Effect of Small Monetary Incentive and Demographic Characteristics on Response Rate of Self-Administered Questionnaire Mailed to Rural Women

Objectives: The National Children’s Study (NCS) is a longitudinal observational study that will examine the effects of genetics and environment on the health and development of children in the United States. The NCS is in a Vanguard, or pilot phase, so it is important to determine the feasibility, acceptability and cost of different data collection methods. The purpose of this study was to determine whether demographic characteristics differed in self-administered questionnaire (SAQ) completion rates, and to examine response rates when a $2 incentive was included with the mailed questionnaire. Methods: Subjects for the study (~500) were being followed by a local call center and were mailed SAQs. Women who did not complete their last telephone event were eligible. Women were randomized to receive a$2 bill incentive with their SAQ (approximately 250 women in each group). Results: Approximately 450 women comprised the final sample. In the incentive group, 35% of SAQs were returned, which was significantly higher than the 27% returned in the non-incentive group (p\u3c0.001). No significant differences in completion rates based on demographic characteristics were seen, except in divorced women. The final cost per completed SAQ was $12.51 in the incentive group compared to$7.57 for the non-incentive group. Conclusions: Adding a $2 bill as an incentive significantly increased response rates of hard-to-reach rural women completing mailed questionnaires about pregnancy information. Future research should focus on different incentive amounts and types and how they influence response rates

Effect of Small Monetary Incentive and Demographic Characteristics on Response Rate of Self-Administered Questionnaire Mailed to Rural Women

Objectives: The National Children’s Study (NCS) is a longitudinal observational study that will examine the effects of genetics and environment on the health and development of children in the United States. The NCS is in a Vanguard, or pilot phase, so it is important to determine the feasibility, acceptability and cost of different data collection methods. The purpose of this study was to determine whether demographic characteristics differed in self-administered questionnaire (SAQ) completion rates, and to examine response rates when a $2 incentive was included with the mailed questionnaire. Methods: Subjects for the study (~500) were being followed by a local call center and were mailed SAQs. Women who did not complete their last telephone event were eligible. Women were randomized to receive a$2 bill incentive with their SAQ (approximately 250 women in each group). Results: Approximately 450 women comprised the final sample. In the incentive group, 35% of SAQs were returned, which was significantly higher than the 27% returned in the non-incentive group (p\u3c0.001). No significant differences in completion rates based on demographic characteristics were seen, except in divorced women. The final cost per completed SAQ was $12.51 in the incentive group compared to$7.57 for the non-incentive group. Conclusions: Adding a $2 bill as an incentive significantly increased response rates of hard-to-reach rural women completing mailed questionnaires about pregnancy information. Future research should focus on different incentive amounts and types and how they influence response rates

The Associations Between Meal Planning and a Healthy Diet for Incoming College Freshmen

Background: Meal planning has been shown to be positively associated with a more healthful diet among adults; however, there is not much information on how meal planning is associated with young adults, which is why it is important that more research is done on this topic. The goal of this project was to determine the associations between meal planning and a healthy diet for incoming college freshmen at eight universities that participated in the GetFRUVED study. Results: 1,149 first-year college students passed the initial required criteria to participate in the study. The results from this data collection were analyzed to compare important dietary consumption numbers that participants recorded, and knowledge and time spent on meal planning with the baseline GetFRUVED data. For this study, more meal planners tended to have a higher intake of fruit and veggies, fiber, whole grains, fruit and veggies excluding French fries, and NCI fruit and veggie score, as well as a lower intake of sugar, sugar without cereal, and sugar from sugar-sweetened beverages. Controversially, there were no associations between more meal planners and calcium, dairy, and BMI. Conclusions: Meal planning might be the key to our country’s growing problem of obesity, especially in young adults. More information on meal planning for this age group needs to be gathered so that interventions can be created to address potential barriers, which will help make achieving a healthier diet easier

Pick it! Try it! Like it!: A Grocery Store-Based Approach to Increasing Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

Grocery stores can serve as a location to promote increased fruit and vegetable consumption. Pick it! Try it! Like it! is a collection of resources providing information on 43 different fruits and vegetables that can be grown in Midwestern climates, being used in grocery stores as point-of-purchase education. An evaluation of individuals who shopped in grocery stores where materials were being used showed program recognition increased before and after implementation. Information obtained regarding shopping and food preparation habits will allow for further refining of materials. These materials, in addition to materials targeting youth and seniors, promote fruits and vegetables community-wide

Effect of Small Monetary Incentive and Demographic Characteristics on Response Rate of Self-Administered Questionnaire Mailed to Rural Women

Objectives: The National Children’s Study (NCS) is a longitudinal observational study that will examine the effects of genetics and environment on the health and development of children in the United States. The NCS is in a Vanguard, or pilot phase, so it is important to determine the feasibility, acceptability and cost of different data collection methods. The purpose of this study was to determine whether demographic characteristics differed in self-administered questionnaire (SAQ) completion rates, and to examine response rates when a $2 incentive was included with the mailed questionnaire. Methods: Subjects for the study (~500) were being followed by a local call center and were mailed SAQs. Women who did not complete their last telephone event were eligible. Women were randomized to receive a$2 bill incentive with their SAQ (approximately 250 women in each group). Results: Approximately 450 women comprised the final sample. In the incentive group, 35% of SAQs were returned, which was significantly higher than the 27% returned in the non-incentive group (p\u3c0.001). No significant differences in completion rates based on demographic characteristics were seen, except in divorced women. The final cost per completed SAQ was $12.51 in the incentive group compared to$7.57 for the non-incentive group. Conclusions: Adding a $2 bill as an incentive significantly increased response rates of hard-to-reach rural women completing mailed questionnaires about pregnancy information. Future research should focus on different incentive amounts and types and how they influence response rates

Effect of Level of Farm Mechanization Early in Life on Bone Later in Life

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether an active rural lifestyle during childhood and adolescence, defined as low farm mechanization, was associated with bone measures later in life.METHODS: DXA bone data from total body, hip and spine, and pQCT data from 4% and 20% distal radius were obtained on 330 individuals (157 women) aged 20-66 years who farmed at least 75% of their lives. Primary bone outcomes included areal bone mineral density (aBMD), aBMD Z-scores, cortical and trabecular volumetric BMD, cortical thickness and periosteal circumference. Relationship between bone and recall of level of farm mechanization as a child was determined after stratifying by sex and controlling for covariates.RESULTS: Controlling for covariates, females from low mechanized farms had higher femoral neck (FN) bone area (p=0.03) than those on high or moderate mechanized farms. No group differences in pQCT ulna measurements or z-scores were found in either gender.CONCLUSION: A low farm mechanization level (high physical activity) prior to 20 years of age is associated with greater FN bone area in females. Future research that includes type and amount of physical activity performed will contribute to growing knowledge of how and when regular physical activity during childhood and adolescence affects adult bone health

Differences in Physical Activity and Diet Patterns between Non-Rural and Rural Adults.

BACKGROUND: It is unclear how rural occupations and lifestyles may play a role in shaping physical activity and diet behaviors that contribute to the rural⁻urban obesity disparity.METHODS: Data come from the prospective and observational South Dakota Rural Bone Health Study, which included adults aged 20⁻66 years in three groups: (1) non-rural non-Hutterite, (2) rural non-Hutterite, and (3) rural Hutterite. Physical activity data were collected using 7-day physical activity questionnaires, and hours per day in physical activity categories are reported. Diet data were collected using food frequency questionnaires, and food group servings per day (svg/day) are reported. Mixed models were generated to determine group differences in physical activity and diet outcomes, and marginal group means are presented.RESULTS: Among females, both rural groups spent more time in moderate activity (4.8 ± 0.13 h/day and 4.7 ± 0.09 h/day vs. 3.5 ± 0.11 h/day, bothCONCLUSIONS: A rural occupation and lifestyle appear to contribute to differences in physical activity, while traditional rural lifestyle practices contribute to differences in diet

Qualitative Analysis of Grocery Store and Farmers Market Manager Perceptions Regarding Use of Fruit and Vegetable Educational Materials

The Pick it! Try it! Like it! (PTL) educational resource set, developed to display in grocery stores and farmers markets, teaches individuals how to shop for and prepare healthy fruit and vegetable dishes. Because program buy-in must be obtained from location managers before implementation occurs, the purpose of this study was to qualitatively examine the perceptions that grocery store and farmers market managers have regarding PTL implementation. Locations that requested PTL materials during 2013-14 were contacted and asked to answer 13 questions. Responses were analyzed using the content analysis method with themes generated and frequencies reported. Analyses examined manager perceptions for indications of buy-in to the PTL program or evidence of negative gatekeeper challenges to implementation. Overall, managers reported the PTL resource set as beneficial; however, barriers were identified which can be used in future program planning

CALIBRATING DIVERGENCE TIMES ON SPECIES TREES VERSUS GENE TREES: IMPLICATIONS FOR SPECIATION HISTORY OF APHELOCOMA JAYS

Estimates of the timing of divergence are central to testing the underlying causes of speciation. Relaxed molecular clocks and fossil calibration have improved these estimates; however, these advances are implemented in the context of gene trees, which can overestimate divergence times. Here we couple recent innovations for dating speciation events with the analytical power of species trees, where multilocus data are considered in a coalescent context. Divergence times are estimated in the bird genus Aphelocoma to test whether speciation in these jays coincided with mountain uplift or glacial cycles. Gene trees and species trees show general agreement that diversification began in the Miocene amid mountain uplift. However, dates from the multilocus species tree are more recent, occurring predominately in the Pleistocene, consistent with theory that divergence times can be significantly overestimated with gene-tree based approaches that do not correct for genetic divergence that predates speciation. In addition to coalescent stochasticity, Haldane's rule could account for some differences in timing estimates between mitochondrial DNA and nuclear genes. By incorporating a fossil calibration applied to the species tree, in addition to the process of gene lineage coalescence, the present approach provides a more biologically realistic framework for dating speciation events, and hence for testing the links between diversification and specific biogeographic and geologic events.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79292/1/j.1558-5646.2010.01097.x.pd

Voices for food: Methodologies for Implementing a Multi-state Community-based Intervention in Rural, High Poverty communities.

BACKGROUND: Rural communities experience unique barriers to food access when compared to urban areas and food security is a public health issue in rural, high poverty communities. A multi-leveled socio-ecological intervention to develop food policy councils (FPCs), and improve food security in rural communities was created. Methods to carry out such an intervention were developed and are described.METHODS: A longitudinal, matched treatment and comparison study was conducted in 24 rural, high poverty counties in South Dakota, Indiana, Missouri, Michigan, Nebraska and Ohio. Counties were assigned to a treatment (n = 12) or comparison (n = 12) group. Intervention activities focus on three key components that impact food security: 1) community coaching by Extension Educators/field staff, 2) FPC development, and 3) development of a MyChoice food pantry. Community coaching was only provided to intervention counties. Evaluation components focus on three levels of the intervention: 1) Community (FPCs), 2) Food Pantry Organization, and 3) Pantry Client & Families. Participants in this study were community stakeholders, food pantry directors, staff/volunteers and food pantry clients. Pantry food access/availability including pantry food quality and quantity, household food security and pantry client dietary intake are dependent variables.DISCUSSION: The results of this study will provide a framework for utilizing a multi-leveled socio-ecological intervention with the purpose of improving food security in rural, high poverty communities. Additionally, the results of this study will yield evidence-based best practices and tools for both FPC development and the transition to a guided-client choice model of distribution in food pantries. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov; NCT03566095 . Retrospectively registered on June, 21, 2018