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Objectives. Intake of fruits and vegetables protects against several common chronic diseases, and low income is associated with lower intake. We tested the effectiveness of a subsidy for fruits and vegetables to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Methods. Women who enrolled for postpartum services (n = 602) at 3 WIC sites in Los Angeles were assigned to an intervention (farmers' market or supermarket, both with redeemable food vouchers) or control condition (a minimal nonfood incentive). Interventions were carried out for 6 months, and participants' diets were followed for an additional 6 months. Results. Intervention participants increased their consumption of fruits and vegetables and sustained the increase 6 months after the intervention was terminated (model adjusted [R.sup.2] = .13, P Conclusions. Participants valued fresh fruits and vegetables, and adding them to the WIC food packages will result in increased fruit and vegetable consumption. (Am J Public Health. 2008;98:98-105. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2005.079418)

Objective. Hospitals adapt to changing market conditions by exploring new care models that allow them to maintain high quality while containing costs. The authors examined the net cost savings associated [...]

Using a prospective repeated measures design, we assessed changes in the food security status of 313 pregnant, first-time participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the effect of the program on specific spending patterns. Food security status was determined by using the U.S. Food Security Survey Module at entry to the WIC Program during each participant's first trimester, third trimester, and at 3 to 6 months postpartum. We collected both quantitative and qualitative data to explore possible determinants or modifiers of changes in food security status. Food insecurity characterized 112 of study participants' households at baseline and decreased by half, to 56 households, at the end of the year of WIC participation. Within the subgroup of initially food-insecure participants, analyses were conducted to explore factors related to improvements in food security status. Controlling for a number of relevant factors, we found that women who had at least a high school education and were enrolled in Medi-Cal during the postpartum period were likely to become food secure. Qualitative results revealed that participants most often used the additional food dollars made available through the WIC food package to purchase higher quality foods and items needed for their newborns and to pay bills. Overall, these data suggest that the WIC Program makes a significant contribution to reducing food insecurity among first-time program participants and suggest the need to consider food insecurity as a risk criterion for the WIC Program., The literature on household food security in the United States has grown substantially in recent years, at least partially due to the availability since 1995 of a standardized instrument for [...]

Aims To explore the correlation of local macular ganglion cell/inner plexiform layer (GC/IPL) thickness measurements with sensitivity at individual test locations on the central 10-2 visual fields (VFs) in patients with glaucoma. Methods One hundred thirty-seven eyes of 125 patients with spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) and 10-2 VFs were included. The exported thickness matrices (200×200) of GC/IPL measurements were centred on the fovea. Total deviation values at each test location were correlated with the 20 000 GC/IPL thickness measurements in the corresponding inferior or superior hemiretina, and areas of highest correlation were plotted. Macular structure-function relationships were also examined between six wedge-shaped GC/IPL sectors and the corresponding VF clusters. A multivariate model was built to identify the 10-2 VF test locations associated with each GC/IPL sector thickness. Results Average mean deviation on 10-2 VFs was -9.2±6.1 dB. The 10-2 VF test points demonstrated correlations with GC/IPL thickness in localised arcuate patterns mostly limited within the central 4.8×4.0 mm measurement ellipse (ρ=0.43-0.74, p<0.05 for all). Twenty-one test points of the 10-2 VF were the best predictors of sectoral GC/IPL thickness. Sectoral VF-OCT correlations were high (ρ=0.53-0.66, p<0.001) and did not significantly change after adjusting for retinal GC displacement ( p>0.05). Conclusions Macular OCT/VF relationships have localised arcuate characteristics in the central region of the macula. Given the overlapping nature of structure-function relationships, a smaller number of VF test locations may be used to summarise macular functional damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This analysis assessed patterns of sexual experience, the order in which behaviors were initiated, and associated factors, among Latino and African American ninth grade students (average age 15.2) who self-administered audio-computer-assisted surveys on netbooks in classes at 10 Los Angeles–area public high schools. Lifetime experiences with vaginal and oral sex were most common (19% and 16%, respectively); fewer reported anal sex (6%). Of the 23% reporting any sex, 91% fell into four categories: 36% reporting both oral and vaginal sex; 23% vaginal only; 18% all three; and 13% oral only. Most sexually experienced students (88%) initiated with vaginal or oral sex (46% vaginal, 33% oral, 9% both same day). No dominant pathway of sexual onset emerged for those reporting all three types of sex. We found no evidence that oral or anal sex substituted for or delayed vaginal sex. Males, those with a current partner, and those reporting multiple partners were more likely than others to report all three sexual behaviors versus vaginal only (odds ratios [ORs] 2.0, 1.5, 3.0; p = .02, .06, < .01, respectively). Although vaginal intercourse dominated their early sexual behavior, one-fifth of sexually experienced students reported anal intercourse, highlighting the need for specific prevention messages surrounding this higher-risk behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]