NEFPAT Plus: A Valid and Reliable Tool for Assessing the Nutrition Environment in Food Pantries.

Objective: To develop a consumer nutrition environment assessment tool to assess policy, systems, and environmental initiatives that are implemented in food pantries, which incorporates recent national guidance, and evaluate its validity and reliability.

Setting: Illinois, US.

Design: This study had 4 phases: (1) tool revision, (2) pilot testing, (3) content validity assessment, and (4) interrater and test-retest reliability assessment.

Policy, Systems, and Environmental Changes in Child Nutrition Programs: A Systematic Literature Review.

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides healthy food to millions of children annually. To promote increased lunch consumption, policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change strategies are being implemented in child nutrition programs. An evaluation of the current evidence supporting PSE interventions in school nutrition programs is needed to facilitate evidence-based practices across the nation for programs.

Distribution of fresh foods in food pantries: challenges and opportunities in Illinois during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The charitable food system distributes free food to clients across the U.S., but many nutrition and health-focused efforts encounter barriers to success, which were exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Development and evaluation of the Food Bank Health and Nutrition Assessment.

Objective: Efforts to improve the nutritional quality and health promotion in the charitable food system have been undertaken. Though methods exist to track these efforts in terms of food banks' inventory, there are not research-tested tools to assess, monitor and influence policy, systems and environmental (PSE) changes. The study objective was to develop and evaluate a novel assessment tool that could be used to evaluate a food bank's efforts to improve the promotion of health and nutritious foods.

Nutrition Environment at Food Pantries Improves After Fresh Produce Donation Program.

Objective: To evaluate the influence of the Growing Together Illinois fresh produce donation program and understand factors that affect produce distribution at participating food pantries.

Methods: In this intervention at 17 Illinois food pantries, Master Gardeners supported food donation gardens, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education provided educational and environmental interventions to increase selection and use of fresh produce. This mixed-methods pre-post study assessed pantry characteristics and program impact via Nutrition Environment Food Pantry Assessment Tool evaluations, interview feedback from pantry staff, and structured pantry observations.

Community-based nutrition education and hands-on cooking intervention increases farmers' market use and vegetable servings.

Objective: The objective of the current study was to evaluate the impact of the Market to MyPlate (M2MP) program on participants' reported farmers' market (FM) attitudes and shopping behaviours, frequency of serving vegetables to their families, food resource management behaviours and food security. A secondary objective was to identify facilitators and barriers to shopping at FM and food waste reduction techniques used by low-income families.

Design: The current study used a mixed methods evaluation embedded within a cluster randomised trial of the M2MP intervention.

The Efficacy and Cost-Effectiveness of Replacing Whole Apples with Sliced in the National School Lunch Program.

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) serves 29.6 million lunches each day. Schools must offer ½ a cup of fruit for each lunch tray.

Whole egg consumption and cognitive function among US older adults.

Background: Eggs are an affordable food providing many shortfall nutrients with the potential to improve cognitive health. We assessed the relationship between whole egg consumption and cognitive functioning among a US nationally representative sample of older adults.

Methods: Individual-level data (2816 adults, aged ≥ 60 years) were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2012 and 2013-2014 waves.

Community-based culinary and nutrition education intervention promotes fruit and vegetable consumption.

Objective: The main objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the Market to MyPlate (M2MP) program on fruit and vegetable consumption and cooking behaviours. Secondary objectives were to examine factors that affected participant retention and program completion, and analyse program feedback provided by participants.

Design: This study conducted a mixed methods evaluation embedded within a cluster randomised controlled trial of the M2MP intervention.

Technical Assistance is Related to Improvements in the Food Pantry Consumer Nutrition Environment.

Objective: To assess changes in food pantries' consumer nutrition environment (CNE) after the provision of technical assistance.

Design: Pre-post study with 2 phases.

Setting: Staff completed observational assessments using the Nutrition Environment Food Pantry Assessment Tool (NEFPAT) at food pantries in an initial pilot phase.

Evaluation of Preferences Among Students Participating in the US Department of Agriculture Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program.

Background: Improving children's fruit and vegetable (FV) preferences may be important as preferences can predict FV consumption. The purpose of this study was to evaluate FV preferences over time, with repeated experience, as part of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP).

Methods: Fruits (F; N = 28) and vegetables (V; N = 29) were distributed twice a week, over 35 weeks, at a participating FFVP school (N = 236 students, 12 teachers, K-2nd grade).

Training Preferences of School Food Service Staff Vary by Role in the School Nutrition Program.

Professional development has been identified as a critical component for school nutrition professionals (SNPs) to successfully implement school meal standards in the United States. However, training needs may vary based on different factors. This study examined (1) the topics of highest priority for SNPs; (2) preferred learning methods; (3) where and when trainings should be conducted; and (4) whether responses differ according to important factors including position type, school locale (urban vs.

Customized optical mapping by CRISPR-Cas9 mediated DNA labeling with multiple sgRNAs.

Whole-genome mapping technologies have been developed as a complementary tool to provide scaffolds for genome assembly and structural variation analysis (1,2). We recently introduced a novel DNA labeling strategy based on a CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing system, which can target any 20bp sequences. The labeling strategy is specifically useful in targeting repetitive sequences, and sequences not accessible to other labeling methods.

Single-molecule analysis of subtelomeres and telomeres in Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres (ALT) cells.

Background: Telomeric DNA is typically comprised of G-rich tandem repeat motifs and maintained by telomerase (Greider CW, Blackburn EH; Cell 51:887-898; 1987). In eukaryotes lacking telomerase, a variety of DNA repair and DNA recombination based pathways for telomere maintenance have evolved in organisms normally dependent upon telomerase for telomere elongation (Webb CJ, Wu Y, Zakian VA; Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 5:a012666; 2013); collectively called Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres (ALT) pathways. By measuring (TTAGGG) n tract lengths from the same large DNA molecules that were optically mapped, we simultaneously analyzed telomere length dynamics and subtelomere-linked structural changes at a large number of specific subtelomeric loci in the ALT-positive cell lines U2OS, SK-MEL-2 and Saos-2.

Implementation of a Multi-Component School Lunch Environmental Change Intervention to Improve Child Fruit and Vegetable Intake: A Mixed-Methods Study.

Nudge interventions are widely used to promote health in schools, yet implementation metrics are seldom used to understand intervention outcomes. A multi-component intervention consisting of cafeteria decorations, creative names, social norming taste tests, and flavor station components was implemented in three rural elementary school cafeterias by school nutrition services (SNS) and extension staff. Selection and consumption of fruits and vegetables at lunch were measured through monthly plate waste assessments over eight months ( = 1255 trays).

The Driver of Extreme Human-Specific Olduvai Repeat Expansion Remains Highly Active in the Human Genome.

Sequences encoding Olduvai protein domains (formerly DUF1220) show the greatest human lineage-specific increase in copy number of any coding region in the genome and have been associated, in a dosage-dependent manner, with brain size, cognitive aptitude, autism, and schizophrenia. Tandem intragenic duplications of a three-domain block, termed the Olduvai triplet, in four genes in the chromosomal 1q21.1-0.

Genome rearrangements induce biofilm formation in Escherichia coli C - an old model organism with a new application in biofilm research.

Background: Escherichia coli C forms more robust biofilms than other laboratory strains. Biofilm formation and cell aggregation under a high shear force depend on temperature and salt concentrations. It is the last of five E.

Use of Survival Analysis to Predict Attrition Among Women Participating in Longitudinal Community-Based Nutrition Research.

Objective: To identify participant characteristics and study methodology that influenced the completion of a 15-month community-based longitudinal study evaluating the impact of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education and Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program.

Design: Observational longitudinal 15-month study across 12 data collection timepoints. Sociodemographic characteristics were collected with a paper-based survey at baseline.

Comparative Effectiveness Trial of an Obesity Prevention Intervention in EFNEP and SNAP-ED: Primary Outcomes.

There is a need to disseminate evidence-based childhood obesity prevention interventions on a broader scale to reduce obesity-related disparities among underserved children. The purpose of this study was to test the comparative effectiveness of an evidence-based obesity prevention intervention, Hip-Hop to Health (HH), delivered through Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) versus the standard curriculum delivered by the programs (Standard Nutrition Education (NE)). A nonequivalent control group design was delivered to compare the effectiveness of HH to NE on weight gain prevention and health behavior outcomes at EFNEP and SNAP-Ed sites.

A systematic review of food pantry-based interventions in the USA.

Objective: Food pantries play a critical role in combating food insecurity. The objective of the present work was to systematically review and synthesize scientific evidence regarding the effectiveness of food pantry-based interventions in the USA.

Design: Keyword/reference search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Library and CINAHL for peer-reviewed articles published until May 2018 that met the following criteria.

Nutrition Environment Food Pantry Assessment Tool (NEFPAT): Development and Evaluation.

Objective: To develop and evaluate a nutrition environment assessment tool to assess the consumer nutrition environment and use of recommended practices in food pantries.

Methods: The Nutrition Environment Food Pantry Assessment Tool (NEFPAT) was developed based on a literature review and guidance from professionals working with food pantries. The tool was pilot-tested at 9 food pantries, an expert panel assessed content validity, and interrater reliability was evaluated by pairs in 3 pantries.

Examining Internet Access and Social Media Application Use for Online Nutrition Education in SNAP-Ed Participants in Rural Illinois.

Objective: To examine Internet access and interest in receiving nutrition education via social media applications among low-income adults participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed).

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was distributed during 25 SNAP-Ed classes throughout the 16 southernmost counties of Illinois.

Results: From 188 responses, the majority of participants had Internet access (76%).