Food sufficiency status and sleep outcomes in older adults: the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS).

BACKGROUND: Studies investigating the relationship between food insecurity and sleep among older populations are limited. This study aimed to cross-sectionally examine the associations between food sufficiency status and sleep outcomes in a nationally representative sample of older adults. METHODS: Our study included 1,665 older adults (≥ 65 years), using data from the 2013 and 2014 National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS). Food insufficiency was determined via participants' experience and utilization of food assistance programs (FAP). Sleep outcomes, including nighttime and total sleep hours, sleep latency, and sleep quality, were derived from self-reported data. Multivariable linear regression and logistic regression models were used to estimate the associations between food sufficiency status and sleep outcomes. RESULTS: In 2013-2014, 86.1% of older adults were classified as food sufficient without FAP, 9.85% as food sufficient with FAP, and 4.08% as food insufficient. Adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, food sufficient older adults with FAP reported more total sleep hours (𝛽 = 0.31, 95% CI: -0.02, 0.64) than those participants who are food sufficient without FAP. Further adjusting for health factors, food sufficient participants with FAP had more nighttime sleep hours and greater total sleep hours compared to those participants food sufficient without FAP. Compared to those deemed as food sufficient without FAP, food sufficient participants with FAP had lower odds of having longer sleep latency (OR = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.28, 0.89), after further adjusting for physical function performance. CONCLUSIONS: Among older adults, food sufficiency with FAP is associated with greater total sleep hours, greater nighttime sleep hours, and lower odds of longer sleep latency. Our findings may help inform nutrition food assistance programs targeting older populations.

Studying the impact of COVID-19 mitigation policies on childhood obesity, health behaviors, and disparities in an observational cohort: Protocol for the COVID-19 Family Study.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 pandemic control policies, including school closures, suspended extra-curricular activities, and social distancing, were introduced to prevent viral transmission, and disrupted children's daily routines, health behaviors, and wellness. This observational cohort study among 697 families with children or adolescents, based on the Family Stress Model, aims to: 1) evaluate pre- to during-pandemic changes in child health behaviors (diet, physical activity, sleep) and weight gain, 2) identify mechanisms explaining the changes, and 3) determine projected healthcare costs on weight gain and obesity. Each aim includes an examination by racial and ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic disparities. METHODS: The study employs a mixed methods design, recruiting children and their caregivers from two obesity prevention trials halted in 2020. Enrolled participants complete annual surveys to assess child health behaviors, family resources, routines, and demographics, and home environment in 2020-2022. Height and weight are measured annually in 2021-2022. Annual semi-structured interviews are conducted within a subsample to understand mechanisms of observed changes. Multilevel mixed models and mediation analyses are used to examine changes in child health behaviors and weight gain and mechanisms underlying the changes. Qualitative data are analyzed within and across time points and integrated with quantitative findings to further explain mechanisms. Markov models are used to determine healthcare costs for unhealthy child behaviors and weight gain. CONCLUSION: Findings from this study will aid in understanding pandemic-related changes in child health behaviors and weight status and will provide insights for the implementation of future programs and policies to improve child and family wellness.

Perceptions of Parental Support for Physical Activity and Healthy Eating among School-age Children During COVID-19 pandemic.

Family routines play a key role in promoting child health behaviors. This study 1) describes changes in children's perceptions of physical activity (PA) and healthy eating family routines across three time points: pre-pandemic (2017-2020), early pandemic (2020), and mid-pandemic (2021); and 2) explores how sex, age, and pandemic-related economic stressors relate to changes. Children's perceptions of family routines were assessed using four subscales adapted from the Comprehensive Home Environment Survey: PA-policies, Diet-policies, Diet-rules, and PA-Diet-role-model. Linear mixed models assessed changes in perceptions and associated factors (child age and sex; caregiver(s) job loss during pandemic). Children (N=277) were aged 9.3-15.5y at pandemic onset (March 2020), dichotomized by median age (12.1y) as younger and older. Children's perceptions of PA-policies (pre-pandemic mean=15.4) and Diet-policies (pre-pandemic mean=26.3) increased significantly from pre- to early (b=1.2 and 2.3, respectively) and mid-pandemic (b=1.0 and 1.2, respectively). Diet-rules (pre-pandemic mean=10.8) decreased significantly from pre- to early (b=-1.1) and mid-pandemic (b=-2.0), with no PA-Diet-role-model changes. Younger children had a greater increase in perceived PA-policies and Diet-policies across the pandemic. Females (59.9%) had a greater decrease in perceived Diet-rules across the pandemic and less increase in Diet-policies and PA-Diet-role-model from pre- to early pandemic. Children whose caregiver(s) lost employment (51.8%) perceived a greater increase in PA-policies. Overall, children reported increased parental policies to support PA and healthy eating and decreased parental rules for diet during the pandemic. Future research is needed to understand how changes in family routines relate to PA and healthy eating behaviors.

Effects of the termination of LC30 imidacloprid stress on the multigeneration adaptive strategies of Aphis glycines population.

Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is a major soybean pest that often poses a serious threat to soybean production. Imidacloprid is one of the commonly used insecticides to control the soybean aphid. To investigate the effect of termination of imidacloprid stress on the adaptive strategies of soybean aphid populations, we studied the growth, development, and related metabolism changes when the stress was terminated after 24 generations of imidacloprid stress on A. glycines. The results show that the A. glycines population accelerated its recovery and expanded its population size across generations. The longevity of the adults of the recovering population in the F12, F18, and F24 generations, respectively, was 1.11, 1.15, and 1.11 times longer than the control, while the fecundity was 10.38%, 11.74%, and 11.61% higher than that of the control. The net reproductive rate (R 0) of the recovering population was always significantly higher than that of the control in the F1 to F24 generations. In addition, metabolisms related to the regulation of cell proliferation and oocyte meiosis were significantly upregulated in the recovering population. Even when the imidacloprid pressure disappeared, intergenerational stimuli still affected the adaptive strategies of soybean aphid populations. This effect was manifested as inhibiting the growth and development of the soybean aphid in the early generations and improving the fecundity of the soybean aphid in the later generations. Adaptive soybean aphid populations would surge in the absence of imidacloprid pressure. This study provides an important reference for exploring the adaptability of the A. glycines population under termination of stress from low lethal concentrations of imidacloprid across generations. It also provides important data for monitoring the population dynamics of A. glycines in the field and analyzing the degree of pharmacodynamic stress.

Food Insufficiency, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Status, and 9-Year Trajectory of Cognitive Function in Older Adults: The Longitudinal National Health and Aging Trends Study, 2012-2020.

BACKGROUND: Despite findings from cross-sectional studies, how food insecurity experience/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) status relates to cognitive decline over time has not been fully understood. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate the longitudinal associations between food insecurity/SNAP status and cognitive function in older adults (≥65 y). METHODS: Longitudinal data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study 2012-2020 were analyzed (n = 4578, median follow-up years = 5 y). Participants reported food insecurity experience (5-item) and were classified as food sufficient (FS, no affirmative answer) and food insufficient (FI, any affirmative answer). The SNAP status was defined as SNAP participants, SNAP eligible nonparticipants (≤200% Federal Poverty Line, FPL), and SNAP ineligible nonparticipants (>200% FPL). Cognitive function was measured via validated tests in 3 domains, and the standardized domain-specific and combined cognitive function z-scores were calculated. Mixed-effect models with a random intercept were used to study how FI or SNAP status was associated with combined and domain-specific cognitive z-scores over time, adjusting for static and time-varying covariates. RESULTS: At baseline, 96.3% of the participants were FS and 3.7% were FI. In a subsample (n = 2832), 10.8% were SNAP participants, 30.7% were SNAP eligible nonparticipants, and 58.6% were SNAP ineligible nonparticipants. Compared with the FS group in the adjusted model (FI vs. FS), FI was associated with faster decline in the combined cognitive function scores [-0.043 (-0.055, -0.032) vs. -0.033 (-0.035, -0.031) z-scores per year, P-interaction = 0.064]. Cognitive decline rates (z-scores per year) in the combined score were similar in SNAP participants (ß = -0.030; 95% CI: -0.038, -0.022) and SNAP ineligible nonparticipants (ß = -0.028; 95% CI: -0.032, -0.024), both of which were slower than the rate in SNAP eligible nonparticipants (ß = -0.043; 95% CI: -0.048, -0.038; P-interaction < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Food sufficiency and SNAP participation may be protective factors preventing accelerated cognitive decline in older adults.

Promising trends and influencing factors of complementary feeding practices in Côte d'Ivoire: An analysis of nationally representative survey data between 1994 and 2016.

Poor complementary feeding (CF) challenges early childhood growth. We examined the trends and influencing factors of CF practices among children aged 6-23 months in Côte d'Ivoire. Using data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS, 1994-2011) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS, 2000-2016), the trends and predictors of World Health Organization-United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund CF indicators including the timely introduction of complementary foods (INTRO), minimum meal frequency (MMF), minimum dietary diversity (MDD) and minimum acceptable diet (MAD) were determined. Using 2016 MICS data, we applied multivariate logistic regression models to identify factors associated with CF indicators. Between 1994 and 2016, the mean proportion of children aged 6-8 months achieving INTRO was 56.9% and increased by about 25% points since 2006. Over 2011-2016, the proportion of children aged 6-23 months meeting MMF, MDD and MAD increased from 40.2% to 47.7%, 11.3% to 26.0% and 4.6% to 12.5%, respectively. Older children and those from urban households had higher odds of meeting MDD and MAD. Maternal TV watching was associated with higher odds of meeting MDD. The secondary or higher education levels of mothers significantly predicted higher odds of meeting INTRO and MDD. Currently, breastfeeding was also positively associated with odds of meeting MMF and MAD. Children from poorer households had lower odds of meeting MMF, MDD and MAD. Despite the improvements, CF practices remain suboptimal in Côte d'Ivoire. Influencing factors associated with CF were distributed across individual, household and community levels, calling for future programmes and policies to implement multi-level strategies to improve young children's diet in Côte d'Ivoire.

Food Insecurity and Mental Well-Being in Immigrants: A Global Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: This study estimates the prevalence of food insecurity, mental well-being, and their associations among immigrants and compares the food insecurity-mental well-being associations with nonimmigrants globally and by region. METHODS: The Gallup World Poll data from 2014 to 2019 were analyzed in 2021. A total of 36,313 immigrants and 705,913 nonimmigrants were included. Food insecurity was measured by the Food Insecurity Experience Scale. Mental well-being was assessed using the Negative Experience Index and Positive Experience Index. A community attachment index was used to measure the living environment. Multilevel mixed-effect linear models were used to examine how the Negative Experience Index/Positive Experience Index was associated with food insecurity and the community attachment index in immigrants and nonimmigrants, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, survey years, and country fixed effects. The modifying effects of immigration status on food insecurity-mental well-being associations were tested. RESULTS: The weighted proportion of food insecurity among global immigrants was 38.6% during 2014-2019. In the pooled adjusted model, food insecurity was dose-responsively associated with greater Negative Experience Index and lower Positive Experience Index than the food-secure ref (p<0.001 for trend). Similar dose-response associations were observed in nonimmigrants and in region-specific analyses. Community attachment marginally affected the food insecurity-mental well-being associations (all p≤0.001 for interaction). Immigration status significantly modified the food insecurity-mental well-being associations in all analyses (all p=0.01 for interaction), and immigrants experienced poorer mental well-being than nonimmigrants at the same level of community attachment and food insecurity. CONCLUSIONS: Food insecurity is prevalent and is associated with poor mental well-being in immigrants worldwide. Future interventions are needed to alleviate food insecurity and promote community attachment to improve mental health among immigrants, especially in Asian and Pacific countries.

Daily Food Insecurity Predicts Lower Positive and Higher Negative Affect: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study.

Food insecurity (FI) is a dynamic phenomenon, and its association with daily affect is unknown. We explored the association between daily FI and affect among low-income adults during a 2-seasonal-month period that covered days both pre- and during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 29 healthy low-income adults were recruited during fall in 2019 or 2020, 25 of whom were followed in winter in 2020 or 2021. Daily FI (measured once daily) and affect (measured 5 times daily) were collected over the 2nd-4th week in each month. Time-Varying-Effect-Models were used to estimate the association between daily FI and positive/negative affect (PA/NA). Overall, 902 person-days of daily-level data were collected. Daily FI was associated with lower PA in the 3rd and 4th week of fall and winter and with higher NA in the second half of winter months. Similar patterns of FI-affect relations were found pre- and during COVID-19 in the second half of a given month, while unique patterns of positive affect scores in the 2nd week and negative scores in the 1st week were only observed during COVID days. Our study supports a time-varying association between FI and affect in low-income adults. Future large studies are needed to verify the findings; ultimately, better understanding such associations may help identify, target, and intervene in food insecure adults to prevent adverse mental health outcomes.

Daily food insecurity is associated with diet quality, but not energy intake, in winter and during COVID-19, among low-income adults.

BACKGROUND: Food insecurity (FI) is a dynamic phenomenon. Experiences of daily FI may impact dietary outcomes differently within a given month, across seasons, and before or during the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to investigate the association of short-term FI with dietary quality and energy 1) over six weeks in two seasonal months and 2) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Using an ecological momentary assessment framework on smartphones, this study tracked daily FI via the 6-item U.S. Adult Food Security Survey Module and dietary intake via food diaries in 29 low-income adults. A total of 324 person-days of data were collected during two three-week long waves in fall and winter months. Generalized Estimating Equation models were applied to estimate the daily FI-diet relationship, accounting for intrapersonal variation and covariates. RESULTS: A one-unit increase in daily FI score was associated with a 7.10-point (95%CI:-11.04,-3.15) and 3.80-point (95%CI: -6.08,-1.53) decrease in the Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) score in winter and during COVID-19, respectively. In winter months, a greater daily FI score was associated with less consumption of total fruit (-0.17 cups, 95% CI: -0.32,-0.02), whole fruit (-0.18 cups, 95%CI: -0.30,-0.05), whole grains (-0.57 oz, 95%CI: -0.99,-0.16) and higher consumption of refined grains (1.05 oz, 95%CI: 0.52,1.59). During COVID-19, elevated daily FI scores were associated with less intake of whole grains (-0.49 oz, 95% CI: -0.88,-0.09), and higher intake of salt (0.34 g, 95%CI: 0.15,0.54). No association was observed in fall nor during the pre-COVID-19 months. No association was found between daily FI and energy intake in either season, pre-COVID 19, or during-COVID-19 months. CONCLUSION: Daily FI is associated with compromised dietary quality in low-income adults in winter months and during the COVID-19 period. Future research should delve into the underlying factors of these observed relationships.

Psychosocial Risk Factors for Food Insecurity in Puerto Ricans Living in the USA from Baseline to 5-Year Follow-Up.

BACKGROUND: Food insecurity is prevalent among Puerto Rican adults in the USA and is associated with adverse psychosocial outcomes. However, the direction of this association has not been established in this understudied population. OBJECTIVES: In this study, we aimed to examine the longitudinal association between a group of psychosocial risk factors and subsequent food insecurity in a cohort of Puerto Rican adults. METHODS: Secondary analysis was conducted using data from the prospective Boston Puerto Rican Health Study. A total of 517 Puerto Rican participants aged 45-75 y in the Boston area who were food secure at baseline, and who completed food security surveys at baseline and 5 y were included. Psychosocial factors, including depressive symptoms, stress, tangible social support, and acculturation were assessed with validated instruments. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the risk of food insecurity at 5 y, as a function of psychosocial factors at baseline and their changes over 5 y, adjusting for age, sex, education, baseline and change in total annual household income, and in family size. RESULTS: The cumulative incidence of food insecurity at 5 y was 12.6%. The odds of incident food insecurity was significantly associated with baseline depressive symptom score [OR = 1.78 (1.16, 2.76) per each 10 score units], with change in depressive symptom score [OR = 1.50 (1.07, 2.09) per each 10-unit increase], and with change in perceived stress [OR = 1.59 (1.01, 2.51) per each 10-unit increase], after adjusting for potential confounders. CONCLUSION: In this cohort of Puerto Rican adults, depressive symptoms at baseline, and increases in depressive symptoms and perceived stress over 5 y were associated with a higher risk of food insecurity. Psychosocial health and environment appear to play important roles in predicting risk of food insecurity in the Puerto Rican community.

Food Insecurity and Cognitive Function in Middle to Older Adulthood: A Systematic Review.

Food insecurity (FI) may limit cognitive functioning during aging. The goal of this systematic review was to summarize existing evidence linking FI and general or specific cognitive functions in middle and older adulthood. A systematic search of human studies published between 1 January 2000 and 30 April 2018 was conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, and CAB Direct. Four independent reviewers assessed the eligibility of identified articles and conducted data extraction and data quality assessment. Ten studies were included in the review, including 1 cluster-randomized controlled trial, 2 longitudinal studies, and 7 cross-sectional studies. Three studies reported the association between early-life FI experience and a global cognitive function measure. Nine studies reported later-life FI experience in relation to global or specific cognitive functions. The results suggest an adverse association between FI experienced in early or later life and global cognitive function; and between later-life FI and executive function and memory. Findings from the review are preliminary because of sparse data, heterogeneity across study populations, exposure and outcome assessments, and potential risk of bias across studies. Future studies are recommended to better understand the role of FI in cognitive function, with the goal of identifying possible critical windows for correction of FI in vulnerable subpopulations to prevent neurocognitive deficit in adulthood.

Thermoflavimicrobium daqui sp. nov., a thermophilic microbe isolated from Moutai-flavour Daqu.

Moutai-flavour Daqu is an important starter to support growth of microorganisms in the fermented process of Moutai-flavour liquor. A novel thermophilic microorganism, designated strain FBKL4.011T, was isolated from Moutai-flavour Daqu samples collected from Guotai distillery in Renhuai, Guizhou province, south-west China. The strain could grow at 45-65 °C (optimum 45 °C). Based on polyphasic analysis, strain FBKL4.011T was affiliated to the genus Thermoflavimicrobium. It formed abundant pale-yellow aerial and substrate mycelium, bearing single endospores (7.0-10.0 µm diameter) on branched long sporophores (5.0 µm diameter). The cell-wall peptidoglycan contained meso-diaminopimelic acid; ribose, glucose and mannose were the primary whole-cell sugars. The major fatty acids were iso-C14 : 0, iso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 0 and iso-C16 : 0. The predominant menaquinone were MK-8 and MK-9. The polar phospholipids contained diphosphatidyl glycerol, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, one unidentified phospholipid and one unidentified lipid. The G+C content of the genome was 43.1 mol%. According to the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain FBKL4.011T was closely related to Thermoflavimicrobium dichotomicum JCM 9688T (95.3 % sequence similarity), and other members within the family Thermoactinomycetaceae (less than 93.0 % sequence similarity). The DNA-DNA hybridisation data showed low relatedness between strain FBKL4.011T and T. dichotomicum JCM 9688T, Laceyella sacchari KCTC 9790T, Laceyella tengchongensis YIM 10002T, Laceyella sediminis RHA1T(36.7±1.1 %, 30.0±1.2 %, 21.3±2.1 % % and 37.6±0.9 %, respectively). Based on data from the polyphasic analysis, strain FBKL4.011T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Thermoflavimicrobium, for which the name Thermoflavimicrobium daqui sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is FBKL4.011T(=KCTC 43036T=CICC 24504T).