Effectiveness of school food environment policies on children's dietary behaviors: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: School food environment policies may be a critical tool to promote healthy diets in children, yet their effectiveness remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To systematically review and quantify the impact of school food environment policies on dietary habits, adiposity, and metabolic risk in children. METHODS: We systematically searched online databases for randomized or quasi-experimental interventions assessing effects of school food environment policies on children's dietary habits, adiposity, or metabolic risk factors. Data were extracted independently and in duplicate, and pooled using inverse-variance random-effects meta-analysis. Habitual (within+outside school) dietary intakes were the primary outcome. Heterogeneity was explored using meta-regression and subgroup analysis. Funnel plots, Begg's and Egger's test evaluated potential publication bias. RESULTS: From 6,636 abstracts, 91 interventions (55 in US/Canada, 36 in Europe/New Zealand) were included, on direct provision of healthful foods/beverages (N = 39 studies), competitive food/beverage standards (N = 29), and school meal standards (N = 39) (some interventions assessed multiple policies). Direct provision policies, which largely targeted fruits and vegetables, increased consumption of fruits by 0.27 servings/d (n = 15 estimates (95%CI: 0.17, 0.36)) and combined fruits and vegetables by 0.28 servings/d (n = 16 (0.17, 0.40)); with a slight impact on vegetables (n = 11; 0.04 (0.01, 0.08)), and no effects on total calories (n = 6; -56 kcal/d (-174, 62)). In interventions targeting water, habitual intake was unchanged (n = 3; 0.33 glasses/d (-0.27, 0.93)). Competitive food/beverage standards reduced sugar-sweetened beverage intake by 0.18 servings/d (n = 3 (-0.31, -0.05)); and unhealthy snacks by 0.17 servings/d (n = 2 (-0.22, -0.13)), without effects on total calories (n = 5; -79 kcal/d (-179, 21)). School meal standards (mainly lunch) increased fruit intake (n = 2; 0.76 servings/d (0.37, 1.16)) and reduced total fat (-1.49%energy; n = 6 (-2.42, -0.57)), saturated fat (n = 4; -0.93%energy (-1.15, -0.70)) and sodium (n = 4; -170 mg/d (-242, -98)); but not total calories (n = 8; -38 kcal/d (-137, 62)). In 17 studies evaluating adiposity, significant decreases were generally not identified; few studies assessed metabolic factors (blood lipids/glucose/pressure), with mixed findings. Significant sources of heterogeneity or publication bias were not identified. CONCLUSIONS: Specific school food environment policies can improve targeted dietary behaviors; effects on adiposity and metabolic risk require further investigation. These findings inform ongoing policy discussions and debates on best practices to improve childhood dietary habits and health

An Acoustic Transponder System

Acoustic transponders provide a particularly appropriate means for navigating relative to the deep sea floor. Their successful use, however, is dependent on solution of certain engineering problems and on understanding of the sound propagation situation in which the equipment is to be used. During the past year we have developed, built and used a set of appropriate, inexpensive transponders. These allow for selective calling of any one of three units (using pulses at 10.0, 10.5 or 11.0 kc) all of which reply at 12.0 kc. The design lifetime is 106 pulses delivered over a period of up to one year. They have been built primarily to provide tracking information for a deeply towed, unmanned vehicle used for echo sounding and magnetometer observations. With this system useful responses have been obtained to ranges of 8 nautical miles. In normal operation the useful range is limited by the shadow zone formed by upward refraction of the acoustic energy near the sea floor. Use at sea has shown that these elements can provide effective navigational information and has allowed direct observation of the shadowing effects as the principal range limiting factor

Career development: follow-up studies of Sheffield MA graduates 1985/6 to 1992/3.

Since the 1970s the Department of Information Studies, University of Sheffield, UK, have carried out (and published results of) regular surveys of the professional careers and activities of graduates of its Masters programmes. Summarizes the principal findings of two questionnaire surveys of graduates of the MA in Librarianship programme, undertaken in Summer 1994 as unpublished MA thesis work. One survey investigated former students who graduated between 1986 and 1989 while the other surveyed all former students thought to be still resident in the UK and Republic of Ireland (and one now resident in the USA). The same questionnaire was used in both surveys. Where possible, the results from both surveys were collated and, where appropriate, related to the earlier surveys for 1979-1985. Information was sought about: the first and subsequent posts taken up by graduates (including unemployment, wastage and mobility); their duties and responsibilities; opinions on the value and relevance of the MA programme and their pre programme experience to their career; factors affecting job satisfaction; their continuing professional development needs; acquisition of new skills; and their involvement with professional organizations. Concludes that the majority of graduates surveyed are still working in the library and information field and are generally satisfied with their career choice. However, there is some dissatisfaction with the perceived low status accorded to librarians and information workers and with poor salary levels. A substantial number have left or are actively considering leaving the profession. While the majority are still working in academic and public libraries, there has been a noticeable decline in those working in public libraries and a corresponding increase in employment in special libraries and in the information technologies (the 'emerging market'). Respondents expressed a need for more training in management and information technology and for more geographically distributed and cheaper short courses. It was felt that library schools could play a bigger role in continuing education of its own graduates through update and distance learning courses