Critical analyses of Latina mortality: disentangling the heterogeneity of ethnic origin, place, nativity, race, and socioeconomic status.

Despite the significant body of research on social determinants of health (SDH) and mortality, limited knowledge is available on the epidemiology of aggregated Latino health overall, and by women and subgroups. In population health studies, U.S. Latinos often are considered a monolithic population and presented as an aggregate, obscuring the diversity and variations within and across Latino subgroups, contributing to missed opportunities to identify SDH of health outcomes, and limiting the understanding of health differences. Given diverse environmental, racial, class, and geographic factors, a specific focus on women facilitates a more in-depth view of health disparities. This paper provides a scoping review of current gaps in research that assesses the relationships between SDH and mortality rates for the five leading causes of chronic-disease related deaths among Latinas by ethnic origin, place, race, and SES. We analyzed 2020 national mortality statistics from the CDC WONDER Online database jointly with reviews of empirical articles on Latina health, employing the EBSCOhost MEDLINE databases. These findings challenge the phenomenon of the Hispanic paradox that identified Latinos as a relatively healthy population compared to non-Hispanic White populations despite their lower economic status. The findings confirm that prior research on Latino women had methodological limitations due to the exclusion of SDH and an overemphasis on culturalist perspectives, while overlooking the critical role of socioeconomic impacts on health. Findings indicate major knowledge gaps in Latina mortality by SDH and subgroups that may undermine surveillance efforts and treatment efficacy. We offer forward-looking recommendations to assure the inclusion of key SDH associated with Latina mortality by subgroup as essential to inform future studies, intervention programs, and health policy.

¡Miranos! An 8-Month Comprehensive Preschool Obesity Prevention Program in Low-Income Latino Children: Effects on Children's Gross Motor Development.

Organized childcare is an ideal setting to promote gross motor development in young children from low-income minority families. A three-group clustered randomized controlled trial was conducted in Head Start centers serving low-income Latino children to evaluate the impact of an 8-month comprehensive obesity-prevention intervention on children's percentile scores for locomotive skills (LS pctl) and ball skills (BS pctl), and general motor quotient (GMQ). Trained Head Start staff delivered the center-based intervention (CBI) to modify center physical activity and nutrition policies, staff practices, and child behaviors, while the home-based intervention (HBI) offered training and support to parents for obesity prevention at home. Participants were 3-year-old children (n = 310; 87% Latino; 58% female) enrolled in Head Start centers in South Texas. Twelve centers were randomized (1:1:1 ratio) to receive CBI, CBI and HBI (CBI + HBI), or control treatment. Posttest data were collected from 79.1% of participants. All gross motor development measures improved significantly for children in CBI compared to the control, while children in CBI + HBI only showed improvement for GMQ (p = 0.09) and LS pctl (p < 0.001) compared to the control. A comprehensive and culturally competent intervention targeting childcare centers and children's homes was effective at improving children's gross motor development and reducing disparities in child development.

Associations between parenting strategies and BMI percentile among Latino children and youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Introduction: Maintaining healthy weight is a challenge for all children, and particularly for children with IDD compared to nondisabled children and for Latino children compared to non-Latino White children. Parenting practices related to food intake and physical activity have been found to be important in maintaining children's weight. In this study, we describe the prevalence of overweight and obesity status among Latino children with IDD and their maternal caregivers and determine the relationship between food and physical activity parenting practices and childhood obesity among Latino children with IDD. Methods: We interviewed 94 Latino parent/child dyads and collected information about parenting practices, home environment, and parent and child height and weight using standardized measures. Parent body mass index (BMI) and child BMI percentile were calculated from height and weight. Results: The combined overweight/obesity status for children in our sample was high (60.3%) compared to national rates among nondisabled Latino children (56%) and non-Latino White children with autism (37%). Contrary to research on nondisabled children, we found that greater parental use of controlling dietary strategies was associated with lower BMI percentile in Latino children with IDD. These findings may be indicative of the fact that children with IDD tend to have unique dietary behaviors that warrant more disability and culturally sensitive strategies. Discussion: Our findings suggest that overweight and obesity is especially prevalent for Latino children with IDD and that more research is needed on family factors that promote health in Latino families of children with IDD.

Mental Health Needs and Services Utilization among Undergraduate and Graduate Students in Texas during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

COVID-19 created a global crisis, exacerbating disparities in social determinants of health (SDOH) and mental health (MH). Research on pandemic-related MH and help-seeking is scarce, especially among high-risk populations such as college/university students. We examined self-rated MH and psychological distress, the perceived need for MH services/support, and the use of MH services across the SDOH among college/university students during the start of the pandemic. Data from the COVID-19 Texas College Student Experiences Survey (n = 746) include full- and part-time undergraduate/graduate students. Regressions examined self-rated MH, psychological distress, perceived need, and service use across SDOH, controlling for pre-pandemic MH, age, gender, and race/ethnicity. Economic stability was associated with higher risk of poor MH and need for MH services/support. Aspects of the social/community context protected student MH, especially among foreign-born students. Racial discrimination was associated with both greater psychological distress and use of services. Finally, beliefs related to the sufficiency of available institutional MH resources shaped perceived need for and use of services. Although the worst of the pandemic is behind us, the inequitable distribution of the SDOH among students is unwavering. Demand for MH support is high, requiring higher education institutions to better mobilize MH services to meet the needs of students from diverse social contexts.

Impact of ¡Míranos! on parent-reported home-based healthy energy balance-related behaviors in low-income Latino preschool children: a clustered randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Widespread establishment of home-based healthy energy balance-related behaviors (EBRBs), like diet, physical activity, sedentary behavior, screen time, and sleep, among low-income preschool-aged children could curb the childhood obesity epidemic. We examined the effect of an 8-month multicomponent intervention on changes in EBRBs among preschool children enrolled in 12 Head Start centers. METHODS: The Head Start (HS) centers were randomly assigned to one of three treatment arms: center-based intervention group (CBI), center-based plus home-based intervention group (CBI + HBI), or control. Before and following the intervention, parents of 3-year-olds enrolled in participating HS centers completed questionnaires about their child's at-home EBRBs. Adult-facilitated physical activity (PA) was measured by an index based on questions assessing the child's level of PA participation at home, with or facilitated by an adult. Fruit, vegetable, and added sugar intake were measured via a short food frequency questionnaire, and sleep time and screen time were measured using 7-day logs. A linear mixed effects model examined the intervention's effect on post-intervention changes in PA, intake of fruit, vegetable, and added sugar, sleep time, and screen time from baseline to post-intervention. RESULTS: A total of 325 parents participated in the study (CBI n = 101; CBI + HBI n = 101; and control n = 123). Compared to control children, CBI and CBI + HBI parents reported decreases in children's intake of added sugar from sugar-sweetened beverages. Both CBI and CBI + HBI parents also reported smaller increases in children's average weekday screen time relative to controls. In addition, CBI + HBI parents reported CBI + HBI parents reported increases in children's adult-facilitated PA, fruit and vegetable intake, and daily sleep time during weekdays (excluding weekends) and the total week from baseline to post-intervention, while children in the CBI increased sleep time over the total week compared to the children in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Parent engagement strengthened the improvement in parent-reported EBRBs at home in young children participating in an evidence-based obesity prevention program in a childcare setting. Future studies should investigate equity-related contextual factors that influence the impact of obesity prevention in health-disparity populations. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03590834. Registered July 18, 2018, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03590834.

¡Míranos! a Comprehensive Preschool Obesity Prevention Program in Low-Income Latino Children: One-year Results of a Clustered Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: Test a culturally tailored obesity prevention intervention in low-income, minority preschool-age children. DESIGN: A three-group clustered randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Twelve Head Start Centers were randomly assigned to a center-based intervention, a combined center- and home-based intervention, or control using a 1:1:1 ratio. The center-based intervention modified center physical activity and nutrition policies, staff practices, and child behaviors, while the home-based intervention supported parents for obesity prevention at home. STUDY OUTCOMES: The primary endpoint was change in children's body mass index (BMI; kg/m2) at posttest immediately following completion of the 8-month intervention. Secondary endpoints included standardized scores for BMI (BMIz) and body weight (WAZ), and BMI percentiles (BMI pctl). PARTICIPANTS: Three-year-old children enrolled in Head Start in San Antonio, Texas, with written parent consent (N=325), 87% Latino; 57% female with mean age (SD) of 3.58 years (0.29). RESULTS: Change in BMI at posttest was 1.28 (0.97), 1.28 (0.87), and 1.41 (0.71) in the center+home-based intervention, center-based intervention, and control, respectively. There was no significant difference in BMI change between center+home-based intervention and control or center-based intervention and control at posttest. BMIz (adjusted difference -0.12 [95% CI, -0.24 to 0.01], p = .06) and WAZ (adjusted difference, -0.09 [-0.17 to -0.002], p = .04) were reduced for children in center+home-based intervention compared to control group. CONCLUSIONS: There was no reduction in BMI at posttest in children who received the intervention. Findings shed light on methodological challenges in childhood obesity research and offer future directions to explore health equity-oriented obesity prevention.

Predictors of on-task Behaviors: Evaluating Student-level Characteristics.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we examined students' fitness, body mass index (BMI), and demographics as predictors of observed time on-task (TOT) behaviors as an indicator of behavioral inattention. METHODS: We collected demographics, fitness estimates, and BMI from 2020 fourth-graders (Mean age = 8.6 (SD = 0.5); 47% girls; 49% white) from 28 schools. We measured TOT through momentary time sampling observations. Three-level linear models were conducted to determine whether characteristics predicted differences in TOT. We tested interactions between characteristics and TOT. RESULTS: Older students exhibited greater percent of TOT (estimate = 2.34, SE = 1.02, df = 919, t = 2.30, p < .05). Additionally, boys spent less percent TOT (estimate = -3.59, SE = 1.03, df = 906, t = -3.49, p < .05). There were no differences by race/ethnicity, SES, BMI, fitness, or time of day and percent TOT. Furthermore, none of the interactions were statistically significant (p > .15). CONCLUSIONS: Girls and older students spent more TOT. These findings are of interest to educators and psychologists working on the development of research-based guidelines aimed to support elementary students' engagement in the classroom.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental Health and Well-Being of Latinx Caregivers of Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the entire world in unprecedented ways. However, populations that have had a history of marginalization have experienced a more profound impact. One such group is Latinx families of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in the Unites States. In this study, we used a mixed methods approach to explore the impact of the pandemic on the mental health and well-being of Latinx caregivers of children with IDD. Specifically, we (1) identified which social determinants of health are correlated with maternal caregivers perceived general health, mental health, and well-being; (2) explored the impact of the pandemic on families' overall eating and physical activity routines; and (3) identified emergent themes from caregivers' experiences during the pandemic. Thirty-seven Latinx caregivers participated in three interviews in which several validated instruments were administered. The results indicated that perceived social support, annual family income, food security, and receipt of financial benefits were correlated with fewer depressive symptoms. Annual family income was also significantly correlated with perceived general health. Most caregivers reported that the pandemic had placed a strain on their economic situation; increased their isolation; and disrupted their child's therapeutic supports, online education, eating routines, and engagement in physical activity. Meanwhile, some caregivers reported positive changes as a result of the pandemic. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Implementation Quality Impacts Fourth Grade Students' Participation in Physically Active Academic Lessons.

It is important to assess implementation of active learning interventions to maximize their impact. Implementation quality, or how well one engages program participants, has been less studied than other implementation components (e.g., dose, fidelity). This cross-sectional, exploratory study examined associations between teacher engagement behaviors, quality of teacher engagement (i.e., teacher feedback), and student physical activity outcomes during active classroom lessons. This study used data from the Texas Initiatives for Children's Activity and Nutrition (I-CAN!) randomized controlled trial. Fixed effects regressions investigated the impact of teacher engagement behaviors on student physical activity outcomes. Bivariate correlations examined associations between teacher feedback and student physical activity outcomes. A latent profile analysis explored whether there were subsets of teachers with similar feedback profiles. The final analytic sample included 82 teachers. Teacher-directed changes and teacher participation in physical activity were each associated with higher ratings for how many and how often children were active during lessons. Teacher participation in physical activity was also significantly related to higher ratings for student physical activity intensity (all p < .05). Physical Activity Reinforcement and Technical Instruction feedback were positively associated with activity intensity (r = - .20, p < .05 and r = .34, p < .01, respectively). Technical Instruction feedback was positively associated with how many (r = .25, p < .01) and how often (r = .41, p < .01) students were active during lessons. Negative feedback was negatively associated with how often (r = - .25, p < .05) students were active and activity intensity (r = - .25, p < .05). Game Instruction was negatively related to how often students were active (r = -.23, p < .05). All teachers were represented by high levels of Game Instruction and Classroom Management feedback, moderate levels of Content Reinforcement and Content Instruction feedback, and low levels of Negative, Technical Instruction, and Physical Activity Reinforcement feedback. These data did not indicate the existence of multiple feedback profiles. Findings suggest that teacher engagement and feedback to students during active lessons can promote student physical activity. Teachers are primarily responsible for implementing school-based interventions, so it is critical to develop strategies that increase their ability to implement them successfully. Opportunities to maximize intervention delivery, such as co-designing with teachers, should be utilized when designing school-based, physical activity interventions.

School-based interventions modestly increase physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness but are least effective for youth who need them most: an individual participant pooled analysis of 20 controlled trials.

OBJECTIVES: To determine if subpopulations of students benefit equally from school-based physical activity interventions in terms of cardiorespiratory fitness and physical activity. To examine if physical activity intensity mediates improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness. DESIGN: Pooled analysis of individual participant data from controlled trials that assessed the impact of school-based physical activity interventions on cardiorespiratory fitness and device-measured physical activity. PARTICIPANTS: Data for 6621 children and adolescents aged 4-18 years from 20 trials were included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Peak oxygen consumption (VO2Peak mL/kg/min) and minutes of moderate and vigorous physical activity. RESULTS: Interventions modestly improved students' cardiorespiratory fitness by 0.47 mL/kg/min (95% CI 0.33 to 0.61), but the effects were not distributed equally across subpopulations. Girls and older students benefited less than boys and younger students, respectively. Students with lower levels of initial fitness, and those with higher levels of baseline physical activity benefitted more than those who were initially fitter and less active, respectively. Interventions had a modest positive effect on physical activity with approximately one additional minute per day of both moderate and vigorous physical activity. Changes in vigorous, but not moderate intensity, physical activity explained a small amount (~5%) of the intervention effect on cardiorespiratory fitness. CONCLUSIONS: Future interventions should include targeted strategies to address the needs of girls and older students. Interventions may also be improved by promoting more vigorous intensity physical activity. Interventions could mitigate declining youth cardiorespiratory fitness, increase physical activity and promote cardiovascular health if they can be delivered equitably and their effects sustained at the population level.

A Digital Health Intervention for Weight Management for Latino Families Living in Rural Communities: Perspectives and Lessons Learned During Development.

Rural residents face numerous challenges in accessing quality health care for management of chronic diseases (eg, obesity, diabetes), including scarcity of health care services and insufficient public transport. Digital health interventions, which include modalities such as internet, smartphones, and monitoring sensors, may help increase rural residents' access to health care. While digital health interventions have become an increasingly popular intervention strategy to address obesity, research examining the use of technological tools for obesity management among rural Latino populations is limited. In this paper, we share our experience developing a culturally tailored, interactive health intervention using digital technologies for a family-oriented, weight management program in a rural, primarily Latino community. We describe the formative research that guided the development of the intervention, discuss the process of developing the intervention technologies including issues of privacy and data security, examine the results of a pilot study, and share lessons learned. Our experience can help others design user-centered digital health interventions to engage underserved populations in the uptake of healthy lifestyle and disease management skills.

Depression and Physical Activity Affect Diet Quality of Foreign-born Latina Women Living on the U.S.-Mexico Border.

There is increasing evidence that depression may affect diet. However, little is known about the association between depression and diet quality among foreign-born Latinas. We hypothesized that depressive symptoms would be associated with poorer diet quality in foreign-born Latinas. Furthermore, we believed that physical activity (PA) would have a protective effect on diet quality for individuals experiencing depressive symptoms. Our study evaluated the diet (Healthy Eating Index) and PA (Actigraph GT3X activity monitors) of 534 foreign-born Latinas with and without depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale). A series of logistic regression models were estimated to examine our hypotheses. As predicted, Latinas who were depressed had significantly lower odds of having a high-quality diet than non-depressed Latinas. Unexpectedly, among Latinas who met PA guidelines, depressed Latinas had a significantly lower probability of having higher-quality diets than their non-depressed counterparts. Our findings support current research stating that depressive symptoms are associated with lower Healthy Eating Index scores. More research is necessary to elucidate the relationship between PA and dietary quality of depressed Latinas. Innovative approaches to address mental health and the stressors that can compound its severity are needed to improve diet quality among foreign-born Latina women.

Study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial to test "¡Míranos! Look at Us, We Are Healthy!" - an early childhood obesity prevention program.

BACKGROUND: One in three Head Start children is either overweight or obese. We will test the efficacy of an early childhood obesity prevention program, "¡Míranos! Look at Us, We Are Healthy!" (¡Míranos!), which promotes healthy growth and targets multiple energy balance-related behaviors in predominantly Latino children in Head Start. The ¡Míranos! intervention includes center-based (policy changes, staff development, gross motor program, and nutrition education) and home-based (parent engagement/education and home visits) interventions to address key enablers and barriers in obesity prevention in childcare. In partnership with Head Start, we have demonstrated the feasibility and acceptability of the proposed interventions to influence energy balance-related behaviors favorably in Head Start children. METHODS: Using a three-arm cluster randomized controlled design, 12 Head Start centers will be randomly assigned in equal number to one of three conditions: 1) a combined center- and home-based intervention, 2) center-based intervention only, or 3) comparison. The interventions will be delivered by trained Head Start staff during the academic year. A total of 444 3-year-old children (52% females; n = 37 per center at baseline) in two cohorts will be enrolled in the study and followed prospectively 1 year post-intervention. Data collection will be conducted at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and at the one-year follow-up and will include height, weight, physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviors, sleep duration and screen time, gross motor development, dietary intake and food and activity preferences. Information on family background, parental weight, PA- and nutrition-related practices and behaviors, PA and nutrition policy and environment at center and home, intervention program costs, and treatment fidelity will also be collected. DISCUSSION: With endorsement and collaboration of two local Head Start administrators, ¡Míranos!, as a culturally tailored obesity prevention program, is poised to provide evidence of efficacy and cost-effectiveness of a policy and environmental approach to prevent early onset of obesity in low-income Latino preschool children. ¡Míranos! can be disseminated to various organized childcare settings, as it is built on the Head Start program and its infrastructure, which set a gold standard for early childhood education, as well as current PA and nutrition recommendations for preschool children. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.Gov ( NCT03590834 ) July 18, 2018.

Active Learning Increases Children's Physical Activity across Demographic Subgroups.

PURPOSE: Given the need to find more opportunities for physical activity within the elementary school day, this study was designed to asses the impact of I-CAN!, active lessons on: 1) student physical activity (PA) outcomes via accelerometry; and 2) socioeconomic status (SES), race, sex, body mass index (BMI), or fitness as moderators of this impact. METHODS: Participants were 2,493 fourth grade students (45.9% male, 45.8% white, 21.7% low SES) from 28 central Texas elementary schools randomly assigned to intervention (n=19) or control (n=9). Multilevel regression models evaluated the effect of I-CAN! on PA and effect sizes were calculated. The moderating effects of SES, race, sex, BMI, and fitness were examined in separate models. RESULTS: Students in treatment schools took significantly more steps than those in control schools (ß = 125.267, SE = 41.327, p = .002, d = .44). I-CAN! had a significant effect on MVPA with treatment schools realizing 80% (ß = 0.796, SE =0.251, p = .001; d = .38) more MVPA than the control schools. There were no significant school-level differences on sedentary behavior (ß = -0.177, SE = 0.824, p = .83). SES, race, sex, BMI, and fitness level did not moderate the impact of active learning on step count and MVPA. CONCLUSION: Active learning increases PA within elementary students, and does so consistently across demographic sub-groups. This is important as these sub-groups represent harder to reach populations for PA interventions. While these lessons may not be enough to help children reach daily recommendations of PA, they can supplement other opportunities for PA. This speaks to the potential of schools to adopt policy change to require active learning.

A cluster randomized control trial to assess the impact of active learning on child activity, attention control, and academic outcomes: The Texas I-CAN trial.

BACKGROUND: Active learning is designed to pair physical activity with the teaching of academic content. This has been shown to be a successful strategy to increase physical activity and improve academic performance. The existing designs have confounded academic lessons with physical activity. As a result, it is impossible to determine if the subsequent improvement in academic performance is due to: (1) physical activity, (2) the academic content of the active learning, or (3) the combination of academic material taught through physical activity. METHODS/DESIGN: The Texas I-CAN project is a 3-arm, cluster randomized control trial in which 28 elementary schools were assigned to either control, math intervention, or spelling intervention. As a result, each intervention condition serves as an unrelated content control for the other arm of the trial, allowing the impact of physical activity to be separated from the content. That is, schools that perform only active math lessons provide a content control for the spelling schools on spelling outcomes. This also calculated direct observations of attention and behavior control following periods of active learning. DISCUSSION: This design is unique in its ability to separate the impact of physical activity, in general, from the combination of physical activity and specific academic content. This, in combination with the ability to examine both proximal and distal outcomes along with measures of time on task will do much to guide the design of future, school-based interventions.

Perceived stress and dietary choices: The moderating role of stress management.

Many college students exhibit unhealthy eating behaviors, consuming large quantities of high-fat foods and few fruits and vegetables. Perceived stress has been linked to daily dietary choices among college students; however, this work has been conducted among predominantly white, female populations. The role of perceived stress management in moderating this relationship is unclear. This study investigated the relationship between perceived stress and dietary choices among a diverse sample of male and female college freshmen and assessed whether perceived ability to manage stress moderated this relationship. 613 students from a large, public university completed an online survey which assessed past week consumption of various foods and beverages (e.g. soda, fast food, fruits, vegetables), as well as perceived stress and ability to manage stress. Hierarchical linear regression examined the association between perceived stress and past week dietary choices, and the moderating effect of perceived ability to manage stress, controlling for demographic variables. Perceived stress was positively associated with past week soda, coffee, energy drink, salty snack, frozen food, and fast food consumption (p<0.05). Perceived stress management moderated the relationship between stress and sweet snack consumption. Individuals who reported low ability to manage stress consumed greater amounts. Findings indicate greater stress is associated with poor dietary choices among college freshmen. The relationship between stress and sweet snack consumption was exacerbated among those who reported low ability to manage stress. It may be important for college nutrition education programs to focus on the relationship between stress and diet and promote effective stress management techniques.

Physically active vs. sedentary academic lessons: A dose response study for elementary student time on task.

BACKGROUND: Physically active academic lessons are an effective intervention to reduce sedentary time and increase student physical activity. They have also been shown to enhance task engagement, as indicated by observations of attention and behavior control, time on task (TOT). However, it is not clear if the improved TOT stems from the physical activity or if it is the result of an enjoyable break from traditional instruction. If it is due to physical activity, what dose of intensity is required for the effect? This study was designed to test these questions. METHODS: Participants were 320 children (7-9years) recruited from school districts in Central Texas in 2012. They were assigned by classroom (n=20) to one of four conditions: 1) sedentary, standard lesson (n=72); 2) sedentary academic game (n=87); 3) low to moderate intensity PA (LMPA), academic game (n=81); and 4) moderate to vigorous intensity PA (MVPA), academic game (n=76). Measures included PA via accelerometer and TOT. RESULTS: Mixed-method RMANOVA indicated TOT decreased following the standard lesson (p<0.001), showed no change following the sedentary academic game (p=0.68), and increased following the LMPA (p<0.01) and MVPA (p<0.001) academic games. CONCLUSIONS: While the sedentary, academic game prevented the reduction in TOT observed in the standard lesson, PA resulted in increased TOT. Future research should be designed to examine the potential academic benefits of the change in TOT.