Associations between Teacher Wellbeing and Social Support for Physical Activity in Two Urban School Districts during the early stages of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic.

Given physical activity's protective effects on mental health and the potential for school districts to support teachers in this area, we explore teacher wellbeing protective factors including social support for exercise. Specifically, we measured the association between social support for exercise and teacher wellbeing in racially and ethnically diverse urban school districts. Based on a prior partnership with 19 schools across 5 districts, we obtained approval from two districts to outreach to teachers (n=206) and invite them to complete the Teacher Subjective Wellbeing Questionnaire and the Social Support and Exercise Survey during the 2020-2021 academic year. We applied linear regression models for continuous variables with teacher wellbeing as the dependent variable and social support as the independent variable adjusting for teacher- and school-level factors. Teachers (n=121) across eight K-8th grade schools completed the survey. The majority of teachers identified as female (77%) and non-White (84%). In the adjusted analysis (n = 104), there was a positive association between family social support for exercise and teacher wellbeing (ß = 0.31; P Value < 0.05). Thus, for every unit increase in family social support for exercise, a small 0.31 unit increase in teacher wellbeing was predicted. Additional research is needed to better understand this relationship in marginalized school districts as it may yield insights to be applied through multiple channels. District representatives have an opportunity to positively influence teacher wellbeing, an important component to supporting student success, building educational equity, and closing the achievement gap.

Linking health education, civic engagement, and research at a large Federally Qualified Health Center to address health disparities.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a framework for patient-centered research in a community health center. STUDY SETTING: Primary organizational case-study data were collected at a large Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Southern California from 2019 to 2021. STUDY DESIGN: Thirty stakeholders, including patients, community leaders, students, medical providers, and academic partners, participated in community-engagement capacity-building exercises and planning. These activities were guided by Community Based Participatory Principles and were part of an initiative to address health disparities by supporting patient and community-engaged research. DATA COLLECTION: The study included an iterative development process. Stakeholders participated in a total of 44 workgroup meetings and 7 full-group quarterly convenings. The minutes of the meetings from both workgroups and quarterly convenings were used to document the evolution of the initiative. PRINCIPLE FINDINGS: Stakeholders concluded that health equity research needs to be part of a larger engagement ecosystem and that, in some ways, engagement on research projects may be a later-stage form of engagement following patient/community and staff/researcher coeducation and cocapacity building efforts. CONCLUSIONS: Community health center stakeholders viewed successful engagement of community members in patient-centered health equity research as involving a web of longitudinal, evolving internal and external relationships rather than discrete, time-limited, and single-project-based dyadic connections.

Absorption and transit of lutein and beta-carotene supplements in the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus).

Based on a previous carotenoid bioavailability study in Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus), we hypothesized that gerbils preferentially accumulate beta-carotene over lutein in the liver and lipoproteins. To monitor transit times of these carotenoids through the gastrointestinal tract and concentrations in various tissues and tissue contents, 0.1 micromol each of beta-carotene and lutein were given separately as well as in combination to gerbils (n = 30). Contents of stomach, intestines, and ceca were collected at 1.5, 3, and 6 hours following the dose and analyzed for beta-carotene and lutein. Mucosal scrapings, liver, and serum were also collected. When beta-carotene and lutein were given in combination, 41 +/- 11% (mean +/- SD) beta-carotene versus 20 +/- 4.0% lutein were recovered in total from all tissues and tissue contents. At 3 hours, 45 +/- 19% and 55 +/- 2.8% of the beta-carotene and lutein supplements, respectively, were recovered in the cecum when given separately. When given in combination, 59 +/- 32% and 55 +/- 25% of the beta-carotene and lutein, respectively, were recovered in the cecum. Beta-carotene was up to 45-fold higher than lutein liver concentrations 6 hours after dosing. Gerbils are a useful model for beta-carotene bioavailability studies as they absorb and store beta-carotene. More studies are needed to determine whether significant extra-hepatic lutein storage occurs in gerbils.