Determinants of Successful Weight Loss in Low-Income African American Women: A Positive Deviance Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: We set out to investigate the behaviors of low-income African American women who successfully lost weight. METHODS: From an urban, academic, family medicine practice, we used a mixed methods positive deviance approach to evaluate 35 low-income African American women who were obese and lost at least 10% of their maximum weight, and maintained this loss for 6 months, comparing them with 36 demographically similar control participants who had not lost weight. Survey outcomes included demographics and behaviors that were hypothesized to be related to successful weight loss. Interviews focused on motivations, barriers, and what made weight loss successful. Survey data were analyzed using t tests and linear regression for continuous outcomes and chi-square tests and logistic regression for categorical outcomes. Interviews were analyzed using a modified approach to grounded theory. RESULTS: In adjusted analyses, women in the positive deviant group were more likely to be making diet changes compared with those women who did not lose at least 10% of their initial body weight. Major themes from qualitative analyses included ( a) motivations (of health, appearance, quality of life, family, and epiphanies), ( b) opportunity (including time and support), ( c) adaptability. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study may be useful in developing motivational interviewing strategies for primary care providers working with similar high-risk populations

Weight gain in pregnancy and risk of maternal hyperglycemia

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine associations of weight gain from prepregnancy to glycemic screening with glucose tolerance status. STUDY DESIGN: Main outcomes were failed glycemic screening (1-hour glucose result \u3eor= 140 mg/dL) with either 1 high value on 3-hour oral glucose tolerance testing (impaired glucose tolerance in pregnancy) or \u3eor= 2 high values on 3-hour oral glucose tolerance testing (gestational diabetes mellitus). We performed multinomial logistic regression to determine the odds of these glucose intolerance outcomes by quartile of gestational weight gain among 1960 women in Project Viva. RESULTS: Mean gestational weight gain was 10.2 +/- 4.3 (SD) kg. Compared with the lowest quartile of weight gain, participants in the highest quartile had an increased odds of impaired glucose tolerance in pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio, 2.54; 95% confidence interval, 1.25-5.15), but not gestational diabetes mellitus (odds ratio, 0.93; 95% confidence interval, 0.50-1.70). CONCLUSION: Higher weight gain predicted impaired glucose tolerance in pregnancy, but not gestational diabetes mellitus

Misperceived pre-pregnancy body weight status predicts excessive gestational weight gain: findings from a US cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Excessive gestational weight gain promotes poor maternal and child health outcomes. Weight misperception is associated with weight gain in non-pregnant women, but no data exist during pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of misperceived pre-pregnancy body weight status with excessive gestational weight gain.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>At study enrollment, participants in Project Viva reported weight, height, and perceived body weight status by questionnaire. Our study sample comprised 1537 women who had either normal or overweight/obese pre-pregnancy BMI. We created 2 categories of pre-pregnancy body weight status misperception: normal weight women who identified themselves as overweight ('overassessors') and overweight/obese women who identified themselves as average or underweight ('underassessors'). Women who correctly perceived their body weight status were classified as either normal weight or overweight/obese accurate assessors. We performed multivariable logistic regression to determine the odds of excessive gestational weight gain according to 1990 Institute of Medicine guidelines.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the 1029 women with normal pre-pregnancy BMI, 898 (87%) accurately perceived and 131 (13%) overassessed their weight status. 508 women were overweight/obese, of whom 438 (86%) accurately perceived and 70 (14%) underassessed their pre-pregnancy weight status. By the end of pregnancy, 823 women (54%) gained excessively. Compared with normal weight accurate assessors, the adjusted odds of excessive gestational weight gain was 2.0 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.3, 3.0) in normal weight overassessors, 2.9 (95% CI: 2.2, 3.9) in overweight/obese accurate assessors, and 7.6 (95% CI: 3.4, 17.0) in overweight/obese underassessors.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Misperceived pre-pregnancy body weight status was associated with excessive gestational weight gain among both normal weight and overweight/obese women, with the greatest likelihood of excessive gain among overweight/obese underassessors. Future interventions should test the potential benefits of correcting misperception to reduce the likelihood of excessive gestational weight gain.</p

Overcoming Obesity: A Mixed Methods Study of the Impact of Primary Care Physician Counseling on Low-Income African American Women Who Successfully Lost Weight.

Purpose: Low-income, African American women are disproportionately impacted by obesity. Little is known about the interactions between low-income, African American women who successfully lost weight and their primary care physicians (PCPs). Design: Mixed methods, positive deviance study. Setting: Urban university-based family medicine practice. Participants: The positive deviance group comprised low-income, African American women who were obese, lost 10% body weight, and maintained this loss for 6 months. Measures: The PCP- and patient-reported weight-related variables collected through the electronic medical record (EMR), surveys, and interviews. Analysis: Logistic regression of quantitative variables. Qualitative analysis using modified grounded theory. Results: The EMR documentation by PCPs of dietary counseling and a weight-related medical problem were significant predictors of positive deviant group membership. Qualitative analyses of interviews revealed 5 major themes: framing obesity in the context of other health problems provided motivation; having a full discussion around weight management was important; an ongoing relationship with the physician was valuable; celebrating small successes was beneficial; and advice was helpful but self-motivation was necessary. Conclusion: The PCP counseling may be an important factor in promoting weight loss in low-income, African American women. Patients may benefit from their PCPs drawing connections between obesity and weight-related medical conditions and enhancing intrinsic motivation for weight loss

Addressing Obesity in Pregnancy: What Do Obstetric Providers Recommend?

Maternal obesity is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. To improve outcomes, obstetric providers must effectively evaluate and manage their obese pregnant patients. We sought to determine the knowledge, attitudes, and practice patterns of obstetric providers regarding obesity in pregnancy

The beginning of time? Evidence for catastrophic drought in Baringo in the early nineteenth century

New developments in the collection of palaeo-data over the past two decades have transformed our understanding of climate and environmental history in eastern Africa. This article utilises instrumental and proxy evidence of historical lake-level fluctuations from Baringo and Bogoria, along with other Rift Valley lakes, to document the timing and magnitude of hydroclimate variability at decadal to century time scales since 1750. These data allow us to construct a record of past climate variation not only for the Baringo basin proper, but also across a sizable portion of central and northern Kenya. This record is then set alongside historical evidence, from oral histories gathered amongst the peoples of northern Kenya and the Rift Valley and from contemporary observations recorded by travellers through the region, to offer a reinterpretation of human activity and its relationship to environmental history in the nineteenth century. The results reveal strong evidence of a catastrophic drought in the early nineteenth century, the effects of which radically alters our historical understanding of the character of settlement, mobility and identity within the Baringo–Bogoria basin

A Draft Genome of \u3ci\u3eYersinia Pestis\u3c/i\u3e From Victims of the Black Death

Technological advances in DNA recovery and sequencing have drastically expanded the scope of genetic analyses of ancient specimens to the extent that full genomic investigations are now feasible and are quickly becoming standard1. This trend has important implications for infectious disease research because genomic data from ancient microbes may help to elucidate mechanisms of pathogen evolution and adaptation for emerging and re-emerging infections. Here we report a reconstructed ancient genome of Yersinia pestis at 30-fold average coverage from Black Death victims securely dated to episodes of pestilence-associated mortality in London, England, 1348–1350. Genetic architecture and phylogenetic analysis indicate that the ancient organism is ancestral to most extant strains and sits very close to the ancestral node of all Y. pestis commonly associated with human infection. Temporal estimates suggest that the Black Death of 1347–1351 was the main historical event responsible for the introduction and widespread dissemination of the ancestor to all currently circulating Y. pestis strains pathogenic to humans, and further indicates that contemporary Y. pestis epidemics have their origins in the medieval era. Comparisons against modern genomes reveal no unique derived positions in the medieval organism, indicating that the perceived increased virulence of the disease during the Black Death may not have been due to bacterial phenotype. These findings support the notion that factors other than microbial genetics, such as environment, vector dynamics and host susceptibility, should be at the forefront of epidemiological discussions regarding emerging Y. pestis infections