A Qualitative Study of Food Behaviors in University of Mississippi Students as They Relate to Nutrition Security

Objective: To investigate food behaviors in University of Mississippi (UM) students in order to better understand nutrition security on the UM Oxford campushttps://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_posters/1006/thumbnail.jp

Using Trends in Biometric Data to Predict Interest in Enrolling in an Employer-Sponsored National Diabetes Prevention Program Focusing on Diet and Exercise: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: Evidence-based lifestyle programs including the Diabetes Prevention Program can delay an individual’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Identifying which individuals are less likely to enroll in these programs and tailoring recruitment approaches to encourage participation among those with perceived barriers is an effective strategy to increase engagement in health promotion. This study aimed to identify the pre-enrollment differences in biometric trends between individuals with prediabetes who did and did not express interest in free worksite diabetes prevention programs.Subjects and Method: This retrospective cohort study was conducted among individuals in the Midwest enrolled in a private insurance plan from 2011 to 2014. Data was combined from annual biometric screenings and a health survey. Demographic characteristics were summarized for the study population (n=2,066). The dependent variable for this study was interest in the DPP, while the independent variables included body mass index, waist circumference, body weight, lipid measurements, and blood pressure. Linear mixed models with random intercepts were used to compare bio-metric trajectories for body mass index, waist circumference, body weight, lipid measurements (triglycerides and cholesterol), and blood pressure for the two groups.Results: No differences were observed in biometric trends for those who did and did not choose to enroll in the free worksite program.Conclusion: Examining pre-enrollment biometric trend data is a relatively novel approach to evaluating engagement in health programs. More research is needed to understand how this information can be used to identify an individual’s interest in enrolling in health programming

Advancing College Food Security: Priority Research Gaps

Despite over a decade of both quantitative and qualitative studies, food insecurity among United States college/university students remains a pervasive problem within higher education. The purpose of this perspective piece was to highlight research gaps in the area of college food insecurity and provide rationale for the research community to focus on these gaps going forward. A group of food insecurity researchers from a variety of higher education institutions across the United States identified five thematic areas of research gaps: screening and estimates of food insecurity; longitudinal changes in food insecurity; impact of food insecurity on broader health and academic outcomes; evaluation of impact, sustainability, and cost effectiveness of existing programs and initiatives; and state and federal policies and programs. Within these thematic areas, 19 specific research gaps were identified that have limited or no peer-reviewed, published research. These research gaps result in a limited understanding of the magnitude, severity, and persistence of college food insecurity, the negative short- and long-term impacts of food insecurity on health, academic performance, and overall college experience, and effective solutions and policies to prevent or meaningfully address food insecurity among college students. Research in these identified priority areas may help accelerate action and interdisciplinary collaboration to alleviate food insecurity among college students and play a critical role in informing the development or refinement of programs and services that better support college student food security needs

Advancing college food security: priority research gaps

Despite over a decade of both quantitative and qualitative studies, food insecurity among US college/university students remains a pervasive problem within higher education. The purpose of this perspective piece was to highlight research gaps in the area of college food insecurity and provide rationale for the research community to focus on these gaps going forward. A group of food insecurity researchers from a variety of higher education institutions across the United States identified five thematic areas of research gaps: screening and estimates of food insecurity; longitudinal changes in food insecurity; impact of food insecurity on broader health and academic outcomes; evaluation of impact, sustainability and cost effectiveness of existing programmes and initiatives; and state and federal policies and programmes. Within these thematic areas, nineteen specific research gaps were identified that have limited or no peer-reviewed, published research. These research gaps result in a limited understanding of the magnitude, severity and persistence of college food insecurity, the negative short- and long-term impacts of food insecurity on health, academic performance and overall college experience, and effective solutions and policies to prevent or meaningfully address food insecurity among college students. Research in these identified priority areas may help accelerate action and interdisciplinary collaboration to alleviate food insecurity among college students and play a critical role in informing the development or refinement of programmes and services that better support college student food security needs

Public Health

Our team conveyed the importance of public health through a unique blend of art and technology. We wanted to create a compelling image that would capture the essence of public health advocacy and its various facets. The idea behind our artwork was to make public health relatable and appealing to a wide audience. We chose a cartoon style to ensure a friendly and approachable feel. The top portion of the picture portrays a vibrant, healthy lifestyle with cartoon characters engaging in outdoor activities, symbolizing the active and well-balanced life that public health promotes. The bottom portion of the image represents key aspects of public health, including public health campaigns, children\u27s regular checkups, vaccination programs, and women\u27s health initiatives. AI tool: Canva “Magic Media” Parameters: Artistic Style - Cartoon Style Effects- no effecthttps://egrove.olemiss.edu/sas_aiart/1012/thumbnail.jp

Associations between prediagnostic blood glucose levels, diabetes, and glioma

Previous literature indicates that pre-diagnostic diabetes and blood glucose levels are inversely related to glioma risk. To replicate these findings and determine whether they could be attributed to excess glucose consumption by the preclinical tumour, we used data from the Apolipoprotein MOrtality RISk (AMORIS) (n = 528,580) and the Metabolic syndrome and Cancer project (Me-Can) cohorts (n = 269,365). We identified individuals who were followed for a maximum of 15 years after their first blood glucose test until glioma diagnosis, death, emigration or the end of follow-up. Hazard ratios (HRs), 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and their interactions with time were estimated using Cox time-dependent regression. As expected, pre-diagnostic blood glucose levels were inversely related to glioma risk (AMORIS, P-trend = 0.002; Me-Can, P-trend = 0.04) and pre-diagnostic diabetes (AMORIS, HR = 0.30, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.53). During the year before diagnosis, blood glucose was inversely associated with glioma in the AMORIS (HR = 0.78, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.93) but not the Me-Can cohort (HR = 0.99, 95% CI 0.63 to 1.56). This AMORIS result is consistent with our hypothesis that excess glucose consumption by the preclinical tumour accounts for the inverse association between blood glucose and glioma. We discuss additional hypothetical mechanisms that may explain our paradoxical findings

Nusinersen versus Sham Control in Later-Onset Spinal Muscular Atrophy

International audienceBACKGROUND Nusinersen is an antisense oligonucleotide drug that modulates pre-messenger RNA splicing of the survival motor neuron 2 (SMN2) gene. It has been developed for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). METHODS We conducted a multicenter, double-blind, sham-controlled, phase 3 trial of nusinersen in 126 children with SMA who had symptom onset after 6 months of age. The children were randomly assigned, in a 2: 1 ratio, to undergo intrathecal administration of nusinersen at a dose of 12 mg (nusinersen group) or a sham procedure (control group) on days 1, 29, 85, and 274. The primary end point was the least-squares mean change from baseline in the Hammersmith Functional Motor Scale-Expanded (HFMSE) score at 15 months of treatment; HFMSE scores range from 0 to 66, with higher scores indicating better motor function. Secondary end points included the percentage of children with a clinically meaningful increase from baseline in the HFMSE score (>= 3 points), an outcome that indicates improvement in at least two motor skills. RESULTS In the prespecified interim analysis, there was a least-squares mean increase from baseline to month 15 in the HFMSE score in the nusinersen group (by 4.0 points) and a least-squares mean decrease in the control group (by -1.9 points), with a significant between-group difference favoring nusinersen (least-squares mean difference in change, 5.9 points; 95% confidence interval, 3.7 to 8.1; P< 0.001). This result prompted early termination of the trial. Results of the final analysis were consistent with results of the interim analysis. In the final analysis, 57% of the children in the nusinersen group as compared with 26% in the control group had an increase from baseline to month 15 in the HFMSE score of at least 3 points (P< 0.001), and the overall incidence of adverse events was similar in the nusinersen group and the control group (93% and 100%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Among children with later-onset SMA, those who received nusinersen had significant and clinically meaningful improvement in motor function as compared with those in the control group. (Funded by Biogen and Ionis Pharmaceuticals; CHERISH ClinicalTrials. gov number, NCT02292537.