Abstracts

"School Food Environments and Policies in U.S. Public Schools." Daniel M. Finkelstein, Elaine L. Hill, and Robert C. Whitaker, Pediatrics (subscription required), July 2008. This article uses data from the third School Nutrition Dietary Assessment study, conducted by Mathematica for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), to examine three areas of school food environments: policies and practices, availability of foods and beverages that are not a part of reimbursable USDA meals, and nutritional content of USDA school lunches in 395 schools in 38 states. Researchers found that the overall food environment becomes significantly less healthy as students progress from elementary to high school. High schools were more likely to have vending machines, school store or snack bars, fundraising activities involving sweet or salty snacks, and contracts with beverage companies. In addition, 93 percent of high schools and 92 percent of middle schools sold food and beverages a la carte, and nearly 80 percent of these secondary schools offered unhealthy a la carte options. Schools with a higher percentage of children from low-income families were significantly less likely to offer fruits or raw vegetables each day.

“The Truncation-by-Death Problem: What To Do in an Experimental Evaluation When the Outcome Is Not Always Defined.” Sheena McConnell, Elizabeth A. Stuart, and Barbara Devaney, Evaluation Review, April 2008. Although experiments are viewed as the gold standard for evaluation, some of their benefits may be lost when, as is common, outcomes are not defined for some sample members. In evaluations of marriage interventions, for example, a key outcome—relationship quality—is undefined when a couple splits up. This article shows how treatment-control differences in mean outcomes can be misleading when outcomes are not defined for everyone and discusses ways to identify the seriousness of the problem. Potential solutions to the problem are described, including approaches that rely on simple treatment-control differences-in-means as well as more complex modeling approaches.

“Impacts of Abstinence Education on Teen Sexual Activity, Risk of Pregnancy, and Risk of Sexually Transmitted Diseases.” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, March 2008, Christopher Trenholm, Barbara Devaney, Kenneth Fortson, Melissa Clark, Lisa Quay, and Justin Wheeler. This paper examines the impacts of four abstinence-only education programs on adolescent sexual activity and risks of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Based on an experimental design, the impact analysis uses survey data collected in 2005 and early 2006 from more than 2,000 teens who had been randomly assigned to either a program group that was eligible to participate in one of the four programs or a control group that was not. The findings show no significant impact on teen sexual activity, no differences in rates of unprotected sex, and some impacts on knowledge of STDs and perceived effectiveness of condoms and birth control pills.

"Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: The Uneven Economic Progress of TANF Recipients." Social Service Review, March 2008, Robert G. Wood, Quinn Moore, and Anu Rangarajan. This article investigates the long-term economic gains of current and former TANF recipients and explores the extent to which these recipients experience steady economic progress. Results suggest that recipients generally show economic progress but that there is considerable instability and heterogeneity of experience. Employment insecurity and poverty cycling are common even among the least disadvantaged TANF recipients and are particularly prevalent among those with low education levels, little work experience, and poor health.

"Direct Certification in the National School Lunch Program Expands Access for Children." Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, January 2008, Philip Gleason. Under the policy of direct certification for free school meals, school districts certify for free meals those enrolled students who are in households getting food stamps or welfare, based on information shared by state food stamp and welfare agencies. Students in these eligible households are automatically approved for free meals without having to complete the application process. This paper examines the impacts of direct certification on students' likelihood of becoming certified for free meals, using data from a national survey of school food service directors as well as state-level administrative data on program participation. The key finding is that direct certification leads to a statistically significant increase in the number of children getting free school meals. More generally, this finding highlights a promising approach for improving access to means-tested programs without compromising program integrity.

“Interpretation and Use of Data from the National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Program.” In Research: Successful Approaches, 2008, Ronette R. Briefel and Karil Bialostosky. The National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Program is composed of interconnected federal and state activities that provide information about the dietary and nutritional status of the U.S. population. This chapter provides an overview of the uses of nutrition-monitoring data, the program’s surveys and surveillance systems, research activities, and the resources available to registered dietitians and other nutrition professionals. It also provides information on uses and limitations of nutrition-monitoring data, tips for the proper interpretation of the data, and sources of further information.

“Dietary Intakes of Infants and Toddlers: Problems Start Early.” In Eating Behaviors of the Young Child: Prenatal and Postnatal Influences on Healthy Eating, American Academy of Pediatrics, 2008, Barbara Devaney and Mary Kay Fox. Mathematica’s Feeding Infants and Toddlers (FITS) study, sponsored by Gerber Products Company in 2002, provides a comprehensive picture of the food and nutrient intakes of American infants and toddlers and of the feeding practices used by children’s caregivers. This chapter summarizes key findings from the FITS analyses about infants’ and toddlers’ energy intake and food consumption patterns. The data show that, overall, the diets of infants and toddlers in the United States are nutritionally adequate. However, children are consuming too many calories. In addition, there are problems with the food choices some parents and caregivers are making for their children, such as introducing solid foods, cow’s milk, and juices too early. A main message from FITS is that pediatric health care professionals need to encourage parents and caregivers to think about the quality of the foods they are feeding their children, as well as when to introduce specific kinds of foods.

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