The 2022 Minnesota Statewide Food Shelf Survey: Reported Availability of Healthy Foods and Importance of Culturally-specific Foods by Participant Demographic Characteristics.

Objective: To determine whether shopper-reported availability of foods from Minnesota food shelves and the importance of cultural foods/cooking items differed by demographic characteristics.

Methods: Cross-sectional survey of food pantry shoppers (n = 4,680) who visited more than or equal monthly with choice over food selection.

Results: Hispanic and Black shoppers had higher odds of reporting produce, eggs, and cooking items were always available than White shoppers (odds ratio [OR] > 1.

Associations between Barriers to Food Pantry Use, Visit Frequency, Pantry Experiences, and Amount of Food Received.

Barriers to food pantry use have been identified but little information is available regarding how these barriers are related to food pantry use. The purpose of this study was to assess relationships between barriers and (1) user demographic characteristics, (2) visit frequency and amount of food received, and (3) satisfaction with pantry visit experiences. Data were used from the 2022 Minnesota Food Shelf Survey, which included responses from 288 food pantries across the state with 6267 individuals reporting on barriers to pantry use.

Diet and Physical Activity by Prediabetes Status Among U.S. Adolescents: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007-2018.

Prediabetes among adolescents is on the rise, yet it is unclear if modifiable risk factors vary by prediabetes status. This study examined associations between diet (primary objective) and physical activity (secondary objective) by prediabetes status among U.S.

Substitution Modeling Shows Simple Dietary Changes Increase Mediterranean-Style Diet Pattern Scores for US Adults.

Background: A Mediterranean-style diet pattern (MSDP) is a recommended diet pattern in the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Few studies report widespread adherence to the diet, which suggests Americans may benefit from strategies to help them improve alignment to an MSDP.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of isocaloric food substitutions on adherence to an MSDP in US adults.

Perspective: Utilizing High Amylose Wheat Flour to Increase Dietary Fiber Intake of Children and Adolescents: A Health by Stealth Approach.

Children and adolescents have consistently failed to meet recommended levels of dietary fiber consumption, thus making fiber a nutrient of concern. The importance of adequate dietary fiber intake to attain a healthy diet necessitates the identification of fiber-rich and readily consumed food sources by youth. Grain-based foods derived from whole grains represent a strategic initiative to increase dietary fiber consumption and is consistent with the American diet pattern.

Frequency of Meals Prepared Away from Home and Nutrient Intakes among US Adolescents (NHANES 2011-2018).

Frequency of consuming foods prepared away from home has been associated with lower diet quality among adults and adolescents in several earlier studies. Nutrient and food group intake and Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015 scores were compared among a U.S.

Association between PEG3 DNA methylation and high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

Background: Epigenetic mechanisms are hypothesized to contribute substantially to the progression of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) to cervical cancer, although empirical data are limited.

Methods: Women (n = 419) were enrolled at colposcopic evaluation at Duke Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. Human papillomavirus (HPV) was genotyped by HPV linear array and CIN grade was ascertained by biopsy pathologic review.

Diet Quality and Eating Practices among Hispanic/Latino Men and Women: NHANES 2011-2016.

Dietary quality of Hispanic/Latino adults residing in homes with children may differ by gender, that in turn, may impact youth through role modeling and food availability. Using a nationally representative sample ( = 1039) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2011-2016), adjusted regression analyses were used to examine food-related practices, food group intake, and dietary quality among Hispanic/Latino men and women in homes with children (6-17 years). Compared to women, men had lower total 2015 Healthy Eating Index (HEI) scores and component HEI scores for healthy food groups.

Evening Meal Types and Family Meal Characteristics: Associations with Demographic Characteristics and Food Intake among Adolescents.

Evening meal types and family meal characteristics among adolescents may vary by demographic characteristics and weight status and can negatively impact dietary intake. We used cross-sectional Family, Life, Activity, Sun, Health, and Eating Study data from parent and adolescent dyads (12-17 years) to examine associations of adolescent evening meal types and family meal characteristics with adolescent and family demographic characteristics, weight status, and dietary intake. Multiple logistic regression models were used to evaluate associations of evening meal types and family meal characteristics with daily intake frequency of foods of interest, adolescent demographic characteristics, SES indicators, and weight status.

Latino adolescent-father discrepancies in reporting activity parenting practices and associations with adolescents' physical activity and screen time.

Background: Latino fathers may play important roles in adolescents' physical activity and screen time. However, informant discrepancies regarding paternal activity parenting practices may challenge studies supporting evidence-based applications. This study examined Latino adolescent-father discrepancies in reporting paternal activity parenting practices, types of discrepancies by participant characteristics, and associations between discrepancy types and adolescents' physical activity and screen time.

Diet and Physical Activity Behaviors Among Adolescent Transgender Students: School Survey Results.

Purpose: Diet and physical activity behaviors are determinants of health for adolescents; however, few studies have assessed these behaviors among transgender youth. This study examined dietary behaviors, physical activity, weight-based bullying, and weight status among four groups based on transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) status and birth-assigned sex.

Methods: Data were from a large cross-sectional, population-based, statewide survey of high school students (n = 80,794, Minnesota Student Survey, 2016).

Frequency of Trying to Lose Weight and Its Association with Children's Weight Perception and Dietary Intake (NHANES 2011-2012).

Weight loss practices and frequency among children and adolescents can impact overall diet quality. We used cross-sectional U.S.

An in-home intervention of parent-implemented strategies to increase child vegetable intake: results from a non-randomized cluster-allocated community trial.

Background: Less than 2% of children in the U.S., ages 9-13, meet the minimum dietary recommendations for vegetable intake.

Implementation of Parental Strategies to Improve Child Vegetable Intake: Barriers and Facilitators.

. To qualitatively assess barriers and facilitators to implementing specific behavioral strategies to increase child vegetable intake during home dinner meals by low-income parents. .

Children Residing in Low-Income Households Like a Variety of Vegetables.

Child vegetable intake falls far below the minimum recommended levels. Knowing which vegetables children may like help those responsible for providing vegetables to children to improve intake. The objective of this study was to measure vegetable liking for a wide variety of vegetables by a racially and ethnically diverse population of 9⁻12-year old children from low-income families.

Impacts of a Vegetable Cooking Skills Program Among Low-Income Parents and Children.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of a vegetable-focused cooking skills and nutrition program on parent and child psychosocial measures, vegetable liking, variety, and home availability.

Design: Baseline and postcourse surveys collected 1-week after the course.

Setting: Low-income communities in Minneapolis-St Paul.

Maternal stress, preterm birth, and DNA methylation at imprint regulatory sequences in humans.

In infants exposed to maternal stress in utero, phenotypic plasticity through epigenetic events may mechanistically explain increased risk of preterm birth (PTB), which confers increased risk for neurodevelopmental disorders, cardiovascular disease, and cancers in adulthood. We examined associations between prenatal maternal stress and PTB, evaluating the role of DNA methylation at imprint regulatory regions. We enrolled women from prenatal clinics in Durham, NC.

HPV genotypes and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in a multiethnic cohort in the southeastern USA.

Purpose: For poorly understood reasons, invasive cervical cancer (ICC) incidence and mortality rates are higher in women of African descent. Oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes distribution may vary between European American (EA) and African-American (AA) women and may contribute to differences in ICC incidence. The current study aimed at disentangling differences in HPV distribution among AA and EA women.

Erythrocyte folate concentrations, CpG methylation at genomically imprinted domains, and birth weight in a multiethnic newborn cohort.

Epigenetic mechanisms are proposed to link maternal concentrations of methyl group donor nutrients with the risk of low birth weight. However, empirical data are lacking. We have examined the association between maternal folate and birth weight and assessed the mediating role of DNA methylation at nine differentially methylated regions (DMRs) of genomically imprinted genes in these associations.

Maternal BMI, IGF-I Levels, and Birth Weight in African American and White Infants.

At birth, elevated IGF-I levels have been linked to birth weight extremes; high birth weight and low birth weight are risk factors for adult-onset chronic diseases including obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes. We examined associations between plasma IGF-I levels and birth weight among infants born to African American and White obese and nonobese women. Prepregnancy weight and height were assessed among 251 pregnant women and anthropometric measurements of full term infants (≥37 weeks of gestation) were taken at birth.

DNA methylation at imprint regulatory regions in preterm birth and infection.

Objective: To aid in understanding long-term health consequences of intrauterine infections in preterm birth, we evaluated DNA methylation at 9 differentially methylated regions that regulate imprinted genes by type of preterm birth (spontaneous preterm labor, preterm premature rupture of membranes, or medically indicated [fetal growth restriction and preeclampsia]) and infection status (chorioamnionitis or funisitis).

Study Design: Data on type of preterm birth and infection status were abstracted from medical records and standardized pathology reports in 73 preterm infants enrolled in the Newborn Epigenetics STudy, a prospective cohort study of mother-infant dyads in Durham, NC. Cord blood was collected at birth, and infant DNA methylation levels at the H19, IGF2, MEG3, MEST, SGCE/PEG10, PEG3, NNAT, and PLAGL1 differentially methylated regions were measured using bisulfite pyrosequencing.

Associations between methylation of paternally expressed gene 3 (PEG3), cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and invasive cervical cancer.

Cytology-based screening for invasive cervical cancer (ICC) lacks sensitivity and specificity to discriminate between cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) likely to persist or progress from cases likely to resolve. Genome-wide approaches have been used to identify DNA methylation marks associated with CIN persistence or progression. However, associations between DNA methylation marks and CIN or ICC remain weak and inconsistent.

Associations between birth and one year anthropometric measurements and IGF2 and IGF2R genetic variants in African American and Caucasian American infants.

Insulin-like growth factor 2 receptor (IGF2R) and insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) genetic variants have been inconsistently associated with low birth weight and birth length in Caucasian and Asian infants, however few studies have included African Americans (AA). Generalized linear models and logistic regression models were used to examine associations between IGF2R single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) rs629849 and rs8191754, and IGF2 SNP rs680 and infant anthropometric measurements, in a racially diverse birth cohort in Durham County, North Carolina. Caucasian American (CA) carriers of the IGF2R SNP rs629849 were heavier (P = 0.

Depression in pregnancy, infant birth weight and DNA methylation of imprint regulatory elements.

Depressed mood in pregnancy has been linked to low birth weight (LBW, < 2,500 g), a risk factor for adult-onset chronic diseases in offspring. We examined maternal depressed mood in relation to birth weight and evaluated the role of DNA methylation at regulatory sequences of imprinted genes in this association. We measured depressed mood among 922 pregnant women using the CES-D scale and obtained birth weight data from hospital records.

Association of cord blood methylation fractions at imprinted insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2), plasma IGF2, and birth weight.

Purpose: Altered methylation at Insulin-like Growth Factor 2 (IGF2) regulatory regions has previously been associated with obesity, and several malignancies including colon, esophageal, and prostate adenocarcinomas, presumably via changes in expression and/or loss of imprinting, but the functional significance of these DNA methylation marks have not been demonstrated in humans. We examined associations among DNA methylation at IGF2 differentially methylated regions (DMRs), circulating IGF2 protein concentrations in umbilical cord blood (UCB) and birth weight in newborns.

Methods: Questionnaire data were obtained from 300 pregnant women recruited between 2005 and 2009.