High Prevalence of Obesity Among Inner-City Adolescent Boys in the Bronx, New York: Forgetting Our Boys

We examined sex differences in overweight and obesity in a sample of 1,619 inner-city adolescents. Participants were enrolled from 11 public schools in the Bronx, New York. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 21.7% and 22.5%, respectively; prevalence of obesity was significantly higher among adolescent boys than adolescent girls (24.9 vs 20.1%). Childhood obesity is a public health concern in the United States, and the higher prevalence of obesity in adolescent boys requires additional attention

Association of parent-child interactions with parental psychological distress and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic

IntroductionThe effects of psychological distress/resilience on parent-child engagement (e.g., family dinners, reading) during the COVID-19 pandemic have not been well studied. Among very young children from underrepresented backgrounds enrolled in the ongoing longitudinal Bronx Mother Baby Health Study of healthy term infants, we (1) examined associations between exposures to COVID-19-related events, demographic factors and parental psychological distress and resilience; and (2) correlated these factors with parent-child engagement activities.MethodsBetween June 2020-August 2021, parents of 105 Bronx Mother Baby Health Study participants aged birth-25 months completed questionnaires related to exposures to COVID-19-related events, frequency of positive parent-child engagement activities, food and housing insecurity, and parental psychological distress and resilience. Families were also asked open ended questions about the pandemic's impact.Results29.8% and 47.6% of parents reported food and housing insecurity, respectively. Greater exposures to COVID-19-related events were associated with increased parental psychological distress. Positive parent-child interactions were associated with demographic factors and higher levels of maternal education, but not with exposures to COVID-19-related events.DiscussionThis study adds to a growing body of literature on the negative impacts of COVID-19 exposures and psychosocial stressors on families during the pandemic, supporting the need for enhanced mental health resources and social supports for families

Eating Pattern Response to a Low-Fat Diet Intervention and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Normotensive Women: The Women's Health Initiative.

BackgroundWomen without cardiovascular disease (CVD) or hypertension at baseline assigned to intervention in the Women's Health Initiative Dietary Modification (DM) trial experienced 30% lower risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), whereas results in women with hypertension or prior CVD could have been confounded by postrandomization use of statins.ObjectivesIntervention participants reported various self-selected changes to achieve the 20% total fat goals. Reviewed are intervention compared with comparison group HRs for CHD, stroke, and total CVD in relation to specific dietary changes in normotensive participants.MethodsDietary change was assessed by comparing baseline with year 1 FFQ data in women (n = 10,371) without hypertension or CVD at baseline with intake of total fat above the median to minimize biases due to use of the FFQ in trial eligibility screening.ResultsIntervention participants self-reported compensating reduced energy intake from total fat by increasing carbohydrate and protein. Specifically they increased plant protein, with those in the upper quartile (increased total protein by ≥3.3% of energy) having a CHD HR of 0.39 (95% CI: 0.22, 0.71), compared with 0.92 (95% CI: 0.57, 1.48) for those in the lower quartile of change (decreased total protein ≥0.6% of energy), with P-trend of 0.04. CHD HR did not vary significantly with change in percentage energy from carbohydrate, and stroke HR did not vary significantly with any macronutrient changes. Scores reflecting adherence to recommended dietary patterns including the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Trial and the Healthy Eating Index showed favorable changes in the intervention group.ConclusionsIntervention group total fat reduction replaced with increased carbohydrate and some protein, especially plant-based protein, was related to lower CHD risk in normotensive women without CVD who reported high baseline total fat intake. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00000611. Link to the WHI trial protocol: https://www.whi.org/about/SitePages/Dietary%20Trial.aspx

Childhood Trauma and Adult Risk Factors and Disease in Hispanics/Latinos in the US: Results From the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) Sociocultural Ancillary Study

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are implicated in diseases of adulthood. We report the prevalence of ACEs in Hispanics/Latinos in the US and their association with major risk factors and diseases in adulthood

Sex Differences in Associations of Adiposity Measures and Insulin Resistance in US Hispanic/Latino Youth: The Hispanic Community Children's Health Study/Study of Latino Youth (SOL Youth)

Context: US Hispanic/Latino youth are disproportionally affected by the obesity and diabetes. Objective: We examined associations of adiposity measures with insulin resistance (IR) and hyperglycemia and the influences of sex and pubertal development on these associations. Design, Setting, and Participants: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 1223 8- to 16-year-old Hispanic/Latino youth from a community-based study in the United States (SOL Youth). Main Outcome Measures: We measured IR (≥75th percentile of sex-specific Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance) and hyperglycemia (fasting glucose ≥100 mg/dL or hemoglobin a1c ≥5.7%). Results: In boys, body mass index (BMI) showed the strongest association with IR [prevalence ratio (PR), 2.10; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.87 to 2.36 per standard deviation], which was not statistically different compared with body fat percentage (%BF) (PR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.81 to 2.29) and waist circumference (WC) (PR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.67 to 2.13) but was significantly stronger compared with fat mass index (FMI) (PR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.63 to 1.96), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) (PR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.21 to 1.44), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) (PR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.54 to 2.01) (P for difference, <0.05). In girls, %BF (PR, 2.73; 95% CI, 2.34 to 3.20) showed a significantly stronger association with IR compared with BMI (PR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.29 to 1.70), FMI (PR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.49 to 1.95), WC (PR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.70 to 2.27), WHR (PR, 1.95; 95% CI, 1.70 to 2.23), and WHtR (PR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.53 to 2.09) (P for difference, <0.003). Associations between adiposity measures and IR were generally stronger among children in puberty versus those who had completed puberty, with significant interactions for WC and WHtR in boys and for BMI in girls (P for interaction, <0.01). Adiposity measures were modestly associated with hyperglycemia (PR, 1.14 to 1.25), with no interactions with sex or pubertal status. Conclusions: Sex and puberty may influence associations between adiposity measures and IR in US Hispanic/Latino youth. Multiple adiposity measures are needed to better assess IR risk between boys and girls according to pubertal status

History of Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes, Blood Pressure, and Subclinical Vascular Measures in Late Midlife: SWAN (Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation)

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142563/1/jah32800_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142563/2/jah32800.pd

Alcohol Consumption and Metabolic Syndrome Among Hispanics/Latinos: The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos

Background: The association between alcohol consumption and metabolic syndrome (MetS) among Hispanic/Latino populations has not been studied in great detail. Our study examined the relationship between alcohol consumption and MetS among U.S. Hispanics/Latinos and explored whether this relationship varied by age, body mass index, gender, and Hispanic/Latino backgrounds