Publications by authors named "Alvin Tran"

Background: College students in the United States are disproportionately impacted by food insecurity, which is associated with diminished health outcomes and poor academic performance. One key resource to support students through periods of food insecurity are on-campus food pantries, which distribute food, personal hygiene products, and other essential items. But as colleges and universities navigated through the COVID-19 pandemic, many campuses closed their food pantries as the demand for their services among students grew.

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Background: Unhealthy weight control behaviors (UWCBs) involve weight control strategies to reduce or maintain weight, such as fasting, taking diet pills, and vomiting or taking laxatives. UWCBs in teenagers can escalate into severe health issues such as eating disorders. Understanding the trends of UWCBs and their association with risk behaviors in teenagers is crucial, as early intervention and prevention strategies are pivotal.

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Brugada syndrome is a rare cardiac condition characterized by distinctive electrocardiogram patterns, predisposing individuals to fatal arrhythmias. While primarily linked to a loss-of-function mutation in the SCN5A gene, acquired forms of the syndrome have been associated with various factors, including drug use. We present a case of a 31-year-old female who presented to the emergency department unresponsive following cocaine use and developed type 1 Brugada ECG patterns alongside an incomplete right bundle branch block in V1-V3, ST elevations with biphasic waves, and diffuse repolarization abnormalities with J point deviations while in the intensive care unit.

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Introduction: A calorie-labeling policy for restaurant menus was implemented in 2018. Whether and how sexual-minority men use this information has not been evaluated.

Methods: The Men's Body Project, a 2020 cross-sectional survey study of 504 cisgender sexual-minority men (mean age=35.

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Purpose: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is becoming more recognized as a public health concern among sexual minority men, including bisexual and gay men. Guided by the Minority Stress Model, we assessed the relationship between perceived discrimination and three forms of IPV among a sample of bisexual and gay men living in the United States.

Methods: We analyzed data as part of the Men's Body Project, a cross-sectional study launched in 2020 to assess health behaviors of bisexual and gay men.

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Background: Body image concerns are prevalent and are viewed as risk factors for engaging in unhealthy weight control behaviors (UWCBs), such as purging, fasting, and the misuse of laxatives and diet pills. Studies have also linked UWCBs to the development of eating disorders. In the United States (U.

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To design a cognitive behavioral videogame intervention and to evaluate its preliminary effect on improving youth's perceptions about themselves, their future, and their ability by incorporating skill development in cognitive reappraisal, an emotion regulation strategy to change perceptions. We conducted a pilot RCT to evaluate the preliminary efficacy of a videogame intervention, , in enhancing cognitive reappraisal skills. We also assessed beliefs/attitudes, self-efficacy, and emotional self-efficacy as well as user experience and feasibility.

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Objective: To examine the factor structure of the 4- and 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) among 1 310 Mexican women participating in a prospective cancer cohort study.

Materials And Methods: We performed exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses in two sub-samples of the Mexican Teachers' Cohort. We evaluated internal consistency, estimated the correlation between PSS-4 and PSS-10, and assessed their correlation with a depressive symptoms scale.

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: Despite numerous studies focusing on the burden of food insecurity, few have assessed its impact among sexual minority (LGB) populations. Sexual minority individuals are subject to chronic levels of stress, including stigma, prejudice, and discrimination as a result of their sexual orientation identity. While few studies have documented food insecurity among sexual minorities, the relationship between food insecurity and discrimination among this stigmatized population remains unclear.

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Objective: Research on body image and weight control behaviors among journalists is limited. To fill this knowledge gap, we conducted a cross-sectional study to assess the experiences of unhealthy weight control behaviors (UWCBs), binge eating, and appearance-related pressures among a sample of journalists in the United States (U.S.

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The aim of this study was to describe trends in calories among food items sold in U.S. convenience stores and pizza restaurant chains from 2013 to 2017 - a period leading up to the implementation of the federal menu labeling mandate.

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Background: Online dating has become increasingly popular over the years. Few research studies have examined the association between dating apps and disordered eating. In this study, we evaluated the association between dating app use and unhealthy weight control behaviors (UWCBs) among a sample of U.

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Background: Healthy Foods, Healthy Families (HFHF) is a fruit and vegetable (F&V) exposure/incentive program implemented at farmers' markets in low-income neighborhoods, targeting families receiving US federal food assistance. We examined program effects on participants' diet and associations between attendance, demographics and dietary change.

Methods: Exposure activities included F&V tastings and cooking demonstrations.

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New approaches to universal eating disorders prevention and interventions targeting macro-environmental change are greatly needed, and research-to-policy translation efforts hold promise for advancing both of these goals. This paper describes as a policy-translation case example an academic-community-government partnership of the Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders, Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association, and the office of Massachusetts Representative Kay Khan, all based in Massachusetts, USA. The partnership's research-to-policy translation project focused on dietary supplements sold for weight loss and muscle building, which have been linked with serious injury and death in consumers.

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A media competition was part of the Massachusetts Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (MA-CORD) Study. Criss et al., previously outlined the development and implementation of the competition, including variation in reach and adoption of the intervention across schools and afterschool programs.

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Given that alcohol use is highly prevalent at US colleges, we explored factors related to problem drinking behaviors (PDB; binge drinking, driving after drinking, sexual intercourse after drinking) among 4098 Black and White students from two- and four-year colleges who completed an online survey. We found an interaction between race and sex such that, among Whites, females had less PDB than males (B = 0.09, CI: 0.

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Little is known about sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing among Chinese men who have sex with men (MSM). This study describes the prevalence of STI testing, associated factors and the validity of STI self-reporting among Chinese MSM. Findings indicated a high prevalence of STIs and low testing rates among MSM in Shanghai.

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This study evaluates the prevalence of three forms of intimate partner violence (IPV) (i.e., experience of physical, psychological/symbolic, and sexual battering) among a national sample of Asian/Pacific Islander (A/PI) men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States and identifies their characteristics.

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Background: Assisted living facilities (ALFs) provide housing and care to persons unable to live independently, and who often have increasing medical needs. Disease outbreaks illustrate challenges of maintaining adequate resident protections in these facilities.

Objectives: Describe current state laws on assisted living admissions criteria, medical oversight, medication administration, vaccination requirements, and standards for infection control training.

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