Effect of a Multicomponent Food Pantry Intervention in Client Subgroups.

Nutrition promotion programs may have varying effects and influence health disparities. SuperShelf promotes healthy choices in food pantries through inventory changes and nudge implementation (e.g., choice architecture). This secondary analysis of the SuperShelf cluster-randomized trial assessed whether the effect of SuperShelf on client diet quality differed by equity characteristics. English-, Spanish-, or Somali-speaking adult clients from 11 food pantries in Minnesota were included (N = 193). We measured change in diet quality by the Healthy Eating Index 2015 (HEI-2015; maximum score 100) using up to two 24 h dietary recalls from pre-intervention and post-intervention periods. We used linear mixed-effects models to determine whether the effect of SuperShelf on diet quality varied by self-reported gender, race/ethnicity, education, and employment status. In separate adjusted models, the interactions of SuperShelf and gender, education, or employment status were not significant. The interaction of SuperShelf and race/ethnicity was significant (p-interaction = 0.008), but pairwise comparisons in diet quality were non-significant in all racial/ethnic subgroups. SuperShelf did not have differential effects on diet quality by gender, race/ethnicity, education, or employment status, suggesting it does not worsen dietary disparities among food pantry clients, though more subgroup analyses are needed to explore potential racial/ethnic disparities in this context.

Menu Calorie Label Use and Diet Quality: a Cross-Sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: Menu calorie labeling has been implemented in food service businesses to promote healthy food choices; however, evidence is limited on whether label use is associated with healthier dietary intake. This study examined the association between menu calorie label use and diet quality and whether it varied by weight status. METHODS: Adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2017-2018 who visited restaurants were included. Menu calorie label use was categorized as did not notice labels, noticed labels, and used labels. Diet quality was measured using the Healthy Eating Index 2015 (maximum score 100) by two 24-hour diet recalls. The association between menu calorie label use and diet quality was examined using multiple linear regression and tested for effect modification by weight status. Data were collected during 2017-2018 and analyzed during 2022-2023. RESULTS: Of 3,312 participants (representing 195,167,928 U.S. adults), 43% did not notice labels, 30% noticed labels, and 27% used labels. Using labels was associated with 4.0 points (95% CI 2.2, 5.8) higher Healthy Eating Index 2015 scores than not noticing labels. Healthy Eating Index 2015 scores in those using labels were higher for adults with normal BMI (3.4 points; 95% CI=0.2, 6.7), overweight (6.5 points; 95% CI=3.6, 9.5), and obesity (3.0 points; 95% CI=1.0, 5.1) (p-interaction=0.0004) than those who did not notice labels. CONCLUSIONS: Using menu calorie labels was associated with modestly healthier diet quality than not noticing labels, regardless of weight status. This suggests that providing caloric information may help some adults with food decisions.

A food bank program to help food pantries improve healthy food choices: mixed methods evaluation of The Greater Boston Food Bank's Healthy Pantry Program.

BACKGROUND: The Greater Boston Food Bank's (GBFB) Healthy Pantry Program (HPP) is an online training that teaches food pantry staff to implement behavioral nudges (e.g., traffic-light nutrition labels, choice architecture) to promote healthier client choices. This study assessed if HPP was associated with healthier food bank orders by food pantries and identified implementation facilitators and barriers. METHODS: This mixed methods study collected quantitative data from a matched cohort of 10 HPP food pantries and 99 matched control food pantries in eastern Massachusetts that allow clients to choose their own food, and qualitative data from structured individual interviews with 8 HPP pantry staff. A difference-in-differences analysis compared changes in percentage of pantries' food bank orders (by weight) of foods labeled green/yellow (healthier choices) and fresh produce from baseline to 6 and 10 months between HPP and control pantries. Interviews were coded for implementation facilitators and barriers. RESULTS: Before starting HPP, green-yellow ordering was 92.0% (SD 4.9) in control and 87.4% (SD 5.4) in HPP pantries. Participation in HPP was not associated with changes in green-yellow or fresh produce ordering at 6 or 10 months. HPP implementation facilitators included HPP training being accessible (sub-themes: customizable, motivating) and compatible with client-choice values. Barriers included resource limitations (sub-themes: staff shortage, limited space) and concerns about stigmatizing client food choices with use of labels for unhealthy foods. CONCLUSIONS: An online program to help pantries promote healthier client choices was not associated with changes in how much healthy food pantries ordered from the food bank, suggesting it did not substantially change client choices. Implementation challenges and high baseline healthy ordering may have influenced HPP's effectiveness.

Health Literacy, Numeracy, and Health Promotion: A Secondary Analysis of the Choosewell 365 Workplace Trial.

INTRODUCTION: Health literacy and numeracy are linked to obesity and dietary behaviors. This study investigates whether the effect of a workplace behavioral intervention to prevent weight gain and improve diet differed by employee health literacy and numeracy. METHODS: ChooseWell 365 was an RCT of hospital employees testing a 12-month intervention using nudges and feedback to promote healthier choices, building on existing cafeteria traffic light labels (e.g., green=healthy, red=unhealthy). Health literacy and numeracy were measured with the Newest Vital Sign (range=0-6) and General Numeracy Scale (range=0-3). Mixed-effects linear models examined if intervention effects on cafeteria purchases, diet quality (Healthy Eating Index 2015, range=0-100), and weight change over 24 months differed by higher versus lower health literacy or numeracy. Data were collected in 2016-2020 and analyzed in 2020-2021. RESULTS: In 12 months, 510 participants completed the Newest Vital Sign and General Numerancy Scale; 36.7% had Newest Vital Sign<6 (lower health literacy) and 31.6% had General Numerancy Scale<2 (lower numeracy). Intervention participants increased healthy purchases over 24 months compared with controls in both higher and lower health literacy and numeracy groups. At 12 months, Healthy Eating Index 2015 scores increased in intervention versus control participants with lower health literacy (5.5 points, 95% CI=1.51, 9.54) but not in those with higher health literacy (p-interaction=0.040). BMI did not differ by health literacy or numeracy. CONCLUSIONS: A behavioral intervention improved cafeteria food choices of hospital employees of varying health literacy and numeracy levels and improved diet quality among employees with lower health literacy, suggesting this group also improved food choices outside of work.

Resilience and diabetes self-management among African-American men receiving primary care at an urban safety-net hospital: a cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Resilience is the ability to adapt to adverse life events. Studies that explore diabetes self-management interventions integrating resilience in African-Americans with diabetes include few African-American men, who have higher diabetes-related mortality and complication rates compared to African-American women. DESIGN: We conducted a cross-sectional study of African-American men with uncontrolled diabetes living in diabetes hotspots. We measured resilience levels using the General Self Efficacy Scale (GSES), adherence to diabetes self-management behaviors using the Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire (DSMQ), and incarceration history by phone survey. We categorized participants as higher or lower resilience level and higher or lower adherence to diabetes self-management behaviors. Using multivariable logistic regression, we examined the relationship between resilience and adherence to diabetes self-management behaviors. Our model accounted for potential confounders, including age, incarceration history, and socioeconomic factors. RESULTS: Of 234 patients contacted by mail and phone, 94 (40.2%) completed the survey. Mean age was 60.6 years, 59.5% reported an annual household income of less than $20,000, and 29.8% reported a history of incarceration. The mean unadjusted GSES score was 25.0 (sd 5.2; range: 0-30, higher scores indicate greater resilience), and the mean DSMQ score was 7.34 (sd 1.78; range: 0-10, higher scores indicate greater adherence to diabetes self-management behaviors). In multivariable analyses, higher levels of resilience were associated with higher adherence to diabetes self-management behaviors (aOR = 9.68, 95% CI 3.01, 31.12). History of incarceration was negatively associated with higher adherence to diabetes self-management behaviors (aOR = 0.23, 95% CI 0.06, 0.81). CONCLUSIONS: Resilience and personal history of incarceration are associated with adherence to diabetes self-management behaviors among African-American men residing in diabetes hotspots. Future interventions should incorporate resilience training to improve diabetes self-management behaviors. At a societal level, social determinants of health that adversely affect African-American men, such as structural racism and mass incarceration, need to be eliminated.

Food Insecurity, Dietary Quality, and Health Care Utilization in Lower-Income Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Food insecurity and poor nutrition are prevalent in the United States and associated with chronic diseases. Understanding relationships among food insecurity, diet, and health care utilization can inform strategies to reduce health disparities. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to determine associations between food security status and inpatient and outpatient health care utilization and whether they differed by dietary quality in lower-income adults. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study of data from the 2009-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: Participants were 13,956 lower-income (<300% federal poverty level) adults 18 years and older in the United States. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Self-reported health care utilization in the past 12 months included no usual source of care, any outpatient visit, any mental health service use, and any hospitalization. STATISTICAL ANALYSES: Multiple logistic regression was used to study the association between food insecurity and health care utilization. Analyses were stratified by diet-related comorbidities to account for potential confounding and mediation of health care utilization, and by dietary quality. RESULTS: In a sample of lower-income adults <300% federal poverty level, 4,319 participants (27.4%) were food insecure, 2,208 (15.0%) were marginally food secure, and 7,429 (57.6%) were food secure. Food insecurity was associated with having no usual source of care (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.30; 95% CI 1.11 to 1.52), any mental health service use (aOR 2.02; 95% CI 1.61 to 2.52), and any hospitalization (aOR 1.19; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.41). Food-insecure adults were more likely to report no outpatient visits if they had diet-related comorbidities (aOR 1.45; 95% CI 1.10 to 1.92) or the lowest dietary quality (aOR 1.53; 95% CI 1.06 to 2.23). Marginal food security was associated with having no usual source of care (aOR 1.22; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.44). CONCLUSIONS: Adults with food insecurity were more likely to be hospitalized, use mental health services, and have no usual source of care. Food-insecure participants with diet-related comorbidities or poor diet were less likely to have outpatient visits. Hospitalizations and mental health visits represent underused opportunities to identify and address food insecurity and dietary intake in lower-income patients.

Changes to dietary and health outcomes following implementation of the 2012 updated US Department of Agriculture school nutrition standards: analysis using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005-2016.

OBJECTIVE: In 2012, the US government overhauled school nutrition standards, but few studies have evaluated the effects of these standards at the national level. The current study examines the impact of the updated school nutrition standards on dietary and health outcomes of schoolchildren in a nationally representative data set. DESIGN: Difference-in-differences. We compared weekday fruit and vegetable intake between students with daily school lunch participation and students without school lunch participation before and after implementation of updated school nutrition standards using a multivariable linear regression model. Secondary outcomes included weekday solid fat and added sugar (SoFAS) intake and overweight and obesity prevalence. We adjusted analyses for demographic and family socio-economic factors. SETTING: USA. PARTICIPANTS: K-12 students, aged 6-20 years (n 9172), from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005-2016. RESULTS: Implementation of updated school nutrition standards was not associated with a change in weekday fruit and vegetable intake (ß = 0·02 cups, 95 % CI -0·23, 0·26) for students with daily school lunch participation. However, implementation of the policy was associated with a 1·5 percentage point (95 % CI -3·0, -0·1) decline in weekday SoFAS intake and a 6·1 percentage point (95 % CI -12·1, -0·1) decline in overweight and obesity prevalence. CONCLUSIONS: Changes to US school nutrition standards were associated with reductions in the consumption of SoFAS as well as a decrease in overweight and obesity in children who eat school lunch. However, we did not detect a change in weekday intake of fruits and vegetables associated with the policy change.

Patient experiences and provider perspectives on a hospital-based food pantry: a mixed methods evaluation study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this evaluation study was to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement in programme functioning and common aspects of patients' experiences at a hospital-based food pantry. DESIGN: Semi-structured, in-depth interviews with patients and a cross-sectional survey for providers were used. Interview transcripts were coded using both inductive and deductive approaches and assessed for inter-rater reliability. Descriptive statistics were produced from quantitative data. SETTING: An academic urban safety-net hospital in the Northeastern US offering inpatient and outpatient services. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty patients and 89 providers. RESULTS: Patients expressed feeling comfortable, trusting the food, high satisfaction with food quality, convenience, and lack of stigma at the hospital-based pantry. Patients mentioned the pantry helped them eat more fruits and vegetables, but expressed concerns about the healthfulness of other foods distributed. Providers believed they should discuss food insecurity (FI) with patients (99 %) and that the pantry improves the health of patients (97 %), but faced barriers to consistently screening for FI and referring patients to the pantry, such as insufficient training on FI (53 %) and time constraints (35 %). CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest hospital-based food pantries may have several advantages. Hospitals with onsite food pantries must work to eliminate barriers to FI screening and pantry referral. To optimize their impact, such pantries should develop nutritional guidelines for food donations and connect patients with nutrition education resources. Future research should examine health outcomes for patients using hospital-based food pantries.

Systematic review of interventions by non-mental health specialists for managing fear of cancer recurrence in adult cancer survivors.

PURPOSE: Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) affects 50-70% of cancer survivors. Evidence-based psychological interventions for FCR are effective but resource-/time-consuming. This systematic review identified interventions by non-mental health specialists addressing FCR, evidence of a relationship between specialist communication and FCR and stakeholder perspectives on how specialist communication can address FCR. METHODS: A systematic literature review was conducted using nine databases (Medline Ovid, EMBASE, Cochrane, CINAHL, Scopus, PsychINFO, Informit, Web of Science and Google Scholar). Included studies were English, published 1997-2018, on adult cancer patients examining 'fear'/'worry' and 'cancer recurrence'/'progression' and 'health communication'/'medical encounter'/'interventions'. Data was extracted, summarised and rated for quality by two authors. RESULTS: Of 6248 articles screened, 16 were included. No phase III randomised controlled trials were found. Five studies piloted an intervention, three were correlational studies, five were cross-sectional patient surveys and three were specialist surveys. Four out of five interventional studies were nurse-led: one trained patients in discussing FCR with their specialist while three delivered supportive counselling and/or taught strategies to manage FCR. The last intervention trained mixed health professionals to manage FCR through normalisation, education and lifestyle strategies. Three intervention studies measured FCR objectively, and two demonstrated a reduction in FCR in the short term. Consultation duration, empathy and clear information delivery were associated with FCR. Patients indicated desire to discuss FCR; however, specialists indicated discomfort with managing FCR. CONCLUSIONS: Research on non-mental health practitioner-led interventions to address FCR is lacking. Further studies on whether specialist interventions delivered during follow-up consultations are useful in managing FCR are required.

Retrospective Analysis of Patient Presentations at the Sydney (Australia) Royal Easter Show from 2012 to 2014.

Introduction Comprehensive studies on the relationship between patient demographics and subsequent treatment and disposition at a single mass-gathering event are lacking. The Sydney Royal Easter Show (SRES; Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales, Australia) is an annual, 14-day, agricultural mass-gathering event occurring around the Easter weekend, attracting more than 800,000 patrons per year. In this study, patient records from the SRES were analyzed to examine relationships between weather, crowd size, day of week, and demographics on treatment and disposition. This information would help to predict factors affecting patient treatment and disposition to guide ongoing training of first responders and to evaluate the appropriateness of staffing skills mix at future events. Hypothesis Patient demographics, environmental factors, and attendance would influence the nature and severity of presentations at the SRES, which would influence staffing requirements. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 4,141 patient record forms was performed for patients who presented to St John Ambulance (Australian Capital Territory, Australia) at the SRES between 2012 and 2014 inclusive. Presentation type was classified using a previously published minimum data set. Data on weather and crowd size were obtained from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) and the SRES, respectively. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS v22 (IBM; Armonk, New York USA). RESULTS: Between 2012 to 2014, over 2.5 million people attended the SRES with 4,141 patients treated onsite. As expected, the majority of presentations were injuries (49%) and illnesses (46%). Although patient demographics and presentation types did not change over time, the duration of treatment increased. A higher proportion of patients were discharged to hospital or home compared to the proportion of patients discharged back to the event. Patients from rural/regional locations (accounting for 15% of all patients) were more likely to require advanced treatment, health professional review, and were more likely to be discharged to hospital or home rather than discharged back to the event. Extremes of temperature were associated with a lower crowd size and higher patient presentation rate (PPR), but had no impact on transfer or referral rates to hospital. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that analyses of patient presentations at an agricultural show provide unique insights on weather, attendance, and demographic features that correlated with treatment and disposition. These data can help guide organizers with information on how to better staff and train health care providers at future mass-gathering events of this type. Crabtree N , Mo S , Ong L , Jegathees T , Wei D , Fahey D , Liu J . Retrospective analysis of patient presentations at the Sydney (Australia) Royal Easter Show from 2012 to 2014. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(2)187-194.

Arrested Hematopoiesis and Vascular Relaxation Defects in Mice with a Mutation in Dhfr.

Dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) is a critical enzyme in the folate metabolism pathway and also plays a role in regulating nitric oxide (NO) signaling in endothelial cells. Although both coding and noncoding mutations with phenotypic effects have been identified in the human DHFR gene, no mouse model is currently available to study the consequences of perturbing DHFR in vivo In order to identify genes involved in definitive hematopoiesis, we performed a forward genetic screen and produced a mouse line, here referred to as Orana, with a point mutation in the Dhfr locus leading to a Thr136Ala substitution in the DHFR protein. Homozygote Orana mice initiate definitive hematopoiesis, but expansion of progenitors in the fetal liver is compromised, and the animals die between embryonic day 13.5 (E13.5) and E14.5. Heterozygote Orana mice survive to adulthood but have tissue-specific alterations in folate abundance and distribution, perturbed stress erythropoiesis, and impaired endothelium-dependent relaxation of the aorta consistent with the role of DHFR in regulating NO signaling. Orana mice provide insight into the dual roles of DHFR and are a useful model for investigating the role of environmental and dietary factors in the context of vascular defects caused by altered NO signaling.

Passive Smoke Exposure and Its Effects on Cognition, Sleep, and Health Outcomes in Overweight and Obese Children.

BACKGROUND: Passive smoke exposure (PSE) may be a risk factor for childhood overweight and obesity and is associated with worse neurocognitive development, cognition, and sleep in children. The purpose of the study is to examine the effects of PSE on adiposity, cognition, and sleep in overweight and obese children using an objective measure of PSE. METHODS: Overweight or obese children (n = 222) aged 7-11 (9.4 ± 1.1 years; 58% black; 58% female; 85% obese) were recruited from schools near Augusta, Georgia, over the course of the school year from 2003-2006 for a clinical trial, with data analyzed in 2009-2010. Passive smoke exposure was measured with plasma cotinine. Health, cognitive, and sleep measures and parent report of smoke exposure were obtained. RESULTS: Overweight and obese children with PSE had greater overall and central adiposity than nonexposed overweight and obese children (p < 0.03). However, PSE was unrelated to prediabetes, insulin resistance, or visceral fat. PSE was linked to poorer cognitive scores (p < 0.04) independent of adiposity, but was not related to sleep-disordered breathing. CONCLUSIONS: PSE is associated with fatness and poorer cognition in children. Tailored interventions that target multiple health risk factors including nutrition, physical activity, and tobacco use in children and families are needed to prevent adverse health outcomes related to tobacco use and obesity.

Folate and one-carbon metabolism and its impact on aberrant DNA methylation in cancer.

Folate is a methyl donor that plays an essential role in DNA synthesis and biological methylation reactions, including DNA methylation. Folate deficiency may be implicated in the development of genomic DNA hypomethylation, which is an early epigenetic event found in many cancers, particularly colorectal cancer (CRC). Numerous studies employing in vitro systems, animal models, and human interventional studies have tested this hypothesis. Here, we describe the role of folate as a methyl donor in the one-carbon metabolism cycle, and the consequences of cellular folate deficiency. The existing evidence on folate and its relationship to DNA methylation is discussed using CRC as an example. While there remain numerous technical challenges in this important field of research, changes to folate intake appear to be capable of modulating DNA methylation levels in the human colonic mucosa and this may potentially alter CRC risk.