Association of Perceived Neighborhood Environments With Cognitive Function in Older Adults.

The current study examined the associations between perceptions of the social and physical neighborhood environments and cognitive function in older adults. This cross-sectional study analyzed 821 adults aged ≥65 years from the Adult Changes in Thought study. Perceived neighborhood attributes were measured by the Physical Activity Neighborhood Environment Scale. Cognitive function was assessed using the Cognitive Ability Screening Instrument. The associations were tested using multivariate linear regression. One point greater perceived access to public transit was associated with 0.56 points greater cognitive function score (95% confidence interval [CI] [0.25, 0.88]), and an additional one point of perceived sidewalk coverage was related to 0.22 points higher cognitive function score (95% CI [0.00, 0.45]) after controlling for sociodemographic factors. The perception of neighborhood attributes alongside physical infrastructure may play an important role in supporting older adults' cognitive function. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 49(8), 35-41.].

Does the Union Make Us Strong? Labor-Union Membership, Self-Rated Health, and Mental Illness: A Parametric G-Formula Approach.

Union members enjoy better wages and benefits and greater power than nonmembers, which can improve health. However, the longitudinal union-health relationship remains uncertain, partially because of healthy-worker bias, which cannot be addressed without high-quality data and methods that account for exposure-confounder feedback and structural nonpositivity. Applying one such method, the parametric g-formula, to US-based Panel Study of Income Dynamics data, we analyzed the longitudinal relationships between union membership, poor/fair self-rated health (SRH), and moderate mental illness (Kessler 6-item score of ≥5). The SRH analyses included 16,719 respondents followed from 1985-2017, while the mental-illness analyses included 5,813 respondents followed from 2001-2017. Using the parametric g-formula, we contrasted cumulative incidence of the outcomes under 2 scenarios, one in which we set all employed-person-years to union-member employed-person-years (union scenario), and one in which we set no employed-person-years to union-member employed-person-years (nonunion scenario). We also examined whether the contrast varied by sex, sex and race, and sex and education. Overall, the union scenario was not associated with reduced incidence of poor/fair SRH (relative risk = 1.01, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.95, 1.09; risk difference = 0.01, 95% CI: -0.03, 0.04) or moderate mental illness (relative risk = 1.02, 95% CI: 0.92, 1.12; risk difference = 0.01, 95% CI: -0.04, 0.06) relative to the nonunion scenario. These associations largely did not vary by subgroup.

Union Burying Ground: Mortality, Mortality Inequities, and Sinking Labor Union Membership in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Over the last several decades in the United States, socioeconomic life-expectancy inequities have increased 1-2 years. Declining labor-union density has fueled growing income inequities across classes and exacerbated racial income inequities. Using Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) data, we examined the longitudinal union-mortality relationship and estimated whether declining union density has also exacerbated mortality inequities. METHODS: Our sample included respondents ages 25-66 to the 1979-2015 PSID with mortality follow-up through age 68 and year 2017. To address healthy-worker bias, we used the parametric g-formula. First, we estimated how a scenario setting all (versus none) of respondents' employed-person-years to union-member employed-person-years would have affected mortality incidence. Next, we examined gender, racial, and educational effect modification. Finally, we estimated how racial and educational mortality inequities would have changed if union-membership prevalence had remained at 1979 (vs. 2015) levels throughout follow-up. RESULTS: In the full sample (respondents = 23,022, observations = 146,681), the union scenario was associated with lower mortality incidence than the nonunion scenario (RR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.80, 0.99; RD per 1,000 = -19, 95% CI = -37, -1). This protective association generally held across subgroups, although it was stronger among the more-educated. However, we found little evidence mortality inequities would have lessened if union membership had remained at 1979 levels. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this was the first individual-level US-based study with repeated union-membership measurements to analyze the union-mortality relationship. We estimated a protective union-mortality association, but found little evidence declining union density has exacerbated mortality inequities; importantly, we did not incorporate contextual-level effects. See video abstract at, http://links.lww.com/EDE/B839.

Cardiovascular Outcomes in Relation to Antihypertensive Medication Use in Women with and Without Cancer: Results from the Women's Health Initiative.

BACKGROUND: Recent clinical trials have evaluated angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors (ACEis), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), and beta blockers (BBs) in relation to cardiotoxicity in patients with cancer, typically defined by ejection fraction declines. However, these trials have not examined long-term, hard clinical endpoints. Within a prospective study, we examined the risk of heart failure (HF) and coronary heart disease (CHD) events in relation to use of commonly used antihypertensive medications, including ACEis/ARBs, BBs, calcium channel blockers (CCB), and diuretics, comparing women with and without cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a cohort of 56,997 Women's Health Initiative study participants free of cardiovascular disease who received antihypertensive treatment, we used multivariable-adjusted Cox regression models to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) of developing CHD, HF, and a composite outcome of cardiac events (combining CHD and HF) in relation to use of ACEis/ARBs, CCBs, or diuretics versus BBs, separately in women with and without cancer. RESULTS: Whereas there was no difference in risk of cardiac events comparing ACEi/ARB with BB use among cancer-free women (HR = 0.99 [0.88-1.12]), among cancer survivors ACEi/ARB users were at a 2.24-fold risk of total cardiac events (1.18-4.24); p-interaction = .06). When investigated in relation to CHD only, an increased risk was similarly observed in ACEi/ARB versus BB use for cancer survivors (HR = 1.87 [0.88-3.95]) but not in cancer-free women (HR = 0.91 [0.79-1.06]; p-interaction = .04). A similar pattern was also seen in relation to HF but did not reach statistical significance (p-interaction = .23). CONCLUSION: These results from this observational study suggest differing risks of cardiac events in relation to antihypertensive medications depending on history of cancer. Although these results require replication before becoming actionable in a clinical setting, they suggest the need for more rigorous examination of the effect of antihypertensive choice on long-term cardiac outcomes in cancer survivors. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Although additional research is needed to replicate these findings, these data from a large, nationally representative sample of postmenopausal women indicate that beta blockers are favorable to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in reducing the risk of cardiac events among cancer survivors. This differs from the patterns observed in a noncancer cohort, which largely mirrors what is found in the randomized clinical trials in the general population.

The association of delay in curative intent treatment with survival among breast cancer patients: findings from the Women's Health Initiative.

PURPOSE: Delays in adjuvant breast cancer (BC) therapy have been shown to worsen outcomes. However, thus far studies have only evaluated delays to initial treatment, or a particular modality, such as chemotherapy, leaving uncertainty about the role of delay to subsequent therapy and the effects of cumulative delay, on outcomes. We investigated the associations of delays across treatment modalities with survival. METHODS: We included 3368 women with incident stage I-III BC in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) enrolled in fee-for-service Medicare who underwent definitive surgery. This prospective analysis characterized treatment delays by linking WHI study records to Medicare claims. Delays were defined as > 8 weeks to surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation from diagnosis or prior treatment. We used Cox proportional hazards models to estimate BC-specific mortality (BCSM) and all-cause mortality (ACM) in relation to treatment delays. RESULTS: We found 21.8% of women experienced delay to at least one therapy modality. In adjusted analysis, delay to chemotherapy was associated with a higher risk of BCSM (HR = 1.71; 95% CI 1.07-2.75) and ACM (HR = 1.39; 95% CI 1.02-1.90); delay in radiation increased BCSM risk (HR = 1.49; 95% CI 1.00-2.21) but not ACM risk (HR = 1.19; 95% CI 0.99-1.42). Delays across multiple treatment modalities increased BCSM risk threefold (95% CI 1.51-6.12) and ACM risk 2.3-fold (95% CI 1.50-3.50). CONCLUSIONS: A delay to a single treatment modality and delay to a greater extent an accumulation of delays were associated with higher BCSM and ACM after BC. Timely care throughout the continuum of breast cancer treatment is important for optimal outcomes.

Solidarity and disparity: Declining labor union density and changing racial and educational mortality inequities in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Recently, United States life expectancy has stagnated or declined for the poor and working class and risen for the middle and upper classes. Declining labor-union density-the percent of workers who are unionized-has precipitated burgeoning income inequity. We examined whether it has also exacerbated racial and educational mortality inequities. METHODS: From CDC, we obtained state-level all-cause and overdose/suicide mortality overall and by gender, gender-race, and gender-education from 1986-2016. State-level union density and demographic and economic confounders came from the Current Population Survey. State-level policy confounders included the minimum wage, the generosity of Aid to Families with Dependent Children or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and the generosity of unemployment insurance. To model the exposure-outcome relationship, we used marginal structural modeling. Using state-level inverse-probability-of-treatment-weighted Poisson models with state and year fixed effects, we estimated 3-year moving average union density's effects on the following year's mortality rates. Then, we tested for gender, gender-race, and gender-education effect-modification. Finally, we estimated how racial and educational all-cause mortality inequities would change if union density increased to 1985 or 1988 levels, respectively. RESULTS: Overall, a 10% increase in union density was associated with a 17% relative decrease in overdose/suicide mortality (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.70, 0.98), or 5.7 lives saved per 100 000 person-years (95% CI: -10.7, -0.7). Union density's absolute (lives-saved) effects on overdose/suicide mortality were stronger for men than women, but its relative effects were similar across genders. Union density had little effect on all-cause mortality overall or across subgroups, and modeling suggested union-density increases would not affect mortality inequities. CONCLUSIONS: Declining union density (as operationalized in this study) may not explain all-cause mortality inequities, although increases in union density may reduce overdose/suicide mortality.

Educating Latinas about cervical cancer and HPV: a pilot randomized study.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to assess effects of three different educational intervention arms on knowledge of and intention to receive Pap testing and HPV co-testing. METHODS: Three active educational intervention arms were developed: a fotonovela, a radionovela, and a digital story. A pilot randomized controlled trial of 160 Latinas was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the intervention arms in increasing knowledge of cervical cancer and HPV and intention to be screened for cervical cancer compared to an attention control group (flu vaccination). RESULTS: Women in all three treatment arms significantly increased knowledge about cervical cancer compared to control arm (p = 0.02). Knowledge about cervical cancer screening also increased in the active arms compared to control (p = 0.0003). Knowledge of HPV risk also increased relative to the control (p = 0.0001). There were no significant differences between the intervention arms in increased knowledge of cervical cancer or cervical cancer screening (p = 0.57 and 0.16, respectively). DISCUSSION: This study supported the use of small media interventions in narrative education form as effective in increasing knowledge and intention to be screened for cervical cancer. The three culturally relevant interventions, built on qualitative data, were all successful in increasing knowledge.

Patient navigator reported patient barriers and delivered activities in two large federally-funded cancer screening programs.

Few data are available on patient navigators (PNs) across diverse roles and organizational settings that could inform optimization of patient navigation models for cancer prevention. The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) and the Colorectal Cancer and Control Program (CRCCP) are two federally-funded screening programs that support clinical- and community-based PNs who serve low-income and un- or underinsured populations across the United States. An online survey assessing PN characteristics, delivered activities, and patient barriers to screening was completed by 437 of 1002 identified PNs (44%). Responding PNs were racially and ethnically diverse, had varied professional backgrounds and practice-settings, worked with diverse populations, and were located within rural and urban/suburban locations across the U.S. More PNs reported working to promote screening for breast/cervical cancers (BCC, 94%) compared to colorectal cancer (CRC, 39%). BCC and CRC PNs reported similar frequencies of individual- (e.g., knowledge, motivation, fear) and community-level patient barriers (e.g., beliefs about healthcare and screening). Despite reporting significant patient structural barriers (e.g., transportation, work and clinic hours), most BCC and CRC PNs delivered individual-level navigation activities (e.g., education, appointment reminders). PN training to identify and champion timely and patient-centered adjustments to organizational policies, practices, and norms of the NBCCEDP, CRCCP, and partner organizations may be beneficial. More research is needed to determine whether multilevel interventions that support this approach could reduce structural barriers and increase screening and diagnostic follow-up among the marginalized communities served by these two important cancer-screening programs.

Applying Multiple Statistical Methods to Derive an Index of Dietary Behaviors Most Related to Obesity.

To evaluate the success of dietary interventions, we need measures that are more easily assessed and that closely align with intervention messaging. An index of obesogenic dietary behaviors (e.g., consumption of fast food and soft drinks, low fruit and vegetable consumption, and task eating (eating while engaging in other activities)) may serve this purpose and could be derived via data-driven methods typically used to describe nutrient intake. We used behavioral and physical measurement (i.e., body mass index, waist circumference) data from a subset of 2 independent cross-sectional samples of employees enrolled in the Promoting Activity and Changes in Eating (PACE) Study (Seattle, Washington) who were selected at baseline (2005-2007) (n = 561) and during follow-up (2007-2009) (n = 155). Index derivation methods, including principal components regression, partial least squares regression, and reduced rank regression, were compared. The best-fitting index for predicting physical measurements included consumption of fast food, French fries, and soft drinks. In linear mixed models, each 1-quartile increase in index score was associated with a 5% higher baseline body mass index (ratio of geometric means = 1.053, 95% confidence interval: 1.031, 1.075) and an approximately 4% higher baseline waist circumference (ratio = 1.036, 95% confidence interval: 1.019, 1.054) after adjustment for covariates. Results were similar at follow-up before and after adjustment for baseline measures. This index may be useful in evaluating public health or clinic-based dietary interventions to reduce obesity, especially given the ubiquity of these behaviors in the general population.

C-reactive protein concentration and risk of selected obesity-related cancers in the Women's Health Initiative.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a chronic inflammatory condition strongly associated with the risk of numerous cancers. We examined the association between circulating high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), a biomarker of inflammation and strong correlate of obesity, and the risk of three understudied obesity-related cancers in postmenopausal women: ovarian cancer, kidney cancer, and multiple myeloma. METHODS: Participants were 24,205 postmenopausal women who had measurements of baseline serum hsCRP (mg/L) in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) CVD Biomarkers Cohort, a collection of four sub-studies within the WHI. Incident cancers were identified over 17.9 years of follow-up (n = 153 ovarian, n = 110 kidney, n = 137 multiple myeloma). hsCRP was categorized into study-specific quartiles. Adjusted Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations of baseline hsCRP with the risk of these cancers. RESULTS: There was no clear association between baseline hsCRP concentration and the risk of ovarian cancer (quartile 4 vs. 1: HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.56-1.37), kidney cancer (HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.56-1.61), or multiple myeloma (HR 0.82, 95% CI 0.52-1.29). HRs for 1 mg/L increases in hsCRP also approximated the null value for each cancer. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that elevated CRP is not a major risk factor for these obesity-related cancers (ovarian or kidney cancers, or multiple myeloma) among postmenopausal women. Given the importance of elucidating the mechanisms underlying the association of obesity with cancer risk, further analysis with expanded biomarkers and in larger or pooled prospective cohorts is warranted.

Mortality outcomes associated with intake of fast-food items and sugar-sweetened drinks among older adults in the Vitamins and Lifestyle (VITAL) study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate associations of fast-food items (FFI) and sugar-sweetened drinks (SSD) with mortality outcomes including deaths due to any cause, CVD and total cancers among a large sample of adults. DESIGN: Using a prospective design, risk of death was compared across baseline dietary exposures. Intakes of FFI and SSD were quantified using a semi-quantitative FFQ (baseline data collected 2000-2002). Deaths (n 4187) were obtained via the Washington State death file through 2008, excluding deaths in the first year of follow-up. Causes of death were categorized as due to CVD (I00-I99) or cancer (C00-D48). Cox models were used to estimated hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % CI. SETTING: The Vitamins and Lifestyle (VITAL) study among adults living in Western Washington State. SUBJECTS: Men and women (n 69 582) between 50 and 76 years of age at baseline. RESULTS: Intakes of FFI and SSD were higher among individuals who were younger, female, African-American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian-American or Pacific Islander, of lower educational attainment, and of lower income (P<0·0001 for all). Higher risk of total mortality was associated with greater intake of FFI (HR=1·16; 95 % CI 1·04, 1·29; P=0·004; comparing highest v. lowest quartile) and SSD (HR=1·19; 95 % CI 1·08, 1·30; P<0·0001; comparing highest v. lowest quartile). Higher intake of FFI was associated with greater cancer-specific mortality while an association with CVD-specific mortality was suggested. Associations between intake of SSD and cause-specific mortality were less clear. CONCLUSIONS: Intake of FFI and SSD has a detrimental effect on future mortality risk. These findings may be salient to socially patterned disparities in mortality.

Identifying the effects of environmental and policy change interventions on healthy eating.

Obesity has been characterized as a disease. Strategies to change the incidence and prevalence of this disease include a focus on changing physical and social environments, over and above individual-level strategies, using a multilevel or systems approach. We focus our attention on evidence published between 2008 and 2013 on the effectiveness of interventions in nutrition environments, i.e., environmental interventions designed to influence the intake of healthful foods and amount of energy consumed. An overarching socioecological framework that has guided much of this research was used to characterize different types of environmental strategies. Intervention examples in each area of the framework are provided with a discussion of key findings and related conceptual and methodological issues. The emphasis in this review is on adults, but clearly this literature is only one part of the picture. Much research has been focused on child-specific interventions, including environmental interventions. Some evidence suggests effectiveness of policy-based or other types of interventions that aim to regulate or restructure environments to promote healthy dietary choices, and these strategies would apply to both children and adults. Opportunities to evaluate these policy changes in adults' social and physical environments are rare. Much of the existing research has been with children. As conceptual and methodological issues continue to be identified and resolved, we hope that future research in this domain will identify environmental strategies that can be included in intervention toolboxes to build healthy nutrition environments for both adults and children.

Public Health Accountability in Action: The King County Pandemic and Racism Community Advisory Group.

After a tumultuous 3 years of pandemic-, political-, and race-related unrest in the United States, the public is demanding accountability to communities of color (defined here as American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and Hispanic people) to rectify historic and contemporary injustices that perpetuate health inequities and threaten public health. Structural racism pervades all major societal systems and exposes people to detrimental social determinants of health. Disrupting structural racism within public health systems is essential to advancing health equity and requires organized partnerships between health departments and community leaders. As those who are most affected by structural racism, communities of color are the experts in knowing its impacts. This case study describes the King County Pandemic and Racism Community Advisory Group (PARCAG) and its use of an innovative accountability tool. The tool facilitated institutional transparency and accountability in the adoption of community recommendations. PARCAG was influential in shaping Public Health-Seattle & King County's COVID-19 and antiracism work, with 66 of 75 (88%) recommendations adopted partially or fully. For example, a fully adopted recommendation in May 2020 was to report King County COVID-19 case data by race and ethnicity, and a partially adopted recommendation was to translate COVID-19 information into additional languages. PARCAG members were recruited from a 2019 advisory board on Census 2020 and were adept at shifting to advising on COVID-19 and equitable practices and policies. Organizations that have made declarations that racism is a public health crisis should center the experiences, expertise, and leadership of communities of color in accountable ways when developing and implementing strategies to disrupt and repair the effects of structural racism and efforts to promote and protect public health.

Mixed-methods protocol for the WiSSPr study: Women in Sex work, Stigma and psychosocial barriers to Pre-exposure prophylaxis in Zambia.

INTRODUCTION: Women engaging in sex work (WESW) have 21 times the risk of HIV acquisition compared with the general population. However, accessing HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) remains challenging, and PrEP initiation and persistence are low due to stigma and related psychosocial factors. The WiSSPr (Women in Sex work, Stigma and PrEP) study aims to (1) estimate the effect of multiple stigmas on PrEP initiation and persistence and (2) qualitatively explore the enablers and barriers to PrEP use for WESW in Lusaka, Zambia. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: WiSSPr is a prospective observational cohort study grounded in community-based participatory research principles with a community advisory board (CAB) of key population (KP) civil society organi sations (KP-CSOs) and the Ministry of Health (MoH). We will administer a one-time psychosocial survey vetted by the CAB and follow 300 WESW in the electronic medical record for three months to measure PrEP initiation (#/% ever taking PrEP) and persistence (immediate discontinuation and a medication possession ratio). We will conduct in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of 18 women, including 12 WESW and 6 peer navigators who support routine HIV screening and PrEP delivery, in two community hubs serving KPs since October 2021. We seek to value KP communities as equal contributors to the knowledge production process by actively engaging KP-CSOs throughout the research process. Expected outcomes include quantitative measures of PrEP initiation and persistence among WESW, and qualitative insights into the enablers and barriers to PrEP use informed by participants' lived experiences. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: WiSSPr was approved by the Institutional Review Boards of the University of Zambia (#3650-2023) and University of North Carolina (#22-3147). Participants must give written informed consent. Findings will be disseminated to the CAB, who will determine how to relay them to the community and stakeholders.

Mediating role of walking between perceived and objective walkability and cognitive function in older adults.

The aim of this study was to examine the role of walking in explaining associations between perceived and objective measures of walkability and cognitive function among older adults. The study employed a cross-sectional design analyzing existing data. Data were obtained from the Adult Changes in Thought Activity Monitor study. Cognitive function and perceived walkability were measured by a survey. Objective walkability was measured using geographic information systems (GIS). Walking was measured using an accelerometer. We tested the mediating relationship based on 1,000 bootstrapped samples. Perceived walkability was associated with a 0.04 point higher cognitive function score through walking (p = 0.006). The mediating relationship accounted for 34% of the total relationship between perceived walkability and cognitive function. Walking did not have a significant indirect relationship on the association between objective walkability and cognitive function. Perceived walkability may be more relevant to walking behavior than objective walkability among older adults. Greater levels of perceived walkability may encourage older adults to undertake more walking, and more walking may in turn improve cognitive function in older adults.

Education for public health 2030: transformation to meet health needs in a changing world.

Education for public health is at a critical inflection point, and either transforms for success or fails to remain relevant. In 2020, the Association for Schools and Programs of Public Health launched an initiative, Framing the Future 2030: Education for Public Health (FTF 2030) to develop a resilient educational system for public health that promotes scientific inquiry, connects research, education, and practice, eliminates inequities, incorporates anti-racism principles, creates and sustains diverse and inclusive teaching and learning communities, and optimizes systems and resources to prepare graduates who are clearly recognizable for their population health perspectives, knowledge, skills, attitudes, and practices. Three expert panels: (1) Inclusive excellence through an anti-racism lens; (2) Transformative approaches to teaching and learning; and (3) Expanding the reach, visibility, and impact of the field of academic public health are engaged in ongoing deliberations to generate recommendations to implement the necessary change. The article describes the panels' work completed thus far, a "Creating an Inclusive Workspace" guide, and work planned, including questions for self-evaluation, deliberation, and reflection toward actions that support academe in developing a resilient education system for public health, whether beginning or advancing through a process of change. The FTF 2030 steering committee asserts its strong commitment to structural and substantial change that strengthens academic public health as an essential component of a complex socio-political system. Lastly, all are called to join the effort as collaboration is essential to co-develop an educational system for public health that ensures health equity for all people, everywhere.

Perceived stress, behavior, and body mass index among adults participating in a worksite obesity prevention program, Seattle, 2005-2007.

INTRODUCTION: Stress in numerous contexts may affect the risk for obesity through biobehavioral processes. Acute stress has been associated with diet and physical activity in some studies; the relationship between everyday stress and such behavior is not clear. The objective of this study was to examine associations between perceived stress, dietary behavior, physical activity, eating awareness, self-efficacy, and body mass index (BMI) among healthy working adults. Secondary objectives were to explore whether eating awareness modified the relationship between perceived stress and dietary behavior and perceived stress and BMI. METHODS: Promoting Activity and Changes in Eating (PACE) was a group-randomized worksite intervention to prevent weight gain in the Seattle metropolitan area from 2005 through 2007. A subset of 621 participants at 33 worksites provided complete information on perceived stress at baseline. Linear mixed models evaluated cross-sectional associations. RESULTS: The mean (standard deviation [SD]) Perceived Stress Scale-10 score among all participants was 12.7 (6.4), and the mean (SD) BMI was 29.2 kg/m2 (6.3 kg/m2). Higher levels of perceived stress were associated with lower levels of eating awareness, physical activity, and walking. Among participants who had low levels of eating awareness, higher levels of perceived stress were associated with fewer servings of fruit and vegetables and greater consumption of fast food meals. CONCLUSION: Dietary and physical activity behaviors of workers may be associated with average levels of perceived stress. Longitudinal studies are needed, however, to support inclusion of stress management or mindfulness techniques in workplace obesity prevention efforts.

The experience of hate incidents across racial and ethnic groups during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: Racism is a root cause of ill health for communities of color, and hate incidents are one manifestation of racism. Marginalized racial and ethnic groups, including but not limited to Asian Americans, have been the target of highly publicized violence, hate, and discrimination which has been amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic. Objectives: This paper investigates (1) the prevalence of hate incidents across racial and ethnic groups, and (2) the relationship between race and ethnicity and hate incidents during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. We also seek to (3) situate study findings within theories of racism. Methods: This study utilizes national data from the Understanding America Study (UAS) COVID-19 Longitudinal Survey from June 10, 2020 to March 30, 2021 (n = 8,436). Hate incidents in six categories were examined: being treated with less courtesy, receiving poorer service, others acting as if they were not smart, others acting as if they were afraid of them, being threatened or harassed, and experiencing any of the previous categories of hate incidents. Main analyses were conducted via population averaged logistic panel regression. Results: The majority of members of all six marginalized racial and ethnic groups reported at least one hate incident during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, all marginalized racial or ethnic groups had statistically significant higher odds of experiencing at least two categories of hate incidents compared to white individuals. Asian, AI/AN, Black, and Multiracial groups had significantly higher odds of experiencing each category of hate incident. All marginalized racial and ethnic groups had significantly higher odds of receiving poorer service and others acting as if they were afraid of them. Conclusion: All marginalized racial and ethnic groups experienced significant levels of hate incidents within the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The public health community must continue to research, monitor, treat, and prevent hate incidents as a public health issue while recognizing the social and historical contexts of structural and interpersonal racism in the US.

Associations of Household Income with Health-Related Quality of Life Following a Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis Varies With Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status.

BACKGROUND: Existing evidence indicates household income as a predictor of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) following a colorectal cancer diagnosis. This association likely varies with neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES), but evidence is limited. METHODS: We included data from 1,355 colorectal cancer survivors participating in the population-based Puget Sound Colorectal Cancer Cohort (PSCCC). Survivors reported current annual household income; we measured HRQoL via the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Colorectal (FACT-C) tool. Using neighborhood data summarized within a 1-km radial buffer of Census block group centroids, we constructed a multidimensional nSES index measure. We employed survivors' geocoded residential addresses to append nSES score for Census block group of residence. With linear generalized estimating equations clustered on survivor location, we evaluated associations of household income with differences in FACT-C mean score, overall and stratified by nSES. We used separate models to explore relationships for wellbeing subscales. RESULTS: We found lower household income to be associated with clinically meaningful differences in overall FACT-C scores [<$30K: -13.6; 95% confidence interval (CI): -16.8 to -10.4] and subscale wellbeing after a recent colorectal cancer diagnosis. Relationships were slightly greater in magnitude for survivors living in lower SES neighborhoods. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that recently diagnosed lower income colorectal cancer survivors are likely to report lower HRQoL, and modestly more so in lower SES neighborhoods. IMPACT: The findings from this work will aid future investigators' ability to further consider the contexts in which the income of survivors can be leveraged as a means of improving HRQoL.