The attitudes of Australian radiography students towards the use of assistive transfer devices to reduce biomechanical stress in the clinical setting

The duties performed by radiographers, which includes transferring patients onto and off the examination table, can increase their risk of developing back and neck pain. This study used a survey to identify the assistive transfer devices Australian radiography undergraduate students are familiar with and have had practise using in the clinical setting. It also sought to determine whether students are being encouraged by other radiographers to use these devices during clinical training and if they would conform to practicing unsafe transfers if instructed to by senior staff.Results indicated that radiography students were familiar with the majority of the surveyed assistive devices such as the Patslide and X-ray cassette slider. Many of the students were unlikely to participate in unsafe work practices and were able to provide alternative methods of transferring patients. However, some of the respondents could be coerced into participating in unsafe patient transfers. Radiographers should therefore be vigilant in refraining from practicing unsafe transfer techniques as it could lead to students believing it is acceptable and emulating these practices in the work place.     

Rural Disparities in the Distribution of Policies that Support Healthy Eating in US Secondary Schools

The distribution of food and nutrition policies and practices from 28 US states representing 6,732 secondary schools was evaluated using data from the 2008 School Health Profiles principal survey. School policies and practices evaluated were: availability of low-nutrient, energy-dense (LNED) snacks/drinks; use of healthy eating strategies; banning food marketing; availability of fruits and vegetables; and food package sizes. For each school, school-level demographic characteristics (percentage of students enrolled in free/reduced-price meals, minority enrollment, and geographic location) were also evaluated. Schools in small town/rural locations had significantly fewer policies that support healthy eating strategies and ban food marketing, and were less likely to serve fruits and vegetables at school celebrations, have fruits and vegetables available in vending or school stores, and limit serving-size packages. Schools serving the highest percentage of minority students consistently reported the same or better school food environments. However, schools serving the highest percentage of low-income students had varied results: vending and LNED vending policies were consistently better and fruit and vegetable availability–related policies were consistently worse. Disparities in the distribution of policies and practices that promote healthy school food environments seem most pronounced in small town/rural schools. The data also support the need for continued reinforcement and the potential for expansion of these efforts in urban and suburban areas and schools with highest minority enrollment.     

A Group Randomized Intervention Trial Increases Participation in the School Breakfast Program in 16 Rural High Schools in Minnesota

BackgroundBreakfast consumption is associated with better diet quality and healthier weights, yet many adolescents miss breakfast. Nationally, 17.1% of students participate in the School Breakfast Program (SBP). Only 10% of high school students participate.ObjectiveOur aim was to evaluate an environmental intervention to increase SBP participation in high schools.DesignA group randomized trial was carried out from 2012 to 2015.Participants/settingNinth- and 10th-grade students enrolled in 16 rural schools in Minnesota (median 387 students) were randomized to intervention or control condition.InterventionA school-based intervention that included two key components was implemented over a 12-month period. One component focused on increasing SBP participation by increasing student access to school breakfast through changes in school breakfast service practices (eg, serving breakfast from a grab-n-go cart in the atrium; expanding breakfast service times). The other component focused on promoting school breakfast through student-directed marketing campaigns.Main outcome measureChange in school-level participation in the SBP was assessed between baseline (among ninth and tenth graders) and follow-up (among tenth and eleventh graders). School meal and attendance records were used to assess change in school-level participation rates in the SBP.Statistical analysesThe Wilcoxon test was used for analysis of difference in change in mean SBP participation rate by experimental group.ResultsThe median change in SBP participation rate between baseline and follow-up was 3% (interquartile range=13.5%) among the eight schools in the intervention group and 0.5% (interquartile range=0.7%) among the eight schools in the control group. This difference in change between groups was statistically significant (Wilcoxon test, P=0.03). The intervention effect increased throughout the intervention period, with change in mean SBP participation rate by the end of the school year reaching 10.3% (95% CI 3.0 to 17.6). However, among the intervention schools, the change in mean SBP participation rates was highly variable (range=–0.8% to 24.8%).ConclusionsInterventions designed to improve access to the SBP by reducing environmental and social barriers have potential to increase participation among high school students.