Publications by authors named "Amber Fyfe-Johnson"

Article Synopsis
  • This study assessed a culturally tailored food box program aimed at improving blood pressure, food security, and body mass index among Chickasaw Nation adults with high blood pressure.
  • Conducted in four tribal communities, the intervention involved providing heart-healthy food boxes aligned with the traditional Chickasaw diet over a 6-month period.
  • Results showed that participants in the intervention groups experienced lower blood pressure and better diet quality, highlighting the potential of such programs to address food insecurity and hypertension in Native American communities.
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Background: Dietary interventions are used for the treatment of hypertension. We evaluated the cost-efficacy of delivering boxes of healthy, culturally tailored foods and checks that can only be spent on produce in a Native American population.

Methods: We conducted a group randomized controlled trial from 2018 to 2020 with N = 2 treatment counties and N = 2 control counties and a total of N = 160 Native American adults with baseline stage 1 or stage 2 hypertension.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study evaluated a dietary intervention aimed at treating hypertension in Native American adults by providing culturally tailored boxes of healthy foods and checks specifically for purchasing produce.
  • Conducted from 2018 to 2020, the trial included 160 participants, with results indicating that the intervention was effective in women with stage 1 hypertension.
  • The intervention was found to be potentially cost-effective, suggesting that continued support should focus on those who show positive responses to it, highlighting a need for further research to explore why effectiveness varied among different groups.
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The current literature supports the positive relationship between time in nature and the improvement in children's health and identifies early childhood education (ECE) settings as an avenue for intervention. Unfortunately, access to both outdoor time and ECE opportunities is lower in communities facing economic adversity. Efforts are needed to identify the best approaches to incorporate outdoor time in ECE settings, especially in communities facing socioeconomic adversity.

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A growing body of literature suggests that outdoor time is beneficial for physical and mental health in childhood. Profound disparities exist in access to outdoor spaces (and the health benefits thereof) for children in communities of color. The objectives of this research were to: (1) identify challenges and solutions to outdoor time for children; (2) assess the importance of outdoor time for children; and (3) evaluate results stratified by race/ethnicity.

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Patients, health professionals, and communities use social media to communicate information about health determinants and associated risk factors. Studies have highlighted the potential for social media to reach underserved populations, suggesting these platforms can be used to disseminate health information tailored for diverse and hard-to-reach populations. Little is known, however, about the use of social media among American Indian and Alaska Native populations.

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Objective: To explore the prevalence of obesity among American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) adolescents aged 12-19 years in association with social determinants of health (SDOH), and mental health and substance use disorders.

Methods: Guided by the World Health Organization's Social Determinants of Health Framework, we examined data from the Indian Health Service (IHS) Improving Health Care Delivery Data Project from Fiscal Year 2013, supplemented by county-level data from the U.S.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to explore how pre-pregnancy diabetes, gestational diabetes, body mass index, and social factors at the county level relate to infant macrosomia among American Indian/Alaska Native women receiving care from the Indian Health Service.
  • Data was collected from 1,136 births in 2011, using mixed models to analyze the relationships between maternal health status, social determinants, and macrosomia.
  • Findings revealed that younger mothers, higher rates of overweight/obesity, and certain diabetes conditions increased the likelihood of having larger infants, highlighting critical health disparities in this population.
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Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates how social determinants of health (SDOH) influence overweight and obesity rates among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) children aged 2-11 who used Indian Health Service between 2010 and 2014.
  • - About 49% of the children were classified as overweight or obese, with severe obesity at 20% for ages 6-11, revealing a notable impact of poverty on these health outcomes.
  • - Findings suggest that higher poverty levels correlate with increased chances of being overweight/obese, indicating the need for targeted efforts in research and policy to tackle economic instability among young AI/AN populations.
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Background: Participation in outdoor play has been extensively documented as beneficial for the health, well-being, and development of children. Canadian early childhood education centers (ECECs) are important settings in young children's lives and provide opportunities to participate in outdoor play. However, there are barriers to the provision of outdoor play opportunities at ECECs, such as adverse weather conditions, poorly designed outdoor spaces, outdoor time policies, and early childhood educator comfort levels.

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Objective: American Indian and Alaska Native peoples (AI/AN) have a disproportionately high rate of obesity, but little is known about the social determinants of obesity among older AI/AN. Thus, our study assessed social determinants of obesity in AI/AN aged ≥ 50 years.

Design: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using multivariate generalised linear mixed models to identify social determinants associated with the risk of being classified as obese (BMI ≥ 30·0 kg/m).

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Background: Home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) is an effective tool in treatment and long-term management of hypertension. HBPM incorporates more data points to help patients and providers with diagnosis and management. The characteristics of HBPM devices matter to patients, but the relative importance of the characteristics in choosing a device remains unclear.

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Context: Daily outdoor play is encouraged by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Existing evidence is unclear on the independent effect of nature exposures on child health.

Objective: We systematically evaluated evidence regarding the relationship between nature contact and children's health.

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Home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) is an important component of blood pressure (BP) management. We assessed performance of two HBPM devices among Alaska Native and American Indian people (ANAIs). We measured BP using Omron BP786 arm cuff, Omron BP654 wrist cuff, and Baum aneroid sphygmomanometer in 100 ANAIs.

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Introduction: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among American Indians and Alaska Natives. Reducing CVD risk requires effective communication about risk factors and preventive behaviors. Messages should be designed with an understanding of where people seek health information, their perceptions of a hazard, and their perception of information sufficiency.

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To compare important indicators of quality of care between Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders (NHOPIs) and non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs) with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). We used the Health Care Cost and Utilization Project, Hawaii State Inpatient Databases, 2010-2014. They included 10,645 inpatient encounters from 7,145 NHOPI or NHW patients age ≥ 50 years, residing in Hawaii, and with at least one ADRD diagnosis in the discharge record.

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Adolescent risk factors for pre-diabetes and diabetes in young adulthood were examined in three minority groups and compared to those in non-Hispanic Whites. Retrospective cohort study with data on 8337 adolescent respondents from Add Health (1994-2008). Participants included 5131 non-Hispanic Whites, 1651 non-Hispanic Blacks, 1223 Hispanics, and 332 American Indians/Alaska Natives.

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Background: The American Heart Association set 2020 Strategic Impact Goals that defined cardiovascular risk factors to be included in the concept of ideal cardiovascular health (ICH). The prevalence of ICH among differing levels of adiposity in youth, especially severe obesity, is uncertain.

Methods And Results: The cross-sectional study measured ICH metrics in 300 children and adolescents stratified by adiposity: normal weight, overweight/obese, and severely obese.

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Background And Purpose: Low heart rate variability (HRV), a marker of cardiac autonomic dysfunction, has been associated with increased all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. We examined the association between reduced HRV and incident stroke in a community-based cohort.

Methods: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study measured HRV using 2-minute ECG readings in 12 550 middle-aged adults at baseline (1987-1989).

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Objective: Elevated serum fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF23), an endogenous hormone, is associated with disturbed mineral homeostasis, cardiovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease. It is unclear whether FGF23 impacts the development of incident hypertension. We examined the association between elevated FGF23 and incident hypertension in a community-based cohort.

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Public demand for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies, often referred to as integrative health (IH), continues to grow. Health systems are now pursing the integration of these therapies with conventional medical care. This article describes the development and evolution of 1 nursing-led model for the integration of CAM services in an inpatient setting and to provide lessons learned for nursing administrators or others interested in developing hospital-based IH programs.

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The relationship between acute life stress and the development of atrial fibrillation (AF) has been noted in the literature. However, the use of integrative medicine (IM) in restoring cardiac rhythm has not been adequately studied. This case report describes how an IM approach was used in a patient with atrial fibrillation and acute pain.

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Objective: The impact of stress in conjunction with lifestyle factors on workplace productivity is understudied, thus the relationship between these variables was examined.

Methods: Negative binomial regression was used to test the cross-sectional association between stress and productivity loss in a sample of 2823 adults.

Results: After body mass index adjustment, there was an interaction between stress and physical activity (β ± SE = 0.

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Purpose: This was a pilot project designed to assess the effect of individualized yoga treatment on eating disorder outcomes among adolescents receiving outpatient care for diagnosed eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, eating disorder not otherwise specified).

Methods: A total of 50 girls and 4 boys aged 11-21 years were randomized to an 8-week trial of standard care vs. individualized yoga plus standard care.

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