Predictors of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in African American young adolescents.

BACKGROUND: African American adolescents residing in the South are at increased risk for obesity and physical inactivity, yet our understanding of potential influences is limited. PURPOSE: Using an ecological framework, this study explored multilevel predictors (individual, family, home, and neighborhood environment) of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among 116 African American adolescents (ages 12-16). METHODS: Adolescents and their parents completed self-report surveys for hypothesized predictors. Youth physical activity was measured using accelerometry. RESULTS: In multiple regression models, decreased daily MVPA was associated with female sex (ß = -24.27, p < 0.0001). Family social support (ß = 1.07, p = 0.004) and adolescent self efficacy for PA (ß = 6.89, p = 0.054) were positively associated with daily MVPA. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescent demographics along with family social support and self-efficacy influence younger African American adolescent physical activity. Further exploration of the complex interaction of multiple levels of influence is needed to develop appropriate interventions for this vulnerable group.

Project-induced displacement, secondary stressors, and health.

It has been estimated that about 15 million people are displaced by development projects around the world each year. Despite the magnitude of people affected, research on the health and other impacts of project-induced displacement is rare. This study extends existing knowledge by exploring the short-term health impact of a large scale population displacement resulting from China's Three Gorges Dam Project. The study is theoretically guided by the stress process model, but we supplement it with Cernea's impoverishment risks and reconstruction (IRR) model widely used in displacement literature. Our panel analysis indicates that the displacement is associated positively with relocatees' depression level, and negatively with their self-rated health measured against a control group. In addition, a path analysis suggests that displacement also affects depression and self-rated health indirectly by changing social integration, socioeconomic status, and community resources. The importance of social integration as a protective mechanism, a factor that has been overlooked in past studies of population displacement, is highlighted in this study.

Unmet Expectations and Symptoms of Depression among the Three Gorges Project Resettlers.

To successfully resettle 1.27 million Chinese for the construction of the Three Gorges Project (TGP), the Chinese government employed a new re-resettlement policy which emphasizes infrastructural development of the resettlement sites to assure resettlers a sustainable livelihood following resettlement. Unfortunately, many benefits the policy promised have not materialized. As a result, many resettlers have suffered an increase in depressive symptoms associated with unmet expectations. Using panel data collected before and after relocation from a sample of Three Gorges resettlers, we found that a high proportion of resettlers reported unmet expectations which were significantly associated with an increase in depressive symptoms. Our findings indicate that undeliverable promises can backfire and further aggravate the harm inflicted on the displaced caused by the project-induced displacement. From the perspective of resettlers, a sound coping strategy to minimize the harm caused by the displacement on their mental wellbeing is to expect for the worst.

Project-induced migration and depression: a panel analysis.

The study examines the mental health consequences of involuntary migration resulting from the world's largest dam project in China. Past claims of a causal link between migration and mental health are inconclusive because they have been based mainly on retrospective data and, therefore, are plagued by a plethora of methodological problems. This study addresses these problems by analyzing the pre- and post-migration changes in depression measured by the CES-D scale with data collected using face-to-face interviews from a sample (n=1530 for the initial survey and 1070 for the follow-up) consisting of both migrants and non-migrants. Changes in CES-D were analyzed using 'the difference model', an analytical strategy which is agreed by methodological experts as "the method of choice" in establishing causal relationship in quasi-experimental research. Our results provide strong support to the claim that forced migration elevates depression not only directly, but also indirectly by weakening the psychosocial resources that safeguard migrants' mental well-being.

A multilevel analysis of individual, household, and neighborhood correlates of intimate partner violence among low-income pregnant women in Jefferson county, Alabama.

OBJECTIVES: We examined individual, household, and neighborhood correlates of intimate partner violence (IPV) before and during pregnancy. METHODS: We used multilevel modeling to investigate IPV among 2887 pregnant women in 112 census tracts who sought prenatal care in 8 public clinics in Jefferson County, Alabama, from 1997 through 2001. Data were collected from the Perinatal Emphasis Research Center project, the 2000 Census, and the local Sheriff and Police Departments Uniform Crime Reports for 1997 through 2001. RESULTS: Participants were predominantly young, African American, on Medicaid, and residents of low-income neighborhoods. The prevalence of past-year male partner-perpetrated physical or sexual violence was 7.4%. Neighborhood residential stability, women performing most of the housework (lack of involvement among partners), being unmarried (being in an uncommitted relationship), and alcohol use were positively associated with elevated IPV risk. Significant protective factors for IPV included older age at first vaginal intercourse and a greater sense of mastery (e.g., the perception of oneself as an effective person). CONCLUSIONS: Both neighborhood contextual and individual and household compositional effects are associated with IPV among low-income pregnant women. The results imply that combined interventions to improve neighborhood conditions and strengthen families may effectively reduce IPV.

Anticipation of migration and psychological stress and the Three Gorges Dam project, China.

Findings from a prospective study of project-induced migration in China's Three Gorges Dam project are reported. The study tests the hypotheses that anticipation of involuntary migration is stressful and that the harmful effects are partially mediated and moderated by the resources migrants possess. Using data collected from a sample of designated migrants (n=975) who will be forced to relocate because they live in an area, which will be flooded once the Three Gorges project is completed, and non-migrants (n=555) in the same region, our analysis indicates that anticipation of involuntary migration is a robust predictor of mental distress. Anticipation of forced migration elevates depression (CES-D) not only directly, but also indirectly by weakening the social and the psychological resources (i.e., social support and mastery), which safeguard the mental well-being of migrants. However, our results show much less support for the hypothesis that resources moderate harmful effects of forced migration.