scholarly journals Changes in Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Practices at Participating Childcare and Education Centers in the United States Following Updated National Standards, 2017–2019

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 2818
Author(s):  
Jamie F. Chriqui ◽  
Julien Leider ◽  
Rebecca M. Schermbeck ◽  
Anmol Sanghera ◽  
Oksana Pugach
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
The United States ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Adult Care ◽  
Processed Meats ◽  
Meal Pattern ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Quasi Experimental

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) updated meal pattern standards took effect in October 2017. The aim of this quasi-experimental, pre-post study is to identify changes in food and beverage practices of CACFP-participating centers due to implementation of updated CACFP meal patterns over a 21-month period. Eight hundred and fifty-eight centers located in 47 states and the District of Columbia completed a survey (primarily electronic) at both time points (67.6% follow-up response rate). Multivariable logistic regressions with robust standard errors assessed changes over time, accounting for repeated observations within each site. From baseline to follow-up, centers reported the increased familiarity and implementation, albeit with time, money, and staffing-related challenges. Significant improvements were seen in not serving sugary cereals or flavored milk, in serving 100% whole grains, and serving processed meats less than once a week. While CACFP-participating centers reported making significant progress in meeting the updated meal pattern standards and suggested best practices within 15–19 months of their effective date, reported compliance and adherence to the standards and best practices was not universal. USDA, state agencies, and technical assistance providers should work to provide centers with additional guidance to help them with implementation.

Impact of the affordable care act and early Medicaid expansion on head and neck cancer mortality in the United States.

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 7035-7035
Author(s):  
Nosayaba Osazuwa-Peters ◽  
Justin M Barnes ◽  
Jaibir S Pannu ◽  
Matthew C Simpson ◽  
Sai D Challapalli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Head And Neck Cancer ◽  
Access To Care ◽  
Head And Neck ◽  
Neck Cancer ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Medicaid Expansion ◽  
Quasi Experimental

7035 Background: Medicaid expansion has been associated with increased access to care and earlier stage at diagnosis among patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). However, it is unclear whether Medicaid expansion has impacted HNC mortality rates. We examined the associations between early Medicaid expansions (2010-2011) with mortality rates for HNC in the United States. Methods: Data were obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. SEER*Stat was utilized to obtain mortality rates for early expansion (CA, CT, DC, MN, NJ, and WA) and non-early expansion states (all others) in the year ranges as available in SEER: 2005-2007 (pre-expansion) and 2012-2016 (post-expansion). Deaths in 2008-2011 were excluded as a phase-in/washout period. Difference-in-differences analyses were utilized to compare mortality rates pre- and post-early expansion in early expansion vs. non-early expansion states. The parallel trends assumption was tested comparing changes in HNC mortality rates between early expansion and non-early expansion states from 2002-2004 to 2005-2007 and from 2005-2007 to 2008-2011. Results: There were 6882 and 35459 deaths due to HNC in early expansion and non-early expansion states, respectively. HNC mortality rates (deaths per 100,000) decreased from 2005-2007 to 2012-2016 in both early expansion (2.17 to 1.85, difference = -0.32, 95% CI = -0.42 to -0.22) and non-expansion states (2.59 to 2.43, difference = -0.16, 95% CI = -0.22 to -0.11). Relative to non-expansion states, there was a reduction of 0.16 deaths per 100,000 (95% CI = 0.05 to 0.27, p = 0.007) after early Medicaid expansion in expansion states. However, in parallel trends testing, there was no difference in the change in mortality rates between early expansion and non-expansion states from 2002-2011 (p > 0.37). Conclusions: In this quasi-experimental analysis, there was an association between early Medicaid expansion with decreased HNC mortality. Thus, Medicaid expansion might help decrease disparities associated with access to care among HNC survivors. As longer-term data emerges, additional follow-up will be necessary to understand the mechanisms that underlie the HNC mortality benefits seen in early Medicaid expansion.

scholarly journals Establishing a National Community of Practice for Newborn Screening Follow-Up

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 49
Author(s):  
Erin Darby ◽  
John Thompson ◽  
Carol Johnson ◽  
Sikha Singh ◽  
Jelili Ojodu
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Newborn Screening ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Resource Sharing ◽  
Information Dissemination ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
State Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
National Community

Newborn screening (NBS) follow-up programs in the United States are managed at the state level, leaving limited opportunities for collaboration across programs and coordinated resource sharing. The Newborn Screening Technical assistance and Evaluation Program (NewSTEPs), a program of the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), has established a national community of practice for NBS follow-up by creating a network of follow-up staff and stakeholders through education and engagement opportunities. The activities of NewSTEPs in support of NBS follow-up have strengthened information dissemination, collaboration, data collection and technical assistance-driven mentorship across the national system.

Pediatric to Adult Epilepsy Transition in Ambulatory Care: Benefits of a Multidisciplinary Epilepsy Transition Clinic

2020 ◽  
Vol 09 (04) ◽  
pp. 125-134
Author(s):  
Jaime-Dawn E. Twanow ◽  
Sarita Maturu ◽  
Nabil Khandker
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
Adult Care ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Medical Needs ◽  
Transition Programming ◽  
Transition Clinic ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Transfer Readiness

AbstractChildren with epilepsy comprise 3.2% of the estimated 500,000 youth with special medical needs who move from the pediatric to adult care model annually. These 16,000 children who require transfer each year represent a challenging subset of 470,000 youth living with epilepsy in the United States. Transition and transfer of care are complex and require gradual processes. This period for youth with epilepsy is often associated with inadequate follow-up and increased risk of nonadherence. Furthermore, youth and adults with epilepsy are known to have suboptimal social and emotional outcomes compared with peers, with high rates of under education, underemployment, poverty, and struggles with mental health. The goal of improving social determinants and continuity of care prompted the development of formal epilepsy transition clinics. Multiple clinic models exist, sharing the overarching goal of supporting youth while building self-management skills, tailored to age and developmental level. Early evidence shows that transition discussion leads to statistically significant increases in transfer readiness and self-efficacy in young adults with epilepsy. Our center boasts a 100% attendance rate at our transition and transfer clinic and 78% compliance with follow-up, further demonstrating that patients and families value quality transition programming.

Assessing Technical Assistance Needs Among Recovery Residence Operators in the United States

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Miles ◽  
Terry Bunn ◽  
Amber Kizewski ◽  
Tyler Jennings ◽  
Teresa Waters ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
Systems Of Care ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Perception ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Voluntary Certification ◽  
Recovery Housing

Abstract Background: Recovery support services such as recovery housing may assist individuals with increasing their access to social support, employment services, and systems of care. Lack of evidence-based practices and calls for increased oversight of these settings suggests a growing need for technical assistance and training for recovery residence owners and staff members, yet little is known about their areas of greatest technical assistance needs, and if there are differences between the needs of owners/operators of one recovery residence vs. owners/operators of multiple recovery residences. Methods: We developed and administered a survey to assess the technical assistance needs of recovery housing operators in the United States using a convenience sample of individuals who own or operate a recovery residence (N= 376). The survey was disseminated electronically via e-mail using REDCap to collect survey responses. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the survey respondents, and bivariate analyses were conducted to test for differences in TA needs by the number of residences owned by the respondent (1 vs. 2+). Thematic analysis methods were used to analyze open text survey response items focusing on challenges, resources needed to overcome challenges, and community perception of recovery residences. Results: A total of 77 owners/operators completed the survey (20% response rate), representing urban, suburban, and rural communities. Almost one-half (45%) of respondents were the owner of their residence(s), and more than half (56%) of the respondents reported that their residence was certified based on a set of national best practices for recovery housing. Differences were observed between number of owned residences; owners/operators of a single residence expressed greater interest in technical assistance on house-specific policies and linkage to established systems of care, whereas owners/operators of multiple residences were more interested in technical assistance on complex topics such as building financial sustainability, and incorporation of best practices into their recovery residences. Conclusion: As an increasing number of states move to implement voluntary certification or licensing for recovery residences, targeted training and technical assistance to owners/operators will facilitate the successful adoption of recovery residence best practices and quality standards.

Fish and Wildlife Contingency Planning for Oil Spills: The Need for A National Wildlife Plan1

2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 (1) ◽  
pp. 609-615
Author(s):  
Gary L. Ott
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
The United States ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Wildlife Protection ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Definition Of Success

ABSTRACT If responders believe preplanning will help them become more successful during an oil spill, a recent survey shows that they are not very successful at wildlife protection and response preplanning in Area Contingency Plans (ACPs), at least here on the Atlantic Coast. Wildlife planners in a few states, such as California and Alaska, have committed considerable resources to develop statewide goals, best practices, and standards for wildlife planning and have also described tactical implementation for wildlife protection. In most areas of the United States, however, planning for protection and rehabilitation of wildlife is limited to listing the name and phone number of the regional wildlife volunteer organization. How is “success” achieved for wildlife protection and rehabilitation? Wildlife Resource Management Agencies have a responsibility to support the ACP planning process as well as to tell industry what they expect them to accomplish during an oil spill. Without goals and some tangible definition of success it is not possible for planners neither to determine if they have done adequate planning nor to determine if any given spill response actually met the Wildlife Resource Management Agency's expectations. Wildlife Resource Management Agencies should provide the Area Committees with appropriate wildlife protection and response goals, recommended protocols, and best practices. The objective of the February 2001 workshop funded by the Prince William Sound Oil Spill Recovery Institute (OSRI) is to develop national standards and protocols relative to migratory birds affected or potentially affected by an oil spill. Perhaps these protocols and standards could be published in a National Wildlife Plan. A National Wildlife Plan should enable the Area Committee to identify at least three things: (1) appropriate goals, such as which sensitive wildlife resources are most at risk and should be protected; (2) appropriate protocols and strategies for the protection and rehabilitation of wildlife including countermeasures to protect wildlife habitats and the most useful wildlife hazing and preemptive capture strategies to protect the maximum number of the most critical resources; and (3) levels of wildlife protection and response resources needed to accomplish these strategies. The building of a National Wildlife Plan will require a thoughtfully structured consensus process. One method would be for representatives of Wildlife Resource Management Agencies to actively participate in workshops or in an ecological risk assessment process designed to reach consensus on a wide range of wildlife issues.

Healthy Food Incentive Programs: Findings From Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Programs Across the United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 421-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Courtney A. Parks ◽  
Katie L. Stern ◽  
Hollyanne E. Fricke ◽  
Whitney Clausen ◽  
Amy L. Yaroch
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
The United States ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Incentive Programs

Diet-related chronic disease remains a public health concern, and low intake of fruits and vegetables disproportionately affects low-income populations. Healthy food incentive (HFI) projects can help close the nutrition gap among low-income populations by increasing purchasing power and access to fruits and vegetables. This study aimed to qualitatively explore lessons learned and best practices from Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Grant Program (FINI) grantees across the United States. Thirty semistructured interviews were conducted with FINI grantees and stakeholders in 2018, eliciting best practices and promising findings, policy implications, and knowledge gaps and opportunities to pursue that inform program refinement and sustainability. Telephone and in-person interviews were conducted with FINI grant recipients from 2015 to 2016, specifically, recipients of FINI-funded multiyear community-based projects and large-scale projects. Our results highlighted (1) range of projects and scope, (2) program promotion and awareness, (3) community-based partnerships, (4) technical assistance and peer interactions, (5) measurement and evaluation, (6) program challenges, and (7) future directions and recommendations. Grantees reported a “trifecta of benefits” that affects low-income consumers, farmers, and food retailers. Our findings contribute to understanding how to implement HFI programs in a variety of settings and highlight the variations that can exist between programs, as well as the need for increased technical assistance and synergy between programs (communities of practice). Overall, these findings can help to inform implementation and practice of healthy food incentive programs and the Farm Bill and other policy discussions.

scholarly journals Agreements Between Public Health Organizations and Food and Beverage Companies: Approaches to Improving Evaluation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean L. Wiecha ◽  
Mary K. Muth
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Third Party ◽  
The Public ◽  
Beverage Industry ◽  
Food And Beverage Industry ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Access To Data

Efforts in the United States and abroad to address the chronic disease epidemic have led to the emergence of voluntary industry agreements as a substitute for regulatory approaches to improve the healthfulness of foods and beverages. Because of the lack of access to data and limited budgets, evaluations of these agreements have often been limited to process evaluation with less focus on outcomes and impact. Increasing scientific scope and rigor in evaluating voluntary food and beverage industry agreements would improve potential public health benefits and understanding of the effects of these agreements. We describe how evaluators can provide formative, process, and outcome assessment and discuss challenges and opportunities for impact assessment. We explain how logic models, industry profiles, quasi-experimental designs, mixed-methods approaches, and third-party data can improve the effectiveness of agreement design and evaluation. These methods could result in more comprehensive and rigorous evaluation of voluntary industry agreements, thus providing data to bolster the public health impacts of future agreements. However, improved access to data and larger evaluation budgets will be needed to support improvements in evaluation.

The Impact of Oil Price Fluctuations on Industry Stock Returns: Evidence from International Markets

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Elias Randjbaran ◽  
Reza Tahmoorespour ◽  
Marjan Rezvani ◽  
Meysam Safari
Keyword(s):  
Stock Returns ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
The United States ◽  
Oil Price ◽  
Price Variation ◽  
Price Changes ◽  
Price Fluctuations ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
The Impact

This study investigates the impact of oil price variation on 14 industries in six markets, including Canada, China, France, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Panel weekly data were collected from June 1998 to December 2011. The results indicate that price fluctuations primarily affect the Oil and Gas as well as the Mining industries and have the least influence on the Food and Beverage industry. Furthermore, in three out of six of these countries (Canada, France, and the U.K.), oil price changes negatively affect the Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology industry. One possible reason for the negative relationship between oil price changes and the Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology industries in the above-mentioned countries is that the governments of these countries fund their healthcare systems. Portfolio managers and investors will find the results of this study useful because it enables adjusting portfolios based on knowledge of the industries that are impacted the most or the least by oil price fluctuations.

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