Reported Intergenerational Transmission of Parent Weight Talk and Links with Child Health and Wellbeing.

OBJECTIVES: To examine if intergenerational transmission of parent weight talk occurs, the contextual factors prompting weight talk, and whether parent weight talk is associated with child weight, dietary intake, psychosocial outcomes, and food parenting practices. STUDY DESIGN: Children aged 5-9 years and their families (n = 1307) from 6 racial and ethnic groups (African-American, Hispanic, Hmong, Native American, Somali/Ethiopian, White) were recruited for a longitudinal cohort study through primary care clinics in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota from 2016 through 2019. Parents filled out surveys at 2 time points, 18 months apart. Adjusted regression models examined associations of interest. RESULTS: Intergenerational transmission of parent weight talk was observed. In addition, significant associations were found between parent engagement in weight talk and higher weight status and poorer psychosocial outcomes in children 18 months later. Parent engagement in weight talk was also associated with more restrictive food parenting practices 18 months later. CONCLUSIONS: Parents' exposure to weight talk as children increased the likelihood of engaging in weight talk with their own children and had harmful associations over time with parent restrictive feeding practices, child weight, and psychosocial wellbeing in children. Health care providers may want to consider both modeling positive health-focused conversations and educating parents about the potential harmful and long-lasting consequences of engaging in weight talk with their children.

Age-varying associations between attempts to change weight and suicidal ideation among adolescents in the United States.

PURPOSE: The goal of this study was to inform theory and suicide prevention efforts by examining how the link between attempts to change weight and suicidal ideation varies across adolescence, when it is strongest, and whether there are sex differences. METHODS: Data were from 13,518 youth ages 14-18 years who participated in the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a nationally representative study of U.S. high school students. Time-varying effect modeling was used to estimate associations between attempts to change weight and suicidal ideation as continuous functions of age and to test sex differences in these links. RESULTS: The link between attempts to lose weight and suicidal ideation was positive and significant between ages 14.0-17.3 years, with the strongest association at age 15.0 (OR = 2.07). There were no sex differences in this age-varying association. The association between attempts to gain weight and suicidal ideation was positive and age-varying for girls, with the strongest association at age 17.2 years (OR = 2.79). This association was not significant for boys at any age. CONCLUSIONS: Girls and boys who are trying to lose weight and girls who are trying to gain weight may be at elevated risk for suicidal ideation between ages 14 and 18 years. Findings illuminate patterns of association during adolescence and have implications for suicide prevention.

Harmonizing the Tripartite Mission in Academic Family Medicine: A Longitudinal Case Example.

Academic practices and departments are defined by a tripartite mission of care, education, and research, conceived as being mutually reinforcing. But in practice, academic faculty have often experienced these 3 missions as competing rather than complementary priorities. This siloed approach has interfered with innovation as a learning health system in which the tripartite missions reinforce each other in practical ways. This paper presents a longitudinal case example of harmonizing academic missions in a large family medicine department so that missions and people interact in mutually beneficial ways to create value for patients, learners, and faculty. We describe specific experiences, implementation, and examples of harmonizing missions as a feasible strategy and culture. "Harmonized" means that no one mission subordinates or drives out the others; each mission informs and strengthens the others (quickly in practice) while faculty experience the triparate mission as a coherent whole faculty job. Because an academic department is a complex system of work and relationships, concepts for leading a complex adaptive system were employed: (1) a "good enough" vision, (2) frequent and productive interactions, and (3) a few simple rules. These helped people harmonize their work without telling them exactly what to do, when, and how. Our goal here is to highlight concrete examples of harmonizing missions as a feasible operating method, suggesting ways it builds a foundation for a learning health system and potentially improving faculty well-being.

Understanding the relationships between acculturation, food insecurity, and food parenting practices among socioeconomically/racially diverse parents.

Research suggests that acculturation and food insecurity are factors that are separately associated with the use of specific food parenting practices among United States (US) families. Certain food parenting practices, such as coercive control and unstructured food parenting practices, are related to negative health consequences in children, such as disordered eating behaviors. The current study aimed to explore associations between acculturation strategies and food parenting practices in a sample of 577 Latinx, Hmong, Somali/Ethiopian, and Multiracial families. A secondary objective was to understand whether food security status significantly modified the relationships between acculturation strategies and food parenting practices. Results showed that acculturation strategies were significantly related to food parenting practices, and patterns in these relationships differed across race and ethnicity. Further, food security status significantly modified the relationship between acculturation strategies and food parenting practices for Latinx, Hmong, and Somali/Ethiopian families, but not for Multiracial families. These results point to the complex relationships among acculturation strategies, food security status, and food parenting practices in immigrant populations in the US. Longitudinal studies exploring the temporal relationships between acculturation strategies, food security status, and food parenting practices would help tease apart how food parenting practices may evolve upon migrating to the US.

Real-time predictors of food parenting practices and child eating behaviors in racially/ethnically diverse families.

BACKGROUND: Prior research has shown associations between controlling food parenting practices (e.g., pressure-to-eat, restriction) and factors that increase risk for cardiovascular disease in children (e.g., low diet quality, obesity). This study aimed to examine associations between real-time parental stress and depressed mood, food parenting practices, and child eating behaviors in a longitudinal cohort study. METHODS: Children ages 5-9 years and their families (n = 631) from six racial/ethnic groups (African American, Hispanic, Hmong, Native American, Somali/Ethiopian, White) were recruited for this study through primary care clinics in a large metromolitan area in the US (Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN) in 2016-2019. Ecological momentary assessment was carried out over seven days with parents at two time points, 18 months apart. Adjusted associations between morning stress and depressed mood of parents on food parenting practices and child eating behaviors at the evening meal were examined. Interactions tested whether food security, race/ethnicity and child sex moderated associations. RESULTS: High levels of parental stress and depressed mood experienced earlier in the day were associated with controlling food parenting practices and child food fussiness at dinner the same night. Results were dependent on food security status, race/ethnicity, and child sex. CONCLUSIONS: Health care professionals may want to consider, or continue, screening parents for stress, depression, and food insecurity during well-child visits and discuss the influence these factors may have on food parenting practices and child eating behaviors. Future research should use real-time interventions such as ecological momentary intervention to reduce parental stress and depressed mood to promote healthy food parenting practices and child eating behaviors.

A three-arm randomized controlled trial using ecological momentary intervention, community health workers, and video feedback at family meals to improve child cardiovascular health: the Family Matters study design.

BACKGROUND: Numerous observational studies show associations between family meal frequency and markers of child cardiovascular health including healthful diet quality and lower weight status. Some studies also show the "quality" of family meals, including dietary quality of the food served and the interpersonal atmosphere during meals, is associated with markers of child cardiovascular health. Additionally, prior intervention research indicates that immediate feedback on health behaviors (e.g., ecological momentary intervention (EMI), video feedback) increases the likelihood of behavior change. However, limited studies have tested the combination of these components in a rigorous clinical trial. The main aim of this paper is to describe the Family Matters study design, data collection protocols, measures, intervention components, process evaluation, and analysis plan. METHODS/DESIGN: The Family Matters intervention utilizes state-of-the-art intervention methods including EMI, video feedback, and home visiting by Community Health Workers (CHWs) to examine whether increasing the quantity (i.e., frequency) and quality of family meals (i.e., diet quality, interpersonal atmosphere) improves child cardiovascular health. Family Matters is an individual randomized controlled trial that tests combinations of the above factors across three study Arms: (1) EMI; (2) EMI + Virtual Home Visiting with CHW + Video Feedback; and (3) EMI + Hybrid Home Visiting with CHW + Video Feedback. The intervention will be carried out across 6 months with children ages 5-10 (n = 525) with increased risk for cardiovascular disease (i.e., BMI ≥ 75%ile) from low income and racially/ethnically diverse households and their families. Data collection will occur at baseline, post-intervention, and 6 months post-intervention. Primary outcomes include child weight, diet quality, and neck circumference. DISCUSSION: This study will be the first to our knowledge to use multiple innovative methods simultaneously including ecological momentary intervention, video feedback, and home visiting with CHWs within the novel intervention context of family meals to evaluate which combination of intervention components are most effective in improving child cardiovascular health. The Family Matters intervention has high potential public health impact as it aims to change clinical practice by creating a new model of care for child cardiovascular health in primary care. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial is registered in clinicaltrials.gov (Trial ID: NCT02669797). Date recorded 5/02/22.

Exploration of parent-reported family meal dinner characteristics to inform a definition of family meals.

OBJECTIVE: To examine parent-reported key family meal characteristics to advance the conceptualization of how parents perceive family meals to inform public health interventions and clinical practice. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study design using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and online survey data from a racially and ethnically diverse population. PARTICIPANTS: Parent/child dyads (N = 631) with children ages 5-9 years old from diverse, low-income households. ANALYSIS: Multi-level logistic regression, conditional fixed effects estimators and multi-level logistic models with inverse probability weights. RESULTS: Characteristics of meals that parents considered family meals (N = 3328) included: homemade, prepared by the caregivers, eaten at home (table/counter), most of the nuclear family gathered, having a conversation and an enjoyable atmosphere (p < 0.001). Characteristics of meals that parents deemed as non-family meals (N = 562) included: watching TV/tablets, non-family members joining, chaotic/rushed atmosphere (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Parents consider family meals to be meals that take place at home around a table/counter, with homemade food prepared by the caregivers, and most family members gathered enjoying a conversation without other distractions. Study findings indicated that parents endorse specific characteristics as key for defining what "counts" as a family meal. These findings can be used by clinicians as recommendations for improving one's family meal experience and by future research as the basis for intervening on family meal characteristics and standardization of a definition of family meals.

Longitudinal associations between family meal quality and quantity: Does one matter more for child, parent, and family health and well-being or are they synergistic?

It is unknown how family meal quantity (i.e., frequency) and quality (i.e., meal healthfulness and interpersonal quality) are associated with child, parent, and family health and well-being over time. This study aimed to examine longitudinal associations between family meal quantity and quality and child, parent, and family health and well-being and whether there was a synergistic effect between family meal quantity and quality. Children ages 5-9 and their parents from six racial/ethnic groups participated in this longitudinal cohort study. Regression models adjusted for socio-demographic characteristics examined family meal quantity, interpersonal quality, and nutritional quality at baseline and interactions between quantity and quality, in relation to changes in child, parent, and family health outcomes from baseline to 18-month follow-up. Higher family meal quantity predicted reduced obesity prevalence, improved diet quality and less food fussiness, food responsiveness, and conduct problems among children at follow-up. Higher family meal quality predicted improved diet quality, lower emotional problems, less food responsiveness, and fewer peer relationship problems among children, improved diet quality and reduced psychological distress for parents, and less family chaos at follow-up. One interaction between family meal quantity and quality was found for child peer relationship problems. Overall, family meal quantity and quality were independently important for child health and well-being and for some parent and family health outcomes. Clinicians working with families may want to emphasize the importance of both family meal quantity and quality, as these longitudinal findings suggest potential benefits for the entire family.

Interpersonal Discrimination, Neighborhood Inequities, and Children's Body Mass Index: A Descriptive, Cross-Sectional Analysis.

Psychosocial stressors have been implicated in childhood obesity, but the role of racism-related stressors is less clear. This study explored associations between neighborhood inequities, discrimination/harassment, and child body mass index (BMI). Parents of children aged 5-9 years from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds (n = 1307), completed surveys of their child's exposure to discrimination/harassment. Census tract data derived from addresses were used to construct an index of concentration at the extremes, a measure of neighborhood social polarization. Child's height and weight were obtained from medical records. Multiple regression and hierarchical models examined child's BMI and racism at the individual and census tract levels. Children residing in the most Black-homogenous census tracts had 8.2 percentage units higher BMI percentile (95% confidence interval, 1.5-14.9) compared with white-homogenous tracts (P = .03). Household income and home values were lower, poverty rates higher, and single parent households more common among Black-homogeneous census tracts. Almost 30% of children experienced discrimination/harassment in the past year, which was associated with a 5.28-unit higher BMI percentile (95% confidence interval, 1.72-8.84; P = .004). Discrimination and racial/economic segregation were correlated with higher child BMI. Longitudinal studies are needed to understand whether these factors may be related to weight gain trajectories and future health.

Exploring associations between social determinants of health and mental health outcomes in families from socioeconomically and racially and ethnically diverse households.

This cross-sectional study investigated the associations between Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) and mental health outcomes of parents and children (n = 1307) from the Latinx, Native American, Somali/Ethiopian, White, Hmong, and African American communities. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the adjusted associations between five parent and child mental health measures and 25 measures of SDOH. False discovery rate q-values were computed to account for multiple comparisons. Families of color reported 5.3-7.8 SDOH barriers while White families reported 1.7 SDOH barriers on average. Adjusted analyses indicated that low family functioning and high perceived discrimination were associated with low resiliency among parents and increased behavioral difficulties among children. Other SDOH that were adversely associated with parent or child mental health included lack of social support, recent stressful life events, and adverse childhood experiences among parents. SDOH in the social and community context were most likely to be associated with mental health problems. Community-engaged evidence-based interventions are needed to improve population mental health.

Exploring the associations between neighbourhood food environment, household food insecurity and child weight-related outcomes in socio-economically and racially/ethnically diverse families.

OBJECTIVE: To examine associations among neighbourhood food environments (NFE), household food insecurity (HFI) and child's weight-related outcomes in a racially/ethnically diverse sample of US-born and immigrant/refugee families. DESIGN: This cross-sectional, observational study involving individual and geographic-level data used multilevel models to estimate associations between neighbourhood food environment and child outcomes. Interactions between HFI and NFE were employed to determine whether HFI moderated the association between NFE and child outcomes and whether the associations differed for US-born v. immigrant/refugee groups. SETTING: The sample resided in 367 census tracts in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN metropolitan area, and the data were collected in 2016-2019. PARTICIPANTS: The sample was from the Family Matters study of families (n 1296) with children from six racial/ethnic and immigrant/refugee groups (African American, Latino, Hmong, Native American, Somali/Ethiopian and White). RESULTS: Living in a neighbourhood with low perceived access to affordable fresh fruits and vegetables was found to be associated with lower food security (P < 0·01), poorer child diet quality (P < 0·01) and reduced availability of a variety of fruits (P < 0·01), vegetables (P < 0·05) and whole grains in the home (P < 0·01). Moreover, residing in a food desert was found to be associated with a higher child BMI percentile if the child's household was food insecure (P < 0·05). No differences in associations were found for immigrant/refugee groups. CONCLUSIONS: Poor NFE were associated with worse weight-related outcomes for children; the association with weight was more pronounced among children with HFI. Interventions aiming to improve child weight-related outcomes should consider both NFE and HFI.

How time in the US and race/ethnicity shape food parenting practices and child diet quality.

Childhood obesity prevalence is high among children from immigrant/refugee households who live in high-income countries. Poor child dietary intake is a critical risk factor for elevated obesity prevalence and food parenting practices have been found to be associated with child dietary intake and eating behaviors. The main aim of this study was to examine the associations between migrants'/refugees' food parenting practices, the length of residence time in the US, race/ethnicity, and child diet quality. The current study included 577 families from three racial/ethnic groups that include mostly foreign-born parents (Latino, Hmong, and Somali/Ethiopian), and a comparison group of 239 non-Hispanic White families. Results showed that for Latino and Hmong parents, some food parenting practices varied by how long they had lived in the US. For example, more recently moved parents engaged in more non-directive (e.g., avoid buying sweets) practices compared with US-born parents. In contrast, Somali/Ethiopian parents engaged in different food parenting practices than White parents, regardless of time in the US. Results also showed that diet quality among Hmong children was lower if their parents were US-born compared to foreign-born. Future researchers may want to consider studying why some food parenting practices change when parents move to the US and explore whether there is a combination of food parenting practices that are most useful in promoting a healthful child's diet and weight among immigrant and refugee families.

Changes to the home food environment and parent feeding practices during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative exploration.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about many changes that potentially altered the home food environment, which has been associated with child eating patterns and dietary intake. There is also some evidence that changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic are associated with health behaviors in children, such as an increased intake of high-calorie snack food. The current study aimed to more deeply understand how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the home food environment of meal and snack time routines and parent feeding practices within families of young children. Data for this study are taken from the Kids EAT! Study, a racially/ethnically diverse cohort of families with 2-5 year old children. Qualitative interviews were conducted by phone and video conference with mothers (n = 25) during August/September 2020 and were coded using a hybrid deductive/inductive analysis approach. This allowed coders to identify themes using the interview questions as an organizational template (deductive) while also allowing unique themes to emerge from the qualitative data (inductive). Three overarching themes emerged with multiple sub-themes: 1) Mothers were more directive in the types of food and amounts of food eaten by children; 2) Mothers had less rules around mealtimes; 3) Mothers had increased meal responsibilities. When faced with a change in a structured schedule and increased stress-such as occurred with the COVID-19 pandemic, parents may benefit from advice on how to manage parent feeding practices, including tips on appropriate limit setting, establishing a schedule and routines, and improving accessibility of healthful snacks. Lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic may have relevance to other time periods when families face disruptions to routine and during other times of transition.

Participant characteristics and dietary correlates of SNAP and other assistance programs among families with children from racially and ethnically diverse households.

The objective of this study was to describe food purchasing behaviors and the home food environment across families simultaneously receiving SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and other cash and food assistance benefits, and assess how child dietary intake varied across three distinct categories of assistance (i.e., SNAP and other assistance programs, assistance programs other than SNAP, and not enrolled in any assistance program). This cross-sectional study was conducted with parents of children aged 5-9 years (N = 1033) from low-income and racially and ethnically diverse households, living in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, metropolitan areas. In an online survey, parents reported enrollment in seven assistance programs (SNAP, WIC [Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children Program], free or reduced-cost school breakfast, free or reduced-cost school lunch, SSI [Supplemental Security Income Program], MFIP [Minnesota Family Investment Program], daycare assistance), food purchasing behaviors, the home food environment, and child dietary and fast-food intake. Descriptive statistics were computed to describe food purchasing behaviors and the home food environment. Multivariable linear regressions were used to evaluate the association between assistance categories and child dietary intake factors. Models were adjusted for child age, parent and child sex, race and ethnicity, household income, primary caregiver's educational attainment, employment status, and place of birth. Relative to families participating in assistance programs other than SNAP and not enrolled in any assistance program, families participating in SNAP and other assistance programs had less reliable modes of transportation to go food shopping (use 'my own car or vehicle' 57% vs. 90% and 83%, respectively), shopped less frequently during the month ('1 big trip a month and small trips in between' 35% vs. 19% and 24%, respectively], had a somewhat higher presence of energy-dense (e.g., 'French fries' 60% vs. 35% and 25%, respectively) and high-sodium food items in the home (e.g., 'canned pasta' meals 48% vs. 35% and 20%, respectively), and some aspects of children's dietary intake that were not congruent with current dietary recommendations (e.g., consumption of 'fried vegetables' 3.9 times/week [95% CI 3.4, 4.4] vs. 2.9 [2.3, 3.5] and 2.8 [2.1, 3.6], respectively). Findings could inform targeted strategies to maximize the impact of simultaneous programs' benefits on improving child dietary intake and reaching eligible households not enrolled in assistance programs.

Kitchen Adequacy and Child Diet Quality in a Racially/Ethnically Diverse Sample.

This study examined kitchen adequacy in a racially/ethnically diverse low-income sample and associations with child diet quality. Families with children age five to seven years old (n = 150) from non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, Native American, Hmong, and Somali families were recruited through primary care clinics. More than 85% of families had 15 of the 20 kitchen items queried, indicating that the sample had adequate kitchen facilities. Only one item (a kitchen table) was associated with higher overall diet quality of children. In contrast, children living in households with can openers and measuring spoons consumed more sodium and added sugars, respectively.

Concordance of children's intake of selected food groups as reported by parents via 24-h dietary recall and ecological momentary assessment.

OBJECTIVE: To understand how dietary intake data collected via a brief ecological momentary assessment (EMA) measure compares to that of data collected via interviewer-administered 24-h dietary recalls, and explore differences in level of concordance between these two assessment types by individual- and meal-level characteristics. DESIGN: Parents completed three 24-h dietary recalls and 8 d of brief EMA surveys on behalf of their child; in total, there were 185 d where dietary intake data from both EMA and 24-h recall were available. The EMA measure asked parents to indicate whether (yes/no) their child had consumed any of the nine total food items (e.g. fruit, vegetable, etc.) at eating occasions where both the child and parent were present. SETTING: Twenty-four-hour dietary recalls were completed in person in the study participant's home; participants completed EMA surveys using a study provided in iPad or their personal cell phone. PARTICIPANTS: A diverse, population-based sample of parent-child dyads (n 150). RESULTS: Among meals reported in both the EMA and dietary recalls, concordance of reporting of specific types of food ranged from moderate agreement for meat (kappa = 0·55); fair agreement for sweets (kappa = 0·38), beans/nuts (kappa = 0·37), dairy (kappa = 0·31), fruit (kappa = 0·31) and vegetables (kappa = 0·27); and little to no agreement for refined grains, whole grains and sweetened beverages (73 % overall agreement; kappa = 0·14). Concordance of reporting was highest for breakfast and snacks, as compared with other eating occasions. Higher concordance was observed between the two measures if the meal occurred at home. CONCLUSIONS: Data suggest that among meals reported in both the EMA and dietary recalls, concordance in reporting was reasonably good for some types of food but only fair or poor for others.

Associations between parental perception of- and concern about-child weight and use of specific food-related parenting practices.

Little is known about the association between parental perception of their child's weight as well as parent's current and future concerns regarding their child's weight and a broad range of food-related parenting practices. This study used the first wave of cross-sectional data from the longitudinal Family Matters study to examine the relationships between parental perception of child weight status, parent concern for child's current and future weight and parent use of different types of food-related practices. Parent/child dyads (n = 150) were recruited from primary care clinics. Multiple regression models were fit to examine cross-sectional relationships between parental perception and concern for their child's weight and food-related parenting practices (food restriction, pressure-to-eat, food control, food monitoring, nutrition education, and parent modeling). Parents who perceived their child to be underweight had lower scores for food restriction than parents who perceived their child to be overweight. Parents who reported concern about their child's current weight reported higher scores for food restriction and monitoring than parents who were not currently concerned. Parents who reported concern about their child's future weight status reported higher scores for pressure-to-eat and monitoring than parents who were not at all concerned about their child's future weight status. The relationship between parental perception of child's current weight status and parent use of food restriction, pressure-to-eat, and overall food control was modified by child sex. Overall, results suggest that parent's perceptions of and concerns about their child's current and future weight status were correlated with their feeding approaches. Health care providers may want to consider providing anticipatory guidance for parents that have concerns about their child's weight by teaching them about positive, evidence-based ways they can engage in healthy food-related parenting practices.

Family meal characteristics in racially/ethnically diverse and immigrant/refugee households by household food security status: A mixed methods study.

While there is some research examining frequency of family meals by food insecurity (FI) status, there is little research examining other family meal characteristics (e.g., type of food served at meal, emotional atmosphere) or parent feeding practices by FI status. If food and money is scarce, it may be that the broader family meal environment looks different in families with continuous access to food (food secure, FS) compared to families with FI. Using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and qualitative data, this study explores meal characteristics and parent feeding practices at nearly 4000 family meals in a low-income, racially/ethnically diverse and immigrant/refugee sample. For 8 days, participants (i.e., parents of 5-7-year-old children) completed a survey every time they shared a meal with their child. Additionally, parents completed a qualitative interview regarding family meals. There were many meal characteristics statistically correlated with a family being FI, including: who prepared the meal and how the meal was prepared, the makeup of people at the meal, the meal location and meal atmosphere, and the food served at the meal. Qualitative data illuminated many of these findings from EMA meal surveys. Quantitatively, families with FI and FS reported similar parent feeding practices during family meals. Qualitatively, families with FI and FS reported differences in (1) parent feeding practices; (2) food served at family meals; (3) challenges to having family meals; and 4) adults' role in the family meal. This study provides suggestions for interventionists working with families, including helping families identify time management strategies, including fruits and vegetables into family meals on a budget, reducing screen time at family meals while improving the meal's emotional atmosphere, and developing positive parent feeding practice strategies.

Examining the Relationship Between Parental Stress and Girls' and Boys' Physical Activity Among Racially/Ethnically Diverse and Immigrant/Refugee Populations.

Given the high prevalence of overweight/obesity and the low prevalence of engaging in physical activity in children, it is important to identify barriers that impede child physical activity. One potential barrier is parental stress. The current study examined the association between parental stress levels and girls' and boys' moderate to vigorous physical activity. Children aged 5-7 years and their families (n = 150) from 6 racial/ethnic groups (n = 25 each Black, Hispanic, Hmong, Native American, Somali, and White families) were recruited for the Family Matters mixed-methods study in 2015 through primary care clinics in Minneapolis and St Paul, MN. Two in-home visits were carried out with families 10 days apart for data collection, with an 8-day observational period in between when children wore accelerometers. Higher parental stress levels were associated with fewer minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity in girls (P < .05) compared with boys. On average, girls with a parent reporting a stress rating of 10 engaged in 24 minutes less of physical activity per day than girls with a parent with a stress rating of 1. The results suggest that parental stress may reduce girls' engagement in physical activity. The implications of these results include targeting parental stress and coping skills in future physical activity interventions. In addition, when addressing child physical activity in health care visits with parents and daughters, providers may want to focus their anticipatory guidance on parental stress and coping skills in addition to providing resources to help parents manage stress.

Exploration of witnessing community violence and recent death on child behavioural outcomes.

Background: Researchers are increasingly interested in understanding potentially traumatic experiences in children's lives, such as witnessing community violence (WCV) and the recent death of a close family member or friend. These experiences can be distressing and have adverse effects on children's psychological and behavioural adjustment, including externalising behaviours and internalising symptoms.Methodology: This paper reports the results of an exploratory study aimed to address knowledge gaps, particularly among children aged 5-9 years (n = 1 283), by examining the associations between WCV, recent death, and child behavioural outcomes. Additionally, the study explores the potential moderating roles of peer support and family functioning.Findings: The results indicate significant associations between WCV, recent death, and child behaviours.Conclusion: The findings underscore the important need for future research to examine the impact of WCV and recent death on children ages 5-9 years.