Aims The purpose of this study was to identify key cultural issues relevant to providing appropriate education for people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in a UK African and Caribbean community. An additional aim was to test the usefulness of the collaborative action research approach used to gather this information. Methods An education and research event was organized in partnership with local diabetes educators and community groups in Southwark, London. This included a modelled education session and focus group feedback about cultural relevance based on a semi-structured topic guide. Qualitative methods were used to analyse the data collected. Key findings The action research approach and the topic guide used for the focus groups effectively identified relevant foods and other cultural issues such as traditional large portion sizes and social pressures related to food consumption in the African and Caribbean community. Language was regarded as the main barrier to joint education sessions for people from diverse ethnic backgrounds.
The goal of the present study was to examine the association of the Food Stamp Program with the food security and dietary intake of low-income children from Hartford, CT, who were enrolled in the Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). We compared the food and nutrition situation of low-income preschoolers who received food stamps (FS, n = 59) with that of those who did not receive food stamps (NFS, n = 40). Children were an average age of 2.7 +/- 0.6 y, and 95% were receiving WIC benefits at the time of the study. Groups were comparable in demographic characteristics, but the socioeconomic status of the FS group was lower than that of the NFS group (P < 0.05). Food security was assessed with the Radimer/Cornell hunger scale, and dietary intake was assessed with a single 24-h recall and a 14-item food frequency questionnaire. Multivariate analyses within the FS group indicated that a monthly duration of food stamps of <4 wk was a predictor of household food security (odds ratio 0.10, 95% confidence interval 0.02-0.56). Food stamp use was associated with above-median energy-adjusted intakes of vitamin B-6 (3.13, 1.16-8.45), folate (2.92, 1.09-7.81) and iron (3.72, 1.31-10.54). The NFS children were more likely to consume <8 mg iron/d (3.73, 1.09-12.80). These results suggest that the Food Stamp Program is associated with food security and preschoolers' micronutrient intake.
The diagnostic category of learning disabilities is a heterogeneous one, but few empirical attempts have been made to distinguish subgroups. Recent research, however, suggests that it may be meaningful to discriminate between "hyperactive" and "nonhyperactive" learning-disabled children. In the present study, 21 learning-disabled children identified as "hyperactive" through teacher nominations and ratings were compared to 15 learning-disabled children identified as "nonhyperactive" in the same manner. The two groups differed on rated behavior, birth order, amount of prescribed stimulant medication, amount of psychosocial stress, and Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale WISC-R IQ scores. They did not differ, however, on several demographic variables, the number of perinatal complications, reading achievement, and a number of tonic and phasic measures of autonomic activity. These findings support the distinction between "hyperactive" and "nonhyperactive" subgroups of learning-disabled children, but suggest that the two subgroups may have a similar biological substrate.
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