Multilevel Mediators on the Associations of Neighborhood Social Environmental Factors and Severity of Metabolic Syndrome: The Jackson Heart Study.

Background: Neighborhood characteristics serve as risk factors for metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, the intermediary factors linking this relationship remain understudied. Thus, we investigated the sex-specific mediating role of C-reactive protein, physical activity (PA), and perceived stress in the associations of perceived neighborhood social environment (PNSE) with MetS severity among Black adults.

SchoolHEAT: Racial and Ethnic Inequity in School Temperature.

Exposure to high environmental temperature is detrimental to health through multiple pathways. This paper describes disparities in school-based high-temperature exposure at metropolitan schools in the United States. Using school location and sociodemographic data from the National Center for Education Statistics, neighborhood data from the US Census Bureau, and land surface temperature (LST) data from the Aqua Earth-observing satellite mission, we find that for every 10% more Black or Hispanic residents in the neighborhood, schools have LST 0.

County-level Racial/Ethnic Residential Segregation and Physical Activity Behavior among US Adults.

The relationship between racial/ethnic residential segregation and physical activity (PA) remains unclear with both positive and negative associations between segregation and PA recently reported. We aimed to examine the relationship between county-level residential segregation and total daily PA and domain-specific PA and whether these associations varied by gender. Participants (N = 2625, mean age [SD] = 45.

Geographic social vulnerability is associated with the alpha diversity of the human microbiome.

As a risk factor for conditions related to the microbiome, understanding the role of SVI on microbiome diversity may assist in identifying public health implications for microbiome research. Here we found, using a sub-sample of the Human Microbiome Project phase 1 cohort, that SVI was linked to microbiome diversity across body sites and that SVI may influence race/ethnicity-based differences in diversity. Our findings, build on the current knowledge regarding the role of human geography in microbiome research, suggest that measures of geographic social vulnerability be considered as additional contextual factors when exploring microbiome alpha diversity.

Active living-oriented zoning codes and cardiometabolic conditions across the lifespan.

Environments that make it easier for people to incorporate physical activity into their daily life may help to reduce high rates of cardiometabolic conditions. Local zoning codes are a policy and planning tool to create more walkable and bikeable environments. This study evaluated relationships between active living-oriented zoning code environments and cardiometabolic conditions (body mass index, hyperlipidemia, hypertension).

Using internet search data to understand information seeking behavior for health and conservation topics during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Emerging zoonotic diseases, such as COVID-19, exist at the intersection of human health and the environment. Public interest and support are required to maximize the effectiveness of policies to combat the current pandemic and prevent future outbreaks of zoonoses. Here, we use internet search data from the United States to investigate changes in public information seeking about topics at the intersection of health and the environment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Associations between Daily Work Hassles and Energy-Balance Behaviors in Female African American Workers: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study.

Objective: Despite their high rate of labor force participation, African American women earn less and are overrepresented in service jobs that tend to have fewer benefits, longer work hours, and less flexibility. The aim of our study was to examine associations between work-related daily hassles and energy balance behaviors among female African American workers.

Design: A secondary analysis of a 7-day intensive longitudinal study using ecological momentary assessment (EMA).

Neighborhood Environment and Asthma Exacerbation in Washington, DC.

Approximately one in eight people in the United States have been diagnosed with asthma. Asthma is associated with significant medical expenditure and has been implicated as a leading reason for chronic school absences. Environmental risk factors such as access to green space and exposure to poor air quality are patterned such that some vulnerable populations may be at higher risk.

Neighborhood Walkability and BMI Change: A National Study of Veterans in Large Urban Areas.

Objective: Improving neighborhood walkability has been proposed as a policy intervention to reduce obesity. The objective of this study was to evaluate longitudinal relationships between neighborhood walkability and body weight among adults living in large urban areas.

Methods: In this retrospective longitudinal study of United States military veterans using Department of Veterans Affairs health care, Veterans Affairs clinical and administrative data (2007-2014) were linked to environmental measures constructed from public (2006-2014) and proprietary (2008-2014) sources, and linear regression models with person fixed effects were used to estimate associations between walkability and BMI among 758,434 men and 70,319 women aged 20 to 80 years in 2009 to 2014.

Stability of activity space footprint, size, and environmental features over six months.

As activity space measures are increasingly used to estimate exposure to environmental determinants of health, little is known about the stability of these measures over time. To test the stability of GPS-derived measures of activity-space footprint, size, and environmental features over time, we compared 14-day measures at baseline and six months later for 35 adults in a large city. Activity-space measures were based on convex hulls and 500 m route buffers, and included the geographic footprint (i.

Does the built environment influence the effectiveness of behavioral weight management interventions?

Outcomes of behavioral lifestyle interventions for promoting weight loss vary widely across participants. The effectiveness of a weight management intervention may depend on a person's environmental context. This study compared short- and longer-term effects of a structured nationwide weight management program for people living in neighborhoods with different levels of walkability and different access to recreational places (parks, fitness facilities).

Convergent validity of an activity-space survey for use in health research.

We explored the validity of a survey measuring activity spaces for use in health research in a racially/ethnically diverse adult sample (n = 86) living in four Chicago neighborhoods. Participants reported on the location and visit frequency of 64 activities and wore a GPS data logger. We assessed the spatial congruence of survey- and GPS-derived convex hull measures and the number of GPS points within 100 m and 1000 m of survey locations.

Contextual correlates of energy-dense snack food and sweetened beverage intake across the day in African American women: An application of ecological momentary assessment.

This study examined relationships between contextual factors and within-person variations in snack food and sweetened beverage intake in African American women (n = 79), aged 25-65 years living in metropolitan Chicago. For seven days, participants wore a global positioning system (GPS) logger and were signaled five times per day to complete an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) survey assessing behaviors and environmental, social, and other contextual factors via smartphones. Within-person associations between snack food and beverage intake and contextual factors were analyzed using three-level logistic regressions.

Does Effectiveness of Weight Management Programs Depend on the Food Environment?

Objective: To estimate the causal effects of a population-scale behavioral weight management program and to determine whether the program's effectiveness depends on participants' geographic access to places to purchase healthy and less healthy foods.

Data Sources: Secondary data from U.S.

How many days of global positioning system (GPS) monitoring do you need to measure activity space environments in health research?

This study examined the number of days of global positioning system (GPS) monitoring needed to measure attributes of an individual's routine activity space. Multiple alternative activity space representations (cumulative, mean daily), measures (kernel density, route buffer, convex hull), and attributes (area size, supermarkets, fast food restaurants, parks) were examined. Results suggested wide variability in required GPS days to obtain valid estimates of activity space attributes (1-23 days).

Long-Term Weight Loss Effects of a Behavioral Weight Management Program: Does the Community Food Environment Matter?

This study examined whether community food environments altered the longer-term effects of a nationwide behavioral weight management program on body mass index (BMI). The sample was comprised of 98,871 male weight management program participants and 15,385 female participants, as well as 461,302 and 37,192 inverse propensity-score weighted matched male and female controls. We measured the community food environment by counting the number of supermarkets, convenience stores, and fast food restaurants within a 1-mile radius around each person's home address.

Neighborhood Resources to Support Healthy Diets and Physical Activity Among US Military Veterans.

Introduction: Among the nearly 21 million military veterans living in the United States, 64.0% of women and 76.1% of men are overweight or obese, higher rates than in the civilian population (56.

A step-by-step approach to improve data quality when using commercial business lists to characterize retail food environments.

Background: Food environment characterization in health studies often requires data on the location of food stores and restaurants. While commercial business lists are commonly used as data sources for such studies, current literature provides little guidance on how to use validation study results to make decisions on which commercial business list to use and how to maximize the accuracy of those lists. Using data from a retrospective cohort study [Weight And Veterans' Environments Study (WAVES)], we (a) explain how validity and bias information from existing validation studies (count accuracy, classification accuracy, locational accuracy, as well as potential bias by neighborhood racial/ethnic composition, economic characteristics, and urbanicity) were used to determine which commercial business listing to purchase for retail food outlet data and (b) describe the methods used to maximize the quality of the data and results of this approach.

Environmental and personal correlates of physical activity and sedentary behavior in African American women: An ecological momentary assessment study.

The authors of this study examined within-person associations of environmental factors (weather, built and social environmental barriers) and personal factors (daily hassles, affect) with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behavior (SB) in African American women aged 25-64 years living in metropolitan Chicago (n = 97). In 2012-13, for seven days, women wore an accelerometer and were signaled five times per day to complete a survey covering environmental and personal factors on a study-provided smartphone. Day-level measures of each were derived, and mixed regression models were used to test associations.

Experiences of African-American Women with Smartphone-Based Ecological Momentary Assessment.

Objective: Smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA), or real-time, repeated sampling of participants' states, behaviors, or experiences over time, is a promising approach to understanding obesity-related behaviors in African-American women-a population with the highest obesity prevalence. In this study, we explored participants' experiences with this methodology.

Design And Sample: In this secondary analysis of data, 100 African-American women participated in seven consecutive days of EMA data collection.