Barriers and Facilitators of Parent Engagement with Health Promotion in Child Care: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation

BACKGROUND: Early care and education providers cite lack of parent engagement as a central barrier to promoting healthy behaviors among young children. However, little research exists about factors influencing parent engagement with promoting healthy eating and activity behaviors in the this setting. AIMS: This study aimed to address this gap by examining low and high parent engagement with the Healthy Me, Healthy We campaign to identify barriers and facilitators of parent engagement with the intervention. METHOD: This comparative case study used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach. We created center-level parent engagement scores using process evaluation data from the effectiveness trial of Healthy Me, Healthy We. Recruitment focused on centers with the five lowest and five highest scores. Twenty-eight adults (7 directors, 9 teachers, 12 parents) from seven centers (3 low engagement, 4 high engagement) completed semistructured interviews and the Family and Provider/Teacher Relationship Quality measure. Analytic approaches included descriptive statistical analyses for surveys and a framework-informed thematic analysis for interviews. RESULTS: Prominent contrasts between low- and high-engagement groups involved center culture for parent engagement and health promotion, practices for fostering networks and communication within centers, and communication between centers and parents. Personal attributes of providers (e.g., attitudes) also differentially influenced practices for engaging parents. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Organizational characteristics and individual practices can facilitate or impede parent engagement with health promotion efforts. Assessing organizational context, gaining input from all stakeholders, and conducting capacity-building interventions may be critical for laying the foundation for positive relationships that support parent engagement in implementation of health promotion programs and beyond

Uranium Fission-track Dating of Glass Shards from Selected Volcanic Ash Deposits in the Southern High Plains Border Region

A desire to obtain a better understanding of the Pleistocene geomorphic evolution of and soil development in western and central Okl~homa, south central Kansas, and the eastern part of the Texas Panhandle was the primary motivation for this research. A major lithologic discontinuity occurs between the Permian bedrock and the unconsolidated sediments which rest upon it over much of the area. Volcanic ash deposits are included in the alluvial and eolian deposits. Ash deposits are potential time marker beds for reference in soil and landscape development interpretations because it is possible to date them. The upland terraces of the major rivers were of particular interest because they are important to the agriculture of the area, are a major water source for many parts of the area, and the soils described on them are well developed. The initial proposal for this project was the dating of the ash deposits and a detailed study of soils associated with some of the ashes. A year into the project it became apparent that the soils part had to be dropped. Dating of 35 ash deposits proved to be time consuming and provided enough valuable information to make this thesis. The results of the dating are fairly consistent with results reported by other researchers involved in the dating of volcanic ash deposits. Continued characterization and correlation research on the ashes dated in this study should make them unique and valuable time markers for use in interpreting the Pleistocene geomorphic evolution of a large and important region. A better understanding of the soil development in the unconsolidated deposits of the region should also be accomplished by using the dated ash deposits as time marker beds.Agronom

The Relationship Between Housing Conditions and Chronic Mild Stress in Rats

Despite the proven success of the Chronic Mild Stress (CMS) model in measuring anhedonia behaviors in rats, housing conditions could alter the effects of stressors. In our original analysis, group-housing revealed no significant difference between the stress and control subjects. As a result, this follow-up study aims to replicate the initial study using single-housing conditions instead to examine the differences between grouped and single-housed rats while measuring the effects of stress with housing as an influencing variable on our stress measures

YPFS Lessons Learned Oral History Project: An Interview with Phil Angelides

Suggested Citation Form: Angelides, Phil, 2019. “Lessons Learned Interview. Interview by Sandra Ward. Yale Program on Financial Stability Lessons Learned Oral History Project. February 27, 2019. Transcript. https://ypfs.som.yale.edu/library/ypfs-lesson-learned-oral-history-project-interview-phil-angelide

New Zealand Research on Skills Formation and the 'Learning Organisation': Critical Analysis of the Case Study Methodology

In recent years there has been continuing debate about what skills are needed for New Zealand's competitive business environment. Many commentators talk of a skills crisis, while some academics argue that the skills crisis is a myth. Recent research on workplace reform in seven 'leading edge' New Zealand companies highlights six crucial limitations of the debate. These are a focus on: i) individual skills rather than organisational culture, work design and employment relationships; ii) formal training rather than work-based learning; iii) the skills of school leavers rather than those of managers, supervisors and workers; and iv) technical, rather than organisational and team, skills. The debate also pays inadequate attention to v) how people learn in teams; and vi) the complexity of the current business and policy environment. In November 1993, N7JSR &D commenced a FRST -funded, three-year project on 'Economic Restructuring and Skills Formation' to address these limitations. Based on jive case studies in a range of sectors, the project examines characteristics of enterprises seeking sustainable competitive advantage by operating as a 'learning organisation'; one where the organisational structure itself is an environment for continuing education. Case study analysis is also used to understand the relationship between the company's corporate strategy and skilling process; the core skills required by managers, supervisors and workers, and how these are formed. The purpose of this paper is to outline the project's case study design, explain why this methodology has been selected and examine debates about its validity and utility