No abstract

Introduction: Farmers’ market incentive programs, such as Link Match, provide monetary incentives to Supplemental Nutri­tion Assistance Program (SNAP) participants to promote their use of local farmers’ markets. Information on racial/ethnic differ­ences in the shopping behaviors and fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption of farmers’ market incentive program users is scarce. This research aimed to address this need by examining users of the Link Match incentive program in Illinois.Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 328 Link Match users (39.6% non-Hispanic White; 45.4% non-Hispanic Black; and 15.0% other) was conducted in 2016 and 2017. Information on each participant’s demographics, farmers’ market shopping behaviors, and monthly frequency of FV consumption was collected from Link Match users. Chi-square and ANOVA tests were used to assess differences in farmers’ market shopping measures by race/ethnicity. Logis­tic regression models were used to examine the association between race/ethnicity and frequency of FV consumption.Results: A significantly higher percentage of non-Hispanic Black participants reported being an infrequent farmers’ market user (ie, shopping ≤ once a month) compared with non-Hispanic White and other partici­pants (P=.01). After adjusting for covariates, non-Hispanic Black participants had lower odds of consuming fruit daily (OR: .44; 95% CI:.22-.86) compared with non-Hispanic White participants. Other participants had lower odds of consuming both fruit and veg­etables compared with non-Hispanic White participants (OR: .30; 95% CI:.12-.71).Conclusions: Differences in shopping behaviors and FV consumption were ob­served by race/ethnicity among Link Match users. Future research should examine the nutritional implications of these differences. Ethn Dis.2020;30(1):109-118; doi:10.18865/ed.30.1.109

(1) Background: Despite iron intake recommendations, over a quarter of pregnant individuals have iron deficiency. Lactobacillus plantarum 299v enhances iron absorption in non-pregnant populations and may have positive effects in pregnancy among those with sufficient iron stores; however, no studies have evaluated the effect of Lp299v on maternal and neonatal iron status among individuals at risk for iron deficiency anemia in pregnancy. Thus, this study aims to assess the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of daily oral Lp299v maternal supplementation among diverse pregnant individuals. (2) Methods: In this double-blind placebo-controlled randomized supplementation feasibility study, participants were randomized to probiotic Lp299v + prenatal vitamin with iron or placebo + prenatal vitamin with iron from 15–20 weeks of gestation through delivery. (3) Results: Of the 20 enrolled and randomized participants, 58% (7/12) from the Lp299v group and 75% (6/8) from the placebo group were retained. Adherence to supplementation was 72% for Lp299v/placebo and 73% for the prenatal vitamin. A slower decline in maternal hematological and iron parameters across pregnancy was observed in the Lp299v group compared to placebo. (4) Conclusions: Lp299v may be a tolerable therapy during pregnancy and has the potential to affect maternal and neonatal hematological and iron status.

Introduction: Pregnant women are a vulnerable population that are difficult to engage in clinical research. We report successful recruitment and retention strategies used in a longitudinal pilot study of urban racially/ethnically diverse pregnant women that involved administration of an orally ingested isotope tracer, multiple venipunctures, biopsy of placenta after delivery, and cord or placental blood collection. Materials and Methods: We used direct strategies to recruit English-speaking obese and nonobese pregnant women aged 17–45 years, who were in the third trimester of pregnancy. The study required data collection at 32–34 and 34–36 gestational weeks and delivery. Strategies included frequent personal engagement with participants and staff to build relationships and trust, tangible appreciation, and the study team being present at delivery. In addition, leveraging hospital information technology (IT) services was critical to ensure retention through labor and delivery (LD). Results: A racially (52% Black, 23% White, and 10% other) and ethnically (15% Hispanic or Latinx) diverse sample of pregnant women was enrolled. Of the 52 women enrolled, 85% of women completed all procedures. Conclusions: This is the first report of successful strategies for recruitment and retention of racially/ethnically diverse pregnant women in a longitudinal study requiring oral administration of an isotope tracer. Personal engagement with multiple touch points, starting with recruitment and continuing regularly throughout the third trimester, was the most successful strategy. Creating and maintaining relationships with the LD providers and staff and utilizing hospital IT, including targeted electronic medical record alerts, ensured successful retention for the duration of the study. Trial Registration: Not applicable.

Target Audience: Professionals in waste reduction, public health, and charitable food. Theory, Prior Research, Rationale: California has progressive regulations to curb greenhouse gas emissions. This includes a reduction in food waste deposited into landfills. One reduction strategy is to increase the amount of edible food recovered, which also supports food security. As the charitable food network has moved from emergency food to a regular source of calories, there has been increased attention on the nutrition of distributed foods. Better coordinated food donations, though welcomed, have also taxed the capacity of pantries to receive perishable foods. Waste reduction efforts provide an opportunity for funding to increase food pantry capacity, but only collaborative work can ensure that greenhouse gas reduction targets are not at odds with public health nutrition efforts. Description: In collaboration with the San Diego Food Systems Alliance Food Waste Reduction Working Group, Leah's Pantry has worked with pantries to distribute recovered, edible, nutritious foods to battle food security. We have leveraged funded capacity building efforts with the implementation of the Nutrition Pantry Program. By educating the food waste reduction community and providing voice and support to the food pantries, we are creating success stories that combine environmental stewardship with nutrition security. Evaluation: Using the Healthy Food Pantry Assessment Toolkit/Nutrition Pantry Program framework, assess impact of capacity building and technical assistance efforts on the quality and variety of food distributed, as well as holistic indicators of a client-centered distribution. Conclusions and Implications: Collaboration and translation of principles into practice are required. County agencies and food waste generators are not necessarily aware of the complexities of the charitable food network. Layering public health objectives with environmental goals results in creative solutions and increased impact for both the charitable food network and the food waste reduction network.