From Childhood Obesity Risk to Healthy Growth in the U.S.: A 10-Year Social Work Research & Policy Update

Childhood obesity is a major health issue and a prominent chronic health condition for children in the United States (U.S.), caused by a multitude of factors. Most existing models of childhood obesity prevention have not worked, yielding little to no effect on improving weight status or the proximal health behaviors most attributed to obesity risk: nutritional intake, physical activity, sedentary behaviors, and sleep. There is an urgent need for new approaches to prevent health disparities that are responsive to impacts of economic inequality on healthy child growth in marginalized populations. In this Short Commentary, a social justice update is provided to motivate a new generation of research that promotes equitable and healthy child growth under present-day social, economic, and political circumstances. Social work-specific research and policy recommendations are provided to guide future research that targets underlying social and economic determinants of weight-related health disparities in childhood. Recommendations include research on cross-disciplinary metrics to better capture reductions in health disparities and the development and testing of policy and system interventions that address structural issues and strengthen health resources in marginalized communities. Progress in reducing disparities in childhood obesity will likely remain inhibited until recommendations from social work research are incorporated to strengthen existing medical and public health models and redirect the childhood obesity epidemic toward equitable, healthy child growth

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

Home and Neighborhood Physical Activity Location Availability Among African American Adolescent Girls Living in Low-Income, Urban Communities: Associations with Objectively Measured Physical Activity

Based on the ecological model of active living, the neighborhood environment may relate to individual physical activity (PA) behaviors. The purposes of this study were to (1) generate a replicable neighborhood-level physical activity location availability score (PALAS) from data variables associated with physical activity among adolescents and adults, and apply this score to Baltimore City, Maryland, and (2) determine if relationships exist between PA and PA location availability. Geographic information systems (GISs) were used to create the PALAS. Using linear regression models, we examined relations between objectively measured PA among low-income, urban, predominantly African American adolescent girls (n = 555, 2009–2012 data collection), and the PALAS rating of their neighborhood environment (neighborhood PALAS) and their home neighborhood area (PALAS variables/subcomponents within 0.25 miles of the home). A PALAS map of the study area was created, illustrating neighborhoods varying in availability and variety of PA locations. After adjusting for confounders, a higher neighborhood PALAS (β = 0.10, p = 0.041) and the presence of a recreation center in the home neighborhood area (β = 0.46, p = 0.011) were associated with more minutes per day spent in moderate to vigorous PA. Policy makers and stakeholders should consider increasing access to PA locations as a strategy to promote PA among adolescent girls

Understanding U.S. Debates Surrounding Standards in Involuntary Inpatient Psychiatric Commitment Through the Maryland Experience

Involuntary psychiatric commitment procedures are being reconsidered across the United States in highly contentious debates as policymakers, consumers, families, and mental health professionals struggle to balance competing values. Social workers are well-positioned to inform this debate, but to do so must be knowledgeable of the issues and perspectives. This study analyzed legislative testimony regarding proposed changes to Maryland standards (N = 42) together with data from a statewide survey of mental health care professionals conducted by the National Alliance on Mental Illness–Maryland in order to inform their stance on the debate (N = 208). Although we found disagreement on how to balance paternalism and care for safety with the autonomy and dignity of the individual, there was widespread consensus regarding the lack of appropriate treatment options as a source of crisis. Our data also indicate a need for training, irrespective of any legislative changes. On the whole, our findings indicate that a narrow focus on the standard for involuntary civil commitment should not divert attention from the larger issues that frame and contribute to what has been called a crisis in mental health services by proponents as well as opponents of changes to the standards for involuntary psychiatric commitment

Identifying Gaps in the Food Security Safety Net: The Characteristics and Availability of Summer Nutrition Programmes in California, USA

Objective: The US Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program and Seamless Summer Option (summer nutrition programmes (SNP)) aim to relieve food insecurity for children and teens during summer months. More needs to be known about when and where SNP are available, and how availability varies by community characteristics, particularly in rural areas where food insecurity and reduced food access are more prevalent. Design: The present study examined the geographic availability of SNP and summer meal uptake rates in 2016, using state-wide administrative claims data. Setting: Public schools and SNP in California, USA. Participants: Schools (n 8842) and SNP (n 4685). Results: Urban counties were more likely than rural counties to have higher summer uptake rates, calculated as the percentage of summer meals served relative to eligible students utilizing school meal programmes during the academic school year, but uptake overall was low at 18·2 % of target populations. Geographic availability analyses showed that 63·9 % of public urban schools had an SNP available within 1·6 km (1 mile), but availability was significantly higher within the proximity of larger, higher-poverty high schools with diverse or majority non-White students, and those with higher school-year breakfast participation rates. Availability of an SNP within 16 km (10 miles) of rural schools averaged 68·1 % but was significantly higher around larger schools, higher-poverty schools and those with diverse or majority non-White students. Conclusions: While many communities have SNP available, much more work is needed to increase the availability of these programmes to reduce summer food insecurity for children, particularly in rural communities

Food Swamps and Food Deserts in Baltimore City, MD, USA: Associations with Dietary Behaviours Among Urban Adolescent Girls

Objective: To determine whether living in a food swamp (≥4 corner stores within 0·40 km (0·25 miles) of home) or a food desert (generally, no supermarket or access to healthy foods) is associated with consumption of snacks/desserts or fruits/vegetables, and if neighbourhood-level socio-economic status (SES) confounds relationships. Design: Cross-sectional. Assessments included diet (Youth/Adolescent FFQ, skewed dietary variables normalized) and measured height/weight (BMI-for-age percentiles/Z-scores calculated). A geographic information system geocoded home addresses and mapped food deserts/food swamps. Associations examined using multiple linear regression (MLR) models adjusting for age and BMI-for-age Z-score. Setting: Baltimore City, MD, USA. Subjects: Early adolescent girls (6th/7th grade, n 634; mean age 12·1 years; 90·7 % African American; 52·4 % overweight/obese), recruited from twenty-two urban, low-income schools. Results: Girls’ consumption of fruit, vegetables and snacks/desserts: 1·2, 1·7 and 3·4 servings/d, respectively. Girls’ food environment: 10·4 % food desert only, 19·1 % food swamp only, 16·1 % both food desert/swamp and 54·4 % neither food desert/swamp. Average median neighbourhood-level household income: $US 35 298. In MLR models, girls living in both food deserts/swamps consumed additional servings of snacks/desserts v. girls living in neither (β=0·13, P=0·029; 3·8 v. 3·2 servings/d). Specifically, girls living in food swamps consumed more snacks/desserts than girls who did not (β=0·16, P=0·003; 3·7 v. 3·1 servings/d), with no confounding effect of neighbourhood-level SES. No associations were identified with food deserts or consumption of fruits/vegetables. Conclusions: Early adolescent girls living in food swamps consumed more snacks/desserts than girls not living in food swamps. Dietary interventions should consider the built environment/food access when addressing adolescent dietary behaviours