Effectiveness of Gardening-Only, Cooking-Only and Combined Cooking and Gardening Programs in Elementary Schools to Improve Fruit and Vegetable Intake: A Systematic Review.

The objective is to compare the gardening, cooking, and combined cooking and gardening programs in elementary schools from the past decade (2011-2022) in improving six psychosocial and behavioral outcomes related to fruit and vegetable intake. This review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. Five scientific databases were searched to identify 4763 potential articles, 44 articles were retained after screening the studies' abstract, and 36 articles were included after further investigation into each intervention. This review included 9 gardening-only programs, 8 cooking-only programs, and 19 combined cooking and gardening programs. The included studies were from 14 different countries with half of these studies took place in the United States (n = 18). Of the outcomes assessed, 100% (10/10) of the studies were effective in improving knowledge/skills, 90% effective in improving attitudes and self-efficacy to consume F and V (9/10), 80% produced significant results for gardening and cooking attitudes/behaviors (8/10) and willingness to try F and V (4/5), 68% (11/16) programs resulted in increase in F and V intake, and 62% (10/16) programs improved F and V preference. This review suggests that gardening-only programs (89%) and cooking-only programs (88%) were slightly more effective in producing significant findings compared to combined programs (84%), but more high-quality interventions are needed to confirm these findings.

US-Born Black Women and Black Immigrant Women: an Exploration of Disparities in Health Care and Sociodemographic Factors Related to Low Birth Weight.

PURPOSE: This study explores whether nativity differences in health care and sociodemographic factors help to account for nativity differences in low birth weight (LBW) when comparing US-born Black women (USBW) to Black Immigrant women (BIW). METHODS: Bivariate analyses and multinomial nested logit (MNL) models were performed using the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) dataset. RESULTS: Statistically significant nativity differences between USBW and BIW were found across variables of LBW (p = .009), marital status (p < .001), education level (p < .001), receiving public assistance (p < .001), health care coverage (p < .001), age (p < .001), and poverty level income (p < .001). Results from the MNL models indicated that BIW were 91% less likely to have a LBW baby (p < .001). When accounting for other sociodemographic and health care related variables differing by nativity, although a statistically significant, narrowing gap between BIW and USBW was observed (OR = .12, p < .001), BIW were still less likely to have a LBW baby. CONCLUSIONS: Differences between USBW and BIW across sociodemographic variables and health care related factors related to adverse pregnancy outcomes were observed in this study. Controlling for the factors attenuated nativity differences but did not eliminate the differences on LBW. Future research should continue to explore this relationship.

Periodontal status and oral hygiene practices among adults in a peri-urban fishing community in Ghana.

Introduction: fisherfolk play a major role in emerging economies such as Ghana. While many fishing communities are noted to be underdeveloped, fisherfolk are considered to neglect their oral hygiene, while being prone to certain conditions due to peculiar risks. The purpose of this study was to determine the periodontal health status of adults in a selected fishing community in Ghana. Methods: a descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the periodontal status of adults in Jamestown, a peri-urban area in Ghana. Data acquisition was by means of a structured questionnaire and periodontal examination. Information obtained consisted of demographic data (age, sex, education and occupation category) oral hygiene practices (type of teeth cleaning materials, methods of tooth cleansing, frequency of dental visits and reasons for the visit) and periodontal clinical parameters (plaque index, and community periodontal index of treatment needs). Results: a total of 276 participants were included in the study, with ages ranging from 21 to 70 years. The participants were made up of 138 fisherfolk and 138 non-fisherfolk. Males had worse scores for periodontal disease compared to females. Plaque score did not vary among age groups, but changed significantly between educational level and occupational categories. CPITN varied significantly between educational levels, age categories and occupational categories. Conclusion: the study found inhabitants of the fishing community of Jamestown to have a generally unsatisfactory periodontal status, but worse for the fisherfolk in the community.