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Biomedical subjects

B Devaney

Publications and source records attributed to B Devaney.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Household participation in the Food Stamp and WIC programs increases the nutrient intakes of preschool children.

We examined the effects of household participation in the Food Stamp and WIC Nutrition Programs on the nutrient intakes of preschoolers using data from the 1989-1991 Continuing Survey of Food Intake by Individuals. Nonbreastfeeding children, 1-4 y of age, with 3 d of dietary data and whose households had incomes < 130% of the poverty level were included in the study sample (n = 499). Nutrient adequacy ratios for each of 15 nutrients were the dependent variables in multiple regression models that controlled for the following: age, sex and ethnicity of the individual; income, size and location of the household; schooling of the household head; home ownership; school lunch and breakfast participation; and season in which the interview was conducted. WIC benefits positively influenced (P < 0. 05) the intakes of 10 nutrients. For iron and zinc, the average increase due to WIC represented 16.6 and 10.6%, respectively, of the preschooler recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for these nutrients. The same analyses of the Food Stamp Program revealed increases in five nutrients. For iron and zinc, the average increase due to Food Stamps represented 12.3 and 9.2%, respectively, of the preschooler RDA. The effects of the WIC Program on the intakes of iron and zinc were greater than that of cash income, and neither program affected the intakes of fat, saturated fat or cholesterol.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Back to the future: community involvement in the Healthy Start Program.

This article discusses how community involvement is incorporated into Healthy Start, a major initiative to reduce infant mortality in selected communities with disproportionately high levels of infant mortality. Based on site visits to each of the fifteen original Healthy Start project areas, we discovered that two main community involvement strategies were used: a service consortium model and a community empowerment model. In the service consortium model, the community is involved primarily through a consortium of local providers, other professionals, and some governmental representatives who help to plan services. The community empowerment model involves the community by engaging neighborhood-based groups, contracting with community-based organizations, employing community residents as lay workers in the Healthy Start program, and creating other economic development initiatives. Important lessons drawn from this study are that the purpose and commitment to community involvement is not always clear; that it is difficult to involve community residents; that efforts to involve the community are extremely labor intensive; that given monetary incentives, it is easier to involve community providers than residents; that community involvement may conflict with efficient program operations; that increased community involvement may create program goals that differ from the program's original goals; and that community involvement may slow program development.

Community Health Centers↗
PubMed1992

Medicaid costs and birth outcomes: the effects of prenatal WIC participation and the use of prenatal care.

This study examines the effects of prenatal WIC participation and the use of prenatal care on Medicaid costs and birth outcomes in five states--Florida, Minnesota, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas. The study period is 1987 for Florida, Minnesota, North Carolina, and South Carolina and January-June 1988 for Texas. Prenatal WIC participation was associated with substantial savings in Medicaid costs during the first 60 days after birth, with estimates ranging from $277 in Minnesota to $598 in North Carolina. For every dollar spent on the prenatal WIC program, the associated savings in Medicaid costs during the first 60 days ranged from $1.77 to $3.13 across the five states. Receiving inadequate levels of prenatal care was associated with increases in Medicaid costs ranging from $210 in Florida to $1,184 in Minnesota. Prenatal WIC participation was associated with higher newborn birthweight, while receiving inadequate prenatal care was associated with lower birthweight.

Data Collection↗
PubMed1983

An analysis of variations in U.S. fertility and female labor force participation trends.

This study is based on time series data from 1947-1977 on fertility and female labor force participation, and examines (a) the effects of male relative income and female earnings on the level and timing of fertility and female labor force participation, and (b) the relative importance of variations in relative income and female wage rates in explaining the fluctuations in both fertility and female labor supply. The results suggest that relative income exerts a significant positive effect on fertility and a negative effect on female work effort. However, female wage rates appear to be the dominant factor in explaining variations in fertility and female labor force participation over the past two decades, with increases in female earnings leading to both depressed fertility and increased labor force participation of women.

Age Factors↗