Perceptions of physical activity, activity preferences and health among a group of adult women in urban Ghana: A pilot study

Background: Obesity and other lifestyle-related chronic diseases impact urban West African women at high rates. Physical activity (PA) can improve these health outcomes, but there is little published data on the associated psychosocial predictors in this population.Objectives: We aimed to explore preliminary associations between  perceptions of PA, PA behaviours, and health in a group of Ghanaian women.Methods: Non-experimental, cross-sectional case study using a mixed-methods approach. Focus groups and in-depth interviews with a convenience sample of Ghanaian women, fitness trainers and clergy  comprised the qualitative phase. A self-administered survey (n=218) comprised the quantitative phase. Constant comparative method, logistic regression, component and factor analyses were used for analysis.Results: Women viewed activities of daily living like housework as PA; rarely utilized organized fitness facilities; understood "rigorous" PA as professional male athleticism; and took interest in socialized PA. Meanage was 49.4 years. Mean body mass index was 30.3 kg/m2. The majority (75.9 %) reported exercising sometimes or often. Half (48.4%) reported a lifestylerelated chronic disease. "Weight loss," "health concerns" and "increased energy," were top motivators for PA. "Can't find the time," "work/family obligations," and "don't have a facility" were top barriers. Presence of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and prior weightloss correlated with the slimming motivator (adjusted odds ratio 2.59, p=0.008; AOR 3.56, p=0.012; AOR 3.36, p=<0.001).Conclusion: Among those surveyed, PA motivators and barriers were associated with demographics, PA exposure, and health status. Further research on unique PA perceptions, behaviours and health could catalyzehealth promotion through culturally relevant fitness programming.Keywords: physical activity, Ghana, women, facilitators, barriers

Promoting physical activity among native american youth: A systematic review of the methodology and current evidence of physical activity interventions and community-wide initiatives

Promoting physical activity using environmental, policy, and systems approaches could potentially address persistent health disparities faced by American Indian and Alaska Native children and adolescents. To address research gaps and help inform tribally led community changes that promote physical activity, this review examined the methodology and current evidence of physical activity interventions and community-wide initiatives among Native youth. A keyword-guided search was conducted in multiple databases to identify peer-reviewed research articles that reported on physical activity among Native youth. Ultimately, 20 unique interventions (described in 76 articles) and 13 unique community-wide initiatives (described in 16 articles) met the study criteria. Four interventions noted positive changes in knowledge and attitude relating to physical activity but none of the interventions examined reported statistically significant improvements on weight-related outcomes. Only six interventions reported implementing environmental, policy, and system approaches relating to promoting physical activity and generally only shared anecdotal information about the approaches tried. Using community-based participatory research or tribally driven research models strengthened the tribal-research partnerships and improved the cultural and contextual sensitivity of the intervention or community-wide initiative. Few interventions or community-wide initiatives examined multi-level, multi-sector interventions to promote physical activity among Native youth, families, and communities. More research is needed to measure and monitor physical activity within this understudied, high risk group. Future research could also focus on the unique authority and opportunity of tribal leaders and other key stakeholders to use environmental, policy, and systems approaches to raise a healthier generation of Native youth

A Youth-Leader Program in Baltimore City Recreation Centers: Lessons Learned and Applications

Peer-led interventions may be an effective means of addressing the childhood obesity epidemichowever, few studies have looked at the long-term sustainability of such programs. As part of a multilevel obesity prevention intervention, B'More Healthy Communities for Kids, 16 Baltimore college students were trained as youth-leaders (YLs) to deliver a skill-based nutrition curriculum to low-income African American children (10-14 years old). In April 2015, formative research was used to inform sustainability of the YL program in recreation centers. In-depth interviews were conducted with recreation center directors (n = 4) and the YLs (n = 16). Two focus groups were conducted with YLs (n = 7) and community youth-advocates (n = 10). Barriers to this program included difficulties with transportation, time constraints, and recruiting youth. Lessons learned indicated that improving trainings and incentives to youth were identified as essential strategies to foster continuity of the youth-led program and capacity building. High school students living close to the centers were identified as potential candidates to lead the program. Based on our findings, the initial intervention will be expanded into a sustainable model for implementation, using a train-the-trainer approach to empower community youth to be change agents of the food environment and role models.Johns Hopkins Urban Health InstituteGlobal Obesity Prevention Center at Johns HopkinsEunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human DevelopmentOffice of the Director, National Institutes of Health [U54HD070725]646 CNPq [GDE: 249316/2013-7]Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Sch Publ Hlth, Baltimore, MD USAUniv Tennessee, Knoxville, TN USAUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Santos, SP, BrazilDept Recreat & Pk City Baltimore, Baltimore, MD USAUniv Maryland Extens, Ellicott City, MD USAUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Santos, SP, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Assessing the association of the HNF1A G319S variant with C-reactive protein in Aboriginal Canadians: a population-based epidemiological study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>C-reactive protein (CRP), a biomarker of inflammation, has been associated with increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Common variants of the hepatocyte nuclear factor 1A (<it>HNF1A) </it>gene encoding HNF-1α have been associated with plasma CRP in predominantly European Caucasian samples. <it>HNF1A </it>might therefore have an impact on vascular disease and diabetes risk that is mediated by CRP. In an Aboriginal Canadian population, a private polymorphism, <it>HNF1A </it>G319S, was associated with increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes. However, it has not been investigated whether this association is mediated by CRP. We aimed to investigate whether CRP was mediating the association between <it>HNF1A </it>G319S and type 2 diabetes in an Aboriginal Canadian population with a high prevalence of diabetes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 718 individuals who participated in a diabetes prevalence and risk factor survey were included in the current analysis. Participants were genotyped for <it>HNF1A </it>G319S. Fasting plasma samples were analyzed for CRP. Fasting plasma glucose and a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test were obtained to determine type 2 diabetes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The prevalence rate of type 2 diabetes was 17.4% (125/718) using the 1999 World Health Organization definition and was higher among S319 allele carriers compared to G/G homozygotes (p < 0.0001). Among participants without type 2 diabetes, CRP levels were higher among G/G homozygotes (1.64 [95% confidence interval 1.35-2.00] mg/l) than in S319 carriers (1.26 [1.04-1.54] mg/l) (p = 0.009) after adjustment for age, sex, 2-h post-load glucose, waist circumference, and serum amyloid A. CRP levels were elevated among those with diabetes after similar adjustment (4.39 [95% confidence interval 3.09-6.23] and 4.44 [3.13-6.30] mg/L, respectively), and no significant difference in CRP was observed between S319 carriers and non-carriers (p = 0.95).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>CRP levels were lower in S319 allele carriers of the <it>HNF1A </it>gene compared to non-carriers among individuals without diabetes, but this difference was not present among those with diabetes, who uniformly had elevated CRP levels. Therefore, while <it>HNF1A </it>appears to influence CRP concentrations in the non-diabetic state, chronic elevation of CRP is unlikely mediating the association between the <it>HNF1A </it>polymorphism and the high prevalence of type 2 diabetes in this Aboriginal population.</p

Dynamics of intervention adoption, implementation, and maintenance inside organizations: The case of an obesity prevention initiative

Overall impact of public health prevention interventions relies not only on the average efficacy of an intervention, but also on the successful adoption, implementation, and maintenance (AIM) of that intervention. In this study, we aim to understand the dynamics that regulate AIM of organizational level intervention programs. We focus on two well-documented obesity prevention interventions, implemented in food carry-outs and stores in low-income urban areas of Baltimore, Maryland, which aimed to improve dietary behaviour for adults by providing access to healthier foods and point-of-purchase promotions. Building on data from field observations, in-depth interviews, and data discussed in previous publications, as well as the strategy and organizational behaviour literature, we developed a system dynamics model of the key processes of AIM. With simulation analysis, we show several reinforcing mechanisms that span stakeholder motivation, communications, and implementation quality and costs can turn small changes in the process of AIM into big difference in the overall impact of the intervention. Specifically, small changes in the allocation of resources to communication with stakeholders of intervention could have a nonlinear long-term impact if those additional resources can turn stakeholders into allies of the intervention, reducing the erosion rates and enhancing sustainability. We present how the dynamics surrounding communication, motivation, and erosion can create significant heterogeneity in the overall impact of otherwise similar interventions. Therefore, careful monitoring of how those dynamics unfold, and timely adjustments to keep the intervention on track are critical for successful implementation and maintenance

How patient and community involvement in diabetes research influences health outcomes : a realist review

Background Patient and public involvement in diabetes research is an international requirement, but little is known about the relationship between the process of involvement and health outcomes. Objective This realist review identifies who benefits from different types of involvement across different contexts and circumstances. Search strategies Medline, CINAHL and EMBASE were searched to identify interventions using targeted, embedded or collaborative involvement to reduce risk and promote self‐management of diabetes. People at risk/with diabetes, providers and community organizations with an interest in addressing diabetes were included. There were no limitations on date, language or study type. Data extraction and synthesis Data were extracted from 29 projects using elements from involvement frameworks. A conceptual analysis of involvement types was used to complete the synthesis. Main results Projects used targeted (4), embedded (8) and collaborative (17) involvement. Productive interaction facilitated over a sufficient period of time enabled people to set priorities for research. Partnerships that committed to collaboration increased awareness of diabetes risk and mobilized people to co‐design and co‐deliver diabetes interventions. Cultural adaptation increased relevance and acceptance of the intervention because they trusted local delivery approaches. Local implementation produced high levels of recruitment and retention, which project teams associated with achieving diabetes health outcomes. Discussion and Conclusions Achieving understanding of community context, developing trusting relationships across sectors and developing productive partnerships were prerequisites for designing research that was feasible and locally relevant. The proportion of diabetes studies incorporating these elements is surprisingly low. Barriers to resourcing partnerships need to be systematically addressed

Dietary Patterns, Insulin Resistance, and Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes in the Whitehall II Study

OBJECTIVE—The aim of this study was to identify a dietary pattern associated with insulin resistance and investigate whether this pattern was prospectively associated with type 2 diabetes