Parent feeding practices in infants and toddlers referred to a hospital-based feeding program in the United States.

While considerable research exists on parent feeding practices for infants and toddlers, past research has not focused on children with feeding problems. The goal of this study was to identify parent feeding practices in a sample of infants (n = 178) and toddlers (n = 221) referred to a hospital-based feeding clinic and then examine how these parent feeding practices were correlated with specific feeding problems. Parents completed surveys to report child demographics, feeding problems, and use of 54 feeding practices.

The Lunchbox Study: A Pilot Examination of Packed Lunches of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Background: This study examined foods packed and consumed by children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and calculated the percentage of packed school lunches meeting National School Lunch Program (NSLP) standards. Fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption was further examined by investigating its association with the number and type of foods packed. Methods: Participants included 59 private school students observed for five school meals.

Associations between obesity severity and medical comorbidities for children with obesity in low intensity hospital intervention.

Background: Childhood obesity has increased dramatically in the United States. Most available research has followed obesity prevalence with little attention to medical comorbidities, which could guide prevention and intervention.

Methods: A retrospective chart review examined 2038 children referred to a Pediatric Weight Management Clinic providing low intensity (<26 contact hours) intervention.

Improvements in Children's Feeding Behavior after Intensive Interdisciplinary Behavioral Treatment: Comparisons by Developmental and Medical Status.

This study examined changes in child mealtime behavior, diet variety, and family mealtime environment after intensive interdisciplinary behavioral treatment (IIBT) for 52 children referred to a day treatment feeding program. Children fell into three developmental status groups including autism spectrum disorder ( = 16), other special needs ( = 19), and no special needs ( = 17), with some having no known medical problems ( = 22) and some having gastrointestinal, cardiopulmonary, and/or endocrine-metabolic problems ( = 28). At pre-intervention and post-intervention, caregivers completed the About Your Child's Eating scale, the Brief Assessment of Mealtime Behavior in Children, and a food preference inventory of 70 common foods (20 fruits, 23 vegetables, 12 proteins, 8 grains, 7 dairy).

Sensory Eating Problems Scale (SEPS) for children: Psychometrics and associations with mealtime problems behaviors.

The present study developed the 22-item Sensory Eating Problems Scale (SEPS) to measure sensory aspects for children surrounding eating, documented psychometrics of SEPS subscales, and examined their association with mealtime behavior problems. Study participants were 449 caretakers of children referred to feeding clinics, including children in three special needs status groups: autism spectrum disorder (ASD), other special needs, and no special needs. Caretakers completed surveys to report children's demographics, four measures of children's mealtime behavior problems, and five-point ratings for how often children showed various sensory feeding reactions.

The Glucose Control Resistance Scale.

Objective: While past research found family conflict, disordered eating, body image concerns and anxious self-doubts may affect adolescent diabetic glucose control, available measures of adherence mainly focus on management tasks. The current study aimed to combine measures of emotional distress and beliefs with decisions concerning management in a new measure of resistance to treatment adherence: the 12-item Glucose Control Resistance Scale (GCRS).

Methods: Participants included 135 adolescents and their parents from a pediatric diabetes clinic.

Do painkillers serve as "hillbilly heroin" for rural adults with high levels of psychosocial stress?

Nonmedical use of painkillers has increased in recent years, with some authors suggesting that painkillers serve as "hillbilly heroin": a drug chosen by rural adults to cope with psychosocial stresses in their lives. The present study compared rural and urban adults for their reported use of 5 drugs during the past year (painkillers, marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin) and for associations between these 5 drugs and their reported psychosocial stressors. This study conducted secondary analyses of anonymous survey data provided by the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health with responses from 8,699 rural and 18,481 urban adults.

Improvements in Child Behavior and Family Mealtime Environment After an Intensive Behavioral Feeding Intervention.

The present study examined changes in child and family mealtime patterns before and after intensive behavioral feeding intervention at a multidisciplinary hospital-based program for 50 children. At preintervention and postintervention, caregivers completed surveys to report child feeding goals and the About Your Child's Eating scale (AYCE). In addition, at postintervention, each caregiver rated intervention effectiveness for his or her child's feeding goals identified at preintervention and provided intervention satisfaction ratings.

Measurement of math beliefs and their associations with math behaviors in college students.

Our purpose in the present study was to expand understanding of math beliefs in college students by developing 3 new psychometrically tested scales as guided by expectancy-value theory, self-efficacy theory, and health belief model. Additionally, we identified which math beliefs (and which theory) best explained variance in math behaviors and performance by college students and which students were most likely to have problematic math beliefs. Study participants included 368 college math students who completed questionnaires to report math behaviors (attending class, doing homework, reading textbooks, asking for help) and used a 5-point rating scale to indicate a variety of math beliefs.

Parent Attribution for Child Eating Scale (PACES). Psychometric characteristics and associations with child and parent variables.

Parent participation in interventions for their children's feeding problems may depend on parent attributions for the origins of these problems, but no measure is available to identify these parent perceptions. The purpose of the present paper was to develop a new Parent Attribution for Child Eating Scale (PACES), then to examine how parent perceptions measured by the PACES were associated with child variables and parent feeding practices. Participants included parents of 393 children from a hospital feeding clinic (68.

Behavioral variables associated with obesity in police officers.

Past research has documented that non-behavioral variables (such as long work hours, exposure to police stressors) are associated with obesity risk in police officers, but limited research has examined behavioral variables that might be targeted by Employee Assistance Programs for police weight management. The present study compared non-obese and obese officers for behavioral variables found associated with obesity in other adult samples: physical activity (cardiovascular, strength-training, stretching), sleep duration, and consumption of alcohol, fruit and vegetables, and snack foods. Participants included 172 male police officers who completed questionnaires to report height and weight, used to calculate body mass index (BMI = kg/m(2)) and to divide them into "non-obese" and "obese" groups.

Variables associated with the use of complete oral calorie supplements in children with feeding problems.

Objective: To examine child and parent variables associated with complete oral calorie supplement use among children with feeding problems.

Design: Correlational examination of data from patient intake surveys.

Setting: Hospital-based feeding program.

Mother's feeding practices for children 3-10 years of age and their associations with child demographics.

The present study examined relationships between mothers' feeding practices and child demographics such as gender, age, weight status, and family income. This cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from 2259 children between 3 and 10 years of age who were sampled for the development of the Parent Mealtime Action Scale. No child gender differences were found in mothers' feeding practices.

Adult violence with the mother and sibling as predictors of partner violence.

The present study provides the first available evaluation of how violence with the mother and siblings during adulthood is associated with the occurrence of partner violence in young adults. Because a pattern of reciprocal partner violence is well documented, the authors hypothesized that reciprocal violence would also be found for adults and their mothers and for adults and their siblings. The authors also hypothesized that reciprocal violence with the mother and sisters would explain variance in partner violence even when controlling for other known predictors (poverty, poor family support, stress, anger, low self-esteem).

Which comes first in food-mood relationships, foods or moods?

College students (n=44) completed seven-day records of foods and moods. Nutritionist™ software measured daily nutrition scores including calories, carbohydrates, saturated fat, and sodium. Hierarchical stepwise multiple regression (controlling for gender, restrained eating) revealed that nutrition scores were more consistently associated with negative moods than positive moods, and with moods across a two-day span rather than a one-day span as typically studied in past research.

The Screening Tool of Feeding Problems applied to children (STEP-CHILD): psychometric characteristics and associations with child and parent variables.

The present study evaluated the 23-item Screening Tool for Feeding Problems (STEP; Matson & Kuhn, 2001) with a sample of children referred to a hospital-based feeding clinic to examine the scale's psychometric characteristics and then demonstrate how a children's revision of the STEP, the STEP-CHILD is associated with child and parent variables. Participants included 142 children (95 boys, 47 girls; mean age = 61.4 months; 43 with autism, 51 with other special needs, 48 with no special needs).

Kid's Choice Program improves weight management behaviors and weight status in school children.

The present study examined the effectiveness of the Kid's Choice Program (KCP) for increasing children's weight management behaviors, and decreasing body mass index percentile (BMI%) for overweight and average-weight children. It also evaluated KCP characteristics relevant to long-term application in schools. Participants included 382 children assigned to two groups: a KCP group that received token rewards for three "Good Health Behaviors" including eating fruits or vegetables first at meals (FVFIRST), choosing low-fat and low-sugar healthy drinks (HDRINK), and showing 5000 exercise steps recorded on pedometers (EXERCISE), or a control group that received token rewards for three "Good Citizenship Behaviors.

Validation of the parent mealtime action scale (PMAS) when applied to children referred to a hospital-based feeding clinic.

The purpose of this study was to validate the Parent Mealtime Action Scale (PMAS) when applied to a clinical sample of 231 children with feeding problems and then to examine its association with demographic variables, diet, and weight. Parents completed questionnaires that included the PMAS, the Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire, and measure of diet variety. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed good fit for the nine dimensions of parent mealtime action found in the original PMAS study.

Parent mealtime actions that mediate associations between children's fussy-eating and their weight and diet.

The present study evaluated parent mealtime actions that mediate associations between children's fussy-eating and their weight and diet. Participants included 236 feeding-clinic children in three diagnostic groups: 50 with autism, 84 with other special needs, and 102 without special needs. Children's weight was measured as body mass index percentile (BMI%), with only 26.

The Parent Mealtime Action Scale (PMAS). Development and association with children's diet and weight.

A new and comprehensive Parent Mealtime Action Scale (PMAS) was developed to identify dimensions of mealtime behaviors used by parents, then examined for its usefulness to explain variance in children's diet and weight status. Exploratory factor analysis with 2008 mothers and two confirmatory factor analyses with 541 mothers and 439 fathers produced a 31-item scale with nine dimensions. Mothers reported more gentle PMAS actions like setting SNACK LIMITS, ensuring DAILY FV AVAILABILITY, and using FAT REDUCTION and POSITIVE PERSUASION during meals, whereas fathers reported more forceful PMAS actions like INSISTENCE ON EATING.

Overweight and average-weight children equally responsive to "Kids Choice Program" to increase fruit and vegetable consumption.

Secondary analyses were conducted for children participating in the school-based Kids Choice Program [Hendy, H. M., Williams, K.

Predictors of novice nurses' use of intuition to guide patient care decisions.

Nurses routinely report using intuition to guide decisions about patient care, although they use it covertly because of difficulty explaining the sources of their intuitions to colleagues. To help nurse educators guide students toward open discussion and appropriate use of intuition, this study compared personal, interpersonal, and professional experiences suggested by past research for their association with the use of intuition by nurses. A questionnaire completed by 323 novice nurses measured use of intuition with an 18-item subscale identified by Miller from the Miller Intuitiveness Instrument.

"Kids Choice" school lunch program increases children's fruit and vegetable acceptance.

The "Kids Choice" school lunch program used token reinforcement, food choice, and peer participation to increase children's fruit and vegetable consumption without later drops in food preference sometimes found in past research and often called 'overjustification effects.' Participants included 188 school children (92 boys, 96 girls; mean age = 8.0; 95% Caucasian).