Approximately 15 million children under age 6 are in childcare settings, offering childcare providers an opportunity to influence children’s dietary intake. Childcare settings vary in organizational structure – childcare centers (CCCs) vs. family childcare homes (FCCHs) – and in geographical location – urban vs. rural. Research on the nutrition-related best practices across these childcare settings is scarce. The objective of this study is to compare nutrition-related best practices of CCCs and FCCHs that participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) in rural and urban Nebraska. Nebraska providers (urban n = 591; rural n = 579) reported implementation level, implementation difficulty and barriers to implementing evidence-informed food served and mealtime practices. Chi-square tests comparing CCCs and FCCHs in urban Nebraska and CCCs and FCCHs in rural Nebraska showed sub-optimal implementation for some practices across all groups, including limiting fried meats and high sugar/ high fat foods, using healthier foods or non-food treats for celebrations and serving meals family style. Significant differences (p < .05) between CCCs and FCCHs also emerged, especially with regard to perceived barriers to implementing best practices. For example, CCCs reported not having enough money to cover the cost of meals for providers, lack of control over foods served and storage problems, whereas FCCHs reported lack of time to prepare healthier foods and sit with children during mealtimes. Findings suggest that policy and public health interventions may need to be targeted to address the unique challenges of implementing evidence-informed practices within different organizational structures and geographic locations.

Background Nurses are among the frontline healthcare workers directly impacted by the burden of the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of emotional distress and the associated factors among nurses practicing in South Dakota during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods An online survey was conducted among practicing, licensed nurses in South Dakota during the pandemic (July 2020 – August 2020). Emotional distress was measured using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Logistic regression models were performed to examine the association of emotional distress and the three DASS-21 subscales with: sociodemographic and work environment factors (e.g., work setting, job satisfaction, number of COVID-19 cases seen at the facility, preparedness, concerns with worsening pre-exiting mental health conditions due to the pandemic, and contracting the illness). Results Among 1505 participants, overall emotional distress was reported by 22.2%, while anxiety, depression and stress were 15.8%, 14.5% and 11.9%, respectively. Factors associated with moderate to severe emotional distress, depression, anxiety, and stress were as follows: concerns for worsening of pre-existing mental health conditions, job dissatisfaction, encountering higher number of COVID-19 cases at one’s work facility, feeling unprepared for the pandemic, and concern for contracting the illness (all p<0.05). Conclusions Our study suggests a high prevalence of emotional distress among nurses and highlights the factors associated with emotional distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Promoting appropriate support is imperative to reduce nurses’ emotional distress and promote psychological well-being during the COVID-19 world health crisis and in future pandemics.

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FCCH in Nebraska were able to strengthen their policies and practices after utilizing Go NAP SACC. Continued professional development and participation in targeted interventions may assist programmes in sustaining improved practices and policies. Considering the varying standards and policies surrounding FCCH, future studies comparing the current findings with childcare centres and non-CACFP programmes are warranted.

Focusing professional development on child care contexts and addressing providers' perceived barriers may improve parent engagement.

Community violence exposure has profound implications for individuals’ psychological well-being, and yet, little is known about its effects on parents residing in high-risk neighborhoods. Using qualitative interviews with 20 mothers living in informal settlement areas in the Philippines, this study examined (a) the parenting strategies that mothers use in response to community violence and (b) the protective factors that enhance their well-being. Content analyses revealed that the most frequently endorsed parenting strategies were giving reprimands and advice ( pinagsasabihan at pinangangaralan) and monitoring and prohibition ( pagsubaybay at pagbabawal). To protect their well-being, the mothers most frequently mentioned relying on prayers and faith to cope and make sense of community violence. The findings highlight Filipino mothers’ use of active and resourceful parenting strategies, the constructive function of religion and faith in low-income Filipino mothers’ experiences, and mutual support among family and community members as protective factors. Implications include incorporating religion and faith in local resilience frameworks, including the family and community in interventions, and equal attention on policies aimed at fostering resilience and reducing poverty.

Aim The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of parenting stress, self‐efficacy and COVID‐19 health risks on general stress among nurses in the Midwest, United States, during the pandemic. Background As frontline workers amidst the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic, nurses have been subject to stressors at home and at work. Method This quantitative, cross‐sectional study included 896 nurses with at least one child below 18 years of age. Using purposive sampling, participants answered an online survey composed of demographic questions, perception of COVID‐19 health risks, measures of self‐efficacy, general stress and parenting stress. Bivariate correlation and multiple regression were conducted. Data were collected from July 13 to August 13, 2020. Results The four predictors, along with eight demographic covariates, accounted for 40% of the variance in general stress. Parenting stress and COVID‐19 health risks were positively related to general stress, while self‐efficacy was negatively associated with general stress. Conclusions Results highlight the negative influence of parenting stress on nurses' general stress and the importance of self‐efficacy in reducing stress. Findings suggest that support services for nurses should focus not only on work‐related stressors but also consider parenting stressors, work‐home imbalances and self‐efficacy.

The parent-child relationship is a cornerstone of early childhood development and one-way early childhood programs can have a positive influence on early development is to adopt programmatic features to enhance this relationship. Research supports these conclusions in both U.S. and cross-cultural contexts, even though assumptions about parenting and the parent-child relationship may differ across cultures. However, for true understanding of cultural differences, it is important to have comparable measures across cultures. The purpose of the study is to assess measurement invariance of the two constructs of the Child-parent Relationship Scale using data gathered in programs serving low-income preschool children in the U.S.(n = 4,450) and Turkey (n = 592) from 2014 to 2015. Using Single-group Confirmatory Factor Analysis, the original factor structures of the Turkish and the English versions were tested. Besides, Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis provided evidence for configural, metric, scalar invariance, strict factorial invariance or error variance invariance and construct level invariance across the two versions. Only configural invariance was established, which showed an agreement for the existence of an underlying theoretical construct for each subscale (Conflict and Closeness) of the Turkish and the English versions. However, item CPRS 4 was a non-significant item for Conflict in the Turkish version that affected the possibility to conduct further analyses. Findings encourage researchers to propose and assess cultural and linguistic adaptations for the Child-parent Relationship Scale before cross-cultural comparisons related to family relationships.