Acculturation and Health Status in the Children's Healthy Living Program in the Pacific Region.

Acculturation/enculturation has been found to impact childhood health and obesity status. The objective of this study is to use cross-sectional data to examine the association between proxies of adult/caregiver acculturation/enculturation and child health status (Body Mass Index [BMI], waist circumference [WC], and acanthosis nigricans [AN]) in the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI), Alaska, and Hawai'i. Study participants were from the Children's Healthy Living (CHL) Program, an environmental intervention trial and obesity prevalence survey. Anthropometric data from 2-8 year olds and parent/caregiver questionnaires were used in this analysis. The results of this study (n = 4121) saw that those parents/caregivers who identified as traditional had children who were protected against overweight/obesity (OWOB) status and WC > 75th percentile (compared to the integrated culture identity) when adjusted for significant variables from the descriptive analysis. AN did not have a significant association with cultural classification. Future interventions in the USAPI, Alaska, and Hawai'i may want to focus efforts on parents/caregivers who associated with an integrated cultural group as an opportunity to improve health and reduce child OWOB prevalence.

Proportion and Correlates of Children in the US-Affiliated Pacific Region Meeting Sleep, Screen Time, and Physical Activity Guidelines.

INTRODUCTION: Limited data on 24-hour movement behaviors of children aged 5-8 years exist globally. We describe the prevalence and sociodemographic associations of meeting physical activity (PA), sedentary recreational screen time (ST), and sleep guidelines among children from 11 jurisdictions in the US-Affiliated Pacific region. METHODS: Cross-sectional representative data from 1192 children aged 5-8 years living in the US-Affiliated Pacific region were drawn from the baseline 2012-2014 Children's Healthy Living Program. Sleep and moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA were calculated from accelerometry. ST and sociodemographic data were collected from caregiver surveys. The percentage of children meeting the Asia-Pacific 24-hour movement guidelines for PA (≥60 min/d of moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA), sleep (≥9 and ≤ 11 h/d) and ST (≤2 h/d) were calculated. Generalized linear mixed models were used to examine associations with adiposity and sociodemographic variables. RESULTS: Twenty-seven percent (95% confidence interval, 24.6-30.0) of children met integrated guidelines; 98% (96.2-98.0) met PA, 78% (75.4-80.0) met sleep, and 35% (32.6-38.0) met ST guidelines. Females (adjusted odds ratio = 1.40 [95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.91]) and those living in lower-middle-income jurisdictions (2.29 [1.49-3.54]) were more likely to meet ST guidelines. Overweight children (0.62 [0.40-0.96]), those aged 8 years (0.39 [0.22-0.69]), and children with caregivers of an education level of high school or beyond (0.44 [0.29-0.68]) were less likely to achieve ST guidelines. Children from midrange annual household incomes were less likely to meet combined guidelines (0.60 [0.39-0.92]). CONCLUSIONS: Three-quarters of children are not meeting integrated Asia-Pacific 24-hour movement guidelines. Future strategies for reducing ST and increasing integrated guidelines compliance are needed.

Diet Quality of Young Children in the US-Affiliated Pacific's Children's Healthy Living (CHL) Program.

BACKGROUND: Childhood diet can impact health outcomes over the life course. Few studies have assessed dietary quality among infants and children in the US-Affiliated Pacific (USAP) region. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the differences in diet quality among Pacific children in the Children's Healthy Living (CHL) program by Pacific jurisdiction and by their World Bank Income Group (WBIG) level. DESIGN: This cross-sectional study used dietary records collected from 2012 to 2015. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: Data were collected on 2- to 8-year-old children (n = 3,529) enrolled in the Children's Healthy Living Program for Remote Underserved Minority Populations in the Pacific region, conducted in the USAP jurisdictions of Alaska, Hawai'i, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Guam, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM islands include Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, Yap), Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), and Republic of Palau. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Diet quality was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index-2005 (HEI-2005). This HEI version was commensurate with the time of dietary data collection for the CHL project and previous studies, thus allowing cross-study comparisons. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS PERFORMED: Means of total HEI-2005 scores between jurisdictions and their WBIG level were compared using linear models, with and without adjustment for age, sex, and dietary energy. RESULTS: Differences in mean HEI-2005 scores among children were found between jurisdictions and their WBIG level. Alaska had the highest adjusted mean score (63.3). RMI had the lowest adjusted mean score (50.1). By WBIG, lower-middle income jurisdictions had the lowest adjusted mean HEI-2005 score (56.0), whereas high income jurisdictions had the highest adjusted mean HEI-2005 score (60.5). CONCLUSIONS: Variation in children's diet quality was found between USAP jurisdictions, notably between jurisdictions of different WBIG levels. Future research is needed to deepen understanding of these differences in diet quality by WBIG level, such as whether differences may be attributable to the jurisdictions' varying food systems, and possibly explained by the nutrition transition. Understanding childhood diet quality in this region can inform approaches for nutrition programs in the Pacific region.

Measuring the immeasurable: A structural equation modeling approach to assessing soil health.

Soil health is recognized as an important ecosystem property sensitive to human impact. As a concept, soil health cannot be directly measured, and so assessment and modeling efforts largely rely upon key biological, chemical, and physical indicators. Efforts to develop an overall soil health index are largely lacking due to significant statistical challenges and the necessity for regional calibration. Taken from the field of educational research, structural equation modeling (SEM) is an attractive approach to enhance the reliability and validity of soil health scoring. Therefore, SEM may be utilized to advance research efforts to understand management practices impacts on soil health. Our objectives were to develop a robust scoring function that (i) captures the concept of soil health and latent variables, (ii) adjusts scores by inherent soil properties and legacy of intensive land use to adequately reflect our regional conditions and contemporary land management, and (iii) meets the diverse practitioner needs. Through this process, we refined our minimum dataset of soil health indicators and reconceptualized soil health indicators into functional properties. Our results support the development of a robust single level or a multilevel SEM model-depending on the practitioner's goals-that accounts for repeated sampling or pseudoreplication. While the SEM scoring functions were highly related to the conventional scoring approach, SEM outperformed the conventional methods in terms of its wider distribution of scores-and thus enhanced discriminatory power on the lower and higher range of scores. We also confirmed that the SEM scoring function that includes adjustments for mineralogy and legacy of intensive land use successfully differentiates among contemporary management practices and land use. Therefore, we have confidence that the tool is reliable and appropriate to further examine more nuanced impacts of land use change and management practices within a given land use across time and space covering a diversity of soils. (300 words).

Food Security is Associated with Higher Diet Quality Among Children of the US-Affiliated Pacific Region.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of food insecurity and its relationship to diet quality are factors impacting the health of persons living across the United States-affiliated Pacific region (USAP). OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe characterize the relationship between household food security status and diet quality of 2- to 8-y-old children across jurisdictions in the USAP. METHODS: Baseline data from 2- to 8-y-olds (n = 3099) enrolled in the Children's Healthy Living Program for Remote Underserved Minority Populations in the Pacific region, an obesity prevention study conducted in communities across Alaska, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Guam, and Hawaii, and a concomitant prevalence study in communities across the Freely Associated States (FAS) (the Federated States of Micronesia: Kosrae, Pohnpei, Chuuk, Yap; Republic of Marshall Islands; Republic of Palau) were collected in 2012. Caregivers self-reported sociodemographic data and food insecurity. Assisted by their caregiver, children completed two dietary records on nonconsecutive, randomly assigned days. The Healthy Eating Index 2005 (HEI-2005) was used to assess the diet quality. Data were summarized overall and by jurisdiction. Differences in HEI-2005 and HEI component scores among jurisdictions and by household food security status were tested using 1-factor ANOVA. RESULTS: Half or more of participants from American Samoa, Guam, CNMI, and FAS reported household food insecurity (n = 295, 59.7%; n = 292, 49.9%; n = 267, 54.6%; n = 572, 69.0%, respectively). HEI-2005 scores varied by jurisdiction (P < 0.001) and were significantly lower among FAS participants (54.7 ± 1.2) than among all other jurisdictions (P < 0.05). Total diet quality scores did not differ by food security status (59.9 ± 0.8 food secure compared with 58.3 ± 1.1 food insecure, P = 0.07); however, most diet quality adequacy component scores were significantly higher and moderation component scores significantly lower among participants in food secure households than those in food insecure households. CONCLUSIONS: Significant differences in children's diet quality and household food security existed across USAP jurisdictions.

Food and Physical Activity Environment in the US-Affiliated Pacific Region: The Children's Healthy Living Program.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the quality of food and physical activity (PA) environments by World Bank Income level in jurisdictions from the Children's Healthy Living Program. DESIGN: Baseline cross-sectional community data were analyzed from 11 jurisdictions categorized by World Bank Income levels to describe exposure to different food and PA outlets. The Children's Healthy Living Program was a multilevel, multijurisdictional prevalence study and community intervention trial that reduced child obesity in the US-Affiliated Pacific region. SETTING: US-Affiliated Pacific region. PARTICIPANTS: Food (n = 426) and PA (n = 552) Outlets. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Physical activity and food scores that reflect the quality of the outlets that support being physically active and healthy eating options, respectively. ANALYSIS: Descriptive statistics are presented as means ± SD or percentages. RESULTS: High-income-income level jurisdictions had higher food and PA scores than middle-income level jurisdictions. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The US-Affiliated Pacific region has limited quality food and PA outlets in underserved communities at risk for obesity. The findings in this paper can be used to develop tools and design interventions to improve the food and PA environment to increase a healthier, active lifestyle.

Food Group, Macronutrient Intake, and Metabolic Status in the US-Affiliated Pacific's Children's Healthy Living (CHL) Program.

BACKGROUND: The Children's Healthy Living study provided dietary intake information for understudied Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (NHOPI) young children. OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to describe food group and macronutrient intakes of NHOPI children in the US-Affiliated Pacific region (USAP), overall and by jurisdiction, income level, and metabolic status. METHODS: We evaluated 2-8-y-olds (n = 3520) in a cross-sectional cluster sampled study using 2 d of dietary records completed by caregivers using provided tools, quantified by a specially developed food composition table and compared with US dietary recommendations. Overweight and obesity (OWOB) and acanthosis nigricans (AN) assessment (metabolic status) was completed by trained evaluators using standard tools. Demographic data were collected by questionnaire. Regression analysis identified differences in dietary component means by jurisdiction, World Bank income groups (WBIGs), and metabolic status, adjusted for age and sex. RESULTS: Few children met US recommendations for vegetable (2.4%) and milk (4.1%) food groups. US macronutrient recommendations were generally met. Food group and macronutrient intakes were significantly different by jurisdiction and WBIG. Means for food groups, except meats, and macronutrients, except protein, were higher in overweight/obese (OWOB) compared with healthy-weight children. Grain intake of 7.25 (SE: 0.08) oz was higher (P < 0.05) and milk intake of 0.90 (SE: 0.05) cups was lower (P < 0.05) in children with OWOB compared with those without OWOB [grains: 7.17 (SE: 0.07) oz; and milk: 0.96 (SE: 0.04) cups]. Monounsaturated fat intake of 11.68 (SE: 0.10) % energy was higher in those with OWOB, compared with healthy-weight children [11.56 (SE: 0.08) % energy, P < 0.05]. CONCLUSIONS: Young children's diets in the USAP did not meet milk, vegetable, or fruit intake recommendations. There was variability in dietary patterns across the USAP and by WBIG. Grain intake and monounsaturated fat intake were lower and milk intake was higher in children with better metabolic status.

Edaphic controls of soil organic carbon in tropical agricultural landscapes.

Predicting soil organic carbon (SOC) is problematic in tropical soils because mechanisms of SOC (de)stabilization are not resolved. We aimed to identify such storage mechanisms in a tropical soil landscape constrained by 100 years of similar soil inputs and agricultural disturbance under the production of sugarcane, a C4 grass and bioenergy feedstock. We measured soil physicochemical parameters, SOC concentration, and SOC dynamics by soil horizon to one meter to identify soil parameters that can predict SOC outcomes. Applying correlative analyses, linear mixed model (LMM) regression, model selection by AICc, and hierarchical clustering we found that slow moving SOC was related to many soil parameters, while the fastest moving SOC was only related to soil surface charge. Our models explained 78-79%, 51-57%, 7-8% of variance in SOC concentration, slow pool decay, and fast pool decay, respectively. Top SOC predictors were roots, the ratio of organo-complexed iron (Fe) to aluminum (Al), water stable aggregates (WSagg), and cation exchange capacity (CEC). Using hierarchical clustering we also assessed SOC predictors across gradients of depth and rainfall with strong reductions in Roots, SOC, and slow pool decay associated with increasing depth, while increased rainfall was associated with increased Clay and WSagg and reduced CEC in surface soils. Increased negative surface charge, water stable aggregation, organo-Fe complexation, and root inputs were key SOC protection mechanisms despite high soil disturbance. Further development of these relationships is expected to improve understanding of SOC storage mechanisms and outcomes in similar tropical agricultural soils globally.

Exploring Foods of the Pacific: Cultural Food Identity in the US Affiliated Pacific Region.

Indigenous peoples of the Pacific have seen major shifts in dietary patterns due to foreign colonization, which introduced an array of new foods. Today, foods considered traditional and acculturated are consumed in various extents. However, the definitions and identity of traditional versus acculturated foods has become unclear as many introduced foods have been incorporated into Pacific cultures. The purpose of this study was to capture culturally relevant definitions of traditional, acculturated, and locally grown foods among 10 jurisdictions of the US-Affiliated Pacific (USAP) region with a focus on fruits and vegetables. Questionnaires were used to capture definitions of these terms, and to identify a list of foods (n=121) as traditional, acculturated, and/or locally grown in addition to classify them into food groups (ie, fruit, vegetable, starch, and/or grain). For the most part, definitions of traditional, acculturated, and locally grown were agreed upon by participating USAP jurisdictions, with some supplementary caveats presented by different jurisdictions. More foods were identified as acculturated (n=75) than traditional (n=37). Fruits (n=55) were the most frequent designation and about a third were vegetables (n=44). The majority of the jurisdictions reported growing at least half of the food items. This is the first study to identify and classify foods of the Pacific from the perspective of those indigenous to the USAP region. Understanding these similarities and differences in how food is classified and identified, through the lens of those from the Pacific, is crucial for nutrition education, and understanding what foods are locally grown is important for future sustainability.

Consumption of Traditional Fruits and Vegetables among Children in the US-Affiliated Pacific Region.

Background: Traditional Pacific diets have many health benefits, including maintenance of a healthy weight and prevention of various diseases. Few studies have evaluated the frequency at which traditional diets are consumed in the Pacific, especially among children. Objectives: This study examined the frequency of traditional and acculturated fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake among children in the US-affiliated Pacific (USAP) region. Methods: Diet records of 3319 children ages 2 to 8 y old were analyzed for frequency of traditional or acculturated F&V intake within USAP jurisdictions of American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Federated States of Micronesia (FSM; FSM island states include Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap), Guam, Hawaii, Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), and Republic of Palau. Results: Of the 95,304 food items recorded among participating children in the USAP jurisdictions, 15.2% were F&Vs. Of the 10 jurisdictions, children in the islands of Chuuk, Kosrae, Yap, and Pohnpei recorded the highest frequencies of traditional F&V intake relative to their total F&V intake (67.8%, 64.8%, 56.7%, and 52.5%, respectively). American Samoa and RMI recorded moderate frequency of traditional F&V intake (38.9% and 46.4%, respectively), whereas children in Hawaii, Guam, and CNMI recorded the lowest frequencies of traditional F&V intake relative to their total F&V intake (10.4%, 12.4%, and 15.3%, respectively). Children in Hawaii, Guam, Palau, and CNMI recorded high frequencies of acculturated F&V intake (37.8%, 31.2%, 34.5%, and 27.9%, respectively). Conclusions: Overall, children in the USAP jurisdictions participating in this study recorded a low frequency of F&V intake. The differences in traditional F&V intake found between the USAP islands may be due to variation in economic income level and external influences on social and cultural norms among the island populations and variations of cost, accessibility, and convenience of each category of food to each island's population.

University of Hawai'i Cancer Center Connection: Pacific Tracker (PacTrac) Version 3.1 Diet and Physical Activity Assessment Tool for the Pacific Region.

The Pacific Tracker (PacTrac) is a web-based diet and physical activity assessment program created to analyze dietary recall or dietary record data from the Pacific region. Version 3.1 modifications make the tool available for public use (under check it out) to enter, analyze, view and print out data; and for research use, for saving and downloading of multiple entries in a research mode. PacTrac 3.1 (https://nappactrac31.ctahr.hawaii.edu/default.htm) is managed through the Children's Healthy Living Center of Excellence (CHL Center) at the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at the University of Hawai'i, in collaboration with the University of Hawai'i Cancer Center.

Determination of Child Waist Circumference Cut Points for Metabolic Risk Based on Acanthosis Nigricans, the Children's Healthy Living Program.

INTRODUCTION: Waist circumference is a common anthropometric measure for predicting abdominal obesity and insulin resistance. We developed optimal waist circumference cut points for children aged 2 to 8 years in the US-Affiliated Pacific (USAP) region based on the relationship of waist circumference and acanthosis nigricans in this population. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis from the Children's Healthy Living Program's 2012-2013 data on 4,023 children. We used receiver-operating characteristic analysis to determine the sensitivity and specificity for acanthosis nigricans across waist circumference, by sex and age. We determined optimal waist circumference cutoff points corresponding to Youden index (J), (equal to [sensitivity + specificity] - 1), with acanthosis nigricans. We compared these cut points with the 90th percentile. RESULTS: The 90th-percentile cut points for boys aged 2 to 5 years (58.15 cm) and 6 to 8 years (71.63 cm) were slightly higher than for girls in both age groups (aged 2-5 y, 57.97 cm; 6-8 y: 70.37 cm). The optimal cut points (corresponding to the highest sensitivity and specificity) were as follows: for boys aged 2 to 5 years, 90th percentile (58.25 cm; sensitivity, 48.0%; specificity, 91.5%); for boys aged 6 to 8 years, 78th percentile (63.59 cm; sensitivity, 86.8%; specificity, 82.8%); for girls aged 2 to 5 years, 62nd percentile (53.27 cm; sensitivity, 71.4%; specificity, 63.1%), and for girls aged 6 to 8 years, 80th percentile (63.63 cm; sensitivity, 55.4%; specificity, 82.9%). CONCLUSION: Among USAP children, waist circumference was a reasonable predictor for acanthosis nigricans. Further analysis is warranted to examine causes of acanthosis nigricans at lower-than-expected waist circumference percentiles. The cut points can be used for early detection of metabolic risk.

DNA-Stable Isotope Probing Shotgun Metagenomics Reveals the Resilience of Active Microbial Communities to Biochar Amendment in Oxisol Soil.

The functions and interactions of individual microbial populations and their genes in agricultural soils amended with biochar remain elusive but are crucial for a deeper understanding of nutrient cycling and carbon (C) sequestration. In this study, we coupled DNA stable isotope probing (SIP) with shotgun metagenomics in order to target the active community in microcosms which contained soil collected from biochar-amended and control plots under napiergrass cultivation. Our analyses revealed that the active community was composed of high-abundant and low-abundant populations, including Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes, and Acidobacteria. Although biochar did not significantly shift the active taxonomic and functional communities, we found that the narG (nitrate reductase) gene was significantly more abundant in the control metagenomes. Interestingly, putative denitrifier genomes generally encoded one gene or a partial denitrification pathway, suggesting denitrification is typically carried out by an assembly of different populations within this Oxisol soil. Altogether, these findings indicate that the impact of biochar on the active soil microbial community are transient in nature. As such, the addition of biochar to soils appears to be a promising strategy for the long-term C sequestration in agricultural soils, does not impart lasting effects on the microbial functional community, and thus mitigates un-intended microbial community shifts that may lead to fertilizer loss through increased N cycling.

Comparative Metagenomics Reveals Enhanced Nutrient Cycling Potential after 2 Years of Biochar Amendment in a Tropical Oxisol.

The complex structural and functional responses of agricultural soil microbial communities to the addition of carbonaceous compounds such as biochar remain poorly understood. This severely limits the predictive ability for both the potential enhancement of soil fertility and greenhouse gas mitigation. In this study, we utilized shotgun metagenomics in order to decipher changes in the microbial community in soil microcosms after 14 days of incubation at 23°C, which contained soils from biochar-amended and control plots cultivated with Napier grass. Our analyses revealed that biochar-amended soil microbiomes exhibited significant shifts in both community composition and predicted metabolism. Key metabolic pathways related to carbon turnover, such as the utilization of plant-derived carbohydrates as well as denitrification, were enriched under biochar amendment. These community shifts were in part associated with increased soil carbon, such as labile and aromatic carbon compounds, which was likely stimulated by the increased available nutrients associated with biochar amendment. These findings indicate that the soil microbiome response to the combination of biochar addition and to incubation conditions confers enhanced nutrient cycling and a small decrease in CO2 emissions and potentially mitigates nitrous oxide emissions.IMPORTANCE The incorporation of biochar into soil is a promising management strategy for sustainable agriculture owing to its potential to sequester carbon and improve soil fertility. Expanding the addition of biochar to large-scale agriculture hinges on its lasting beneficial effects on the microbial community. However, there exists a significant knowledge gap regarding the specific role that biochar plays in altering the key biological soil processes that influence plant growth and carbon storage in soil. Previous studies that examined the soil microbiome under biochar amendment principally characterized only how the composition alters in response to biochar amendment. In the present study, we shed light on the functional alterations of the microbial community response 2 years after biochar amendment. Our results show that biochar increased the abundance of genes involved in denitrification and carbon turnover and that biochar-amended soil microcosms had a reduction in cumulative CO2 production.

Dual burden of malnutrition in US Affiliated Pacific jurisdictions in the Children's Healthy Living Program.

BACKGROUND: Few data are available on dual burden of under and over nutrition of children in the Pacific region. The objective was to examine prevalence of stunting at birth and current stunting and their relationship to obesity in US Affiliated Pacific (USAP) jurisdictions. METHODS: Cross sectional survey with cluster sampling by community. 5558, 2-8 years olds were measured in 51 communities in 11 USAP jurisdictions. The main outcome measures were stunting at birth, current stunting and obesity by body mass index. Prevalences of stunting at birth, current stunting and obesity were determined, adjusting for age distribution and community clustering. Differences by among age, sex, race and jurisdiction income levels were evaluated by chi-square analysis. Relationships of stunting at birth and current stunting with obesity were examined using a hierarchical model accounting for the study design. RESULTS: Prevalences were stunting at birth 6.8% (Standard Error, SE = 0.9%), current stunting 1.4% (SE = 0.2%) and obesity 14.03.8% (SE = 0.9%). Obesity was highest in upper middle income jurisdictions (UMIJ) at 17.5%. Stunting at birth differed by race (p = 0.0001) with highest prevalence among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders (10.7%). Prevalence of stunting at birth was different by jurisdiction income level with 27.5% in lower middle income jurisdictions (LMIJ), and 22.2% in UMIJ, and 5.5% in higher than high income jurisdictions (HIJ) at 5.5% (p < 0.0001). Prevalence of current stunting was higher in LMIJ than HIJ (p = 0.001), although children with current stunting were less likely to have been stunted at birth. The association between stunting at birth and current stunting was negative (OR = 0.19, 95% CI: 0.05-0.69). CONCLUSIONS: Currently stunted children were marginally less likely to be obese than not stunted children in the USAP, where the prevalence of current stunting is low. Stunting (at birth and current) was highest in LMIJ, while UMIJ jurisdictions had the highest dual burden of malnutrition (that is the highest combination of both stunting at birth and obesity). TRIAL REGISTRATION: National Institutes for Health clinical trial # NCT01881373 (clinicaltrials.gov).

Biochar Properties Influencing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Tropical Soils Differing in Texture and Mineralogy.

The ability of biochar applications to alter greenhouse gases (GHGs) (CO, CH, and NO) has been attracting research interest. However, inconsistent published results necessitate further exploration of potential influencing factors, including biochar properties, biochar rates, soil textures and mineralogy, and their interactions. Two short-term laboratory incubations were conducted to evaluate the effects of different biochars: a biochar with low ash (2.4%) and high-volatile matter (VM) (35.8%) contents produced under low-temperature (350°C) traditional kiln and a biochar with high ash (3.9%) and low-VM (14.7%) contents produced with a high-temperature (800°C) Flash Carbonization reactor and different biochar rates (0, 2, and 4% w/w) on the GHG emissions in a loamy-sand Ultisol and a silty-clay-loam Oxisol. In the coarse-textured, low-buffer Ultisol, cumulative CO and CH emissions increased with increasing VM content of biochars; however, CO emission sharply decreased at 83 µg VM g soil. In the fine-textured, high-buffer Oxisol, there were significant positive effects of VM content on cumulative CO emission without suppression effects. Regarding cumulative NO emission, there were significant positive effects in the Mn-rich Oxisol. Ash-induced increases in soil pH had negative effects on all studied GHG emissions. Possible mechanisms include the roles biochar VM played as microbial substrates, a source of toxic compounds and complexing agents reducing the toxicity of soil aluminum and manganese, and the role of biochar ash in increasing soil pH affecting GHG emissions in these two contrasting soils.

Prevalence of obesity and acanthosis nigricans among young children in the children's healthy living program in the United States Affiliated Pacific.

Estimate prevalence of obesity and acanthosis nigricans (AN) among children in United States Affiliated Pacific (USAP) jurisdictions.Cross-sectional measurement of weight, height, and AN in 5775, 2 to 8 years old in 51 communities-Hawai'i, Alaska, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), 4 Federated States of Micronesia (Pohnpei, Yap, Kosrae, Chuuk). Analyses weighted to jurisdiction-specific sex and age distributions accounting for clustering of communities within jurisdictions.Prevalence of obesity was 14.0%, overweight 14.4%, healthy weight 68.9%, and underweight 2.6%, higher in males (16.3%) than females (11.6%), higher among 6 to 8 years old (16.3%) than 2 to 5 years old (12.9%), highest in American Samoa (21.7%), and absent in RMI. In total, 4.7% of children had AN, with no sex difference, higher in 6 to 8 years old (6.8%) than 2 to 5 years old (3.5%) and highest in Pohnpei (11.9%), and absent in Alaska. Obesity was highly associated with AN (odds ratio = 9.25, 95% confidence interval = 6.69-12.80), with the strongest relationships among Asians, followed by Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI).Obesity, age, and Asian and NHPI race were positively associated with AN.

Quality assurance of data collection in the multi-site community randomized trial and prevalence survey of the children's healthy living program.

BACKGROUND: Quality assurance plays an important role in research by assuring data integrity, and thus, valid study results. We aim to describe and share the results of the quality assurance process used to guide the data collection process in a multi-site childhood obesity prevalence study and intervention trial across the US Affiliated Pacific Region. METHODS: Quality assurance assessments following a standardized protocol were conducted by one assessor in every participating site. Results were summarized to examine and align the implementation of protocol procedures across diverse settings. RESULTS: Data collection protocols focused on food and physical activity were adhered to closely; however, protocols for handling completed forms and ensuring data security showed more variability. CONCLUSIONS: Quality assurance protocols are common in the clinical literature but are limited in multi-site community-based studies, especially in underserved populations. The reduction in the number of QA problems found in the second as compared to the first data collection periods for the intervention study attest to the value of this assessment. This paper can serve as a reference for similar studies wishing to implement quality assurance protocols of the data collection process to preserve data integrity and enhance the validity of study findings. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NIH clinical trial #NCT01881373.

Anthropometric measurement standardization in the US-affiliated pacific: Report from the Children's Healthy Living Program.

OBJECTIVES: Anthropometric standardization is essential to obtain reliable and comparable data from different geographical regions. The purpose of this study is to describe anthropometric standardization procedures and findings from the Children's Healthy Living (CHL) Program, a study on childhood obesity in 11 jurisdictions in the US-Affiliated Pacific Region, including Alaska and Hawai'i. METHODS: Zerfas criteria were used to compare the measurement components (height, waist, and weight) between each trainee and a single expert anthropometrist. In addition, intra- and inter-rater technical error of measurement (TEM), coefficient of reliability, and average bias relative to the expert were computed. RESULTS: From September 2012 to December 2014, 79 trainees participated in at least 1 of 29 standardization sessions. A total of 49 trainees passed either standard or alternate Zerfas criteria and were qualified to assess all three measurements in the field. Standard Zerfas criteria were difficult to achieve: only 2 of 79 trainees passed at their first training session. Intra-rater TEM estimates for the 49 trainees compared well with the expert anthropometrist. Average biases were within acceptable limits of deviation from the expert. Coefficient of reliability was above 99% for all three anthropometric components. CONCLUSIONS: Standardization based on comparison with a single expert ensured the comparability of measurements from the 49 trainees who passed the criteria. The anthropometric standardization process and protocols followed by CHL resulted in 49 standardized field anthropometrists and have helped build capacity in the health workforce in the Pacific Region. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 28:364-371, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Children's Healthy Living Program (CHL) Indigenous Workforce Training to Prevent Childhood Obesity in the Underserved U.S. Affiliated Pacific Region.

The U.S. Affiliated Pacific Region (USAPR) is an underserved region with high rates of obesity-related, non-communicable diseases and a low proportion of trained obesity prevention professionals, especially indigenous professionals. The Children's Healthy Living Training Program was developed to enhance the USAPR's capacity to address childhood obesity prevention.