scholarly journals Barriers to Nutrition Interventions in Army Dining Facilities: A Qualitative Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholes J Armstrong ◽  
Erik E Serrano ◽  
Renee E Cole ◽  
Asma S Bukhari ◽  
Julianna M Jayne

ABSTRACT Introduction Interventions that encourage good nutrition-related behaviors in the dining environment can potentially influence the health of large numbers of military personnel. Thus, the Army has studied the effectiveness of implementing nutrition education and dining facility (DFAC) changes that included healthier recipes, revised menus, and population-specific point-of-choice labeling, but successful intervention implementation largely depends on the foodservice employees’ understanding, knowledge, and desire to sustain changes. This phenomenological, qualitative study aimed to better understand common barriers to the implementation and sustainment of DFAC-based nutrition interventions at two U.S. Army DFACs. Materials and Methods Focus group sessions (n = 168 participants) ranging from 60 to 90 minutes in length were conducted at two large DFACs on three separate occasions every 4 months from May 2015 to January 2016 among the foodservice staff during intervention implementation. Focus group transcripts were analyzed using NVivo 11 software. Researchers conducted multiple rounds of coding following an iterative process until four principal themes emerged. Results Principal themes related to the foodservice employees’ experience during the nutrition intervention revealed barriers to a successful implementation related to (1) nutrition knowledge deficits, (2) inadequate culinary training, (3) poor management practices, and (4) low staff morale. Conclusion A lack of foodservice staff training and education is a significant contributor to implementation barriers. Future interventions should increase engagement with foodservice employees during intervention planning and implementation phases with a structured and tailored nutrition education and culinary skill training program. Addressing these barriers may enhance staff morale and promote intervention adherence.

2007 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 61
Author(s):  
S. Malhotra ◽  
R. Hatala ◽  
C.-A. Courneya

The mini-CEX is a 30 minute observed clinical encounter. It can be done in the outpatient, inpatient or emergency room setting. It strives to look at several parameters including a clinical history, physical, professionalism and overall clinical competence. Trainees are rated using a 9-point scoring system: 1-3 unsatisfactory, 4-6 satisfactory and 7-9 superior. Eight months after the introduction of the mini-CEX to the core University of British Columbia Internal Medicine Residents, a one hour semi-structured focus group for residents in each of the three years took place. The focus groups were conducted by an independent moderator, audio-recorded and transcribed. Using a phenomenological approach the comments made by the focus groups participants were read independently by three authors, organized into major themes. In doing so, several intriguing common patterns were revealed on how General Medicine Residents perceive their experience in completing a mini-CEX. The themes include Education, Assessment and Preparation for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Internal Medicine exam. Resident learners perceived that the mini-CEX process provided insight into their clinical strengths and weaknesses. Focus group participants favored that the mini-CEX experience will benefit them in preparation, and successful completion of their licensing exam. Daelmans HE, Overmeer RM, van der Hem-Stockroos HH, Scherpbier AJ, Stehouwer CD, van der Vleuten CP. In-training assessment: qualitative study of effects on supervision and feedback in an undergraduate clinical rotation. Medical Education 2006; 40(1):51-8. De Lima AA, Henquin R, Thierer J, Paulin J, Lamari S, Belcastro F, Van der Vleuten CPM. A qualitative study of the impact on learning of the mini clinical evaluation exercise in postgraduate training. Medical Teacher January 2005; 27(1):46-52. DiCicco-Bloom B, Crabtree BF. The Qualitative Research Interview. Medical Education 2006; 40:314-32.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rayan Korri ◽  
Sabine Hess ◽  
Guenter Froeschl ◽  
Olena Ivanova

Abstract Background The war in Syria caused the forced displacement of millions of Syrians to neighboring countries. Lebanon is the host country with the largest overall number of Syrian refugees per capita. Adolescent refugee girls experience a unique level of vulnerability during human emergencies and are at increased risk of suffering from poor sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes. We conducted an exploratory qualitative study to learn about the SRH perceptions and experiences of refugee adolescent girls living in Bourj Hammoud, an urban setting in Lebanon. Methods We employed a qualitative design with eight focus group discussions (FGDs) conducted with 40 Syrian Arab and Syrian Kurdish adolescent girls between January and March 2020. Every FGD consisted of five participants aged 13 to 17 years. A semi-structured guide was used covering multiple themes: menstruation, puberty, SRH awareness, and sexual harassment. FGDs were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings The participants discussed adolescent girls’ health and named six elements of good health, such as healthy activities and self-protection. The majority of the FGD participants reported a lack of awareness about menstruation when they experienced it for the first time and the social stigma associated with menstruation. When defining puberty, they indicated its social link to a girl’s readiness for marriage and her need to become cautious about sexual harassment. Most FGD participants had very poor knowledge of the female reproductive system. Mothers were the most approached persons to receive information on SRH issues; however, the girls indicated a wish to receive advice from specialists in a comfortable and private atmosphere. All the girls reported that either they themselves, or an acquaintance, had experienced some type of sexual harassment. The girls rarely reported those incidents due to fear of being blamed or subjected to mobility restrictions, or forced to drop out of school. Conclusions The findings show the refugee girls need for satisfactory knowledge on SRH issues and interventions to prevent sexual and gender-based violence that take into consideration the complexity of urban settings.


2021 ◽  
pp. 001872672110311
Author(s):  
James Brooks ◽  
Irena Grugulis ◽  
Hugh Cook

Why does so much literature on unlearning ignore the people who do the unlearning? What would we understand differently if we focused on those people? Much of the existing literature argues that unlearning can only be achieved, and new knowledge acquired, if old knowledge is discarded: the clean slate approach. This might be a reasonable way of organising stock in a warehouse, where room needs to be created for new deliveries, but it is not an accurate description of a human system. This article draws on a detailed qualitative study of learning in the UK Fire and Rescue Services to challenge the clean slate approach and demonstrate that, not only did firefighters retain their old knowledge, they used it as a benchmark to assess new routines and practices. This meant that firefighters’ trust in, and consent to, innovation was key to successful implementation. In order to understand the social aspects of unlearning, this research focuses on the people involved as active agents, rather than passive recipients or discarders of knowledge.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalia Stern ◽  
Ilian Blanco ◽  
Lucy A. Olmos ◽  
Joel J. Valdivia ◽  
Archana Shrestha ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Worksite-based nutrition interventions can serve as access points to facilitate healthy eating and translate existing knowledge of cardiometabolic disease prevention. We explored perceptions, facilitators, and barriers for healthy eating in a cafeteria at a large worksite in Mexico City. Methods We conducted an exploratory qualitative study in a large department store in Mexico City with ~ 1500 employees. We conducted eight focus group discussions (FGD) with 63 employees stratified by job category (sales, maintenance, shipping, restaurant, cafeteria, administrative staff, and sales managers). Employees were invited to participate in the FGD if they were at the store at the day and time of the FGD for their job type. FGDs were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using the thematic method. This process involved the researches´ familiarizing themselves with the data, generating initial codes, searching for themes, reviewing the themes, defining and naming themes, and then interpreting the data. Results Employees defined healthy eating as eating foods that are fresh, diverse, and prepared hygienically. The most commonly reported facilitators of healthy eating at the worksite were availability of affordable healthy food options and employees’ high health awareness. Major barriers to healthy eating included unavailability of healthy foods, unpleasant taste of food, and preference for fatty foods and meat. For lower-wage workers, affordability was a major concern. Other barriers included lack of time to eat work and long working hours. Conclusion A broad range of factors affect healthy eating at the cafeteria, some related to nutrition and some related to the employees type of job. Availability of healthy, hygienic, and tasty food at an affordable price could lead to healthier food choices in the worksite cafeteria. These strategies, along with work schedules that allow sufficient time for healthy eating, may help improve dietary behaviors and health of employees.


2021 ◽  
pp. 037957212110207
Author(s):  
Colette Rector ◽  
Nadhira Nuraini Afifa ◽  
Varun Gupta ◽  
Abbas Ismail ◽  
Dominic Mosha ◽  
...  

Background: Tanzania has a double burden of malnutrition, including a high prevalence of undernutrition and an increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity among adolescents. Schools present a valuable opportunity to reach a large section of the country’s adolescent population with nutrition-oriented interventions. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the current state of adolescent school nutrition interventions in Dodoma, Tanzania, with emphases on 3 potential school-based nutrition interventions, school vegetable gardens, school meals, and education (on nutrition, agriculture, and water, sanitation, and hygiene). Methods: Focus group discussions were conducted with several regional and district-level governmental stakeholders, including health, education, and agricultural officers. Ten public secondary schools were visited, and interviews with school administrators, teachers, students, and parents were conducted. Results: All stakeholders interviewed supported interventions to improve school-based nutrition, including school gardens, school feeding, and nutrition education. All 10 schools visited had some experience providing school meals, but parents’ contributions were essential for the program’s sustainability. Most schools visited had land available for a school garden program, but water availability could be challenging during certain times of the year. The teachers interviewed expressed that the curriculum on nutrition education was highly theoretical and did not allow students to practice the knowledge and skills they learned in the classroom. Conclusions: The current school-based approach to tackling the double burden of adolescent malnutrition in Dodoma is localized and ad hoc. To leverage the potential of schools as a platform for nutrition interventions, integrated and policy-mandated interventions are needed.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. e042547
Author(s):  
Atif Riaz ◽  
Olga Cambaco ◽  
Laura Elizabeth Ellington ◽  
Jennifer L Lenahan ◽  
Khatia Munguambe ◽  
...  

ObjectivesPaediatric pneumonia burden and mortality are highest in low-income and middle-income countries (LMIC). Paediatric lung ultrasound (LUS) has emerged as a promising diagnostic tool for pneumonia in LMIC. Despite a growing evidence base for LUS use in paediatric pneumonia diagnosis, little is known about its potential for successful implementation in LMIC. Our objectives were to evaluate the feasibility, usability and acceptability of LUS in the diagnosis of paediatric pneumonia.DesignProspective qualitative study using semistructured interviewsSettingTwo referral hospitals in Mozambique and PakistanParticipantsA total of 21 healthcare providers (HCPs) and 20 caregivers were enrolled.ResultsHCPs highlighted themes of limited resource availability for the feasibility of LUS implementation, including perceived high cost of equipment, maintenance demands, time constraints and limited trained staff. HCPs emphasised the importance of policymaker support and caregiver acceptance for long-term success. HCP perspectives of usability highlighted ease of use and integration into existing workflow. HCPs and caregivers had positive attitudes towards LUS with few exceptions. Both HCPs and caregivers emphasised the potential for rapid, improved diagnosis of paediatric respiratory conditions using LUS.ConclusionsThis was the first study to evaluate HCP and caregiver perspectives of paediatric LUS through qualitative analysis. Critical components impacting feasibility, usability and acceptability of LUS for paediatric pneumonia diagnosis in LMIC were identified for initial deployment. Future research should explore LUS sustainability, with a particular focus on quality control, device maintenance and functionality and adoption of the new technology within the health system. This study highlights the need to engage both users and recipients of new technology early in order to adapt future interventions to the local context for successful implementation.Trial registration numberNCT03187067.


Author(s):  
Joshua P Murphy ◽  
Aneesa Moolla ◽  
Sharon Kgowedi ◽  
Constance Mongwenyana ◽  
Sithabile Mngadi ◽  
...  

Abstract South Africa has a long history of community health workers (CHWs). It has been a journey that has required balancing constrained resources and competing priorities. CHWs form a bridge between communities and healthcare service provision within health facilities and act as the cornerstone of South Africa’s Ward-Based Primary Healthcare Outreach Teams. This study aimed to document the CHW policy implementation landscape across six provinces in South Africa and explore the reasons for local adaptation of CHW models and to identify potential barriers and facilitators to implementation of the revised framework to help guide and inform future planning. We conducted a qualitative study among a sample of Department of Health Managers at the National, Provincial and District level, healthcare providers, implementing partners [including non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who worked with CHWs] and CHWs themselves. Data were collected between April 2018 and December 2018. We conducted 65 in-depth interviews (IDIs) with healthcare providers, managers and experts familiar with CHW work and nine focus group discussions (FGDs) with 101 CHWs. We present (i) current models of CHW policy implementation across South Africa, (ii) facilitators, (iii) barriers to CHW programme implementation and (iv) respondents’ recommendations on how the CHW programme can be improved. We chronicled the differences in NGO involvement, the common facilitators of purpose and passion in the CHWs’ work and the multitude of barriers and resource limitations CHWs must work under. We found that models of implementation vary greatly and that adaptability is an important aspect of successful implementation under resource constraints. Our findings largely aligned to existing research but included an evaluation of districts/provinces that had not previously been explored together. CHWs continue to promote health and link their communities to healthcare facilities, in spite of lack of permanent employment, limited resources, such as uniforms, and low wages.


Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 3028
Author(s):  
Patrick McHugh ◽  
Morgen Smith ◽  
Nicholas Wright ◽  
Sarah Bush ◽  
Sue Pullon

Despite an ever-increasing burden of non-communicable diseases and overwhelming evidence that good nutrition improves outcomes it is difficult to know whether this evidence is reaching the general population. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether health professionals in Tairāwhiti have sufficient nutrition education for their roles in health education and promotion and whether nutrition beliefs held by health professionals were consistent with current literature. A particular interest was to enlist views on the harms, benefits, and possible barriers to following plant-based diets. A mixed-methods study involving health professionals completing a questionnaire and a subsequent focus group to collect data was used. Survey data were analysed using spreadsheet software, and thematic content analysis of focus group data was undertaken. Participants provided nutrition advice 2.4 times per day. Almost half of practitioners considered their nutrition knowledge to be inadequate, and most made poor use of references for provision of information. Plant-based diets were generally viewed as beneficial to health, improve quality of life, be filling, but were perceived as not as easy to follow. This study is in keeping with previous research that the health workforce would benefit from more formalised nutrition education and competencies to address common chronic disease.


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