct impact that it has on the human body as well as the social and emotional role that food plays in our lives. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition: Dietetics, I decided to continue my time at UNH in the Masters of Nutritional Sciences with Dietetic Internship Program in order to pursue a career as a registered dietitian, likely in the clinical field. As a future RD, I value food as a powerful form of medicine, but also strive to help others find the joy in nourishing their bodies.
What is the Focus Of Your Research? My research is focused on the impacts that weight-related goals have on college students' eating competence. A healthy relationship surrounding food is challenged by the pressures of society and the negative influences of the diet industry. As a graduate teaching assistant for NUTR 400, I noticed an alarmingly high number of students writing about body dissatisfaction and intentions to change their weight. This was often accompanied by comments about dietary restriction and negative attitudes surrounding food. This prompted me to dive into the impacts that different types of weight-altering goals may have on college students' relationships with eating. I looked at students who wanted to either lose weight, gain weight, maintain their weight, or did not have a weight-related goal and compared eating competence scores between the groups. As I had hypothesized, individuals with weight loss goals had significantly lower eating competence than any other group indicating more negative and restrictive eating patterns. The college population is at such an imperative time in their life for determining future health-related behaviors. I hope this research can lead to more awareness of the negative impacts of diet culture and tailor education towards supporting self-body image and positive food attitudes.