Assessing Hospital Employee's Readiness for Change for a Workplace Wellness Program

The aims of this study were to measure attitudes of hospital employees towards health and healthy behaviors and provide exploratory research that will guide stakeholders in strategically planning a worksite wellness (WW) program at a Catholic hospital. Methods used included a cross-sectional study with census data from a population of employees in a hospital utilizing Prochaska’s Stages of Change to assess their readiness. Participants (N=705) were also asked to identify 1) meaningful WW incentives, 2) job stressors encountered and 3) if spirituality/religiosity played a role in their health. Using frequency and Chi-square distributions, this census survey revealed a readiness to engage in exercise, weight control and stress management. A higher engagement in positive health behaviors was seen in those who reported spirituality/religiosity, especially when involved in a spiritual/religious community. Major themes suggested that this hospital would benefit from WW incentives that target exercise, weight control and stress management and that allow employees to pursue these health goals in supportive relationships with each other. A unique holistic approach to worksite wellness, incorporating “body”, “mind”, and “spirit” is discussed and ultimately guided the interpretation and application of the survey data

Nutrition Knowledge and Self-Efficacy among Classroom Teachers from a Large Urban School District in Los Angeles County

Purpose: School teachers play a critical role in providing nutrition information to students. Yet, in order for teachers to be a valuable source of nutrition information, they must be equipped with adequate knowledge to be able to convey accurate information to students. The purpose of this study was to assess nutrition-related knowledge and self-efficacy of teachers from a large urban school district in Los Angeles County. Methods: Using a convenience sample, 59 teachers from six elementary schools completed a one time only questionnaire assessing knowledge of food groups and self-efficacy to implement nutrition activities in the classroom. Differences in teachers’ responses to questions on knowledge and self-efficacy by demographics were also assessed. Results: The overall mean nutrition knowledge and self-efficacy scores were 50.4% and 71.4% respectively. Differences in nutrition knowledge and self-efficacy by demographic characteristics were observed. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that teachers in our sample did not have adequate levels of nutrition knowledge, and may not have possessed the necessary skills to effectively deliver nutrition education to their students. Current efforts to train and educate teachers on nutrition are perhaps falling short of the level needed to effect change in students’ dietary behaviors

Perceptions of School and Health Department Emergency Preparedness Collaboration

Background: School systems often have the vital responsibility of protecting students during emergency situations. Collaborations with the local health department (LHD) can be invaluable in helping schools effectively fulfill this responsibility. Purpose: An evaluation of existing organizational collaborations is needed to describe attitudes toward current efforts and to form recommendations for enhancing the effectiveness of future joint programs. Methods: Questionnaires regarding perceptions of existing collaborations were distributed to a sample of LHDs and schools districts in spring and summer 2011. Participant responses from each organization were paired on jurisdictional area, forming 25 paired observations. Analyses were conducted in early 2012. Descriptive statistics of selected variables were computed and differences between paired LHD and school district responses were analyzed. Results: Results showed that school districts and LHDs both rated engagement between organizations in emergency preparedness as extremely important. Each gave high ratings on success and satisfaction of current efforts. Organizations had significant differences in ratings measuring their agreement with specific collaboration drawbacks. Implications: These results suggest the potential for extended and enhanced collaborations, although future programs might be most effectively implemented when tailored to limit the perceived drawbacks of individual organizations. Continued and improved collaborations between school districts and their local health departments will help to increase the school systems’ abilities to adequately prepare for and respond to the needs of the children they serve in the event of an emergency

Point-of-Purchase Alcohol Ads in One Low-Income Community in Central California: Occurrence and Women’s Perceptions

This study explores the occurrence of point-of-purchase (POP) alcohol ads in one low-income community Central California, identifies their target audience and themes, and obtains their perspective on how the ads influence women’s alcohol consumption. Methods included observation of POP alcohol ads in local supermarket and convenience stores that sell alcohol products, content analysis of a selection of these POP alcohol ads, and focus group discussions with young women who are mostly in their twenties from both Latina and non-Latina backgrounds. A total of 2,021 POP alcohol ads were observed in 164 retail establishments that sell alcohol. Of these ads, we took photos of 64 different ads for content analysis. Our content analysis indicated that most POP alcohol poster ads appealed both to men and women, with themes mainly related to sex and sports. Focus group interviews indicated that sex and sports-themed alcohol ads, coupled with the presence of peers and family members that drink alcohol, are influential in women’s decisions to drink. The influence of alcohol ads on norms regarding alcohol consumption warrant stronger anti-alcohol policies, such as the banning alcohol ads in places frequented by minors, and the implementation of anti-alcohol marketing campaigns with a health consequences focus

Access to Care and Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: A Cross-Sectional Study in 2 Latino Communities.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading killer of Americans. CVD is understudied among Latinos, who have high levels of CVD risk factors. This study aimed to determine whether access to health care (ie, insurance status and having a usual source of care) is associated with 4 CVD prevention factors (ie, health care utilization, CVD screening, information received from health care providers, and lifestyle factors) among Latino adults and to evaluate whether the associations depended on CVD clinical risk/disease.Data were collected as part of a community-engaged food environment intervention study in East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights, CA. Logistic regressions were fitted with insurance status and usual source of care as predictors of the 4 CVD prevention factors while controlling for demographics. Analyses were repeated with interactions between self-reported CVD clinical risk/disease and access to care measures.Access to health care significantly increased the odds of CVD prevention. Having a usual source of care was associated with all factors of prevention, whereas being insured was only associated with some factors of prevention. CVD clinical risk/disease did not moderate any associations.Although efforts to reduce CVD risk among Latinos through the Affordable Care Act could be impactful, they might have limited impact in curbing CVD among Latinos, via the law's expansion of insurance coverage. CVD prevention efforts must expand beyond the provision of insurance to effectively lower CVD rates

Substantial improvements not seen in health behaviors following corner store conversions in two Latino food swamps.

BackgroundThe effectiveness of food retail interventions is largely undetermined, yet substantial investments have been made to improve access to healthy foods in food deserts and swamps via grocery and corner store interventions. This study evaluated the effects of corner store conversions in East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights, California on perceived accessibility of healthy foods, perceptions of corner stores, store patronage, food purchasing, and eating behaviors.MethodsHousehold data (n = 1686) were collected at baseline and 12- to 24-months post-intervention among residents surrounding eight stores, three of which implemented a multi-faceted intervention and five of which were comparisons. Bivariate analyses and logistic and linear regressions were employed to assess differences in time, treatment, and the interaction between time and treatment to determine the effectiveness of this intervention.ResultsImprovements were found in perceived healthy food accessibility and perceptions of corner stores. No changes were found, however, in store patronage, purchasing, or consumption of fruits and vegetables.ConclusionsResults suggest limited effectiveness of food retail interventions on improving health behaviors. Future research should focus on other strategies to reduce community-level obesity

Role of Classroom Teachers in Nutrition and Physical Education

Nutrition education and physical education in schools is increasingly being explored as a way to prevent childhood overweight and to promote healthy eating and physical activity habits behaviors. Classroom teachers are often responsible for providing this education. The current study examined the roles and perspectives of elementary school teachers regarding student nutrition, nutrition education, and physical education. Data is from a 2001-2002 study of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Nutrition Network. Analyses were based on 78 structured interviews with elementary school teachers. Results showed that teachers perceive their role in nutrition education as teachers, role models, advocates, and motivators. Teachers integrate nutrition education into existing subject areas, and believe that nutrition education results in greater knowledge and healthier food choices. However, teachers report that too little time is spent on nutrition education. Results of this study also indicate that classroom teachers are often responsible for physical education (PE). Teachers believe PE has a positive effect on the school community and on student fitness, but the effect is limited due to lack of structure and lack of time in PE class. Teachers report barriers to both nutrition education and physical education, including other classes taking up too much time, limited teacher training, and a lack of adequate equipment and facilities. Findings suggest that more resources including teacher training, time, curricula and textbooks, and equipment need to be allocated for nutrition education and physical education at the elementary school level

Cardiovascular Health: Associations with Race-ethnicity, Nativity, and Education in a Diverse, Population-based Sample of Californians

Purpose—This study examined how race-ethnicity, nativity, and education interact to influence disparities in cardiovascular (CV) health, a new concept defined by the American Heart Association (AHA). We assessed whether race-ethnicity and nativity disparities in CV health vary by education, and whether the foreign-born differ in CV health from their US-born race-ethnic counterparts with comparable education. Methods—We used data from the 2009 California Health Interview Survey to determine the prevalence of optimal CV health metrics (based on selected AHA guidelines) among adults ages 25 and over (n = 42,014). We examined the interaction between education and ethnicity-nativity, comparing predicted probabilities of each CV health measure between US-born and foreign-born Whites, Asians, and Latinos. Results—All groups were at high risk of suboptimal physical activity levels, fruit and vegetable and fast food consumption, and overweight/obesity. Those with higher education were generally better-off, except among Asians. Ethnicity-nativity differences were more pronounced among those with less than a college degree. The foreign-born exhibited both advantages anddisadvantages in CV health compared to their US-born counterparts that varied by ethnicitynativity. Conclusions—Education influences ethnicity-nativity disparities in CV health, with most raceethnic and nativity differences occurring among the less educated. Studies of nativity differences in CV health should stratify by education in order to adequately address SES differences

Nutrition Campaign Knowledge and Dietary Behavior in Middle School Students

Background and Purpose: Federal nutrition campaigns are designed to make dietary recommendations accessible but have not been extensively evaluated. This paper explores whether knowledge of nutrition campaigns is associated with dietary behavior among young adolescents. Methods: Cross-sectional survey data were collected from 4,773 middle school students in Southern California. Hierarchical logistic regression models were used to assess the association between dietary behaviors and nutrition campaign knowledge, controlling for gender and ethnicity. Results: Knowledge of the Fruit & VeggiesMore Matters campaign was associated with increased odds of high fruit and vegetable consumption, knowledge of the MyPlate campaign was associated with neither, and both were associated with increased odds of not consuming soda. Conclusion: Overall, low percentages of students demonstrated knowledge of nutrition campaigns, and knowledge was associated with some dietary behaviors. More research is needed to examine the impact of nutrition campaigns while also accounting for other psychosocial and environmental factors that may affect soda, fruit, and vegetable consumption