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Biomedical subjects

S M Zifferblatt

Publications and source records attributed to S M Zifferblatt.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1980

Influence of ecologic events on cafeteria food selections: understanding food habits.

Our data confirm that, in terms of eating, people are creatures of habit. Most food selections in an employee cafeteria showed remarkable stability across time, appearing relatively immune to such naturalistic changes as seasons, outdoor temperature, and day of the week. A rew seasonal variations were observed, but these resulted largely from changes in food availability. A tendency for lower calorie food selection was observed during late spring and the summer months. This finding should caution researchers, when evaluating any public health intervention program designed to reduce caloric consumption which is conducted during the spring-summer time period. An inventory control cash register system provides a promising methodology for conducting public health field experiments on food selection. Daily information on food purchases allows food selections of large population groups to be intensively scrutinized. This methodology can be readily applied to improve our understanding of the process of food selection in public and to evaluate ways of promoting healthy eating habits.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

A new direction for public health care: changing cafeteria eating habits.

A "Food for Thought" game, an eight-week, media-based nutrition program designed to influence food choices in a cafeteria setting, was conducted in a National Institutes of Health employee cafeteria. Its purpose was to encourage customers to select lower-caloric food during lunch. The effects of the program on food choices and total calories of food purchased each day were measured by time series analyses. During the eight-week intervention period, skim milk purchases increased, and dessert and bread sales, as well as average number of calories purchased per day per person, declined significantly. Some evidence for a maintenance effect over a ten-week follow-up period was obtained. The "Food for Thought" game delivered nutrition education in an upbeat but unobtrusive way. Although people patronize cafeterias to eat, socialize, and relax and not to be educated, this program had only minimal requirements for participation. The result was a high level of interest and involvement. People can "learn while they eat," if careful attention is paid to customer needs and principles of effective communication.

Diet↗
PubMed1978

A psychological perspective for double-blind trials.

Blind breaking is likely to occur in a long-term clinical trial involving subjects at risk. Double-blind conditions require subjects to live with ambiguity regarding their health status. It is unrealistic to expect them to tolerate this ambiguity over an extended period of time. A logical step for a subject is to break the blind and surreptitiously seek the best medical care available. Moreover, the staff assigned to monitor protocol adherence may further contribute to blind breaking because of ambiguity regarding their proper clinical role. Several steps are recommended to manage blind breaking within a trial, including improving the quality of medical care, more rigorous screening procedures, and maintaining a clinical environment that promotes accurate disclosure of blind breaking.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1977

Establishing generalization effects among autistic children.

Although elusive, generalization of behavior change in autistic children is essential to obtaining maximum treatment effects. Using behaviorally based treatment and teachers and parents as trainers, generalization effects between home and school were measured on four behaviors: following instructions, washing, wiping bottom, and sharing toys. The results indicate that both settings were effective in establishing generalization. Behaviors treated in one setting generalized to another when children were provided with an opportunity for daily practice. Treatment with practice in other settings is possible in contrast to providing treatment on the same behavior in both settings.

Adolescent↗