Laura Kalb | Mathematica Policy Research (original) (raw)

Papers by Laura Kalb

Mathematica Policy Research Reports, 2003

This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. who... more This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. who helped guide the study design and who commented on drafts of the report include David Smallwood, Betsy Frazao, and Joanne Guthrie. Staff at the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) also made important contributions to the project. Anita Singh, from the FNS Office of Analysis, Nutrition, and Evaluation, and Linda Jupin, from the Child Nutrition Division, gave us feedback throughout the study. Linda Jupin also answered many technical questions about program rules or helped direct us to other sources. Susan Fouts and John Endahl, both of FNS, made valuable comments on the draft reports. Two other FNS staff, Joan Tressler and Jeff Derr, provided key program data. We also are grateful to the following FNS regional office staff, who helped promote the study to state agencies and sponsors, and helped us resolve problems with the data

Journal of The American Dietetic Association, Dec 1, 2010

Objective Describe the study design, data collection methods, 24-hour dietary recall protocol, an... more Objective Describe the study design, data collection methods, 24-hour dietary recall protocol, and sample characteristics of the Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS) 2008. Design A cross-sectional study designed to obtain information on the diets and feeding patterns of US infants, toddlers, and preschoolers ages birth to 47 months. Telephone interviews with parents and caregivers were conducted from June 2008 through January 2009 and included a household interview to recruit the household and collect information on household and child demographics and nutrition-related characteristics, and a dietary interview, including a 24-hour dietary recall collected using the 2008 Nutrition Data System for Research. A second dietary recall was collected on a random subsample to estimate usual nutrient intake distributions. Data collection instruments were built on those used in FITS 2002, with expanded survey content to address emerging issues in childhood nutrition and obesity. The dietary protocol was improved to increase reporting accuracy on portion sizes, and a bridging study was conducted to test effects of the changes in the food model booklet and protocol since FITS 2002 (nϭ240 cases aged 4 to 23 months). Subjects A national random sample of 3,273 infants, toddlers, and preschoolers from birth up to age 4 years, with 2 days of dietary intake data for 701 cases. Results Among sampled households with an age-eligible child, the response rate was 60% for the recruitment interview. Of recruited households, the response rate for the dietary interview was 78%. Conclusions The FITS 2008 provides rigorous, well-tested methods and survey questions for nutrition researchers to use in other dietary studies of young children. FITS 2008 findings on the food and nutrient intakes of US children from birth up to age 4 years can inform dietetics practitioners, pediatric health practitioners, and policymakers about the dietary issues of young children.

Journal of The American Dietetic Association, 2004

Objective Describe the design, data collection procedures, and sample characteristics of the Feed... more Objective Describe the design, data collection procedures, and sample characteristics of the Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study. Design We conducted up to three telephone interviews with a random sample of parents or caregivers of infants and toddlers four to 24 months of age from March to July 2002. The three interviews included (a) a recruitment and household interview; (b) a 24-hour dietary recall, with supplementary questions on growth, development, and feeding patterns; and (c) a second dietary recall for a random subset of the sample. Two age subgroups of infants (four to six months and nine to 11 months) were over sampled. Sample weights adjusted for over sampling, nonresponse, and under coverage of some subgroups in the sample frame. Subjects A national random sample of 3,022 infants and toddlers, with two days of dietary recall available for 703 sample members. Results Of sampled households that could be located and had an eligible child in the study age range, the response rate to the recruitment interview was 73%. Of recruited households, the response rate for the dietary recall interview was 94%. Applications/Conclusions The Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS) provides a wealth of data on the food and nutrient intakes, background characteristics, growth and development milestones, and feeding patterns and transitions for a nationally representative sample of infants and toddlers. Subsequent papers in this journal issue present study findings and conclusions from in-depth analysis of the FITS data.

RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, Aug 7, 2002

Many people contributed in significant ways to the client study and preparation of this report. F... more Many people contributed in significant ways to the client study and preparation of this report. First and foremost, we are grateful to staff at the Nebraska Health and Human Services System (HHSS) central office for their assistance and input on the client study. In particular, Marv Kanne, the project officer for the study, Dan Cillessen, former director of Nebraska's Economic Assistance Program, and several other critical staff, including Marian Angelo, Karen Parde, Rob Stevenson, Dennis Ellis, and LouAnn Larson-Gaston, provided invaluable guidance throughout the study, carefully reviewed versions of the survey instrument, as well as earlier drafts of this report, and provided many useful comments. We are grateful to HHSS for providing us with the data to draw our sample for the client study, and for providing updated contact information on several individuals so that they could be located to complete interviews. We would also like to thank Michael Dubinsky, at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, the study's federal project officer, for guidance and continued support of the evaluation. Many staff at Mathematica Policy Research played important roles in the completion of the client study. Donna Pavetti provided invaluable guidance and insights throughout all phases of the work. Michelle Derr also provided many important comments and suggestions along the way. Bea Jones provided invaluable assistance in managing the survey data collection process. Barbara Benedict, Sue Golden, Rachael Reed, and Marie Scurato played important roles in supervising interviewing staff and performing other key data collection tasks. In addition, a small corps of experienced MPR interviewers skillfully administered the survey, and other data collection staff carefully validated the data. Anu Rangarajan reviewed an earlier draft of this report and suggested thoughtful and constructive improvements. Walt Brower carefully edited the report, and Jill Miller and Cathy Harper provided exemplary production support. Last but not least we would like to thank the Nebraska clients who took the time to respond to the survey and share their experiences and describe the challenges they face in trying to obtain employment and achieve economic independence.

RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, Mar 30, 2003

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), funds meals f... more The U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), funds meals for children in low-income areas when school is not in session. The first comprehensive study of the SFSP since 1986 found that, in fiscal year 2001, more than 4,000 local sponsors provided about 130 million meals at more than 35,000 feeding sites. The number of children served in July 2001 (2.1 million per day) was about 14 percent of the number who received free or reduced-price school meals each day during the previous school year. On average, SFSP meals provided the levels of key nutrients recommended for school meals. However, breakfasts were slightly lower in food energy than recommended, and lunches were higher in fat. Half the SFSP sponsors were school districts, which operated about half the sites and served about half the meals. Other sponsors included government agencies, private nonprofit organizations, and residential camps. The nationally representative study, which was sponsored by USDA's Economic Research Service, surveyed State administrators, sponsor staff, and site staff on program operations and on factors that affect participation. This report summarizes the study results. For more details and study methodology,

Mathematica Policy Research Reports, 2000

Describes the design of a national study of USDA's Summer Food Service Program, created in 19... more Describes the design of a national study of USDA's Summer Food Service Program, created in 1975 to provide children from low-income families with nutritious meals when school is not in session, including appropriate sample and data collection methodologies, analytic methods, and study costs. On a typical summer day, the program provides meals to more than 2 million children. Since 1975, eligibility criteria, administrative procedures, and funding levels have changed. The study, which is currently underway, is describing program operations and assessing how they contribute to participation levels and the nutritional benefits of SFSP participation. Results will be available in summer 2002.

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) are designed to provi... more The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) are designed to provide nutritionally balanced low-cost or free meals to children in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. In recent years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has modernized school meal program nutrition standards and renewed emphasis on nutrition education as a part of the school meal programs. The proposed design for an integrated study of school meal costs and outcomes was intended to address the need for research on the success of school meals in meeting program goals, the cost of serving healthful meals that are accepted well by children, and the relationship of school menus and competitive foods to children's participation and diets. The study proposed to collect a broad range of data from nationally representative samples of School Food Authorities, schools, and students at a critical time in the development of the NSLP and SBP. The contractors pretested the study instruments in nine SFAs to confirm their feasibility. The estimated investment in the complete study was calculated at 12.4millionto12.4 million to 12.4millionto15.1 million in 2003. An integrated study would provide unprecedented opportunities to understand the relationships among program operations, meal quality, costs, and student outcomes. The proposed study design was estimated to save 2millionto2 million to 2millionto3 million over the combined cost of separate studies of meal costs and program outcomes.

RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, Oct 31, 2000

Mathematica Policy Research Reports, 2011

Effective Sample Size 936 a To ensure that programs of different sizes would be represented in th... more Effective Sample Size 936 a To ensure that programs of different sizes would be represented in the sample, we looked at the distribution of enrollment, and used the quartile values to divide the programs into four strata with about the same number of programs in each. b We assumed a deflation factor of .66 to get from annual to point-in-time enrollment, and a deflation factor of .33 (four-month birthday window) to get from all children to those falling within the four-month eligibility windows. c Table A.3. Expected Sample Sizes in Spring 2009 Optimal sample allocation balances variance and unit cost when allocating the sample across strata.

Mathematica Policy Research Reports, 2002

Based on a one-year follow-up survey with a representative sample of over 400 single-mother TANF ... more Based on a one-year follow-up survey with a representative sample of over 400 single-mother TANF clients, the report examines how various obstacles to employment constrained clientsâ€™ employability and influenced their experiences with welfare-to-work activities and supportive services. Also highlights important rural versus urban differences in clients' employment experiences, obstacles, and quality of life.

Many at USDA made important contributions to this study. We would particularly like to acknowledg... more Many at USDA made important contributions to this study. We would particularly like to acknowledge the helpful feedback and support that Jane Allshouse, our project officer at the

The Early Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey, or Baby FACES, is a longitudinal descri... more The Early Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey, or Baby FACES, is a longitudinal descriptive study of Early Head Start that captures family- and child-level information in addition to program-level characteristics. This first report defines Head Start features and characteristics, program services and delivery, characteristics of Early Head Start families, characteristics of special populations and subgroups, and the psychometric properties of the survey measures.