Cultural Relevance of the Transtheoretical Model in Physical Activity Promotion: Mexican-American Women’s use of the Processes of Change

Hispanic women in the U.S. have disproportionately high rates of obesity and health disparities related to insufficient physical activity (PA). While the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) is one of the most commonly used behavioral theories in interventions promoting PA, there is a lack of evidence to support the cultural relevance of theoretical constructs for increasing PA in Hispanic women. To learn about Hispanic women’s use and interpretation of the construct Processes of Change (POC) for increasing PA, we conducted focus groups with overweight/obese Mexican/Mexican-American females (N=13) ages 27-40 years. Major themes centered on the importance of children and family caretaking, social support, and PA to promote weight loss. Participants identified strategies they use to enact the POC for increasing PA such as retos (challenges), exercise as an alternative to eating, and clothing as a reward/reminder for PA. This study examined culture-specific factors used by Mexican-American women for becoming more physically active as they correspond to the theoretical constructs of the TTM. We showed that the POC examined in our study are culturally relevant and enacted by Mexican-American women for increasing PA, and are poised to be deployed in culturally appropriate PA promotion and weight loss interventions

The place and role of writing skills in German language teaching

Writing is one of the basic cultural techniques and belongs to the basic skills, through which language is reflected in graphic signs. Writing usually serves us to share facts, thoughts or feelings in written form. According to Heyd, writing in foreign language teaching represents an opportunity for contact with a new, unknown structure (1997:181). What is its function in the teaching of the German language depends on whether it represents a teaching or intermediate goal. Writing as an intermediate goal serves us to determine the students' knowledge, rewrite or retell texts in written form, write down new grammatical structures or new vocabulary in a notebook, etc.. On the other hand, if we use writing in order to share some essential information, observing all language norms, we talk about writing as a teaching goal. The skill of writing, in addition to the skills of reading, listening and speaking, is one of the four key skills, the acquisition of which facilitates the acquisition of a foreign language and contributes to the acquisition of communicative competences. What is the representation of the skill of writing in the teaching of the German language and what techniques, strategies and methods are used for its successful adoption is the subject of research in this paper. Through a previously prepared survey for a total of 26 German language teachers, we will try to reflect the state and treatment of the skill of writing in the teaching process, as well as the representation or non-representation of the various techniques and methods that contribute to the successful acquisition of language competences in written form, with the hope that the obtained results will contribute to the improvement of this skill, with the aim of easier and long-term adoption of writing as a productive skill present in our everyday life. Keywords: skills, interaction, writing, teachin

Investigation of the Cultural Context of Sugars Consumption Behavior in Low-Income Mexican-American Women

Despite the recent federal dietary recommendations to limit consumption of added sugars to less than ten percent of daily caloric intake, there is a gap in published literature examining the influence of food preparation behaviors on sugars consumption among low-income Mexican-American women. The purpose of the study was to describe the cultural context of Mexican-American women in procuring, preparing and presenting added sugars in their families’ diets. Five focus groups were conducted to examine sugars consumption behavior in thirteen overweight/obese low-income Mexican-American women ages 27-40 years. Themes that emerged during the sessions included: changes in food procurement to include high-sugar foods and sugar-sweetened beverages following migration from Mexico to the U.S.; children’s influence on what was bought and consumed in the household; changes in household diet when relatives prepared food; and influence of family traditions/extensive social gatherings and traditional foods during holidays on sugars consumption. Culturally relevant factors influencing sugars consumption were identified. We report strategies that can be used in public health interventions to reduce sugars intake among low-income Mexican-American women; such strategies must acknowledge cultural and contextual factors of social ties, the role of family members in influencing diet, and importance of maintaining traditional foods and cultural celebrations

The Use of Family Rituals in Eating Behaviors in Hispanic Mothers

Food rituals often abruptly change when Hispanic families migrate to the United States. This report describes changes in rituals of food procurement, preparation, and presentation (food-PPP) in Hispanic women following migration to the United States. Focus groups and face-to-face interviews were conducted with 13 low-income, overweight/obese Hispanic women 27 to 40 years of age. Content analysis was used to analyze cultural and contextual sources for food-PPP. Changes in rituals and traditions in food-PPP occurred, including materials and ingredients for traditional meals. Food rituals may play a role in healthful eating and could, therefore, serve as leverage points for interventions designed to promote healthy eating behaviors

Association between urinary biomarkers of total sugars intake and measures of obesity in a cross-sectional study

Obesity is an important modifiable risk factor for chronic diseases. While there is increasing focus on the role of dietary sugars, there remains a paucity of data establishing the association between sugar intake and obesity in the general public. The objective of this study was to investigate associations of estimated sugar intake with odds for obesity in a representative sample of English adults. We used data from 434 participants of the 2005 Health Survey of England. Biomarkers for total sugar intake were measured in 24 h urine samples and used to estimate intake. Linear and logistic regression analyses were used to investigate associations between biomarker-based estimated intake and measures of obesity (body mass intake (BMI), waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio) and obesity risk, respectively. Estimated sugar intake was significantly associated with BMI, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio; these associations remained significant after adjustment for estimated protein intake as a marker of non-sugar energy intake. Estimated sugar intake was also associated with increased odds for obesity based on BMI (OR 1.02; 95%CI 1.00-1.04 per 10g), waist-circumference (1.03; 1.01-1.05) and waist-to-hip ratio (1.04; 1.02-1.06); all OR estimates remained significant after adjusting for estimated protein intake. Our results strongly support positive associations between total sugar intake, measures of obesity and likelihood of being obese. It is the first time that such an association has been shown in a nationally-representative sample of the general population using a validated biomarker. This biomarker could be used to monitor the efficacy of public health interventions to reduce sugar intake

Association between sucrose intake and risk of overweight and obesity in a prospective sub-cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer in Norfolk (EPIC-Norfolk).

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the present study was to investigate associations between sugar intake and overweight using dietary biomarkers in the Norfolk cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Norfolk). DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: EPIC-Norfolk in the UK, recruitment between 1993 and 1997. SUBJECTS: Men and women (n 1734) aged 39-77 years. Sucrose intake was assessed using 7 d diet diaries. Baseline spot urine samples were analysed for sucrose by GC-MS. Sucrose concentration adjusted by specific gravity was used as a biomarker for intake. Regression analyses were used to investigate associations between sucrose intake and risk of BMI>25·0 kg/m2 after three years of follow-up. RESULTS: After three years of follow-up, mean BMI was 26·8 kg/m2. Self-reported sucrose intake was significantly positively associated with the biomarker. Associations between the biomarker and BMI were positive (β=0·25; 95 % CI 0·08, 0·43), while they were inverse when using self-reported dietary data (β=-1·40; 95 % CI -1·81, -0·99). The age- and sex-adjusted OR for BMI>25·0 kg/m2 in participants in the fifth v. first quintile was 1·54 (95 % CI 1·12, 2·12; P trend=0·003) when using biomarker and 0·56 (95 % CI 0·40, 0·77; P trend<0·001) with self-reported dietary data. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that sucrose measured by objective biomarker but not self-reported sucrose intake is positively associated with BMI. Future studies should consider the use of objective biomarkers of sucrose intake.The authors thank all EPIC-Norfolk study participants and staff for their contribution to the study. They also thank the NIHR BRC-MRC BioRepository at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus for providing infrastructure and equipment for sample preparation. Financial support: This project was supported by the Word Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), Cancer Research UK and the Medical Research Council (MRC). WCRF, Cancer Research UK and MRC had no role in the design, analysis or writing of this article. Conflict of interest: None. Authorship: The responsibilities of the authors were as follows: G.G.C.K. developed the analytical method, conducted the statistical analyses, wrote the manuscript and had primary responsibility for the final content; N.T. conducted statistical analyses and contributed to the manuscript; J.L.G., M.A.S., L.R. and S.M.A. developed the analytical method and conducted sample analyses; M.A.H.L. and A.A.M. were responsible for dietary data analysis and contributed to the manuscript; R.N.L. was responsible for follow-up and data processing; K.-T.K. (principal investigator of EPIC-Norfolk) contributed to the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Ethics of human subject participation: The study received ethical approval by the Norwich District Health Authority Ethics Committee and all participants gave signed informed consent.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Cambridge University Press via http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1368980015000300

Urinary Sugars—A Biomarker of Total Sugars Intake

Measurement error in self-reported sugars intake may explain the lack of consistency in the epidemiologic evidence on the association between sugars and disease risk. This review describes the development and applications of a biomarker of sugars intake, informs its future use and recommends directions for future research. Recently, 24 h urinary sucrose and fructose were suggested as a predictive biomarker for total sugars intake, based on findings from three highly controlled feeding studies conducted in the United Kingdom. From this work, a calibration equation for the biomarker that provides an unbiased measure of sugars intake was generated that has since been used in two US-based studies with free-living individuals to assess measurement error in dietary self-reports and to develop regression calibration equations that could be used in future diet-disease analyses. Further applications of the biomarker include its use as a surrogate measure of intake in diet-disease association studies. Although this biomarker has great potential and exhibits favorable characteristics, available data come from a few controlled studies with limited sample sizes conducted in the UK. Larger feeding studies conducted in different populations are needed to further explore biomarker characteristics and stability of its biases, compare its performance, and generate a unique, or population-specific biomarker calibration equations to be applied in future studies. A validated sugars biomarker is critical for informed interpretation of sugars-disease association studies

Using the Veggie Meter in Elementary Schools to Objectively Measure Fruit and Vegetable Intake: A Pilot Study

Self-reported fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption in children has limitations that could be overcome with objective measures that are easy to implement. The Veggie Meter (VM) is a non-invasive portable device that measures skin carotenoid levels, a concentration biomarker of usual FV intake. While VM has been used to measure FV consumption in adults, few studies have explored its use in elementary school settings. Designing research studies using the VM with elementary school-age children requires an understanding of how well this device can be used in a school setting and of the distribution of VM scores in this population. We used VM to measure skin carotenoids in a diverse sample of 143 elementary school children who also answered commonly asked questions about consumption frequency of FV the previous day. Multivariable regression was used to assess the independent association of demographic variables with VM scores. VM scores were also compared with student-reported FV intake. There was a weak but statistically significant correlation between reported frequency of total vegetable consumption the previous day and observed VM scores (r = 0.174, p = 0.042). This study provides an example of the successful use of the VM in a school setting to collect an objective measure of FV intake and provides important description of data that can inform future studies

Validity of a Food and Fluid Exercise Questionnaire for Macronutrient Intake during Exercise against Observations

Information about the accuracy of self-reported food and fluid intake during competitions is scarce. The objective of this study was to validate a previously developed food and fluid exercise questionnaire (FFEQ) against direct observations made during competitions in athletes. Fifty-eight recreational endurance athletes participating in four different running events and one cross duathlon in the Netherlands between 2015 and 2017 were recruited. The FFEQ overestimated the median energy and carbohydrate intake by 27.6 kcal/h (20.6%) and 9.25 g/h (30.8%) (p &lt; 0.001), respectively, compared to direct observation. Reporting bias (i.e., correlation between the difference between methods and average of both methods) increased with a higher energy (r: 0.41, p &lt; 0.01) and carbohydrate intake (r: 0.44, p &lt; 0.01). No statistically significant difference was found between FFEQ-reported fluid intake per hour and observations (median difference: &minus;2.93 mL, &minus;1.1%; p = 0.48) and no fluid reporting bias was identified (r: 0.23, p = 0.08). FFEQ-reported energy (r: 0.74), carbohydrate (r: 0.74), and fluid (r: 0.85) intake was strongly correlated with the observed intake (all p-values &lt; 0.001). In conclusion, the FFEQ accurately estimates the fluid intake on a group level during competitions in recreational athletes. Even though FFEQ overestimates the energy and carbohydrate intake, it is still a useful tool for ranking individuals based on their intake