The Associations Between Access to Recreational Facilities and Adherence to the American Heart Association's Physical Activity Guidelines in US Adults

Physical activity decreases the risk of long-term health consequences including cardiac diseases. According to the American Health Association (AHA), adults should perform at least 75 min of vigorous physical activity (PA) or 150 min of moderate PA per week to impact long-term health. Results of previous studies are varied and have yet to integrate perceived access to facilities with AHA PA guidelines. We investigated whether access to free or low-cost recreational facilities was associated with meeting the AHA PA guidelines.Methodology: This cross-sectional study utilized data extracted from the Family Life, Activity, Sun, Health, and Eating (FLASHE) database collected in 2017 (n = 1,750). The main exposure variable was access to free or low-cost recreational facilities. The main outcome variable was meeting the AHA guidelines of 150 min moderate PA or 75 min vigorous PA per week. Covariates included age, sex, level of education, overall health, BMI, ethnicity, hours of work per week, income, and time living at current address. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression analysis were used to calculate measures of odds ratio (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI).Results: Of the 1,750 included participants, 61.7% (n = 1,079) reported to have access to recreational facilities. Of those with access to facilities, 69.9% met AHA PA guidelines while 30.4% did not. After adjusting for covariates, participants who reported access to recreational facilities were 42% more likely to meet AHA PA guidelines compared with participants who did not (adjusted OR 1.42; 95% CI 1.14-1.76). Secondary results suggest that healthier individuals were more likely to have met AHA PA guidelines.Conclusions: Having access to free or low-cost recreational facilities such as parks, walking trails, bike paths and courts was associated with meeting the AHA PA guidelines. Increasing prevalence and awareness of neighborhood recreational facilities could assist in access to these facilities and increase the ability of individuals to meet AHA PA guidelines. Future research should determine which types of recreational facilities impact physical activity strongest and discover methods of increasing their awareness.Peer reviewe

Smoking and cancer, cardiovascular and total mortality among older adults: The Finrisk Study

Little information is available about the deleterious effect of smoking in older adults The objective of this study was to assess the relationship of smoking habits with cancer, CVD and all-cause mortality in late middle-age (45–64 years) and older (65–74) people. This cohort study of 6516 men and 6514 women studied the relationship of smoking habits with cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality among middle-aged and older Finnish men and women during 1997–2013. The study cohort was followed up until the end of 2013 (median follow-up time was 11.8 years). Mortality data were obtained from the National Causes of Death Register and data on incident stroke events from the National Hospital Discharge Register. Adjusted Hazard ratios (HR) for total mortality were 2.61 (95% Confidence interval 2.15–3.18) among 45–64 years-old men and 2.59 (2.03–3.29) in 65–74 years-old men. The corresponding HRs for women 45–64 years-of-age were 3.21 (2.47–4.19) and 3.12 (2.09–4.68) for those 65–74 years-old, respectively. Adjusted HRs for CVD mortality in the 45–64 years-old and 65–74 years-old groups were 2.67 (1.92–2.67) and 1.95 (1.33–2.86) in men, and 4.28 (2.29–7.99) and 2.67 (1.28–5.58) in women, respectively. Among men, the risk difference between never and current smokers was 108/100.000 in the age-group 45–64 years, and 324/100.000 in the age group 65–74 years. Among women the differences were 52/100.000 and 196/100.000, respectively. In conclusion, absolute risk difference between never and current smokers are larger among the older age group. Smoking cessation counseling should routinely target also older adults in primary health-care.Peer reviewe

The Association Between Race and Diagnostic Delay of Retinoblastoma in US Children

The Association Between Race and Diagnostic Delay of Retinoblastoma in US Children Alexander K. Black1, Amanda E. Kahn2, Roberto Warman3, Noël C. Barengo4 1 Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, [email protected], ORCID: 0000-0003-1688-5109 2 Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, [email protected], ORICD: 0000-0002-8045-4576 3 Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, [email protected]. 4 Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, [email protected], ORCID: 0000-0003-0660-3091 Objective: Explore associations between race and age at diagnosis of retinoblastoma in children in the United States between 1988-2018. Methods: An analytical non-concurrent cohort study was conducted using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from 1988-2018. The cohort includes children ages 0-17 diagnosed with retinoblastoma. The exposure was race and the outcome was age at diagnosis. Primary diagnosis after two years old was considered diagnostic delay. Covariates include sex, rural-urban continuum, ethnicity, decade of diagnosis, and disease laterality. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression analysis were performed to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: In total, 747 participants met inclusion criteria. By racial group, 70.15% of participants were white, 16.33% black, 10.98% Asian/Pacific Islander and 2.54% American Indian/Alaska native. By ethnicity, 84.34% were non-Hispanic. No statistically significant associations between racial or ethnic groups and age at diagnosis compared to the non-Hispanic white control group (black OR 0.92; 95% CI 0.58-1.54, Asian/Pacific Islander OR 1.15; 95% CI 0.50-19.95, American Indian/Alaska native OR 0.61; 95% CI 0.20-1.85, Hispanic OR 0.86; 95% CI 0.52 -1.41) were found. Females were significantly more likely to be diagnosed under age two compared to males (OR 0.62; 95% CI 0.44-0.88). Conclusion: While many variables affect development of retinoblastoma, this nationwide study of US children suggests that timely identification of retinoblastoma does not differ based on race or ethnicity. Keywords: retinoblastoma, race/ethnicity, epidemiolog

Is having difficulty meeting the recommended physical activity guidelines associated with cognitive difficulties in US adults?

This abstract summarizes and gives a brief overview of our analytical research study on the associations of meeting physical activity guidelines and cognitive difficulties such as difficulty remembering/concentrating

Determinación de sodio urinario como marcador bioquímico para estimar la ingesta de sal en trabajadores del Ministerio de Salud Pública y Bienestar Social, Paraguay

Peer reviewe

Early Lifestyle Interventions in People with Impaired Glucose Tolerance in Northern Colombia: The DEMOJUAN Project

Background: The objective of the demonstration project for type 2 diabetes prevention in the Barranquilla and Juan Mina (DEMOJUAN) study was to investigate the extent to which it is possible to reach normal glucose metabolism with early lifestyle interventions in people at high risk of type 2 diabetes (prediabetes), compared with those who receive standard usual care. Methods: DEMOJUAN was a randomized controlled trial conducted in Juan Mina and Barranquilla, Northern Colombia. Eligible participants were randomized into one of three groups (control group, initial nutritional intervention, and initial physical activity intervention). The duration of the intervention was 24 months. The main study outcome in the present analysis was reversion to normoglycemia. Relative risks and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals were calculated for reversal to normoglycemia and T2D incidence. Results: There was no statistically significant association between the intervention groups and reversion to normoglycemia. The relative risk of reversion to normoglycemia was 0.88 (95% CI 0.70–1.12) for the initial nutritional intervention group participants and 0.95 (95% CI 0.75–1.20) for the initial physical activity intervention group participants. Conclusions: Our study did not find any statistically significant differences in reversion to normoglycemia or the development of type 2 diabetes between the intervention groups and the control group in this population

Large scale application of the Finnish diabetes risk score in Latin American and Caribbean populations: a descriptive study

BackgroundThe prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) continues to increase in the Americas. Identifying people at risk for T2D is critical to the prevention of T2D complications, especially cardiovascular disease. This study gauges the ability to implement large population-based organized screening campaigns in 19 Latin American and Caribbean countries to detect people at risk for T2D using the Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (FINDRISC).MethodsThis cross-sectional descriptive analysis uses data collected in a sample of men and women 18 years of age or older who completed FINDRISC via eHealth during a Guinness World Record attempt campaign between October 25 and November 1, 2021. FINDRISC is a non-invasive screening tool based on age, body mass index, waist circumference, physical activity, daily intake of fruits and vegetables, history of hyperglycemia, history of antihypertensive drug treatment, and family history of T2D, assigning a score ranging from 0 to 26 points. A cut-off point of ≥ 12 points was considered as high risk for T2D.ResultsThe final sample size consisted of 29,662 women (63%) and 17,605 men (27%). In total, 35% of subjects were at risk of T2D. The highest frequency rates (FINDRISC ≥ 12) were observed in Chile (39%), Central America (36.4%), and Peru (36.1%). Chile also had the highest proportion of people having a FINDRISC ≥15 points (25%), whereas the lowest was observed in Colombia (11.3%).ConclusionsFINDRISC can be easily implemented via eHealth technology over social networks in Latin American and Caribbean populations to detect people with high risk for T2D. Primary healthcare strategies are needed to perform T2D organized screening to deliver early, accessible, culturally sensitive, and sustainable interventions to prevent sequelae of T2D, and reduce the clinical and economic burden of cardiometabolic-based chronic disease