Prevalence of Recess and Supportive Practices at a Nationwide Sample of Public Elementary Schools in the United States

Background: Recess provides an important opportunity for children to be physically active during weekdays. Updated, nationally representative, prevalence estimates of elementary school recess practices in the United States are needed. Methods: Surveys were sent to a nationally representative sample of 1010 public elementary schools in the 2019-2020 school year. Results were compared by region (Northeast, Midwest, South, West), urbanicity, size, racial and ethnic composition, and socioeconomic status (percent eligible for free/reduced-priced meals). Results: A total of 559 responses were obtained. About 87.9% of schools provided at least 20 minutes of daily recess and 26.6% had trained recess supervisors. Most schools did not allow students to voluntarily stay inside during recess (71.6%) and around half prohibited withholding recess for poor behavior (45.6%) or to complete schoolwork (49.5%). Several practices varied by region, and withholding recess was more prevalent among schools with lower student socioeconomic makeup. Implications for School Health Policy, Practice, and Equity: Regular national surveillance of recess practices can inform policy needs and efforts to advance equitable access to recess. Quality and access should be considered when developing recess policies. Conclusions: Most United States elementary schools provide recess. However, regional and economic disparities exist. Promoting supportive practices for recess, particularly for schools serving lower-income communities, is necessary

Teachers’ Resources to Support School Lunch: Professional Development Is Warranted

In the United States, many children who come from low-income backgrounds and experience food insecurity do not take and eat school lunch, despite it being a nutritious meal. Teachers could play a role in encouraging students’ consumption of school lunch; however, teachers in America are traditionally uninvolved in the lunch period. The purpose of this research was to understand the resources kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12) teachers need to encourage students to take and eat school lunch. Two data collection workshops and semi-structured follow-up interviews were conducted with K-12 teachers. The workshops and interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for salient themes. Ten teachers participated in the workshops and six teachers participated in the follow-up interviews. In general, teachers believe school meals are essential for students’ focus and behavior in the classroom. However, to encourage students to take and eat school lunch, teachers need support and resources. From the workshops and interviews, three themes emerged: (1) improvements in the food quality; (2) school community support; and (3) professional development. The data suggests professional development is the greatest resource teachers need, as professional development can enhance teachers’ motivation to advocate for better food quality and engage school community support. Greater teacher involvement in school lunch could lay the groundwork for future healthier generations

Implementation of Universal School Meals during COVID-19 and beyond: Challenges and Benefits for School Meals Programs in Maine.

School meals play a major role in supporting children's diets and food security, and policies for universal school meals (USM) have the potential to contribute to positive child health outcomes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, schools provided free school meals to all students in the United States, but this national USM policy ended in school year (SY) 2022-2023; however, a few states have adopted policies to continue USM statewide for SY 2022-2023. Research examining the challenges and strategies for successful continuation of USM is essential, along with studying pandemic-related challenges that are likely to persist in schools. Therefore, we conducted a study in Maine (with a USM policy) to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 and the concurrent implementation of USM, as well as examine differences in implementation by school characteristics, throughout the state. A total of n = 43 school food authorities (SFAs) throughout Maine completed surveys. SFAs reported multiple benefits of USM including increased school meal participation; reductions in the perceived stigma for students from lower-income households and their families; and no longer experiencing unpaid meal charges and debt. SFAs also experienced challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly regarding costs. When considering future challenges, most respondents were concerned with obtaining income information from families, product and ingredient availability, and the costs/financial sustainability of the school meal programs. Overall, USM may have multiple important benefits for students and schools, and other states should consider implementation of a USM policy

Molecular analysis of chronic granulomatous disease and site-direted mutagenesis as models to solve the naden oxidase puzzle

IP 1115-04-476-96ARTICULO(S) EN REVISTA: Recombination events between the p47 phox gene andits highly homologous pseudogenes;are the main cause of autosomal recessive chronic granulomatusdisease / Joachim Roesler ... [et al.]. -- En:;Blood. -- Vol.95, no. 6 (Mar. 2000); p. 2150-2156. -- Molecularcharacterization of autosomal recessive;chronic granulomatous disease caused by a defect of the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (reduced;form) oxidase component p67 phox / Pablo J. Patiño ... [etal.].'-- en: Blood. -- Vol. 94, no. 7 (1999); p.;2505-2514. -- Molecular analysis of chronic granulomatousdisease caused by defects in gp91 phox / Pablo J.;Patiño ... [et al.]. -- En: Human Mutation. -- no. 13 (1999);p.29-37. --Caracterizacion clinico molecular;de la enfermedad granulomatosa cronica autosomica recesivacausada por deficit de p47-phox / Monica Cornejo de;L. --- [et al.]. -- En: Revista Medica de Chile. -- Vol. 128 (2000); p.490-498