Digital Commons Network^™

Eosinophilic Esophagitis In Children And Its Relationship With Parental Allergies: Texas Children's Hospital Experience, G Hiremath, D Byramji, A Pacheco, G Constantine, C Davis, R Shulman, A Olive

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is an allergen-mediated, clinicopathological condition affecting all ages. The characteristics of children with EoE in the southwestern USA have not been fully described. Furthermore, very little is known about the relationship between parental allergies and risk of EoE in their offspring in this patient population. AIMS: To characterize children with EoE and to examine the relationship between prevalence of parental allergies and occurrence of EoE in their offspring at a single referral pediatric center in the southwestern USA. METHODS: Demographic and clinical information of 126 children (=18 years of age) with EoE was abstracted in a …

Benefits Of A Snacking Intervention As Part Of A School-Based Obesity Intervention For Mexican American Children, Jennette P. Moreno, Afshan Mohammed, Carolyn E. Moore, Craig Johnston

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Objective: To examine the impact of adherence to a healthy snacking component of a 6 month school-based intervention program for overweight and obese children.

Design: Randomized controlled intervention trial

Methods: Mexican American children who were ≥ 85^th percentile for body mass index (BMI) were recruited between 2005-2012 from three Houston schools. Children participated in a 12-week instructor led intensive intervention program that included nutrition education, physical activity, and a snacking component which consisted of a daily choice of peanuts and/or peanut butter snacks. Children (12±0.6 years) (n= 257) were divided into either low or high snacking adherence groups based …

Household Food Insecurity Status And Hispanic Immigrant Children’S Body Mass Index And Adiposity, Daphne C. Hernandez, Layton Reesor, Yanely Alonso, Sally G. Eagleton, Sheryl O. Hughes

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Objectives: Despite the high prevalence rates of food insecurity and obesity among children of Hispanic immigrants, there has been a dearth of research on the direct relationship between food insecurity and obesity among this population. Further, prior research examining the association between food insecurity and body composition among children of Hispanic immigrants have not considered adiposity, specifically percent body fat (%BF) and waist circumference (WC), as outcome measurements. The following study contributes to the literature by examining the association between food insecurity and two adiposity measurements, %BF and WC, along with body mass index (BMI) among a sample of young …

Food Security, Hunger-Coping, And Hunger-Symptoms, And Their Relationship With Daily Fruit And Vegetable Intake Frequency In A Low-Income Sample, Hollyanne E. Fricke, Eric E. Calloway, Teresa M. Smith, Courtney A. Pinard, Amy Yaroch

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Purpose To examine daily fruit and vegetable (FV) intake frequency by household food security status (high food security, marginal food security, low food security, and very low food security), and scores on three hunger-coping behavior scales (i.e., “rationing food supplies”, “financial strategies”, and “trade-off strategies”), and one physiological hunger symptoms scale among a very low-income population in the Midwestern United States.

Methods Adult participants (aged 19 and older and caregivers to at least one child aged 0-18) were recruited from public libraries, food pantries, and other community locations to participate in a cross-sectional self-administered survey (n = 306). The primary …

Food Insecurity And Cardiovascular Risk Factors In U.S. Adolescents, Elisabeth L P Sattler, Vibha Bhargava

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Introduction: Disparities in cardiovascular diseases are one of today’s most important public health challenges. Pathological processes related to modifiable cardiovascular risk factors have shown to begin in childhood and disparities in these risk factors have been reported in adolescence. Food insecurity is significantly associated with cardiovascular risk factors in adults; however, little is known about cardiovascular risk in food insecure adolescents.

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between food insecurity and cardiovascular risk factors in U.S. adolescents aged 12-17 years.

Methods: Using cross-sectional data on 1,853 adolescents aged 12-17 years from the National Health and …

The Impact Of The California Drought On Food Security Among Rural Families Of Mexican Origin, Lizette Rodriguez, Marcel Horowitz, Dorina Espinoza, Alberto Aguilera, Adela De La Torre, Lucia L. Kaiser

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Introduction:

The year 2015 marks the fourth year of a drought in California. With no signs of the drought improving, communities in California are left to prioritize their water usage. In the Central Valley, the limited water supply has forced farmers to prioritize on acreage and planting, decisions that trickle down and may impact farmworker families.

Objective:

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of a drought in California on family decision-making and coping strategies in the context of broader community changes affecting rural families of Mexican-origin.

Methods:

This study recruited participants from the Niños Sanos, …

The Influence Of “Westernization” On Nutrition And Physical Activity Behaviors Of Adolescents In New Delhi, India: Are We Exporting An Epidemic Of Obesity?, Melissa Harrell, Emily Ussery, Blanche Greene-Cramer, Nalini Ranjit, Shreela V. Sharma, Monika Arora

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Purpose. To examine the relationships between “westernization” and nutrition and physical activity behaviors among older adolescents in Delhi, India. These relations have not been explored, despite increasingly strong and pervasive socio-cultural influences from the West.

Methods. Students (n=1818) in 8^th and 10^th grades in 4 Private (higher SES) and 4 Government (lower SES) schools in Delhi, India participated in a cross-sectional study. Height and weight were measured to determine weight status. Information on “westernization” and nutrition, physical activity, sedentary, and dieting behaviors was collected in a survey. The measure of “westernization” assessed 4 domains of culture on a …

Associations Between Neighborhoods And Summer Meals Sites: Measuring Access To Federal Summer Meals Programs, Rachel L. Wilkerson, Durwesh Khalfe, Kathy Krey

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

While the challenge of access to healthy food features prominently in the literature, access to federal nutrition programs, specifically USDA’s Summer Meals Program, is relatively undocumented. Participation in the program depends on a number of complex variables, including site availability, neighborhood dynamics, and community investment. The purpose of this study is to determine neighborhood indicators that correlate with the coverage and density of summer meals sites in Texas. Attributes of the community and the number of meal sites were collected at the census tract level, and paired t-tests revealed the statistical significance of differences between tracts with and without meal …

Understanding Eating Behaviors Of New Dehli's Youth, Melissa Harrell, Jose Medina, Blanche Greene-Cramer, Shreela V. Sharma, Monika Arora, Gaurang Nazar

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

This qualitative study documents perceived benefits of and barriers to engaging in healthy eating behaviors among adolescents in New Delhi, India. Researchers explored factors that influenced the consumption of breakfast, fruits and vegetables, and soft drinks in this population and adolescents’ ideas about how to intervene to encourage or discourage, respectively, these behaviors. Students (n=151 6^th and 8^th graders) from five private schools participated in focus group discussions. Findings showed that the majority of youth eat breakfast that may consist of traditional and Western choices. Despite sound knowledge of the benefits of fruits and vegetables consumption, adolescents do …

Caring Minds, University Of Texas Health Science Center At Houston School Of Nursing

Caring Minds

No abstract provided.

Nutritional Status And Tuberculosis Risk In Adult And Pediatric Household Contacts, Omowunmi Aibana, Xeno Acharya, Chuan-Chin Huang, Mercedes C Becerra, Jerome T Galea, Silvia S Chiang, Carmen Contreras, Roger Calderon, Rosa Yataco, Gustavo E Velásquez, Karen Tintaya, Judith Jimenez, Leonid Lecca, Megan B Murray

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Studies show obesity decreases risk of tuberculosis (TB) disease. There is limited evidence on whether high body mass index also protects against TB infection; how very high body mass indices influence TB risk; or whether nutritional status predicts this risk in children. We assessed the impact of body mass index on incident TB infection and disease among adults and children.

METHODS AND FINDINGS: We conducted a prospective cohort study among household contacts of pulmonary TB cases in Lima, Peru. We determined body mass index at baseline and followed participants for one year for TB infection and disease. We used …

Geospatial Analysis Of Food Environment Demonstrates Associations With Gestational Diabetes, Mk Kahr, Ma Suter, J Ballas, Sm Monga, W Lee, M Hu, Cd Shope, A Chesnokova, L Krannich, En Griffin, J Mastrobattista, Ga Dildy, Sl Strehlow, R Ramphul, Et Al.

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of most common complications of pregnancy, with incidence rates varying by maternal age, race/ethnicity, obesity, parity, and family history. Given its increasing prevalence in recent decades, covariant environmental and sociodemographic factors may be additional determinants of GDM occurrence. OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that environmental risk factors, in particular measures of the food environment, may be a diabetes contributor. We employed geospatial modeling in a populous US county to characterize the association of the relative availability of fast food restaurants and supermarkets to GDM. STUDY DESIGN: Utilizing a perinatal database with >4900 encoded antenatal and …

Effect Of Two-Year Caloric Restriction On Bone Metabolism And Bone Mineral Density In Non-Obese Younger Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Dt Villareal, L Fontana, Sk Das, Et Al.

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Although caloric restriction (CR) could delay biologic aging in humans, it is unclear if this would occur at the cost of significant bone loss. We evaluated the effect of prolonged CR on bone metabolism and bone mineral density (BMD) in healthy younger adults. Two-hundred eighteen non-obese (body mass index [BMI] 25.1?±?1.7?kg/m(2) ), younger (age 37.9?±?7.2 years) adults were randomly assigned to 25% CR (CR group, n?=?143) or ad libitum (AL group, n?=?75) for 2 years. Main outcomes were BMD and markers of bone turnover. Other outcomes included body composition, bone-active hormones, nutrient intake, and physical activity. Body weight (-7.5?±?0.4 versus …

Sugar In School Breakfasts: A School District's Perspective, Jennifer G. Lengyel Ms, Rdn, Ld, Nan Cramer Rdn, Ld, Amanda Oceguera Ms, Rdn, Ld, Lana Pigao Ma, Houston Independent School District, Nutrition Services Department

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

A recent series of emails and phone calls from parents concerned about the sugar content of Houston Independent School District’s school breakfasts revealed that a new issue had risen to the surface. This prompted us to look closely at the sugar content of our breakfast items. School districts participating in the National School Breakfast Program follow a strict set of nutritional regulations set forth by the USDA under the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act (HHFKA) of 2010 in response to the childhood obesity epidemic. HHFKA made significant changes to the breakfast meal pattern, but did not set standards for the …

A Cross-Sectional Exploration Of Food Security, Depression, And Chaos In Low-Income Households With Children, Courtney A. Pinard, Eric E. Calloway, Hollyanne E. Fricke, Amy L. Yaroch

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Depression has been linked to food security, particularly among low-income mothers. However, less is known about the relationship between CHAOS (Confusion, Hubbub, and Order Scale), a measure of family functioning such as timeliness and order, and varying levels food security. The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the relationship between depression, CHAOS, and sociodemographics on the level of food insecurity in a cross-sectional sample of low-income households with children, ages 0-18 years.

Participants were recruited from low-income communities in a medium sized Midwestern city in the United States. Eligible participants were ≥19 years of age, a parent or primary …

Monthly Snap Benefit Duration And Its Association With Food Security, Hunger-Coping, And Physiological Hunger Symptoms Among Low-Income Families, Eric E. Calloway, Hollyanne E. Fricke, Courtney A. Pinard, Teresa M. Smith, Amy L. Yaroch

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between monthly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit duration (i.e., the number of weeks each month a participants’ SNAP benefits provide food), and five primary outcome variables: food security, three hunger-coping behavior scales (rationing food supplies, financial strategies, making trade-offs), and physiological hunger symptoms, among a sample of families with children 0-18 years currently receiving SNAP benefits.

Methods

Baseline survey data were collected as part of a community-based intervention to alleviate child hunger. Participants included in the analytic sample were current SNAP recipients, parents (or caregivers), and 19 years of …

Food Matters: Food Insecurity Among Pregnant Adolescents And Infant Birth Outcomes, Stephanie A. Grilo, Valerie A. Earnshaw, Jessica B. Lewis, Emily C. Stasko, Urania Magriples, Jonathan Tobin, Jeannette R. Ickovics

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Objectives: The objectives of this study are to: (1) document prevalence of food insecurity among pregnant adolescents; (2) determine if food insecurity is associated with adverse birth outcomes (i.e., lower birth weight, earlier gestational age) among their newborns; and (3) examine whether depressive symptoms, anxiety, nutrition and/or weight gain mediate these associations.

Methods: Pregnant adolescents (14-21 years old; N-881) in prenatal care at community hospitals and health centers in New York City completed a health and psychosocial survey during second and third trimesters of pregnancy. Birth weight and gestational age were recorded from medical records.

Results: Over one-half of the …

Trends In Household And Child Food Insecurity Among Families With Young Children From 2007 To 2013, Allison R. Bovell, Stephanie Ettinger De Cuba, Patrick H. Casey, Sharon Coleman, John T. Cook, Diana Cutts, Timothy C. Heeren, Alan Meyers, Megan Sandel, Maureen M. Black Ph.D,, Mariana Chilton, Deborah A. Frank

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Background: 2007-2013 spanned an economic downturn with rising food costs. While Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits increased during those years by 13.6% from the 2009 American Recovery Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the impact of these competing conditions on household food insecurity (HFI, household food insecure but child food secure) and child food insecurity (CFI, household and child food insecure) in households with infants and toddlers has not been investigated.

Objective: To describe HFI and CFI in households participating in SNAP vs. households likely eligible but not participating (No SNAP).

Design: Repeat cross-sectional

Participants/Setting: 19,999 caregivers of childrenChildren’s HealthWatch survey in …

Community Food Security Strategies: An Exploratory Study Of Their Potential For Food Insecure Households With Children, Michelle L. Kaiser, Kareem Usher, Colleen Spees

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

This research sought to explore nutrition and related health issues of 151 households with children who participated in a survey addressing food access, food security, nutrition, health, food provisioning strategies, and barriers to optimal food consumption. This study explored the potential use of community food security strategies as a tool to address public health concerns through increasing fruit and vegetable intake by improving access to affordable healthy foods. Poor diet, stress, and food insecurity impacts adults and children in terms of cognitive development, mental health, and risk for costly chronic diseases. This research contextualized consumer responses within a contemporary policy …

Multidisciplinary Approaches To Address Food Insecurity And Nutrition Among Youth And Their Families, Shreela V. Sharma, Daphne C. Hernandez, Deanna M. Hoelscher, Amy L. Yaroch

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Our aim in publishing this issue of JARC on nutrition and food insecurity is to understand the factors associated with nutrition and food insecurity in the U.S. and around the world; to elucidate the potential consequences of food insecurity on physical and mental health; and to raise awareness and identify solutions to address this complex issue. We also aim to encourage collaboration across disciplines in order to frame initiatives that reduce these threats to child health, well-being and success.

Literacy: A Multidimensional And Ever-Present Entity, Amelia Hewitt, Kim Pinkerton

Journal of Family Strengths

Special Issue Editors Amelia Hewitt and Kim Pinkerton introduce the special edition of Journal of Family Strengths, outlining key points of multidimensional literacy and the significance of literacy in our families and communities.

More Than A Zip Code: Addressing Home Factors Influencing Kindergarten Readiness Levels, Julie Baker Finck Ph. D., Allison Shea

Journal of Family Strengths

Families and primary caregivers play an important role in developing essential emergent literacy skills of children from birth so that they are ready for kindergarten and have a strong foundation for future academic success. This article explores factors that influence the emergent literacy development process and offers strategies to boost school readiness levels and literacy rates among children.

Promoting Health Literacy For People With Disabilities And Clinicians Through A Teamwork Model, David W. Hollar Jr., Jennifer Rowland

Journal of Family Strengths

Current health literacy programs for people with disabilities lack clear operational definitions, rely on inconsistent health literacy statistics, and tend to follow a medical model approach that often fallaciously assumes people with disabilities have limited health knowledge. The central issue in addressing and improving health literacy among people with disabilities is to focus on clear and effective health communication among health care team members, including people with disabilities, which can ultimately improve this population’s health outcomes. Our proposed teamwork model builds upon the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) biopsychosocial model, decision-making theory, and health …

A Literature Review Of Paternal Involvement In Prenatal Care, Mary Elizabeth Meier, Lorena Avillaneda

Journal of Family Strengths

Pregnancy and the transition to parenthood are critical periods for parents to be provided with relevant care, information, and assistance. Unfortunately, fathers do not receive the same guidance and support by the health care system, policymakers, or programs as their partners do. This paper reviews twelve studies that address father transition to parenthood and involvement in prenatal care, the positive outcomes of father involvement on child well-being, and the current state of prenatal father involvement. Recommendations for increased paternal involvement in prenatal care include creating a more father friendly environment in the health care setting, providing prevention-oriented care for men …

Activity-Rest And Skin Temperature Circadian Rhythms And Sleep Patterns In Community-Dwelling Women, Kristina L. Leyden

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to explore activity-rest and temperature circadian rhythms and sleep patterns in ambulatory women of reproductive, perimenopausal, and postmenopausal stages. Study aims were to (1) correlate the patterns of activity-rest with skin temperature and determine (2) lead-lag relation between activity-rest and circadian temperature rhythm, (3) stability of activity-rest patterns during work and non-work days, (4) duration of actigraphy sampling sufficient to reliably capture activity-rest patterns, and (5) sleep parameters in participating women across reproductive stages.

Design: Analysis of extant data sets.

Sample and Setting: Seven community-dwelling women, 27-to-54-years old

Methods: Participants wore an actigraph …

Social-Demographics, Health Behaviors, Telomere Length In Mexican-American Cohort And Circulating Dna Methylation In Bladder Cancer, Lixia Han

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

I. SOCIAL-DEMOGRAPHICS, HEALTH BEHAVIORS, AND TELOMERE LENGTH IN MEXICAN AMERICANS: A COHORT STUDY

Recent studies using a prospective cohort design have suggested that telomere length in peripheral blood leukocytes is not only a potential indicator of cellular aging that has been linked to stressful life experience and health behaviors, but also a prognostic marker for major chronic diseases; however, such study has never been done among adult Mexican Americans. In this current study, we examined cross-sectional associations among social-demographics, lifestyle behaviors, and relative telomere length (RTL) in peripheral blood leukocytes, as well as longitudinal relationships among major chronic diseases, weight …

Gsbs News, Spring 2015, Graduate School Of Biomedical Sciences, University Of Texas Health Science Center At Houston/M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

GSBS News

No abstract provided.

Housing And Child Health: Safety Net Strategies, Regulations And Neighborhood Challenges, Daniel Skinner Ph.D., Jenelle Donovan-Lyle, Kelly J. Kelleher M.D., M.P.H.

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Abstract: “Improving Neighborhoods: An Innovative Program of Hospital-Community Collaboration”

Although often overlooked as a key factor in health status, stable and affordable housing plays a critical role in protecting children and adolescents. This article examines possibilities as well as challenges in health-oriented housing interventions for children, with particular attention to understanding how the law—and its limits—shape the nature of non-profit housing work. First, the authors discuss the scholarly literature on the relationship between health and housing to consider why healthcare institutions generally and children’s hospitals specifically might enter into the challenging fray of housing advocacy for the poor. They then …

Co-Enrollment For Child Health: How Receipt And Loss Of Food And Housing Subsidies Relate To Housing Security And Statutes For Streamlined, Multi-Subsidy Application, Megan Sandel, Diana Cutts, Alan Meyers, Stephanie Ettinger De Cuba, Sharon Coleman, Maureen M. Black Ph.D,, Patrick H. Casey, Mariana Chilton, John T. Cook, Amanda Shortell, Timothy Heeren, Deborah Frank

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

In light of recent policy debates around funding food and housing subsidies, the combined influence of these programs on housing security (HS), defined as housing without crowding or frequent moves, remains unstudied. In a multi-city study of young children, federal nutrition and housing subsidies together increased the odds of HS, whereas loss of nutrition subsidies lowered the odds of HS even after controlling for housing subsidy receipt. Ensuring eligible families’ access to both nutrition and housing subsidies may sustain HS. The results of this study inform and support current efforts by states to streamline online applications for social services and …

Caring Minds, University Of Texas Health Science Center At Houston School Of Nursing

Caring Minds

No abstract provided.