Association of Childhood Economic Hardship with Adult Height and Adult Adiposity among Hispanics/Latinos. The HCHS/SOL Socio-Cultural Ancillary Study

The study examined the association of childhood and current economic hardship with anthropometric indices in Hispanic/Latino adults, using data from the HCHS/SOL Socio-cultural ancillary study (N = 5,084), a community-based study of Hispanic/Latinos living in four urban areas (Bronx, NY, Chicago, IL, Miami, FL, and San Diego, CA). Childhood economic hardship was defined as having experienced a period of time when one’s family had trouble paying for basic needs (e.g., food, housing), and when this economic hardship occurred: between 0–12, 13–18 years old, or throughout both of those times. Current economic hardship was defined as experiencing trouble paying for basic needs during the past 12 months. Anthropometry included height, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and percentage body fat (%BF). Complex survey linear regression models were used to test the associations of childhood economic hardship with adult anthropometric indices, adjusting for potential confounders (e.g., age, sex, Hispanic background). Childhood economic hardship varied by Hispanic background, place of birth, and adult socio-economic status. Childhood economic hardship during both periods, childhood and adolescence, was associated with shorter height. Childhood economic hardship was associated with greater adiposity among US born individuals only. Current economic hardship was significantly associated with all three measures of adiposity (BMI, WC, %BF). These findings suggest that previous periods of childhood economic hardship appear to influence adult height more than adiposity, whereas current economic hardship may be a better determinant of adult adiposity in Hispanics

Physical Activity Levels in U.S. Latino/Hispanic Adults

Physical activity (PA) prevalence among U.S. Latino/Hispanic adults of diverse backgrounds is not well known. This study describes PA among a representative sample of U.S. Latino/Hispanic adults

Active children use more locations for physical activity

We examined frequency of use of 11 physical activity (PA) locations among 539 San Diego children (45.0% males, 41.2% Latinos; mean±SD age: 6.6±0.7 years) and explored associations between location use, PA and potential correlates. Parents reported child's use (visits/week) of 11 locations. Child PA was assessed by accelerometry (subsample n=178). The most frequently used locations (mean±SD times/week) were homes (3.2±2.3) and parks/playground (1.6±1.3). Children used 4.0±2.0 locations in a typical week, and made a total of 12.5±6.8 visits/week to all locations. Latinos used fewer locations regularly (3.6±2.1 vs. 4.3±1.9 locations; p < 0.001) and had fewer visits to all locations (11.4±7.4 vs. 13.2±6.4 visits/week; p=0.003) than non-Latinos. Accelerometry-assessed vigorous PA (VPA) was positively associated with the number of locations regularly used (ß=0.04, p=0.03) and total visits to all locations among Latinos (ß=0.09, p=0.005). Parental PA support was positively associated with locations used (ß=0.64, p < 0.001) and visits to all locations (ß=2.56, p < 0.001). Children using a greater variety of locations did more VPA. Latinos making more total visits to all locations had higher VPA

Equitable COVID-19 Vaccination for Hispanics in the United States: A Success Story from California Border Communities

The ongoing 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic continues to impact the health of individuals worldwide, including causing pauses in lifesaving cancer screening and prevention measures. From time to time, elective medical procedures, such as those used for cancer screening and early detection, were deferred due to concerns regarding the spread of the infection. The short- and long-term consequences of these temporary measures are concerning, particularly for medically underserved populations, who already experience inequities and disparities related to timely cancer care. Clearly, the way out of this pandemic is by increasing COVID-19 vaccination rates and doing so in an equitable manner so that communities most affected receive preferential access and administration. In this article, we provide a perspective on vaccine equity by featuring the experience of the California Hispanic community, who has been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. We first compared vaccination rates in two United States&ndash;Mexico border counties in California (San Diego County and Imperial County) to counties elsewhere in California with a similar Hispanic population size. We show that the border counties have substantially lower unvaccinated proportions of Hispanics compared to other counties. We next looked at county vaccination rates according to the California Healthy Places Index, a health equity metric and found that San Diego and Imperial counties achieved more equitable access and distribution than the rest of the state. Finally, we detail strategies implemented to achieve high and equitable vaccination in this border region, including Imperial County, an agricultural region that was California&rsquo;s epicenter of the COVID-19 crisis at the height of the pandemic. These United States&ndash;Mexico border county data show that equitable vaccine access and delivery is possible. Multiple strategies can be used to guide the delivery and access to other public health and cancer preventive services

Worksite physical activity policies and environments in relation to employee physical activity

Purpose: Examine associations between worksite physical activity promotion strategies and employees' physical activity and sedentary behaviors. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Seattle–King County, Washington and Baltimore, Maryland–Washington, D.C. regions. Subjects: Adults working outside the home (n = 1313). Mean age was 45 ± 10 years, 75.8% of participants were non-Hispanic white, 56% were male, and 51% had income ≥$70,000/year. Measures: Participants reported demographic characteristics and presence/absence of nine physical activity promotion environment and policy strategies in their work environment (e.g., showers, lockers, physical activity programs). A worksite physical activity promotion index was a tally of strategies. Total sedentary and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) min/d were objectively assessed via 7-day accelerometry. Total job-related physical activity minutes and recreational physical activity minutes were self-reported with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Analysis: Mixed-effects models and generalized estimating equations evaluated the association of the worksite promotion index with physical activity and sedentary behavior, adjusting for demographics. Results: A higher worksite promotion index was significantly associated with higher total sedentary behavior (β = 3.97), MVPA (β = 1.04), recreational physical activity (β = 1.1 and odds ratio = 1.39; away from work and at work, respectively) and negatively with job-related physical activity (β = .90). Conclusions: Multiple worksite physical activity promotion strategies based on environmental supports and policies may increase recreational physical activity and should be evaluated in controlled trials. These findings are particularly important given the increasingly sedentary nature of employment

Dietary-related and physical activity-related predictors of obesity in children: A 2-year prospective study

Background: This observational study examined cross-sectional and 24-month longitudinal associations of physical activity and dietary behaviors with change in BMI and percent body fat among children aged 6–9 years old. Methods: Data were from the control group (n=271; 48% Latino) of a community-based childhood obesity prevention program. Assessments were conducted at baseline and at 24 months and included height and weight, bioelectrical impedance–derived percent body fat, and 10 physical activity and dietary behaviors measured via parent report of their child. Cross-sectional analysis of variances (ANOVA) (normal weight, overweight, obese) and longitudinal mixed-effects linear regression models were used to investigate the relation of each physical activity and dietary behavior with BMI and percent body fat. Results: At baseline, obese children engaged in less physical activity and more sedentary behavior than normal-weight children (p < 0.05). Increased physical activity (p < 0.01) and number of breakfasts eaten with family (p < 0.05) were associated with decreased BMI z-score and percent body fat. Decreased sedentary behavior and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption were associated with decreased percent body fat (p < 0.05) but not BMI. Conclusions: In this cohort of 271 children, increased physical activity and eating breakfast with family and reduced screen-based sedentary behaviors and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption were associated with more favorable trends in adiposity. Therefore, attention to these behaviors may be of particular importance. Results also suggest that future studies should include percent body fat as an outcome for a more precise assessment of the association of behavior with adiposity

Evaluating US smokers' willingness to pay for different cigarette packaging designs before and after real-world exposure in a randomised trial.

Removal of tobacco industry branding from cigarette packs may reduce their appeal. Adding graphic warning labels (GWLs) should enhance this effect. We investigate whether willingness to pay for various packaging designs changes after 3 months' use of: (1) US branded packs without GWLs (US), (2) non-branded packs without GWLs (Blank), and (3) rotating non-branded packs with GWLs (gangrene; throat cancer; neonatal baby) covering &gt;75% of pack (GWL). Californian adult daily smokers not planning to quit (n=287; 56% female; mean age=39.6) completed a discrete choice purchase task before and after 3 months' experience using one of three packaging options. Conjoint analysis and pre-post modelling evaluated the change in importance of pack attributes and willingness to pay for US, Blank or GWL (blindness; teeth; gangrene) pack designs. Price determined ~70% of purchase choices, while pack design determined ~22%. Irrespective of intervention arm, US packaging generated appeal valuations compared with Blank packaging, while GWLs consistently provoked strong aversive valuations at baseline and follow-up. Compared with the US pack arm, using GWL packs for 3 months decreased willingness to pay for US packaging (β=-$0.38, 95$0.49, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.82) and Blank pack (β=$0.42, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.74) but not for GWLs (blindness, teeth) not used in trial. Compared with US branded packs, the negative valuation of non-branded GWL packs attenuates with even 3 months' use but does not generalise to non-used GWLs. This suggests that GWLs should be regularly refreshed. The appeal valuation of industry imagery suggests that the US plan to retain such imagery on packs may ameliorate the effect of GWLs

Effects of a Community-Based Pilot Intervention on Home Food Availability among U.S. Households

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of a pilot community-based behavioral intervention on the home food environment in U.S. households. Parents (21 females, 2 males; age = 36 &plusmn; 5.5 years; 78% Hispanic) of elementary school-aged children attended a 10-week dietary improvement behavioral intervention targeting an increase in fruit and vegetable consumption and a reduction in sugar intake. Home food availability of fruit, vegetables, and sugar-laden foods and beverages were assessed before and after the intervention using a modified version of the Home Food Inventory. Relative to baseline, the intervention resulted in significant increases in fruit availability (7.7 &plusmn; 3.2 items vs. 9.4 &plusmn; 3.1 items; p = 0.004) and low sugar cereal (2.3 &plusmn; 1.4 types vs. 2.7 &plusmn; 1.4 types; p = 0.033). There was a significant reduction in sugar-sweetened beverage availability (3.2 &plusmn; 1.9 types vs. 1.7 &plusmn; 1.3 types; p = 0.004). There was a significant increase in the number of households with accessible ready-to-eat vegetables and fruit, and a significant reduction in available prepared desserts, and candy (p &lt; 0.01). There were no significant changes in the availability of vegetables and sugar-laden cereals. The current intervention resulted in positive changes in the home food environment. Further research to confirm these results in a randomized controlled trial is warranted