African American Perceptions of Service Provided by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education: A Qualitative Exploration.

Objective: To assess African Americans' satisfaction with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) in Louisiana.

Methods: African American facilitators conducted 5 focus group discussions with 25 African American SNAP-Ed participants according to issues identified by African American SNAP-Ed implementers in Louisiana. Focus group discussion transcripts were coded independently using inductive and in vivo coding by 2 members of the research team.

Availability of Low-Fat Milk and Produce in Small and Mid-Sized Grocery Stores After 2014 WIC Final Rule Changes, Tennessee.

Introduction: The 2007 Interim Rule mandated changes to food packages in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) for implementation by 2009. The 2014 Final Rule required additional changes, including increasing the cash value voucher for fruits and vegetables from $6 to $8 for children by June 2014, and allowing only low-fat (1%) or nonfat milk for mothers and children aged 2 to 4 years by October 2014. This study evaluated the effect of the 2014 Final Rule changes on the food environment of small and mid-sized WIC-authorized grocery stores.

A Smartphone App for Families With Preschool-Aged Children in a Public Nutrition Program: Prototype Development and Beta-Testing.

Background: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in the United States provides free supplemental food and nutrition education to low-income mothers and children under age 5 years. Childhood obesity prevalence is higher among preschool children in the WIC program compared to other children, and WIC improves dietary quality among low-income children. The Children Eating Well (CHEW) smartphone app was developed in English and Spanish for WIC-participating families with preschool-aged children as a home-based intervention to reinforce WIC nutrition education and help prevent childhood obesity.

A meta-analysis of school-based obesity prevention programs demonstrates limited efficacy of decreasing childhood obesity.

Childhood obesity is a global concern. The objectives of this meta-analytical study were to evaluate the effectiveness of school-based childhood obesity prevention programs, and to examine program components (moderators). The methods included searching databases (PubMed, Google Scholar, and the university's EBSCOhost Web service) as well as handsearching reference lists of articles published in English.

Formative assessment using social marketing principles to identify health and nutrition perspectives of Native American women living within the Chickasaw Nation boundaries in Oklahoma.

Objective: To identify health product and promotion channels for development of a Chickasaw Nation Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Education Program (SNAP-Ed) social marketing program.

Methods: The study was qualitative and used social marketing principles to assess Native American women's views of health and nutrition. Focus groups (n = 8) and interviews (n = 4) were conducted to identify indigenous views of product, promotion, price, and place related to SNAP-Ed behavioral objectives.