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- All Subjects: Nutrition
- All Subjects: Phoenix (Ariz.)
Description
Objective: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is a federally-funded program that provides supplemental food packages, nutrition education, and healthcare referrals to low-income women, infants, and children under 5, who are at the highest nutritional risk. This study explores if household WIC participation is associated with healthier dietary behaviors among age-ineligible children (5-18-years-old) in WIC households. Consumption frequency of fruits, vegetables, 100% juice, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), and energy-dense snacks (sweet and salty snacks) among children from WIC and income-qualifying non-WIC households were compared.
Methods: Data were obtained from two cross-sectional panels (2009-10 and 2014) of the New Jersey Child Health Study conducted in four low-income New Jersey cities. Questions from previously validated surveys assessed consumption frequency of fruits, vegetables, SSBs, and sweet and salty snacks. Analyses were confined to 570 children between 5-18 yrs; of which 365 (5-11 yrs: 237, 12-18 yrs: 128) resided in WIC participating households and 205 (5-11 yrs: 138, 12-18 yrs: 67) in income-qualifying non-WIC households. Over half of the sample was African American and 43% were Hispanic. Multivariable analyses were conducted to compute incidence rate ratios (IRRs) using negative binomial regression to compare the differences in eating behaviors of children in WIC vs. Non-WIC households
Results: Household WIC participation was associated with a slightly higher frequency of vegetable consumption among 12-18-year-old children (IRR= 1.25, p=.05); differences were significant among older males (12-18-years-old) (p=.006), and not in females.
Frequency of 100% juice consumption was significantly higher among younger females (5-11-years-old) in WIC households who consumed juice about 44% more frequently (p=.02) compared to similar age girls in non-WIC households. Hispanic children in WIC households reported a lower frequency of SSBs consumption (p=.01); this association was only true among males (p=.02).
Conclusions: Household WIC participation is associated with healthier dietary behaviors among age-ineligible children living in the households, suggesting a positive spillover effect of the program. Proposed changes to WIC packages are likely to have dietary implications not only for WIC participants but also for non-participating children residing in WIC households,
Methods: Data were obtained from two cross-sectional panels (2009-10 and 2014) of the New Jersey Child Health Study conducted in four low-income New Jersey cities. Questions from previously validated surveys assessed consumption frequency of fruits, vegetables, SSBs, and sweet and salty snacks. Analyses were confined to 570 children between 5-18 yrs; of which 365 (5-11 yrs: 237, 12-18 yrs: 128) resided in WIC participating households and 205 (5-11 yrs: 138, 12-18 yrs: 67) in income-qualifying non-WIC households. Over half of the sample was African American and 43% were Hispanic. Multivariable analyses were conducted to compute incidence rate ratios (IRRs) using negative binomial regression to compare the differences in eating behaviors of children in WIC vs. Non-WIC households
Results: Household WIC participation was associated with a slightly higher frequency of vegetable consumption among 12-18-year-old children (IRR= 1.25, p=.05); differences were significant among older males (12-18-years-old) (p=.006), and not in females.
Frequency of 100% juice consumption was significantly higher among younger females (5-11-years-old) in WIC households who consumed juice about 44% more frequently (p=.02) compared to similar age girls in non-WIC households. Hispanic children in WIC households reported a lower frequency of SSBs consumption (p=.01); this association was only true among males (p=.02).
Conclusions: Household WIC participation is associated with healthier dietary behaviors among age-ineligible children living in the households, suggesting a positive spillover effect of the program. Proposed changes to WIC packages are likely to have dietary implications not only for WIC participants but also for non-participating children residing in WIC households,
ContributorsSteeves, Stephanie N (Author) / Ohri-Vachaspati, Punam (Thesis advisor) / Tasevska, Natasha (Committee member) / DeWeese, Robin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
Individuals in urban low-income areas often do not have easy access to large grocery stores and supermarkets, and regularly shop at nearby small/corner stores. These stores stock an abundance of processed, energy-dense, nutrient poor foods, combined with few nutrient-dense products. A high concentration of small/corner stores is associated with poor diets by nearby residents. Interventions that target small food stores for increasing the availability and sale of healthy foods have been launched in many communities, and validated survey instruments have been developed to evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions. However, in-store surveys can take up to thirty minutes to conduct and require individual visits from investigators. Many projects assess the food environment in a large number of stores spread across broad geographical areas, making in-person evaluations infeasible and resource-prohibitive. The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and feasible short survey that could be used in-store or over the phone to capture the healthfulness of corner stores. An adapted version of the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey for Corner Stores (NEMS-CS) was used to conduct store audits of 230 corner stores in four New Jersey cities. Audit results were used in exploratory factor analysis and item response theory to develop a seven-item survey. The short survey was highly correlated with the full survey (r=0.79), and the short survey's classification of stores as healthy (top 20% of scores) versus unhealthy (bottom 80% of stores) matched NEMS-CS categorizations in 88% of cases. A second round of audits was conducted in 100 corner stores to confirm the validity of the seven-item survey and to test its feasibility as a phone audit tool. Complete phone responses were obtained from 86% of stores. Response matches indicated that store owners did not distinguish between 2% and low-fat milk, and tended to round up the fruit and vegetable count to five if they had fewer varieties. The seven-item short survey discriminates between healthy and unhealthy stores and is feasible for use as a phone audit tool.
ContributorsDeWeese, Robin (Author) / Ohri-Vachaspati, Punam (Thesis advisor) / Todd, Mike (Committee member) / Karpyn, Allison (Committee member) / Bruening, Meg (Committee member) / Wharton, Chris (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
ContributorsFerrell, Janet (Author) / Spierre, Susan (Author) / Chester, Mikhail Vin (Author) / Arizona State University. School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment (Contributor) / Arizona State University. Center for Earth Systems Engineering and Management (Contributor)
Created2012-05
Description
Better methods are necessary to fully account for anthropogenic impacts on ecosystems and the essential services provided by ecosystems that sustain human life. Current methods for assessing sustainability, such as life cycle assessment (LCA), typically focus on easily quantifiable indicators such as air emissions with no accounting for the essential ecosystem benefits that support human or industrial processes. For this reason, more comprehensive, transparent, and robust methods are necessary for holistic understanding of urban technosphere and ecosphere systems, including their interfaces. Incorporating ecosystem service indicators into LCA is an important step in spanning this knowledge gap.
For urban systems, many built environment processes have been investigated but need to be expanded with life cycle assessment for understanding ecosphere impacts. To pilot these new methods, a material inventory of the building infrastructure of Phoenix, Arizona can be coupled with LCA to gain perspective on the impacts assessment for built structures in Phoenix. This inventory will identify the origins of materials stocks, and the solid and air emissions waste associated with their raw material extraction, processing, and construction and identify key areas of future research necessary to fully account for ecosystem services in urban sustainability assessments. Based on this preliminary study, the ecosystem service impacts of metropolitan Phoenix stretch far beyond the county boundaries. A life cycle accounting of the Phoenix’s embedded building materials will inform policy and decision makers, assist with community education, and inform the urban sustainability community of consequences.
ContributorsFerrell, Janet (Author) / Chester, Mikhail Vin (Author) / Arizona State University. School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment (Contributor) / Arizona State University. Center for Earth Systems Engineering and Management (Contributor)
Description
The health of the planet and its people face considerable challenges; the climate faces threats of irreversible damage while chronic disease and obesity rates continue to rise. Both issues can be attributed in part to humanity’s poor treatment and attitude towards food. Humans throw away much of the nutritious food available, resulting in unhealthful diets and considerable amounts of food waste, leading to harmful greenhouse gas emissions. The current solutions for improving the separate matters of planetary and human health include tradeoffs between the two, despite their interrelatedness. Paradoxically, current research shows that increased fruit and vegetable intake is associated with increased food waste. Current literature has not emphasized a focus on interventions aimed to improve diet quality and food waste simultaneously.Recent research shows that mindfulness can have impacts on human health, such as in relation to chronic pain, mental wellbeing, and self-awareness. Mindful eating specifically has demonstrated improvements in disordered eating behaviors and relationship with food. Yet, no research has been conducted to explore mindful eating in relation to healthful and efficient relationships with food. Therefore, the present study explores mindfulness as a mechanism to improve diet quality and reduce food waste.
The protocol presented in the study, titled Mindful Waste Watchers (MWW), was a 4-week novel virtual program incorporating nutrition education, household food waste reduction education, and mindfulness/mindful eating exercises into each lesson. Entry, exit, and 4-week follow-up surveys, each identical, were distributed to participants to assess diet quality, household food waste habits, mindful eating, mindfulness, and food appreciation, primarily by utilization of validated scales.
The two primary outcomes evaluated in the present article were diet quality and household food waste behaviors. It was found that the intervention did not produce significant effects for either parameter, suggesting that the protocol was not feasible. However, a significant positive effect was found for food appreciation, a factor that may show promise in future research. While no significant effects were found for the primary outcomes, the findings of this study can be considered in future research targeted towards discovering effective interventions to improve diet quality and reduce household food waste.
ContributorsMoeller, Margaret Elizabeth (Author) / Wharton, Christopher (Thesis advisor) / DeWeese, Robin (Committee member) / Kniskern, Megan (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024
ContributorsOhri-Vachaspati, Punam (Contributor) / DeWeese, Robin (Contributor) / ASU School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Maricopa County (Ariz.). Department of Public Health (Contributor) / Arizona Nutrition Network (Contributor) / Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (U.S.) (Funder)
Created2016
ContributorsOhri-Vachaspati, Punam (Contributor) / Truong, S (Contributor) / Lorts, Cori (Contributor) / DeWeese, Robin (Contributor) / ASU School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / ASU Graduate and Professional Student Association (Funder)
Created2017-03