Structural social support and cardiovascular disease risk factors in Hispanic/Latino adults with diabetes: results from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL)

Objective(s): Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have yielded inconsistent findings on the associations of social support networks with cardiovascular health in Hispanic/Latino adults with diabetes. We examined the cross-sectional associations of structural social support and traditional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in a diverse sample of Hispanic/Latino adults with diabetes. Research Design and Methods: This analysis included 2994 adult participants ages 18–74 with diabetes from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL–2008–2011). Select items from the Social Network Inventory (SNI) were used to assess indices of structural social support, i.e. network size (number of children, parents, and in-laws) and frequency of familial contact. Standardized methods were used to measure abdominal obesity, BMI, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and smoking status. Multivariate regression was used to examine associations of structural support with individual CVD risk factors with demographics, acculturation, physical health, and psychological ill-being (depressive symptoms and anxiety) included as covariates. Results: There were no significant cross-sectional associations of structural support indices with abdominal obesity, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, or smoking status. There was a marginally significant (OR: 1.05; 95%CI 0.99–1.11) trend toward higher odds of obesity in participants reporting a larger family unit (including children, parents, and in-laws) and those with closer ties with extended family relatives (OR: 1.04; 95%CI 0.99–1.09). Conclusions: Structural social support was marginally associated with higher odds of obesity in Hispanic/Latino adults with diabetes. Alternate forms of social support (e.g. healthcare professionals, friends, peers) should be further explored as potential markers of cardiac risk in Hispanics/Latinos with diabetes

Association between exposure to household cigarette smoking behavior and cigarette smoking in Hispanic adults: Findings from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos

Cigarette smoking behavior is highly determined by social influences during childhood and adolescence. This phenomenon has not been fully evaluated in the Hispanic/Latino population. To examine the association between exposure to household cigarette smoking behavior (HCSB) and adult cigarette smoking among a diverse Hispanic/Latino population living in four US urban centers. The effect of acculturation on cigarette smoking was also evaluated. Data from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) (n=13,231, ages 18–74years, collected between March 2008 and June 2011) were analyzed using logistic regression. HCSB exposure was an independent risk factor for adult current cigarette smoking in Hispanic/Latinos (OR 1.7; 95% CI 1.4, 2.1) after controlling for relevant confounders including socio-demographic and cultural factors. Cubans and Puerto Ricans had the highest prevalence of HCSB exposure (59% and 47% respectively) and highest prevalence of current cigarette smoking (26% and 32%) compared with other Hispanic/Latino groups, (p<.01). Our data suggest that exposure to HCSB in Hispanics/Latinos living in the US is an independent predictor of adult cigarette smoking, and this association appears to be strongest in Cubans and Puerto Ricans. •Prevalence of childhood exposure to household smoking behavior was 40%.•Exposure to household smoking behavior was a risk factor for cigarette smoking.•The association appeared to be strongest for Cubans and Puerto Ricans

Using QSR-NVivo to facilitate the development of a grounded theory project: an account of a worked example

This paper demonstrates how the software package QSR-NVivo can be used to faciitate a grounded theory approach. Recent research evidence has questioned the methodological quality of many studies that claim to utilise grounded theory. This paper argues that qualitative data analysis software can be used to encourage good quality grounded theory research by facilitating many of the key processes and characteristics associated with this approach. To achieve this, the paper identifies a number of grounded theory characteristics, common to all revisions of the methodology. It then describes the development of a recent study, which examined how people successfully maintain long-term physical activity behaviour change. The purpose of this is to demonstrate how different functions of QSR-NVivo may be used in conjunction with the key grounded theory characteristics. In summary, QSR-NVivo is a powerful tool that, if used appropriately, can facilitate many aspects of the grounded theory process from the design and early sampling procedures, through to the analysis of data, theoretical development and presentation of findings