Research on emergent literacy states that young children learn about reading and writing through experiences with oral and written language. The purpose of this study was to examine the frequency that individual preschool children voluntarily engaged in literacy behaviors during free choice in the classroom. The sample consisted of nine preschool children from low-income families enrolled in three classrooms in an urban preschool program. The classroom environment was assessed using the Early Language and Literacy Classroom Observation (ELLCO - Smith & Dickinson, 2002), which provides infor- mation on how well the classroom environment supports early literacy development. Literacy behaviors were measured during center time, a period when children are allowed to choose their activities. Intervention consisted of (1) adding literacy props to centers based on the needs identified by the ELLCO and (2) a teacher mediation intervention. Results were consistent with previous studies in that the addition of literacy props paired with teacher mediation led to an increase in literacy behaviors among preschool children.

Prices of a market basket of 149 foods that could be combined to meet the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) were surveyed in 29 stores in an eight parish area of Southeast (SE) Louisiana. Two-week cycle menus and recipes were planned to meet the 2005 DGA in a culturally acceptable way. Linear Programming (LP) analysis was also performed on the market basket to determine the cost-minimizing combination of foods that will sufficiently meet the 2005 DGA. The study used dietary recommendations for a reference family of four: a 40 year old male, 40 year old female, 9 year old female and 7 year old male. The maximum Food Stamp (FS) benefit for a family of four is $471/month, and the average FS benefit for a family of four is $326/month. The cost of the 2-week menus was $615.89, $144.89 higher than the maximum, and $289.89 higher than the average FS benefit for a family of four. The cost of the LP market basket was $325.50, $145.50 lower than the maximum, and $0.50 lower than the average FS benefit for a family of four. The LP market basket was characterized by a limited variety of foods that will be difficult to organize into menus. The high cost of the two-week menus compared to the cost of the LP Market basket is probably due to their increased amount of dietary variety and consumer acceptability. FS recipients in SE Louisiana may not be able to afford to follow the 2005 DGA recommendations.

The objective of the current study was to examine parental psychological control as a mediator between parental depressed mood and adolescent behavior problems. The study involved a secondary analysis of the data from the Baton Rouge Families and Teens Project (BRFTP). Structured, in-home interviews were completed with 86 families. The sample was demographically and racially diverse; 59% of the adolescents were female, 58% were of a minority background, and 52% lived in a dual-parent home. The data was collected over 2 years, and included adolescents who, at the time of recruitment, were in the 6th, 7th, or 8th grade. Adolescents reported on psychological control and behavior problems; parents reported on psychological control and depressed mood. The results of the study indicated that parental depressed mood was associated with more parent-reported intrusion. For the full sample, no associations were found between parental depressed mood and adolescent behavior problems. Adolescent-reported psychological control, adolescent-reported intrusion, and parent-reported intrusion were associated with more adolescent internalized behavior problems. Adolescent-reported psychological control was associated with more externalized behavior problems. The non-significant associations between parental depressed mood and adolescent behavior problems indicated that further tests for mediation were not warranted. Mean-level differences and moderating effects were tested to determine if measures varied as a function of family contextual variables. The results indicated that parents of girls reported more depressed mood than parents of boys. Black adolescents as well as parents of Black adolescents report more use of intrusion than White adolescents and parents of White adolescents. Parents from low-income families report more intrusion than parents from high income families. Tests for moderation indicate that income may moderate the relation between parental depressed mood and adolescent-reported psychological control. Race may moderate the relation between parent depressed mood and adolescent internalized behavior problems. Finally, adolescent gender may moderate the relation between adolescent-reported psychological control and externalized behavior problems and adolescent-reported intrusion and externalized behavior problems.

Low-income individuals in Southeast Louisiana consume poor quality diets and have high rates of nutrition-related health problems such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and obesity. The United States Department of Agriculture created the Thrifty Food Plan to help food stamp recipients consume a minimal cost, nutritious diet. It is unknown whether the food lists designed to support the Thrifty Food Plan are affordable and available to the food stamp reliant population in Southeast Louisiana. In 29 supermarkets and large grocery stores located in East Baton Rouge Parish and seven surrounding parishes, the cost and availability of two weekly food lists from the Thrifty Food Plan were determined. The average cost of the foods was $117.01±11.79 (mean ± standard deviation) for week one and $112.19±11.44 for week two. These average costs were 54% and 47% more than the average food stamp benefits received, respectively. Only, 7 of the 29 stores (24%) carried all 86 items. The menu items most frequently missing were pearl barley, garbanzo beans, ground pork, zucchini, and ground turkey. The average cost of the food lists at the stores located in areas with lower median household incomes was $116.36±9.93. The average cost at the stores located in areas with higher median household incomes was $113.67±12.38. These average costs were not significantly different. Average costs were not significantly different between stores located in lower poverty areas and higher poverty areas and between chain and non-chain stores. The data show that the Thrifty Food Plan is not affordable to those households receiving the average food stamp allotment. Therefore, food stamp allotments should be increased. Further, the Thrifty Food Plan has not been revised since 1999 and does not meet current nutrition recommendations. The TFP should be updated to meet current dietary recommendations.

The objective of the study was to evaluate a multi-component school-based nutrition intervention program, Smart Bodies, to see if the curriculum increased nutrition knowledge, increased self-reported intakes of fruits and vegetables, and improved opinions, outcome expectations, social norms, and self-efficacy related to fruit and vegetables among elementary school students. The Smart Bodies curriculum was conducted in the classrooms of eighteen public schools in south Louisiana over a twelve-week period and included nutrition related games, videos, books and classroom activity tracking charts. Six hundred forty-one 4th and 5th grade students were included in the sample. A survey based on the Social Cognitive Theory was administered to evaluate nutrition knowledge, fruit and vegetable intake, opinions, self-efficacy, social norms and outcome expectations related to fruit and vegetable consumption both before and after the intervention. A factor analysis was run on each section to determine the number and nature of underlying factors affecting the relationship between each section of variables. Least square means tests using a mixed-model ANOVA were conducted on the knowledge section and on each factor. The study results showed an increase in self-reported intakes of fruit and fruit juice (p=0.01) and a tendency towards an increase in nutrition knowledge in children who participated in the curriculum (p=0.07). The study also found that the students who completed the program had a better self-efficacy related to F&V (p=0.01) and a tendency for more positive opinions (p=0.07) about F&V consumption than those students who did not participate in the intervention. The results suggest that a multi-component, school-based nutrition intervention program may increase fruit and vegetable intakes and improve self-efficacy to consume fruits and vegetables.

In 2004, the nations foreign-born population numbered approximately 35 million comprising about 12% of the total U.S. population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2005). Most studies of immigrants primarily research the two largest immigrant groups, those from Latin America and Asia, while little has been done with the less visible population of immigrants from Eastern Europe. Also, we know much about the experiences of low-income immigrants of color, but little about the experiences of white immigrant families in the professional ranks. A qualitative study was conducted with immigrant professionals from Eastern Europe to explore their experiences with raising children in a new sociocultural environment. A grounded theory methodology (Strauss & Corbin, 1998) was used for data collection and analysis. The participants (N=24) were interviewed in depth on the topics of adaptation to the host country; changes in the family as a result of immigration; participants perceptions of the differences of raising children in their countries of origin and the U.S.; the adjustments they had to make in a new context; education and language issues; relationships with children and conflict; cultural identity and acculturation. Based on the analysis, seven major themes emerged: (1) Education: Education is a big goal, a means of establishing ones life; (2) Language: He answers in English, and this breaks my heart; (3) Ethnic identity and biculturalism: I dont think our kids are torn between two worlds We are; (4) Grandparents and extended family: In our culture, the grandparents are very involved with grandchildren, their daily upbringing; (5) Time bind: You dont have a lot of time for your kids here, and you need to live with that; (6) Environmental influences: We were not guided in our life that much by media and television; we got our [role] models from the family, books; (7) Discipline, independence, self-esteem, and confidence: As a parent, you have to know how to keep it in balance. Narratives from the participants provide illustrations of the processes that occur in the family system due to a change in the context of living. Implications for practitioners and directions for future research are discussed.

The objectives of this study were to explore the relationships among depression and food security status, dietary nutrient intakes, sociodemographic characteristics, body mass index (BMI), and the presence of chronic diseases in a female food stamp recipient population (n = 66) in Southeast Louisiana. Women were dichotomized by stated depression and descriptive statistics on socioeconomic characteristics and mean nutrient intakes were presented for each group. Logistic regression models were used to determine the relationship of stated depression with food security status, selected sociodemographic characteristics, nutrient intakes, body mass index, and the number of chronic diseases reported. The percentage of women with reported depression was 31.8%. A strong relationship was observed between depression and the number of chronic diseases reported (p = 0.005). Women with stated depression had more physical chronic diseases reported than those without stated depression. The majority of study participants were unemployed (68.18%), and the odds of stated depression for unemployed women was four times higher than employed women (p = 0.05). Food security status was classified into three categories, that is, food secure, food insecure, and food insecure with hunger. For the depressed women, 52.4% were food secure; 38.1% were food insecure; 9.5% were food insecure with hunger. No relationship was found between depression and food security status. Low intake of folate and iron was common in both depressed and non-depressed women. No relationship was found between depression and nutrient intake (e.g., energy, protein, carbohydrate, fat, folate, vitamin B₁₂, or iron). The mean BMI of both depressed and non-depressed groups fell within the obese range. No relationship was found between depression and BMI. We also failed to find relationships between depression and marital status or medical insurance.

Diets are typically poorer and risk of chronic disease is greatest in low-income populations. A relationship has been established in the literature between food costs and diet quality, where lower cost diets are generally those of the poorest quality. Food group intake, energy/nutrient intake, and diet cost were assessed in 64 female food stamp recipients in Southeast Louisiana. From one 24-hour dietary recall collected at the beginning of the monthly resource cycle (Day 1) and one at the end (Day 2), nutrient intakes and diet costs were able to be analyzed between different time frames. Participants were divided among food security status (food secure [FS] or food insecure [FIS]), weight status (obese or non-obese), and fast food consumption (consumed or did not consume fast food [FF]) groups for all analyses. Diet costs were shown to be significantly different between the days for several groups (whole sample, obese, no FF consumption). It was for these groups that a greater number of nutrient differences were detected between the days. Similarly, a greater number of nutrient differences were detected among groups which had significantly different diet costs. One component of a healthy diet, as defined by the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), is a diet which emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products. From the results of food group intake analyses, we found that participants were least likely to meet recommendations for whole grains and milk, followed by fruit and vegetables. Low intakes of these groups, in combination with high intakes of refined grains and low-quality meats, as seen among participants, place them at high risk for vitamin/mineral deficiencies. Mean intakes of vitamins/minerals in all groups failed to meet the established Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) for fiber; vitamins A and C; folate; potassium; calcium; and iron.

This study was designed to understand the response of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the Food Stamp Program (FSP) in southern Louisiana during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This study used portions of the PRECEDE/PROCEED model to develop the questions for the interviews and interpret the barriers and enabling and reinforcing factors with regard to changes in policy, budget, reporting, and program administration after the hurricanes. Information collected from this research seeks, not only to contribute to the literature on this topic, but to be made available to policymakers and program administrators to make informed decisions. The effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in southern Louisiana were catastrophic. They were unusual in that the impact of the storms covered an extraordinary amount of the Gulf Coast region and an enormous amount of people were affected. In response to the catastrophe, two federally mandated food assistance programs, the NSLP and FSP, released a series of waivers, initiating a disaster program, which decreased eligibility requirements; therefore allowing more people affected by the hurricanes to access the benefits. One-on-one interviews were conducted with regional, state, and local program administrators to understand the challenges and successes faces while implementing the disaster programs. The study participants were asked to participate based on their roles, responsibilities, and direct affect of either Hurricane Katrina, Rita, or both. Results of the study revealed the speedy response of the USDA and community support led to the success of the programs. The barriers that most administrators faced while trying to implement the programs were infrastructure damage, lack of communication due to power outage and loss of cellular service, and lack of commerce in the area. Overall, both programs were successful in their commitment to their underlying mission: increasing food access to those affected by the storms.

The current study examined the possible relationship between premarital sexual behaviors and the state of the marriage as reported by women. Participants were recruited from local Southern Baptist churches and were sent an anonymous mail-out questionnaire; 36 women returned questionnaires that were usable for analyses. Bivariate correlations for the variables that were considered demonstrated that the number of premarital sexual intercourse partners for the participant and her husband were strongly and negatively correlated to marital satisfaction, marital stability, low divorce thoughts, and feelings about the marriage. An analysis of variance showed that the women who experienced premarital sex (intercourse or oral sex) with at least one noncommitted partner had lower marital satisfaction than the women who did not experience premarital sex with a noncommitted partner.