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Nutrition interventions are a common component of worksite wellness programs and have been recognized as an effective strategy to change employee dietary behaviors. However, little is known about worksite food behaviors or the foods that are obtained at workplaces at the national level. The aims were to examine the frequency of and the amount of money spent obtaining foods at work among employed US adults, to determine the foods most commonly obtained at work, and to assess the dietary quality of these foods. This is a cross-sectional analysis of data from the US Department of Agriculture Food Acquisition and Purchasing Survey, a nationally representative household survey conducted from April 2012 through January 2013 on food purchases and acquisitions during a 7-day study period. The study included 5,222 employed adult Americans. The study assessed the prevalence of obtaining any foods at work overall and according to sociodemographic subgroups, number of acquisitions and calories obtained, most commonly obtained foods and leading food sources of calories, and 2010 Healthy Eating Index (HEI) scores that represent dietary quality. Prevalence estimates of obtaining ≥1 foods at work were compared according to sociodemographic characteristic using χ2 tests. Nearly a quarter (23.4%) of working adults obtained foods at work during the week, and the foods they obtained averaged 1,292 kcal per person per week. The leading food types obtained included foods typically high in solid fat, added sugars, or sodium, such as pizza, regular soft drinks, cookies or brownies, cakes and pies, and candy. HEI scores suggest that work foods are high in empty calories, sodium, and refined grains and low in whole grains and fruit. Working adults commonly obtain foods at work, and the foods they obtain have limited dietary quality. Future research should examine the role worksites can play to help ensure access to and promote healthier options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Food service guideline (FSG) policies can impact millions of daily meals sold or provided to government employees, patrons, and institutionalized persons. This study describes a classification tool to assess FSG policy attributes and uses it to rate FSG policies.Design: Quantitative content analysis.Setting: State government facilities in the United States.Participants: Participants were from 50 states and District of Columbia in the United States.Measures: Frequency of FSG policies and percentage alignment to tool.Analysis: State-level policies were identified using legal research databases to assess bills, statutes, regulations, and executive orders proposed or adopted by December 31, 2014. Full-text reviews were conducted to determine inclusion. Included policies were analyzed to assess attributes related to nutrition, behavioral supports, and implementation guidance.Results: A total of 31 policies met the inclusion criteria; 15 were adopted. Overall alignment ranged from 0% to 86%, and only 10 policies aligned with a majority of the FSG policy attributes. Western states had the most FSG policies proposed or adopted (11 policies). The greatest number of FSG policies were proposed or adopted (8 policies) in 2011, followed by the years 2013 and 2014.Conclusion: The FSG policies proposed or adopted through 2014 that intended to improve the food and beverage environment on state government property vary considerably in their content. This analysis offers baseline data on the FSG landscape and information for future FSG policy assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Vision Zero is a strategy to eliminate traffic fatalities and to promote equitable mobility options for all road users. Using a nationally representative survey, we aimed to estimate the prevalence of Vision Zero action plans or strategies in the USA., Methods: Municipal officials were surveyed in 2021. In this cross-sectional study, we calculated the prevalence of Vision Zero plans or strategies and compared municipalities with adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) to account for region and sociodemographic characteristics., Results: Among 1955 municipalities participating in the survey (question-specific response rate: 44.3%), the prevalence of a Vision Zero action plan or strategy was 7.7%; 70.5% responded no and 21.8% don't know . Prevalence was 4.8% in small municipalities (1000-2499 residents), 20.3% in medium-large municipalities (50 000-124 999 residents; PR=4.1), and 37.8% in large municipalities (≥125 000 residents; PR=7.6)., Conclusion: The prevalence of Vision Zero plans and strategies across the USA is low. Additional adoption of Vision Zero plans and strategies could help address traffic fatalities., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Traffic-related pedestrian deaths in the United States reached a 40-year high in 2021. Each year, pedestrians also suffer nonfatal traffic-related injuries requiring medical treatment. Near real-time emergency department visit data from CDC's National Syndromic Surveillance Program during January 2021-December 2023 indicated that among approximately 301 million visits identified, 137,325 involved a pedestrian injury (overall visit proportion = 45.62 per 100,000 visits). The proportions of visits for pedestrian injury were 1.53-2.47 times as high among six racial and ethnic minority groups as that among non-Hispanic White persons. Compared with persons aged ≥65 years, proportions among those aged 15-24 and 25-34 years were 2.83 and 2.61 times as high, respectively. The visit proportion was 1.93 times as high among males as among females, and 1.21 times as high during September-November as during June-August. Timely pedestrian injury data can help collaborating federal, state, and local partners rapidly monitor trends, identify disparities, and implement strategies supporting the Safe System approach, a framework for preventing traffic injuries among all road users., Competing Interests: All authors have completed and submitted the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.

Purpose: Local governments can implement food service guideline (FSG) policies, which, in large cities, may reach millions of people. This study identified FSG policies among the 20 largest US cities and analyzed them for key FSG policy attributes., Design: Quantitative research., Setting: Local government facilities., Participants: Twenty largest US cities., Measures: Frequency of FSG policies and percent alignment to tool., Analysis: Using municipal legal code libraries and other data sources, FSG policies enacted as of December 31, 2016, were identified. Full-text reviews were conducted of identified policies to determine whether they met inclusion criteria. Included policies were analyzed for key policy attributes specific to nutrition, behavioral design, implementation, and facility efficiency., Results: Searches identified 469 potential FSG policies, of which 6 policies across 5 cities met inclusion criteria. Five policies met a majority of criteria assessed by the classification tool. Overall alignment to the tool ranged from 17% to 88%. Of the 6 policies, 5 met a majority of the nutrition attributes and 5 met at least 50% of attributes associated with implementation. No policies met the attributes associated with facility efficiency., Conclusion: The FSG policies were identified in 5 of the 20 US cities. Policy alignment was high for nutrition and implementation attributes. This analysis suggests that when cities adopt FSG policies, many develop policies that align with key policy attributes. These policies can serve as models for other jurisdictions to create healthier food access through FSGs.

Purpose: As part of wellness efforts, employers may seek to improve the nutritional quality of foods offered and consumed in cafeterias and vending machines. However, little is known about who consumes food from these venues and the types and dietary quality of the foods consumed., Design: Cross-sectional., Setting: Nonschool cafeterias and vending machines., Participants: US adults ≥20 years old., Measures: Prevalence of consuming foods, most common foods eaten, leading calorie sources, 2010 Healthy Eating Index., Analysis: Using 24-hour dietary recall data from NHANES 2005-2014 (N = 25,549 adults), we estimated the prevalence of consuming foods, assessed the most commonly consumed foods, and calculated dietary quality of foods., Results: On a given day, 3.1% of adults consumed foods from cafeterias and 3.9% from vending machines. Consumers averaged 692 kcal from cafeterias and 264 kcal from vending machines. Cafeteria consumers had higher income and education, while vending consumers were more likely to be male and younger adults. Common cafeteria foods included vegetables and fruits, but cafeteria foods were generally high in sodium and low in whole grains. Sugar-sweetened beverages and candies accounted for approximately half of all vending calories., Conclusion: Foods chosen from cafeterias and vending machines do not align well with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Improving the dietary quality of foods consumed from these venues could impact millions of adults.

Background: Religion-rooted beliefs and values are often cited as barriers to organ donation among Muslims. Yet how Islamic religiosity relates to organ donation attitude among Muslims is less studied., Methods: Using a community based participatory research approach, we recruited adults from mosque communities to self-administer a questionnaire assessing levels of Islamic religiosity, attitude toward deceased organ donation, and sociodemographic descriptors., Results: Of the 97 respondents, there were nearly equal numbers of men and women. Over a third were Arab American (n=36), and nearly a quarter were either South Asian (n=23) or African American (n=25). Respondents viewing difficulties in life as punishment from God had a decreased odds of believing deceased organ donation to be justified (OR 0.85, P<0.05). Other measures of Islamic religiosity, such as intrinsic religiosity, positive religious coping and one related to following Islamic ethical guidelines, were not associated with organ donation attitude. Arab Muslims were more likely to believe deceased organ donation to be justified than South Asian or African Americans (OR 7.06, P<0.05). Sociodemographic descriptors including age, sex, and country of origin, as well as self-reported health and trust of the American health-care system, were not significantly associated with attitude toward deceased organ donation., Conclusion: Higher levels of intrinsic religiosity or adherence to Islamic ethics do not appear to associate with negative attitudes toward deceased organ donation. Negative religious coping appears, however, to be related to lower rates of believing deceased organ donation to be justified. Future studies with larger samples that incorporate additional measures of religiosity can further clarify relationships between religiosity and organ donation attitude among Muslim communities.