Pennsylvania WIC Educators Affirm Need for Folic Acid Education of Low-Income, SNAP-Ed Eligible Women

Nutrition education research typically focuses on the program’s acceptance and usefulness with the target audience, but sustainable programs must be valued by the nutrition educator for its positive impact on their work. Everyone Needs Folic Acid is a colorful, simple nutrition education program delivered by digital photo frame platform or video intended to help low-income persons appreciate the role of folic acid for all age groups. Nutrition education research typically focuses on the program’s acceptance and usefulness with the target audience, but sustainable programs must be valued by the nutrition educator for its positive impact on their work. Everyone Needs Folic Acid is a colorful, simple nutrition education program delivered by digital photo frame platform or video intended to help low-income persons appreciate the role of folic acid for all age groups. Nutrition education research typically focuses on the program’s acceptance and usefulness with the target audience, but sustainable programs must be valued by the nutrition educator for its positive impact on their work. Everyone Needs Folic Acid is a colorful, simple nutrition education program delivered by digital photo frame platform or video intended to help low-income persons appreciate the role of folic acid for all age groups. OBJECTIVE: To describe Women Infant and Children (WIC) educator practices related to folic acid prior to impact assessment of Everyone Needs Folic Acid on WIC educator practices. Everyone Needs Folic Acid is a digital photo frame program developed considering tenets of the Consumer Information Processing Model, and demonstrated face/content validity in a 2-stage evaluation by low-income audiences. STUDY DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Face-to-Face (n=8) or telephone (n=13) interviews with nutrition educators (n=21) from WIC clinics serving Western (n=6) and Central (n=6) Pennsylvania were conducted. OUTCOME MEASURES AND ANALYSIS: Educator demographics, educator and client interest in folic acid-related topics and typical nutrition education practices were measured and reported as means with standard deviations (SD). RESULTS: Interviews lasted approximately 16 minutes. Most educators (n=20) self-identified as White. Highest educational level for 18 was Bachelor degree with professional credentials for 4 (registered dietitian, registered nurse, lactation consultant). Educators were experienced (average years in practice-17.4; SD=12.7) and stable (at current clinic 11.9 y; SD=10.3). Using a 5-point scale, educators reported strong interest in folic acid (mean=3.88, SD=0.93), and rated it highly important during pregnancy (mean=4.95, SD=0.22). Handouts and/or discussion were the sole method(s) of education reported. Only 43% received client-initiated folic acid questions/requests and they rated WIC participant interest as low (mean=2.88/5.00, SD=0.89). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: WIC educators affirmed the need for nutrition education focused on folic acid, but findings suggest that novel delivery methods are needed to enhance client interest. Future steps will discern the impact of Everyone Needs Folic Acid on educator practices as a critical consideration for developing and delivering effective and sustainable programs

Engaging stakeholders in wildlife disease management: Hunters' willingness to adopt and support biosecurity actions to prevent the spread of rabbit hemorrhagic disease

Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2) is a highly contagious virus that primarily infects rabbits and hares (lagomorphs) and poses a serious threat to lagomorph populations and hunting. Wildlife agencies in the United States rely on hunters to report RHDV2-related mortalities and engage in voluntary biosecurity actions to prevent the spread of RHDV2. From April 2021 to April 2022, we conducted a nationwide survey of 22,511 hunters to ascertain their willingness to engage in voluntary biosecurity actions and support government-mandated biosecurity measures. Respondents expressed greatest willingness to report suspicious lagomorph deaths to wildlife agencies. Respondents' willingness to engage in or support biosecurity actions was positively correlated with their risk perceptions pertaining to lagomorph deaths and the economic impacts of RHDV2, perceptions of the importance of biosecurity, and trust in state agencies to manage RHDV2. We found evidence that respondents' willingness to engage in or support biosecurity actions was also positively correlated with their knowledge of RHDV2. Wildlife agencies should clearly communicate about RHDV2 and its adverse impacts on lagomorphs, biodiversity, and hunting to engage hunters in biosecurity measures. Hunters can provide valuable information about lagomorph population trends and mortality events in the areas they hunt, a cost-effective method to augment agency surveillance.DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT : Deidentified data that support the findings of this study are available at Hannah G. Shapiro and Elizabeth F. Pienaar (2022). Hunters' Willingness to Adopt and Support Biosecurity Actions to Prevent the Spread of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease (Version 1) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7335728.United States Department of Interior and Multistate Conservation Grant Program.http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/csp2hj2023Mammal Research InstituteZoology and Entomolog

Changes in depressive symptoms, perceived stres, and food security among study participants with metabolic syndrome during a COVID-19-mandated research pause

Introduction: This study explored how food security, perceived stress and mental health of persons with metabolic syndrome (MetS) changed in the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An online survey was administered to persons enrolled in a 2-year lifestyle intervention trial to reverse metabolic syndrome at baseline; the survey was repeated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Outcomes were a change in depressive symptoms, perceived stress, and food security as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-8, Cohen Stress Scale, and USDA 10-item Food Security Screener. Changes in outcomes were analyzed with measures of association, paired t-test, repeated measures and independent t-test. Results: Participants (n = 132; MetS diagnosis) were mostly female (67%), White (70%), middle-aged, well-educated, with median income of $86,000. Perceived stress was significantly higher at baseline than follow-up (18.5 ± 6.4 vs. 14.9 ± 7.2; P Conclusion: A high-risk sample for COVID-19 did not experience increased stress or food insecurity, but demonstrated increased depressive symptoms after the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, with some baseline susceptibility noted

Mortality among Workers Exposed to Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in an Electrical Capacitor Manufacturing Plant in Indiana: An Update

An Indiana capacitor-manufacturing cohort (n = 3,569) was exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from 1957 to 1977. The original study of mortality through 1984 found excess melanoma and brain cancer; other studies of PCB-exposed individuals have found excess non-Hodgkin lymphoma and rectal, liver, biliary tract, and gallbladder cancer. Mortality was updated through 1998. Analyses have included standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using rates for Indiana and the United States, standardized rate ratios (SRRs), and Poisson regression rate ratios (RRs). Estimated cumulative exposure calculations used a new job–exposure matrix. Mortality overall was reduced (547 deaths; SMR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.7–0.9). Non-Hodgkin lymphoma mortality was elevated (9 deaths; SMR, 1.23; 95% CI, 0.6–2.3). Melanoma remained in excess (9 deaths; SMR, 2.43; 95% CI, 1.1–4.6), especially in the lowest tertile of estimated cumulative exposure (5 deaths; SMR, 3.72; 95% CI, 1.2–8.7). Seven of the 12 brain cancer deaths (SMR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.0–3.3) occurred after the original study. Brain cancer mortality increased with exposure (in the highest tertile, 5 deaths; SMR, 2.71; 95% CI, 0.9–6.3); the SRR dose–response trend was significant (p = 0.016). Among those working ≥90 days, both melanoma (8 deaths; SMR, 2.66; 95% CI, 1.1–5.2) and brain cancer (11 deaths; SMR, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.1–3.8) were elevated, especially for women: melanoma, 3 deaths (SMR, 5.99; 95% CI, 1.2–17.5); brain cancer, 3 deaths (SMR, 2.87; 95% CI, 0.6–8.4). These findings of excess melanoma and brain cancer mortality confirm results of the original study. Melanoma mortality was not associated with estimated cumulative exposure. Brain cancer mortality did not demonstrate a clear dose–response relationship with estimated cumulative exposure

Gliomas and Farm Pesticide Exposure in Women: The Upper Midwest Health Study

An excess incidence of brain cancer in male farmers has been noted in several studies, but few studies have focused on women. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Upper Midwest Health Study evaluated effects of rural exposures for 341 female glioma cases and 528 controls, all adult (18–80 years of age) nonmetropolitan residents of Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. On average, controls lived longer on farms than did cases. After adjusting for age, age group, education, and farm residence, no association with glioma was observed for exposure to arsenicals, benzoic acids, carbamates, chloroacetanilides, dinitroanilines, inorganics, organochlorines, organophosphates, phenoxys, triazines, or urea-based or estrogenic pesticides. An increased risk of glioma was observed for carbamate herbicides but was not statistically significant (odds ratio = 3.0; 95% confidence interval, 0.9–9.5). No association was observed between glioma and exposure to 12 widely used specific pesticides, after adjustment for age, age group, education, and any other pesticide exposure. These results were not affected after exclusion of proxy respondents (43% of cases, 2% of controls). Women were less likely than men to have applied pesticides, but more likely to have laundered pesticide-contaminated clothes. Storing pesticides in the house was associated with a statistically non-significant increased risk. Results show that exposure to pesticides was not associated with an increased risk of intracranial gliomas in women. Other farm-related factors could be etiologic factors and will be discussed in future reports

Applying new biotechnologies to the study of occupational cancer--a workshop summary.

As high-throughput technologies in genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics evolve, questions arise about their use in the assessment of occupational cancers. To address these questions, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the American Chemistry Council sponsored a workshop 8-9 May 2002 in Washington, DC. The workshop brought together 80 international specialists whose objective was to identify the means for best exploiting new technologies to enhance methods for laboratory investigation, epidemiologic evaluation, risk assessment, and prevention of occupational cancer. The workshop focused on identifying and interpreting markers for early biologic effect and inherited modifiers of risk

Maternal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls and the secondary sex ratio: an occupational cohort study

Though commercial production of polychlorinated biphenyls was banned in the United States in 1977, exposure continues due to their environmental persistence. Several studies have examined the association between environmental polychlorinated biphenyl exposure and modulations of the secondary sex ratio, with conflicting results. Our objective was to evaluate the association between maternal preconceptional occupational polychlorinated biphenyl exposure and the secondary sex ratio. We examined primipara singleton births of 2595 women, who worked in three capacitor plants at least one year during the period polychlorinated biphenyls were used. Cumulative estimated maternal occupational polychlorinated biphenyl exposure at the time of the infant's conception was calculated from plant-specific job-exposure matrices. A logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between maternal polychlorinated biphenyl exposure and male sex at birth (yes/no). Maternal body mass index at age 20, smoking status, and race did not vary between those occupationally exposed and those unexposed before the child's conception. Polychlorinated biphenyl-exposed mothers were, however, more likely to have used oral contraceptives and to have been older at the birth of their first child than non-occupationally exposed women. Among 1506 infants liveborn to polychlorinated biphenyl-exposed primiparous women, 49.8% were male; compared to 49.9% among those not exposed (n = 1089). Multivariate analyses controlling for mother's age and year of birth found no significant association between the odds of a male birth and mother's cumulative estimated polychlorinated biphenyl exposure to time of conception. Based on these data, we find no evidence of altered sex ratio among children born to primiparous polychlorinated biphenyl-exposed female workers

Update: cohort mortality study of workers highly exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) during the manufacture of electrical capacitors, 1940-1998

BACKGROUND: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health previously reported mortality for a cohort of workers considered highly exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) between 1939 and 1977 at two electrical capacitor manufacturing plants. The current study updated vital status, examined liver and rectal cancer mortality previously reported in excess in this cohort and evaluated mortality from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and cancers of the stomach, intestine, breast, prostate, skin (melanoma) and brain reported to be in excess in other cohort and case-control studies of PCB-exposed persons. METHODS: Mortality was updated through 1998 for 2572 workers. Age-, gender-, race- and calendar year-adjusted standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using U.S., state and county referent rates. SMRs using U.S. referent rates are reported. Duration of employment was used as a surrogate for exposure. RESULTS: Consistent with the previous follow-up, mortality from biliary passage, liver and gall bladder cancer was significantly elevated (11 deaths, SMR 2.11, CI 1.05 – 3.77), but mortality from rectal cancer was not (6 deaths, SMR 1.47, CI 0.54 – 3.21). Among women, mortality from intestinal cancer (24 deaths, SMR 1.89, CI 1.21 – 2.82) and from "other diseases of the nervous system and sense organs", which include Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, (15 deaths, SMR 2.07, CI 1.16 – 3.42) were elevated. There were four ALS deaths, all women (SMR 4.35, CI 1.19–11.14). Mortality was elevated for myeloma (7 deaths, SMR 2.11, CI 0.84 – 4.34), particularly among workers employed 10 years or more (5 deaths, SMR 2.80, CI 0.91 – 6.54). No linear associations between mortality and duration of employment were observed for the cancers of interest. CONCLUSION: This update found that the earlier reported excess in this cohort for biliary, liver and gall bladder cancer persisted with longer follow-up. Excess mortality for intestinal cancer among women was elevated across categories of duration of employment; myeloma mortality was highest among those working 10 years or more. The small numbers of deaths from liver and intestinal cancers, myeloma and nervous system diseases coupled with the lack of an exposure-response relationship with duration of employment preclude drawing definitive conclusions regarding PCB exposure and these causes of death

Fat, fibre and cancer risk in African Americans and rural Africans

Rates of colon cancer are much higher in African Americans (65: 100,000) than in rural South Africans (Peer reviewe

Fat, fibre and cancer risk in African Americans and rural Africans

Rates of colon cancer are much higher in African Americans (65: 100,000) than in rural South Africans (Peer reviewe