Sociodemographic factors influencing island foods consumption in the Pacific Islander Health Study.

Objectives: Pacific Islander Americans are a small, but quickly growing population that experiences alarming disparities in obesity and obesity-related chronic illnesses influenced by dietary patterns. This population also has a unique culinary heritage including traditional foods and more contemporary imports such as tinned meats and refined carbohydrates. This analysis is a novel attempt to understand the sociodemographic factors influencing island foods consumption.Design: A sample of 240 Samoan and Tongan adults in California from the Pacific Islander Health Study was used. Following univariate and bivariate analyses, a series of four multivariable regression models were created to predict past week frequency of island foods consumption after sequential adjustment for demographic, socioeconomic, and cultural covariates.Results: Participants reported consuming island foods an average of 2.93 times in the previous week, with the largest proportion of participants (20.42%) reporting eating island foods 6 or more times. Age and Samoan ethnicity were initially significant, positive predictors of island foods consumption, but their effect was attenuated after addition of cultural covariates. With the third model that adjusted for birthplace, financial insecurity and Tongan birthplace were positive predictors. Both lost significance in the fourth and final model upon addition of cultural affinity, which was positively associated with island foods.Conclusion: Understanding how sociodemographic factors are associated with island foods consumption is a first step in understanding the broad way in which an ethnically specific dietary pattern may be associated with obesity-related chronic illness risk among Pacific Islander Americans.

The laparoscopic myomectomy: a survey of Canadian gynaecologists.

OBJECTIVE: To survey all gynaecologists in Canada to determine the number who perform or offer the laparoscopic myomectomy (LM) procedure, the barriers that deter gynaecologists from performing or offering LM, and to understand the perceptions and attitudes of Canadian gynaecologists with respect to LM. METHODS: A survey was developed, pre-tested, and distributed to all 1279 obstetrician-gynaecologists on the SOGC mailing list in April 2007. RESULTS: A total of 529 obstetrician-gynaecologists participated in the survey a response rate of 41.4%. Of the 485 respondents who practised gynaecology, 119 (24.5%) performed LM, but only 15 (3.1%) stated that more than 50% of their myomectomies were performed laparoscopically. Two hundred twelve gynaecologists (44.3%) admitted to having referred a patient to another gynaecologist for LM. Laparoscopic surgeons felt the principal barrier to performing LM was lack of training in the procedure (70.7%). Gynaecologists felt the principal barrier to referring to another gynaecologist for LM was their uncertainty about who offered the procedure (33%). The majority of gynaecologists believed that LM has faster recovery time. The majority of respondents, however, were unsure which procedure is superior with respect to blood loss, adhesion formation, fertility rate post-procedure, uterine rupture rate in subsequent pregnancy, and cost-effectiveness. CONCLUSION: Despite existing evidence that indicates that LM is comparable to abdominal myomectomy with respect to complication rates and fertility, only one quarter of Canadian gynaecologists who responded to this survey performed the procedure. Barriers to performing LM included lack of training and barriers to referral included uncertainty about who offered the procedure.

Health-Related Quality of Life for Eating Disorders questionnaire version-2 was responsive 1-year after initial assessment.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the responsiveness of the Health-Related Quality of Life for Eating Disorders questionnaire version-2 (HeRQoLEDv2) and present the psychometric characteristics of a new binge domain. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Patients with an eating disorder completed the HeRQoLEDv2, the Eating Attitudes Test-26, Short Form Health Survey-12, and two items from the Eating Disorder Inventory-2, at baseline and after 1 year. At the second assessment, patients completed the HeRQoLEDv2, as part of the battery of tests, along with health transitional questions. Validity and reliability analyses of the new binge domain were performed. Responsiveness was evaluated using distributional and anchor-based approaches, comparison of mean changes, mean change correlations, the minimal detectable change (MDC) at the individual and group level, and the minimal important difference (MID). RESULTS: Items in the binge domain loaded above 0.40. Cronbach alpha was 0.82. Regarding responsiveness, the mean changes detected by the HeRQoLEDv2 correlated above 0.30 with the criterion measures. Patients who reported improvement showed significant changes, and effect sizes above 0.30. The MDC(90%ind) was larger than the MID. CONCLUSION: The HeRQoLEDv2 includes the new binge domain. It responded to change at the group level. Further research regarding the MID is needed.