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Changes in the nutrient composition of top-selling packaged foods and beverages in Colombia between 2016 to 2021
Full text linkIn 2022, the Colombian government approved a law requiring by 2024 the use of Front of Package octagonal warning labels in food products with an excess of nutrients of concern for chronic disease, including sodium, sugar, saturated fat, and trans-fat, as well as non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS). In addition, the government began 2023 by applying a 10% tax on sugar-sweetened beverages and foods that also had warning labels for sodium, sugar and saturated fat. This tax increased to 15% in 2024 and to $20% in 2025. While a previous study examined the changes in the nutritional composition of beverage and food products offered in Colombia between 2016 and 2018, it is necessary to update this information to understand whether the industry anticipated labeling and tax regulations by reformulating products. This study carried out a comparison of the content of selected nutrients of concern and non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) from the nutritional panels of 164 matched pairs of packaged foods and beverages from the top selling brands in Colombia in 2021 compared to 2016. McNemar’s test for paired data was used to evaluate changes in the proportion of each of the critical nutrients and NNS to be regulated. There were no significant changes in sodium, saturated fat, trans fat, or free sugar in foods or beverages prior to policy implementation. However, there was a significant increase in the presence of NNS in beverages, during this pre-policy period from 32 to 59%. These findings suggest that changes in nutrient composition of packaged foods and beverages had been marginal before the implementation of the tax and warning labeling laws
Efficient Sequestration of Heavy Metal Cations by [Mo2S12]2− Intercalated Cobalt Aluminum-Layered Double Hydroxide
Full text linkHeavy metal cations such as Ag+, Pb2+, and Hg2+ can accumulate in living organisms, posing severe risks to biological systems, including humans. Therefore, removing heavy metal cations from wastewater is crucial before discharging them to the environment. However, trace levels and high-capacity removal of the heavy metals remain a critical challenge. This work demonstrates the synthesis and characterization of [Mo2S12]2− intercalated cobalt aluminum-layered double hydroxide, CoAl―Mo2S12―LDH (CoAl―Mo2S12), and its remarkable sorption properties for heavy metals. This material shows high efficiency for removing over 99.9% of Ag+, Cu2+, Hg2+, and Pb2+ from 10 ppm aqueous solutions with a distribution constant, Kd, as high as 107 mL/g. The selectivity order for removing these ions, determined from the mixed ion state experiment, was Pb2+ < Cu2+ ≪ Hg2+ < Ag+. This study also suggests that CoAl―Mo2S12 is not selective for Ni2+, Cd2+, and Zn2+ cations. CoAl―Mo2S12 is an efficient sorbent for Ag+, Cu2+, Hg2+, and Pb2+ ions at pH~12, with the removal performance of both Ag+ and Hg2+ cations retaining > 99.7% across the pH range of ~2 to 12. Our study also shows that the CoAl―Mo2S12 is a highly competent silver cation adsorbent exhibiting removal capacity (qm) as high as ~918 mg/g compared with the reported data. A detailed mechanistic analysis of the post-treated solid samples with Ag+, Hg2+, and Pb2+ reveals the formation of Ag2S, HgS, and PbMoO4, respectively, suggesting the precipitation reaction mechanism
Consumption of the Food Groups with the Revised Benefits in the New WIC Food Package: A Scoping Review
Full text linkBackground: On 18 April 2024, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published the first food package changes to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in over a decade, which reduced some food benefits (juice, milk, canned fish, and infant fruits and vegetables) and offered substitutes (cash-value vouchers (CVVs) or cash-value benefits (CVBs) to redeem for fruits and vegetables, cheese, soymilk, or other dairy products). Methods: To assess the impact of the changes on the consumption and redemption of these food groups, a systematic search was conducted, identifying 23 peer-reviewed publications between 2010 and 2024. Results: They revealed significant shifts in consumption after the 2009 food package changes; e.g., a decline in 100% juice intake following reductions in juice allowances. Additionally, the review highlighted that the 2009 WIC food package revision was associated with more fruit and vegetable consumption after the increase in CVV allowance. While including milk alternatives like soy-based beverages or lactose-free milk or cheese may improve redemption rates and WIC program satisfaction, the long-term impacts of these proposed changes remain unknown. No research was identified on the consumption of canned fish. Conclusions: This review contributes to understanding the changes in redemption and consumption after the last WIC food package changes, identifies the knowledge gap about prospective impacts, and recommends that the WIC agencies implement appropriate evaluations to promote health and nutrition among vulnerable populations
Student-Level Attendance Patterns Across Three Post-Pandemic Years
Full text linkWe examine student attendance patterns in North Carolina across three post-pandemic years (2021–22 to 2023–24) compared to three pre-pandemic years (2016–17 to 2018–19). We find that the percentage of students who were chronically absent at least once over the 3-year period increased from 17% pre-pandemic to 38% post-pandemic, while the percentage who were chronically absent in all 3 years quadrupled from 2.4% to 9.6%. Persistent chronic absence rates are higher for Black and Hispanic than for White students and for students in high-poverty schools. Results show that while chronic absenteeism has been widespread post-pandemic, some students are experiencing especially deep and persistent levels of absenteeism. These students may face deeper underlying challenges to attendance and require more intensive intervention to recover
Longitudinal associations between math self‐concept and math Black–White stereotypes among Black adolescents
Full text linkIn the United States, Black youth are negatively stereotyped in math ability and are comparatively behind their White and Asian peers on many indicators of math success. Because perceptions of social groups are linked to self-perceptions, Black youths' endorsement of Black-White math stereotypes might be bidirectionally related to their perceptions of their own math abilities. Drawing from a sample of 563 Black youth (250 boys; 313 girls), we used latent growth curve modeling to examine longitudinal change in youths' math self-concept from Grade 5 to Grades 7, 10, and 12, and tested the potential moderating role of youths' gender in developmental change. To advance understanding of developmental connections between students' self-concept and their racialized social group beliefs, we also examined associations between youths' math self-concept and their math Black-White stereotype endorsement. Results showed declines in math self-concept from Grades 5 to 7 to 12, with no gender differences in change across time. In Grade 7, higher math self-concept was associated with lower math stereotype endorsement. Further, a higher math self-concept in Grade 7 predicted steeper declines in stereotype endorsement through high school, and higher Grade 7 stereotype endorsement predicted steeper declines in subsequent math self-concept. Results are discussed in relation to support for improving math self-concept and reducing harmful math stereotype beliefs among Black youth
Implicit Racial Bias and Unintentional Harm in Vascular Care
Full text linkImportance: Implicit bias may influence physician treatment decisions and contribute to Black-White health disparities. There are limited data linking implicit bias with actual care delivery and outcomes. Objective: To determine whether implicit racial bias is associated with potentially harmful surgical treatment selection for a cohort of patients with peripheral artery disease-related claudication. Design, Setting, and Participants: This survey study, linked with observational registry data, included eligible clinicians who participate in the Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) among 960 centers. The VQI includes academic medical centers, teaching hospitals, community hospitals, and private practices. Eligible participants included all vascular specialist VQI members (N = 2512), of whom 218 completed the race implicit association test (IAT) and were linkable to procedure-level data. The study was conducted between October 2021 and October 2022. Exposure: Race IAT. Main Outcomes and Measures: Clinician-level implicit bias results were linked to patient-level registry data of peripheral revascularization procedures performed for claudication. The adjusted odds of performance of any infrapopliteal procedure by specialist implicit bias and patient race were measured via mixed-effects logistic regression models. Implicit bias as a moderator of the association of infrapopliteal procedures for claudication and patient race with 1-year amputation was assessed as a secondary outcome. Results: Among 218 vascular specialists (mean [SD] age, 46 [9] years; 160 [73%] male), 157 (72%) had a pro-White bias. Black patients treated by a physician with pro-White bias had a significant increase in the odds of receiving an infrapopliteal procedure compared with the total sample (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.67; 95% CI, 1.12-2.48). When treated by a specialist with pro-White bias, Black patients had increased odds of 1-year amputation, regardless of anatomic location treated, compared with White patients (AOR, 2.34; 95% CI, 1.20-4.55). Conversely, Black patients treated by a specialist with no bias had similar odds of an infrapopliteal procedure (AOR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.68-1.26) as the full patient sample and similar odds of 1-year amputation (AOR, 1.29; 95% CI, 0.33-4.99) as White patients. Conclusions and Relevance: These findings indicate that implicit bias is associated with potentially harmful infrapopliteal procedures for Black patients and contributes to Black-White outcome disparities in the US. These results suggest the need for system-level interventions that transparently identify and warn of procedures not aligned with best practices to reduce the negative influence of implicit bias
