scholarly journals Erratum: Murrell, A., et al. Measuring Food Insecurity Using the Food Abundance Index: Implications for Economic, Health and Social Well-Being. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 2434

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (18) ◽  
pp. 6495
Author(s):  
Audrey Murrell ◽  
Ray Jones
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Food Abundance ◽  
Research Review ◽  
Abundance Index ◽  
Economic Health

Since no human subjects were included in this research review [...]

scholarly journals Measuring Food Insecurity Using the Food Abundance Index: Implications for Economic, Health and Social Well-Being

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 2434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Audrey Murrell ◽  
Ray Jones
Keyword(s):  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Food Abundance ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Measurement Tool ◽  
Abundance Index ◽  
Key Dimensions ◽  
Development And Validation ◽  
Health And Well Being

High levels of food insecurity signal the presence of disparities and inequities in local food access, which have been shown to negatively impact the health and well-being of individuals and communities. However, the approaches used to define and measure high food insecurity, also known as a “food desert”, vary widely across research study and intervention methodology. This paper describes the development and validation of a measurement tool called the “Food Abundance Index” (FAI) which is a scorecard for assessing levels of food insecurity across five key dimensions: access, diversity, quality, density, and affordability. A pilot study was conducted to examine levels of food insecurity in order to test the extent to which the FAI can detect food deserts. Nine neighborhoods were selected based on the demographic characteristics of communities shown to be related to food insecurity. Our findings provide evidence that the Food Abundance Index provides a robust measurement tool to assess the extent of food insecurity within a community or neighborhood. Thus, this multidimensional scorecard can be used in future research to detect levels of food insecurity within urban areas and help to bridge the gap between academics, policymakers and practitioners in this important area.

Health and Environmental Tolls of Protracted Conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 120 (830) ◽  
pp. 339-345
Author(s):  
Jeannie Sowers ◽  
Erika Weinthal
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Environmental Pollution ◽  
North Africa ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Economic Policies ◽  
Public Debates ◽  
War Zones ◽  
Access To Food

The effects of conflict on public health and ecosystem well-being are understudied and rarely figure in public debates about war-making. Protracted conflicts are particularly damaging to people and environments in ways that are inadequately documented. In recent wars in the Middle East and North Africa, parties to the conflicts have induced hunger and displacement and undermined public health through the use of violence and economic policies that deprive civilians of access to food, water, fuel, and livelihoods. Environmental pollution is widespread, particularly in cities that became war zones, while the COVID-19 pandemic has deepened conflict-induced poverty and food insecurity.

Food Insecurity and Public Health

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Molly Knowles ◽  
Joanna Simmons ◽  
Mariana Chilton
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Child Nutrition ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Assistance Program ◽  
Nutrition Assistance ◽  
The Right

Food insecurity—lack of access to enough food for an active and healthy life—is a major public health issue, affecting the health and well-being of one in seven people in the United States. Food insecurity is related to economic, social, and political conditions, and is beyond the control of a single household. Structural inequalities and discrimination against people of color, LGBTQ people, immigrants, people with disabilities, and women drives disparities in food insecurity. Major policy interventions include raising wages, improving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, various programs of the Child Nutrition Reauthorization, and the Elder Nutrition Program, but these programs are not sufficient to address food insecurity fully. A human rights approach, which recognizes the right to food and promotes increasing civic participation among people from all sectors, offers new possibilities in addressing food insecurity in the United States.

Public Health Practice vs Research: Implications for Preparedness and Disaster Research Review by State Health Department IRBs

2008 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 185-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Perlman
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Personal Information ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Public Health Practice ◽  
Health Department ◽  
Systematic Investigation ◽  
Research Review ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
State Health ◽  
Public Health Preparedness

ABSTRACTUnder the current US Department of Health and Human Services regulatory and ethical system for research involving human subjects, research is defined in terms of several key concepts: intent, systematic investigation, and generalizability. If an investigator engages in a systematic investigation designed or intended to contribute to generalizable knowledge, then he or she is engaged in research. If that research involves living individuals and the investigator will either interact or intervene with people or obtain their identifiable personal information, then the research must be prospectively reviewed by an institutional review board (IRB), a federally mandated committee that ensures the ethical and regulatory appropriateness of proposed research. In public health institutions, and especially at state departments of health, this definition of research may prove vexing for determining when particular public health activities must be reviewed by IRBs. This article outlines several reasons for such vexation and 2 key responses from major public health stakeholders. In the current climate of public health preparedness initiatives at state health departments for disasters and bioterrorism, how research is defined vis-à-vis public health interventions may add even more confusion to preparedness initiatives and pose difficulties in determining when IRB review and the added protections it affords are appropriate. This article suggests several practical ways to avoid confusion and attempts to strike a balance between the need for expeditious approvals of research-based responses to public health disasters and to ensure proper protections for human subjects at state health departments. It is hoped that these suggestions can assist not only state health departments but also academically based researchers who either collaborate with those departments or whose research will need to be reviewed by their IRBs. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2008;2:185–191)

Research Recommendations for Applying Vitamin A-Labelled Isotope Dilution Techniques to Improve Human Vitamin A Nutrition

2014 ◽  
Vol 84 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 52-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherry A. Tanumihardjo ◽  
Anura V. Kurpad ◽  
Janet R. Hunt
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Vitamin A ◽  
Vitamin A Deficiency ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
The Body ◽  
Pool Size ◽  
Serum Retinol ◽  
Vitamin A Status ◽  
Status Assessment ◽  
Total Body

The current use of serum retinol concentrations as a measurement of subclinical vitamin A deficiency is unsatisfactory for many reasons. The best technique available for vitamin A status assessment in humans is the measurement of total body pool size. Pool size is measured by the administration of retinol labelled with stable isotopes of carbon or hydrogen that are safe for human subjects, with subsequent measurement of the dilution of the labelled retinol within the body pool. However, the isotope techniques are time-consuming, technically challenging, and relatively expensive. There is also a need to assess different types of tracers and doses, and to establish clear guidelines for the use and interpretation of this method in different populations. Field-friendly improvements are desirable to encourage the application of this technique in developing countries where the need is greatest for monitoring the risk of vitamin A deficiency, the effectiveness of public health interventions, and the potential of hypervitaminosis due to combined supplement and fortification programs. These techniques should be applied to validate other less technical methods of assessing vitamin A deficiency. Another area of public health relevance for this technique is to understand the bioconversion of β-carotene to vitamin A, and its relation to existing vitamin A status, for future dietary diversification programs.

Using Public Health Approaches to Optimize Child Well-Being

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lara R. Robinson ◽  
Camille Smith ◽  
Jennifer W. Kaminski ◽  
Rebecca H. Bitsko ◽  
Angelika H. Claussen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Well Being

Eating NAFTA

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alyshia Gálvez
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Food System ◽  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Trade Agreement ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The North ◽  
The World

In the two decades since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effect, Mexico has seen an epidemic of diet-related illness. While globalization has been associated with an increase in chronic disease around the world, in Mexico, the speed and scope of the rise has been called a public health emergency. The shift in Mexican foodways is happening at a moment when the country’s ancestral cuisine is now more popular and appreciated around the world than ever. What does it mean for their health and well-being when many Mexicans eat fewer tortillas and more instant noodles, while global elites demand tacos made with handmade corn tortillas? This book examines the transformation of the Mexican food system since NAFTA and how it has made it harder for people to eat as they once did. The book contextualizes NAFTA within Mexico’s approach to economic development since the Revolution, noticing the role envisioned for rural and low-income people in the path to modernization. Examination of anti-poverty and public health policies in Mexico reveal how it has become easier for people to consume processed foods and beverages, even when to do so can be harmful to health. The book critiques Mexico’s strategy for addressing the public health crisis generated by rising rates of chronic disease for blaming the dietary habits of those whose lives have been upended by the economic and political shifts of NAFTA.

Examining the accuracy of estimated smartphone use: How well-being and usage level predict discrepancies between estimated and actual use

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig Sewall ◽  
Daniel Rosen ◽  
Todd M. Bear
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Mobile Device ◽  
Screen Time ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Actual Use ◽  
Smartphone Use ◽  
Usage Level

The increasing ubiquity of mobile device and social media (SM) use has generated a substantial amount of research examining how these phenomena may impact public health. Prior studies have found that mobile device and SM use are associated with various aspects of well-being. However, a large portion of these studies relied upon self-reported estimates to measure amount of use, which can be inaccurate. Utilizing Apple’s “Screen Time” application to obtain actual iPhone and SM use data, the current study examined the accuracy of self-reported estimates, how inaccuracies bias relationships between use and well-being (depression, loneliness, and life satisfaction), and the degree to which inaccuracies were predicted by levels of well-being. Among a sample of 393 iPhone users, we found that: a.) participants misestimated their weekly overall iPhone and SM use by 22.1 and 16.6 hours, respectively; b.) the correlations between estimated use and well-being variables were consistently stronger than the correlations between actual use and well-being variables; and c.) the amount of inaccuracy in estimated use is associated with levels of participant well-being as well as amount of use. These findings suggest that estimates of device/SM use may be biased by factors that are fundamental to the relationships being investigated. **This manuscript is currently under review**

scholarly journals Crisis and Water Services: How a 2007 Public Health Emergency in Finland Helped Shape Its Response to COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-70
Author(s):  
Tapio S. Katko ◽  
Jarmo J. Hukka
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Engineering Education ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Public Health Emergency ◽  
Environmental Engineering ◽  
Clean Water ◽  
Water Services ◽  
Sanitation Services ◽  
Sound Management

This paper aims at shedding light on the significance of water epidemics and their potential positive impacts on improving preparedness in water and sanitation services. We explore the water epidemic of Nokia in 2007 and preparedness-related reactions since then. The corona case confirms the fundamental role of clean water for well-being in communities, the need for sound management of water services to proactively promote public health, as well as the need for expanding conventional water and environmental engineering education and research to offer more holistic views.

scholarly journals School-Based Mind–Body Interventions: A Research Review

Human Arenas ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauro Cozzolino ◽  
Deborah R. Vivo ◽  
Giovanna Celia
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Third Graders ◽  
Research Review ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Twelfth Graders ◽  
School Based ◽  
Current Review ◽  
School Based Interventions ◽  
School Curricula

AbstractThis paper contains a narrative review of the literature in the field of school-based mind–body interventions (MBIs). The aim of the current review is to verify whether the school-based MBI programs implemented in primary and secondary schools over the past 5 years are effective in helping schoolchildren cope with stress-related, behavioral, and affective issues, as well as improve stress response and school performance. All articles were retrieved using a number of databases. Inclusion criteria comprised qualitative and quantitative, English language, and peer-reviewed studies among third graders (8–9 years old) to twelfth graders (17–18 years old), including special needs pupils. Qualitative studies were limited to pupils’ experience only. Ten studies meeting the criteria for this review were assessed. The school-based interventions included yoga-based programs and mindfulness training. Evidence was evaluated and summarized. Across the reviewed studies, we found support for MBIs as part of school curricula to reduce negative effects of stress and promote overall well-being with caveats to consider in choosing specific programs. The practical implications of the current review include considerations related to the incorporation of MBIs in school curricula, which would likely benefit schoolchildren.

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