Issue Involvement Moderates the Effect of Gain- and Loss-Framed Messages on Mothers' Intentions to Give 5 Portions of Fruits and Vegetables to Their Children Every Day.

Research suggests that issue involvement moderates the efficacy of gain and loss frames, yet the extent to which this is true across behaviors and contexts is an open question. In this study, I examined the moderating role of issue involvement in the context of fruit and vegetable intake in Lima, Peru. Only 11.3% of the Peruvian population 15 years old or older consume five servings of fruits and vegetables every day, even though this health behavior prevents the onset of chronic diseases, including diabetes and hypertension. Guided by the Reasoned Action Approach and research about the effects of gain and loss frames, I conducted an experiment (N=253, three conditions: gain-framed messages condition; loss-framed messages condition; and no-message, control condition) to assess the effect of gain- and loss-framed messages on mothers' intentions to increase fruits and vegetables consumption among their 1- to 5-year-old children in Lima. Results indicated that mothers who saw gain-framed messages reported greater intentions than those who did not see any messages (control condition). However, issue involvement moderated the effect of gain frames, such that mothers low in issue involvement reported greater intentions after seeing the gain-framed messages. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

The foodscapes of children and adolescents attending schools in Lima, Peru.

Foodscapes are the sum of all places where food and eating are actualized, as well as the institutional arrangements, discourses, cultural practices, trends and meanings that shape the relationship between individuals and food. However, limited research is available on how the different elements of foodscapes (physical, social, institutional) interact to influence children's and adolescents' eating behaviors. The aim of this study was to identify and characterize the factors influencing Peruvian children's and adolescents' practices around food, focusing on the systemic and complex nature of eating. We conducted non-participant observations inside and around two schools-one public and one private-located in Lima, Peru, for an entire school-week, and interviewed 44 parents/caregivers of children and adolescents, ages 6-16. Qualitative content analysis was developed, as its iterative and reflective nature allowed for evolving understandings of the data. Results showed that individual attributes (SES, age and gender) interact with individual agency, the physical environment, parental and peer influence, to determine differentiated food-related outcomes of children and adolescents. Moreover, the state-wide law aiming to protect children's and adolescents' health and nutrition seemed to partially influence the eating practices of parents and children at school and at home. This study is unique in its kind, as existent research has mainly focused on the effects of foodscapes on children and adolescents in Western countries, while research in the Global South, such as Peru, remains mostly underdeveloped. Moreover, this study, unlike previous ones, intends to systematically understand how foodscapes shape children's and adolescents' eating practices.

Peer Networks and Intention to Consume Unhealthy Food: The Association Through Cognitive Mediators in Peruvian Adolescents.

This cross-sectional study examined the mediating role of three reasoned action approach (RAA) constructs-attitudes, perceived social pressure, and perceived behavioral control-on the relationship between peer networks and intention to consume unhealthy food. The authors examined self-reported data of a sample of 277 adolescents from public and private schools in Lima, Peru. Results revealed a total mediating effect of the reasoned action constructs; yet attitudes and perceived behavioral control, but not perceived social pressure (injunctive and descriptive norms), mediated the relationship between peer network and intention to consume unhealthy food. Explanations for these results are discussed in light of social cognitive theory and Ajzen and Fishbein's postulates about specific attitudes. Finally, we discuss how school nurses can take advantage of RAA variables to influence food environments, use peer networks for reducing unhealthy food consumption, and organize workshops to inform parents about the mechanisms that promote junk food intake.

Towards sustainable partnerships in global health: the case of the CRONICAS Centre of Excellence in Chronic Diseases in Peru.

Human capital requires opportunities to develop and capacity to overcome challenges, together with an enabling environment that fosters critical and disruptive innovation. Exploring such features is necessary to establish the foundation of solid long-term partnerships. In this paper we describe the experience of the CRONICAS Centre of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, based at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Lima, Peru, as a case study for fostering meaningful and sustainable partnerships for international collaborative research. The CRONICAS Centre of Excellence in Chronic Diseases was established in 2009 with the following Mission: "We support the development of young researchers and collaboration with national and international institutions. Our motivation is to improve population's health through high quality research." The Centre's identity is embedded in its core values - generosity, innovation, integrity, and quality- and its trajectory is a result of various interactions between multiple individuals, collaborators, teams, and institutions, which together with the challenges confronted, enables us to make an objective assessment of the partnership we would like to pursue, nurture and support. We do not intend to provide a single example of a successful partnership, but in contrast, to highlight what can be translated into opportunities to be faced by research groups based in low- and middle-income countries, and how these encounters can provide a strong platform for fruitful and sustainable partnerships. In defiant contexts, partnerships require to be nurtured and sustained. Acknowledging that all partnerships are not and should not be the same, we also need to learn from the evolution of such relationships, its key successes, hurdles and failures to contribute to the promotion of a culture of global solidarity where mutual goals, mutual gains, as well as mutual responsibilities are the norm. In so doing, we will all contribute to instil a new culture where expectations, roles and interactions among individuals and their teams are horizontal, the true nature of partnerships.

Gender representation in food and beverage print advertisements found in corner stores around schools in Peru and Guatemala.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to assess gender representation in food and beverage print advertisements. RESULTS: The study follows a quantitative descriptive approach. Using a content analysis technique, we assessed the gender representation in 200 food and beverage print advertisements found in corner stores located in four areas around schools in Lima, Peru, and Guatemala City, Guatemala (100 advertisements per country). A total of 36% of the print advertisements exhibited a male main character for the case of Guatemala, while in Peru 14% of the print advertisements presented a male main character. Furthermore, in Guatemala, 22% of the main characters were male animated characters. Moreover, 27% of the print advertisements in Guatemala and 17%, in Peru were visually male-oriented. Overall, male characters appeared alongside sports references and in varied settings, whereas female characters were usually holding or consuming the product. In conclusion, although the majority of variables used to assess the representation of gender in food and beverage print advertisements were gender-neutral, those showing gender representation were mostly male-oriented. Despite its limited findings, the study provides evidence for the formulation of public policies and educational content aimed to protect children's and adolescents' health from the effects of food marketing.

Data on gender representation in food and beverage print advertisements found in corner stores from Guatemala and Peru.

OBJECTIVES: Data on gender representation in food and beverage advertisements may allow for a better understanding of how the food industry is targeting different audiences based on gender. Nonetheless, scant research on food and beverage print advertising with a gender approach has been conducted. Therefore, we sought to assess the prevalence of gender focus in print advertisements found inside corner stores in two cities: Guatemala City, Guatemala, and Lima, Peru. DATA DESCRIPTION: We developed two complementary datasets as part of the study: (1) a dataset of digital photographs of 200 food and beverage print advertisements found in corner stores located near schools (100 ads per country selected according to criteria such as product type, image quality, and uniqueness); (2) a quantitative dataset with data of the content analysis of these photographs. We employed 19 variables to record the general information and gender assessment of the ads. These datasets should allow scholars and public officials to identify gender-specific marketing strategies of the food industry that might impact children's and adolescents' nutrition differently.

Data on the Facebook marketing strategies used by fast-food chains in four Latin American countries during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

OBJECTIVES: During the COVID-19 pandemic, most countries implemented lockdowns that motivated changes in the dietary patterns, physical activity, and body mass index (BMI) of consumers worldwide, as well as the emergence of new food marketing strategies in social media. We sought to design and validate a methodology for monitoring and evaluating the Facebook marketing strategies of multinational fast-food chains in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. DATA DESCRIPTION: We developed three datasets. First, a dataset with the Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) of 1015 Facebook posts of five fast-food chains present in Argentina, Bolivia, Guatemala, and Peru. Second, a dataset of 106 content-analyzed posts we used in a pilot to determine intercoder reliability using statistical tests. Third, a dataset of a final sample of the 1015 content-analyzed posts that we used to determine the variables most frequently used. Following a mixed-methods approach, we developed 29 variables that recorded general information, as well as the marketing strategies we identified in the posts, including 14 COVID-19 specific variables. These data should help to monitor the social media marketing strategies that fast-food chains have introduced during the COVID-19 lockdowns, thus providing initial evidence about how they could be contributing to an unhealthy food environment.

Internet use and the network composition of people living with HIV/AIDS in an urban area in Peru.

This study examines the association between Internet use and (1) the number of close ties (people with whom a person is closely acquainted), and (2) the percentage of HIV-positive individuals in the personal network of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) in an urban area of Peru. Ninety-four PLHA responded to a survey; 72% were male, and the average age was 36.65 (SD = 7.92). Internet use was not associated with the number of close ties or with a greater number of close ties who are HIV-positive in one's personal network. Internet use was higher among those with greater than a high school education and females reported more social ties than males.

The Role of Communication with Friends in Sexual Initiation.

This study identifies a theoretical mechanism through which communication with friends about sex influences sexual initiation in a sample of adolescents. The Integrative Model was used to assess the effect of attitudes, normative pressure and self efficacy on intentions to have sex in a sample of virgin adolescents. Results show that the constructs of the theory partially mediated the effect of communication with friends on subsequent sexual initiation. The effect of communication with friends on sexual initiation was not different for males and females. Overall, the results suggest how conversations with friends about sex influence adolescents' intentions to initiate sexual intercourse, which in turn influence subsequent sexual initiation.

Perceived behavioral control as a potential precursor of walking three times a week: Patient's perspectives.

BACKGROUND: Behavior change theories can identify people's main motivations to engage in recommended health practices and thus provide better tools to design interventions, particularly human centered design interventions. OBJECTIVES: This study had two objectives: (a) to identify salient beliefs about walking three times a week for 30 minutes nonstop among patients with hypertension in a low-resource setting and, (b) to measure the relationships among intentions, attitudes, perceived social pressure and perceived behavioral control about this behavior. METHODS: Face-to-face interviews with 34 people living with hypertension were conducted in September-October 2011 in Lima, Peru, and data analysis was performed in 2015. The Reasoned Action Approach was used to study the people's decisions to walk. We elicited people's salient beliefs and measured the theoretical constructs associated with this behavior. RESULTS: Results pointed at salient key behavioral, normative and control beliefs. In particular, perceived behavioral control appeared as an important determinant of walking and a small set of control beliefs were identified as potential targets of health communication campaigns, including (not) having someone to walk with, having work or responsibilities, or having no time. CONCLUSIONS: This theory-based study with a focus on end-users provides elements to inform the design of an intervention that would motivate people living with hypertension to walk on a regular basis in low-resource settings.

What are the television viewing and eating habits of children in Peru?

While there is already consensus in the scientific community about the deleterious effects of TV exposure, especially through TV advertisements, on children's beliefs, preferences, and food intake, the link between TV and children's eating behaviors is under-studied in Peru, a country experiencing a steady economic growth in recent years and currently with a status of upper-middle-income country. Following research about the effects of media exposure on childhood obesity, we report on a qualitative study of TV viewing and the eating habits of children attending elementary schools in Lima, the capital. Data from eight focus groups with 38 boys and girls between 6 and 11 years old, eight focus groups with 36 female caretakers, and in-depth interviews with two fathers provided consistent information about children's eating habits and media viewing patterns. After dual coding the entire corpus of qualitative data, we found that children watch a great deal of TV during the school season: children watch as early as when they wake up in the morning, then during lunchtime (after returning from school), and then again after completing their homework from 5 pm to 9 pm or 10 pm. Survey data from the parents showed that, on average, children watch about 5 hours of TV on weekdays and more during a weekend-day. This large amount of exposure is concerning, especially because the focus groups revealed that children (1) recall a number of TV advertisements involving food items, (2) request food items seen on TV, and (3) are able to buy food for themselves, which usually involves chocolate, candy, or potato chips. Boys and girls reported different favorite TV shows, suggesting differences in exposure to TV content related to food. In addition, some families reported drinking sodas frequently, underlining a behavior that should be discouraged by public health officials.