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Most young children in the United States attend early care and education (ECE) programs, in which they eat 3–4 times daily. 'Division of responsibility' between adult and child means the adults are responsible for what, when and where, and the child is responsible for whether, what and how much to eat. A balanced division of responsibility can support children's development of healthy eating competency. This paper aims to describe division of responsibility during mealtimes during COVID-19 in Florida using a cross-sectional, mixed methods design. Questions were developed based on Trust Model and Social Cognitive Theory. A survey was completed by 759 ECE directors and 431 teachers, and 29 teachers completed in-depth interviews. COVID-19 increased teacher mealtime responsibilities. Most (95%+) ECE teachers provided meals at the same time and place daily (when and where). Children determined what and how much they ate, but did not serve or handle food. Implications include modifying mealtime routines to minimize the risk of COVID-19 and support healthy eating with a balanced division of responsibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

College students experience food insecurity at higher rates than the general population, which has been found to be directly and indirectly associated with poor mental and physical health in addition to academic success. Since the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, mounting evidence has demonstrated an increase in food insecurity rates in the U.S. The current study assessed food insecurity and its associated impacts on health and academic success among college students at a large urban university (n = 1743). Results revealed 46.8% of students as food insecure with statistically significant differences in race/ethnicity, GPA, and hours worked per week. Students who were observed with any level of food insecurity were more likely to also experience challenges with academics, careers, procrastination, and faculty as compared to their food secure counterparts. Analysis of differences in well-being indicators by food insecurity status revealed that students with any level of food insecurity were observed with statistically significantly higher mean scores for psychological distress, loneliness, and suicide behavior, with reduced scores for flourishing and resiliency as compared to their food secure counterparts. Implications for post-COVID-19 programming to mitigate food insecurity and associated public health issues associated with the COVID-19 and future pandemics are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

That COVID-19 and food insecurity go hand-in-hand is not surprising as the pandemic has unveiled the larger social inequities in the global economy and political systems that ultimately affect health and wellbeing. Since the report of the first cases of a "viral pneumonia" in Wuhan, China in late 2019, the global spread of what would be identified as SARS-Co V-2 or COVID-19 has been rapid and virulent. Finally, this special issue underscores that food security and food sovereignty must be addressed together in order to solve the problem of food insecurity and improve global health. Together with a worldwide economic downturn, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a skyrocketing increase in food insecurity, or the "limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe food or uncertain ability to acquire foods in socially acceptable ways" (Bickel et al. [2]). [Extracted from the article]

A mixed methods study was conducted to better understand food access, food retail store environment, and perspectives of community residents on their grocery store shopping patterns and access to healthy foods in underserved, predominantly African American neighborhoods. GIS mapping, grocery store observations (n = 4), a food access and grocery store environment survey (n = 126), and focus groups (n = 48) were used. The results indicate that these neighborhoods have a low density of grocery stores, and only two out of four grocery stores meet the standard for a healthy retail store. Barriers to getting healthy foods and solutions to improve food access are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to assess whether household food insecurity is associated with delayed or early menarche among girls in the United States. Thirty-six dyadic household interviews were conducted with mothers and adolescent girls. The interviews included a socio-demographic survey, the USDA Six-Item Short Form Household Food Security Survey Module, anthropometric measurements, and the self-administered Youth-Adolescent Food Frequency Questionnaire. Using non-parametric quantitative analyses, we examined the associations among food insecurity, anthropometrics, diet, and age at menarche. Cox Proportional Hazards Models were used to evaluate the odds of menarche based on household food insecurity. Food insecurity significantly predicted earlier time to menarche. Food insecure girls were 4.38 times more likely to experience menarche at earlier ages when compared to food secure girls (HR = 4.38, p =.04). Furthermore, the hazard of menarche increased by 25% for each unit increase in food insecurity (OR = 1.253, p =.027). The findings suggest that household food insecurity is associated with earlier ages of menarche among girls in this sample. Early menarche has been associated with adult chronic disease risk. Thus, these findings propose that food security initiatives may be used to reduce the prevalence and health consequences of early-onset puberty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the relationship between food insecurity and health-care decision-making among mobile food pantry clients in Tampa Bay, Florida. Results show a high rate of food insecurity, high stress levels, and chronic health conditions among mobile pantry clients, many of whom are long-term users of food pantry services. The fruits and vegetables supplied by the pantry allow clients to manage chronic health conditions and mitigate some of the financial burden of health-care costs. Research was conducted in cooperation with the Anthropology Department at the University of South Florida, Feeding Tampa Bay, and WellCare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This investigation examines maternal diet in rural Costa Rica in the context of recent political economic changes. Results show that increased availability of non-local food items, (i.e., pizza and processed foods) has influenced maternal dietary choices. Information pathways, which have traditionally provided women with knowledge about maternal diet from family members, are also shifting. Younger women turn to the local clinic and the media for information about maternal diet, and traditional practices, such ascuarentena(40-day postpartum period), are no longer being observed. Changing practices may be linked with shifting information pathways, as well as self-reported weight gain among women. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The family dinner is a valued tradition that affords opportunities for social interaction and attachment, as well as sharing events of the day, role modeling, connectedness, and problem solving. Guided by the social-marketing framework, this study explored factors associated with the frequency of the family dinner among working mothers with children ages 8-11 years. A qualitative design was used, employing focus groups and Atlas-ti software for thematic analysis. Lack of time, cost, and exhaustion/lack of energy emerged as barriers. Working mothers indicated that a youth-based organization operating as a community partner could increase the frequency of the family dinner by helping with homework completion during after-school care, thereby providing mothers with the time necessary to prepare dinner. This research identified both community partners and working mothers as valued resources for prevention strategies. Interventions developed to increase family dinner frequency should emphasize the perceived value while decreasing the costs/barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eighteen Latino adults living in the U.S. for less than 2.5 years were surveyed and interviewed about their pre- and post-migration diets and lifestyles. While this mostly female sample reported that their primary language was Spanish, many had some limited skills in written and spoken English. Two thirds were from Colombia, married, and had between 1 and 4 children, and more than half had post-secondary education. Percent change in diet, food habits, and activities associated with lifestyle, regardless of the direction, ranged from a low of 27.8% of the sample for alcohol consumption to a high of 100% for both physical activity and sedentary behavior. In most cases, post-immigration food types and behaviors represented unhealthy changes, including weight gain, a lack of physical activity, and a corresponding increase in television viewing time and in the consumption of fast food, processed food, soda, and, to a lesser extent, artificial juices. Ten participants were interviewed about daily life in their native countries (pre-migration) and since coming to the U.S. (post-migration). Six primary themes emerged with regard to post-migration lifestyle changes: pace of life, family interaction, social integration, socioeconomic status, physical security, and control over children's eating patterns. All of these themes were related to decision-making regarding food choices and food habits, and in many cases such decisions were detrimental to health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data from women in two communities in rural Costa Rica were analyzed in order to examine food insecurity in an area undergoing a shift from an agricultural economy to tourism (e.g., eco/adventure tourism). While there were significant differences in socio-economic status between the two communities, the prevalence of food insecurity was high in both, ranging from 67% in the agricultural community to 73% in the tourism community. Not being a member of a food cooperative (OR = 4.85), not having a working stove (OR = 6.27), and increasing body mass index (BMI) (OR = 1.32) predicted food insecurity in both communities. Additionally, the frequency of condiment use was inversely associated with food insecurity (OR = .363). These findings along with other data suggest that food insecurity is a problem in this area. Furthermore, dietary quality associated with food insecurity might be responsible for the high prevalence of obesity among the study participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined whether the length of time in the U.S., language use, and birthplace were associated with food consumption among 174 low-income Puerto Rican women in Hartford, Connecticut. A condensed food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to examine the dietary intake for various food groups and composite food groups among the studied women. Length of time in the U.S. was positively associated with the frequency of consumption of artificial drinks such as sodas and fruit drinks (P=.048). Respondents in households where English was the primary language spoken reported a higher frequency of consumption of artificial drinks when compared to those living in bilingual and monolingual Spanish-speaking households (P=0.05). The frequency of consumption of snack foods (e.g., chips) was greater among bilingual speakers than monolingual Spanish speakers (P=.01). Finally, women born in Puerto Rico drank fruit juices more frequently than those born in the U.S. (P=.02). There were no other statistically significant differences found for other FFQ categories (e.g., vegetables, dairy products, meats). These findings suggest that acculturation is associated with changes in food habits, some of which may be conducive to weight gain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this study are to: (a) assess Latino's nutrition knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and sources of nutrition information, and (b) examine the association of these with language use at home. Household‐to‐household interviews were conducted in five predominantly Latino neighborhoods in Hartford, Connecticut in households with at least one child ≤ 12 years of age. The typical Latina respondent was a woman in her early 30s who was the mother of at least one child living in the household (N = 426). The vast majority of Latinos were Puerto Rican (95.8%) and they spoke only Spanish (41.8%), only English (6.1%) or both English and Spanish (52.1%) at home. As many as 73.9% of respondents received food stamps and only 9.2% had more than high school education. Respondents were familiar with the USDA's Food Guide Pyramid (93.4%) and with food labels (93.7%). Fifteen percent knew the recommended servings for breads and cereals and 18.3% reported reading food labels always. Respondents had a positive nutrition attitude but lacked specific knowledge of terms such as “saturated fat” and “neural tube defects”, and were unable to identify good food sources of folate, calcium, and vitamin A. Friends/relatives, doctor, WIC, and television were the main sources of nutrition information. Speaking only Spanish at home (vs English or English and Spanish) was associated with nutrition knowledge and attitudes, and a more traditional pattern of food consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]