A Model Interdisciplinary Collaboration to Engage and Mentor Underrepresented Minority Students in Lived Arctic and Climate Science Research Experiences

The Polaris Project, a National Science Foundation–funded program at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, aims to comprehensively address minority participation in climate and Arctic science research. Critical participant outcomes included development of interdisciplinary research projects, involvement in self-efficacy and advocacy experiences, and increased awareness and discussion of Arctic research careers.

Citizen science project characteristics: Connection to participants’ gains in knowledge and skills

Background Biodiversity is being lost rapidly and its conservation is thus one of the most urgent tasks today. For biodiversity conservation to be successful, the public needs to gain an awareness and understanding of biodiversity and its importance. Moreover, species experts are needed who have the skills necessary for identifying and recording biodiversity. Previous research showed that citizen science projects can contribute to educating the public about biodiversity. However, it is still unclear how project characteristics connect to participants’ knowledge and skills and how citizen science projects should be designed if they are to foster participants’ learning. Aim We aimed to investigate specific characteristics of biodiversity citizen science projects that could potentially influence participants’ learning. We explored the following project characteristics from both the project coordinators’ and the participants’ perspectives: information and training provided to participants, social interaction among participants, contact between participants and staff, and feedback and recognition provided to participants. Methods and results In order to examine the extent to which these project characteristics are connected to participants’ gains in knowledge and skills, we conducted a comprehensive study across 48 biodiversity citizen science projects in Europe and Australia. We found that participants’ perceived gains in knowledge and skills were significantly related to the five project characteristics as reported by the participants: information received by the participants, training received by the participants, social interaction among participants, contact between participants and staff, and feedback and recognition received by the participants. Conclusion We conclude that by deliberately designing citizen science projects to include features such as interaction and feedback, these projects could achieve higher learning outcomes for the participants. Thereby, suitable modes of communication between projects and their participants are crucial. We provide specific suggestions for the design of biodiversity citizen science projects and for future research on project characteristics and participant outcomes.

Food Prescriptions for Management of Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes among Food Insecure Youth: A Pilot Protocol

Introduction: Food access and food insecurity represent significant barriers to healthy eating in low-income communities. Food prescription programs have attempted to address these barriers by providing subsidized access to fresh produce through a physician-community collaboration. However, little is known about the health outcomes associated with food prescriptions, especially among youth with diabetes. To address this, we report data from the past two years of the Veggie Box program, a free produce distribution program of Indy Urban Acres. Additionally, we propose a feasibility study to 1) establish a food prescription program for food insecure youth with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes through the Veggie Box program and 2) assess health outcomes of youth who receive a prescription for Veggie Box. Methods: Through 2018 and 2019, the Veggie Box has been distributed weekly to a low-income community on the eastside of Indianapolis. Participant outcomes have been measured through survey assessment of food and beverage consumption, food insecurity, quality of life indicators, and program satisfaction. The proposed study aims to recruit 70 food insecure families with children aged 10-16 who have prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. Participants will receive a Veggie Box once every two weeks for a total of 12 weeks and will be provided access to a dietitian, health coach, and monthly group diabetes prevention sessions. Participant outcomes will be assessed at baseline and 12 weeks using the same surveys from the past two years with the addition of BMI and HbA1c measurements. Results: The past two years of Veggie Box distribution led to a statistically significant increase in fruit (p=0.009) and vegetable (p=0.001) consumption among Veggie Box recipients. There was not a significant change in reported food security. Discussion/Conclusion: Early results from the Veggie Box program showed that it increased fruit and vegetable consumption, indicating its potential use as a food prescription for food insecure youth with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. This study will begin to fill the gap in knowledge related to health outcomes of food insecure youth with diabetes who are provided a food prescription.

Assessment of fracture risk tools in care home residents: a multi-centre observational pilot study

Background Fragility fractures are common in care home residents but established tools have not been tested in this population. Aim:To identify the most practicable tool for use. Methods Design Multicentre prospective observational cohort pilot study. Setting: 18 care homes in Boston, UK. Assessments: fragility risk score at baseline with FRAX, QFractureScore, Garvan nomogram, body mass index and TUGT for each participant. Outcomes: falls, fractures, combined falls & fractures. Follow-up; 12 months. Results 217/618 (35%) residents in the 18 care homes were enrolled. 147 (68%) had mental capacity,70 (32%) did not. There were 325 falls and 10 fractures in participants during the study. At the same time there were 1671 falls and 103 fractures in residents not participating in the study. Multiple regression analyses showed that only age had a statistically significant association with falls (χ2(1) = 5.7775, p = 0.0162), fractures (χ2(1) = 4.7269, p = 0.0297) and combined falls & fractures (χ2(1) = 4.7269, p = 0.0297). C-statistics were: falls; FRAX 0.544, BMI 0.610, QFractureScore 0.554, Garvan nomogram 0.579, TUGT 0.656, fractures; FRAX 0.655, BMI 0.708, QFractureScore 0.736, Garvan nomogram 0.712, TUGT 0.590, combined falls and fractures, c-statistics were same as for fractures. Fifty-four participants (25%) died during follow-up. Charlson comorbidity index predicted mortality, R2 = 0.021 (p = 0.034). Conclusions QFractureScore, BMI and Garvan nomogram were good predictors of fractures and combined falls and fractures Only age had statistically significant association with the outcomes. No tool was good predictor of falls.