Mediating effects of inequitable gender norms on intimate partner violence and contraceptive use in a cluster randomized control trial in Niger.

Previous research has demonstrated that the Reaching Married Adolescents intervention (RMA) was associated with changes in inequitable gender norms, intimate partner violence (IPV), and modern contraceptive use. This study seeks to understand if changes in inequitable gender norms mediate the RMA intervention's effects on contraceptive use and intimate partner violence (IPV). A four-arm cluster randomized control trial was conducted to evaluate effects of the RMA intervention (household visits, small groups, combination, control) on married adolescent girls and their husbands in Dosso, Niger (baseline: 1042 dyads; 24m follow-up: 737 dyads; 2016-2019). Mediation was assessed using inverse odds ratio weighting. In the small group intervention, of the total effect on IPV prevalence (8% reduction), indirect effects via inequitable gender norms is associated with a 2% decrease (95% CI: -0.07, 0.12) and direct effects with a 6% decrease (95% CI: -0.20, -0.02). For household visits, of the total effect on contraceptive use (20% increase), the indirect effect accounts for an 11% decrease (95% CI: -0.18, -0.01) and direct effect, a 32% increase (95% CI: 0.13, 0.44); similar to findings for the combination arm. This experimental evidence informs the value of changing underlying social norms to reduce IPV and increase contraception use.

Organophosphate pesticide exposure and risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Several studies have reported immune modulation by organophosphate (OP) pesticides, but the relationship between OP exposure and SARS-CoV-2 infection is yet to be studied. We used two different measures of OP pesticide exposure (urinary biomarkers (N = 154) and residential proximity to OP applications (N = 292)) to examine the association of early-childhood and lifetime exposure to OPs and risk of infection of SARS-CoV-2 using antibody data. Our study population consisted of young adults (ages 18-21 years) from the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS) Study, a longitudinal cohort of families from a California agricultural region. Urinary biomarkers reflected exposure from in utero to age 5 years. Residential proximity reflected exposures between in utero and age 16 years. SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in blood samples collected between June 2022 and January 2023 were detected via two enzyme linked immunosorbent assays, each designed to bind to different SARS-CoV-2 antigens. We performed logistic regression for each measure of pesticide exposure, adjusting for covariates from demographic data and self-reported questionnaire data. We found increased odds of SARS-CoV-2 infection among participants with higher urinary biomarkers of OPs in utero (OR = 1.94, 95% CI: 0.71, 5,58) and from age 0-5 (OR = 1.90, 95% CI: 0.54, 6.95).

Impacts of COVID-19 shelter in place across key life domains among immigrant farmworker Latina mothers and young adults.

OBJECTIVE: Individuals and families from racial and ethnic groups experience social and economic disadvantage making them vulnerable to the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study sought to capture the impacts of Shelter in Place (SIP) across key life domains including family life, education, work, mental health, and coping strategies among a sample of Mexican-origin mothers who were currently engaged in agricultural work, or whose spouses were engaged in agricultural work, and young adults who had a parent working in agriculture. METHOD: During the summer of 2020, while California was under SIP orders, we conducted three virtual focus groups using Zoom(r). We recruited focus group participants from the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS), an ongoing, 20-year, longitudinal cohort study of Mexican-origin families in a predominantly agricultural area of California. Three focus groups were conducted with mothers (n = 9), mean age = 48 years, young adult women (n = 8) and young adult men (n = 5), mean age = 18 years, respectively. RESULTS: Mothers reported high levels of stress stemming from fear of Covid-19 infection, work instability and financial concerns, children's schooling, anxiety about an uncertain future, and the demands of caretaking for dependents. Adverse mental health impacts were particularly pronounced among participants experiencing multiple adversities pre-dating the pandemic, including unemployment, single motherhood, and having undocumented family members. For young adults, work instability and varying work hours were also a source of stress because they made it difficult to make decisions about the future, such as whether to attend college or how many classes to take. Families used coping strategies including expressing gratitude, focusing on what's under one's control, familismo, and community engagement to manage mental health challenges during SIP. CONCLUSION: In the event of future pandemics or disasters, particular attention is needed to those who experience unemployment, are undocumented and/or have undocumented family members, and/or are single parents facing economic adversity. During public health emergencies, action at the local, state, and national level is needed to support farmworkers and other vulnerable groups' secondary major stressors stemming from inequities in access to affordable housing, childcare, living wages, healthcare, and other benefits.

Associations between prenatal phthalate exposure and childhood epigenetic age acceleration.

BACKGROUND: Phthalates, a group of pervasive endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in plastics and personal care products, have been associated with a wide range of developmental and health outcomes. However, their impact on biomarkers of aging has not been characterized. We tested associations between prenatal exposure to 11 phthalate metabolites on epigenetic aging in children at birth, 7, 9, and 14 years of age. We hypothesized that prenatal phthalate exposure will be associated with epigenetic age acceleration measures at birth and in early childhood, with patterns dependent on sex and timing of DNAm measurement. METHODS: Among 385 mother-child pairs from the CHAMACOS cohort, we measured DNAm at birth, 7, 9, and 14 years of age, and utilized adjusted linear regression to assess the association between prenatal phthalate exposure and Bohlin's Gestational Age Acceleration (GAA) at birth and Intrinsic Epigenetic Age Acceleration (IEAA) throughout childhood. Additionally, quantile g-computation was utilized to assess the effect of the phthalate mixture on GAA at birth and IEAA throughout childhood. RESULTS: We found a negative association between prenatal di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) exposure and IEAA among males at age 7 (-0.62 years; 95% CI:-1.06 to -0.18), and a marginal negative association between the whole phthalate mixture and GAA among males at birth (-1.54 days, 95% CI: -2.79 to -0.28), while most other associations were nonsignificant. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that prenatal exposure to certain phthalates is associated with epigenetic aging in children. Additionally, our findings suggest that the influence of prenatal exposures on epigenetic age may only manifest during specific periods of child development, and studies relying on DNAm measurements solely from cord blood or single time points may overlook potential relationships.

Dampened psychobiological responses to stress and substance use in adolescence.

Substance use increases throughout adolescence, and earlier substance use may increase risk for poorer health. However, limited research has examined whether stress responses relate to adolescent substance use, especially among adolescents from ethnic minority and high-adversity backgrounds. The present study assessed whether blunted emotional and cortisol responses to stress at age 14 related to substance use by ages 14 and 16, and whether associations varied by poverty status and sex. A sample of 277 Mexican-origin youth (53.19% female; 68.35% below the poverty line) completed a social-evaluative stress task, which was culturally adapted for this population, and provided saliva samples and rated their anger, sadness, and happiness throughout the task. They also reported whether they had ever used alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes, and vaping of nicotine at age 14 and again at age 16. Multilevel models suggested that blunted cortisol reactivity to stress was associated with alcohol use by age 14 and vaping nicotine by age 16 among youth above the poverty line. Also, blunted sadness and happiness reactivity to stress was associated with use of marijuana and alcohol among female adolescents. Blunted stress responses may be a risk factor for substance use among youth above the poverty line and female adolescents.

Measuring social norms of intimate partner violence to exert control over wife agency, sexuality, and reproductive autonomy: an item response modelling of the IPV-ASRA scale.

BACKGROUND: The field of violence prevention research is unequivocal that interventions must target contextual factors, like social norms, to reduce gender-based violence. Limited research, however, on the social norms contributing to intimate partner violence or reproductive coercion exists. One of the driving factors is lack of measurement tools to accurately assess social norms. METHODS: Using an item response modelling approach, this study psychometrically assesses the reliability and validity of a social norms measure of the acceptability of intimate partner violence to exert control over wife agency, sexuality, and reproductive autonomy with data from a population-based sample of married adolescent girls (ages 13-18) and their husbands in rural Niger (n = 559 husband-wife dyads) collected in 2019. RESULTS: A two-dimensional Partial Credit Model for polytomous items was fit, showing evidence of reliability and validity. Higher scores on the "challenging husband authority" dimension were statistically associated with husband perpetration of intimate partner violence. CONCLUSIONS: This brief scale is a short (5 items), practical measure with strong reliability and validity evidence. This scale can help identify populations with high-need for social norms-focused IPV prevention and to help measure the impact of such efforts.

Long-term prevention of gender-based violence, like intimate partner violence and reproductive coercion, requires efforts to change the social environment that facilitates violence against women, yet limited research is available on how to change social environments. One reason is that there are few tools to accurately measure social environments, including social norms, which are the unspoken rules about what behavior is acceptable and what behavior is not. The present research assessed a new social norms measurement tool on the acceptability of intimate partner violence to exert control over wife agency, sexuality, and reproductive autonomy using data from a population-based sample of married adolescents and their husbands in rural Niger (n = 559 husband-wife dyads) collected in 2019. We found that this scale had strong reliability and validity, and that the group of questions about challenging husband authority were related to husband perpetration of intimate partner violence against his wife. This brief scale is a short (5 questions), practical measure with strong reliability and validity evidence that can help identify populations with high-need for social norms-focused prevention and to help measure the impact of such efforts. This evidence strengthens the current set of measurement tools on social norms available to researchers and practitioners.

Associations Between Childhood Obesity and Pubertal Timing Stratified by Sex and Race/Ethnicity.

Earlier puberty has been associated with numerous adverse mental, emotional, and physical health outcomes. Obesity is a known risk factor for earlier puberty in girls, but research with boys has yielded inconsistent findings. We examined sex- and race/ethnicity-specific associations between childhood obesity and puberty in a multiethnic cohort of 129,824 adolescents born at a Kaiser Permanente Northern California medical facility between 2003 and 2011. We used Weibull regression models to explore associations between childhood obesity and breast development onset (thelarche) in girls, testicular enlargement onset (gonadarche) in boys, and pubic hair development onset (pubarche) in both sexes, adjusting for important confounders. Clear dose-response relationships were observed. Boys with severe obesity had the greatest risk for earlier gonadarche (hazard ratio = 1.23, 95% confidence limit: 1.15, 1.32) and pubarche (hazard ratio = 1.44, 95% confidence limit: 1.34, 1.55), while underweight boys had delayed puberty compared with peers with normal body mass index. A similar dose-response relationship was observed in girls. There were significant interactions between childhood body mass index and race/ethnicity. Childhood obesity is associated with earlier puberty in both boys and girls, and the magnitude of the associations may vary by race/ethnicity. Prevention of childhood obesity may delay pubertal timing and mitigate health risks associated with both conditions.

Childhood Overweight and Obesity and Pubertal Onset Among Mexican-American Boys and Girls in the CHAMACOS Longitudinal Study.

Secular trends in earlier initiation of puberty have been observed in recent decades. One risk factor appears to be increases in adiposity, as measured by body mass index. This trend is particularly notable among Latino populations, who have higher rates of overweight/obesity compared with non-Latino White youth. Previous research has focused primarily on White girls, resulting in data gaps regarding male puberty and among potentially high-risk populations. Using data from the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS) study, we examined body mass index at age 5 years (2005-2006) and multiple markers of pubertal onset, assessed repeatedly and longitudinally at 7 in-person visits, starting at age 9 and continuing through age 14 (2009-2015), among 336 Mexican Americans in Salinas, California. We observed no associations among boys, but found significantly earlier thelarche in overweight (HR = 1.7, 95% CI: 1.1, 2.7) and obese girls (HR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.0, 2.4), menarche in overweight girls (HR = 1.6; CI: 1.0, 2.4), and pubarche in obese girls (HR = 1.9; CI: 1.2, 3.0), compared with normal-weight girls. This study examined an understudied population and included key covariates, such as birth weight and early adverse events, which are typically omitted in studies.

Effects of Early Life Adversity on Pubertal Timing and Tempo in Black and White Girls: The National Growth and Health Study.

OBJECTIVE: Although exposure to abuse in early life predicts earlier pubertal timing, especially for girls, it is unclear if this association generalizes to nonabuse stressors. In addition, the impact of race on the stress-maturation association remains unknown. To address these issues, we examined whether race moderates the effects of early adversity on pubertal timing and tempo using a longitudinal study design. METHODS: In a cohort of 9- and 10-year-old Black and White girls, pubertal (areolar and pubic hair) maturation was assessed annually for 7 years. In adulthood, 368 participants (186 Black, 182 White) reported on abuse and nonabuse stressors they experienced from ages 0 to 12 years. RESULTS: Early life abuse was associated with earlier pubertal timing, as indexed by younger age at menarche (b = -0.22, p = .005, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.39 to -0.06) and greater pubic hair development (b = 0.11, p = .003, 95% CI = 0.04 to 0.18), in addition to slower pubertal tempo, as indexed by slower rate of pubic hair (b = -0.03, p < .001, 95% CI = -0.05 to -0.01) and areolar (b = -0.02, p = .02, 95% CI = -0.03 to -0.003) development. These associations were not found for nonabuse adversity. Black girls with early life abuse had greater pubic hair development (b = 0.23, p < .001, 95% CI = 0.12 to 0.35) and were slower in pubic hair tempo (b = -0.07, p < .001, 95% CI = -0.09 to -0.04) than their White counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: Screening for early life abuse may help address health disparities related to earlier pubertal timing.

Residential proximity to agricultural pesticide use and risk-taking behaviors in young adults from the CHAMACOS study.

BACKGROUND: Prenatal pesticide exposure has been associated with poorer neurodevelopment during childhood, which could lead to greater risk-taking behaviors and delinquency in adolescence. This association may be augmented by adversity exposure. OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the relationship between prenatal pesticide exposure and risk-taking behavior in young adults at 18-years of age. Assess whether adversity exposure modifies these associations. METHODS: Participants included mother-child dyads (n = 467) enrolled in the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children Of Salinas (CHAMACOS) study, a longitudinal birth cohort set in the agricultural Salinas Valley of California. We estimated agricultural pesticide use within one km of maternal residences during pregnancy using a geographic information system, residential addresses, and California's Pesticide Use Reporting data. We used Bayesian hierarchical regression to evaluate associations of prenatal exposure to a mixture of 11 neurotoxic pesticides with self-reported police encounters, risk-taking behaviors, and unique types and frequency of delinquent acts. We also evaluated effect modification of these relationships by adversity exposure. RESULTS: We observed generally null associations of neurotoxic pesticide use with risk-taking behaviors. Prenatal residential proximity to chlorpyrifos use was associated with higher risk of a police encounter, a delinquent act, and higher incidence of both unique types of acts committed and total frequency of delinquent acts. Prenatal residential proximity to dimethoate use was associated with a higher incidence of police encounters and methomyl with a higher risk of committing a delinquent act. There were no consistent differences when stratified by the number of adverse childhood experiences. CONCLUSIONS: We observed mostly null associations between prenatal residential proximity to agricultural pesticide use and risk-taking behaviors at age 18, with little evidence of effect modification by childhood adversity. There were suggestive associations for chlorpyrifos use with having any police encounter and with all measures of delinquent acts that warrant confirmation in other studies.

Interactions of agricultural pesticide use near home during pregnancy and adverse childhood experiences on adolescent neurobehavioral development in the CHAMACOS study.

BACKGROUND: Studies have documented independent adverse associations between prenatal and early-life exposure to environmental chemicals and social adversity with child neurodevelopment; however, few have considered these exposures jointly. The objective of this analysis is to examine whether associations of pesticide mixtures and adolescent neurobehavioral development are modified by early-life adversity in the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS) cohort. METHODS: We used linear mixed effects Bayesian Hierarchical Models (BHM) to examine the joint effect of applications of 11 agricultural pesticides within 1 km of maternal homes during pregnancy and youth-reported Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) with maternal and youth-reported internalizing behaviors, hyperactivity, and attention problems assessed via the Behavior Assessment for Children (BASC) (mean = 50, standard deviation = 10) at ages 16 and 18 years (n = 458). RESULTS: The median (25th-75th percentiles) of ACEs was 1 (0-3); 72.3% of participants had low ACEs (0-2 events) and 27.7% had ACEs (3+ events). Overall, there was little evidence of modification of exposure-outcome associations by ACEs. A two-fold increase in malathion use was associated with increased internalizing behaviors among those with high ACEs from both maternal- (ß = 1.9; 95% Credible Interval (CrI): 0.2, 3.7 for high ACEs vs. ß = -0.1; 95% CrI: 1.2, 0.9 for low ACEs) and youth-report (ß = 2.1; 95% CrI: 0.4, 3.8 for high ACEs vs. ß = 0.2; 95% CrI: 0.8, 1.2 for low ACEs). Applications of malathion and dimethoate were also associated with higher youth-reported hyperactivity and/or inattention among those with high ACEs. CONCLUSION: We observed little evidence of effect modification of agricultural pesticide use near the home during pregnancy and adolescent behavioral problems by child ACEs. Future studies should examine critical windows of susceptibility of exposure to chemical and non-chemical stressors and should consider biomarker-based exposure assessment methods.

Prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticides and risk-taking behaviors in early adulthood.

INTRODUCTION: Previous studies show evidence for associations of prenatal exposure to organophosphate (OP) pesticides with poorer childhood neurodevelopment. As children grow older, poorer cognition, executive function, and school performance can give rise to risk-taking behaviors, including substance abuse, delinquency, and violent acts. We investigated whether prenatal OP exposure was associated with these risk-taking behaviors in adolescence and young adulthood in a Mexican American cohort. METHODS: We measured urinary dialkyl phosphates (DAPs), non-specific metabolites of OPs, twice (13 and 26 weeks gestation) in pregnant women recruited in 1999-2000 in the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS) study, a birth cohort set in a primarily Latino agricultural community in the Salinas Valley, California. We followed up children throughout their childhood and adolescence; at the 18-year visit, adolescent youth (n = 315) completed a computer-based questionnaire which included questions about substance use, risky sexual activity, risky driving, and delinquency and police encounters. We used multivariable models to estimate associations of prenatal total DAPs with these risk-taking behaviors. RESULTS: The prevalence of risk-taking behaviors in CHAMACOS youth ranged from 8.9% for smoking or vaping nicotine to 70.2% for committing a delinquent act. Associations of total prenatal DAPs (geometric mean = 132.4 nmol/L) with risk-taking behavior were generally null and imprecise. Isolated findings included a higher risk for smoking or vaping nicotine within the past 30 days (relative risk [RR] per 10-fold increase in prenatal DAPs = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.00, 3.56) and driving without a license (RR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.25, 2.42). There were no consistent differences by sex or childhood adversity. DISCUSSION: We did not find clear or consistent evidence for associations of prenatal OP exposure with risk-taking behaviors in adolescence/early adulthood in the CHAMACOS population. Our small sample size may have prevented us from detecting potentially subtle associations of early life OP exposure with these risk-taking behaviors.

Associations between infant growth and pubertal onset timing in a multiethnic prospective cohort of girls.

BACKGROUND: Early puberty increases risk of adverse health conditions throughout the life course. US girls are experiencing earlier puberty without clear reasons. Studies suggest early life factors, such as infant growth, may influence pubertal timing. We assessed the associations between infant growth and onset of breast development (thelarche), pubic hair development (pubarche), and menarche in girls. METHODS: A prospective cohort of girls born at a Kaiser Permanente Northern California medical facility in 2005-11 was used. Weight-for-age z-scores were calculated at birth and 24 months. Difference in z-scores greater than 0.67 represent rapid "catch-up" growth, less than -0.67 represent delayed "catch-down" growth, and between -0.67 and 0.67 represent "normal" growth. Pubertal onset was measured using clinician-assessed sexual maturity ratings (SMRs) and defined as the age at transition from SMR 1 to SMR 2 + for both thelarche and pubarche. SMR data was collected through June 2020. Menarche was analyzed as a secondary outcome. Weibull and modified Poisson regression models were used. Models were adjusted for potential confounders. RESULTS: There were 15,196 girls included in the study. Approximately 30.2% experienced catch-up growth, 25.8% experienced catch-down growth, and 44% had normal growth. Girls with catch-up growth had increased risk of earlier thelarche (hazard ratio = 1.26, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.18, 1.35), pubarche (1.38, 95% CI: 1.28, 1.48), and menarche (< 12y, relative risk = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.36, 1.69) compared to those with normal growth, after adjusting for covariates. These associations were partially mediated by childhood body mass index. Catch-down growth was associated with later pubertal onset. CONCLUSIONS: Girls who experience infant catch-up growth have higher risk of earlier pubertal development compared to girls with normal growth and the associations are partially explained by childhood obesity. This information may help clinicians to monitor girls who are at high risk of developing earlier.

Style of meal service and feeding practices among Mexican American fathers and mothers: An analysis of video-recorded children's evening mealtime at home.

The aim of this study was to examine video-recorded observations of evening family mealtime at home among Mexican American children to help elucidate style of meal service, fathers' and mothers' feeding practices and child's eating behavior. Consistent with guidelines for coding behaviors, we analyzed observational data of evening mealtimes of 71 Mexican American children aged eight to 10 years. Regarding style of meal service, in almost all cases (96%), parents plated the child's food, with more available on the table or counter in 40% of the observations. Mothers almost always served the child (94%). Regarding parental feeding practices, parents used positive involvement in meals (80%), pressure to eat (42%) and restriction of food (9%). Using food as a reward to control behavior was never used by either parent. The majority (75%) of children requested or negotiated to eat less food, or only eat certain items. In Mexican American families, both mothers and fathers play a role in family mealtimes and both use positive involvement in child's meals, and to a lesser extent pressure to eat, with their children aged eight to 10 years. To help reduce the obesity epidemic, intervention strategies are needed, which integrate the family, a plating style of meal and parental feeding practices that promote healthy eating in the home. To reduce obesity among Mexican American children, interventions that focus on parental positive involvement in child's meal and maintenance of home cooked meals could have a positive impact on the entire family.

Developing an Anti-Racist Foundations Course in MCH for MPH Students.

INTRODUCTION: Over the past decade, foundational courses in MCH have been revised and revamped to integrate the life course perspective and social determinants of health in ways that bring these essential issues to the core of the learning experience. Yet the racial reckoning of 2020 and the racially disparate health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic underscore that a deeper, more focused approach to anti-racist pedagogy is now imperative for MCH educators and others responsible for developing the MCH workforce. METHODS: In this paper, we discuss our experience of building a 'community of practice' of anti-racist MCH trainees through our course, 'Foundations of Maternal and Child Health Policy, Practice, and Science.' RESULTS: We identify four principles which guided our course: (1) building on students' experience, knowledge, identities and social justice commitments; (2) creating a common purpose and shared vocabulary related to racism; (3) organizing classroom activities to reflect real-world problems and professional practices related to addressing structural racism as a root cause of health inequities; and (4) building students' skills and confidence to recognize and address structural racism as MCH professionals. DISCUSSION: We hope that this description of our principles, along with examples of how they were put into practice, will be useful to MCH educators who seek to build anti-racist frameworks to guide MCH workforce development.

The Critical Value of Maternal and Child Health (MCH) to Graduate Training in Public Health: A Framework to Guide Education, Research and Practice.

INTRODUCTION: In light of persistent health inequities, this commentary describes the critical role of maternal and child health (MCH) graduate training in schools and programs of public health (SPPH) and illustrates linkages between key components of MCH pedagogy and practice to 2021 CEPH competencies. METHODS: In 2018, a small working group of faculty from the HRSA/MCHB-funded Centers of Excellence (COEs) was convened to define the unique contributions of MCH to SPPH and to develop a framework using an iterative and consensus-driven process. The working group met 5 times and feedback was integrated from the broader faculty across the 13 COEs. The framework was further revised based on input from the MCHB/HRSA-funded MCH Public Health Catalyst Programs and was presented to senior MCHB leaders in October 2019. RESULTS: We developed a framework that underscores the critical value of MCH to graduate training in public health and the alignment of core MCH training components with CEPH competencies, which are required of all SPPH for accreditation. This framework illustrates MCH contributions in education, research and evaluation, and practice, and underscores their collective foundation in the life course approach. CONCLUSIONS: This new framework aims to enhance training for the next generation of public health leaders. It is intended to guide new, emerging, and expanding SPPH that may currently offer little or no MCH content. The framework invites further iteration, adaptation and customization to the range of diverse and emerging public health programs across the nation.

Development of a psychological empowerment measure for youth in rural Guatemala.

Psychological empowerment (PE) is conceptualized as a context-dependent construct, yet few have studied its applicability to youth in international settings. The current study used a participatory approach to design a measure of empowerment for youth from a rural, Indigenous community in Guatemala and aimed to compare this new measure to extant measures. Youth co-researchers (aged 19-22) collaborated in the development of four culturally relevant empowerment scales through a formative process involving classroom observations and focus groups. Newly developed scales and two widely used, extant scales were administered to a school-based sample of 273 youth (mean age = 14.7, SD = 1.6). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) showed that one of the newly developed PE scales called Self-Efficacy for Community Action (SECA), which was moderately correlated with the extant scales, appeared to more effectively capture empowerment in the local context than the extant measures. These results support the notion that PE is contextually dependent and suggest that youth participation may aid in instrument design.

Organophosphate pesticide exposure during pregnancy and childhood and onset of juvenile delinquency by age 16 years: The CHAMACOS cohort.

BACKGROUND: Though prenatal organophosphate pesticide (OP) exposure has been associated with lower intellectual quotient and behavioral disorders in childhood, factors related to later delinquency, no research has directly evaluated the impact of OPs on delinquency. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between prenatal and childhood OP exposure and juvenile delinquency in Mexican-American youth in the Center for Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS). METHODS: We measured dialkyl phosphate (DAPs) urinary metabolites of OPs in two prenatal maternal samples and in five child samples collected between six months and five years of age. Youth completed delinquency questionnaires at 16 years. We examined associations of prenatal and childhood DAPs with several delinquency outcomes (n = 313) using survival and generalized linear models. RESULTS: Almost 60% of youth reported delinquent acts (mostly minor), and 8% reported a police arrest. We observed largely null results of prenatal or childhood DAP concentrations and delinquency outcomes, with some isolated associations. A ten-fold increase in maternal dimethylphosphate (DM) concentrations measured after 20 weeks gestation was associated with an earlier age of first delinquent act (Hazard Ratio = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.88) and an increased Odds Ratio (OR) of having committed 1-3 or ≥4 delinquent acts, compared to the no delinquency reference group (OR = 1.77, 95% CI: 1.01-3.08 and 2.17, 95% CI: 1.13-4.17, respectively). Higher childhood diethylphosphate (DE) concentrations were associated with a later age of first delinquent act (HR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.46-0.97). DISCUSSION: We did not find strong evidence of association between prenatal or childhood OP exposure and juvenile delinquency in the present cohort. There is an increasing literature that relates OP exposure to neurobehavioral impairments in childhood, and there is a need to understand long-term potential neurodevelopmental effects of early-life OP exposure.

Early life household intactness and timing of pubertal onset in girls: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Girls who experience early-life familial stress may have heightened risk of early puberty, which has adverse implications for adolescent and adult health. We assessed the association between household intactness and pubertal onset using a racially/ethnically diverse cohort of girls from Northern California. METHODS: A prospective cohort study of 26,044 girls born in 2003-10. Girls living with both parents from birth up to 6 years were considered to come from "intact" households while others constituted "non-intact" households. Pubertal development was measured using pediatrician-assessed Tanner staging for breast and pubic hair. Pubertal onset was defined as the transition from Tanner Stage 1 to 2+ for breast (thelarche) and pubic hair (pubarche). Menarche data was collected from routine well-child questionnaires. Weibull regression models accommodating left, right, and interval censoring were used to determine risk of earlier thelarche and pubarche, and logistic regressions were used to assess the risk of early menarche (age < 12). RESULTS: Girls exposed to non-intact households before age 2 years were at increased risk for earlier thelarche and pubarche with significant effect modification by race/ethnicity, compared with girls from intact households. The associations were strongest among Black girls (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 1.60, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.29,1.98; HR: 1.42, 95%CI: 1.15,1.77 for thelarche and pubarche, respectively). There were no significant associations among Asian/Pacific Islanders. Girls who lived in non-intact households before age 2 years were also at increased risk for earlier menarche, but without race/ethnic interaction. Adjustment for prepubertal obesity did not change these associations. Associations between living in non-intact households after age 2 years and early puberty were weaker but still significant. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to a non-intact household early in life may increase the risk of early puberty in girls. Future psychosocial interventions focused on improving family cohesiveness and efforts to reduce childhood stress among families that are non-intact may mitigate these negative associations, thereby preventing future adverse health effects of early puberty and health disparities.

The association between religiosity and pregnancy acceptability among Latino/a young adults: does generational status matter?

The US Latino/a population is considered to be at high risk for unintended pregnancy; some research indicates that Latino/a parents are more likely to express happiness about an unintended pregnancy than other racial/ethnic groups. Associations between pregnancy attitudes and factors such as religiosity and nativity have also been documented in the Latino/a population, but existing research is sparse, dated and primarily focused on women of Mexican heritage. This study sought to expand this literature by examining the relationship between religiosity and pregnancy acceptability and assessing effect modification by generational status and gender in a national sample of young Latino/a cisgender women and men of various ancestral backgrounds currently in relationships. In multivariable logistic regression models, there was a positive association between importance of religion and pregnancy acceptability for both men and women; being highly or moderately religious was associated with elevated odds of finding a pregnancy acceptable. Effect modification by generational status was significant for women, but not for men. Results suggest that religiosity, gender and generational status have differential influences on and relationships to pregnancy orientations for Latina women and Latino men and should be considered in the design and delivery of family planning care for Latino/a clients.