Immigrant generation status and its association with pubertal timing and tempo among Hispanic girls and boys.

PURPOSE: In the United States, Hispanic-Latino children reach puberty earlier on average than non-Hispanic white children. Yet among U.S. Hispanic/Latino children, pubertal timing comparisons between immigrant generations have not been made, hence we examined whether pubertal timing differs by immigrant generational status, independent of BMI and acculturation measures. METHODS: Cross-sectional data on 724 boys and 735 girls, aged 10-15 years, from the Hispanic Community Children's Health Study/Study of Latino (SOL) Youth, were used to predict the median ages of thelarche, pubarche, and menarche in girls, and pubarche and voice change in boys, using Weibull survival models, while adjusting for SOL center, BMI, and acculturation. RESULTS: In girls, the first generation began thelarche earlier than second and third generations (median age [years] [95% confidence interval]: 7.4 [6.1, 8.8] vs. 8.5 [7.3, 9.7] and 9.1 [7.6, 10.7], respectively), but began menarche later (12.9 [12.0,137] vs. 11.8 [11.0, 12.5] and 11.6 [10.6, 12.6], respectively). Pubertal timing and tempo for boys did not differ by generational status. CONCLUSIONS: First-generation U.S. Hispanic/Latino girls had the earliest thelarche, latest menarche and longest pubertal tempo, compared to second and third generations. Factors beyond BMI and acculturation may account for the differences in pubertal timing by generational status of U.S. Hispanic/Latino girls.

Regional variation in surgical assessment of lymph nodes for staging among women with early-stage epithelial ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate geographical and socioeconomic variations in performance of lymph node dissection for the evaluation of patients with early-stage epithelial ovarian cancer. METHODS: A population-based, retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from the National Cancer Institute's SEER Program for 15 geographic registries and county-level measures. Women with early-stage epithelial ovarian cancer registered between 2000 and 2008 with known lymph node assessment status were studied. A multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the differences in the likelihood of lymph node assessment according to geographic SEER region. RESULTS: After adjusting for tumor characteristics, demographics, and area-based socioeconomic measures, a significant relationship between SEER region and lymph node dissection remained. Compared to the region with the highest proportion of lymph node dissection, there is a significantly lower probability of surgical assessment of lymph nodes in 8 of the remaining 14 geographical regions. CONCLUSIONS: The variation in ovarian cancer surgical care by region reported in this study has implications for access and outcomes for patients with early-stage disease. Study findings merit further investigation and should be characterized to permit targeted interventions aimed at reducing the observed disparities.

Social Support, Diet, and Physical Activity among Latina/Hispanic Women Breast Cancer Survivors.

Diet and physical activity guidelines for cancer survivorship are less likely to be followed by populations of minority cancer survivors, such as Latina/Hispanic women, compared to non-Hispanic White women. It is important to understand psychosocial mechanisms that may increase adherence to healthy lifestyle habits, especially in populations at risk for poorer cancer outcomes. This cross-sectional study examined the relationships between overall social support (SS) and SS from three sources (family, friends, and significant other) with diet (fruit and vegetables, fat, energy density, and diet quality), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) behaviors in Latina/Hispanic women with a history of breast cancer (n = 85; M age = 55.2; SD = 9.2). Linear regression models and odds ratios were used to examine associations and adjusted for age, income, and acculturation. Family, significant other, and total SS were positively related to total fruit and vegetable intake but SS from friends was not. Higher levels of SS from all sources were each related to a low energy density diet. A higher quality diet was only related to SS from family. SS was not related to fat intake or MVPA. Higher SS from family and a significant other were associated with higher odds of meeting the fruit/vegetable guidelines; (family, OR = 3.72, 95% CI [1.21, 11.39]; significant other, OR = 3.32, 95% CI [1.08, 10.30]). Having more SS from family or a significant other may contribute to Latina/Hispanic women breast cancer survivors meeting national guidelines for a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in energy density.

Associations Between Acculturation and Weight, Diet Quality, and Physical Activity Among Latina Breast Cancer Survivors: The ¡Mi Vida Saludable! Study.

BACKGROUND: Among Latinos, greater acculturation to the United States (US) is associated with risk of obesity and obesity-related comorbidities. Less is known about the associations between acculturation and obesity-related modifiable risk factors, such as diet quality and physical activity (PA) among Latina breast cancer survivors. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore associations between acculturation and weight status, diet quality, and PA among Latina breast cancer survivors. DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional secondary analysis of baseline data on demographic and clinical characteristics, acculturation, anthropometric measures, diet quality, and PA collected from Latina breast cancer survivors enrolled in the ¡Mi Vida Saludable! (My Healthy Life) behavioral diet and PA intervention trial. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: Participants were Latina women (n = 167) residing in New York City, with a medical history of stage 0 to III breast cancer, no evidence of recurrent or metastatic disease, and at least 90 days post cancer treatment who participated in the ¡Mi Vida Saludable! randomized controlled trial between July 2016 and October 2018. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Acculturation status was measured by the Short Acculturation Scale for Hispanics score, language preference, place of birth, and duration of US residence. Weight, height, and waist and hip circumferences were measured at an in-person clinic visit. Diet information was collected via 3 telephone-based 24-hour dietary recalls and PA information was collected via staff administered 7-day recalls. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: Linear regression models examined associations between acculturation and weight status, diet quality, and PA. RESULTS: Based on the Short Acculturation Scale for Hispanics acculturation score, more acculturated compared with less acculturated Latinas were younger in age, more educated, and had higher annual household incomes (all, P < .05). Compared with Spanish-speaking Latinas, English-speaking Latinas had larger waist circumference (103 vs 96.1 cm; P = .01) and poorer-quality diets (Healthy Eating Index 2015 scores, 57.3 vs 71.5; P < .001). Greater levels of acculturation were also associated with higher levels of leisure walking at a moderate-to-vigorous intensity (265.8 vs 179.0 min/wk; P =.04). CONCLUSIONS: Greater levels of acculturation were associated with higher central obesity and poorer-quality diets. Future lifestyle modification trials tailored to the unique role of acculturation on adopting behavior change recommendations is a promising next step in this line of research.

¡Mi Vida Saludable! A randomized, controlled, 2 × 2 factorial trial of a diet and physical activity intervention among Latina breast cancer survivors: Study design and methods.

BACKGROUND: Most Latina breast cancer survivors do not meet diet and physical activity (PA) guidelines for cancer survivors and effective lifestyle interventions to adopt and maintain these recommendations are limited, especially among underserved populations. Here we describe the design, methods and enrollment of a 2 × 2 factorial-designed trial testing the separate effects of the ¡Mi Vida Saludable! (My Healthy Life!) intervention program on changes in diet and PA behaviors among Latina breast cancer survivors. METHODS: Latinas with a history of stage 0-III breast cancer, no evidence of recurrent/metastatic disease, and > 90 days post-treatment were primarily identified via cancer registries and physician referral. Participants were randomized to four arms: 1) 4 weeks of in-person group sessions plus 11 months of eHealth communication, 2) in-person group sessions alone, 3) eHealth alone, or 4) control. All participants received a Fitbit to self-monitor PA. Assessments at baseline, 6 and 12 months include diet, PA, anthropometrics, predictors and mediators of behavior change, psychosocial and quality of life outcomes, and blood draw. RESULTS: Of 884 women screened between January 2016 and September 2018, 27% were eligible. Primary reasons for ineligibility included not being willing/able to participate due to work/life responsibilities, health reasons, or transportation. Of 241 eligible women, 167 completed baseline assessment and enrolled. CONCLUSIONS: We successfully enrolled a diverse group of breast cancer survivors representing more than 15 Latin American nationalities to a diet and physical activity trial. If effective, the ¡Mi Vida Saludable! program can be implemented by community groups and medical centers. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02780271, registered May 2016.

Perceived Deterrence of Cigarette Use and Smoking Status Among Active Duty Military Personnel.

BACKGROUND: Tobacco use in the military adversely affects fitness, readiness and performance levels, and increases health care costs. In 2011, cigarette use in the military was higher than in the civilian population (24.0% vs. 21.2%). We examined the perceptions of active duty service members with respect to supervisory and military installation determent of cigarette smoking. METHODS: Using the Department of Defense's 2011 Health-Related Behaviors Survey (HRBS) of active duty military personnel (N = 39,877) data, a multivariate logistic regression estimated the association of personnel's perception of leadership discouraging cigarette use with smoking status, controlling for covariates (n = 23,354). RESULTS: Those who perceived their supervisor as "Somewhat" (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.41, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.29, 1.54]) or "Strongly" (AOR 1.22, 95% CI [1.09, 1.37]) discouraging of cigarette use had higher odds of smoking compared to those who perceived supervisors "Not at all" discouraging use. Odds of currently smoking increased with perceptions of increasing discouragement by installation, from "Somewhat" (AOR 1.64, 95% CI [1.49, 1.80]) to "Strongly discourages" cigarette use (AOR 1.71, 95% CI [1.50, 1.95]). As expected, the strongest correlate of current smoking was having friends who smoke (AOR 13.62, 95% CI [11.53, 16.07]). Other significant covariates in the model focused on current smokers included high risk for alcohol problems, specifically hazardous drinking (AOR 2.57, 95% CI [2.25, 2.93]), harmful drinking (AOR 5.46, 95% CI [3.57, 8.35]), and possible alcohol dependence (AOR 1.43, 95% CI [1.07, 1.91]); being underweight (AOR 1.72, 95% CI [1.19, 2.53]); high anxiety (AOR 1.31, 95% CI [1.18, 1.46]); high anger (AOR 1.20, 95% CI [1.03, 1.39]); and high overall stress (AOR 1.17, 95% CI [1.07, 1.27]). Among the demographic covariates, higher rates of smoking were found in all levels of enlisted military rank, most notably among E1-E4 (AOR 7.22, 95% CI [5.64, 9.21]) and E4-E% (AOR 8.60, 95% CI [6.79, 10.91]); non-Air Force affiliation; longer length of combat experience; males; non-Hispanic whites; married personnel without a spouse present; job classifications in combat, administration, maintenance, or food service; and duty station in the continental United States. Additional analyses found that personnel with high overall stress were less likely to perceive their supervisor (odds ratio 0.67, 95% CI [0.62, 0.73]) and installation (odds ratio 0.69, 95% CI [0.63, 0.76]) as strongly discouraging smoking compared to those with low overall stress. CONCLUSION: Perceived influence of tobacco deterrence by military leadership is associated with smoking behaviors of active duty personnel. Paradoxically, those who perceived the strongest discouragement by military leadership had the highest rates of smoking. We hypothesize that current smokers may have a heightened awareness of antismoking messages and policies, and are more sensitive to threats that impinge upon freedom to smoke or aim to restrict a substance used for stress reduction. Results support military tobacco control efforts extending beyond individual-level approaches. A focus on multilevel influences of health behavior, emphasizing effective leadership, social and environmental changes, is needed to address military smoking behaviors.