scholarly journals Does Urban Agriculture Improve Food Security? Examining the Nexus of Food Access and Distribution of Urban Produced Foods in the United States: A Systematic Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 2988 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alana Siegner ◽  
Jennifer Sowerwine ◽  
Charisma Acey
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Urban Agriculture ◽  
Low Income ◽  
City Planning ◽  
The United States ◽  
Food Justice ◽  
Community Food Security ◽  
The Impact

The aim of our review is to critically analyze the urban agriculture and urban food systems literature in order to understand the impact of urban-produced foods on community food security. We examine the role of city planning, food policy, and civic engagement in creating spaces for urban agriculture in cities across the United States, and whether (and how) these spaces promote food justice and food security. Bringing together multidisciplinary literature on access to urban agriculture and the distribution of urban-produced foods in a thematic, systematic review, we point out gaps in the academic research that would benefit from further study. The review integrates academic literature generated from Web of Science searches with gray literature identified through Google Alerts. We find that while there is a strong focus on elucidating the multiple benefits of urban agriculture, there are few studies that robustly measure the impact of urban farms on improving food security in low-income communities. Much of the literature is theoretical, focused on the production potential of urban agriculture, while more work is needed to understand and overcome barriers to access and distribution among communities in need. We conclude with a set of recommendations for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers who seek to create spaces in cities for food justice, equity, access, and sovereignty.

Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status and Stroke Incidence: A Systematic Review

Neurology ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 10.1212/WNL.0000000000011892
Author(s):  
Yeonwoo Kim ◽  
Erica Twardzik ◽  
Suzanne E. Judd ◽  
Natalie Colabianchi
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Stroke Risk ◽  
Keyword Search ◽  
The United States ◽  
Stroke Incidence ◽  
Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Modifiable Factors ◽  
The Impact

ObjectiveTo summarize overall patterns of the impact of neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES) on incidence stroke and uncover potential gaps in the literature, we conducted a systematic review of studies examining the association between nSES and incident stroke, independent of individual socioeconomic status (SES).MethodsFour electronic databases and reference lists of included articles were searched, and corresponding authors were contacted to locate additional studies. A keyword search strategy included the three broad domains of neighborhood, SES, and stroke. Eight studies met our inclusion criteria (e.g., nSES as an exposure, individual SES as a covariate, and incident stroke as an outcome). We coded study methodology and findings across the eight studies.ResultsThe results provide evidence for the overall nSES and incident stroke association in Sweden and Japan, but not within the United States. Findings were inconclusive when examining the nSES-incident stroke association stratified by race. We found evidence for the mediating role of biological factors in the nSES-incident stroke association.ConclusionsHigher neighborhood disadvantage was found to be associated with higher stroke risk, but it was not significant in all the studies. The relationship between nSES and stroke risk within different racial groups in the United States was inconclusive. Inconsistencies may be driven by differences in covariate adjustment (e.g., individual-level sociodemographic characteristics, neighborhood-level racial composition). Additional research is needed to investigate potential intermediate and modifiable factors of the nSES and incident stroke association, which could serve as intervention points.

scholarly journals School's Out

Elements ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-52
Author(s):  
Charlie Power
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Education System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Learning Loss ◽  
Summer Learning ◽  
Elementary And Secondary Education ◽  
Heated Debate ◽  
The Impact

The debate over the future direction of elementary and secondary education in the United States is fractious and contentious. Many of these are rooted in concerns over disparities in financial circumstances and race. While the full extent of the gaps, in addition to the United States' mediocre education system relative to other industrialized nations, has been a subject of frequent research and heated debate, one crucial component of this divide has yet to be analyzed: summer learning loss. This paper will closely analyze published literature in order to analyze the impact of summer education loss. Additionally, this paper will argue that summer learning varies by socioeconomic status (SES), with low-income populations gradually regressing over the years. This phenomenon has ramifications on students' achievement and explains the disparities that accumulate over a student's educational career. Finally, based on current evidence, this paper will make policy recommendations on how to change the current education system to better address summer's inherent inequities. 

Immigration and Contract Problems Experienced by Foreign-Educated Nurses

2012 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Pittman ◽  
Carolina Herrera ◽  
Joanne Spetz ◽  
Catherine R. Davis
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Low Income ◽  
The United States ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Labor Rights ◽  
Care Practice ◽  
Quality Health Care ◽  
International Recruitment ◽  
The Impact

More than 8% of employed RNs licensed since 2004 in the United States were educated overseas, yet little is known about the conditions of their recruitment or the impact of that experience on health care practice. This study assessed whether the labor rights of foreign-educated nurses were at risk during the latest period of high international recruitment: 2003 to 2007. Using consensus-based standards contained in the Voluntary Code of Ethical Conduct for the Recruitment of Foreign-Educated Health Professionals to the United States, this study found 50% of actively recruited foreign-educated nurses experienced a negative recruitment practice. The study also found that nurses educated in low-income countries and nurses with high contract breach fees, were significantly more likely to report such problems. If, as experts believe may occur, the nursing shortage in the United States returns around 2014, oversight of international recruitment will become critically important to delivering high-quality health care to Americans.

Effectiveness of Workplace Lactation Interventions on Breastfeeding Outcomes in the United States: An Updated Systematic Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia H. Kim ◽  
Jong C. Shin ◽  
Sharon M. Donovan
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Exclusive Breastfeeding ◽  
Maternity Leave ◽  
The United States ◽  
Breastfeeding Duration ◽  
Breastfeeding Initiation ◽  
White Ethnicity ◽  
Observational Study Design ◽  
The Impact

Background Returning to work is one of the main barriers to breastfeeding duration among working mothers in the United States. However, the impact of workplace lactation programs is unclear. Research Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of workplace lactation programs in the United States on breastfeeding practices. Methods A systematic search was conducted of seven databases through September 2017. Articles ( N = 10) meeting the inclusion criteria of describing a workplace lactation intervention and evaluation in the United States and measuring initiation, exclusivity, or duration using an experimental or observational study design were critically evaluated. Two reviewers conducted quality assessments and reviewed the full-text articles during the analysis. Results Common services provided were breast pumps, social support, lactation rooms, and breastfeeding classes. Breastfeeding initiation was very high, ranging from 87% to 98%. Several factors were significantly associated with duration of exclusive breastfeeding: (a) receiving a breast pump for one year (8.3 versus 4.7 months), (b) return-to-work consultations (40% versus 17% at 6 months), and (c) telephone support (42% versus 15% at 6 months). Each additional service (except prenatal education) dose-dependently increased exclusively breastfeeding at 6 months. Sociodemographic information including older maternal age, working part-time, longer maternity leave, and white ethnicity were associated with longer breastfeeding duration. Conclusion Workplace lactation interventions increased breastfeeding initiation, duration, and exclusive breastfeeding, with greater changes observed with more available services. More evidence is needed on the impact of workplace support in low-income populations, and the cost-effectiveness of these programs in reducing health care costs.

Systematic review of differential inorganic arsenic exposure in minority, low-income, and indigenous populations in the United States

2016 ◽  
Vol 92-93 ◽  
pp. 707-715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Joca ◽  
Jason D. Sacks ◽  
Danielle Moore ◽  
Janice S. Lee ◽  
Reeder Sams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Arsenic Exposure ◽  
Inorganic Arsenic ◽  
The United States ◽  
Indigenous Populations

scholarly journals The impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on drug overdose-related deaths in the United States and Canada: a systematic review of observational studies and analysis of public health surveillance data

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sameer Imtiaz ◽  
Frishta Nafeh ◽  
Cayley Russell ◽  
Farihah Ali ◽  
Tara Elton-Marshall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Drug Overdose ◽  
Observational Studies ◽  
Public Health Surveillance ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Surveillance ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background There are preliminary indications that the trajectory of drug overdose-related deaths in North America has been exacerbated due to the novel coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19). As such, the impact of COVID-19 on drug overdose-related deaths was examined through a systematic review of the literature and percentage change analyses of surveillance data. Methods Systematic searches in electronic databases were conducted, a topical issue brief and bibliography were reviewed, reference lists of included studies were searched and expert consultations were held to identify studies (Registration # CRD42021230223). Observational studies from the United States and Canada were eligible for inclusion if drug overdose-related deaths were assessed in quantitative or qualitative analyses onwards from at least March 2020. In addition, percentage changes comparing drug overdose-related deaths in the second annual quarter (Q2 2020 [April to June]) with the first annual quarter (Q1 2020 [January to March]) were generated using national and subnational data from public health surveillance systems and reports from jurisdictions in the United States and Canada. Results Nine studies were included in the systematic review, eight from the United States and one from Canada. The maximum outcome assessment period in the included studies extended until September 2020. Drug overdose-related deaths after the onset of COVID-19 were higher compared with the months leading up to the pandemic in 2020 and the comparative months in 2019. In additional percentage change analyses, drug overdose-related deaths increased by 2 to 60% in jurisdictions in the United States and by 58% in Canada when comparing Q2 2020 with Q1 2020. Conclusions Drug overdose-related deaths increased after the onset of COVID-19. The current situation necessitates a multi-pronged approach, encompassing expanded access to substance use disorder treatment, undisrupted access to harm reduction services, emphasis on risk reduction strategies, provision of a safe drug supply and decriminalization of drug use.

Quality of Child Care as an Aspect of Family and Child Care Policy in the United States

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
pp. 182-188
Author(s):  
Sandra Scarr ◽  
Deborah Phillips ◽  
Kathleen McCartney ◽  
Martha Abbott-Shim
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Child Care ◽  
Low Income ◽  
The United States ◽  
Child Care Policy ◽  
Care Policy ◽  
Working Families ◽  
Low Income Families ◽  
The Impact

The quality of child care services in the United States should be understood within a context of child care policy at the federal and state levels. Similarly, child care policy needs to be examined within the larger context of family-support policies that do or do not include parental leaves to care for infants (and other dependent family members) and family allowances that spread the financial burdens of parenthood. Maynard and McGinnis1 presented a comprehensive look at the current and predictable policies that, at federal and state levels, affect working families and their children. They note the many problems in our "patchwork" system of child care—problems of insufficient attention to quality and insufficient supply for low-income families. Recent legislation is a step toward improving the ability of low-income families to pay for child care (by subsidizing that part of the cost of such care which exceeds 15% rather than 20% of the family income) and some steps toward training caregivers and improving regulations. They note the seeming political impasse over parental leaves, even unpaid leaves, and the impact of this lack of policy on the unmet need for early infant care. We should step back from the current morass of family and child care policies in the United States and look at what other nations have done and continue to do for their working families. By comparison with other industrialized countries in the world, the United States neglects essential provisions that make it possible for parents in other countries to afford to rear children and to find and afford quality child care for their children.

East LA Interchange: A Documentary Exploration of Boyle Heights

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Betsy Kalin
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Political Representation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Action ◽  
Multicultural Society ◽  
Immigrant Rights ◽  
Communities Of Color ◽  
Boyle Heights ◽  
The Impact

The documentary East LA Interchange (2015) has extraordinary potential to be used to increase awareness about our diverse, multicultural society and the specific challenges facing low-income communities of color. These communities’ residents are especially vulnerable to gentrification and displacement, and across the United States, we are currently seeing the impact of gentrification on our neighborhoods. One of the most important aspects of a documentary is what happens after the film is completed. We are in the process of creating a multiplatform strategic outreach campaign designed to engage youth and mobilize advocates around the issues addressed in the film. Our outreach and engagement goals are varied yet complementary to the themes in East LA Interchange. We believe that East LA Interchange’s message of empowerment through community action is one that can greatly benefit youth and adults in rapidly changing communities. Because Boyle Heights is one of the United States’ great places of diversity, inclusion, and tolerance, we would like the film to create momentum around social justice issues depicted in the film such as acceptance and appreciation of diversity, immigrant rights, environmental and transportation justice, urban development, and effective political representation.

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