Hungry is not safe: A mixed methods study to explore food insecurity in early care and education

Mealtimes in the context of poverty: Comparison of ECEC services providing food and those requiring food provided from home

BACKGROUND

In developed economies, most children attend Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services before school entry, many from early life and across long days. For this reason, ECEC services present significant potential to provide food environments that positively influence eating behaviours and food preferences with attendant effect on life course trajectories of health and wellbeing. Yet there is evidence that feeding practices that limit optimal ongoing nutrition, such as pressure and restriction, are amplified in ECEC services serving disadvantaged communities. We sought to identify underlying explanatory mechanisms through observation of children's feeding experiences and educator explanations comparing, family-provided and service-provided meals.

METHOD

This study used qualitative analyses of educator interviews and observation records from 55 mealtimes in 10 ECEC services: 5 providing food and 5 requiring family food provision.

RESULTS

High levels of concern drove educator's controlling feeding practices at mealtimes but presented differently across meal provision modes. In centres that provided food, educators' concern focused on food variety, manifesting in pressure to 'try' foods. In centres requiring family-provided food, concern focused on nutrition quantity and quality and manifested as control of order of food consumption and pacing of intake to ensure food lasted across the day. Interview data suggested that conflict aversion limited optimal nutrition. In centres providing food, this was seen in menus that prioritized child food preferences. In centres requiring family meal provision, conflict aversion was seen as reticence to discuss lunchbox contents with families.

CONCLUSION

The findings direct attention to public health intervention. Currently, ECEC face significant barriers to realizing their potential to support child nutrition and establish positive life course trajectories of nutrition. To do so requires targeted supports that enable sufficient supply and quality of food in the context of poverty.

Experience and Resilience of Japanese Public Health Nurses during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Impact on Burnout

Japanese public health nurses (PHNs) at public health centers (PHCs) have played critical roles in infection prevention and control during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to examine the actual pandemic-related experiences of PHNs and the relation between their experiences, individual resilience, two components of organizational resilience (system and human resilience), and burnout. An analysis of the responses of 351 PHNs revealed that mid-level PHNs scored higher in experience and lower in organizational resilience compared with those in other positions. More than 80% of respondents experienced inappropriate staff allocation. Multiple regression revealed that burnout was positively associated with the components of the experience of PHNs and negatively with individual and human resilience. In hierarchical multiple regression with depersonalization as the dependent variable, the sign of system resilience reversed from negative to positive when human resilience was added. The results highlight the need to prepare for future health crises including establishing a system with enough personnel, promoting human resilience such as collaboration among staff members, and burnout prevention measures, especially among mid-level PHNs. The study also described alternative approaches to comprehend system resilience-namely, a suppression variable of human resilience, promotion of depersonalization, and multicollinearity-and the need for further research on organizational resilience.

Impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on food security in early childhood

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To summarize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food insecurity during early childhood, with a focus on challenges and strategies to improve access to and consumption of nutritious food in early childcare and education settings.

RECENT FINDINGS

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing gaps and inequities in the early childcare and education system, resulting in closures and decreased access to healthy foods that disproportionately impacted black, indigenous, and people of color, as well as rural and low-income communities.

SUMMARY

Closures and changes in operational capacity not only stressed the early childcare and education system and its workforce but also contributed to financial strain and food insecurity among families with young children. Increased public investment and cross-sector partnerships can support and strengthen both early childcare and education and food systems, increasing equitable access to quality care and reducing food insecurity in early childhood.