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Emergency Food Supplies in Food Secure Households
- Devon L. Golem, Carol Byrd-Bredbenner
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- Journal:
- Prehospital and Disaster Medicine / Volume 30 / Issue 4 / August 2015
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 01 July 2015, pp. 359-364
- Print publication:
- August 2015
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Introduction
Limited food supply paired with reduced access to food during emergency disasters can lead to malnutrition. To date, research evaluating the adequacy of household emergency food supplies relies on self-reported data from surveys and has not been measured objectively in households in the United States. The main objective of this study was to describe household calorie availability and nutrient density in a normal situation and to project changes that could occur when emergencies (eg, natural disasters) restrict replenishment of food supplies and disrupt water and/or energy needed for food preparation and storage.
HypothesisThe calorie availability of the food supply within households in New Jersey (USA) is anticipated to be well above the recommended 3-day period. However, it is anticipated that the nutritional density of the food supply within these households will be negative. Additionally, the disaster-related factors that diminish the ability to consume stored food (eg, lack of water, power for cooking, and/or proper storage) will further reduce the caloric and nutritional adequacy of the household food supply.
MethodsThe household food supplies of 100 food secure families in New Jersey were inventoried at a non-emergency point in time. The number of days that the inventoried food supply would provide all household members 100% of the daily value (DV) for calories and other nutrients was determined. Additionally, the effects of water and power shortages on nutritional availability of household food supply were estimated.
ResultsThe households had an average of 33.16 days (SD=21.97; range=8.14-125.17 days) of calories at 100% DV for all household members. Lack of water, energy for cooking, or both would render a decrease in the total household calories by 28%, 35%, or 38%, respectively. Loss of power for greater than five days would reduce availability of household calories by 27%. A positive nutrient density was observed with and without the food-related resources of water and power.
ConclusionThe mean food supply within the sampled households exceeds the current emergency preparedness recommendations, even when considering specific nutrients and emergency-related factors that affect ability to consume the food supply. Cross-sectional observation of the household food supply of food secure families in New Jersey reveals adequate dietary-based emergency preparedness and low vulnerability to emergency-induced food insecurity.
,Golem DL .Byrd-Bredbenner C Emergency Food Supplies in Food Secure Households . Prehosp Disaster Med.2015 ;30 (4 ):1 –6.
Effects of a neuromuscular dentistry-designed mouthguard on muscular endurance and anaerobic power
- Shawn M. Arent, Jennifer McKenna, Devon L. Golem
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- Journal:
- Comparative Exercise Physiology / Volume 7 / Issue 2 / May 2010
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 05 August 2010, pp. 73-79
- Print publication:
- May 2010
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Athletes of various sports are required to utilize mouthguards during practice and competitions for protection against orofacial and dental injuries, regardless of the effects on performance. Recent advances in neuromuscular dentistry have led to the development of a mouthguard touted also to enhance the performance through jaw realignment. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a neuromuscular dentistry-based mouthguard to a standard, custom-fitted mouthguard (CFM) on muscular endurance, anaerobic power and anaerobic capacity in competitive athletes. Professional and Division I college athletes (n = 22, Mweight = 86.2 ± 3.1 kg) participated in this double-blind, crossover study. Subjects were randomly assigned to order of use of either the experimental (Pure Power Mouthguard (PPM)) or the traditional CFM. Subjects completed two separate sessions in which they completed three performance tests, which included vertical jump (VJ), bench press (BP) and a 30 s Wingate anaerobic test (WAnT)+eight 10 s intervals, while wearing the assigned mouthguard. Significantly better performance was found for PPM compared with CFM for VJ (67.6+9.4 cm vs. 65.3+8.6 cm; P = 0.003), 30 s WAnT peak power (11.6 ± 1.7 W kg− 1vs. 11.1 ± 1.5 W kg− 1, P = 0.038), average peak power for WAnT+intervals (10.6 ± 1.4 W kg− 1vs. 10.1 ± 1.2 W kg− 1, P = 0.025) and average mean power for WAnT+intervals (9.0 ± 1.1 W kg− 1vs. 8.7 ± 1.0 W kg− 1, P = 0.034). There were no significant differences for either BP or 30 s WAnT mean power (P>0.48). Compared with a CFM, a neuromuscular dentistry-based mouthguard appears to enhance peak power output, performance and repeated maximal efforts. When required to wear a mouthguard, athletes may benefit from wearing a neuromuscular dentistry-designed mouthguard compared with a CFM.