Applied Human Nutrition -- Graduate Theses

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https://hdl.handle.net/10587/590

Completed Graduate theses from the Master of Science in Applied Human Nutrition program.

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 107

Patient Satisfaction and Knowledge Following Gestational Diabetes Online Education in Atlantic Canada
(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2026-06) LeBlanc, Julianne
The rising Gestational Diabetes (GD) prevalence has strained the capacity of Atlantic Canada’s largest Diabetes in Pregnancy clinic. Preliminary semi-formal interviews with clinic dietitians revealed perceptions that glycemic index (GI) education was not integrated fully in GD standard care in alignment with Diabetes Canada Clinical Practice Guidelines recommendations (2018). Despite this potential gap, their transition to ‘home-based’ online follow-ups had reduced workload compared to in-person visits. However, the unanticipated full shift to online education amid the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 raised concerns about the quality and effectiveness of care in the absence of in-person interactions.
Prenatal iron supplementation in Nova Scotia: an exploratory cross-sectional study of knowledge, attitudes and practices
(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2025-08) Goldberg, Devora
Iron demands rise during pregnancy, and deficiency can lead to anemia, increasing the risk of preeclampsia, preterm delivery, cesarean section, postpartum hemorrhage, transfusion, and maternal death. For the fetus, anemia increases the risk of low birth weight, neonatal intensive care admission, and mortality. Beyond health effects, anemia imposes medical expenses and reduces productivity, burdening individuals and national economies. To meet the recommended dietary allowance (27 mg/day), Health Canada advises pregnant individuals to take multivitamins containing 16–20 mg of elemental iron. However, in 2023, 15.1% of pregnant women in Canada were anemic, and little is known about the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding anemia and iron supplementation in high-income countries like Canada.
The Intergenerational Impacts of Military Service-Related Moral Injury
(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2025-07) Reeves, Kathryn
Moral injury, defined as the psychosocial and spiritual distress resulting from actions or events that transgress deeply held moral beliefs, is increasingly recognized as a risk of employment within the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). While much of the existing literature focuses on the internal experiences of morally injured service members and Veterans, there remains a critical gap in understanding the intergenerational experiences of moral injury in families, particularly children raised in military families. This study explores the retrospective experiences of adult children of CAF Veterans who participants perceived to have incurred a military service-related moral injury. Using a qualitative, phenomenological approach within interpretive and critical paradigms, this research centers the lived experiences of 11 adult participants through semi-structured interviews. Framed by the Family Adjustment and Adaptation Response (FAAR) model, a military-sensitive life course perspective, and a critical ecological lens, the findings reveal the long-term emotional, relational, and identity-based consequences of a parent’s moral injury, as well as adaptive strategies developed in response to moral injury-related family dynamics. The study highlights the need for inclusive policies and support systems that acknowledge moral injury as a family experience. Recommendations are offered for research, policy, and practice aimed at improving the health and well-being of military-connected families.
Exploring the Use of Behavioural and Environmental Domain Nutrition Care Process Terminology by Registered Dietitians Working in Nephrology
(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2025-09) Gosine, Laura
Millions of Canadians are living with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Dietetic intervention is integral in preventing and treating CKD. The nutrition care process (NCP), and its associated terminology (NCPT), is a tool used to communicate identified barriers to accessing food and gaps in nutrition knowledge. Registered dietitians (RDs) often use NCPT when charting in the ADIME (Assessment/Diagnosis/Intervention/Monitoring/Evaluation) format. There are four domains of diagnostic terminology: 1) clinical, 2) intake, 3) behavioural/environmental, and 4) no nutrition diagnosis domains.
Experience of Food Insecurity and Cultural Foodways: A Case Study with Newcomer Mothers from Nigeria Living in Urban Nova Scotia
(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2025) Oyagbohun, Adeola Victoria
Background: Household food insecurity (HFI) disproportionately affects recent newcomers to Canada. Rates are even higher among households with children and those of African descent, with race and migration status amplify vulnerability. Monitoring of HFI at the population level, however, does not capture access to culturally appropriate food. Understanding how disruptions in cultural foodways affects the experience of HFI among racialized newcomers is of particular concern for urban communities such as the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), Nova Scotia, where newcomers exceed a third of the population. Research Question: This study explored how and why changes in cultural foodways impact the food security of newcomer Nigerian mothers with young children living in urban Nova Scotia. It specifically aimed to examine how changes in food practices affect mothers’ immediate food security situation and their long-term ability to maintain their cultural food identity. Methods: An exploratory qualitative multi-case study design was used for this study. Six Nigerian mothers who had lived in HRM for five years or less, had young children, and had experienced food insecurity were purposively recruited as the “cases”. Data were collected using a participatory approach that included semi-structured individual interviews with two of the six participants as lead participant researchers, and subsequently two small group (n=3) workshops where participants prepared and shared a traditional Nigerian meal together and participated in facilitated group discussions. Data organization and thematic analysis were supported by MAXQDA 24 software and informed by the Dietary Transition Trajectories Framework and Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory. Findings: Participants' experiences of food insecurity were shaped by precarious employment, the rising cost of living, high prices of cultural foods, and limited access to culturally appropriate food sources. Mothers adopted coping strategies such as bulk purchasing, ingredient substitutions, travelling long distances for food, and collaborative buying networks. Although some used food banks, the lack of culturally appropriate options often reinforced feelings of exclusion, stigma, shame, and helplessness. Emotional impacts included anxiety, guilt, and concerns about children being disconnected from their cultural roots and developing unhealthy eating habits. While some mothers gradually integrated Canadian foods into their diets, others remained strongly attached to traditional foodways, highlighting the deep link between food, cultural identity, and emotional well-being. Implications: This study advances understanding of how changes in cultural foodways intersect with food insecurity for racialized newcomer mothers with young children, and their families. It highlights the need for theoretical models of food insecurity to better account for cultural food access and identity preservation. Future research should explore the experiences of children and other racialized newcomer groups in culturally disrupted food environments and examine the role of immigration, settlement and employment status on the experience of food security. Supporting culturally meaningful food access is crucial for fostering inclusive food systems and communities, and to promote successful newcomer settlement and well-being.

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