Anxiety and school absenteeism without permission among adolescents in 69 low- and middle-income countries.

Background: Anxiety disorders are common among adolescents. In high-income countries, anxiety is a known contributor to truancy and school refusal, but this association has been understudied in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Methods: We used complex samples analysis to examine the association between self-reported worry-induced insomnia (an indicator of anxiety) and unauthorized school absenteeism among 268,142 adolescents from 69 LMICs that participated in the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS).

Physical Inactivity and Sedentariness: Languorous Behavior Among Adolescents in 80 Countries.

Purpose: High rates of adolescent physical inactivity and sedentary behavior have been reported worldwide, but the combined prevalence of languorous behavior (physical inactivity and/or sedentary behavior) may more accurately reflect just how few adolescents meet World Health Organization recommendations.

Methods: We analyzed nationally representative data from 325,219 students in 80 countries that participated in the Global School-based Student Health Survey between 2009 and 2018. Students were classified as physically inactive if they reported engaging in moderate or vigorous physical activity less than 60 minutes daily.

Perceptions and Barriers to SNAP Utilization Among Asian and Pacific Islanders in Greater Los Angeles.

Purpose: To examine the perceptions of and barriers to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation among Asian and Pacific Islander (API) immigrants.

Design: Qualitative focus groups were conducted in 4 API communities.

Setting And Participants: Participants were recruited from 4 API communities (n = 68; 22 Tongan, 18 Vietnamese, 16 Filipino, and 12 Chinese) through local community-based organizations in Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

Loneliness and friendlessness among adolescents in 25 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Background: Loneliness is a common health problem among the elderly but is not well understood in the adolescent population, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Adolescent loneliness can have adverse impacts on short- and long-term health status.

Methods: This study examined rates of self-reported loneliness and friendlessness among 76,982 secondary school students in 25 LMICs in Latin America and the Caribbean who participated in the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS).

Perceived Motivators, Barriers and Intervention Strategies Related to Weight Loss After Childbirth Among WIC Participants in Southern California.

Purpose: To explore perceived motivators and barriers to weight loss after childbirth and ideas for postpartum weight loss interventions among participants of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

Approach: Four (2 with English-speaking and 2 with Spanish-speaking participants) focus groups were conducted.

Setting: A WIC clinic in Southern California.

Maternal Perceptions of Self-Weight and Child Weight May Influence Milk Choice of Participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

Objective: To examine the association between maternal perceptions of self-weight and child weight status and milk consumption behavior of Hispanic WIC participants.

Methods: Mixed methods design with phone survey (=529) and one-on-one interviews (=35). Demographic characteristics, Chi-square, and thematic analyses were conducted.

Calories and sugars in boba milk tea: implications for obesity risk in Asian Pacific Islanders.

In the last several decades, obesity rates have reached epidemic proportions, and increases the risk for a host of comorbidities, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain kinds of cancers. Boba milk tea, first became popular in the 1990s throughout Asia, and has gained more popularity in the United States and in Europe since 2000. Currently, available nutrition data from online sites suggest this beverage contains high amounts of sugar and fat.

A Qualitative Study to Examine Perceptions and Barriers to Appropriate Gestational Weight Gain among Participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infants and Children Program.

Women of reproductive age are particularly at risk of obesity because of excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) and postpartum weight retention, resulting in poor health outcomes for both mothers and infants. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine perceptions and barriers to GWG among low-income women in the WIC program to inform the development of an intervention study. Eleven focus groups were conducted and stratified by ethnicity, and each group included women of varying age, parity, and prepregnancy BMI ranges.

Mothers prefer fresh fruits and vegetables over jarred baby fruits and vegetables in the new Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children food package.

Objective: This study examined Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) participant use and satisfaction with jarred baby foods, assessed preference for cash value vouchers (CVVs) for fruits and vegetables vs jarred baby foods, and examined whether preferences varied among selected ethnic groups.

Methods: A survey of California WIC participants and statewide redemption data were used.

Results: Participants reported high satisfaction with the CVV for fruits and vegetables and jarred baby foods, with statistically significant variation across ethnic groups.

Validation of the Educational Stress Scale for Adolescents (ESSA) in Vietnam.

Introduction: To date, there has been little systematic, quantitative research on the links between academic pressure and mental health among adolescents in Asia, and none in Vietnam. In part, this is because of a lack of appropriate tools to measure this complex phenomenon. This study was to validate the Educational Stress Scale for Adolescents (ESSA), developed and tested in China, with the aim of fostering further research in Asia.

Predictors of accurate maternal perception of their preschool child's weight status among Hispanic WIC participants.

Childhood obesity is a growing problem in the United States. Parental perception of their children's weight status is a key factor that needs to be considered when developing prevention programs for preschool children. Using a randomly selected sample of participants of Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in Los Angeles County, we assessed accuracy of maternal perceptions of their children's weight status by comparing children's weight classification to the mothers' response to the question "Do you consider your child to be overweight, underweight or about right weight for (his) (her) height?" Additionally, we identified possible predictors of accurate maternal perception of their children's weight status by conducting a logistic regression model with child's gender, child's birth weight, maternal age, maternal BMI, maternal education, maternal acculturation level, and maternal language preference as potential predictors.