Gallery of Research
Below are examples of the research conducted by faculty members in the College of Health Sciences and Professions. Click on the headline to see the full story.
AN EDIBLE TEST
Food scientist Rob Brannan conducts testing with a trained sensory panel designed to elicit descriptive analyses of new food products. He is particularly interested in testing the viability of adding antioxidants to foods to increase their shelf life and nutritional profile. Much of the work takes place in Grover Center’s Sensory Analysis Lab, which features six tasting booths.
THE DIABETES DILEMMA
Members of rural Appalachian households who lack access to food or experience hunger are more likely to be obese and have diabetes, according to a study by Ohio University nutrition researcher David Holben. Holben found that subjects from households with greater levels of what medical, nutrition and dietetic professionals call “food insecurity” had a greater body mass index (BMI) than those with smaller levels of food insecurity (an average BMI of 30.3 vs. average BMI of 29). Those from food-insecure households also were more likely to have diabetes (37.9 percent) and to be overweight (48.1 percent) than subjects from food secure households (25.8 percent and 35.1 percent, respectively).
REACHING FOR SOLUTIONS TO BACK PAIN
A study published in the journal Spine by Ohio University researchers Jim Thomas and Christopher France has found that people who fear aggravating a backache will change the way they move to prevent more pain. But doing so may set the stage for further injury, they warn.
THE OBESITY FACTOR
Darlene Berryman has the skinny on fat. A scientist, nutrition expert and aerobics instructor, Berryman understands flab on a molecular and a real-world level. And with health experts declaring that almost two-thirds of adult Americans are overweight, it’s good to have this Ohio University assistant professor on the case. She has studied fat at the cellular level and has taught Ohio University undergraduates as well as pharmacists and dietitians around the country about the dangers of obesity. One of her projects involves exploring a fat phenomenon in subjects smaller and furrier than the average American couch potato: lab mice.
SOUNDING OUT THE SECRETS OF HEARING
That’s where the pioneering research of a pair of OHIO audiology professors comes in. Li Xu and Fuh-Cherng Jeng are hoping their work will help “teach” cochlear implants how to convey auditory details like the verve of a violin concerto and the tonal difference between “Ready?” and “Ready.”
BOOSTING WOMEN'S BRAWN
Women who want to build muscle strength and endurance should choose traditional strength training methods instead of low velocity routines, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. The study, conducted by Sharon Rana, associate professor of exercise physiology, and colleagues at Ohio University, examined whether low-velocity resistance training is a more effective workout than conventional routines, as some experts maintain.
