Maternal and Child Health Library
This and past issues of the MCH Alert are available at http://www.mchlibrary.info/alert/archives.html.
July 3, 2008
1. Publications Address the Needs of Individuals with
Limited English Proficiency and Steps Being Taken to Serve Them
2. Study Tests Effectiveness of Home Visiting Program on
Fruit and Vegetable Intake of Parents and Their Preschool Children
3. Authors Examine Trends in Fast Food Intake During the
Transition from Adolescence to Young Adulthood
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Special Notices:
Mi Futuro Será Brillante: Actividad Física y
Alimentación Saludable -- Para Mujeres Adultas addresses the
connection between women's mental and physical health across the
lifespan. The new Spanish-language tools were produced by the Health
Resources and Services Administration's Office of Women's Health as
part of the Bright Futures for Women's Health and Wellness initiative.
They comprise a booklet and a series of tip sheets that focus on three
main concepts: Appreciating Self, Finding Balance and Purpose in Life,
and Connecting with Others. The tools, along with other tools for
consumers, clinicians, and communities, are available from the MCH
Library Web site at http://www.mchlibrary.info/BFWHW.html.
The MCH Block Grant: Past, Present and Future includes five new oral
history modules about changes to the Maternal and Child Health (MCH)
Program following the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981. The
modules were developed by the Health Resources and Services
Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau Training Branch as
part of the MCH Timeline: History, Legacy, and Resources for Education
and Practice. The modules comprise video interviews that tell the
stories of three young pediatricians who were state Title V directors
during the transition period: Peter van Dyck, M.D., M.P.H. (Utah);
Bernard Guyer, M.D., M.P.H. (Massachusetts); and William Hollinshead,
M.D., M.P.H., (Rhode Island). Titles include: (1) The Years Before the
Block Grant, (2) Winds of Change: 1981 MCH Directors Meeting, (3) The
Early Years of the Block Grant, (4) Political Environment, and (5) The
Present and the Future. The new modules are available at http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov/timeline
(select In Depth Issues: Oral Histories: The MCH Block Grant: Past,
Present and Future).
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1. PUBLICATIONS ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF INDIVIDUALS WITH LIMITED
ENGLISH PROFICIENCY AND STEPS BEING TAKEN TO SERVE THEM
The National Health Law Program (NHeLP) recently released two new
publications that describe characteristics of individuals with limited
English proficiency (LEP) and steps being taken by the nation’s
community health centers and clinics to serve them. The reports have
been released in conjunction with NHeLP's June 2008 policy briefing,
Addressing Language Barriers That Impact Health Care for Millions. They
include the following:
- Serving Patients with Limited English Proficiency: Results of a
Community Health Center Survey presents findings from a 2007 survey of
federally qualified health centers conducted by the National
Association of Community Health Centers to gain more information about
member health centers' experiences in serving clients with LEP.
Selected topics include the diversity of language needs of clients
served by community health centers and the availability of language
service staff, recruiting and paying bilingual staff, assessing need
for language assistance for individual clients, costs and reimbursement
for language services, barriers to language-service provision, and
tools and training resources needs. The report is available at http://www.healthlaw.org/library/item.198374-Serving_Patients_with_Limited_English_Proficiency_Results_of_a_Community_He.
- Language Access: Understanding the Barriers and Challenges in
Primary Care Settings: Perspectives from the Field summarizes findings
from a 2007 survey of primary care clinicians, nonclinical staff,
clinic managers, and administrators conducted by the Association of
Clinicians for the Underserved to learn about language-access barriers
and challenges in providing care among association members. Strategies
to address the problems and recommendations to improve the provision of
language services are included. The report is available at http://www.healthlaw.org/library/item.198372-Language_Access_Understanding_the_Barriers_and_Challenges_in_Primary_Care_S.
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2. STUDY TESTS EFFECTIVENESS OF HOME VISITING PROGRAM ON FRUIT AND
VEGETABLE INTAKE OF PARENTS AND THEIR PRESCHOOL CHILDREN
"H5-KIDS contributes to the literature addressing interventions aimed
at improving parent ability to shape the FV [fruit and vegetable]
intake of their young children," state the authors of an article
published in the July 2008 issue of Preventive Medicine. The authors
previously demonstrated significant improvement in the dietary intake
of African-American parents following a home-based intervention that
encouraged modeling of positive eating behaviors for their infants and
children from birth to age 24 months. However, there was limited
ability to assess whether changes in parent intake directly influenced
child intake. The article presents findings on the effectiveness of a
home-based intervention focused on teaching parents how to create a
positive FV environment for children ages 2-5
H5-KIDS was developed in partnership with Parent As Teachers (PAT), a
parenting and child development program with over 3,000 sites across
all 50 states and 8 U.S. territories. The program used a group
randomized, nested cohort design and was implemented from 2001 to 2006.
Sixteen PAT programs from rural, southeast Missouri were identified and
recruited into the study. PAT sites were paired based on the
percentages of children living below poverty. Control families received
the standard PAT program; intervention families received the standard
PAT program plus the H5-KIDS protocol (comprising a tailored
newsletter, a series of home visits, and materials for the parent and
the child). A telephone survey was conducted before and after the
intervention to assess change in the dietary patterns and behaviors of
both children and their parents. The study sample included 1,306
families who completed the posttest survey (605 intervention group and
701 control group). Overall, 95% of participants were mothers.
The authors found that
- When compared to control parents, H5-KIDS parents significantly
improved intake of fruit alone and combined FV. H5-KIDS parents also
reported an increase in FV knowledge and availability of FV within the
home.
- Contrary to expectations, parents in the intervention group
decreased their use of noncoercive child-feeding practices compared to
those in the control group.
- Fruit intake, vegetable intake, and combined FV intake increased
among normal-weight children in the H5-KIDS group relative to those in
the control group, but the increases did not apply to overweight
children.
- The parent's change in FV intake was a significant predictor of
the child's change in FV intake in the H5-KIDS group.
- The intermediate outcomes of FV availability and knowledge also
predicted positive change in the child's FV intake.
"H5-KIDS suggests the need for, and promise of, early intervention
within the home as a strategy for childhood obesity prevention,"
conclude the authors, adding that "additional research into methods for
promoting parent use of noncoercive feeding styles, evaluating ongoing
impact of these programs, and the impact of cost on program adoption
and dissemination is needed."
Haire-Joshu D, Elliott MB, Caito NM, et al. 2008. High 5 for Kids: The
impact of a home visiting program on fruit and vegetable intake of
parents and their preschool children. Preventive Medicine 47(1):77-82.
Abstract available at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WPG-4S7SV1P-2&_user=655954&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2008&_rdoc=14&_fmt=high&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info(%23toc%236990%232008%23999529998%23693034%23FLA%23display%23Volume)&_cdi=6990&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=29&_acct=C000035538&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=655954&md5=90d7308fece5842980872a3049bde4f8.
Readers: More information is available from the following MCH Library
resources:
- Nutrition in Children and Adolescents at
http://www.mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/kp_childnutr.html
- Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents: Knowledge Path at
http://www.mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/kp_overweight.html
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3. AUTHORS EXAMINE TRENDS IN FAST FOOD INTAKE DURING THE TRANSITION
FROM ADOLESCENCE TO YOUNG ADULTHOOD
"Findings of this study indicate there is a need for nutrition
interventions to address fast food intake during the transition to
young adulthood," state the authors of an article published in the July
2008 issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health. Frequent intake of fast
food is associated with poorer diet quality and greater weight gain.
The transitional period between adolescence and young adulthood is a
high-risk time for the development of being overweight. This study
examines longitudinal trends in fast food intake during the transition
from adolescence to young adulthood and identifies factors during
adolescence that are correlated with fast food intake in early young
adulthood.
Data for the study were drawn from Project EAT (Eating Among Teens), a
prospective, population-based study designed to examine determinants of
dietary intake and weight status. The sample consisted of 1,686 young
adults (45% male) who completed questions assessing fast food intake on
the Project EAT survey at baseline and follow-up. At baseline the mean
age of participants was 15.9, and at follow-up their mean age was 20.5.
The authors found that
- During the transition from middle adolescence (baseline) to young
adulthood (follow-up) the proportion of males that reported frequent
fast food intake (three or more times per week) rose from 23.6% to
33.0%. By contrast, the proportion of females that reported frequent
fast food intake did not significantly increase (20.5 % during
adolescence and 22.8% during young adulthood).
- Frequent fast food intake was most common among male and female
young adults of low-to-middle socioeconomic status (males: 43.8%;
females: 32.7%) and in the race category mixed or other (males 36.2%;
females: 32.7%).
- Frequent fast food intake was most common among females who were
working 40 or more hours per week (26.3%) and was least common among
those attending a 4-year college full time (14.5%) and who were living
on a college or university campus (9%).
- Among males, peer support for healthy eating at baseline was
associated with lower fast food intake at follow-up and decreases in
intake between baseline and follow-up.
- Among females, increases in fast food intake at follow-up were
associated with perceived taste barriers to healthy eating, lunch
frequency, snack frequency, time spent watching television, and
unhealthy food availability at home.
The authors conclude that "taking available food dollars into
consideration, health professionals should help young people identify
food and beverage options that could be consumed away from home and
that would best allow for meeting nutritional requirements within their
energy needs."
Larson NI, Neumark-Sztainer DR, Story MT, et al. 2008. Fast food
intake: Longitudinal trends during the transition to young adulthood
and correlations of intake. Journal of Adolescent Health 43(1):79-86.
Abstract available at http://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(07)00664-7/abstract.
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MCH Alert © 1998-2008 by National Center for Education in Maternal
and
Child Health and Georgetown University. MCH Alert is produced by
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MCH Alert
Maternal and Child Health Library
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