Anne K. Bomba

Evaluation of Menus Planned in Mississippi Child-Care Centers Participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program

OBJECTIVES To collect information from licensed child-care centers in Mississippi on their foodservice operations relative to participation in the Child and Adult Care Food Program sponsored by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA); to collect information on who planned the menus; and to evaluate the energy and nutrient content of the planned menus relative to the suggested goal of one third of the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) and the recommendations made in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. DESIGN Survey questionnaire. SETTING Licensed child-care centers in Mississippi. SAMPLES Ninety-two licensed child-care centers provided cycle menus for analysis. One hundred eighteen centers returned the questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Content of the menus relative to the meal-pattern guidelines established for the Child and Adult Care Food Program; the energy and nutrient content of the menus relative to the RDAs and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED One-way analysis of variance and frequencies. RESULTS Seventy-five percent of the centers reported participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program. All but one of the centers planned menus that met the meal-pattern requirements established by the program, licensure, and Head Start Performance Standards. Results showed that following the established meal-pattern guidelines for the child nutrition programs may not guarantee consistent nutritional quality of planned menus in child-care centers. The mean amounts of energy and many nutrients were significantly lower (P < .05) for centers that reported participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program. Mean fat levels for all centers exceeded the recommendation of no more than 30% of total energy from fat: 40.8% of total energy from fat was reported by centers that participated in the program and 38% by those that said they did not. APPLICATIONS Additional guidance is needed for menu planning in child-care centers to ensure compliance with the nutritional goal of meeting one third of the RDAs and Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FAMILIAL STYLE AND CREATIVE POTENTIAL OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

The relationship between familial style and creative potential in preschool children was explored with a sample of 32 children (17 girls, 15 boys) and their parents. The childrens ages ranged from 36 to 61 months (M = 51). The children were given the Multidimensional Stimulus Fluency Measure as an assessment of creative potential. Parents completed FACES III, a measure of family interaction patterns. Analysis yielded a positive though nonsignificant r of .32 between FACES adaptability and total fluency of the stimulus fluency measure and a significant negative r of −.34 (p<.05) for FACES cohesion and total fluency of children. Regression analyses indicated that, when cohesion and adaptability are used together, 15% of the variance can be accounted for.

Maternal teaching techniques and preschool children's ideational fluency

Abstract: As a counterpart to research showing relationships between parental behaviors and attitudes and childrens divergent thinking, this study investigated mothers’ teaching techniques and preschool childrens ideational fluency, one aspect of creativity. Twenty mother‐child dyads were videotaped interacting in both a warm‐up and structured teaching session. Mothers’ teaching behaviors were assessed with the Maternal Teaching Observation Technique (MTOT) and childrens ideational fluency was measured with the Multidimensional Stimulus Fluency Measure (MSFM). Correlational analyses indicated relationships between childrens divergent thinking and mothers’ use of verbal negative feedback (r = .51), physical control (r = ‐.40), and visual cues (r = ‐.44).

Physical activity in the Families in Transformation (FIT) weight management program for children

Background: The purpose was to determine if an 8-week nutrition education and exercise program for families could influence health and fitness parameters, and retention of nutrition knowledge. Methods: Eighteen children (mean age: 10.52 ± 1.26 year; 50% boys, 50% girls; 56% white, 25% black, 19% multiracial) participated in the Families in Transformation (FIT) program. Preand post-study anthropocentric, blood pressure, fitness, and nutrition knowledge data was collected. Results: Diastolic blood pressure decreased for the total group (66.63 ± 8.81 to 63.75 ± 11.81mm Hg). Significant (P < 0.05) increases were seen for the group for push-ups (14.31 ± 7.62 to 19.63 ± 6.62) and chair squats (30.50 ± 10.21 to 34.44 ± 7.39). The reinforcing physical activity group performed significantly better on nutrition knowledge quizzes. Conclusion: Although, body mass index (BMI) z-scores did not change, there was a decrease in diastolic blood pressure, increase in fitness parameters, and increased retention of nutrition knowledge.

The use of the USDA Nutrient Analysis Protocol in the evaluation of child-care menus in North Mississippi

Child-care facilities that participate in the federally assisted Child and Adult Care Food Program are required to follow meal patterns that meet the nutrient needs for child growth and development. The purpose of this research is to use the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Nutrient Analysis Protocols to evaluate child-care menus in order to demonstrate their ease of use for menu planners in child-care centres. An interviewer was trained in using the USDA Nutrient Analysis Protocols to assess the menus at five child-care centres recruited for the pilot study. This paper concluded that the USDA Nutrient Analysis Protocols were fairly adaptable for use in child-care facilities. This article can be useful in demonstrating to menu planners that the USDA Nutrient Analysis Protocols are easy to use and provide a site-by-site comparison to ensure programme compliance with Dietary Reference Intakes for young children.

Effect of Season of the Year on Lead Levels in Young Children

Lead poisoning is a serious health concern for child care providers of young children. This study examined blood lead levels in 1,190 children residing in Mississippi. Children ranged in age from six to 81 months, mean age was 32.9 months. Mean lead level was 5.2 micrograms per decaliter (mcg/dl). Boys had a higher lead level than girls, and Black children had a higher lead level than White children. The percentage of children with lead toxicity, or lead levels of 10 mcg/dl or higher was 8.5%. The winter season (December 21 to March 19) had a significantly lower (p = .03) lead level than Autumn (September 23 to December 22), 4.9 mcg/dl and 5.5 mcg/dl, respectively. The Summer season (June 21 to September 22) and Spring (March 20 to June 20) had lead levels of 5.2 mcg/dl, which was not significantly different from the other seasons of the year.

Menu Variety in Mississippi Child Care Centers.

Licensed child care centers in Mississippi were surveyed to determine variety of menu offerings. Each randomly selected center was sent a questionnaire which included a request for cycle menus currently being used. Ninety‐two centers #op41#pc#cp returned both the survey and menus for five days which gave a total of 460 lunch menus for analysis. Menus were analyzed using nutrient analysis software and a frequency analysis showed the most commonly used foods.The foods used most often were milk, white bread, pear halves, tossed green salad, frozen broccoli, sliced ham, and sausage pizza. The majority of the centers used two or more foods as many as three times per week. Results from this study support the need for more training for menu planners in child care centers.

The Effect of Imposed Silence on Food Consumption at a Nursery School.

Nineteen three, four, and five year old children (13 females, 6 males) were studied to observe the effects of imposed silence at lunch on the amount of food consumed during the meal in a nursery school setting. Participants were observed during the noon meal for twenty days. Ten randomly chosen meals were “talking” meals during which subjects conversed normally and ten were silence meals in which the children were told to eat without talking. Food was weighed before and after eating and then a mean plate waste and food consumption amount was calculated for each day. The total mean food consumption was 223.3 grams compared to 165.7 grams for the non‐talking meals. Analysis of variance indicated no significant (p < 0.05) difference in food consumption between the two treatments. The results of this study indicate that imposing silence during mealtime does not increase food consumption. In addition, imposing silence fostered a stressful atmosphere at mealtime.