Health Science & Nutrition
Montserrat Arciniega, montserrat.arciniega@ttu.edu
Texas Tech University, with Dr. Oak-Hee Park
Nutritional Sciences Dietetics (NSCD)
Is Disordered Eating Behavior an Issue College Students Face? Restrictive and Compulsive Eating Among Food Insecure College Students in a Southern University
Disordered eating behavior (DEB) involves engaging in harmful eating behaviors, such as compulsive eating, food restriction, and purging, but does not meet the diagnostic criteria for a specific eating disorder. DEB is often associated with food insecure individuals, as changes in food availability can lead to inconsistent eating patterns, including overeating after periods of food restrictions and/or participation in restrictive diets. This study specifically focuses on college students experiencing food insecurity who exhibit a pattern of food restrictions followed by compulsive overeating. Recruitment of participants for this study will be carried out among college students currently enrolled at a university in the southern region. Recruitment will involve the use of the university's e-mail announcement system and local media advertisements. To confirm the food insecurity status of participants, a validated USDA food insecurity questionnaire (10 items) will be administered. Twenty participants identified as experiencing food insecurity will be invited to participate in one-on-one interviews. The interviews will be semi-structured and guided by the social cognitive theory, with the aim of exploring the participants' behaviors, as well as personal, social, and environmental factors to gain insight into the relationship between DEB and food insecurity. All interviews will be recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. The outcome of the study will serve as a foundation to generate prevention strategies and programs to reduce DEB in the college environment.
Hadi Darkazalli, hadi_darkazalli1@baylor.edu
Baylor University, with Dr. Tricia Blalock
Health Science Studies
A Comparative Study of Healthcare Systems in the United States, France, Spain, and Costa Rica
The field of medicine is consistently adapting to better improve the assistance that is provided to people in need, yet countries globally have developed diverse healthcare systems, some public and others privatized. This study explores and compares the healthcare systems of the United States, France, Spain, and Costa Rica, focusing on their patient-doctor relationships and medical practices. Through extensive background research encompassing demographic diversity, major health concerns, lifestyle, and cultural factors, the interactions between healthcare facilities, practitioners, and patients in each country were examined. Comprehensive insights were achieved from questionnaires and semi-structured interviews that were asked of both healthcare practitioners and patients residing in each nation to distinguish between the system’s availability to the people, techniques and practices performed, availability of resources, and patient-doctor relationships. The initial findings suggest that while resources and medical practices were uniformly consistent in each nation, the countries that offered universal coverage of healthcare services, France, Spain, and Costa Rica, observed greater indications of trust in practitioners, leading to increased patient utilization of medical services; however, the United States exhibited a burden in their patient-doctor relationship from concerns over cost and coverage, causing skepticism towards healthcare professionals' capabilities. The study highlights the significance of cultural context and healthcare accessibility in shaping patient perceptions and experiences. As the medical community seeks to improve patient care and satisfaction, the insights from this study can serve as a valuable resource for policymakers and healthcare practitioners in enhancing healthcare systems worldwide.
Session Location
- Foster 108
Session Date/Time
- Thursday, 1:45 - 2:45pm
Session Type
- Oral Student Presentations
- Student Presentations