The Relationship between Grade-Level and Breakfast Skipping among Adolescents: The Mediating Effects of Dietary Autonomy

Breakfast skipping among adolescents in the United States is a public health issue because it has adverse consequences on dietary intake and body mass index. The primary aim of this study is to examine the relationship between grade level and reported breakfast skipping among adolescents and whether it is mediated by dietary autonomy. Analyses were based on self-reported data from Wave I of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, a nationally representative sample of adolescents in the United States surveyed in 1995. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the effects of grade level and dietary autonomy on adolescents’ reported breakfast skipping. Following MacKinnon and Dwyer, we tested whether the effect of grade level on breakfast skipping was mediated by adolescents’ dietary autonomy. After controlling for sex, race, exercise, parental education, and household income, both grade level (OR = 2.005, 95% CI = 1.684-2.387) and dietary autonomy (OR = 1.435, 95% CI = 1.157-1.780) were each significant predictors of breakfast skipping when tested separately. Mediation analysis showed that dietary autonomy partially mediated the relationship between grade-level and breakfast skipping. Since adolescents in higher grades and those with more dietary autonomy are more likely to skip breakfast, nutritional messages may need to continue beyond the lower grades and emphasize that healthy eating habits can demonstrate autonomy

Optimism and Planning for Future Care Needs Among Older Adults

Aging is associated with an increase in need for assistance. Preparation for future care (PFC) is related to improved coping ability as well as better mental and physical health outcomes among older adults. We examined the association of optimism with components of PFC among older adults. We also explored race differences in the relationship between optimism and PFC. In Study 1, multiple regression showed that optimism was positively related to concrete planning. In Study 2, optimism was related to gathering information. An exploratory analysis combining the samples yielded a race interaction: For Whites higher optimism, but for Blacks lower optimism was associated with more planning. High optimism may be a barrier to future planning in certain social and cultural contexts

Anxiety and depression in patients with advanced macular degeneration: current perspectives.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) - despite advances in prevention and medical treatment options - remains prevalent among older adults, often resulting in functional losses that negatively affect the mental health of older adults. In particular, the prevalence of both anxiety and depression in patients with AMD is high. Along with medical treatment options, low vision rehabilitation and AMD-specific behavioral and self-management programs have been developed and have demonstrated effectiveness in improving the mental health of AMD patients. This article reviews the prevalence of anxiety and depression in patients with advanced AMD, discusses potential mechanisms accounting for the development of depression and anxiety in AMD patients, presents the state-of the-art of available interventions for addressing anxiety and depression in AMD patients, and delineates recommendations for eye care professionals regarding how to screen for these two prevalent mental health problems and how to facilitate appropriate treatment for patients with AMD

Trait Hope and Preparation for Future Care Needs among Older Adult Primary Care Patients

We examined associations between trait hope and preparation for future care needs (PFCN) among 66 older adult primary care patients in western New York. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing PFCN (awareness, information gathering, decision-making, concrete planning, and avoidance), and the Adult Trait Hope Scale. In multivariate regressions, lower hope, particularly less agency, was associated with more awareness of needing care, whereas higher hopefulness, particularly pathways thinking, was associated with increased decision-making and concrete planning. Greater hopefulness appears to be linked to goal-directed planning behaviors, although those with lower hope may actually be more aware of the need for planning. Evidence-based programming that encourages learned hopefulness may contribute to enhanced health planning and decision-making among older adult primary care patients

Repeatability of quantitative parameters of 18F-fluoride PET/CT and biochemical tumour and specific bone remodelling markers in prostate cancer bone metastases

PURPOSE: 18F-fluoride PET/CT exhibits high sensitivity to delineate and measure the extent of bone metastatic disease in patients with prostate cancer. 18F-fluoride PET/CT could potentially replace traditional bone scintigraphy in clinical routine and trials. However, more studies are needed to assess repeatability and biological uptake variation. The aim of this study was to perform test-retest analysis of quantitative PET-derived parameters and blood/serum bone turnover markers at the same time point. Ten patients with prostate cancer and verified bone metastases were prospectively included. All underwent two serial 18F-fluoride PET/CT at 1 h post-injection. Up to five dominant index lesions and whole-body 18F-fluoride skeletal tumour burden were recorded per patient. Lesion-based PET parameters were SUVmax, SUVmean and functional tumour volume applying a VOI with 50% threshold (FTV50%). The total skeletal tumour burden, total lesion 18F-fluoride (TLF), was calculated using a threshold of SUV of ≥15. Blood/serum biochemical bone turnover markers obtained at the time of each PET were PSA, ALP, S-osteocalcin, S-beta-CTx, 1CTP and BAP. RESULTS: A total of 47 index lesions and a range of 2-122 bone metastases per patient were evaluated. Median time between 18F-fluoride PET/CT was 7 days (range 6-8 days). Repeatability coefficients were for SUVmax 26%, SUVmean 24%, FTV50% for index lesions 23% and total skeletal tumour burden (TLF) 35%. Biochemical bone marker repeatability coefficients were for PSA 19%, ALP 23%, S-osteocalcin 18%, S-beta-CTx 22%, 1CTP 18% and BAP 23%. CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative 18F-fluoride uptake and simultaneous biochemical bone markers measurements are reproducible for prostate cancer metastases and show similar magnitude in test-retest variation

Crafting a Grant Proposal for Research

Lecture describing the process of writing a grant for research