scholarly journals Efficacy of “High in” Nutrient Specific Front of Package Labels—A Retail Experiment with Canadians of Varying Health Literacy Levels

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 3199
Author(s):  
Elizabeth D. Mansfield ◽  
Dominique Ibanez ◽  
Fuqi Chen ◽  
Emily Chen ◽  
Elaine de Grandpré
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Task Type ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Product Selection ◽  
Task Order ◽  
Federal Department ◽  
Health Canada

Background: In 2018, Health Canada, the Federal department responsible for public health, put forward a regulatory proposal to introduce regulations requiring a “High in” front-of-package label (FOPL) on foods that exceed predetermined thresholds for sodium, sugars, or saturated fat. This study evaluated the efficacy of the proposed FOPL as a quick and easy tool for making food choices that support reduction in the intakes of these nutrients. Methods: Consumers (n = 625) of varying health literacy levels (HL) were assigned to control (current labeling with no FOPL) or one of four FOPL designs. They completed six shopping tasks, designed to control for internal motivations. Efficacy was measured with correct product selection and response time (seconds) to make food choices using repeated measures statistical modeling, adjusting for HL, task type, and task order. Eye-tracking and structured interviews were used to gather additional insights about participants’ choices. Results: Overall, FOPL was significantly more effective than current labeling at helping consumers of varying HL levels to identify foods high in nutrients of concern and make healthier food choices. All FOPL were equally effective. Conclusions: “High in” FOPL can be effective at helping Canadians of varying HL levels make more informed food choices in relation to sugars, sodium, and saturated fat.

Gender Differences and Their Influences on T2DM Self-Management Among Spanish-Speaking Latinx Immigrants

2021 ◽  
pp. 154041532110117
Author(s):  
Cheryl A. Smith-Miller ◽  
Diane C. Berry ◽  
Cass T. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
English Language ◽  
Educational Achievement ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Health Promoting Behaviors ◽  
History Of ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Excessive Alcohol

Introduction: Evidence suggests that gender may influence many aspects of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) self-management (SM) and we posit that limited English language–proficient Latinx immigrants face additional challenges. Methods: Instruments and semi-structured interviews were used to examine gender differences on health literacy, diabetes knowledge, health-promoting behaviors, diabetes, eating and exercise self-efficacy (SE), and T2DM SM practices among a cohort of limited English language–proficient Latinx immigrants. Statistical and qualitative analysis procedures were performed comparing males and females. Results: Thirty persons participated. Males tended to be older, have higher educational achievement, and more financial security than females. Physiologic measures tended worse among female participants. Health literacy and exercise SE scores were similar, but females scored lower on Eating and Diabetes SE. Forty-seven percent ( n= 9) of the women reported a history of gestational diabetes mellitus and a majority of men ( n = 7) cited difficulty with excessive alcohol. Consumption: Males appeared to receive more SM support compared to females. Females more frequently noted how family obligations and a lack of support impeded their SM. Work environments negatively influenced SM practices. Conclusion: Men and women have unique SM challenges and as such require individualized strategies and support to improve T2DM management.

scholarly journals What Do Childcare Providers Know about Environmental Influences on Children’s Health? Implications for Environmental Health Literacy Efforts

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 5489
Author(s):  
Brenda D. Koester ◽  
Stephanie Sloane ◽  
Elinor M. Fujimoto ◽  
Barbara H. Fiese ◽  
Leona Yi-Fan Su
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Environmental Health ◽  
Environmental Influences ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
The United States ◽  
Children's Health ◽  
Children’S Health ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Environmental Health Literacy ◽  
Childcare Providers

Children are uniquely vulnerable to toxicant exposures in their environment, which can have long-lasting impacts on their health. Childcare providers are an important population to target for environmental health literacy, as most children in the United States under five years of age spend a significant number of waking hours in non-parental care. There is an increasing body of evidence that children are exposed to toxicants in the childcare environment, and yet little is known about what childcare providers know about environmental influences on the health of children in their care. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 36 home- and center-based Illinois childcare providers to better understand their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors as they relate to environmental influences on children’s health. We found that the majority of providers had a low level of understanding of potential sources of exposure in the childcare environment, and they did not feel that environmental exposures posed a significant risk to children. Future efforts to increase environmental health literacy should focus on raising awareness and knowledge of environmental health issues for childcare providers before addressing ways that providers can reduce or prevent toxicant exposures to children in their care.

scholarly journals Diet, Nutrition, and Oral Health: What Influences Mother’s Decisions on What to Feed Their Young Children?

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (15) ◽  
pp. 8159
Author(s):  
Amit Arora ◽  
Louise Chew ◽  
Kaye Kang ◽  
Lily Tang ◽  
Mohamed Estai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Time Constraints ◽  
Birth Cohort Study ◽  
Critical Factors ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Educational Materials ◽  
Nutrition And Health ◽  
Access To Health ◽  
Study Participants

The purpose of this study was to learn about mothers’ experiences with food choices for their pre-school children in underprivileged communities in Greater Western Sydney (GWS). A total of 20 mother-child dyads living in GWS were recruited to a qualitative study from an ongoing birth cohort study. Participants’ houses were visited for semi-structured interviews, which were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed thematically. The interviews yielded five main themes: (i) food choices, nutrition, and health; (ii) accessibility and availability of foods (iii) buying time for parents; (iv) child’s age and their preference on food choices; (v) conditioning certain behaviours by family and cultural factors. Nutrition literacy, child’s preferences, unhealthy food intake by family members, child’s demand, advertising and availability of harmful foods, and time constraints were all mentioned as hurdles to mothers making appropriate meal choices for their children. However, some identified facilitators were promoting parents’ knowledge, increasing access to health educational materials, upskilling mothers to providing healthier alternatives, regulating the marketing of unhealth foods. Although, the present study identified critical factors that influence mothers’ food choices for their young children, making healthy food choices is a complex practice as it is shaped by individual, social and environmental influences.

scholarly journals Instructions for masking the taste of medication for children

2016 ◽  
Vol 150 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Régis Vaillancourt ◽  
Yen Truong ◽  
Shazya Karmali ◽  
Amanda Kraft ◽  
Selina Manji ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
School Health ◽  
Clinical Impact ◽  
Pediatric Hospital ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Low Health Literacy ◽  
Health Literacy Level ◽  
Literacy Level

Background: Medications that taste unpleasant can be a struggle to administer to children, most often resulting in low adherence rates. Pictograms can be useful tools to improve adherence by conveying information to patients in a way that they will understand. Methods: One-on-one structured interviews were conducted with parents/guardians and with children between the ages of 9 and 17 years at a pediatric hospital. The questionnaire evaluated the comprehension of 12 pictogram sets that described how to mask the taste of medications for children. Pictograms understood by >85% of participants were considered validated. Short-term recall was assessed by asking participants to recall the meaning of each pictogram set. Results: There were 51 participants in the study—26 (51%) were children aged 9 to 17 years and 25 (49%) were parents or guardians. Most children (54%) had health literacy levels of grade 10 or higher. Most parents and guardians (92%) had at least a high school health literacy level. Six of the 12 pictogram sets (50%) were validated. Eleven of 12 pictogram sets (92%) had a median translucency score greater than 5. All 12 pictogram sets (100%) were correctly identified at short-term recall and were therefore validated. Conclusion: The addition of validated illustrations to pharmaceutical labels can be useful to instruct on how to mask the taste of medication in certain populations. Further studies are needed to assess the clinical impact of providing illustrated information to populations with low health literacy.

scholarly journals Maximising health literacy and client recall of clinical information: An exploratory study of clients and speech-language pathologists

2010 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Friderike Schmidt Von Wûhlisch ◽  
Michelle Pascoe
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Cleft Lip ◽  
Treatment Effectiveness ◽  
Clinical Information ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Speech Language Pathologists ◽  
Need To Evaluate ◽  
Language Pathology

Limited research has been carried out in the field of speech-language pathology with regard to ways of maximising health literacy and client recall. However, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) frequently provide vast amounts of information that clients need to understand, apply and review in order to manage their (or their child’s) health. This exploratory study aimed to contribute information about ways in which SLPs can overcome low health literacy and poor client recall so that treatment effectiveness is improved. A case-study design was used with specific focus on four clients receiving treatment for dysphagia, voice disorders (including laryngectomies) and cleft lip and/or palate management in Cape Town. Strategies which may be able to maximise health literacy and client recall of clinical information were trialled and evaluated by clients and their SLPs, using semi-structured interviews. The researchers proposed a combination of high-tech strategies which assisted in all the cases. No single solution or universal tool was found that would be appropriate for all. There is a need to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of the combined strategies across a wider population, at different stages of rehabilitation and in diverse contexts. Implications and suggestions for future related research are presented.

scholarly journals Kids SIPsmartER: A Feasibility Study to Reduce Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption Among Middle School Youth in Central Appalachia

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 1386-1401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Lane ◽  
Kathleen J. Porter ◽  
Erin Hecht ◽  
Priscilla Harris ◽  
Vivica Kraak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Middle School ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Media Literacy ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Random Order ◽  
Process Data ◽  
Public Health Literacy

Purpose: To test the feasibility of Kids SIP smartER, a school-based intervention to reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). Design: Matched-contact randomized crossover study with mixed-methods analysis. Setting: One middle school in rural, Appalachian Virginia. Participants: Seventy-four sixth and seventh graders (5 classrooms) received Kids SIP smartER in random order over 2 intervention periods. Feasibility outcomes were assessed among 2 teachers. Intervention: Kids SIP smartER consisted of 6 lessons grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior, media literacy, and public health literacy and aimed to improve individual SSB behaviors and understanding of media literacy and prevalent regional disparities. The matched-contact intervention promoted physical activity. Measures: Beverage Intake Questionnaire-15 (SSB consumption), validated theory questionnaires, feasibility questionnaires (student and teacher), student focus groups, teacher interviews, and process data (eg, attendance). Analysis: Repeated measures analysis of variances across 3 time points, descriptive statistics, and deductive analysis of qualitative data. Results: During the first intervention period, students receiving Kids SIP smartER (n = 43) significantly reduced SSBs by 11 ounces/day ( P = .01) and improved media ( P < .001) and public health literacy ( P < .01) understanding; however, only media literacy showed between-group differences ( P < .01). Students and teachers found Kids SIP smartER acceptable, in-demand, practical, and implementable within existing resources. Conclusion: Kids SIP smartER is feasible in an underresourced, rural school setting. Results will inform further development and large-scale testing of Kids SIP smartER to reduce SSBs among rural adolescents.

Impact of Task Types on Collaborative Information Seeking Behavior

Libri ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-245
Author(s):  
Dan Wu ◽  
Shaobo Liang ◽  
Jing Dong ◽  
Jin Qiu
Keyword(s):  
Information Search ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Task Type ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
Team Approach ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Collaborative Information Seeking ◽  
Navigational System ◽  
Task Types

Abstract This study examined the task type as an important factor in collaborative information seeking activities, devoting special attention to its impacts on collaborative information seeking behavior, awareness and sentiment. Collaborative information search experiments were conducted on a collaborative search system—Coagmento—for three different types of task (informational, transactional and navigational). System log, surveys and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data, with quantitative and qualitative analyses carried out on the data which related to 12 participants in four groups. Quantitative analysis employed SPSS 20, while qualitative analysis was carried out using ATLAS.ti. Through our research, we found that the task types have impact on users’ collaborative information seeking behavior in terms of web page browsing, search and image using, as well as interact with task awareness. A collaborative team approach is more suitable for completing the informational task than transactional and navigational tasks, while the task type also influences the sentiment. Concretely speaking, the transactional task causes more negative emotions.

Access to Health Care for Pregnant Arabic-Speaking Refugee Women and Mothers in Germany

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 437-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Henry ◽  
Christian Beruf ◽  
Thomas Fischer
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Limited Health Literacy ◽  
Pregnancy And Childbirth ◽  
Refugee Women ◽  
Health Care Experiences ◽  
Access To Health

Refugee women often encounter multiple barriers when accessing ante-, peri-, and postnatal care. The aim of this study was to investigate how premigration experiences, conceptions about pregnancy and childbirth, health literacy, and language skills influence access to health care, experiences of health care, and childbirth. A total of 12 semi-structured interviews with refugee women from Iraq, Syria, and Palestine were conducted in the city of Dresden. Content analysis was applied using Levesque’s access model as a framework. Results indicate that conceptions of pregnancy and childbirth and premigration experiences influence women’s behaviors and experiences of pregnancy and childbirth. They contribute to barriers in accessing health care and lead to negative health outcomes. In view of limited health literacy, poor language skills, lack of information, and missing translators, female relatives in countries of origin remain an important source of information. Improved access to services for refugee women is needed.

scholarly journals Comprehensive Nutrition Review of Grain-Based Muesli Bars in Australia: An Audit of Supermarket Products

Foods ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felicity Curtain ◽  
Sara Grafenauer
Keyword(s):  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Dietary Fibre ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Nutritional Supplement ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Whole Grain ◽  
Added Sugars ◽  
Policy Initiatives ◽  
Nutrition Review

Muesli bars are consumed by 16% of children, and 7.5% of adults, and are classified as discretionary in Australian Dietary Guidelines, containing “higher fat and added sugars” compared with core food choices. This study aimed to provide a nutritional overview of grain-based muesli bars, comparing data from 2019 with 2015. An audit of muesli bars, grain-based bars, and oat slices was undertaken in January 2019 (excluding fruit, nut, nutritional supplement, and breakfast bars) from the four major supermarkets in metropolitan Sydney. Mean and standard deviation was calculated for all nutrients on-pack, including whole grain per serve and per 100g. Health Star Rating (HSR) was calculated if not included on-pack. Of all bars (n = 165), 63% were ≤ 600 kJ (268–1958 kJ), 12% were low in saturated fat, 56% were a source of dietary fibre, and none were low in sugar. Two-thirds (66%) were whole grain (≥8 g/serve), with an average of 10 g/serve, 16% of the 48 g Daily Target Intake. HSR featured on 63% of bars (average 3.2), with an overall HSR of 2.7. Compared to 2015, mean sugars declined (26.6 g to 23.7 g/100 g; p < 0.001), and 31% more bars were whole grain (109 up from 60 bars). Although categorised as discretionary, there were significant nutrient differences across grain-based muesli bars. Clearer classification within policy initiatives, including HSR, may assist consumers in choosing products high in whole grain and fibre at the supermarket shelf.

scholarly journals Comparison of Evidence Review Methodologies Used to inform Nutrition Recommendations

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 1732-1732
Author(s):  
Huma Rana ◽  
Kaylyn Dixon ◽  
Sylvie St-Pierre ◽  
Bryony Sinclair
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Systematic Reviews ◽  
Review Process ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
The Public ◽  
Rigorous Approach ◽  
Funding Sources ◽  
Disease Rates ◽  
Evidence Review ◽  
Health Canada

Abstract Objectives In an era of rising chronic disease rates and conflicting healthy eating messages, the public needs evidence-informed, credible healthy eating information to help guide their food choices. This is why credible scientific bodies have developed systematic approaches to reviewing evidence in order to inform nutrition recommendations. Health Canada compared the latest evidence review processes and grading methodologies that are used by credible scientific bodies to develop nutrition recommendations. Methods An environmental scan of evidence review approaches used by credible scientific bodies was conducted. Websites of scientific bodies were searched, and flowcharts and summaries of each scientific body's evidence review process were developed. The evidence review processes were then assessed and compared between scientific bodies, and with their own previous approaches. Results Evidence review processes of 11 scientific bodies were included in the comparison. All scientific bodies use a systematic approach to gather and review evidence, including the use of systematic reviews, and involve experts in the review of evidence to determine its strength. However, expert groups use varying criteria to grade the evidence. Interesting similarities also exist in how the evidence review processes have evolved over time to strengthen scientific rigour and credibility. For efficiency, scientific bodies are increasingly using ‘review of systematic reviews’ in their evidence review as more systematic reviews have become available. In addition, there is improved transparency in evidence review methods and scientific bodies have increased efforts to engage the public. Conclusions Overall, the methodologies of the scientific bodies are similar in their rigorous approach to reviewing evidence to inform the development of nutrition recommendations. However, they differ in how they engage experts and grade the strength of the evidence. Another difference is the transparency of their evidence review methods, which is important to allow for meaningful comparison and understanding of conclusions across scientific bodies. Funding Sources The authors received no specific funds for this work. The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

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