Health & Human Development
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/26
The Department of Health and Human Development is a group of dedicated faculty and staff whose interests, while diverse, center on one central theme: human beings. HHD works to help individuals from early childhood to mature adults though teaching, research, and service programs in both the public and private sectors.
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Item An integrative literature review of small food store research across urban and rural communities in the U.S.(2016-06) Pinard, Courtney A.; Byker Shanks, Carmen; Harden, Samantha M.; Yaroch, Amy L.Objective: The purpose of this review was to identify how rural and urban food access differs across small food stores as well as the types of research strategies and methodologies that have been applied in each setting in the U.S. Methods: Manuscripts were included in the review if they were published in English over the past ten years, with a clear delineation between urban and/or rural, conducted in the U.S., and reported data from small food store research. Results: After elimination, 19 manuscripts representing rural (n = 5) and urban (n = 14) settings were included in the final review. The review was conducted in Nebraska between January 2015 and May 2015. Findings from the reviewed manuscripts revealed that rural communities might face different challenges with healthy food access in small food stores when compared to urban settings. In particular, small food stores in rural areas lacked healthy food options largely because storeowners perceived that their customers would not purchase healthier items and due to challenges with distribution. Conversely, studies reporting on small food stores in urban areas suggest challenges with transportation and safety concerns. Conclusion: Research on small food stores is nascent and further research, especially intervention studies, is needed. Further, less evidence exists on healthy food access, in particular intervention testing on small food store research in rural areas.Item New NSLP Guidelines: Challenges and Opportunities for Nutrition Education Practitioners and Researchers(2013-11) Byker Shanks, Carmen; Pinard, Courtney A.; Yaroch, Amy L.; Serrano, Elena L.The recent revisions of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) requirements are designed to align with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The introduction and implementation of the new NSLP has been received with positive and negative reactions from school food professionals, students, parents, and teachers. To promote student health, this is an important time for policy makers, practitioners, and researchers to implement and evaluate strategies to support the new NSLP guidelines. The purpose of this viewpoint was to outline the new NSLP guidelines and discuss challenges and opportunities for implementation, strategies for practice, and future research questions.Item National Chain Restaurant Practices Supporting Food Sustainability(2014-11) Pinard, Courtney A.; Byker Shanks, Carmen; Serrano, Elena L.; Harmon, Alison H.Although sustainable food practices are becoming popular among consumers, there is little known about restaurants’ practices, such as sourcing local or organic products. The goal of this study was to examine published information about sustainable practices in chain restaurants in 2008 and 2011. Restaurant websites were inspected in 2008 and 2011–2012 for information supporting sustainable food practices. Sustainability ratings were categorized as no practice, planned practice, or practice. In 2008, there were few reported practices; however, in 2011 there was a proliferation. This research demonstrates the increasing popularity of sustainable food practices and the potential to reach a broader audience.Item Influences on Food Away from Home Feeding Practices Among English and Spanish Speaking Parent–Child Dyads(2014-07-18) Pinard, Courtney A.; Byker Shanks, Carmen; Harden, Samantha M.; Carpenter, Leah R.; Serrano, Elena L.; Schober, Daniel J.; Yaroch, Amy L.One contributor to increased caloric consumption and obesity rates is food consumed away from home. Families are increasingly consuming food away from home (FAFH), contributing to increased daily energy consumption and the obesity epidemic. The interplay between feeding styles and co-decision making between parent and child dyads when eating FAFH is not understood. The present study describes in-depth qualitative information about influential factors related to family feeding practices among low-income English and Spanish speaking families with school-aged children when eating FAFH. 20 parent–child dyads (10 English-speaking, 10 Spanish-speaking) completed key-informant interviews about factors related to family feeding practices when eating food away. Interviews were independently coded for meaning units by two coders. Themes that emerged from the interviews included: decision making when dining out, parental practices and feeding style, use of and opinions about kid’s menus, and overall influences on food choices. Many parents had recommendations for healthier kid’s menu options and overall, Spanish-speaking families tended to eat out fewer times a week and cooked more family meals. This research elucidated rules and policies set by parents around food away from and inside the home as well as the factors that influenced ordering at restaurants. Further studies should explore the cultural value of food in Latino cultures, and the resultant dietary behaviors. Decision-making between parent and child dyads about menu ordering at restaurants is complex. The results of this study can be considered for future research in understanding the decision-making process for English- and Spanish-speaking parent–child dyads when ordering from a restaurant menu.Item Fruits and vegetables as a healthier snack throughout the day among families with older children: Findings from a survey of parent-child dyads(2015-04) Smith, Teresa M.; Pinard, Courtney A.; Byker Shanks, Carmen; Wethington, Holly; Blanck, Heidi M.; Yaroch, Amy L.Most U.S. youth fail to eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables (FV) however many consume too many calories as added sugars and solid fats, often as snacks. The aim of this study was to assess factors associated with serving FV as snacks and with meals using parent–child dyads. A cross-sectional sample of U.S. children aged 9 to 18, and their caregiver/parent (n = 1522) were part of a Consumer Panel of households for the 2008 YouthStyles mail survey. Chi-square test of independence and multivariable logistic regression were used to assess associations between serving patterns of FV as snacks with variations in serving patterns, and covariates including dietary habits. Most parents (72%) reported serving FV at meals and as snacks. Fruit was most frequently served as a snack during the day (52%) and vegetables were most frequently served as a snack during the day (22%) but rarely in the morning. Significant differences in child FV intake existed among FV as a snack serving patterns by parents. Compared to children whose parents served FV only at meals, children whose parents reported serving FV as snacks in addition to meals were significantly more likely to have consumed FV the day before (using a previous day screener), P < 0.05. Contributing to the growing collection of literature describing parent–child dyad dietary behaviors, these findings suggest promoting FV access and intake throughout the day, not only at meals, by including serving as snacks, may increase FV intake among older children and adolescents.Item Developing an agenda for research about policies to improve access to healthy foods in rural communities: a concept mapping study(2014-06) Johnson, Donna B.; Quinn, Emilee; Sitaker, Marilyn; Ammerman, Alice; Byker Shanks, Carmen; Dean, Wesley; Fleischhacker, Sheila; Kolodinsky, Jane; Pinard, Courtney A.; Pitts, Stephanie B. Jilcott; Sharkey, JosephBackground: Policies that improve access to healthy, affordable foods may improve population health and reduce health disparities. In the United States most food access policy research focuses on urban communities even though residents of rural communities face disproportionately higher risk for nutrition-related chronic diseases compared to residents of urban communities. The purpose of this study was to (1) identify the factors associated with access to healthy, affordable food in rural communities in the United States; and (2) prioritize a meaningful and feasible rural food policy research agenda. Methods: This study was conducted by the Rural Food Access Workgroup (RFAWG), a workgroup facilitated by the Nutrition and Obesity Policy Research and Evaluation Network. A national sample of academic and non-academic researchers, public health and cooperative extension practitioners, and other experts who focus on rural food access and economic development was invited to complete a concept mapping process that included brainstorming the factors that are associated with rural food access, sorting and organizing the factors into similar domains, and rating the importance of policies and research to address these factors. As a last step, RFAWG members convened to interpret the data and establish research recommendations. Results: Seventy-five participants in the brainstorming exercise represented the following sectors: non-extension research (n = 27), non-extension program administration (n = 18), “other” (n = 14), policy advocacy (n = 10), and cooperative extension service (n = 6). The brainstorming exercise generated 90 distinct statements about factors associated with rural food access in the United States; these were sorted into 5 clusters. Go Zones were established for the factors that were rated highly as both a priority policy target and a priority for research. The highest ranked policy and research priorities include strategies designed to build economic viability in rural communities, improve access to federal food and nutrition assistance programs, improve food retail systems, and increase the personal food production capacity of rural residents. Respondents also prioritized the development of valid and reliable research methodologies to measure variables associated with rural food access. Conclusions: This collaborative, trans-disciplinary, participatory process, created a map to guide and prioritize research about polices to improve healthy, affordable food access in rural communities.