scholarly journals Shifts in Sources of Food but Stable Nutritional Outcomes among Children in the Early Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (23) ◽  
pp. 12626
Author(s):  
Christine Borger ◽  
Courtney Paolicelli ◽  
Lorrene Ritchie ◽  
Shannon E. Whaley ◽  
Jill DeMatteis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Practices ◽  
Healthy Eating Index ◽  
National Study ◽  
State Governments ◽  
Department Of Agriculture ◽  
Children's Nutrition ◽  
Food Programs ◽  
Supplemental Nutrition Program ◽  
Mean Differences ◽  
Nutritional Outcomes

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), State governments, and school districts took unprecedented steps to mitigate the pandemic’s impact on students’ nutrition. To examine the effect of emergency responses on 6-year-old children’s nutritional outcomes, this study analyzed longitudinal data from a national study of children’s feeding practices, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children—Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study-2 (WIC ITFPS-2). Findings include no differences in food insecurity prevalence; however, there were shifts in sources of food, with children in the post-COVID-emergency-declaration (post-ED) group consuming more dietary energy from stores and community food programs and less from restaurants and schools than children in the pre-COVID-emergency-declaration (pre-ED) group (p < 0.01 for all comparisons). Examination of within-person mean differences in 2015 Healthy Eating Index scores and nutrient intakes between ages 5 and 6 years revealed few statistically significant differences between the two groups: children in the post-ED group consumed slightly fewer vegetables (p = 0.02) and less sodium (p = 0.01) than their pre-ED peers. Findings suggest emergency efforts to maintain children’s nutrition were largely successful in the early months of the pandemic. Research is needed to understand the mechanisms by which emergency efforts contributed to these findings.

scholarly journals The role of complementary feeding in India’s enigma of high child malnutrition rates: Findings from a comprehensive national study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivica Petrikova
Keyword(s):  
Child Development ◽  
Feeding Practices ◽  
District Level ◽  
Dietary Behaviour ◽  
National Study ◽  
Indian Children ◽  
Child Feeding ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Young Child Feeding ◽  
Nutritional Outcomes

Abstract Relative to its economic growth and poverty levels, Indian children suffer from higher levels of malnutrition than children in most other low- or lower-middle-income countries. The current Covid-19 pandemic is likely to further exacerbate the situation. Research presented in this article has examined the effects of infant and young child feeding practices on the rates of stunting, underweight, wasting, and anaemia amongst Indian children and concluded that feeding children between 6 and 23 months old (semi)solid food of sufficient variety, and particularly animal-source foods, has a significant positive effect on their nutritional outcomes. The study further assessed the effects of the Integrated Child Development Services and district-level livestock ownership on the helpful feeding practices and found that the Integrated Child Development Services encouraged beneficial dietary behaviour amongst children but did not improve their nutritional outcomes. In contract, district-level poultry ownership appeared to have both augmented the beneficial feeding practices and improved children’s nutritional outcomes.

scholarly journals Breastfeeding Duration in a Low-Income Sample Is Associated With Child Diet Quality at Age Three

2020 ◽  
pp. 089033442090302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy S. Weinfield ◽  
Christine Borger ◽  
Alice Ann Gola
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Diet Quality ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Child Outcomes ◽  
Feeding Practices ◽  
Breastfeeding Duration ◽  
National Study ◽  
Food Groups ◽  
Populations At Risk ◽  
Child Age

Background: Little research has focused on breastfeeding and diet quality, particularly in low-income populations at risk for shorter breastfeeding duration and poorer diet quality. Research Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the association between breastfeeding duration and later diet quality in a low-income population. Methods: For this longitudinal prospective cohort study we conducted a secondary analysis of data from the Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study-2, a national study of infant feeding practices and child outcomes. Study infants were enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children by 2.5 months of age and followed until 36 months ( N = 1,223). We examined the association between breastfeeding duration until 13 months of age, and child diet quality derived from a 24-hour dietary recall with a usual intake adjustment at child age 36 months. Multiple regression analyses were used to examine the association of breastfeeding duration with overall diet quality, as measured by the Heathy Eating Index 2015, and with consumption of specific food groups. Results: Longer breastfeeding duration during infancy was associated with better diet quality at child age 36 months after controlling for key socio-demographic variables. In follow-up analyses, the origin of the association was narrowed to greater consumption of mature/dried beans and peas. Conclusions: Longer breastfeeding duration in infancy was associated with better diet quality at 36 months, in a population at risk for shorter breastfeeding duration and poorer diet quality. Breastfeeding was particularly associated with children’s consumption of mature/dried beans and peas. Clinical Trial Registration: This study is registered at clinicaltrials.gov as Feeding My Baby—A National WIC Study, NCT02031978

scholarly journals Dietary Quality of Pregnant Women Participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (16) ◽  
pp. 8370
Author(s):  
Arezoo Rojhani ◽  
Ping Ouyang ◽  
Angel Gullon-Rivera ◽  
Taylor Marie Dale
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Healthy Eating Index ◽  
Infants And Children ◽  
Dietary Quality ◽  
Supplemental Nutrition ◽  
Nutrition Program ◽  
Food Records ◽  
Supplemental Nutrition Program

Few studies have examined the dietary intake of low-income pregnant women participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The aim of this study was to assess the dietary quality of WIC-enrolled pregnant women and examine associations with maternal characteristics, nutrition knowledge, and key health indicators. Fifty-one WIC-enrolled pregnant women completed two sets of 3-day food records. Food records were analyzed for nutrient content, and diet quality was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015. Since an HEI score of less than 60 is indicative of the need to improve dietary quality, participants’ HEI scores were divided into two categories: <60 and ≥60. The total mean HEI score of the cohort based on analysis of the first set of food records was 59.1 ± 12.5 (range 37.1–89.2), while the mean score for the second 3 days of food records was 56.8 ± 12.7 (range 30.0–89.0). The majority of participants did not consume the minimum recommended servings of whole vegetables. Those in the <60 HEI category consumed on average less than 50% of the recommended servings of whole fruits and whole grains. The diets of the majority of participants were high in saturated fat and sodium. More than one-third did not meet the recommendations for folate and iron intake, while less than half met the RDA for vitamin D. Choline intake was insufficient based on analysis of the first 3 days of food records. Our results indicate that the dietary quality of WIC-enrolled pregnant women requires improvement.

scholarly journals Minimum Diet Diversity and Minimum Meal Frequency – Do They Matter Equally? Understanding IYCF Practices in India

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 1012-1012
Author(s):  
Ayushi Jain ◽  
Muneer Kalliyil ◽  
Satish Agnihotri
Keyword(s):  
Child Nutrition ◽  
Complementary Feeding ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Family Health ◽  
Feeding Practices ◽  
Meal Frequency ◽  
Child Feeding ◽  
Diet Diversity ◽  
Minimum Dietary Diversity ◽  
Nutritional Outcomes

Abstract Objectives Infant and Young Child Feeding practices, mainly, complementary feeding in children between 6 months and two years of age, is found to be sub-optimal and emerge as the weakest link in improving child nutrition outcomes in India. Minimum Acceptable Diet (MAD), comprising of two sub-indicator – Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD) and Minimum Meal Frequency (MMF), serves as an essential indicator to understand the diet adequacy pattern in children. The objective of this study was thus to investigate the role of MDD-MMF dyad in influencing the nutritional outcomes in children and its pattern across regions in India. Methods Data was obtained from the National Family Health Survey – 4 (NFHS-4) from the DHS Program website. The prevalence of MMF and MDD was calculated for 640 districts in India. The MMF and MDD were classified into three categories - high, medium and low based on equal percentile distribution of their prevalence range. Districts with high MMF and high MDD formed one cohort. Similarly, eight other cohorts were created based on their performance on MMF and MDD indicator. The prevalence of Stunting (St), Wasting (Wa) and Underweight (Uw) in children between 6 months and two years of age was then calculated for each of the nine cohorts. The districts were also mapped based on their cohort category to study the variation across regions in India. Results All three anthropometric indicators – stunting, wasting and underweight showed significant decline moving across low MMF- low MDD cohort (40% St; 26.2% Wa; 37.1% Uw) to medium MMF – medium MDD cohort (38.6% St; 23.8% Wa; 35.4% Uw) to high MMF – high MDD cohort (29% St; 15.5% Wa; 19.2% Uw). Second, the importance of minimum dietary diversity in improving nutritional outcomes was revealed, as opposed to minimum meal frequency, which shows improvement only when it reaches a certain threshold. Third, mapping revealed sharp differences across various regions in MMF-MDD pattern, especially in the states like Odisha, Assam and Andhra Pradesh. States in the central region performed poorly on complementary feeding indicators, specifically diet diversity. Conclusions The study highlights the importance of optimal complementary feeding practices in improving nutrition outcomes and the need to consider the regional heterogeneities while promoting IYCF practices in India. Funding Sources None.

scholarly journals Modifying the Environment and Policy Assessment and Observation (EPAO) to better capture feeding practices of family childcare home providers

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Tovar ◽  
Amber E Vaughn ◽  
Jennifer Orlet Fisher ◽  
Sara E Benjamin Neelon ◽  
Regan Burney ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rhode Island ◽  
Diet Quality ◽  
Mixed Models ◽  
Autonomy Support ◽  
Feeding Practices ◽  
Healthy Eating Index ◽  
Policy Assessment ◽  
Unit Increase ◽  
Support Practices ◽  
Family Childcare

AbstractObjectiveTo describe the modification and validation of an existing instrument, the Environment and Policy Assessment and Observation (EPAO), to better capture provider feeding practices.DesignModifications to the EPAO were made, validity assessed through expert review, pilot tested and then used to collect follow-up data during a two-day home visit from an ongoing cluster-randomized trial. Exploratory factor analysis investigated the underlying factor structure of the feeding practices. To test predictive validity of the factors, multilevel mixed models examined associations between factors and child’s diet quality as captured by the Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI-2010) score (measured via the Dietary Observation in Childcare Protocol).SettingFamily childcare homes (FCCH) in Rhode Island and North Carolina, USA.ParticipantsThe modified EPAO was pilot tested with fifty-three FCCH and then used to collect data in 133 FCCH.ResultsThe final three-factor solution (‘coercive control and indulgent feeding practices’, ‘autonomy support practices’, ‘negative role modelling’) captured 43 % of total variance. In multilevel mixed models adjusted for covariates, ‘autonomy support practices’ was positively associated with children’s diet quality. A 1-unit increase in the use of ‘autonomy support practices’ was associated with a 9·4-unit increase in child HEI-2010 score (P=0·001).ConclusionsSimilar to the parenting literature, constructs which describe coercive controlling practices and those which describe autonomy-supportive practices emerged. Given that diets of pre-schoolers in the USA remain suboptimal, teaching childcare providers about supportive feeding practices may help improve children’s diet quality.

scholarly journals Sociodemographic predictors of exclusive breast-feeding among low-income women attending a Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) programme

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (09) ◽  
pp. 1667-1674
Author(s):  
Janine A Rethy ◽  
Sina Gallo ◽  
Amara Channell Doig ◽  
Jennifer Brady ◽  
David Goodfriend
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Infant Feeding ◽  
Breast Feeding ◽  
Feeding Practices ◽  
Infants And Children ◽  
Infant Feeding Practices ◽  
Supplemental Nutrition ◽  
Nutrition Program ◽  
Exclusive Breast Feeding ◽  
Supplemental Nutrition Program

AbstractObjectiveTo describe infant feeding practices and predictors of exclusive breast-feeding among women attending a local Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) programme.DesignCross-sectional survey. Outcomes included reported infant feeding practices at 3 and 6 months, timing and reasons for introduction of formula. Descriptive statistics, χ 2 tests and logistic regression were used describe the sample and explore relationships between variables.SettingLoudoun County, VA, USA.SubjectsA sample of 190 predominantly Hispanic women attending local WIC clinics.ResultsOverall, 84 % of women reported ever breast-feeding and 61 % of infants received formula in the first few days of life. Mothers who reported on infant feeding practices were less likely to exclusively breast-feed (34 v. 45 %) and more likely to provide mixed feeding (50 v. 20 %) at 3 months compared with 6 months, respectively. Significant (P&lt;0·05) predictors of exclusive breast-feeding at 3 months included setting an exclusive breast-feeding goal and completing some high school (compared with completing high school or more). Only education remained a significant predictor of exclusive breast-feeding at 6 months.ConclusionsA high proportion of women reported giving formula in the first few days of life and many changed from mixed to exclusive breast-feeding or formula by 6 months, suggesting possibly modifiable factors. Further investigation can help drive direct service- as well as policy and systems-based interventions to improve exclusive breast-feeding.

scholarly journals Establishing BARA: Biological Nitrogen Fixation for Future Agriculture

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Salar Khan ◽  
Naoru Koizumi ◽  
James L. Olds
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Health Hazard ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Agricultural Science ◽  
State Governments ◽  
Biological Fixation ◽  
Department Of Agriculture ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
Food And Agriculture Organization ◽  
Biological Nitrogen

AbstractThe extensive use of nitrogen (N) fertilizers implicates a paradox. While fertilizers ensure the supply of a large amount of food, they cause negative environmental externalities including reduced biodiversity, eutrophic streams, and lakes. Moreover, such fertilizers may also result in a major public health hazard: increased antibiotic resistance. This Perspective discusses a critical role of perturbations in N cycle caused by excessive use of fertilizers and resulting implications as they relate to resistance genes and biodiversity in the biosphere. While there are solutions such as cover crops, these solutions are expensive and inconvenient for farmers. We advocate the use of biological fixation for staple crops—microbiome mediated natural supply of fixed N. This would involve engineering a microbiome that can be grown cheaply and at scale (less expensive than Haber-Bosch fertilizers). We also propose a practical framework of where and how research investments should be directed to make such a solution practical. We make three recommendations for decision makers to facilitate a successful trajectory for this solution. First, that future agricultural science seek to understand how biological fixation might be employed as a practical and efficient strategy. This effort would require that industries and government partner to establish a pre-competitive research laboratory equipped with the latest state-of-the-art technologies that conduct metagenomic experiments to reveal signature microbiomes. Second, the Department of Agriculture and state governments provide research and development (R & D) tax credits to biotech companies specifically geared towards R&D investments aimed at increasing the viability of biological fixation and microbiome engineering. Third, governments and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) coordinate Biological Advanced Research in Agriculture (BARA)—a global agricultural innovation initiative for investments and research in biological fixation and ethical, legal, and social implications of such innovation.

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