Trends and correlates in meat consumption patterns in the US adult population.

OBJECTIVE: Few studies have examined recent shifts in meat consumption (MC), differences among US population groups, and the influence of psychosocial-behavioural factors. DESIGN: Nationally representative data collected for US adults aged >or=18 years in the 1988-1994 and 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the 1994-1996 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII) and Diet and Health Knowledge Survey (DHKS) were used. RESULTS: We found a U-shaped trend in MC, a decrease between 1988-1994 and 1994-1996, and an increase from 1994-1996 to 1999-2004. NHANES 1988-1994 and 1999-2004 indicate that MC did not change significantly, particularly for all meat, red meat, poultry and seafood. Between 1994-1996 and 1999-2004, average MC, including red meat, poultry, seafood and other meat products, increased in men. Women's total MC decreased, mainly due to decreased red meat and other meat products, except for increased seafood. Noticeable differences existed in the changes across population groups. Black men had the largest increase in consumption of total meat, poultry and seafood; Mexican American men had the smallest increase in poultry, seafood and other meat products. In 1999-2004, ethnic differences in MC became greater in women than among women in 1994-1996. Associations between MC and energy intake changed over time. Perceived benefit of dietary quality and food label use were associated with reduced red MC. CONCLUSIONS: Noticeable differences exist in the shifts in MC across population groups and surveys. MC increased in men but decreased in women in recent years.

The effects of a nurse case manager and a community health worker team on diabetic control, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations among urban African Americans with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Although African American adults bear a disproportionate burden from diabetes mellitus (DM), few randomized controlled trials have tested culturally appropriate interventions to improve DM care. METHODS: We randomly assigned 542 African Americans with type 2 DM enrolled in an urban managed care organization to either an intensive or minimal intervention group. The intensive intervention group consisted of all components of the minimal intervention plus individualized, culturally tailored care provided by a nurse case manager (NCM) and a community health worker (CHW), using evidence-based clinical algorithms with feedback to primary care providers (eg, physicians, nurse practitioners, or physician assistants). The minimal intervention consisted of mailings and telephone calls every 6 months to remind participants about preventive screenings. Data on diabetic control were collected at baseline and at 24 months by blind observers; data emergency department (ER) visits and hospitalizations were assessed using administrative data. RESULTS: At baseline, participants had a mean age of 58 years, 73% were women, and 50% were living in poverty. At 24 months, compared with the minimal intervention group, those in the intensive intervention group were 23% less likely to have ER visits (rate difference [RD], -14.5; adjusted rate ratio [RR], 0.77; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59-1.00). In on-treatment analyses, the rate reduction was strongest for patients who received the most NCM and CHW visits (RD, -31.0; adjusted RR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.43-1.00; rate reduction downward arrow 34%). CONCLUSION: These data suggest that a culturally tailored intervention conducted by an NCM/CHW team reduced ER visits in urban African Americans with type 2 DM. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00022750.

Food availability, neighborhood socioeconomic status, and dietary patterns among blacks with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

CONTEXT: High diabetes prevalence among low-income and urban African American populations. OBJECTIVES & MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: This study aimed to determine associations between neighborhood-level food sources and socioeconomic status (SES), and dietary patterns and body-mass index (BMI). The hypotheses were that the presence of food stores in neighborhoods would be associated with better dietary habits and BMI, and that the presence of convenience stores, and lower neighborhood SES, would be associated with poorer dietary habits and BMI. DESIGN, SETTING, & PATIENTS: Black adults (n = 132) with type 2 diabetes in Project Sugar 2 (Baltimore, Maryland) underwent the Ammerman dietary assessment: total dietary risk score and subscores for meat, dairy, starches, and added fat. Food source availability (food stores, convenience stores, other food stores, restaurants, and other food service places) and SES data from the 2000 US census at the tract-level were linked to individual-level data. Linear mixed-effects regression models with random intercepts were used to account for neighborhood clustering and for individual-level SES and potential confounders. RESULTS: The presence of restaurants and other food service places in census tracts were associated with better dietary patterns (adjusted added fat subscore beta = -1.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -1.8, -0.4, and beta = -1.0, 95% CI = -1.7, -0.3, respectively). The presence of convenience stores and lower neighborhood SES was not significantly associated with worse dietary patterns or body-mass index, although trends were in the hypothesized direction. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide some evidence for structural improvements to food environments in urban and low-income black neighborhoods.

Antepartum glucose tolerance test results as predictors of type 2 diabetes mellitus in women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are at high risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). OBJECTIVE: We reviewed prospective studies of antepartum glucose tolerance test results as risk factors for development of T2DM among women with a history of GDM. METHODS: We searched 4 electronic databases and hand-searched 13 journals for literature published through January 2007. The search strategy consisted of medical subject headings and text words for GDM, T2DM, and other relevant terms. Articles were excluded for the following reasons: (1) not written in English; (2) no human data; (3) no original data; (4) <90% of sample was diagnosed with GDM without a separate analysis for women with GDM; (5) case report or series; (6) diagnosis of GDM not based on 3-hour 100-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) or 2-hour 75-g OGTT; (7) T2DM not evaluated as outcome; (8) no relative measure of association or incidence reported; or (9) design did not address antepartum OGTT as a predictor of T2DM. Two investigators independently reviewed citations, performed serial data abstraction on full articles, and assessed the quality of each article. Data were abstracted for study participants and characteristics, T2DM diagnosis, length of follow-up, regression model covariates, and measures of association and variability. RESULTS: Of 11,400 unique citations, we identified 11 articles that evaluated antepartum glucose testing and risk of T2DM in women with a history of GDM. Five studies found that the fasting blood glucose (FBG) on the antepartum diagnostic OGTT was a significant predictor of T2DM (odds ratio [OR] range: 11.1-21.0; relative risk [RR] range: 1.37-1.5; relative hazard [RH] = 2.47). Risk of incident T2DM was predicted by the antepartum 2-hour OGTT plasma glucose in 3 studies (OR range: 1.02-1.03; RR = 1.3) and by the antepartum OGTT glucose AUC in 3 other studies (OR range: 3.64-15; RH = 2.13). Overall, study quality was limited by high losses to follow-up (>20% in 6 studies) and short duration. Few studies adjusted for adiposity, an established diabetes risk factor. CONCLUSION: FBG, OGTT 2-hour blood glucose, and OGTT glucose AUC appeared to be strong and consistent predictors of subsequent T2DM among women who met diagnostic criteria for GDM using the OGTT.

Risk factors for type 2 diabetes among women with gestational diabetes: a systematic review.

We conducted a systematic review of studies examining risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes among women with previous gestational diabetes. Our search strategy yielded 14 articles that evaluated 9 categories of risk factors of type 2 diabetes in women with gestational diabetes: anthropometry, pregnancy-related factors, postpartum factors, parity, family history of type 2 diabetes, maternal lifestyle factors, sociodemographics, oral contraceptive use, and physiologic factors. The studies provided evidence that the risk of type 2 diabetes was significantly higher in women having increased anthropometric characteristics with relative measures of association ranging from 0.8 to 8.7 and women who used insulin during pregnancy with relative measures of association ranging between 2.8 and 4.7. A later gestational age at diagnosis of gestational diabetes, >24 weeks gestation on average, was associated with a reduction in risk of development of type 2 diabetes with relative measures of association ranging between 0.35 and 0.99. We concluded that there is substantial evidence for 3 risk factors associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes in women having gestational diabetes.

Built environment and health behaviors among African Americans: a systematic review.

CONTEXT: An overall understanding of environmental factors that affect weight-related behaviors and outcomes in African American adults is limited. This article presents a summarization of the literature on the built environment and its association with physical activity, diet, and obesity among African Americans. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A systematic review was conducted by searching the PubMed electronic database from inception to July 31, 2007, reviewing bibliographies of eligible articles, and searching authors' personal databases using various search terms for the built environment, physical activity, diet, and obesity. Eligible articles were observational studies that included a study population >or=90% African American (or subgroup analysis), adults (>or=18 yrs), and were published in English; final article data abstraction occurred from October 2007 through February 2008. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: A total of 2797 titles were identified from the initial search, and 90 were deemed eligible for abstract review. Of these, 17 articles were eligible for full review and ten met all eligibility criteria. The median sample size was 761 (234 to 10,623), and half of the articles included only African Americans. Light traffic, the presence of sidewalks, and safety from crime were more often positively associated with physical activity, although associations were not consistent (OR range = 0.53-2.43). Additionally, perceived barriers to physical activity were associated with obesity. The presence of supermarkets and specialty stores was consistently positively associated with meeting fruit and vegetable guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: With relatively few studies in the literature focused on African Americans, more research is needed to draw conclusions on features of the built environment that are associated with physical activity, diet, and obesity.

The natural course of microalbuminuria among African Americans with type 2 diabetes: a 3-year study.

BACKGROUND: The natural course of microalbuminuria in African Americans (AA) with type 2 diabetes is not well established. METHOD: Longitudinal analysis of 186 African Americans with type 2 diabetes enrolled in Project Sugar, a randomized controlled trial of primary care-based interventions to improve diabetes control. RESULTS: Mean age was 59.4 years and 85% were female. Mean estimated glomerular filtration rate and urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio were 75.90 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and 1.62, respectively. Thirty-nine patients had macroalbuminuria and significantly higher systolic blood pressure compared with those with microalbuminuria (P=.01). Sixty patients had microalbuminuria, 19 progressed to macroalbuminuria, and none regressed. Progression was associated significantly with systolic blood pressure >or=115 mm Hg and requirement for blood pressure medication in the univariate model. In the multivariate model, the degree of albumin-to-creatinine ratio (odds ratio 35.51, 95% confidence interval, 2.21-571.65) and need for blood pressure medication (odds ratio 8.96, 95% confidence interval, 1.35-59.70) were independently associated with progression. No association was observed with the use of specific antihypertensive agent. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that African Americans with type 2 diabetes and microalbuminuria experience irreversible disease that not infrequently progresses to overt proteinuria. The degree of microalbuminuria and blood pressure are key determinants in this process and should be primary targets in treating this population regardless of the antihypertensive class used.

Socioeconomic position and cardiovascular disease in adults with and without diabetes: United States trends, 1997-2005.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes and its cardiovascular complications are more common in adults of low socioeconomic position (SEP). In the US, the past decade has seen the establishment of many programs to reduce cardiovascular risk in persons with diabetes, but their effect on socioeconomic disparities is uncertain. OBJECTIVE: We sought to investigate recent time trends in socioeconomic disparities in cardiovascular disease (CVD) among persons with and without diabetes. PARTICIPANTS AND DESIGN: Two hundred fifty-five thousand nine hundred sixty-six individuals aged 25 years or older included in the National Health Interview Survey between 1997 and 2005. MEASUREMENTS: Educational attainment was used as a marker for SEP and self-reported history of CVD as the main outcome. Educational disparities were measured using prevalence rate ratios (PRR) and the relative index of inequalities (RII). MAIN RESULTS: Among adults with diabetes, CVD prevalence was persistently higher in those who did not complete high school (HS) than in college graduates (adjusted PRR [aPRR] 1.20, 95% confidence interval [95%CI] 1.05-1.38 in 1997-1999, and aPRR 1.12, 95% CI 1.00-1.25 in 2003-2005). However, the HS vs. college graduates disparity in CVD declined from 1997-1999 (aPRR 1.20, 95% CI 1.04-1.37) to 2003-2005 (aPRR 1.01, 95% CI 0.90-1.12). Among adults without diabetes educational disparities in CVD widened markedly over time. CONCLUSIONS: Concurrently with improvements in diabetes management, the widening of socioeconomic health disparities has remained limited in the diabetic population during the past decade. This provides evidence for the potential impact of improvements in disparities in health care access and process, such as experienced among persons with diabetes, in limiting socioeconomic health disparities.

Ethnic differences in dairy and related nutrient consumption among US adults and their association with obesity, central obesity, and the metabolic syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies suggest dairy consumption and associated nutrients may be protective against some of the components of the metabolic syndrome (MetS). OBJECTIVES: We examined the association between consumption of a variety of dairy products and their related nutrients with obesity, central obesity, and MetS, and attempted to explain some of the ethnic differences in metabolic outcomes through dairy consumption using national data. DESIGN: Nationally representative indicators of obesity, central obesity, and MetS among US adults were constructed from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2004 data, including direct anthropometric assessments, blood pressure, and laboratory tests. Sample sizes ranged from 4519 for MetS to 14 618 for obesity. Associations between diet (assessed using 24-h recalls) and metabolic and other outcomes were tested using multivariate linear and logistic models and structural equation models. RESULTS: We found a significant inverse association between intake of whole milk, yogurt, calcium, and magnesium and metabolic disorders. Odds ratios for one more daily serving of yogurt and 100 mg Mg for MetS were 0.40 (95% CI: 0.18, 0.89) and 0.83 (95% CI: 0.72, 0.96), respectively. The opposite was found for intakes of cheese, low-fat milk, and phosphorus. Using structural equation models, ethnic differences in some MetS outcomes, such as body mass index and systolic blood pressure, were partly explained by variations in dairy-related nutrients. CONCLUSIONS: Various dairy products may have differential associations with metabolic disorders, including obesity. Ethnic differences in dairy consumption may explain in part the ethnic disparities in metabolic disorders in the US population.

Association between parental history of type 2 diabetes and glycemic control in urban African Americans.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between parental history of type 2 diabetes and glycemic control among diabetic urban African Americans. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Study participants included 359 African Americans with type 2 diabetes from Baltimore, Maryland, enrolled in Project Sugar 2. Participants underwent an interview-administrated questionnaire that asked about family history, sociodemographics, clinical characteristics, and knowledge and perception of adequate glycemic control. Regression analysis was used to determine the association between parental history of diabetes and glycemic control, as measured by A1C. RESULTS: In the comparisons between participants with and without a parental history of diabetes, those with a positive parental history tended to be younger, have higher glucose levels, and have higher blood glucose levels before calling a doctor (all P < 0.05). After adjustments for age, sex, and BMI, there was a significant association (P = 0.02) between A1C and parental history with the mean A1C difference between those with a positive and a negative parental history being 0.58%. However, after adjustment for duration of diabetes, the association was no longer significant (P = 0.11). However, there was a tendency for individuals with two diabetic parents to have higher A1C (P = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: From these results, we conclude that among the urban African American participants who were aware of their parental history of diabetes, a positive parental history was associated with worse glycemic control, partly due to longer duration of diabetes. Parental history did not appear to be associated with better knowledge or perception of adequate glycemic control.

Therapeutic management, delivery, and postpartum risk assessment and screening in gestational diabetes.

OBJECTIVES: We focused on four questions: What are the risks and benefits of an oral diabetes agent (i.e., glyburide), as compared to all types of insulin, for gestational diabetes? What is the evidence that elective labor induction, cesarean delivery, or timing of induction is associated with benefits or harm to the mother and neonate? What risk factors are associated with the development of type 2 diabetes after gestational diabetes? What are the performance characteristics of diagnostic tests for type 2 diabetes in women with gestational diabetes? DATA SOURCES: We searched electronic databases for studies published through January 2007. Additional articles were identified by searching the table of contents of 13 journals for relevant citations from August 2006 to January 2007 and reviewing the references in eligible articles and selected review articles. REVIEW METHODS: Paired investigators reviewed abstracts and full articles. We included studies that were written in English, reported on human subjects, contained original data, and evaluated women with appropriately diagnosed gestational diabetes. Paired reviewers performed serial abstraction of data from each eligible study. Study quality was assessed independently by each reviewer. RESULTS: The search identified 45 relevant articles. The evidence indicated that: Maternal glucose levels do not differ substantially in those treated with insulin versus insulin analogues or oral agents. Average infant birth weight may be lower in mothers treated with insulin than with glyburide. Induction at 38 weeks may reduce the macrosomia rate, with no increase in cesarean delivery rates. Anthropometric measures, fasting blood glucose (FBG), and 2-hour glucose value are the strongest risk factors associated with development of type 2 diabetes. FBG had high specificity, but variable sensitivity, when compared to the 75-gm oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes after delivery. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence suggests that benefits and a low likelihood of harm are associated with the treatment of gestational diabetes with an oral diabetes agent or insulin. The effect of induction or elective cesarean on outcomes is unclear. The evidence is consistent that anthropometry identifies women at risk of developing subsequent type 2 diabetes; however, no evidence suggested the FBG out-performs the 75-gm OGTT in diagnosing type 2 diabetes after delivery.

Educational disparities in rates of smoking among diabetic adults: the translating research into action for diabetes study.

OBJECTIVES: We assessed educational disparities in smoking rates among adults with diabetes in managed care settings. METHODS: We used a cross-sectional, survey-based (2002-2003) observational study among 6538 diabetic patients older than 25 years across multiple managed care health plans and states. For smoking at each level of self-reported educational attainment, predicted probabilities were estimated by means of hierarchical logistic regression models with random intercepts for health plan, adjusted for potential confounders. RESULTS: Overall, 15% the participants reported current smoking. An educational gradient in smoking was observed that varied significantly (P<.003) across age groups, with the educational gradient being strong in those aged 25 to 44 years, modest in those aged 45 to 64 years, and nonexistent in those aged 65 years or older. Of particular note, the prevalence of smoking observed in adults aged 25-44 years with less than a high school education was 50% (95% confidence interval: 36% to 63%). CONCLUSIONS: Approximately half of poorly educated young adults with diabetes smoke, magnifying the health risk associated with early-onset diabetes. Targeted public health interventions for smoking prevention and cessation among young, poorly educated people with diabetes are needed.

Perception of neighborhood problems, health behaviors, and diabetes outcomes among adults with diabetes in managed care: the Translating Research Into Action for Diabetes (TRIAD) study.

OBJECTIVE: Recent data suggest that residential environment may influence health behaviors and outcomes. We assessed whether perception of neighborhood problems was associated with diabetes behaviors and outcomes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This cross-sectional analysis included 7,830 diabetic adults enrolled in Translating Research Into Action for Diabetes, a study of diabetes care and outcomes in managed care settings. Perception of neighborhood problems was measured using a summary score of participants' ratings of crime, trash, litter, lighting at night, and access to exercise facilities, transportation, and supermarkets. Outcomes included health behaviors and clinical outcomes. Hierarchical regression models were used to account for clustering of patients within neighborhoods and to adjust for objective neighborhood socioeconomic status (percentage living in poverty) and potential individual-level confounders (age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, income, comorbidity index, and duration of diabetes). RESULTS: After adjustment, residents of neighborhoods in the lowest tertile (most perceived problems) reported higher rates of current smoking (15 vs. 11%) than those in the highest tertile and had slightly lower participation in any weekly physical activity (95 vs. 96%). In addition, their blood pressure control was worse (25 vs. 31% <130/80 mmHg), and their Short Form 12 scores were slightly lower (44 vs. 46 units for emotional well-being and 43 vs. 44 units for physical well-being); all P < 0.01. CONCLUSIONS: Neighborhood problems were most strongly associated with more smoking and higher blood pressure, both of which have significant implications for cardiovascular risk. Potential mechanisms that explain these associations should be further explored in longitudinal studies.

Barriers to recruiting underrepresented populations to cancer clinical trials: a systematic review.

Racial and ethnic minorities, older adults, rural residents, and individuals of low socioeconomic status are underrepresented among participants in cancer-related trials. The authors conducted a systematic review to determine the barriers to participation of underrepresented populations in cancer-related trials. Their search included English-language publications that reported original data on the recruitment of underrepresented groups to cancer treatment or prevention trials between 1966 and December 2005 in multiple electronic databases. They also hand-searched titles in 34 journals from January 2003 to December 2005 and they examined reference lists for eligible articles. Titles and abstracts were reviewed to identify relevant studies. Data on barriers to participation were synthesized both qualitatively and based on statistically significant associations with trial enrollment. Of 5257 studies that were cited, 65 studies were eligible for inclusion in the current analysis, including 46 studies on recruitment into cancer therapeutic trials, 15 studies on recruitment into prevention trials, and 4 studies on recruitment into both prevention and treatment trials. Numerous factors were reported as barriers to participation in cancer-related trials. However, only 20 of the studies reported statistically significant associations between hypothesized barriers and enrollment. The available evidence had limitations in quality regarding representativeness, justification of study methods, the reliability and validity of data-collection methods, potential for bias, and data analysis. The results indicated that underrepresented populations face numerous barriers to participation in cancer-related trials. The current systematic review highlighting the literature on recruitment of underrepresented populations to cancer trials and may be used as the evidence base toward developing an agenda for etiologic and intervention research to reduce the disparities in participation in cancer-related trials.

Educational disparities in health behaviors among patients with diabetes: the Translating Research Into Action for Diabetes (TRIAD) Study.

BACKGROUND: Our understanding of social disparities in diabetes-related health behaviors is incomplete. The purpose of this study was to determine if having less education is associated with poorer diabetes-related health behaviors. METHODS: This observational study was based on a cohort of 8,763 survey respondents drawn from ~180,000 patients with diabetes receiving care from 68 provider groups in ten managed care health plans across the United States. Self-reported survey data included individual educational attainment ("education") and five diabetes self-care behaviors among individuals for whom the behavior would clearly be indicated: foot exams (among those with symptoms of peripheral neuropathy or a history of foot ulcers); self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG; among insulin users only); smoking; exercise; and certain diabetes-related health seeking behaviors (use of diabetes health education, website, or support group in last 12 months). Predicted probabilities were modeled at each level of self-reported educational attainment using hierarchical logistic regression models with random effects for clustering within health plans. RESULTS: Patients with less education had significantly lower predicted probabilities of being a non-smoker and engaging in regular exercise and health-seeking behaviors, while SMBG and foot self-examination did not vary by education. Extensive adjustment for patient factors revealed no discernable confounding effect on the estimates or their significance, and most education-behavior relationships were similar across sex, race and other patient characteristics. The relationship between education and smoking varied significantly across age, with a strong inverse relationship in those aged 25-44, modest for those ages 45-64, but non-evident for those over 65. Intensity of disease management by the health plan and provider communication did not alter the examined education-behavior relationships. Other measures of socioeconomic position yielded similar findings. CONCLUSION: The relationship between educational attainment and health behaviors was modest in strength for most behaviors. Over the life course, the cumulative effect of reduced practice of multiple self-care behaviors among less educated patients may play an important part in shaping the social health gradient.

Expanding the obesity research paradigm to reach African American communities.

Obesity is more prevalent among African Americans and other racial and ethnic minority populations than among whites. The behaviors that determine weight status are embedded in the core social and cultural processes and environments of day-to-day life in these populations. Therefore, identifying effective, sustainable solutions to obesity requires an ecological model that is inclusive of relevant contextual variables. Race and ethnicity are potent stratification variables in U.S. society and strongly influence life contexts, including many aspects that relate to eating and physical activity behaviors. This article describes a synthesis initiated by the African American Collaborative Obesity Research Network (AACORN) to build and broaden the obesity research paradigm. The focus is on African Americans, but the expanded paradigm has broader implications and may apply to other populations of color. The synthesis involves both community and researcher perspectives, drawing on and integrating insights from an expanded set of knowledge domains to promote a deeper understanding of relevant contexts. To augment the traditional, biomedical focus on energy balance, the expanded paradigm includes insights from family sociology, literature, philosophy, transcultural psychology, marketing, economics, and studies of the built environment. We also emphasize the need for more attention to tensions that may affect African American or other researchers who identify or are identified as members of the communities they study. This expanded paradigm, for which development is ongoing, poses new challenges for researchers who focus on obesity and obesity-related health disparities but also promises discovery of new directions that can lead to new solutions.

Applying justice in clinical trials for diverse populations.

BACKGROUND: Considerable attention has focused on increasing clinical trial participation for members of "underrepresented groups". However, doing so involves clarifying how to meet the demands of justice, or fairness, which provides the ethical mandate to enhance broad trial representation. PURPOSE: To examine the ethical principle of justice as it applies to recruiting diverse populations to clinical trials representation. METHODS: In this paper, we analyse the conceptual and practical challenges in applying the principle of justice to clinical trials representation. RESULTS: Different facets of justice include demands for both fair outcomes and fair processes. Including both of these facets in clinical trials policy should not only promote access to trials, but also help to provide a framework to improve fairness in representation in clinical trials. Efforts to evaluate recruitment of representation should include outcome and process measures. LIMITATIONS: The suggestions offered based on this conceptual analysis need to be tested empirically. CONCLUSIONS: Those involved in the design, conduct and oversight of clinical trials should consider all of the facets of justice when assessing representation in clinical trials and attempt to balance fair access to trials with a fair process that may require protection from being unduly pressured to participate.

Self-administered instruments to measure cultural competence of health professionals: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Tools that measure knowledge, attitudes, and skills reflecting cultural competence of health professionals have not been comprehensively identified, described, or critiqued. SUMMARY: We systematically reviewed English-language articles published from 1980 through June 2003 that evaluated the effectiveness of cultural competence curricula targeted at health professionals by using at least one self-administered tool. We abstracted information about targeted providers, evaluation methods, curricular content, and the psychometric properties of each tool. We included 45 articles in our review. A total of 45 unique instruments (32 learner self-assessments, 13 written exams) were used in the 45 articles. One third (15/45) of the tools had demonstrated either validity or reliability, and only 13% (6/45) had demonstrated both reliability and validity. CONCLUSIONS: Most studies of cultural competence training used self-administered tools that have not been validated. The results of cultural competence training could be interpreted more accurately if validated tools were used.

The built environment and obesity.

Obesity results from a complex interaction between diet, physical activity, and the environment. The built environment encompasses a range of physical and social elements that make up the structure of a community and may influence obesity. This review summarizes existing empirical research relating the built environment to obesity. The Medline, PsychInfo, and Web of Science databases were searched using the keywords "obesity" or "overweight" and "neighborhood" or "built environment" or "environment." The search was restricted to English-language articles conducted in human populations between 1966 and 2007. To meet inclusion criteria, articles had to 1) have a direct measure of body weight and 2) have an objective measure of the built environment. A total of 1,506 abstracts were obtained, and 20 articles met the inclusion criteria. Most articles (84%) reported a statistically significant positive association between some aspect of the built environment and obesity. Several methodological issues were of concern, including the inconsistency of measurements of the built environment across studies, the cross-sectional design of most investigations, and the focus on aspects of either diet or physical activity but not both. Given the importance of the physical and social contexts of individual behavior and the limited success of individual-based interventions in long-term obesity prevention, more research on the impact of the built environment on obesity is needed.

Diabetes problem-solving scale development in an adult, African American sample.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this pilot study was to examine psychometric properties of the Diabetes Problem-Solving Scale (DPSS), which was designed to assess how adults with type 2 diabetes approach and manage problems encountered in diabetes self-management. METHODS: Participants were 64 African American adults with type 2 diabetes. The 30-item DPSS and measures of social problem solving, diabetes self-management, and depressive symptoms were administered. Blood samples were collected to measure hemoglobin A1C level. RESULTS: Cronbach alpha for the DPSS total scale was .77 and ranged from .72 to .78 for subscales. Correlations of the DPSS total score and subscale scores with a standardized social problem-solving scale ranged from 0.30 to 0.46 (all P < .01). Higher DPSS total scores, indicating better self-reported diabetes problem solving, were associated with higher medication adherence, more frequent self-monitoring of blood glucose, and lower hemoglobin A1C level. Of the DPSS subscales, Impulsive Style, Negative Transfer of Past Experience/Learning, and Negative Motivation were differentially associated with reduced self-management and disease control. CONCLUSION: The DPSS demonstrated acceptable total scale and subscale internal consistency, construct validity, and predictive validity in this pilot sample. The scale may have utility both in identifying associations between diabetes-related problem solving and self-management and in guiding problem solving interventions to improve self-management and control.