scholarly journals State Wellness Policy Requirement Laws Matter for District Wellness Policy Comprehensiveness and Wellness Policy Implementation in the United States

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 188
Author(s):  
Jamie F. Chriqui ◽  
Julien Leider ◽  
Lindsey Turner ◽  
Elizabeth Piekarz-Porter ◽  
Marlene B. Schwartz
Keyword(s):  
Policy Implementation ◽  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Nutrition ◽  
District Level ◽  
Wellness Policy ◽  
Cost Study ◽  
District Implementation

Beginning with the school year 2006–2007, U.S. school districts participating in the federal Child Nutrition Programs were required to adopt and implement a local wellness policy (LWP) that included goals and/or standards for nutrition education, school meals, other foods sold or served in schools, and physical activity. A primary challenge with LWPs has been inconsistent implementation. This study examined whether state wellness policy requirement laws and district LWP comprehensiveness influence district level implementation, using law/policy data from the National Wellness Policy Study and school food authority (SFA)-reported district LWP implementation from the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study. Generalized linear and structural equation models were used, controlling for SFA and district characteristics. SFAs in states with wellness policy requirement laws (vs. those in states without) reported implementing significantly more practices (59.56% vs. 44.57%, p < 0.01). State wellness policy requirement laws were associated with district LWP comprehensiveness (coeff.: 0.463; 95% CI: 0.123, 0.803) and district-level implementation (coeff.: 1.392; 95% CI: 0.299, 2.485). District LWP comprehensiveness was associated with district implementation (coeff.: 0.562; 95% CI: 0.072, 1.053), but did not mediate the state law–district implementation relationship. This study highlights the important role that state laws and district LWPs can play in facilitating wellness policy implementation.

scholarly journals Can Monitoring Make It Happen? An Assessment of How Reporting, Monitoring, and Evaluation Can Support Local Wellness Policy Implementation in US Schools

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 193
Author(s):  
Lindsey Turner ◽  
Yuka Asada ◽  
Julien Leider ◽  
Elizabeth Piekarz-Porter ◽  
Marlene Schwartz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Policy Implementation ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Child Nutrition ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
School Nutrition ◽  
Wellness Policy ◽  
Cost Study ◽  
Child Nutrition Programs ◽  
Local Wellness Policy ◽  
Nationally Representative

US school districts participating in federal child nutrition programs are required to develop a local wellness policy (LWP). Each district is allowed flexibility in policy development, including the approaches used for policy reporting, monitoring, and evaluation (RME). The aim of this convergent mixed-methods study was to quantitatively examine RME provisions in policies among a nationally representative sample of districts in the 2014–2015 school year in order to examine whether policies were associated with RME practices in those districts, and to qualitatively examine perceived challenges to RME practices. Data were compiled through the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study and the National Wellness Policy Study. In multivariable regression models accounting for demographics, survey respondents were significantly more likely to report that their district had informed the public about LWP content and implementation, if there was a relevant policy provision in place. Having a strong policy (as compared to no policy) requiring evaluation was associated with reports that the district had indeed evaluated implementation. Having definitive/required provisions in policies was significantly associated with actual use of RME practices. RME activities are an important part of policy implementation, and these results show that policy provisions addressing RME activities must be written with strong language to require compliance. In interviews with 39 superintendents, many reported that RME activities are challenging, including difficulty determining how to monitor and show impact of their district’s wellness initiatives. Furthermore, the qualitative results highlighted the need for vetted tools that are freely available, widely used, and feasible for districts to use in assessing their progress toward meeting the goals in their LWPs.

scholarly journals District Wellness Policy Nutrition Standards Are Associated with Healthier District Food Procurement Practices in the United States

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 3417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Piekarz-Porter ◽  
Julien Leider ◽  
Lindsey Turner ◽  
Jamie F. Chriqui
Keyword(s):  
Child Nutrition ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Nutrition ◽  
Wellness Policy ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Cost Study ◽  
Food Purchasing ◽  
Food Procurement ◽  
Wellness Policies ◽  
Nutrition Standards

Food procurement policies often exist to require that schools purchase foods with specific nutrient standards. Such policies are increasingly being used with the hope of improving access to healthier foods and beverages. Local wellness policies, required in any school district that participates in Federal Child Nutrition Programs, often contain specific nutrition standards that detail what can be sold to students during the school day. This study investigated the extent to which nutrition standards in wellness policies may be associated with healthier nutrition standards in district-level purchasing specifications. Cross-sectional data from the 2014–2015 school year for 490 school food authorities from 46 states and the District of Columbia were collected as part of the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study and the National Wellness Policy Study. Survey-adjusted multivariable logistic regression models were computed to examine the association between district wellness policy nutrition standards and corresponding district food purchasing specifications. Results show that having a district wellness policy with corresponding nutrition standards and being in a rural area were associated with district food purchasing specifications for specific nutrients. These findings contribute to the literature to suggest that having a wellness policy with detailed nutrition standards may help to increase access to healthier foods and beverages.

Suicidal Ideation Among International Students: The Role of Cultural, Academic, and Interpersonal Factors

2021 ◽  
pp. 001100002110024
Author(s):  
Andrés E. Pérez Rojas ◽  
Na-Yeun Choi ◽  
Minji Yang ◽  
Theodore T. Bartholomew ◽  
Giovanna M. Pérez
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Thwarted Belongingness ◽  
Perceived Burdensomeness ◽  
Using Data

We examined two structural equation models of international students’ suicidal ideation using data from 595 international students in two public universities in the United States. The models represented competing hypotheses about the relationships among discrimination, cross-cultural loss, academic distress, thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and suicidal ideation. The findings indicated there were direct, positive links between discrimination, cross-cultural loss, and academic distress to perceived burdensomeness; a direct, positive link between perceived burdensomeness and suicidal ideation; and indirect, positive links between discrimination, cross-cultural loss, and academic distress to suicidal ideation via perceived burdensomeness. The only predictors that related to thwarted belongingness were cross-cultural loss and academic distress, and there were no indirect links to suicidal ideation via thwarted belongingness. In fact, with all other variables in the model, thwarted belongingness was unrelated to suicidal ideation. Finally, academic distress was directly related to suicidal ideation. We discuss implications of the findings.

scholarly journals Multimorbidity, inflammation, and disability: a longitudinal mediational analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 204062231880684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elliot M. Friedman ◽  
Daniel K. Mroczek ◽  
Sharon L. Christ
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Conditions ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Functional Limitations ◽  
The United States ◽  
C Reactive Protein ◽  
Reactive Protein ◽  
Mediational Analysis

Background: Using longitudinal data from the Survey of Mid-Life Development in the United States, this study examined the role of systemic inflammation in mediating the link between multimorbidity and increases in and onset of functional limitations over a 17–19 year follow-up period. Methods: Participants completed questionnaire assessments of chronic conditions and functional limitations. Interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, and fibrinogen were assayed in serum. Structural equation models were used to predict increases in and onset of functional limitations associated with baseline multimorbidity status; mediation by inflammation was also determined. Results: Multimorbidity ( versus 0–1 conditions) predicted more functional limitations and greater odds of onset of limitations over time. Significant indirect effects showed that inflammation partially mediated the link between multimorbidity and changes in, but not onset of, limitations. Discussion: These results show that inflammation, a nonspecific marker of multiple disease conditions, explains in part the degree to which multimorbidity is disabling.

scholarly journals The Role of District Wellness Policies in Encouraging Student Participation in the School Breakfast Program, United States

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 2187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julien Leider ◽  
Wanting Lin ◽  
Elizabeth Piekarz-Porter ◽  
Lindsey Turner ◽  
Jamie F. Chriqui
Keyword(s):  
School Nutrition ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Wellness Policy ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Cost Study ◽  
School Breakfast Program ◽  
District Policy ◽  
School Breakfast ◽  
Wellness Policies

Eating breakfast is associated with better academic performance and nutrition and lower risk of obesity, but skipping breakfast is common among children and adolescents, and participation in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s School Breakfast Program (SBP) is low. This study assessed the association between school district wellness policy provisions coded as part of the National Wellness Policy Study and student SBP participation and acceptance of the breakfasts provided using cross-sectional survey data from the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study. Separate survey-adjusted multivariable logistic regressions were computed, linking students eating (N = 1575) and liking (N = 726) the school breakfast to corresponding district policy measures, controlling for school and student characteristics. Strong district policy, as opposed to no policy, was associated with significantly higher odds of students eating the school breakfast (odds ratio (OR): 1.86; 95% CI: 1.09, 3.16; p = 0.022), corresponding to an adjusted prevalence of 28.4% versus 19.2%, and liking the school breakfast (OR: 2.14; 95% CI: 1.26, 3.63; p = 0.005), corresponding to an adjusted prevalence of 69.0% versus 53.9%. District policy has the potential to play an important role in encouraging higher levels of SBP participation.

scholarly journals Differences in Diet Quality between School Lunch Participants and Nonparticipants in the United States by Income and Race

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 3891
Author(s):  
Elizabeth C. Gearan ◽  
Kelley Monzella ◽  
Leah Jennings ◽  
Mary Kay Fox
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Diet Quality ◽  
School Lunch ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Nutrition ◽  
Healthy Eating Index ◽  
Lower Income ◽  
Cost Study ◽  
Hispanic White

Prior research has shown that participation in the United States’ National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is associated with consuming higher-quality lunches and diets overall, but little is known about differences by income and race/ethnicity. This analysis used 24 h dietary recall data from the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study to examine how NSLP participation affects the diet quality of students in different income and racial/ethnic subgroups. Diet quality at lunch and over 24 h was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2010, where higher scores indicate higher-quality intakes. HEI-2010 scores for NSLP participants and nonparticipants in each subgroup were estimated, and two-tailed t-tests were conducted to determine whether participant–nonparticipant differences in scores within each subgroup were statistically significant. NSLP participants’ lunches received significantly higher total HEI-2010 scores than those of nonparticipants for lower-income, higher-income, non-Hispanic White, and non-Hispanic Black students, suggesting that participating in the NSLP helps most students consume healthier lunches. These significantly higher total scores for participants’ lunch intakes persisted over 24 h for higher-income students and non-Hispanic White students but not for lower-income students or students of other races/ethnicities. For NSLP participants in all subgroups, the nutritional quality of their 24 h intakes was much lower than at lunch, suggesting that the positive influence of the NSLP on their overall diet quality was negatively influenced by foods consumed the rest of the day (outside of lunch).

scholarly journals A New Approach to the Study of Tolerance: Conceptualizing and Measuring Acceptance, Respect, and Appreciation of Difference

2019 ◽  
Vol 147 (3) ◽  
pp. 897-919 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikael Hjerm ◽  
Maureen A. Eger ◽  
Andrea Bohman ◽  
Filip Fors Connolly
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
The United States ◽  
New Approach ◽  
A Value ◽  
Convergent And Discriminant Validity ◽  
Cross National

Abstract Previous empirical research on tolerance suffers from a number of shortcomings, the most serious being the conceptual and operational conflation of (in)tolerance and prejudice. We design research to remedy this. First, we contribute to the literature by advancing research that distinguishes analytically between the two phenomena. We conceptualize tolerance as a value orientation towards difference. This definition—which is abstract and does not capture attitudes towards specific out-groups, ideas, or behaviors—allows for the analysis of tolerance within and between societies. Second, we improve the measurement of tolerance by developing survey items that are consistent with this conceptualization. We administer two surveys, one national (Sweden) and one cross-national (Australia, Denmark, Great Britain, Sweden, and the United States). Results from structural equation models show that tolerance is best understood as a three-dimensional concept, which includes acceptance of, respect for, and appreciation of difference. Analyses show that measures of tolerance have metric invariance across countries, and additional tests demonstrate convergent and discriminant validity. We also assess tolerance’s relationship to prejudice and find that only an appreciation of difference has the potential to reduce prejudice. We conclude that it is not only possible to measure tolerance in a way that is distinct from prejudice but also necessary if we are to understand the causes and consequences of tolerance.

scholarly journals Effects of trust, risk perception, and health behavior on COVID-19 disease burden: Evidence from a multi-state US survey

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin J Ridenhour ◽  
Dilshani Sarathchandra ◽  
Erich Seamon ◽  
Helen Brown ◽  
Fok-Yan Leung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Behavioral Intention ◽  
Political Ideology ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Disease Burden ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Cognitive Model ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Cognitive Model

Early public health strategies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the United States relied on non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) as vaccines and therapeutic treatments were not yet available. Implementation of NPIs, primarily social distancing and mask wearing, varied widely between communities within the US due to variable government mandates, as well as differences in attitudes and opinions. To understand the interplay of trust, risk perception, behavioral intention, and disease burden, we developed a survey instrument to study attitudes concerning COVID-19 and pandemic behavioral change in three states: Idaho, Texas, and Vermont. We designed our survey (n = 1034) to detect whether these relationships were significantly different in rural populations. The best fitting structural equation models show that trust indirectly affects protective pandemic behaviors via health and economic risk perception. We explore two different variations of this social cognitive model: the first assumes behavioral intention affects future disease burden while the second assumes that observed disease burden affects behavioral intention. In our models we include several exogenous variables to control for demographic and geographic effects. Notably, political ideology is the only exogenous variable which significantly affects all aspects of the social cognitive model (trust, risk perception, and behavioral intention). While there is a direct negative effect associated with rurality on disease burden, likely due to the protective effect of low population density in the early pandemic waves, we found a marginally significant, positive, indirect effect of rurality on disease burden via decreased trust (p = 0.095). This trust deficit creates additional vulnerabilities to COVID-19 in rural communities which also have reduced healthcare capacity. Increasing trust by methods such as in-group messaging could potentially remove some of the disparities inferred by our models and increase NPI effectiveness.

scholarly journals Determinants of genetic diversity and species richness of North American amphibians

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chloé Schmidt ◽  
Jason Munshi-South ◽  
Colin J Garroway
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
The United States ◽  
Energy Availability ◽  
Temperature Dependent ◽  
Frog Species ◽  
Species Groups ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

AbstractWe know little about the general links between broad-scale biodiversity patterns at the nuclear genetic and species levels. Recent work in mammals suggests environmental carrying capacity and ecological opportunity link these two base levels of biodiversity. Energy- and resource-rich environments are thought to support larger populations with higher genetic diversity and species richness. Niche availability is expected to limit population size causing drift while increasing genetic differentiation due to environmental specialization. Several of the processes underlying these links are temperature-dependent, so we might expect different patterns for endotherms and ectotherms. We use a database comprised of raw microsatellite genotypes for 13616 individuals of 18 species sampled at 548 locations in the United States and Canada. We analyzed salamander and frog species separately and simultaneously fit our hypotheses with structural equation models. Similar to mammals, niche availability was the primary contributor to diversity at both the genetic and species levels in frogs, and energy availability was an important predictor of species richness for both taxa. Different than mammals, environmental energy availability was not linked to genetic diversity. There are shared underlying mechanisms linking genetic and species-level diversity but the processes are not entirely general across these species groups.

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