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Objective: Non-supermarket food retailers can be a promising channel for increasing the availability of healthy foods in underserved communities. The present paper reports on retailer practices, attitudes and beliefs about the supply of healthy foods before and after the introduction of new subsidies for healthy foods by the US Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in October 2009. Design: We designed and conducted in-person standardized interviews with store owners and managers to assess perceptions of demand and profits for different foods, supply networks, barriers to stocking healthy foods and their changes following implementation of the new WIC packages. Setting: Non-supermarket retailers in five towns of Connecticut, USA (n 68 in 2009 and n 58 in 2010). Subjects: Owners and managers of WIC-authorized and non-WIC convenience stores and non-chain grocery stores. Results: Retailers identified customer demand as the primary factor in stocking decisions. They reported observing a significantly weaker demand for healthy foods compared with unhealthy foods, although it improved for certain foods with the new WIC subsidies. Less healthy foods were also perceived as more profitable. Supplier networks varied by product from convenient manufacturer delivery for salty snacks to self-supply for produce. WIC retailers were able to quickly adapt and supply healthy foods required under the new WIC programme guidelines. Conclusions: Retailers other than supermarkets currently perceive little demand for healthy foods, but new WIC subsidies have the power to change these perceptions. Supply barriers seem secondary in the limited offerings of healthy foods by stores and could be overcome when policy changes generate new demand for healthy foods.

Child care centers generally comply with current CACFP regulations, but do not provide lunches consistent with the 2011 IOM recommendations for saturated fat, protein, fiber, and sodium. Decreased use of beef and cheese and increased provision of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables are recommended.

Background Licensed childcare centers, represent an opportunity to positively influence children's health behaviors. Valid and easy-to-use measures of the childcare environment are needed to assess the impact of environmental change on health. Objective To develop and validate a self-administered survey to assess the nutrition and physical activity environment of child care centers, and to identify domains which may be evaluated adequately through self-report. Design A survey was developed to assess four areas related to nutrition and physical activity: center policies, practices related to the social environment, physical environment, and nutrition quality. Development involved review of literature, existing measures, and regulations/standards; and collaboration with a working group. The survey was piloted and feedback sought from expert consultants. It was administered statewide and validated against a menu rating tool, a center director interview, and a direct observation tool developed for this study. Participants/Setting Participating sites were drawn from CACFP-participating licensed Connecting childcare centers serving 13 or greater 3 to 5 year olds. Survey responses from 146 center directors were included, as were 62 center menus, and director interviews and observational data from 33 sites. Primary Outcomes/Statistical Analyses Criterion validity of the survey was assessed through percent agreement with mirroring items in the additional measures. Healthy and unhealthy food scores were calculated for menu and survey tools, and Pearson correlations computed. Results Percent agreement with criterion outcomes ranged from 39 to 97%, with 61% of items achieving agreement at or above 80%. Agreement was highest for nutrition and policy domains, and lowest for physical activity and barriers to promoting health. Correlations between food scores across measures were moderate. Conclusions The self-report survey demonstrated adequate criterion validity; recommendations are made for improving validity of low-agreement items and for the use of more labor-intensive evaluation procedures for domains not adequately assessed through self-report.

Aims:To identify key research questions where answers could improve care for older people living with diabetes (PLWD), and provide detailed recommendations for researchers and research funders on how best to address them.Methods: A series of online research workshops were conducted, bringing together a range of PLWD and an acknowledged group of academic and clinical experts in their diabetes care to identify areas for future research. Throughout the pre-workshop phase, during each workshop, and in manuscript preparation and editing, PLWD played an active and dynamic role in discussions as part of both an iterative and narrative process.