Ethnic Identity, Risk, and Protective Factors Related to Substance Abuse Among Mexican American Students

This study examines the relationship between ethnic identity, risk and protective factors for substance use and academic achievement. Risk factors include deviant behavior and susceptibility to peer influence, while the protective factor is self-reported confidence not to use substances. The sample consists of 2,370 Mexican American students enrolled in eighth, ninth, and tenth grades. Results of the analysis (MANOVA) revealed that females had more positive ethnic identity than males. Furthermore, males were significantly more susceptible to peer influence, reported higher levels of deviant behavior, used more substances and had lower grade point averages than females. There was no significant difference in their confidence not to use substances

Lessons Learned from Training of Promotores de Salud for Obesity and Diabetes Prevention

Background: Promotores de Salud are impactful in reducing health disparities for Hispanic communities. The purpose of this paper is to present the training process and fidelity of study protocol implementation using a promotora model for community-based diabetes prevention. Methods: Five Hispanic bilingual promotores were recruited from a Community Health Worker program and received intensive 30-hour promotora training on how to recruit participants, lead group sessions, and support participants making behavior changes. Evaluation of the training included a survey and focus group to assess promotores’ feedback, a post-training knowledge test to assess knowledge acquired during the training and an observational assessment to measure promotores’ skill acquisition. Evaluation of intervention delivery included in-vivo observations to assess attendance and alignment with protocol and a participant focus group to assess acceptance of the intervention being delivered by the promotores. Results: The promotores’ focus group revealed that promotores were satisfied with the training and perceived it to be clear and enjoyable. Post knowledge test scores were high (M=83.8; SD=6.4). Promotores suggested future trainings include more time to develop presentation skills. Study participants perceived the promotores to be supportive and helpful in assisting them to reach their goals. Discussion: Promotores were able to obtain the necessary skills for delivering a diabetes prevention program in an acceptable way among Mexican American women. Conclusion: Promotores can play a critical role in reducing health disparities among Hispanic populations but need adequate training for fulfilling this critical role

A Preschool Aged Obesity Prevention Project Designed to Increase Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity

Purpose: The purpose of Juntos Y Saludables (Get Healthy Together [GHT]) is to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity by focusing on physical activity and healthy eating. GHT is an ongoing project, with phase one of three completed in May 2010.The GHT program was implemented in the Edgewood Independent School District’s Head Start centers located in San Antonio, TX. These centers were selected due to high prevalence of obesity (50%) and diabetes in children and adults living in the community. Method: The gross motor intervention was implemented at two of the three centers. The intervention consisted of teacher training and supplemental gross motor resources (lesson plans and activity resources). The System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT) was used to assess the amount of time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and the Learning Accomplishment Profile – 3rd Editions (LAP-3) were used to evaluate the program’s effects on gross motor development. Results: At the start of the project, the two intervention centers were spending eleven minutes (roughly 24%) of their gross motor class period engaged in MVPA while at the end of the program sixteen minutes (roughly 35%) of the time was spent engaged in MVPA. There was an overall increase in physical activity (P\u3c0.001) and MVPA (P\u3c0.019) levels in both intervention and control centers. A similar linear improvement was also observed in the LAP-3 results. At the conclusion of the project, all of the students either met or were above their gross motor developmental ages. Conclusion: Through the implementation of the GHT Gross Motor intervention a significant increase occurred in the student’s gross motor skills and the percentage of time spent in MVPA

Benefits of Chinese Qigong Mind-Body Exercise Program on Salivary Biomarkers and Physical Functions in Older Adults

Chinese Qigong mind-body exercise such as Five Animal Frolics have been shown to improve quality of life, physical functions, cognitive functions, and mental health in older adults with various chronic health conditions. However, there is a lack of comprehensive understanding of the biological mechanisms, underlying the health effects after exposing to conventional and mind-body exercise. PURPOSE: The purpose of the study is to profile the changes associated with salivary biomarkers and physical functions after exposure to a 12-week five animal frolics, Chinese Qigong mind-body exercise program in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: Thirteen community-dwelling adults who attended the Senior Nutrition Program at Salvation Army Peacock Center were recruited (average age 77y, BMI: 30.13±3.32kg/m²). The participants completed a 12-week Five Animal Frolics exercise program. Salivary samples and Short Physical Performance Battery for physical function (timed repeated chair sit-to-stand test) were collected from the participants at baseline, 6-week mid-test, and 12-week post-test. Salivary cortisol, IgA, and uric acid were measured using ELISA. Salivary data were corrected by salivary flow rates (FR) of participants. Data were analyzed in SPSS using paired t-test to compare mid- and post-tests to the baseline, and reported as Mean±SD. RESULTS: Sit-to-stand test time showed significant reduction after the 12-week’s exercise program (Pre:12.68±2.45s vs. Mid:11.92±3.59s, p\u3e0.05, Cohen’s d=-0.28; vs. Post:10.73±2.21s, p0.05). Salivary cortisol levels showed mild increase after 12-week exercise intervention before FR correction (Pre:0.25±0.17μg/dL vs. Mid:0.25±0.15μg/dL, Cohen’s d=-0.03; vs. Post: 0.30±0.13μg/dL, Cohen’s d=0.20) and after FR correction (Pre:0.75±0.56ng/min vs. Mid:0.82±0.51ng/min, Cohen’s d=0.14; vs. Post:0.99±0.60ng/min, Cohen’s d=0.27). Salivary IgA decreased after 12-week exercise program before FR correction (Pre:513.49±244.23μg/mL vs. Mid:406.46±196.82μg/mL, Cohen’s d=-0.48; vs. Post: 389.99±189.11μg/mL, Cohen’s d=-0.45) but increased after FR correction (Pre:123.38±74.48μg/min vs. Mid:112.32±63.64μg/min, Cohen’s d=-0.16; vs. Post:178.42±147.13μg/min, Cohen’s d=0.56). Salivary uric acid decreased at mid-test before FR correction (Pre: 5.08±2.26mg/dL vs. Mid:4.13±2.13mg/dL, Cohen’s d=-0.43; vs. Post: 5.40±3.21mg/dL, Cohen’s d=0.06) and at post-test after FR correction (Pre: 15.23±12.94μg/min vs. Mid: 15.25±14.45μg/min, Cohen’s d=0.001; vs. Post:12.34±6.01μg/min, Cohen’s d=-0.29). CONCLUSION: Chinese Qigong is an effective mind-body exercise to improve physical function by decreasing sit-to-stand time. It may be a promising exercise training format to increase salivary IgA and decrease salivary uric acid, but large-scale clinical trial is required for further investigation

Changes in whole body bone mineral composition in a community-based pilot study designed for Mexican-American women at risk for type II diabetes

Changes in whole body bone mineral composition in a community-based pilot study designed for Mexican-American women at risk for type II diabetes David C. Castillo, B.S., Maria G. Placeres, B.S., Arely Perez, M.S., Danielle M. Bravo, B.S., Donovan L. Fogt, Ph.D., Zenong Yin, Ph.D. Mobile Health Laboratory, Department of Health and Kinesiology The University of Texas at San Antonio Classification of First Author (Master’s) Background: Osteoporosis is a serious public health concern in the United States that is expected to increase over the next several years, especially in women. The US Surgeon General’s Report on Bone Health states that individuals can decrease the risk of developing osteoporosis with proper combinations of nutrition and physical activity. Diet and exercise are two important factors that have been shown to prevent or delay the onset of type II diabetes, another national top health concern. Intensive lifestyle interventions, such as The Diabetes Prevention Program have shown that type II diabetes can be delayed or prevented by losing moderate amounts of weight through dietary changes and increased physical activity. It is not clear if a lifestyle intervention can impact bone health. Purpose: This pilot study examined the effects of lifestyle intervention (dietary and physical activity behavior modification) on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC). The intervention was a 14-week community-based pilot study, based on The Diabetes Prevention Program, designed to reduce risk for type II diabetes in high-risk Mexican American women. The research questions were: Did the lifestyle intervention affect the outcome measures (BMC and BMD)? Were there differences in BMC and BMD between age groups (low-age ≤45 yrs. vs. high-age \u3e45 yrs.)? Were there differences in BMC and BMD between body weight groups (≤78 kg vs. \u3e78.1 kg)? Methods: The study used a one-group pre- and post-test design. Twenty-five non-diabetic Mexican-American females (average age = 45, SD = 10.9; BMI 25-40) participated in a 14-week lifestyle intervention pilot study. Changes in BMD (g/cm2) and BMC (g) were measured at baseline and 14 weeks after baseline using whole body dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Results: results of paired t-test showed a significant increase in whole body BMC (p\u3c .0001) and a marginally significant increase in whole body BMD (p\u3c .06). Results of Analysis of Covariance revealed no significant difference in BMC between age groups and a marginally significant increase of BMD (p\u3c .07) in younger participants compared to older participants, after controlling pretest measure. There was a significant increase in BMC (p\u3c .01) and a marginally significant increase in BMD (p\u3c .08) in the high-body weight group compared to the low weight group after controlling for pretest measure. Conclusions: A lifestyle intervention that utilized a combination of physical activity and dietary modification showed great promise toward preventing the onset of osteoporosis, especially in heavier Mexican-American women

Effects of a Head Start Obesity Prevention Pilot on Preschoolers’ Physical Activity

Regular participation in physical activity (PA) is important for the healthy growth and development of preschoolers. The Míranos! Look at Us We Are Healthy (Míranos!) is an obesity prevention intervention with age-appropriate structured and unstructured outdoor/indoor play and classroom activities led by teacher. As an objective instrument to provide information on human movements, accelerometer can accurately identify the levels of physical activity and assess the effects of physical activity intervention. PURPOSE: to evaluate the effects of an 8-week Míranos! pilot intervention on increasing physical activity levels during school time in preschoolers. METHODS: Study participants were children aged 3-5 years enrolled in two Head Start Centers in San Antonio, Texas. Assessments of physical activity level were obtained for time spent in light PA (LPA) and moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA). Children wore accelerometers (ActiGraph wGT3X-BT, ActiGraph, Pensacola, FL) for two days at baseline, 4-weeks, and 8-weeks of the intervention. Accelerometers were worn on the wrist when children arrived at the center and collected by the teachers at the end of the day. Accelerometers must be worn for a minimum of 6 hours for data to be included for analysis. Data were processed on ActiLife-6 (Version 6.13.3, Copyright 2009-2015 Actigraph, LLC.) using cut-off points from Johansson (2016) calibration study. Vector magnitude (VM) counts between 4885 and 11292 per minute were classified as LPA, VM counts above 11293 per minute were classified as MVPA. Independent Samples T-Test was used to assess differences in time (minutes) in LPA, MVPA, and total PA from baseline to 4-week and 8-week time point. RESULTS: Valid data were obtained from 30 children. Independent Samples T-Test showed that there was a significant increase (mean difference=-7.59;

A Preschool Obesity Prevention Program is Associated with Improvements on Physical Activity Quality

The Míranos! Look at Us We Are Healthy (Míranos!) is an eight-week pilot intervention to promote healthy weight gain in low-income preschool Latino children aged 3-5 years. A major focus is to increase time spent in physical activity level, especially moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during play time and improve class instruction quality. According to one published study, preschool children spent only 14% of play session time in MVPA and 73% in sedentary activity (Tandon, 2015). PURPOSE: To assess the effectiveness of the Míranos! pilot intervention on the quality (lesson context, and health promotion interactions) and level of physical activity intensity among 3-5 year old children during outdoor and indoor play sessions conducted in two Head Start Centers in San Antonio, Texas. METHODS: Head Start teachers received a 20-hour training on physical activity and gross motor skill instructions, lesson plans for structured outdoor and indoor activities, and equipment for structured and unstructured outdoor play. System of Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT) was utilized to observe the level of activity intensity (lying down, sitting, standing, walking, and vigorous), lesson context [management, instruction (knowledge, fitness, skill, game), and other “free play”], and teacher-student interactions (in-class and out-class promotion, and no promotion), following an established protocol (McKenzie et al., 1991a; McKenzie 2015). Two trained research assistants recorded the play sessions and coded the activities separately. The observations took place at week 4, week 6, and week 8 of the intervention. There were 4 recorded sessions on week 4, 4 recorded sessions on week 6, and 7 recorded sessions on week 8. RESULTS: Data from 15 sessions and 1,180 observations were scored for a total of 6 hours and 18 minutes. The average session lasting 25.19 minutes (ranging from 10.26 to 39.9 min). Children spent an average of 12% of play time in sedentary activity (lying down and sitting), 61% of time in light activity (standing and walking), and 25% of time in MVPA (vigorous activities). Percent of time spent on management, instructional content (knowledge, fitness, skill, and game), and other “free play” were 18%, 34%, and 47%, respectively. Teachers and teacher aides spent 21% of time for in-class physical activity promotion, 79% no physical activity promotion, and 0% of time for out-class physical activity promotion. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of SOFIT observation, Míranos! intervention increased time children spent in MVPA and decreased time in sedentary activities compared to published data of similar age children. The Míranos! intervention was also successful in increasing the quality of the instruction with 61% of teacher’s time on instruction-related activities

A Conceptual E-learning Model of Kinesiology and Perceived Online Courses by College Students

By reviewing the history of e-learning literature, it is not difficulty to observe how successful of elearning courses and programs across the subject matters of science, language, history, and many other scientific oriented courses. However, questions such as “Is e-learning platform suitable for college Kinesiology, Sport Study, Recreation, Physical Education, and Leisure Study?” and “What are the subject matters that students want to take via e-learning?” etc. are still largely unknown questions for many educators. In the information age today, we are experiencing a variety of demands for physical wellness and health education from many sources. How an e-learning educational programming for Kinesiology and health education can be adequately developed to meet such challenges is still one of the widely discussed topics today among educators. This paper describes an e-learning model for Kinesiology based on an international survey result and the taxonomy of Kinesiology

Juntos y Saludables: Outcomes of a peer led approach to obesity prevention for Head Start

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate Juntos y Saludables (Get Healthy Together), a multi-component obesity prevention pilot tailored for Mexican American Head Start children (ages 3-5). For the parent education component, researchers trained seven peer parent educators to deliver health information via afterschool parent education sessions. When parents attended the sessions, they received a take-home bag with a book and family activity to promote physical activity in the home. Method: Parent intercept interviews, focus groups, and questionnaires were collected (average 80% participation rate). Results: Average participation rate at the parent education sessions was 46% and rates varied between 34% (61 parents) and 53% (94 parents). More parents in the intervention school reported that their child ate fruit at least 3 times (83.5% versus 79.17%), ate in front of the television less than three times (70.87% versus 49.38%) during the typical week and more parents reported that their child watched 2 hours or less of television each day (73.79% versus 13.19%), compared to the comparison school. 81% of parents interviewed correctly identified the program name. On average, parents could recall almost 3 (M=2.94, SD=1.92) of the 8 key messages without a prompt and about 6 (M=5.91, SD=1.88) when prompted. Messages recalled the most, without a prompt, included (1) preschoolers need 60 minutes of physical activity each day, and (2) children who get all five servings of fruits and vegetables each day are more likely to get the nutrients they need. In the focus group, parents reported that they enjoyed the peer-led session format and session scheduled time. Conclusion: Results suggest that peer-led approaches can be highly effective with parents, especially when addressing childhood obesity prevention

Lessons Learned from Juntos Y Saludables Peer-Led Parent Education

Purpose: The objective of this study was to assess the quality of training received by peer educators in the Juntos y Saludables (Get Healthy Together) program. Juntos y Saludables is a multi-component childhood obesity prevention program for Head Start. Method: This study applied the peer led education approach to provide parents with education regarding healthy growth among their children. Seven parents were recruited through teachers, other parents, and the Parent Leadership Institute at a local Head Start center. Faculty and graduate assistants from local universities provided training to the parent educators in both English and Spanish. Training sessions were conducted the week of each new parent education session, with one booster training after spring break (7 training sessions in total). The parent educators were trained to: (1) encourage the Head Start parents to participate in the sessions, (2) explain the health messages, and (3) answer any questions the parents had. A focus group was conducted at the end of the program, with all seven parent educators, to assess their feedback about the training they received. Results: The peer parent educators reported that they became educators to improve children’s health. They were satisfied with the training methods and felt that they learned a lot of information regarding nutrition and physical activity recommendations for their children. They also reported feeling comfortable delivering health information to other parents. Parent educators appreciated that they could work together (e.g., in bilingual pairs) to provide the health education to parents in both English and Spanish. The peer parent education training session attendance was high-71% and greater. Conclusions: Most peer parent educators felt comfortable and confident delivering the material as the program progressed. Earlier training might assist the parent educators to have greater familiarity with content prior to the first session. Educators also created strategies to deal with situations that arose during the sessions (e.g. crowd control, parents requesting extra bags). Future training can include suggested strategies to handle similar situations