Research Insider: Socio-economic Eating Habits, Puget Sound Tidal Energy

A group of UW researchers definitively concluded that disparities in healthy eating habits among different socio-economic groups is due to the cost of food, according to UW�News.

It has long been recognized that people in lower socio-economic brackets typically have less healthy eating habits, but the reasons haven?t been entirely clear. In a paper published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, the team came to the conclusion that people with lower incomes and less education are more likely to have unhealthy diets simply because of the higher cost of healthier�food.

?The twist with this new study is that we?ve connected the dots that could explain why people in a lower socio-economic status have less nutritious diets,? Pablo Monsivais, UW acting assistant professor of epidemiology, said in an interview with UW�News.

The team of researchers analyzed data of 1,300 individuals from the Seattle Obesity Study that examined food access, health and diet quality in King County. Using this information, they were able to link household income and education status to calorie intake and other nutritional factors and found that better quality diets consistently cost more than less nutritious ones, and that the price gap is�increasing.

Diets of people with higher incomes and more education tended to have higher costs and higher nutritional density than persons in lower socio-economic�brackets.

?These results tell us that cost is a major factor in explaining the differences in eating habits between people of lower and higher socio-economic level,? Monsivais said to UW�News.

Admiralty Inlet an ideal candidate for tidal energy, researchers�say

After two years of monitoring and research, oceanographers at the UW say Admiralty Inlet, a strait connecting the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound, is an ideal site for a tidal power pilot project, according to KOMO�News.

Researchers say that water flows at top speeds of eight knots, and that it is relatively free of marine life. These characteristics make it perfectly suited for Snohomish County Public Utility District (SCPUD) to place two 30-foot turbines 200 feet below the surface, UW oceanographer Jim Thomson�said.

?We think it?s a good site, and we think it?s the right place to do a pilot project,? Thomson said to KOMO�News.

The turbines generate enough electricity to power 100 homes by harnessing the power of the tidal waters that flow in and out of the inlet every�day.

The team of oceanographers and engineers has been studying the site for years, monitoring water speed, ambient noise and water quality in order to help SCPUD make an environmentally conscious decision about how and where to implement this new technology. The turbines are slated to be installed in�2013.

?The results of this pilot project will help decide if this is an industry that has potential for going forward at the commercial scale, or if it stops at the pilot stage,? Brian Polagye, UW research assistant professor of mechanical engineering, said to�KOMO.

Reach news columnist Ryan Dunn at�news@dailyuw.com.
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