A Newsletter/Text Message Intervention Promoting Beverage-Related Parenting Practices: Pilot Test Results.

Positive beverage parenting practices may reduce sugar-sweetened beverage consumption by children and prevent potential health problems. An online newsletter/text message intervention was conducted with parents of children 6 to 12 years to improve beverage parenting practices. Newsletters and text messages were sent weekly over a 4-week period providing gain-framed messages encouraging parenting practices including role modeling and controlling home beverage availability. Pre-post surveys included measures of home availability of beverages and parent beverage intake as an indication of parenting practices. Parents were primarily White, well-educated, and female. About one third lived in rural areas. Results from 100 parents with pre-post data from baseline to 4 weeks showed decreased reported home availability of regular soda pop (p = .008), decreased parent intake of sweetened beverages (p = .004), and decreased parent-reported child intake of regular soft drinks (p = .001), and sweetened juice drink beverages (p < .0001). Most parents (82%) reported reading all three newsletters and indicated that the information provided was relevant (93%). A brief newsletter/text message intervention may be a positive and convenient approach to promote positive beverage parenting practices.

Accelerated screening of colloidal nanocrystals using artificial neural network-assisted autonomous flow reactor technology.

Colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals with tunable optical and electronic properties are opening up exciting opportunities for high-performance optoelectronics, photovoltaics, and bioimaging applications. Identifying the optimal synthesis conditions and screening of synthesis recipes in search of efficient synthesis pathways to obtain nanocrystals with desired optoelectronic properties, however, remains one of the major bottlenecks for accelerated discovery of colloidal nanocrystals. Conventional strategies, often guided by limited understanding of the underlying mechanisms remain expensive in both time and resources, thus significantly impeding the overall discovery process. In response, an autonomous experimentation platform is presented as a viable approach for accelerated synthesis screening and optimization of colloidal nanocrystals. Using a machine-learning-based predictive synthesis approach, integrated with automated flow reactor and inline spectroscopy, indium phosphide nanocrystals are autonomously synthesized. Their polydispersity for different target absorption wavelengths across the visible spectrum is simultaneously optimized during the autonomous experimentation, while utilizing minimal self-driven experiments (less than 50 experiments within 2 days). Starting with no-prior-knowledge of the synthesis, an ensemble neural network is trained through autonomous experiments to accurately predict the reaction outcome across the entire synthesis parameter space. The predicted parameter space map also provides new nucleation-growth kinetic insights to achieve high monodispersity in size of colloidal nanocrystals.

Gain-Framed Messages Were Related to Higher Motivation Scores for Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Parenting Practices than Loss-Framed Messages.

Parents play an important role in promoting healthy beverage intake among children. Message-framing approaches, where outcomes are described as positive (gain) or negative (loss) results, can be used to encourage parenting practices that promote healthy beverage intakes. This study tested the effectiveness of message framing on motivation for parenting practices targeting reductions in child sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake (controlling availability, role modeling) and dispositional factors moderating effectiveness. Parents (n = 380) completed a survey to assess motivation after viewing gain- and loss-framed messages to engage in parenting practices, usual beverage intake, and home beverage availability. Paired t-tests were used to examine differences in motivation scores after viewing gain- vs. loss-framed messages for all parents and by subgroups according to low vs. high SSB intake and home availability, and weight status. Gain- versus loss-framed messages were related to higher motivation scores for both parenting practices for all parents (n = 380, p < 0.01) and most subgroups. No differences were observed by message frame for parents in low home SSB availability or normal and overweight BMI subgroups for controlling availability. Gain- versus loss-framed messages were related to higher motivation scores, therefore gain-framed messages are recommended for parent interventions intended to decrease child intake of SSBs.

Beverage Intake among Children: Associations with Parent and Home-Related Factors.

Beverage intake can influence child diet quality in a positive or negative manner depending on the beverage type and amounts consumed. Parenting practices such as role modeling and control of home beverage availability have been associated with child beverage intake, whereas examination of the influence of parental beverage nutrition knowledge has been more limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between sugar-sweetened and dairy beverage intake among children (9-12 years) and home and parental factors. A questionnaire was administered among a convenience sample of parents (n = 194) to assess beverage nutrition knowledge, beverage intake and home availability of beverages. Children completed a questionnaire to estimate usual beverage intake. Daily sugar-sweetened beverage intake by children ranged from 0.4 to 48 oz. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine relationships. Parents were mostly female, white, well educated, and employed. Home availability of sugar-sweetened and dairy beverages was positively associated with child sugar-sweetened (OR = 1.48, p = 0.03) and dairy beverage intake (OR = 1.34, p = 0.03), respectively. Parent dairy beverage intake was associated with child dairy beverage intake (OR = 1.06, p = 0.01). Parent knowledge about sugar in beverages was related to child dairy beverage intake (OR = 1.46, p = 0.02), whereas calcium/dairy knowledge and general beverage nutrition knowledge were not related to child beverage intake. Parenting practices and knowledge may play a role in determining child beverage intake.