Sarah A. Amin

Impact of the National School Lunch Program on Fruit and Vegetable Selection in Northeastern Elementary Schoolchildren, 2012–2013:

Increasing childrens fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption is an important goal of the U.S. Department of Agricultures (USDAs) National School Lunch Program. Since 2012, the USDAs requirement that children select FVs at lunch as part of the reimbursable school meal has been met with concern and evidence of food waste. We compared elementary schoolchildrens FV selection, consumption, and waste before (10 school visits, 498 tray observations) and after (11 school visits, 944 tray observations) implementation of this requirement using validated dietary assessment measures. More children selected FVs in higher amounts when FVs were required compared with when they were optional (0.69 cups vs. 0.89 cups, p<0.001); however, consumption decreased slightly (0.51 cups vs. 0.45 cups, p=0.01) and waste increased (0.25 cups vs. 0.39 cups, p<0.001) when FVs were required compared with when they were optional. More exposure to FVs in schools through programmatic efforts and in the home environment may help familiarize children with FV offerings and encourage consumption.

Digital workflow in full‐arch implant rehabilitation with segmented minimally veneered monolithic zirconia fixed dental prostheses: 2‐year clinical follow‐up

OBJECTIVE To illustrate a digital workflow in full-arch implant rehabilitation with minimally veneered monolithic zirconia and to report the outcomes including technical complications. CLINICAL CONSIDERATIONS Three patients (5 edentulous arches) received full-arch fixed implant rehabilitation with monolithic zirconia and mild facial porcelain veneering involving a digital workflow. The incisal edges and occluding surface areas were milled out of monolithic zirconia to reduce the possibility of chipping. Porcelain veneering was applied on the facial aspect to improve the esthetic result. Outcomes and technical complications are reported after 2 years of clinical and radiographic follow-up. CONCLUSION Implant and prosthesis survival rates were 100% after a short-term follow-up of 2 years. Technical complications were encountered in one patient. They did not adversely affect prosthesis survival or patient satisfaction and were easily addressed. A digital workflow for the design and fabrication of full-arch monolithic zirconia implant fixed implant prostheses has benefits, but caution is necessary during CAD planning of the prosthesis to ensure a successful outcome. Long-term clinical studies are needed to corroborate the findings discussed in this report. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE This article presents an integrated digital workflow that was implemented for the implant-prosthodontic rehabilitation of three edentulous patients with monolithic zirconia prostheses. Monolithic zirconia has been successfully incorporated in implant prosthodontics in an effort to reduce the technical complications associated with bilayered ceramics. This workflow simplifies design and fabrication of the zirconia prostheses. However, caution should be taken during CAD planning of the prosthesis to make sure the zirconia cylinder is sufficiently thick at the interface with the titanium insert. Additionally, when cutback is planned for facial porcelain veneering, the functional occluding cusps and incisal edges should be fabricated in monolithic zirconia to avoid chipping.

The Physical Activity Environment and Academic Achievement in Massachusetts Schoolchildren.

BACKGROUND A supportive school-based physical activity environment (PAE) is integral to childrens physical activity behaviors, but less understood is its association with academic achievement. We aimed to assess the association between PAE and academic performance and whether a stronger relationship exists in lower-income schools (LIS) compared to middle-income schools (MIS). METHODS Schoolchildren (grades 3rd to 5th) were recruited from 17 Massachusetts public schools. Schools were classified based on geographic characteristics and free/reduced-price lunch (FRPL) eligibility (LIS = 7, Median FRPL = 86%; MIS = 10, Median FRPL = 20%). PAE was measured using a 10-item survey. Mixed-effects logistic regression models were used to examine associations between PAE and scoring Advanced/Proficient on standardized Math and English Language Arts (ELA) tests. RESULTS Demographic characteristics differed between LIS (N = 278, 5% non-Hispanic white) and MIS (N = 297, 73% non-Hispanic white). In LIS, PAE was associated with Math (odds ratio = 5.40, 95% CI = 2.52-11.54 p < .001), but not ELA test scores (p > .05). There was no relationship between PAE and MIS test scores (p > .05). Schooltime moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was not associated with test scores (p > .05). CONCLUSIONS A beneficial relationship exists between a high-PAE and test scores among LIS children, suggesting that the PAE may be associated with a more supportive environment and may be more fundamentally important for lower-income students.

Technique to Match Gingival Shade when Using Pink Ceramics for Anterior Fixed Implant Prostheses.

Use of pink gingival ceramics can reduce the necessity for extensive surgical procedures attempting to restore missing soft and hard tissues in the maxillary esthetic zone. Selecting the appropriate shade for pink porcelain poses a challenge, especially when the patient presents with a high smile line. This paper describes a simple and effective technique to facilitate shade selection for gingival ceramics to match the patients existing gingival shade.

Identifying Food Literacy Educational Opportunities for Youth

Background. Recent efforts supporting children’s dietary behaviors suggest the importance of food literacy (FL), which is a multidimensional concept that encompasses food-related knowledge, skills, and behaviors. To date, FL has been largely informed by adult and adolescent research. Aims. To assess the FL experiences, perceived skills, and knowledge of school-age children to inform FL educational opportunities. Method. Six focus groups were conducted with children (age 9-12 years) from three Massachusetts elementary schools. Two team members independently reviewed and coded a portion of the transcripts to assess interrater reliability. Predominant themes connected to children’s perceived FL skills and knowledge were identified using an inductive and deductive content analysis approach. Results. There were five central FL themes identified during the focus groups (n = 31 children), including (1) food systems concepts; (2) food safety and food freshness; (3) gardening environment, perceived skills, and knowledge; (4) cooking environment, perceived skills, and safety; and (5) autonomy of meal preparation. Discussion. The themes that emerged in these focus groups with children provided new information surrounding children’s perceived FL skills and knowledge as well as important context regarding the food environment (school vs. home). These findings captured important concepts across the “farm to plate” spectrum and highlight potential school-based opportunities where FL topics could be expanded upon most successfully. Conclusion. This formative research informed educational opportunities for a FL curriculum, which holds promise for improving food-based education and programs, designing more effective interventions, and developing measurement tools.

The Feasibility of Teacher and Parent Volunteers Collecting Digital Image Data of Children's Fruit and Vegetable Consumption during School Lunch

Increasing childrens fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption is an aim of school nutrition programs. Digital imaging (DI) is less time and resource intensive than other dietary assessment tools for evaluating whether these efforts correspond with increased FV consumption or waste. However, it is impractical for a university-based trained dietary assessment team (UDAT) to collect DI data nationally. The study objective was to compare the feasibility of DI data collection by the UDAT to a parent volunteer dietary assessment team (PDAT) and a teacher dietary assessment team (TDAT) at two northeast elementary schools (NES-A and NES-B, respectively) across 19 data collection days. Uniquely labeled lanyards were distributed to children as they entered the cafeteria to allow for the formation of a matched DI pair: pre-image of the lunch tray as the child exited the lunch line (FV selection) and a post-image of the tray before disposal (FV waste). Feasibility was defined as the number of DI pairs captured out of th...