Danya Johnson

Protecting Young Children: Identifying Family Substance Use and Risks in the Home.

This study examines the usefulness of a screening process implemented in the context of a Head Start home visit and compares families who screened positive for substance abuse with those who did not on an array of child and family indicators important for healthy child development. The sample included 1,105 low-income families with preschool-age children enrolled in Head Start programs. Families were interviewed using the Family Map, an interview tool used to screen on a wide range of areas important for healthy child development. Children identified as having a positive screen for family problems with alcohol and other drugs (9.1%) were more likely to be at risk on 10 of 11 additional areas assessed.

Maternal Low- and High-Depressive Symptoms and Safety Concerns for Low-Income Preschool Children

Objectives. Our objective was to examine the relationship between low- and high-level depressive symptoms in mothers’ and children’s risks in the areas of home and car safety, monitoring, and exposure to violence. Methods. Participants included 978 mothers of preschool-age children who were interviewed about their home environment and screened for maternal depression. Results. Whereas only 5.7% scored at high depressive levels on the screen, another 21.3% scored at low depressive levels. Logistic regression analyses controlling for demographics revealed that children were significantly more likely to experience home safety risks in 6 of 7 areas when mothers reported either low or high levels of depressive symptoms. Conclusions. Results suggest that children whose mothers experience even low-level depressive symptoms are at increased risk for safety problems in the home environment, pointing to the need for screening and interventions to reduce the risk of injury.

School Bonding in Early Adolescence: Psychometrics of the Brief Survey of School Bonding.

The comprehensive assessment of middle school student bonding is important for basic research and to evaluate interventions. In this study, the psychometric properties of three assessment tools found in the literature were examined individually and then combined to create a shorter survey. With minor modifications, the tools were found to be psychometrically sound; however, they were burdensome in length and contained redundancy. This motivated the development of a shorter tool that was included in a cyclical process of multiple samples of students (n = 53, 1,911, 2,050) in three phases. The cyclical process involved combining the three surveys, eliminating redundancy, and then examining the psychometric properties of the reduced survey. A final forth phase of the study resulted in a brief but comprehensive survey, Brief Survey of School Bonding. It was found to be psychometrically sound and appropriate for use with children 10 to 15 years of age.

The Family Map: A Tool for Understanding the Risks for Children in Families with Substance Abuse

This article reviews the findings from our assessments of children and their families in two Head Start programs using the Family Map. Specifically, we used the Family Map assessment tool to identify risks to children associated with alcohol and drug use in families with young children. Practical suggestions are offered to administrators about the importance of identifying such risks to children. Understanding specific risks and knowing how to address them are keys to providing the best outcomes for the children in such families.

Organizational Readiness for Implementing a Nutrition Curriculum in Early Care and Education

Objective: To investigate whether offering a vegetable appetizer in a restaurant setting will impact children’s vegetable consumption at a meal and whether marketing cues during the appetizer course can further increase vegetable consumption. Study Design, Setting, Participants, Intervention: Families with at least one child (4–12 years) were recruited from university listservs to attend three dinners serving the same meal (chicken strips, french fries, carrot sticks, ranch dressing, and milk). For Meal 1 children were served all foods simultaneously (control condition). During Meals 2 and 3, the vegetable (carrot sticks) was offered as an appetizer. Meal 3 included marketing prompts highlighting carrots during the appetizer course. Foods offered to children were weighed preand post-meal to determine consumption. Outcome Measures and Analysis: Repeated measures analysis of variance was conducted to determine the effects on carrot consumption (g) with main effects of Meal condition and age (4–7 and 8–12 years). Results: All families (n = 19) participated in three dinners at a university-based restaurant (n = 34 children, n = 33 parents). There was a significant effect of Meal condition on carrot consumption [F(2, 31) = 3.50, P = .036]. Children consumed significantly more carrots (g) during the appetizer conditions compared to the control condition (13.5 g + 36.9, P = .04). The addition of marketing prompts at Meal 3 did not further increase carrot consumption, P = .95. There was a significant main effect for age [F(2,31) = 3.80, P = .028] with younger children demonstrating larger increases in intake ( x = 18.7g) compared to older children ( x = 9.0 g). Conclusions and Impolications: These pilot data suggest that offering a vegetable appetizer may be a feasible strategy to increase children’s consumption of vegetables in the restaurant setting, especially for younger children. Funding: Colorado State University, College of Health and Human Sciences.

Examination of Usefulness of a Meal Pattern Requirements Knowledge Assessment Tool

Background (Background, Rationale, Prior Research, and/or Theory): There is a discrepancy between African American women’s (AAW) perception of weight versus actual weight. Further, AAW tend to have higher positive body image regardless of weight classification. Objective: To examine the association between the different facets of body image and adiposity in AAW. Study Design, Setting, Participants, Intervention: A cross-sectional study of 74 AAW residing in the Southeast U.S. were recruited. The four measures of the MBSRQAS, Appearance Evaluation (AE), Appearance orientation (AO), Overweight preoccupation (OP), and Self-classified weight (SCW), were used to measure body image. Body fat percentage (BFP) was used to measure adiposity. Outcome Measures and Analysis: Measures of adiposity and body image. Ordinal regressions and odds ratios were examined. Results: Mean percent body fat was 38.8 (SD 11.0). Means for the subscales were: AE (3.52 [SD .73]), AO (3.72, SD [.56]), OP (2.54 [SD .90]), and SCW (3.53 [SD .70]). Results indicated that there was a negative association between AE and BFP (P < .001). For every 1% higher BFP there was an 8.4% lower odds that appearance would be rated favorably [OR 0.92, 95% CI (0.88, 0.96)]. SCW and OP were positively associated with BFP (P < .05). For every 1% higher BFP there was a 19% higher odds that participants would classify themselves as overweight and a 5% higher odds, they would be preoccupied about being overweight. AO was not associated with BFP. Conclusions and Implications: Our sample had high ratings of body image even though, on average, they were overweight. Interestingly, different facets of body image were differentially associated with BFP. The higher BFP, the more likely they were concerned with being overweight, classified themselves as overweight, and were less satisfied with their appearance. AAW at higher levels of BFP may be more willing to engage in healthy weight interventions due to their dissatisfaction with body image. Funding: The African American Research and Studies Program.