Daniel J. Schober

The relationship between physical activity and diet and young children's cognitive development: A systematic review

Objective Given the high prevalence of suboptimal nutrition and low activity levels in children, we systematically reviewed the literature on the relationship between physical activity and dietary patterns and cognitive development in early childhood (six months to five years). Methods In February 2016, we conducted two different searches of MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and ERIC. Each search included either physical activity (including gross motor skills) or diet terms, and neurocognitive development outcome terms. Included studies were in English, published since 2005, and of any study design in which the physical activity or diet measure occurred prior to age five. Results For physical activity, twelve studies (5 cross-sectional, 3 longitudinal and 4 experimental) were included. Eleven studies reported evidence suggesting that physical activity or gross motor skills are related to cognition or learning. Both acute bouts and longer term exposures showed benefit. For diet, eight studies were included consisting of secondary analyses from longitudinal cohort studies. A healthier dietary pattern was associated with better cognitive outcomes in all studies, although some of the reported associations were weak and the measures used varied across the studies. Conclusions Physical activity and healthy diets in early childhood are associated with better cognitive outcomes in young children. The paucity of literature and the variability in the type and quality of measures used highlight the need for more rigorous research. Given that the early childhood years are critical for both obesity prevention and neurocognitive development, evidence that the same healthy behaviors could promote both should inform future interventions.

Evaluation of the LiveWell@School Food Initiative Shows Increases in Scratch Cooking and Improvement in Nutritional Content.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this evaluation was to examine the effects of the LiveWell@School Food Initiative (LW@SFI), a Colorado-based childhood obesity prevention program that partners with school districts to enable them to serve more scratch cooked foods through culinary training, action planning, and equipment grants. METHODS This evaluation used a quasi-experimental design that examined menu cycles prior to entering the LW@SFI and approximately 1 year later. A review of school menus with food service directors from 9 Colorado school districts was conducted. RESULTS Data show that districts changed an average of 17.4 entrées and 19.7 side dishes over the course of the year. Changes to serving scratch cooked foods were highest for sauces (an increase of 40.5%). No districts were cooking beans/legumes from scratch during baseline or at follow-up. Across the 9 districts, 7 observed statistically significant pre-post reductions in sodium, 4 in fat, 5 in saturated fat, and 3 in calories. CONCLUSIONS Within a year of implementing the LW@SFI, school districts increased the proportion of fresh, scratch cooked foods they offered and this was associated with some decreases in calories, fat, saturated fat, and sodium, contributing to healthier school food environments.

Discovering Sexual Health Conversations between Adolescents and Youth Development Professionals.

Youth development professionals (YDPs) working at community-based organizations are in a unique position to interact with the adolescents because they are neither parents/guardians nor teachers. The objectives of this study were to explore qualitatively what sexual health issues adolescents discuss with YDPs and to describe those issues using the framework of the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) comprehensive sexuality education guidelines. YDPs reported conversations with adolescents that included topics related to the SIECUS key concepts of human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, and sexual health.

Factors Associated With Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation Among the Working Poor: Findings From 2012 American Community Survey

ABSTRACT The goal of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is to assist food insecure households by providing federally allocated funds to increase purchasing power and ultimately achieve a more nutritious diet; however, working poor households tend to be underserved by SNAP. This study identified factors associated with SNAP participation in a nationally representative sample of the working poor (adults with household incomes ≤ 130% of the poverty level who worked 27 or more weeks during the year). Data were from the 2012 American Community Survey. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine independent factors associated with SNAP participation. Adjusting for all other factors and state of residence, those more likely to participate in SNAP included those who were women; younger; non-Hispanic black or Hispanic; separated/divorced; less educated; U.S. citizens; English-speaking; disabled; with no health insurance; on government health plan; moved within the past year; lived in household with no access to a vehicle; paid more for electricity; multigenerational; and those who had at least one child member or one or more elderly members (P < .05, for each). SNAP outreach and policy may be more effective by targeting the working poor, specifically segments of the population who are less likely to participate in SNAP.

A workplace farmstand pilot programme in Omaha, Nebraska, USA.

OBJECTIVE To explore the feasibility of a workplace farmstand programme through the utilization of an online ordering system to build awareness for local food systems, encourage community participation, and increase local fruit and vegetable availability. DESIGN A 4-week pilot to explore feasibility of workplace farmstand programmes through a variety of outcome measures, including survey, mode of sale, weekly sales totals and intercept interviews. SETTING A large private company in Sarpy County, Omaha, Nebraska, USA. SUBJECTS Employees of the company hosting the farmstand programme. RESULTS Pre-programme, a majority of employees indicated that quality (95·4 %), variety (94·6 %) and cost of fruits and vegetables (86·4 %) were driving factors in their fruit and vegetable selection when shopping. The availability of locally or regionally produced fruits and vegetables was highly important (78·1 %). Participants varied in their definition of local food, with nearly half (49·2 %) reporting within 80·5 km (50 miles), followed by 160·9 km (100 miles; 29·5 %) and 321·9 km (200 miles; 12·1 %). Weekly farmstand purchases (both walk-ups and online orders) ranged from twenty-eight to thirty-nine employees, with weekly sales ranging from

Creating Supportive Breastfeeding Policies in Early Childhood Education Programs: A Qualitative Study from a Multi-Site Intervention

US 257·95 to 436·90 for the producer. The mode of purchase changed throughout the pilot, with higher use of online ordering in the beginning and higher use of walk-up purchasing at the end. CONCLUSIONS The workplace farmstand pilot study revealed initial interest by both employees and a producer in this type of programme, helped to establish a sustained producer-employer relationship and led to additional opportunities for both the producer and employer.

Participatory Action Research to Develop Nutrition Education Videos for Child Care Providers The Omaha Nutrition Education Collaborative

Objectives To understand the process by which early childhood education (ECE) providers effectively used an existing intervention to facilitate the creation or strengthening of a written breastfeeding policy, understand the factors important to this process, and present a logic model to guide future intervention design and evaluation. Methods A purposive sample of interviewees who recently completed an ECE nutrition and physical activity intervention and reported positive pre-post scores for breastfeeding support were recruited to complete semi-structured interviews. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded, following a Grounded Theory approach. Results The ECE programs (n = 23) had a written breastfeeding policy and were located across six states in the United States. The most common aspects of breastfeeding support covered in the policies were handling and storing of breastmilk, pieces of equipment to be provided (e.g., breast pump), and the creation of a space or room designated for breastfeeding and pumping. Many factors important to the policy creation process were identified such as motivation, education, technical assistance, perceptions of parental indifference, staff buy-in, and time and administrative constraints. Once motivated to create a policy, ECE providers described actions, such as gathering background information and model policies, discussing policy needs with stakeholders, utilizing technical assistance, and overcoming barriers. Conclusions for Practice From these findings, a logic model was created to guide future intervention design and evaluation, and several recommendations were made to help guide subsequent interventions in promoting the development and implementation of written breastfeeding policies at ECE programs.

A Qualitative Exploration of Community-Based Organization Programs, Resources, and Training to Promote Adolescent Sexual Health

Child care offers an ideal setting to promote more healthful eating through nutrition education. However, many child care providers lack knowledge about nutrition and receive infrequent nutrition training. Although web-based training shows promise as a way to address this, most current trainings focus on information provision rather than direct skills training that promotes hands-on, experiential learning. The present study describes the development of nutrition education videos using a participatory action research (PAR) approach that has been successful in generating research evidence to address community-based challenges. This approach involves four major phases: (1) external consumer influence, (2) consumer-empowered team, (3) the research process, and (4) provider-valued outcomes. A case report design is used to describe the development of six nutrition education videos for child care providers (e.g., teaching taste, texture, and color; teaching nutritional benefits; teaching portion size). One hundred and fourteen providers, parents, and public health professionals viewed the videos. Results showed that the vast majority found the videos to be helpful or very helpful for instructing adults to teach children about nutrition. The videos were made publically available on a website (http://TeachKidsNutrition.org), and as of 1 year of being posted, the website had more than 4,919 visitors across the United States and internationally. Lessons learned throughout this process are discussed. The development of these videos using PAR presents a promising approach to assure that child care providers receive hands-on, experiential learning in nutrition education. Furthermore, this approach may contribute to obesity prevention efforts among child care providers.

Implementing the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Benchmarks for Nutrition Education for Children: Child-Care Providers’ Perspectives

Youth development professionals (YDPs) working at community-based organizations (CBOs) can promote adolescent sexual health through programs. This study explored the programs and resources that youth access at CBOs and training YDPs receive. Twenty-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with YDPs. Qualitative content analyses were conducted using NVivo. The study found that most YDPs described sexuality-related programs for youth. Many YDPs provided informal information and/or referrals for youth. Few YDPs were trained to address adolescent sexuality, but many sought outside resources. Also, YDPs have a unique opportunity to improve adolescent sexual health and sexuality. Five considerations for organizations that develop programs and training for CBOs are suggested.