Breakout Session: Paths to Obtaining Funding for Community Engaged Research: One Successful Example

The purpose of this talk is (1) To describe important elements of a successful preliminary studies section, and (2) To share a recent example of leveraging a small pilot study and in-kind on the fly activities to inform a successful NIH grant application

The Social Context as a Determinant of Weight-Related Behaviors: Focus on Social Norms

Most research addressing social context as a determinant of weight-related behaviors has focused on social support and social networks, with limited research assessing social norms. Social norms for obesity are an important variable to understand given the pervasiveness of this condition in our society and the multiple life situations in which individuals are exposed to obesity-related behaviors. This presentation discusses a study that developed a measurement approach to assessing weight loss, dietary and physical activity social norms in the worksite and assessed the associations of these norms with behaviors

Breakout Session: Paths to Obtaining Funding for Community Engaged Research

Discusses the UMass CCTS Community Engagement & Research Section Pilot/Feasibility Grants Program and other potential sources of funding for community engaged research

Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Meeting 5-2-1-0 Recommendations among Adolescents in the United States

BACKGROUND: Obesity prevention has become a major focus of public health efforts in the United States. The Federal Government set forth national nutrition and physical activity recommendations to prevent obesity and promote well-being among children. A succinct message developed through a program in Maine “Let’s Go! 5-2-1-0” summarizes these obesity prevention behaviors including ≥5 fruit and vegetables, ≤2 hours of screen time, ≥1 hour of physical activity, and 0 sugar sweetened beverages daily. The study evaluates racial/ethnic disparities among adolescents meeting the 5-2-1-0 targets in a nationally representative sample. METHODS: The 2011-2012 NHANES dataset was used to conduct a cross sectional analysis of Hispanic (n=287), non-Hispanic Black (n=321), Asian (n=145) and non-Hispanic White (n=234) adolescents 12-19 years old. The 5-2-1-0 targets were evaluated using dietary recalls, Global Physical Activity Questionnaire, and questions about sedentary activities. Differences in the proportion of racial/ethnic groups meeting the 5-2-1-0 targets were compared using chi-square tests. Logistic models accounting for the complex sampling design were used to evaluate racial/ethnic disparities in meeting the 5-2-1-0 targets. RESULTS: There were no adolescents that met all four 5-2-1-0 targets. Meeting individual targets and meeting none of the targets differed by racial/ethnic group. The study found 28% of White, 39% of Hispanic, 44% of Black and 35% of Asian adolescents met zero 5-2-1-0 targets. Adolescents from different racial/ethnic groups had increased odds of meeting no 5-2-1-0 targets compared to their White peers (adjusted odds ratio [95% Confidence Interval] – Hispanic: 1.76 [1.04-2.98], Black: 1.82[1.04-3.17], Asian: 1.48[1.08-2.04]). CONCLUSION: Understanding the uptake of national nutrition and physical activity recommendations is necessary to reduce future obesity and health consequences in adulthood. Despite national initiatives, adolescents in the United States are far from meeting the 5-2-1-0 targets and there are racial/ethnic disparities in meeting the recommendations

Differences in Blood Pressure Levels Among Children by Sociodemographic Status

INTRODUCTION: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated its blood pressure (BP) screening guidelines in 2017 to emphasize body weight as a risk factor. We provide contemporary, nationally representative estimates of prevalence of elevated and hypertensive BP among US children and examine sociodemographic prevalence differences, accounting for the influence of weight. METHODS: We used cross-sectional data from children aged 8 to 17 years (N = 5,971; weighted N = 36,612,323) collected from 2011 through 2018 in 4 biennial cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Children\u27s BP was categorized as normal, elevated, or hypertensive. Sociodemographic characteristics included were sex, age, race/ethnicity, family income, and education. Log binomial regression, with and without adjustment for weight (dichotomized at the 85th body mass index percentile), determined prevalence estimates and differences for elevated and hypertensive BPs with 95% CIs. RESULTS: In NHANES data collected from 2011 through 2018, 7.2% (95% CI, 6.3%-8.3%) of US children had elevated BP, and 3.8% (95% CI, 3.3%-4.5%) had hypertensive BP according to 2017 AAP guidelines. Differences in prevalence of weight-adjusted elevated BP indicated higher prevalence among children aged 16 to 17 years compared with children aged 8 to 9 years (prevalence difference, +6.3%; 95% CI, 3.2%-9.4%), among males compared with females (+4.6%; 95% CI, 2.7%-6.4%), and among non-Latino Black children compared with non-Latino White children (+4.0%; 95% CI, 2.2%-5.8%). Crude hypertensive BP prevalence was highest among children aged 8 to 9 years, male children, and Mexican American children. The only difference remaining after weight adjustment was among children aged 8 to 9 years and 13 to 15 years. CONCLUSION: Elevated BP was most prevalent among US children who were older, male, or non-Latino Black. Factors beyond inequalities in body weight may contribute to disparities in elevated BP

Association between food insecurity and CVD risk factors is moderated by intake of fruits and vegetables in Latinos

Background: Food insecurity has been consistently associated with CVD risk factors (i.e., obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia). Consumption of fruits and vegetables may reduce CVD risk factors among food insecure Latinos. Objective: To examine the potential moderating effect of fruit and vegetable intake in the association between food insecurity and CVD risk factors in a sample of Latino men and women in the northeast U.S. Methods: A representative community sample of Latino individuals was recruited from a community health center in Lawrence, MA. Food insecurity was measured with the 6-item USDA Household Food Security Scale. Fruit and vegetable intake, was measured with Block’s Fruit and Vegetable Screener. CVD risk factors examined included: obesity assessed by body mass index (BMI), and diagnoses of type 2 diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia abstracted from electronic health records. Covariates considered included: age, gender, education and BMI (except in the obesity model). Statistical analyses included multivariable logistic regression testing for interaction between food insecurity and diet. Results: Overall, 51% of the sample were women and most self-identified as Dominicans (73%). Thirty-one percent of the sample experienced food insecurity and 79% consumed less than 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Twenty percent of food secure participants and 23% of food insecure individuals consumed 5 servings or more of fruits and vegetables per day (p=0.439). In adjusted models, food insecurity was positively associated with type 2 diabetes in individuals consuming less than 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day (OR=1.79; 95% CI=1.11–2.89) but not in individuals consuming 5 servings or more of fruits and vegetables per day. Interaction analyses showed that these estimates were significantly different from each other (p=0.04). Conclusion: Among those who were food insecure, low consumption of fruits and vegetables, was associated with type 2 diabetes in this Latino sample. Studies are needed to confirm our findings. Further, longitudinal studies are needed to understand a potential causal relationship. Interventions to increase availability of fruits and vegetables among food insecure Latinos may help alleviate diabetes disparities in this vulnerable group

On Edge: the impact of race-related vigilance on obesity status in African-Americans

OBJECTIVE: Nearly half of African-Americans are classified as obese. Perceived racism has been associated with obesity, yet the internal experiences of racism have received little attention. African Americans who face racism may ready themselves to cope through survival strategies, including race-related vigilance. This study explores the association between race-related vigilance and obesity in African Americans. DESIGN AND METHODS: The Reactions to Race module of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (years 2002-2010) was used. Our sample size consisted of 12,214 African-Americans. Race-related vigilance was assessed as: How often do you think about your race? and classified as: never, \u3c daily, daily, and \u3e daily. Obesity was dichotomized as body mass index (BMI) \u3e /=30 kg/m2 vs. \u3c 30 kg/m2 using self-reported weight and height. Multivariable logistic models assessed the association between race-related vigilance and obesity. RESULTS: Seventeen percent of respondents reported thinking about their race \u3e daily; 14% daily; 31% \u3c daily, and 39% reported never thinking about their race. Compared to those who reported never thinking about their race, the adjusted odds of obesity were 0.91, 95% CI: 0.72-1.15 among those thinking about their race \u3c daily, 1.09, 95%CI: 0.81-1.46 among those thinking about their race daily, and 1.37, 95% CI: 1.07-1.76 among those thinking about their race \u3e daily. CONCLUSIONS: Frequently thinking about one\u27s race was a risk factor for obesity in African-Americans in this study. Internalized impacts of racism captured through race-related vigilance may be particularly detrimental to African-Americans, driving their risk for obesity

Do U.S. adults living in food insecure households experience poorer cardiovascular health?

Background Twelve percent of U.S. adults live in food insecure households, putting them at risk for adverse health outcomes. Relationships between food insecurity and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors range from well-established to inconsistent and understudied. Food insecurity has been positively associated with poor glycemic control, tobacco use, and poor diet. The link with unhealthy body mass index (BMI) is only observed among women. Inconsistent evidence of relationships with hypertension and dyslipidemia has been found and literature examining physical activity is sparse. The relationships between food insecurity and overall cardiovascular health metrics have not been studied in a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. Objective To quantify the extent to which food insecurity in U.S. adults is associated with poorer cardiovascular health, as measured by the Life Simple 7 metrics, and to assess gender differences in these associations. Methods This was a cross-sectional analysis of 1,446 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey participants (2011-2012) aged \u3e20 years. The United States Department of Agriculture Adult Food Security Module 10-item questionnaire assessed food insecurity status. Affirmative responses were summed and dichotomized as food secure (responses) or food insecure (\u3e3). An ideal cardiovascular health score was generated from the sum of American Heart Association’s (AHA) Life’s Simple 7 metrics components achieved. The metrics included three health factors (blood glucose, cholesterol, and blood pressure) and four health behaviors (non-smoking, physical activity, healthy BMI, and healthy diet) as measured by laboratory values, anthropometric measures, self-reported questionnaires, and dietary recalls. Multiple linear and logistic regressions determined the associations between food insecurity and overall ideal cardiovascular health, defined as meeting all of the AHA Life Simple 7 metrics, and individual cardiovascular health components, respectively. The interaction between food insecurity and gender and ideal cardiovascular health was tested. Results No U.S. adults met all ideal cardiovascular health components. The 15.8% of adults living in food insecure households achieved a lower ideal cardiovascular health score (adjusted β coefficient: -0.27; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): [-0.50 to -0.04]) than adults living in food secure households. Tests for gender interaction were non-significant. In analyses assessing individual cardiovascular health components, only smoking was significant; adults living in food insecure households were half as likely to be non-smokers or recent quitters relative to their food secure counterparts (adjusted Odds Ratio 0.51; 95% CI: [0.31-0.81]). Conclusion Adults living in food insecure households achieved a lower ideal cardiovascular health score, which was driven by its association with smoking status. In addition to primary and secondary prevention, primordial prevention and cardiovascular health promotion approaches are necessary to reduce CVD burden. Effective policies and health behavior interventions are prudent, specifically to improve diet quality among all U.S. adults and tobacco cessation within food insecure populations