Exploring Mothers’ Perspectives About Why Grandparents in Appalachia Give Their Grandchildren Cariogenic Foods and Beverages: A Qualitative Study

BackgroundDental caries is the most common chronic childhood disease. Past studies revealed that grandparents provide their grandchildren with cariogenic foods and beverages (eg, those with free sugars and/or modified starches). Qualitative research can help identify what drives this phenomenon.ObjectiveOur aim was to examine mothers’ explanations for why grandparents in north central and central Appalachia give their grandchildren cariogenic foods and beverages.DesignA qualitative study on children’s oral health in Pennsylvania and West Virginia from 2018 through 2020 was performed. In-person, semi-structured interviews were conducted. Qualitative data from interviews were recorded, transcribed, and then coded using NVivo. Data analysis for this study was performed using thematic analysis with iterative theme development.Participants/settingThe participants were 126 mothers of children aged 3-5 years from West Virginia (n = 66) and Pittsburgh, PA (n = 60).Main outcome measuresMothers’ perspectives about why grandparents give their grandchildren cariogenic foods and beverages were analyzed.ResultsIn the study sample, 85% of mothers (n = 107/126) named at least 1 of their children’s grandparents as a member of their social network responsible for their children’s oral health. From these interviews, 85% of mothers (n = 91/107) discussed that grandparents gave their grandchildren cariogenic foods and beverages. The mothers described the following 4 themes to explain why grandparents gave their grandchildren cariogenic foods and beverages: privilege of the grandparent role; responsibilities of the grandparent role; symbol of care and affection; and limited consideration or understanding of the detrimental impact.ConclusionsGrandparents play a role in giving their grandchildren cariogenic foods and beverages, which could potentially contribute to childhood caries. Research is needed to develop effective social interventions to help some grandparents understand the implications of a cariogenic diet on their grandchildren’s oral health and/or decrease their provision of cariogenic foods and beverages.     

Intranasal immunization with protective antigen of Bacillus anthracis induces a long-term immunological memory response

Although intranasal vaccination has been shown to be effective for the protection against inhalational anthrax, establishment of long-term immunity has yet to be achieved. Here, we investigated whether intranasal immunization with recombinant protective antigen (rPA) of Bacillus anthracis induces immunological memory responses in the mucosal and systemic compartments. Intranasal immunization with rPA plus cholera toxin (CT) sustained PA-specific antibody responses for 6 months in lung, nasal washes, and vaginal washes as well as serum. A significant induction of PA-specific memory B cells was observed in spleen, cervical lymph nodes (CLNs) and lung after booster immunization. Furthermore, intranasal immunization with rPA plus CT remarkably generated effector memory CD4⁺ T cells in the lung. PA-specific CD4⁺ T cells preferentially increased the expression of Th1- and Th17-type cytokines in lung, but not in spleen or CLNs. Collectively, the intranasal immunization with rPA plus CT promoted immunologic memory responses in the mucosal and systemic compartments, providing long-term immunity.     

Feasibility and Effectiveness of Telelactation Among Rural Breastfeeding Women

ObjectiveTo evaluate the feasibility and impact of telelactation via personal electronic devices on breastfeeding duration and exclusivity among rural women.MethodsThe Tele-MILC trial, a pragmatic, parallel design trial, recruited 203 women during their postpartum hospitalization in a critical access hospital in Pennsylvania and randomized them to receive telelactation (n = 102) or usual care (n = 101). We used intent-to-treat (ITT) and instrumental variable (IV) approaches to analyze study data for the 187 participants who completed follow-up. The primary outcomes were any breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding at 12 weeks postpartum.ResultsAmong participants in the telelactation arm, 50% (47/94) reported participating in video calls. At 12 weeks, 71% of participants in the telelactation arm versus 68% of control participants were breastfeeding in the ITT model (3% difference, P = .73), whereas 73% of participants in the telelactation arm versus 68% of control participants were breastfeeding in the IV model (5% difference, P = .74). Among participants who were still breastfeeding at 12 weeks, 51% participants in the telelactation arm were breastfeeding exclusively versus 46% of control participants in the ITT model (5% difference, P = .47), whereas 56% of participants in the telelactation arm were breastfeeding exclusively versus 45% of control participants in the IV model (11% difference, P = .48). In all models, participants in the telelactation arm were breastfeeding at higher rates; however, differences were not statistically significant.ConclusionsThis trial demonstrated that telelactation can be implemented with a rural underserved population. Though this trial was not powered to detect differences in breastfeeding duration and exclusivity, and none were observed, telelactation remains a promising approach for further investigation. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02870413.