Food Insecurity in the Rural South in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Food insecurity in rural communities in the Southern US continues to grow, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding the characteristics of food-insecure individuals and families in this region is critical for developing creative strategies for eliminating this health disparity issue. A food insecurity survey was given to attendees at food-security events held in several counties in one Southern US state.

Community Engagement Practices at Research Centers in U.S. Minority Institutions: Priority Populations and Innovative Approaches to Advancing Health Disparities Research.

This paper details U.S. Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Community Engagement Cores (CECs): (1) unique and cross-cutting components, focus areas, specific aims, and target populations; and (2) approaches utilized to build or sustain trust towards community participation in research.

Rural Community Engagement for Health Disparities Research: The Unique Role of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Reducing health disparities in rural communities of color remains a national concern. Efforts to reduce health disparities often center on community engagement, which is historically the strategy used to provide rural minority populations with support to access and utilize health information and services. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), with their origins derived from social injustices and discrimination, are uniquely positioned to conduct this type of engagement.

Celebrating the strengths of black youth: increasing self-esteem and implications for prevention.

The purpose of this study was to test the impact of a preventive intervention program, celebrating the strengths of black youth (CSBY), on African American children's self-esteem, racial identity, and parental racial socialization messages. CSBY consisted of 10 in-person group sessions in which small groups of middle school students met two trained group leaders. Parents were invited to attend three of the 10 group sessions.

Development of social-emotional competence in boys of color: a cross-sectional cohort analysis from pre-K to second grade.

This article explores the development of psychosocial competence in boys of color (BOC; 226 African Americans and 109 Latinos). Changes in competence were assessed over 2 years in cohorts of low-income BOC beginning in pre-K, kindergarten, or first grade. Psycho-social competence was assessed in terms of self-regulation, interpersonal skills, and positive relationships with peers and teachers.

NICE guidance on long-term sickness and incapacity.

Long-term sickness absence and incapacity benefits (disability pension) rates have increased across industrialised countries. Effective measures are needed to support return to work. The recommendations of this guidance were informed by the most appropriate available evidence of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.

Improving the use of evidence in health impact assessment.

Objective: Health impact assessment (HIA) has been proposed as one mechanism that can inform decision-making by public policy-makers. However, HIA methodology has been criticized for a lack of rigour in its use of evidence. The aim of this work was to formulate, develop and test a practical guide to reviewing publicly available evidence for use in HIA.

Appropriate utilization of semi-quantitative analysis in salivary scintigraphy.

Aim: The purpose of this case-control study was to determine whether semi-quantitative indices derived from salivary time-activity curves (TACs) are useful in the diagnosis and management of xerostomia.

Methods: Twenty-six healthy volunteers and 83 consecutive patients with xerostomia, including a subset of 40 patients with Sjogren's syndrome, underwent sequential salivary scintigraphy (SSS). Semi-quantitative analysis of the TACs was performed, deriving six different indices, previously cited in the literature, for each patient.

Family income and its relation to preschool children's adjustment for families in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care.

The current study examines relations of mean-level estimates, linear changes, and instability in income and family processes to child outcomes and addresses whether income, through its impact on family functioning, matters more for children living in poverty. Temporal changes and instability in family processes, but not income, predicted children's adjustment. Cross-sectional mediational analyses indicated that for families living at the poverty threshold, family processes fully mediated the effect of average income over the study period on social behavior but only partially mediated its effect on cognitive-linguistic development.

Evaluation as a key part of health impact assessment: the English experience.

Health impact assessment (HIA) is an approach that has experienced increased activity and wide support within England. This is reflected in the large number of HIAs being undertaken at local and regional levels, by the advocacy of HIA in many national policy documents, and by the setting up of specialized HIA posts and centres. To continue this level of support, and to justify any increase, the approach of HIA must show whether and how the HIA approach informs the decision-making process and, in particular, whether it improves health and reduces health inequalities.