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Biomedical subjects

J M Dodds

Publications and source records attributed to J M Dodds.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Self-perceived competence of advanced public health nutritionists in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the development and use of a self-assessment tool designed to evaluate competencies in skill areas, including management and leadership, among advanced public health nutritionists. DESIGN: Subjects were identified by state and territorial nutrition directors who provided lists of nutrition personnel in official, state, public health agencies. The 519 nutritionists identified were mailed a 137-item self-assessment tool developed for advanced public health nutritionists. SUBJECTS: A self-selected sample of 281 state public health nutritionists responded. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: Means and standard deviations were calculated for descriptive variables. Factor analysis was conducted to examine associations of items within the assessment tool measured by Spearman correlation. The Cronbach alpha coefficient statistic was used to examine reliability. RESULTS: Factor analysis produced a 48-item, 3-factor tool comprising items with a correlation of 0.6 or greater; the 3 factors were management, public health nutrition, and communication. Mean scores on the assessment tool indicated that respondents scored competent in 50% of items and adequate in 50% of items. CONCLUSIONS: Ongoing self-assessment by public health nutrition professionals can guide the selection of continuing education and higher education degree programs. Although this self-assessment tool was tested in the public health arena, it can be applied to all nutritionists and dietitians with management responsibilities.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed1998

Social support and coping behaviors of low-income families experiencing food insufficiency in North Carolina.

The Food Research and Action Center estimates that approximately 12% of all families with children younger than 12 years old experience food insufficiency in the United States. The authors conducted 16 focus groups with 141 participants, who were either at risk or experienced food insufficiency, to learn about coping strategies. Individual and network-level coping mechanisms were used to manage insufficient food supply. Social networks included family, friends, and neighbors. The assistance provided included food aid, information, and emotional support. Not all networks were relied on or accessed by everyone. Most participants reported that they relied on family members first, followed by friends, and then neighbors. Parents found reliance on anyone as stressful and often threatening. In conclusion, as the social welfare system becomes constrained, more and more households may experience food insufficiency. Responsive policies are therefore needed to assist low-income families.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1987

The development of a surveillance system to monitor emergency food relief in New York State.

A representative sample of emergency food relief (EFR) programs was selected on the basis of a census of 1,488 EFR programs in New York State. The census was a two-stage telephone survey. EFR was provided in every county although there was considerable variation in the amount of EFR per county. The soup kitchen and food pantry components of EFR had to be differentiated. The surveillance system was operational one year after the census began.

Community Participation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Nutrition and health--an individual responsibility.

The report of the Public Health Service Task Force on Women's Health Issues identifies five social factors which affect health and also apply to nutrition: cultural and social values, which are at the heart of issues of body size; economic status, which is associated inversely with nutrient per food dollar expenditures; labor force participation, where working mothers make less money than fathers; family, household structure, social supports, and health, where the single parent has limited resources; and interactions with a health care system that frequently identifies the woman as the victim of the problem when actually the system is the source of the problem. Fourteen of the 40 conditions described in the report mention nutrient changes or weight maintenance. Twelve other conditions have been added to the list. Four categories of women, based on their roles, are used to discuss major nutrition issues. The youth role focuses on body image and preoccupation with weight control. The childbearer role emphasizes the demand and burden of pregnancy because the outcome of pregnancy is linked with many behaviors during pregnancy. The menopausal woman role is that of the older woman and the health consequence of life-long dietary habits and the frequent "victim" position to which she is relegated when using the health care system. The gatekeeper role sends messages to the marketplace through demand and directs purchases for the home. Choosing from 13,000 items makes it possible to regularly choose foods which are inadequate in meeting daily vitamin and mineral needs and can lead to use and abuse of supplements. The final solution rests within the individual and her active involvement in seeking health care and carrying out recommendations for her nutrition and health.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Development of the New York State Nutrition Surveillance Program.

New York State established a Nutrition Surveillance Program (NSP) in 1984. Precedents for the program included the Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System of the Public Health Service's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and periodic food and nutrition surveys conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics and the Human Nutrition Information Service, Department of Agriculture. The first phase of NSP was connected to a new program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which established support for more than 1,000 emergency food programs across the State. SNAP also expanded the home delivered meal program for the frail elderly and the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children. NSP provided information on the extent of unmet nutrition needs that was used to establish funding requests and provided data describing the characteristics of SNAP participants that were used in developing new SNAP program components. The second phase of NSP began in 1988. It identified populations that were thought to be at nutrition risk and compiled information about the extent of unmet need, the characteristics of the population, and the status of current nutrition programs to meet the needs. As a result of this review, NSP added a nutrition component to the Dental Survey of School Children; conducted a dietary survey; developed an inventory of information sources in all State agencies; and established an annual work plan using department of health objectives. The third phase of NSP is the policy and planning phase, monitoring the Year 2000 Objectives and the Five-Year Plan of the New York State Food and Nutrition Policy Council.

Aged↗