Evaluation Results From the Healthy Work Collaborative: A Cross-Sectoral Capacity Building Partnership to Address Precarious Employment.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has illuminated the profound health and safety risks of precariously employed workers, many of whom are disproportionately Latinx and Black. Precarious employment (PE) is a social determinant of health (SDOH) characterized by low wages, hazardous conditions, unstable work schedules, no termination protection, and few benefits. Even before COVID-19, calls for more effective health promotion efforts to address SDOH like PE existed.

Development of the Healthy Work Collaborative: Findings From an Action Research Study to Inform a Policy, Systems, and Environmental Change Capacity-Building Initiative Addressing Precarious Employment.

Precarious employment (PE) is a complex problem that affects an increasing number of workers across all economic sectors who experience low wages, hazardous conditions, and few benefits, and results in adverse health outcomes. PE is characterized by nontraditional work arrangements, precluding workplace-based interventions. Policy, systems, and environmental initiatives that engage cross-sectoral stakeholders may be an applicable health promotion approach to address PE.

Engaging the School Community in a Nutrition and Physical Activity Program: The Role of the 21st-Century School Nurse.

Childhood obesity is an important public health issue that can affect child health and academic outcomes. Schools are essential in promoting healthy childhood behaviors through the implementation of programs that reach the whole school community. School nurses can play a key role in designing, implementing, and evaluating feasible strategies, including school-based nutrition and physical activity messaging programs, that meet school-specific needs.

The Role of Wound Care in 2 Group A Streptococcal Outbreaks in a Chicago Skilled Nursing Facility, 2015‒2016.

Two consecutive outbreaks of group A (GAS) infections occurred from 2015-2016 among residents of a Chicago skilled nursing facility. Evaluation of wound care practices proved crucial for identifying transmission factors and implementing prevention measures. We demonstrated shedding of GAS on settle plates during care of a colonized wound.

Food security is related to adult type 2 diabetes control over time in a United States safety net primary care clinic population.

Background/objectives: Successful Type 2 diabetes management requires adopting a high nutrient-density diet made up of food items that both meet dietary needs and preferences and can be feasibly obtained on a regular basis. However, access to affordable, nutrient-dense foods often is lacking in poorer neighbourhoods. Therefore, low food security should directly impair glucose control, even when patients have full access to and utilize comprehensive medical management.

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Breastfeeding.

Objectives: Breastfeeding rates differ among racial/ethnic groups in the United States. Our aim was to test whether racial/ethnic disparities in demographic characteristics, hospital use of infant formula, and family history of breastfeeding mediated racial/ethnic gaps in breastfeeding outcomes.

Methods: We analyzed data from the Community and Child Health Network study (N = 1636).

Breastfeeding, Bed-Sharing, and Maternal Cortisol.

Prior studies have found that close mother-child sleep proximity helps increase rates of breastfeeding, and breastfeeding itself is linked to better maternal and infant health. In this study, we examine whether breastfeeding and infant bed-sharing are related to daily rhythms of the stress-responsive hormone cortisol. We found that bed-sharing was related to flatter diurnal cortisol slopes, and there was a marginal effect for breastfeeding to predict steeper cortisol slopes.