scholarly journals A Model for Improving Diet Quality within Child Nutrition Programs: The U.S. Army’s Child and Youth Services Healthy Menu Initiative

Author(s):  
Jennifer Hanson ◽  
Jillian Joyce ◽  
Denise Laursen ◽  
Paola Paez

The U.S. Army’s Child, Youth, and School Services (CYS), which has the capacity to serve more than 70,000 meals/snacks per day, is a geographically dispersed system with facilities worldwide. This case report is a description and evaluation of the implementation of a major food program initiative within the CYS system. In collaboration with Kansas State University, the Healthy Menu Initiative was established to standardize the system’s menus, reflect the guidance contained within the 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and take into account the Child and Adult Care Food Program regulations that went into effect on 1 October 2017. Food storage space, food service equipment, product availability, food safety considerations, and staff shortages have all proven to be challenges in the development and implementation of the menus. Participant acceptance has been an issue in some instances, and special diet requirements add to the workload of the staff. To overcome these challenges, input was solicited from CYS management, care providers, food service staff, and participant families, as well as participants themselves. Taste testing and classroom cooking activities have been developed to increase acceptance, and over 500 CYS food program staff have attended in-depth training sessions to support the initiative. Overall, the initiative has been well received, and there has been an improvement in the diet quality of the foods served within the program. This improvement is noteworthy, as optimal growth and development during childhood and adolescence are reliant on sound nutrition.

Safety ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nada Ahmad Alqurashi ◽  
Anushree Priyadarshini ◽  
Amit K. Jaiswal

This study examines food safety knowledge and practices of food service staff in Al Madinah hospitals, Saudi Arabia. A total of 163 food service staff participated voluntarily from 10 hospitals across the city of Al Madinah. The participants completed a questionnaire composed of three parts: General characteristics, food safety knowledge, and food safety practices. Results showed that respondents generally had good food safety knowledge with the highest pass rate of 77.9% for knowledge of cross contamination followed by 52.8% for knowledge of food poisoning, and 49.7% of knowledge of food storage. Food safety practices were also strongly observed in the hospitals with a pass rate of 92.6%. Food safety knowledge among the hospital food service staff varied with the level of education, age, and having received food hygiene/safety practices, training while food safety practices had a significant association with the level of education and food hygiene/safety practices training of the staff. Spearman rho coefficient results showed that there was a significant linear relationship between food safety practice and food safety knowledge, and that food safety knowledge significantly predicts food safety practices. This research revealed the importance of education and consistent training of food service staff in improving knowledge and thereby better and safe food handling practices, which could contribute to apply food safety in the hospitals.


Circulation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 143 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oluwafikayo S Adeyemi ◽  
Alexandra M Roehll ◽  
Edson Flores ◽  
Chelsea R Singleton

Introduction: Consuming a nutrient poor diet can negatively affect the health status of an individual. Recent increases in African immigration into the U.S. has called for more research on the health and health behaviors of this growing population. Little is known about how acculturation (as measured by place of birth and length of time in the country) affects nutrient intake and diet quality among Non-Hispanic Blacks in the U.S. We aim to address this gap in knowledge by studying the association between acculturation, nutrient intake, and diet quality among a large sample of Non-Hispanic Black adults. Hypothesis: We hypothesize that foreign-born (FB) Blacks who immigrated to the U.S. less than 10 years ago are more likely to meet national recommendations for diet and nutrient intake compared to FB Blacks who immigrated more than 10 years ago and U.S. born Blacks. Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional data from the 2005-2016 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The analytical sample comprised 7,073 Non-Hispanic Blacks who we categorized into three groups: FB Blacks less than 10 years (3.35%), FB Blacks greater than 10 years (7.42%), and U.S. born Blacks (89.23%). We analyzed each participant’s 24-hour recall data to determine if they met 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommendations for intake of specific nutrients (e.g., saturated fat, fiber, sugar, cholesterol, sodium, etc.). We used logistic regression to assess differences across the three groups in regards to odds of meeting DGA recommendations for nutrient intake. Results: Compared to U.S. born blacks and FB Blacks (≥10 years), FB Blacks (<10 years) had significantly higher odds of meeting DGA recommendations for most nutrients after adjusting for all covariates (e.g., age, gender, education level, poverty level, etc.). Specifically, FB Blacks (<10 years) had significantly higher odds of meeting recommendations for saturated fat (OR: 2.7; 95% CI: 1.6-4.6), cholesterol (OR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.2-2.5) and sodium intake (OR: 2.2; 95% CI: 1.2-4.3) compared to U.S. born Blacks. FB Blacks (≥ 10 years) had significantly higher odds of meeting recommendations for total fat and dietary fiber compared to U.S. born Blacks. Conclusion: FB Blacks (<10 years) had higher odds of meeting DGA guidelines for nutrient intake compared FB Blacks (≥10 years) and U.S. born Blacks. These findings further highlight the importance of acculturation and its impact on dietary intake among immigrant populations. Future studies should evaluate how acculturation influences overall health status and chronic disease risk across the African diaspora in the U.S.


2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1136-1141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer A Hanson ◽  
Olivia Cantrell ◽  
Paola Paez ◽  
Priscilla Brenes ◽  
Denise E Laursen

AbstractObjective:To evaluate the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) rule that allows a meat/meat alternative to replace the breakfast grain requirement three times per week.Design:A 5-week menu including breakfast, lunch and snack was developed with meat/meat alternative replacing the breakfast grain requirement three times per week. Menu nutrients based on the minimum requirements were compared with reference values representing the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range for fat and a range of reference values representing two-thirds the Dietary Reference Intake for 3-year-olds and 4–5-year-olds. The meal pattern minimum requirements were compared with two-thirds of those recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA).Setting:Evaluation took place between April and June 2019.Participants:Human subjects were not utilized.Results:The CACFP minimum grain requirement is well below the DGA reference value (0·5–1·5 v. 3·33 ounce-equivalents). Energy (2208·52 kJ) was below the reference values (3126·83–4362·53 kJ). Protein (34·43 g) was above the reference values (9·87–10·81 g). Carbohydrate (76·65 g), fibre (7·46 g) and vitamin E (1·69 mg) were below their reference values of 86·67 g, 10·46–14·60 g and 4–4·76 mg, respectively. Fat (22·57 %) was below the reference range (25–40 %).Conclusions:The CACFP rule which allows a meat/meat alternative to replace the breakfast grain requirement three times per week may result in meal patterns low in energy, carbohydrate, fat, fibre and vitamin E, while providing an excessive amount of protein.


Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1816
Author(s):  
Michael F. Tlusty

Humans under-consume fish, especially species high in long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. Food-based dietary guidelines are one means for nations to encourage the consumption of healthy, nutritious food. Here, associations between dietary omega-3 consumption and food-based dietary guidelines, gross domestic product, the ranked price of fish, and the proportions of marine fish available at a national level were assessed. Minor associations were found between consumption and variables, except for food-based dietary guidelines, where calling out seafood in FBDGs did not associate with greater consumption. This relationship was explored for consumers in the United States, and it was observed that the predominant seafood they ate, shrimp, resulted in little benefit for dietary omega-3 consumption. Seafood is listed under the protein category in the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, and aggregating seafood under this category may limit a more complete understanding of its nutrient benefits beyond protein.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 2667
Author(s):  
Kevin B. Comerford ◽  
Yanni Papanikolaou ◽  
Julie Miller Jones ◽  
Judith Rodriguez ◽  
Joanne Slavin ◽  
...  

Carbohydrate-containing crops provide the bulk of dietary energy worldwide. In addition to their various carbohydrate forms (sugars, starches, fibers) and ratios, these foods may also contain varying amounts and combinations of proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, prebiotics, and anti-nutritional factors that may impact diet quality and health. Currently, there is no standardized or unified way to assess the quality of carbohydrate foods for the overall purpose of improving diet quality and health outcomes, creating an urgent need for the development of metrics and tools to better define and classify high-quality carbohydrate foods. The present report is based on a series of expert panel meetings and a scoping review of the literature focused on carbohydrate quality indicators and metrics produced over the last 10 years. The report outlines various approaches to assessing food quality, and proposes next steps and principles for developing improved metrics for assessing carbohydrate food quality. The expert panel concluded that a composite metric based on nutrient profiling methods featuring inputs such as carbohydrate–fiber–sugar ratios, micronutrients, and/or food group classification could provide useful and informative measures for guiding researchers, policymakers, industry, and consumers towards a better understanding of carbohydrate food quality and overall healthier diets. The identification of higher quality carbohydrate foods could improve evidence-based public health policies and programming—such as the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 882.1-882
Author(s):  
T. Meng ◽  
J. Wilson ◽  
A. Venn ◽  
F. Cicuttini ◽  
L. March ◽  
...  

Background:Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent joint disease worldwide, but no disease-modifying treatments are available. Existing treatments largely focus on relieving symptoms, but they may have substantial adverse effects. Identifying risk factors affecting knee symptoms is important for developing safer prevention strategies of knee OA symptoms.Objectives:To describe the associations between diet quality in childhood and adulthood and knee symptoms in young adults.Methods:Participants were from the Australian Schools Health and Fitness Survey (ASHFS) in 1985, which was conducted to provide benchmark data on the health and fitness of Australian schoolchildren. During 2004-2006, participants were followed up in the Childhood Determinants of Adult Health (CDAH) Study. Dietary measures were collected in ASHFS (aged 10-15 years) and CDAH Study (aged 26-36 years) using food questionnaires. Diet quality was assessed by Dietary Guidelines Index (DGI), reflecting the adherence to Australian Dietary Guidelines. The DGI comprises 9 components and its maximum possible score is 100. A higher score indicated higher diet quality. During 2008-2010, participants (aged 31-41years) were followed up in the CDAH Knee Study. Knee symptoms were collected using Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). Zero-inflated negative binomial regression analyses were used to assess the associations between diet quality and knee symptoms. Age, sex, body mass index, physical activity, total energy intake, and knee injury history were included as potential confounders based on biological plausibility.Results:A total of 399 participants (48.4% were female) were included in analysis. The average childhood and adult DGI was 46.5 and 55.4, respectively. The prevalence of knee pain, stiffness and dysfunction was 35.1%. 31.6% and 39.9%, respectively. The overall childhood DGI was not associated with adult knee symptoms. However, the limited intake of discretionary foods in childhood was associated with lower pain (Mean ratio (MR): 0.96, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.92-1.00) and dysfunction (MR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.90-0.99). The overall adult DGI was not associated with knee symptoms. However, replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats in adulthood was associated with lower WOMAC (Pain: MR 0.93, 95% CI 0.87-0.99; stiffness: MR 0.93, 95% CI 0.87-0.99; dysfunction: MR 0.91, 95% CI 0.83-0.99), drinking water in adulthood was associated with lower stiffness (MR: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.83-0.99), and fruit intake in adulthood was associated with lower dysfunction (MR: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.81-0.99). Moreover, higher DGI score for dairy in adulthood was associated with higher WOMAC (Pain: MR 1.07, 95% CI 1.00-1.13; stiffness: MR 1.13, 95% CI 1.05-1.21; dysfunction: MR 1.11, 95% CI 1.02-1.21). The overall score change of DGI from childhood to adulthood was not associated with adult knee symptoms. However, the score change of replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats from childhood to adulthood was associated with lower stiffness (MR 0.89, 95% CI 0.80-0.98), and the score change of fruit intake was associated with lower dysfunction (MR 0.92, 95% CI 0.86-0.99).Conclusion:Several DGI component scores in childhood and adulthood and some changes of DGI component score from childhood to adulthood were associated with knee symptoms in young adults. The results suggested that early-life diet quality may affect knee symptoms in young adults.Disclosure of Interests:None declared


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1943
Author(s):  
Melissa C. Kay ◽  
Emily W. Duffy ◽  
Lisa J. Harnack ◽  
Andrea S. Anater ◽  
Joel C. Hampton ◽  
...  

For the first time, the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans include recommendations for infants and toddlers under 2 years old. We aimed to create a diet quality index based on a scoring system for ages 12 to 23.9 months, the Toddler Diet Quality Index (DQI), and evaluate its construct validity using 24 h dietary recall data collected from a national sample of children from the Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS) 2016. The mean (standard error) Toddler DQI was 49 (0.6) out of 100 possible points, indicating room for improvement. Toddlers under-consumed seafood, greens and beans, and plant proteins and over-consumed refined grains and added sugars. Toddler DQI scores were higher among children who were ever breastfed, lived in households with higher incomes, and who were Hispanic. The Toddler DQI performed as expected and offers a measurement tool to assess the dietary quality of young children in accordance with federal nutrition guidelines. This is important for providing guidance that can be used to inform public health nutrition policies, programs, and practices to improve diets of young children.


Author(s):  
Stephanie M George ◽  
Jill Reedy ◽  
Elizabeth M Cespedes Feliciano ◽  
Aaron Aragaki ◽  
Bette J Caan ◽  
...  

Abstract Poor diet quality is a leading risk factor for death in the United States (U.S.). We examined the association between Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) scores and death from all-causes, cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia not otherwise specified (NOS) among postmenopausal women in the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study (1993-2017). This analysis included 59,388 participants who completed a food frequency questionnaire and were free of cancer, CVD and diabetes at enrollment. Stratified Cox proportional hazards models were fit using person-years from enrollment as the underlying time metric. We estimated multivariable adjusted hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for risk of death associated with HEI-2015 quintiles, with higher scores reflecting more optimal diet quality. Over a median of 18.2 years, 9,679 total deaths 3,303 cancer deaths, 2,362 CVD deaths, and 488 deaths from Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia NOS occurred. Compared to those with lower scores, women with higher HEI-2015 scores had an 18% lower risk of all-cause mortality and 21% lower risk of cancer mortality. HEI-2015 scores were not associated with mortality from CVD, Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia NOS. Consuming a diet aligned with 2015-2020 U.S. Dietary Guidelines may have beneficial impacts for preventing death from cancer and overall.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca B. Little ◽  
Renee Desmond ◽  
Tiffany L. Carson

Abstract Diet is a modifiable contributor to health. The lack of adherence to recommended dietary guidelines may contribute to the disproportionate burden of obesity and other chronic conditions observed in the Deep South region of the United States. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to describe food group intake and diet quality by race and weight status of women in the Deep South. Study participants were eighty-nine healthy female volunteers (56 % black, 44 % white, mean age 39⋅7 ± 1⋅4 years) recruited from Birmingham, AL, USA. Body Mass Index (BMI) determined weight status (non-obese/obese). Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI-2010) calculated from dietary recalls assessed diet quality. Wilcoxon sum-rank test compared HEI-2010 scores by race and weight status. χ2 analysis compared the percentage of women who achieved maximum points for HEI-2010 index food components by subgroup. Caloric and macronutrient intake did not differ by race or weight status (mean kcal 1863⋅0 ± 62⋅0). Median Total HEI-2010 Score for the sample was 51⋅9 (IQR: 39⋅1–63⋅4). Although there was no statistical difference in diet quality by race, more whites achieved the maximum score for vegetable intake compared to blacks, while blacks reported higher total fruit intake. Non-obese women reported better diet quality (56⋅9 v. 46⋅1; P = 0⋅04) and eating more whole fruits, and more achieved the maximum score for protein from plant and seafood sources. In summary, differences in diet quality were observed by weight status, but not race among this sample. These results point to tailored dietary interventions for women in metropolitan areas of Alabama, USA.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document