Medicaid, SNAP, and WIC provide low-income children access to vital medical and nutrition services for long-term health and well-being. Despite these benefits, few studies have investigated if these safety net programs, or the synergistic combination of all three programs, are associated with diet quality and weight status; and none have focused on examining these longitudinal More

Food insecurity is linked to a multitude of adverse health outcomes in adults and children. Yet, access to Medicaid has been shown to reduce such adverse health outcomes, and therefore, the ability to access medical care, specifically via Medicaid, is conceivably a driving factor behind the association between food hardship and adverse health. This study More

Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) and fruit juice (FJ) consumption may promote lipid abnormalities in childhood. We examined the association between SSB/FJ intake and lipid levels using electronic health record data for 2816 adolescents. Multivariable logistic regression models treated clinical cutpoints for abnormal lipid levels (triglycerides [TG], high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein [LDL], and total cholesterol) as More

Establishing healthy beverage patterns during early childhood (ages 0 to 5 years) is important for promoting healthy growth and development in childhood and reducing risk of chronic diseases as an adult. Health care providers play an essential role in identifying and addressing unhealthy beverage consumption patterns in young children and helping families develop healthy beverage More

Within an academic health system in the United States that already performs electronic health record-based sugary drink screening, we conducted a pilot randomized trial of a technology-driven family beverage choice intervention. The goal of the intervention was to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) and fruit juice (FJ) consumption in 60 parent–child dyads, in which children were More

Communities and Hospitals Advancing Maternity Practices (CHAMPS) is a public health initiative, operating in Mississippi since 2014, to improve maternal and child health practices and reduce racial disparities in breastfeeding. Using the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance framework, this study assessed CHAMPS, which used a Quality Improvement intervention at hospitals, and engaged intensively with local More

The purpose of this study is to evaluate a novel Electronic Health Record (EHR)-based WIC referral and care coordination program. Specifically, this program refers children to WIC and provides a secure data connection for communication between health care providers and WIC team members. The specific aims are to: 1) Better understand the WIC referral gap More

This study aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of using health system data to examine the geographic distribution of sugar‐sweetened beverage intake and evaluate neighborhood characteristics associated with intake. Researchers extracted electronic health record data from a sugar‐sweetened beverage and 100% fruit juice screener used for children ages 1 to 17 years in eight pediatric practices in North More

Breastfeeding equity is a critical component of nutrition-related equity. Breastfeeding rates in the United States are strongly correlated with poverty and race. Communities and Hospitals Advancing Maternity Practices (CHAMPS) is a multi-sectoral, policy, system, and environmental initiative which has significantly increased breastfeeding rates among black populations. CHAMPS was launched in Mississippi (MS) in 2014. Since More

The healthcare sector is a promising venue for systems interventions to reduce children’s sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption, but clinical staff lack the time for high-intensity in-person interventions. We propose to develop and pilot a parent-informed, technology-enabled healthcare system-based intervention. The goals of the intervention are to: reduce SSB consumption, promote guideline-appropriate levels of fruit juice More