The unhealthy food environment does not modify the association between obesity and participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in Los Angeles County.

Background: Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has been linked to an increased risk of obesity, but not much is known about the mechanisms behind this association. The objective of this study was to determine if the neighborhood density of unhealthy food outlets modifies the association between obesity and participation in SNAP.

Methods: Data comes from the first wave of the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey; included are a subsample of adults (18+ years) who were SNAP participants or eligible non-participants (N = 1,176).

The Relationship Between Obesity and Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Is Mental Health a Mediator?

Focusing on adults from the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey, we investigated whether mental health was a mediator in the association between obesity (body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m) and participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The analyses included 1776 SNAP participants and eligible nonparticipants. SNAP participants had higher odds of obesity (odds ratio [OR] =2.

Food Insecurity and Cost-Related Medication Underuse Among Nonelderly Adults in a Nationally Representative Sample.

Objectives: We investigated whether nonelderly US adults (aged 18-64 years) in food-insecure households are more likely to report cost-related medication underuse than the food-secure, and whether the relationship between food insecurity and cost-related medication underuse differs by gender, chronic disease, and health insurance status.

Methods: We analyzed data from the 2011 and 2012 National Health Interview Survey (n = 67 539). We examined the relationship between food insecurity and cost-related medication underuse with the χ(2) test and multivariate logistic regression with interaction terms.

Food Insecurity and Health Outcomes Among Older Adults: The Role of Cost-Related Medication Underuse.

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between food security and cost-related medication underuse among older adults (persons aged 65 years and older) in the United States; and to determine if this relationship differs by sex, chronic disease status, and type of health insurance. Data are from a combined sample of older adults in the 2011 and 2012 National Health Interview Survey (N = 10,401). Both bivariate and multivariate analyses show a dose-response relationship between food insecurity and cost-related medication underuse among the elderly--increasing likelihood of cost-related medication underuse with increasing severity of food insecurity (P < 0.

Association between food assistance program participation and overweight.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to investigate the association between food assistance program participation and overweight/obesity according to poverty level. METHODS A cross-sectional analysis of data from 46,217 non-pregnant and non-lactating women in Lima, Peru was conducted; these data were obtained from nationally representative surveys from the years 2003, 2004, 2006, and 2008-2010. The dependent variable was overweight/obesity, and the independent variable was food assistance program participation.

WIC Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study: protocol design and implementation.

The federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which began in the 1970s, has undergone revisions in the past several years, including revision to contents of the supplemental food "packages" in 2009 based on recommendations provided by an Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee of The National Academies. In 2010, the IOM held a workshop to examine and recommend research priorities for the program. The overall purpose of the current (ie, second) WIC Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study (ITFPS-2) is to conduct a nationally representative, longitudinal study of contemporary WIC infant and toddler feeding practices.

Is household food insecurity associated with overweight/obesity in women?

Background: Despite reports on association between overweight/obesity among women and household food insecurity (FI) in developed countries, such association is not evident in developing countries. This study aimed to assess the association between household FI and weight status in adult females in Tehran, Iran.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 418 households were selected through systematic cluster sampling from 6 districts of Tehran.

High proportion of 6 to 18-year-old children and adolescents in the United Arab Emirates are not meeting dietary recommendations.

In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), overweight, obesity, and associated chronic diseases have recently emerged as major public health concerns among all age groups, including children and adolescents. We hypothesized that although energy needs might be met by the majority of Emirati children and adolescents, their diet quality and intakes of certain micronutrients may not meet recommendations. A cross-sectional design was used to assess dietary intakes of 253 children (6-10 years of age) and 276 adolescents (11-18 years of age) in the UAE.

Mothers prefer fresh fruits and vegetables over jarred baby fruits and vegetables in the new Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children food package.

Objective: This study examined Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) participant use and satisfaction with jarred baby foods, assessed preference for cash value vouchers (CVVs) for fruits and vegetables vs jarred baby foods, and examined whether preferences varied among selected ethnic groups.

Methods: A survey of California WIC participants and statewide redemption data were used.

Results: Participants reported high satisfaction with the CVV for fruits and vegetables and jarred baby foods, with statistically significant variation across ethnic groups.

Understanding the Relationship Between the Retail Food Environment Index and Early Childhood Obesity Among WIC Participants in Los Angeles County Using GeoDa.

The aim of this study was to examine the association between the local food environment and obesity proportions among 3- to 4-year-old children who were participants in the WIC program in Los Angeles County using spatial analyses techniques. ArcGIS, spatial analysis software, was used to compute the retail food environment index (RFEI) per ZIP code. GeoDa, spatial statistics software was employed to check for spatial autocorrelation and to control for permeability of the boundaries.

Preschool enrollment is associated with lower odds of childhood obesity among WIC participants in LA County.

The prevalence of obesity among children in the United States has increased rapidly during the past few decades. Research into social and behavioral determinants of obesity could lead to innovative strategies for prevention. The objective of the present study was to examine the association between childhood obesity and preschool enrollment and number of hours in child care among low-income preschool-aged children who were participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).

Backsliding against malnutrition.

The Millennium Development Goals stated an ambition to cut severe poverty and hunger in half by the year 2015. The recent rise in staple food prices and global economic crisis make it clear that these goals will not be met and that recent gains in mitigating malnutrition are being erased. The number of malnourished people has increased to more than 1 billion, from approximately 800 million a few years ago.

Weight status, quality of life, and self-concept in African American, Hispanic, and white fifth-grade children.

This study examined the association between weight status and quality of life (QOL) in fifth-grade African American, Hispanic, and white children and the potential mediation of this relationship by self-concept. A sample was recruited from fifth-grade public school students in three sites, of whom 599 were African American (40%), Hispanic (34%), or white (26%). During a home interview, physical and psychosocial QOL and global and body-specific self-concept were measured.

The association between an electric pump loan program and the timing of requests for formula by working mothers in WIC.

An electric pump loan program designed to facilitate breastfeeding for low-income mothers returning to full-time work was evaluated. All mothers were WIC participants in the Los Angeles area. Electric pump loans were made until the infant's first birthday or until the mother requested formula from WIC.

Effect of a targeted subsidy on intake of fruits and vegetables among low-income women in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.

Objectives: Intake of fruits and vegetables protects against several common chronic diseases, and low income is associated with lower intake. We tested the effectiveness of a subsidy for fruits and vegetables to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

Methods: Women who enrolled for postpartum services (n=602) at 3 WIC sites in Los Angeles were assigned to an intervention (farmers' market or supermarket, both with redeemable food vouchers) or control condition (a minimal nonfood incentive).

Perceptions of diet and physical activity among California Hmong adults and youths.

Introduction: We conducted a qualitative study to inform the design of a proposed community-wide campaign to promote increased physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption among low-income Hmong families.

Methods: We held eight focus groups with parents of children aged 5 to 14 years and with youths aged 11 to 14 years, interviews with key informants in several Hmong communities, and interviews with professionals who conducted physical activity and nutrition activities in these communities. Sessions were tape-recorded and transcribed.

Fighting cancer with fitness: dietary outcomes of a randomized, controlled lifestyle change intervention in healthy African-American women.

Objectives: This study tested the efficacy of an 8-week, culturally targeted community-based nutrition and physical activity promotion intervention, Fight Cancer with Fitness! (FCF).

Methods: A randomized, controlled trial was conducted in a black-owned commercial gym in a sample of 366 predominantly overweight or obese, healthy African-American women.

Results: Dietary quality as indexed by fruit and vegetable intake improved significantly in the intervention group compared to the control group at 12-month follow-up, and proportion of calories consumed as fat decreased in both groups.

Reducing exposure to dioxins and related compounds through foods in the next generation.

Dioxins and related compounds are undesirable and unintended contaminants in the food supply, and dietary intake is the major route of exposure. Reducing dietary exposure to dioxins among the most vulnerable segments of the population (i.e.

Challenges in improving fitness: results of a community-based, randomized, controlled lifestyle change intervention.

Objective: This study tested the efficacy of an 8-week culturally targeted nutrition and physical activity intervention on body composition.

Methods: A randomized, attention-controlled, two-group trial was conducted in a blackowned commercial gym with a sample of 366 predominantly healthy, obese African American women. A free 1-year membership to the study site gym was provided to participants in both groups.

Choices made by low-income women provided with an economic supplement for fresh fruit and vegetable purchase.

Vouchers for fresh fruit and vegetable purchase were provided to low-income women participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in Los Angeles, CA. As the program is currently constituted, the supplemental foods provided contain no fresh produce except for carrots for exclusively breastfeeding women. This study investigated whether providing supplemental financial support specifically for purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables would result in high uptake of the supplement, and what the individuals would choose to purchase.

Seizing the moment: California's opportunity to prevent nutrition-related health disparities in low-income Asian American population.

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) have the fastest growing rate of overweight and obese children. Aggressive programs are urgently needed to prevent unhealthy acculturation-related changes in diet and physical activity and to promote the healthier aspects of traditional lifestyle habits. We conducted focus groups and key informant interviews to explore knowledge, attitudes, dietary practices, and physical activity levels among three low-income Asian American ethnic groups, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Hmong, in California.

Proceedings of the workshop on food-consumption surveys in developing countries: methodologic considerations in descriptive food-consumption surveys in developing countries.

This paper reviews some methodologic issues relative to food-consumption studies in developing countries, including sampling considerations; capturing temporal variation in food consumption; choice of dietary instruments and protocols; and food-composition databases and needs for adequate software interfaces. Increasingly, issues of cross-country and regional comparability in food-consumption data are now coming into the decision mix. Comparability of data across countries requires comparability of several fundamental systems.

Correlates of breastfeeding initiation in southeast Arkansas.

Objectives: Southeast Arkansas is a primarily rural, low-income area with low breastfeeding rates. Given the demonstrated positive impacts of breastfeeding on a variety of health indicators, it is important to understand and counteract this situation.

Methods: We reviewed the medical records of 1,260 women who delivered infants at the only major hospital in southeastern Arkansas between February 1997 and January 1998 to determine the rate of breastfeeding initiation and to assess associated factors.