scholarly journals Feeding Children and Maintaining Food Service Operations during COVID-19: A Mixed Methods Investigation of Implementation and Financial Challenges

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 2691
Author(s):  
Erica L. Kenney ◽  
Caroline G. Dunn ◽  
Rebecca S. Mozaffarian ◽  
Jane Dai ◽  
Katie Wilson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Disaster Preparedness ◽  
Food Service ◽  
The United States ◽  
External Support ◽  
United States Department ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
School Food ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Financial Challenges

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs are critical for the health and food security of U.S. schoolchildren, but access to these programs was disrupted by COVID-19 pandemic-related school closures in spring 2020. While temporary policy changes to the programs enabled school food authorities (SFAs) to pivot towards distributing meals throughout their communities instead of within school buildings, SFAs faced complex challenges during COVID-19 with minimal external support. This mixed methods study investigates the implementation and financial challenges experienced by twelve of the largest urban SFAs in the U.S. during COVID-19. We conducted semi-structured interviews with SFA leaders and analyzed alongside quantitative financial data. We found that SFAs reconfigured their usual operations with nearly no preparation time while simultaneously trying to keep staff from contracting COVID-19, accommodate stakeholders with sometimes competing priorities, and remain financially solvent. Because student participation was much lower than during regular times, and revenue is tied to the number of meals served, SFAs saw drastic decreases in revenue even as they carried regular operating costs. For future crises, disaster preparedness plans that help SFAs better navigate the switch to financially viable community distribution methods are needed.

scholarly journals Dedication, innovation, and collaboration: A mixed-methods analysis of school meals in Connecticut during COVID-19

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Katherine Connolly ◽  
Molly Babbin ◽  
Sarah McKee ◽  
Kevin McGinn ◽  
Juliana Cohen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Food Service ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Participation Rates ◽  
School Meals ◽  
School Food ◽  
School Closures ◽  
School Food Service ◽  
Road Map ◽  
Meal Programs

When school buildings across the U.S. closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many school districts mobilized to establish emer­gency school meal programs to operate outside the setting of school cafeterias. The aim of this conver­gent mixed-methods study is to (a) examine the structure and rates of participation in the spring 2020 meal programs in Connecticut, and (b) obtain insight about the challenges, strategies used, and lessons learned during this time by food service leaders. We obtained quantitative data from the Connecticut State Department of Education and district websites, and qualitative data from nine one-hour interviews with school food service lead­ers. Although the National School Lunch Program provides meals at standard price, reduced-price, or no cost based on student household income, all emergency meals during spring 2020 were provided at no cost following the school closures resulting from the COVID-19 public health emergency dec­lara­tion. The average number of meals distrib­uted from March to May 2020 was significantly lower than the overall participation rates (i.e., paid, free, and reduced-price meals combined) prior to COVID-19. However, participation rates in April and May 2020 approached those of free and reduced-price meal participation a year earlier. Four key action themes emerged from the interviews: (1) tailor the program to community needs and resources; (2) identify strategies to facilitate partici­pation; (3) develop partnerships to coordinate school, municipal, and community efforts; and (4) establish programs that encourage resiliency. The interviewees also saw this event as an oppor­tunity to improve the perception of school meals. Inno­vations developed during the spring 2020 school building closures provide a road map for best prac­tices for the 2020–2021 school year and beyond.

scholarly journals Who is to blame for COVID-19? Examining politicized fear and health behavior through a mixed methods study in the United States

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0256136
Author(s):  
Lisa J. Hardy ◽  
Adi Mana ◽  
Leah Mundell ◽  
Moran Neuman ◽  
Sharón Benheim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Health Behaviors ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mixed Methods Design ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Government Power ◽  
Political Spectrum

Background Political ideologies drove public actions and health behaviors in the first year of the global pandemic. Different ideas about contagion, health behaviors, and the actions of governing bodies impacted the spread of the virus and health and life. Researchers used an immediate, mixed methods design to explore sociocultural responses to the virus and identified differences and similarities in anxiety, fear, blame, and perceptions of nation across political divides. Methods Researchers conducted 60 in-depth, semi-structured interviews and administered over 1,000 questionnaires with people living in the United States. The team analyzed data through an exploratory and confirmatory sequential mixed methods design. Results In the first months of the pandemic interviewees cited economic inequality, untrustworthy corporations and other entities, and the federal government as threats to life and pandemic control. Participants invoked ideas about others to determine blame. Findings reveal heavy associations between lack of safety during a public health crisis and blame of “culture” and government power across the political spectrum. Conclusion Data indicate anxiety across political differences related to ideas of contagion and the maleficence of a powerful elite. Findings on how people understand the nation, politics, and pandemic management contribute to understanding dimensions of health behaviors and underlying connections between anxiety and the uptake of conspiracy theories in public health. The article ends with recommendations drawn from project findings for future pandemic response.

scholarly journals Honey-borne infant botulism in tahnik practice: an explanation of the risk and its solutions

Food Research ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 431-437
Author(s):  
M.A.W. Harun ◽  
A. Abdullah ◽  
A.M. Mohamad ◽  
A.S. Baharuddin
Keyword(s):  
Reliable Method ◽  
Religious Practice ◽  
The United States ◽  
Food Composition ◽  
United States Department ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Department Of Agriculture ◽  
States Department ◽  
Islamic Jurisprudence ◽  
Infant Botulism

Tahnik is a primarily Islamic practice wherein a newborn’s palate is daubed with dates or honey. However, feeding honey to an infant has been associated with numerous infant botulism cases. This situation has raised the question of how a religious practice could lead to such a severe health risk? The objectives of the study were to investigate: a reliable method of performing tahnik; the original proposition of using honey in tahnik; and the efficacy of using ingredients other than dates in tahnik. Semi-structured interviews and armchair research methods were utilised to gain data from three Islamic scholars. Other resources were also consulted, including the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Composition Database and various Islamic Literary Manuscripts. The findings indicated that the use of honey in tahnik did not originate within Islamic jurisprudence. Therefore, it should not be associated with the Prophet's Sunnah. When dates are not available for tahnik practice, then raisins, figs, pomegranates, grapes, or other sweet fruits can be used as a replacement rather than honey.

Feeding others' children : a comparative ethnography of school food service employees and how they make meaning

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Ashley D. Vancil-Leap
Keyword(s):  
Participant Observation ◽  
Food Service ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Nutrition ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Regulatory Structure ◽  
School Food ◽  
Service Employees ◽  
School Food Service ◽  
Food Service Employees

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Utilizing 18 months of participant observation, 25 in-depth interviews and numerous textual sources, this research is an ethnography at an elementary, middle, and high school looking at how school food service employees (i.e. lunch ladies) make meaning out of this low-status, low-paying occupation in the context of changes to federal policies on school nutrition. Overall, I argue that lunch ladies use care work as resources in mundane, yet unique, ways even as their work is shaped and constrained by the financial and regulatory structure changes of the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. The goal is to show how food, femininity and labor are interrelated to produce inequalities, as well as, create opportunities for equality. Consequently, this project possesses social, cultural, and policy implications by analyzing an invisible group that provides service to every school in the United States and who influence student's school food choices.

A Mixed-methods Pilot Study of Disaster Preparedness and Resiliency Among Faith-based Organizations

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie M. Muller ◽  
Rita V. Burke ◽  
Bridget M. Berg ◽  
Ann C. Lin ◽  
Jeffrey S. Upperman
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Disaster Preparedness ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Publication Type ◽  
Frequency Distributions ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
Faith Based Organizations

AbstractIntroductionFaith-based organizations represent a source of stability and are an established presence in a community. They frequently serve their community following disasters. They are not formally included or identified as a disaster resource; thus, there is an opportunity to increase the effectiveness with which faith-based organizations prepare for and respond to disasters.ProblemThis pilot study aimed to assess perceptions of the level of disaster preparedness and resiliency among faith-based organizations as a first step in understanding how to improve disaster preparedness and resiliency among these organizations and their communities.MethodsSurvey and semi-structured interviews were conducted with six faith-based organizations, one with a leader and one with a staff member. Frequency distributions of survey questions were obtained. Interviews were transcribed and thematic analysis was supported by analytical software, ATLAS. ti.ResultsResults of the survey indicated strong social networks among congregation and community members. However, half of the members indicated that they did not socialize often with other races and other neighborhoods. Additionally, trust of other groups of people was generally low. Themes that emerged from qualitative analysis were: (1) perceived disaster preparedness and resiliency; (2) barriers to community preparedness and resiliency; (3) lessons learned from past disasters; (4) social services and networks; and (5) willingness to be prepared.ConclusionsThe results suggest that there is a need for interventions to improve disaster preparedness and resiliency among faith-based organizations.MullerV, BurkeR, BergB, LinA, UppermanJ. A mixed-methods pilot study of disaster preparedness and resiliency among faith-based organizations. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2014;29(2):1-7.

scholarly journals Food Waste in Schools: A Pre-/Post-Test Study Design Examining the Impact of a Food Service Training Intervention to Reduce Food Waste

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 6389
Author(s):  
Sara A. Elnakib ◽  
Virginia Quick ◽  
Mariel Mendez ◽  
Shauna Downs ◽  
Olivia A. Wackowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Waste ◽  
Food Service ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Food ◽  
Service Workers ◽  
Food Component ◽  
School Based ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Food Service Workers ◽  
The Impact

This study aimed to assess change in school-based food waste after training and implementing the Smarter Lunchrooms Movement (SLM) strategies with school food service workers. This non-controlled trial was implemented in a random sample of 15 elementary and middle schools in a Community Eligibility Program school district in the Northeast, the United States. Baseline and post-intervention food waste measurements were collected at two different time points in each school (n = 9258 total trays measured). Descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, and regression analyses were used to assess SLM strategies’ impact on changes in percent food waste. The mean number of strategies schools implemented consistently was 7.40 ± 6.97 SD, with a range of 0 to 28 consistent strategies. Independent t-tests revealed that at post-test, there was a significant (p < 0.001) percent reduction (7.0%) in total student food waste and for each food component: fruit (13.6%), vegetable (7.1%), and milk (4.3%). Overall, a training session on food waste and the SLM strategies with school-based food service workers reduced school food waste. However, the extent of the training and SLM strategies to reduce food waste varied on the basis of the consistency and type of strategies implemented.

The Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH): Intervention, Implementation, and Feasibility for Elementary Schools in the United States

1997 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 716-735 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl L. Perry ◽  
Deborah E. Sellers ◽  
Carolyn Johnson ◽  
Sheryl Pedersen ◽  
Kathryn J. Bachman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Elementary Schools ◽  
Physical Education ◽  
Cardiovascular Health ◽  
Food Service ◽  
Child And Adolescent ◽  
The United States ◽  
Process Data ◽  
School Food ◽  
School Food Service

The Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH) was the largest school-based field trial ever sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. The trial demonstrated positive changes in the school food service and physical education program, as well as in students' cardiovascular health behaviors. Because the CATCH intervention programs were implemented in 56 schools (in four states) that were typical of schools throughout the United States, their reception by schools and degree of implementation provide evidence about their feasibility for schools nationally. Extensive process evaluation data were collected from students, teachers, school food service personnel, and physical education specialists throughout the three school years of the CATCH intervention. Four of the CATCH programs—school food service, physical education, classroom curricula, and home programs—were assessed over the three school years. The process data provide information on participation, dose, fidelity, and compatibility of the CATCH programs in the intervention schools for these programs. High levels of participation, dose, fidelity, and compatibility were observed for the four programs during the 3 school years. CATCH emerges as a model of a feasible multilevel health promotion program to improve eating and exercise behaviors for elementary schools in the United States.

scholarly journals Obesity Prevalence and Dietary Intake of Antioxidants in Native American Adolescents

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 222
Author(s):  
Maria Cristina Perez ◽  
Benjamin D. Knisley ◽  
Grace E. Crosby ◽  
Shasha Zheng ◽  
M. Margaret Barth
Keyword(s):  
Native American ◽  
Dietary Intake ◽  
Food Service ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
The United States ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
Obesity Prevalence ◽  
School Food ◽  
School Food Service ◽  
Antioxidant Intake

Antioxidants are well known for possessing anti-inflammatory properties, which can reduce the risk of chronic disease and obesity. However, very little research has been done to examine antioxidant intake among adolescent minority populations such as Native American adolescents. Our study examined the significance of antioxidant intake among Native American adolescents at an urban residential high school in Southern California. Our study population consisted of 183 male and female Native American adolescents, 14-18 years of age, representing 43 tribes from across the United States. Students’ primary source of meals was provided by the school food service. Based on the BMI calculations, the rate of obesity within our population was 38% for males and 40% for females, more than two-fold the national rate indicated by NHANESIII data. We used the Harvard School of Public Health Youth/Adolescent Questionnaire (HSPH YAQ), a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, to examine antioxidant nutrient intake and evaluate the differences in the intake between normal and obese weight students. Statistical analysis of the results showed that intakes of vitamins C, E, and lycopene were the antioxidant nutrients found to be significantly different between normal and obese weight students and intakes of these nutrients were found to be higher among normal weight students (p-values = 0.02451, 0.00847, and 0.04928, respectively). These results suggest that dietary intake of antioxidants could be increased among Native American adolescents. Further research is needed to confirm our findings and identify effective ways for school food service to incorporate antioxidant rich foods into school menus.

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