Cardel Michelle I, Loop Matthew S, Brown Andrew W, Bohan Brown Michelle M, Newsome Faith, Scott Lorraine, Lemas Dominick J, Krukowski Rebecca A
Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Curr Dev Nutr. 2022 Jun 23;6(6):nzac076. doi: 10.1093/cdn/nzac076. eCollection 2022 Jun.
Attendance at professional society meetings facilitates networking, collaboration, and success in academic/scientific fields. Insufficient funds, support, or resources for caregiving can inhibit attendance for parents/caretakers, who may become professionally disadvantaged by not attending professional society conferences. The American Society for Nutrition (ASN) offered a family support grant for caregiving needs during the annual conference (maximum: $750); however, the perceived impact of caregiving funds on attendance outcomes is unknown. The objective of this study was to assess the need of family support for attendance to the ASN annual conference among applicants and to assess recipients' experience and usage of funds. Applicants completed a pre-conference survey assessing requested funds, out-of-pocket caregiving expenses to attend the meeting, the influence of receiving the grant on attendance, and additional factors. Recipients completed a post-conference survey assessing use of the funds and impact of the grant on attending/participating. Grant applications ( = 110) were majority women, aged 26-45 y, married, at the trainee or assistant professor level, from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds, and with parenting noted as the primary responsibility. Thirty-seven percent of applicants were currently lactating or expressing milk. The average amount requested was $650 US dollars, and >60% of respondents indicated plans to use funds to bring a family member/friend to the conference. Seventy-seven percent of respondents indicated that receiving the grant would influence their attendance. The post-conference survey ( = 25) indicated that recipients felt that receiving the grant was helpful in attending the conference (92%), specifically attending scientific sessions (96%) and poster sessions (80%). Recipients indicated the grant helped them network with attendees (88%), visit the exhibitor hall (72%), and participate in career development activities (64%). The ASN family support grant aided attendance and supported recipients' participation in conference activities, particularly early-career women who are parents, with the goal of supporting diversity and inclusivity in scientific/academic fields. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03432585.
参加专业学会会议有助于建立人际关系、促进合作，并在学术/科学领域取得成功。用于照顾家人的资金、支持或资源不足，可能会阻碍父母/照顾者参会，而他们可能因未参加专业学会会议而在职业发展上处于劣势。美国营养学会（ASN）在年会期间提供了一项用于照顾家人需求的家庭支持补助金（最高750美元）；然而，照顾家人资金对参会结果的实际影响尚不清楚。本研究的目的是评估申请人参加ASN年会对家庭支持的需求，并评估补助金获得者对资金的使用体验。申请人在会前完成了一项调查，评估申请的资金、参会的自付照顾费用、获得补助金对参会的影响以及其他因素。补助金获得者在会后完成了一项调查，评估资金的使用情况以及补助金对参会/参与会议的影响。补助金申请（n = 110）的大多数是年龄在26 - 45岁的已婚女性，处于实习生或助理教授级别，来自不同的种族/族裔背景，且主要责任是育儿。37%的申请人目前正在哺乳或挤奶。申请的平均金额为650美元，超过60%的受访者表示计划用资金带家庭成员/朋友参加会议。77%的受访者表示获得补助金会影响他们的参会情况。会后调查（n = 25）表明，补助金获得者认为获得补助金有助于参加会议（92%），特别是参加科学会议（96%）和海报展示会（80%）。获得者表示补助金帮助他们与参会者建立联系（88%）、参观展览厅（72%）以及参与职业发展活动（64%）。ASN家庭支持补助金有助于参会，并支持获得者参与会议活动，特别是那些身为父母的早期职业女性，目标是支持科学/学术领域的多样性和包容性。本试验已在www.clinicaltrials.gov上注册，注册号为NCT03432585。
