Risk Factors of Obesity in Low Income Head Start Children

The purpose of the study was to investigate the contributing risk factors of obesity among low income Head Start children, and to determine if there is a correlation between caregivers’ perceptions of their own weight and health status, and that of their children. A cross-sectional descriptive study design was utilized. A convenience sample of 195 Head Start children and caregiver pairs were recruited from two Head Start Organizations within the District of Columbia (DC). Measured heights and weights of children and their caregivers were used to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI). A questionnaire was used to ascertain data on caregivers’ perceptions of their children’s weight status, doctors’ diagnoses of children’s weight/height status, caregivers’ perceptions of their own health condition, and sociodemographic data. Results of the study showed that caregivers’ perceived their overweight/obese children as being of normal weight/height status. The majority of the caregivers misperceived their own health status in a positive way. Significant relationships were found between caregiver educational level and child BMI, and between doctors’ weight advice and child BMI. It was concluded that the caregivers underestimated the prevalence of overweight/obesity among their children, and overstated their own health status. Child BMI status was directly related to caregivers’ educational attainment

Soil Resources and Agricultural Development in Alaska

Outlines commercial agriculture, its scope, production and branches; soil resources, amelioration, etc.; agricultural potential; food potential. Current agricultural research including reindeer ranges is noted; major needs are stated as specialized equipment and housing, cheaper land clearing and new markets

A Foods and Nutrient Comparison Study of Meals Eaten at Home vs Meals Eaten at Head Start Centers in Washington DC, USA

The purpose of this research was to investigate the food energy and nutrient intake, and adequacy of meals served at Head Start centers versus meals consumed at home among Head Start Children. A cross-sectional descriptive survey research design was utilized. A convenience sample of 195 Head Start child and caregiver pairs was recruited from two Head Start sites within the District of Columbia (DC). Weight and height were measured and used to calculate BMI. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) BMI for age and gender growth charts were used to evaluate BMI levels. Dietary intakes were collected using the 24-hour food recall method, and Head Start center menus were analyzed using Nutritionist Pro Software (Axxya Systems, Redmond, WA). Data analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19 (IBM SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). Results of the study showed no significant difference in total calorie intakes between the overweight/obese children and normal weight children who consumed meals both at home and at Head Start centers. However, in both overweight/obese and normal weight children who consumed meals totally at home, lower nutrient intakes were noted when compared to recommended levels. It was concluded that Head Start children who consumed meals both at school and home on the day of the recall, had higher intakes of food energy and were more likely to meet recommended nutrient intakes than Head Start children who did not consume any portion of their meals at school

The New Economics of Livestock Production Management

The importance of heterogeneity of animal attributes in livestock production is assessed. Preliminary results indicate that variance and skew measures of attributes may be becoming more important over time.livestock economics, herd management, livestock marketing, Livestock Production/Industries, Marketing,

Computerized Nurse Charting

journal articleBiomedical Informatic

using provenance data and DNA

Re-examination of the historical range of the greater prairie chicke

Joint analysis of stressors and ecosystem services to enhance restoration effectiveness

With increasing pressure placed on natural systems by growing human populations, both scientists and resource managers need a better understanding of the relationships between cumulative stress from human activities and valued ecosystem services. Societies often seek to mitigate threats to these services through large-scale, costly restoration projects, such as the over one billion dollar Great Lakes Restoration Initiative currently underway. To help inform these efforts, we merged high-resolution spatial analyses of environmental stressors with mapping of ecosystem services for all five Great Lakes. Cumulative ecosystem stress is highest in near-shore habitats, but also extends offshore in Lakes Erie, Ontario, and Michigan. Variation in cumulative stress is driven largely by spatial concordance among multiple stressors, indicating the importance of considering all stressors when planning restoration activities. In addition, highly stressed areas reflect numerous different combinations of stressors rather than a single suite of problems, suggesting that a detailed understanding of the stressors needing alleviation could improve restoration planning. We also find that many important areas for fisheries and recreation are subject to high stress, indicating that ecosystem degradation could be threatening key services. Current restoration efforts have targeted high-stress sites almost exclusively, but generally without knowledge of the full range of stressors affecting these locations or differences among sites in service provisioning. Our results demonstrate that joint spatial analysis of stressors and ecosystem services can provide a critical foundation for maximizing social and ecological benefits from restoration investments. www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1073/pnas.1213841110/-/DCSupplementa

Perceptions about prenatal care: views of urban vulnerable groups

BACKGROUND: In the United States, infant mortality rates remain more than twice as high for African Americans as compared to other racial groups. Lack of adherence to prenatal care schedules in vulnerable, hard to reach, urban, poor women is associated with high infant mortality, particularly for women who abuse substances, are homeless, or live in communities having high poverty and high infant mortality. This issue is of concern to the women, their partners, and members of their communities. Because they are not part of the system, these womens' views are often not included in other studies. METHODS: This qualitative study used focus groups with four distinct categories of people, to collect observations about prenatal care from various perspectives. The 169 subjects included homeless women; women with current or history of substance abuse; significant others of homeless women; and residents of a community with high infant mortality and poverty indices, and low incidence of adequate prenatal care. A process of coding and recoding using Ethnograph and counting ensured reliability and validity of the process of theme identification. RESULTS: Barriers and motivators to prenatal care were identified in focus groups. Pervasive issues identified were drug lifestyle, negative attitudes of health care providers and staff, and non-inclusion of male partners in the prenatal experience. CONCLUSIONS: Designing prenatal care relevant to vulnerable women in urban communities takes creativity, thoughtfulness, and sensitivity. System changes recommended include increased attention to substance abuse treatment/prenatal care interaction, focus on provider/staff attitudes, and commitment to inclusion of male partners

Tick-, mosquito-, and rodent-borne parasite sampling designs for the National Ecological Observatory Network

Parasites and pathogens are increasingly recognized as significant drivers of ecological and evolutionary change in natural ecosystems. Concurrently, transmission of infectious agents among human, livestock, and wildlife populations represents a growing threat to veterinary and human health. In light of these trends and the scarcity of long-term time series data on infection rates among vectors and reservoirs, the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) will collect measurements and samples of a suite of tick-, mosquito-, and rodent-borne parasites through a continental-scale surveillance program. Here, we describe the sampling designs for these efforts, highlighting sampling priorities, field and analytical methods, and the data as well as archived samples to be made available to the research community. Insights generated by this sampling will advance current understanding of and ability to predict changes in infection and disease dynamics in novel, interdisciplinary, and collaborative ways