Search Results (104)

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic restricted the availability of healthcare and social services. This retrospective study reports WIC enrollment rates and presents descriptive data on prenatal care access and selected maternal health conditions among pregnant women in Florida before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using birth data linking maternal and infant characteristics from the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics, we examined birth records from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2020 related to women ranging from 11 to 59 years of age who received WIC. The descriptive results show that WIC recipients had higher rates of inadequate prenatal care and adverse maternal health outcomes during the pandemic. Logistic regression results show that the odds of receiving inadequate prenatal care increased by 24% (OR = 1.24, p < 0.001), the odds of experiencing gestational diabetes by 9% (OR = 1.09, p < 0.001), and the odds of experiencing gestational hypertension by 10% (OR = 1.10, p < 0.001). Further research is needed to evaluate how specific WIC services influence maternal outcomes, particularly during public health emergencies. Full article

The inversion factor is an important physical parameter for assessing and revealing the performance of semiconductor lasers, providing insights into the carrier-injected band-filling effect and radiation characteristics. In this paper, the carrier inversion factor (P_f) is measured to elucidate the luminescence mechanism of an InGaAs-based well-island composite (WIC) structure, formed by the self-assembly migration of indium atoms and exhibiting excellent spectral properties. P_f is obtained by collecting the amplified photoluminescence (PL) spectra from dual facets of the device, with carrier concentrations ranging from 9.0 × 10¹⁷ to 9.4 × 10¹⁷ cm⁻³. Compared with classical InGaAs/GaAs quantum well structures under the same operating conditions, the inversion level in the WIC structure can be as high as 2.2. Simulation results reveal enhanced quasi-Fermi-level separation and broadened spectral bandwidth. The research is of great significance in the development of new types of quantum-confined lasers with wide spectral output. Full article

Background/Objectives: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration sets nutritional standards for infant formulas. Yet, the carbohydrate components of these formulas can vary markedly in type as well as sweetness intensity. Despite evidence suggesting sweetness can influence intake, limited research exists on the sweetness properties of infant formulas. This study evaluated the sweetness of six commonly used infant formulas in the United States. Methods: A sensory panel (n = 15) was formed by selecting individuals who achieved a 100% accuracy on three distinct sensory acuity screening tests to assess their ability to detect, differentiate, and quantify various sucrose concentrations. Following training, the panel evaluated each formula during three separate sessions using a sweetness scale from zero to fifteen, where zero represented no sweetness (distilled water) and fifteen represented extreme sweetness (16 g sucrose/100 mL of water). Differences in sweetness were determined using 3-way ANOVA (infant formula, repetition, and panelists) followed by post hoc pairwise comparisons. Results: Individual sample sweetness ratings ranged from 0 to 4.5 with a mean rating for all samples of 1.9 (±1.3). Significant differences were detected among the formulas F(5, 264) = 96.1, p < 0.0001. One formula, a standard milk-based formula, which contains no added non-lactose sugars, was rated significantly sweeter than any of the other formulas while the sweetness ratings for three formulas which all include non-lactose added sugars were significantly lower than that of the other formulas. Conclusions: The potential implications of these noted sweetness differences make this an important topic for future sensory, behavior, and health research Full article

Although the strong causal association between PM_2.5 and cardiovascular disease has been extensively studied, the latent molecular mechanisms have not been entirely explained. The objective of this research was to assess the cardiotoxicity of Traffic-related PM_2.5 (TRPM_2.5), water-soluble components (WSC), and water-insoluble components (WIC) in human cardiomyocytes (AC16) and to investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms. Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS), autophagy, and apoptosis were activated 24 h after exposure to total-TRPM_2.5, WSC, or WIC. WIC was predominantly related to cardiotoxicity compared to WSC. Sestrin2 is an upstream molecule in several signaling pathways, including those involved in autophagy and apoptosis. In this study, we found that the knockdown of Protein Kinase RNA-like Endoplasmic Reticulum Kinase (PERK) suppressed the expression of PERK, Sestrin2, Caspase-12, Caspase-3, LC3, and p62 in TRPM_2.5-treated AC16 cells. These results indicate that ERS participates in the activation of autophagy and apoptosis through the PERK/Sestrin2 pathway. We found that inhibiting autophagy with 3-methyladenine (3-MA) decreased the expression of autophagy-related factors and aggravated apoptosis. These observations suggest that protective autophagy was initiated. Finally, our findings provide valuable insights into the molecular mechanism by which ERS might regulate autophagy through the PERK/Sestrin2 signaling pathway, and protective autophagy may be activated to relieve TRPM_2.5 and component-mediated apoptosis in AC16 cells. Full article

Introduction: This is a secondary cross-sectional analysis of participants’ baseline data from the Baby-Act Trial to compare energy and macronutrients intake by feeding type. This was a cluster-randomized clinical trial among pregnant women and their infants participating in the Puerto Rico WIC program to test the clinical effectiveness of an intervention that addressed various infant obesity risk factors during the first year of life. Methods: Participants completed at baseline a sociodemographic questionnaire and a validated infant food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The FFQ was analyzed for type of feeding (exclusively fed breastmilk, fed breastmilk and formula, or exclusively fed infant formula) and for energy and macronutrient intake (protein, carbohydrate, and fat). Analysis of covariance was used to compare intake type of feeding, adjusting for maternal age. race, education, number of previous children, gestational length, and pre-pregnancy BMI. Results: The present analysis included 368 mother–infant pairs. Mean age of mothers was 26.7 years and of infants 0.7 months. Ten infants fed complementary foods were removed from the analyses. A total of 39.9% of infants were exclusively breastmilk-fed, 47.2% were fed breastmilk and infant formula, and 12.8% were exclusively formula-fed (n = 358). Intake of energy, protein, fat, and carbohydrates was significantly lower in infants fed only breastmilk compared to infants fed a combination of breastmilk and infant formula, and intake of protein and carbohydrates were lower in infants fed a combination of breastmilk and infant formula compared to infants fed only infant formula, after adjusting for important confounders. Conclusions: Very early infant feeding practices are associated with differences in dietary intake. The long-term health implications of this findings need to be further studied. Full article

Background/Objectives: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) improves the health of nutritionally at-risk populations. However, engagement challenges, such as missed appointments and unredeemed food benefits, may limit program efficacy. Barriers to engagement are heightened among American Indian populations, who often experience disproportionately high levels of participation-related challenges. This study assessed whether newly developed health communication theory-based text messages incorporating persuasive language and different message framing (i.e., gain-framed and loss-framed) improved WIC appointment attendance and food benefit redemption rates, above and beyond standard information-based reminders. Methods: The sample included participants served by the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona WIC between the months of September 2022 and February 2023 who (a) had an appointment during the intervention period (n = 7584) or (b) were eligible to receive a reminder text about unused food benefits during the intervention period (n = 2177). A three-phase intervention design was used, with each phase lasting six weeks. During the baseline phase, participants received standard information-based text messages, while during the two intervention phases, participants received newly developed messages using (1) gain-framed and (2) loss-framed persuasive language. Difference-in-difference regression analyses compared whether differences in outcomes (i.e., appointment attendance and monthly food benefit redemption rates) between participants who received reminder messages and those who did not differed over intervention phases. Results: Receipt of both gain-framed and loss-framed theory-based messages was associated with higher appointment attendance, when compared to receipt of standard information-based messages during baseline (p = 0.003 and p = 0.01, respectively). Neither the gain-framed nor loss-framed messages were associated with higher food benefit redemption rates than standard messages. Conclusions: Results indicated that persuasive communication theory-based text reminders may be an effective, low-cost strategy to boost WIC appointment attendance among American Indians. Full article

Background/Objectives: We examined the association between bean consumption and the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Methods: We analyzed data from 1397 U.S. pregnant women from Infant Feeding Practices Study II. By using a Diet History Questionnaire, pregnant women were asked about the frequency of consumption and portion size of dried beans, chili, and bean soup over the previous month. They also reported the status of GDM. We used multivariable logistic regression models to examine associations between maternal bean consumption and the risk of GDM, adjusting for socio-demographic and pregnancy-related confounders. Results: Mean bean consumption was low among pregnant women: 0.31 cups/week of dried beans, 0.16 cups/week of chili, and 0.10 cups/week of bean soup. Dried bean consumption was relatively high in Hispanic mothers (mean, 0.65 cups/week) and mothers from the East South Central region (0.44). Chili consumption was relatively high in mothers who were Black (0.33), who did not attend college (0.18), who had a household size of 4+ (0.19), whose household income was <USD 25,000/year (0.20), who were WIC recipients (0.18), or who lived in the East South Central region (0.26). Pregnant women who consumed chili one time per month had a lower risk of GDM, compared with never consumers (3.5% vs. 7.4%; confounder-adjusted odds ratio or OR, 0.37 [95% confidence interval or CI, 0.17–0.79]; p = 0.011). However, there was no significant association between dried bean (6.6% for one time per week or more vs. 7.0% for never; confounder-adjusted OR, 0.82 [95% CI, 0.41–1.62]; p-value = 0.569) or bean soup (4.9% for two–three times per month or more vs. 6.6% for never; confounder-adjusted OR, 0.40 [95% CI, 0.05–3.08]; p-value = 0.382) consumption and GDM. Conclusions: Bean consumption during pregnancy is low and varies by socio-demographics in the U.S. A moderate frequency of chili consumption may offer some protection against GDM. Replication is needed in larger cohorts with more diverse populations, detailed measures of bean consumption, gold standards of GDM diagnosis, and experimental design. Research in this field can potentially inform dietary approaches to addressing GDM and related morbidities. Full article

Background: On 18 April 2024, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published the first food package changes to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in over a decade, which reduced some food benefits (juice, milk, canned fish, and infant fruits and vegetables) and offered substitutes (cash-value vouchers (CVVs) or cash-value benefits (CVBs) to redeem for fruits and vegetables, cheese, soymilk, or other dairy products). Methods: To assess the impact of the changes on the consumption and redemption of these food groups, a systematic search was conducted, identifying 23 peer-reviewed publications between 2010 and 2024. Results: They revealed significant shifts in consumption after the 2009 food package changes; e.g., a decline in 100% juice intake following reductions in juice allowances. Additionally, the review highlighted that the 2009 WIC food package revision was associated with more fruit and vegetable consumption after the increase in CVV allowance. While including milk alternatives like soy-based beverages or lactose-free milk or cheese may improve redemption rates and WIC program satisfaction, the long-term impacts of these proposed changes remain unknown. No research was identified on the consumption of canned fish. Conclusions: This review contributes to understanding the changes in redemption and consumption after the last WIC food package changes, identifies the knowledge gap about prospective impacts, and recommends that the WIC agencies implement appropriate evaluations to promote health and nutrition among vulnerable populations. Full article

The modernization of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program is a priority. The Texas WIC chatbot, Maya, streamlines client interactions through dialog-based responses. This qualitative study explored client capabilities, motivations, and opportunities for seeking nutrition information about breastfeeding, formula feeding, infant feeding safety, adequacy of infant feeding, and complementary feeding via a chatbot. A team conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with Texas WIC clients (n = 19 women). All interviews were transcribed and subjected to a two-coder, four-phase process utilizing a theory-based codebook. Codes were compiled and thematically categorized. Identified themes included (1) motivations through necessity or resource availability, (2) client capabilities and Maya usability, and (3) opportunities for connection, support, and encouragement. Texas WIC clients that participated in this study expressed motivations, capabilities, and opportunities to engage with nutrition information through Maya. They described Maya as a favorable resource for behavior changes, and a trusted source of nutrition information, citing the credibility of WIC and reliability of the chatbot. The findings may inform future research and development of public health chatbots. Additional research is required to explore how different factors such as language and technology usage may impact client capabilities, motivations, and opportunities to seek nutrition information with regard to infant feeding. Full article

Background/Objective: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides breastfeeding support to participating women in low-income households. This study aimed to determine the relationships between prenatal maternal and household characteristics and breastfeeding duration, as well as whether these characteristics modify associations of prenatal breastfeeding intention with breastfeeding duration. Methods: This is a prospective cohort study of pregnant respondents to Los Angeles County (LAC), California, WIC surveys conducted between 2005 and 2020 (n = 1014). Associations of prenatal breastfeeding intention with duration (months) of any or fully breastfeeding, determined by WIC infant food package issuance, were assessed with linear regression models. Results: Most women reported the intention to breastfeed (67.7%) and perceived breastfeeding support during pregnancy from WIC and family/friends was associated with breastfeeding intention (both p-values < 0.0001). Stronger breastfeeding intention, lower maternal BMI, greater maternal age, greater maternal education, paternal cohabitation and employment, and greater breastfeeding support from family/friends were associated with longer duration of any or fully breastfeeding in multivariable models. Stronger breastfeeding intention was more strongly associated with longer duration of any breastfeeding among women with lower BMI (interaction p-value 0.03). Conclusions: Breastfeeding support from WIC is an important contributor to stronger breastfeeding intention. Given the robust association of breastfeeding intention with breastfeeding duration, regardless of maternal and household characteristics, WIC breastfeeding support during pregnancy represents an important mechanism to improve breastfeeding outcomes in this population. Further research is needed to understand the directionality of associations between breastfeeding support and intention among WIC participants. Full article

Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) like ocean colour provide crucial information on the Optically Active Constituents (OACs) of seawater, such as phytoplankton, non-algal particles, and coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM). The challenge in estimating these constituents through remote sensing is in accurately distinguishing and quantifying optical and biogeochemical properties, e.g., absorption coefficients and the concentration of chlorophyll a (Chla), especially in complex waters. This study evaluated the temporal and spatial variability of bio-optical properties in the coastal waters of the Western Iberian Coast (WIC), contributing to the assessment of satellite retrievals. In situ data from three oceanographic cruises conducted in 2019–2020 across different seasons were analyzed. Field-measured biogenic light absorption coefficients were compared to satellite estimates from Ocean-Colour Climate Change Initiative (OC-CCI) reflectance data using semi-analytical approaches (QAA, GSM, GIOP). Key findings indicate substantial variability in bio-optical properties across different seasons and regions. New bio-optical coefficients improved satellite data retrieval, reducing uncertainties and providing more reliable phytoplankton absorption estimates. These results highlight the need for region-specific algorithms to accurately capture the unique optical characteristics of coastal waters. Improved comprehension of bio-optical variability and retrieval techniques offers valuable insights for future research and coastal environment monitoring using satellite ocean colour data. Full article

In recent years, wind energy has begun to receive a significant amount of attention as clean energy is utilised and demanded in large quantities, resulting in a sharp increase in the use of wind turbines. The demand for wind turbines has gradually risen due to the clean and recyclable nature of wind energy. The current blade life of wind turbines in China is about 20 years, which means that the disposal of obsolete used blades can become a difficult problem in the future. Therefore, this study is of great significance to explore the regeneration performance of the blades after recycling and disposal. In this paper, wind turbine blades were mechanically recycled into recycled macrofibres, which were added to concrete as a reinforcing material to make wind impeller fibre concrete (WIC), and the three proportion ratios of 1%, 1.5%, and 2% were explored to compare the performance. The performance of WIC was also evaluated and its performance was compared to that of glass fibre concrete (GC). In addition, the material physical properties of second-generation recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) based on WIC were explored. The strength and peak strain variations and their causal mechanisms were analysed both macroscopically and microscopically by means of the classical mechanical tests (compression and bending tests), SEM, and XRD. The results show that the compressive strength of WIC was negatively correlated with the fibre content and increased by 6.04–18.12% compared to that of ordinary concrete (OG), with a maximum of 19.25 MPa; the flexural strength was positively correlated with the fibre content, with an increase of 5.37–18.5%. The microstructural analysis confirmed the macroscopic results and the intrinsic model better validated the experimental results. Full article

Objective. Diet-related disease is rising, disproportionately affecting minority communities in which small food retail stores swamp supermarkets. Barriers to healthy food access were exacerbated by the pandemic. We examined the following: (1) individual- and household-level factors in a sample of Baltimore community members who regularly shop at corner stores and (2) how these factors are associated with indicators of dietary quality. Design. Cross-sectional data were collected using an online survey to capture sociodemographics, anthropometrics, and food sourcing, spending, and consumption patterns. Concurrent quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted in Stata 18 and ATLAS.ti. Setting. This study was set in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Participants. The participants included adults (n = 127) living or working in Baltimore who identified as regular customers of their neighborhood corner store. Results. The respondents were majority Black and low-income, with a high prevalence of food insecurity (62.2%) and overweight/obesity (66.9%). Most (82.76%) shopped in their neighborhood corner store weekly. One-third (33.4%) of beverage calories were attributed to sugar-sweetened beverages, and few met the recommended servings for fruits and vegetables or fiber (27.2% and 10.4%, respectively). Being Black and not owning a home were associated with lower beverage and fiber intake, and not owning a home was also associated with lower fruit and vegetable intake. Food insecurity was associated with higher beverage intake, while WIC enrollment was associated with higher fruit and vegetable and fiber intakes. Open-ended responses contextualized post-pandemic food sourcing and consumption in this setting. Conclusions. This paper helps characterize the consumers of a complex urban food system. The findings will inform future strategies for consumer-engaged improvement of local food environments. Full article

In the United States, there is a high prevalence of diet-related diseases in low-income communities that lack access to fresh produce. Greater access to local farmers’ markets may affect individual and household intake of fruits and vegetables. However, barriers to farmers’ market access remain. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the differences between participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) who regularly shop at farmers’ markets and those who do not. We found that regular farmers’ market shoppers tended to consume on average more fruits and vegetables than WIC participants who did not regularly shop at farmers’ markets. Differences in the importance of various store or market characteristics, barriers to fruit and vegetable consumption, and fruit and vegetable procurement methods were also found. Full article

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a nutrition assistance program in the U.S. WIC served 2.5 million eligible Hispanic women, infants, and children under the age of five in 2021, which is WIC’s largest racial/ethnic group. However, limited research has been conducted to understand Hispanic WIC participants’ perceptions of WIC breastfeeding recommendations and their breastfeeding decisions. For this qualitative study, we interviewed 18 of these pregnant and postpartum WIC participants on their experiences and decision-making processes related to breastfeeding. Hispanic cultures and home country norms were identified as prominent influences on breastfeeding decisions, along with perceptions of WIC’s breastfeeding support. These results can help the WIC program to refine its breastfeeding education to better meet the needs of Hispanic participants. Full article