This issue highlights 2 approaches for addressing nutrition education in children with an emphasis on fiber density and increasing fruit and vegetable intake. Other articles in this issue are a case and practice review, clinical projects, student interventions, and a case study that offers new perspectives for the nutritional care of patients with burn injuries.
Family-based dietary interventions (FBDI) for type 1 diabetes management have extended into other areas. Nobles et al explored dietary fiber intakes using FBDI for reaching children and their guardians. Sixty children, aged 6 to 11 years, joined a 16-week nutrition and physical activity intervention focused on dietary fiber. Postintervention, they found an overall increase in dietary fiber intake and a decrease in energy intake.
Santiago et al used focus groups to explore increasing fruits and vegetables in children's diets. Sixty children participated in a 16-week intervention along with their parents. Parents suggested ways to overcome barriers such as busy schedules, dislike of fruits and vegetables, and the amount of time necessary to prepare and cook a variety of these foods for their children.
According to Thompson and Stetzler, using improvisational techniques to convey medical information may help communication between patients and providers of care. A pilot study conducted with graduate students in nutrition and dietetics encompassed 6 hours of training and pre- and posttest surveys. Medical improvisation techniques have the potential for increasing empathetic communication with other audiences and in other settings.
An exploration of health knowledge, beliefs, and student attitudes tackled the issue of student wellness on campuses. Christianson, Kattelmann et al conducted focus groups with 102 students across 4 universities. Students reported a wide range of concerns and identified services that they wanted to improve student wellness on their college campuses.
Petr and her colleagues look at the timing of carbohydrate intake and calories and glycemic control over a 24-hour period. Four 24-hour recalls were collected from 98 participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus. When examining the food carbohydrate distribution over 4 periods in a day, they found no association with glycemic control as hemoglobin A1c levels.
Biruete et al conducted a pilot study that examined the microbiota in 10 hemodialysis patients. The ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes was found to be associated with cardiometabolic risk factors for hemodialysis patients. They have recommended additional studies to investigate microbiota in the gut.
Burn injuries in patients result in hypermetabolism and tissue catabolism. It is challenging for the burn team to meet the increased metabolic demands without nutrition support. Lowe and Brody present a case for early nutrition support to minimize nutritional gaps. Blood glucose management and supplementation with glutamine are also discussed. The description of the case highlights some of the challenges and opportunities for improving nutrition support.
The editorial board is grateful to our many authors and reviewers for helping us meet the educational needs of Topics in Clinical Nutrition readers. The journal is going through a transitional period. We want to welcome a new member to our team, Jim Adair, who is an editorial coordinator at Wolters Kluwer.
-Judith A. Gilbride, PhD, RD, FAND
Editor