Publications by authors named "Patricia Markham Risica"

Lifestyle-related chronic disease increases in the United States have led to the need for innovative programs targeting dietary choices. Based on growing evidence supporting whole food plant-based (WFPB) nutrition to improve overall health, we devised a one-month WFPB intervention program, Jumpstart Your Health! (JYH), to introduce and encourage adoption of the WFPB dietary lifestyle. This paper investigates its effects on various health indicators associated with cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Psychosocial predictors of breastfeeding and changes in those factors during pregnancy, along with the relationship of those changes with both breastfeeding and smoke use and exposure, are not well explored.

Research Aim: The aim of this study was to identify distinct trajectories of psychosocial determinants of breastfeeding and smoking in pregnant women.

Methods: We used a longitudinal study design and data from a randomized controlled trial conducted among smoke-exposed pregnant women and their infants.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Childhood eating behaviors are associated with weight status and laboratory assessments of dietary intake. However, little is known about how eating behaviors relate to the eating patterns and diet quality of children from marginalized populations when assessed in their natural environments. Therefore, we examined the association of food avoidant (e.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To explore the goals, barriers, and facilitators set by caregivers of preschool-aged children to improve food parenting practices and household food environments.

Design: Secondary qualitative analysis of collaborative goal sheets completed during in-home and telephone visits as part of a home-based pilot intervention.

Participants: Thirty-three Hispanic/Latinx caregivers, predominantly of low income.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Cancer screening is effective in reducing the burden of breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers, but not all communities have appropriate access to these services. In this study, we aimed to identify under-resourced communities by assessing the association between the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) with screening rates for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers in ZIP-code tabulation areas (ZCTAs) in Rhode Island.

Methods: This study leveraged deidentified health insurance claims data from HealthFacts RI, the state's all-payer claims database, to calculate screening rates for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers using Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set measures.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The food and beverages served in family childcare homes (FCCHs) may play an important role in the development of childhood overweight and obesity. This analysis examines whether children's diet quality mediates the relationship between foods and beverages served in FCCHs and preschool-aged children's weight status.

Methods: Trained and certified staff conducted observations for two days in each FCCH, using the Environment and Policy Assessment and Observation (EPAO) measure to determine the foods and beverages served to children (N = 370) in FCCHs (N = 120).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Cancer is an enormous public health challenge in the United States and around the world. Early detection through screening can identify cancer when it is most treatable and can result in greater survival rates; however, racial and ethnic disparities in breast and cervical screening result in late diagnosis and a higher risk of poor outcomes and death for women of color.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine barriers that a diverse sample of women in Rhode Island face related to breast and cervical cancer screening, as well as motivators that encourage women to obtain screening services.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The analysis investigates how the quality of food and drinks in family childcare homes (FCCHs) influences preschool children's weight status through their diet quality.
  • Trained staff observed and recorded food and beverage offerings in 120 FCCHs, assessing the intake of 370 children using guidelines like the Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI) to evaluate diet quality and BMI measures.
  • Results showed that better food quality in FCCHs correlated with healthier diet scores, which in turn related to lower BMI z-scores, indicating that diet quality mediates the impact of food served on children's weight.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Breastfeeding rates fall short of public health goals, but barriers are poorly understood. We examined whether excessive sleepiness during pregnancy and the postpartum period was associated with breastfeeding intentions, attitudes, initiation, and continuation in a tobacco-exposed sample participating in a randomized controlled trial to reduce smoke exposure (n = 399). We used the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) to examine associations between excessive sleepiness in early (12-16 weeks gestation) and late (32 weeks gestation) pregnancy and at 6 months postpartum, with breastfeeding attitudes using the Mitra index, intentions, initiation, and continuation, as well as other infant feeding practices using the Infant Feeding Questionnaire.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Early childcare has been identified as an influential setting for children's physical activity. Our objective was to determine whether children aged 2 to 5 years had more accelerometer-measured minutes of physical activity when caregivers in their family childcare home (FCCH) adhered to best practices for physical activity and screen time.

Methods: We analyzed baseline 2-day observation data collected by using the Environment and Policy Assessment and Observation measure from a cluster-randomized trial.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Little is known about the association between sleep and diet in pregnancy, despite both behaviors impacting maternal and fetal health. We aimed to perform a systematic review of the available literature on associations between sleep characteristics and dietary intake and eating behaviors during pregnancy, reporting on both maternal and fetal outcomes. We followed the 2020 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and conducted our search on 27 May 2021 in the PubMed, EMBASE, and CINAHL databases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: A growing gap in exclusive breastfeeding across racial/ethnic groups in the United States includes a very low proportion of African American/Black women, with only 17.4% breastfeeding exclusively in 2015. While many quantitative studies examine these disparities, few qualitative studies have examined the overall experience of breastfeeding for Black women.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To examine the relationship between the diet quality of children aged 2-5 years cared for in family child care homes (FCCHs) with provider adherence to nutrition best practices.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis.

Participants: Family child care home providers (n = 120, 100% female, 67.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Individuals with mobility impairments (MI; use equipment to ambulate) have a high prevalence of both smoking and depression. Behavioral activation (BA) purports that depressed mood is remediated through valued activity engagement and may facilitate smoking cessation in MI populations.

Objective: We examined cross-sectional associations between activity engagement and variables important for smoking cessation among a high-risk group of smokers (people with MIs) and also describe a smoking cessation intervention based on BA, given the lack of studies on smokers with MIs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: The socioemotional climate when feeding is a focus in childhood obesity prevention efforts. However, little is known about why caregivers create nonsupportive or supportive climates. This cross-sectional study used a Self-Determination Theory perspective to identify factors associated with the socioemotional climate when feeding in ethnically diverse families with low income.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To describe the feasibility, acceptability and results of Strong Families Start at Home, a 6-month pilot trial of a home-based food parenting/nutrition intervention.

Design: Pilot randomised controlled trial.

Setting: Participants received six visits with a community health worker trained in motivational interviewing (three home visits, three phone calls); an in-home cooking or reading activity; personalised feedback on a recorded family meal or reading activity; text messages and tailored printed materials.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Skin cancer incidence in the United States has risen rapidly in recent decades, underscoring the need for accessible and effective prevention practices. The full-body skin examination (FBSE) is the quintessential tool for secondary skin cancer prevention, but the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) states there is insufficient evidence to recommend the examination for the general or at-risk population. Variable performance of FBSEs among primary care providers (PCPs) is a barrier to accurate studies, and variability in measurement of that performance can be a major impediment to assessment of FBSEs in practice.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Few studies have documented the food and physical activity (PA) environments of childcare settings caring for children <24 months of age, although they may be key contributors to developing child PA and diet patterns. We used an adapted Environment and Policy Assessment and Observation tool to assess the food and activity environments for infants and toddlers in childcare centers (n = 21) and family childcare homes (FCCH) (n = 20) and explored differences by childcare type. Many similarities were found between childcare site types; however, centers used more recommended feeding practices than FCCH (e.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Skin cancer incidence in the United States has risen rapidly in recent decades, underscoring the need for accessible and effective prevention practices. Skin cancer prevention counseling can lead to increased sun protective behavior and early detection; however, little is understood regarding the frequency and content of counseling among primary care providers (PCPs). We performed multi-center cross-sectional surveys among 53 providers and 3343 of their patients and chart review asking whether skin cancer prevention counseling occurred and details of that counseling.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Childcare settings are important environments for influencing child eating and physical activity (PA). Family childcare homes (FCCH) care for many children of low-income and diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds who are at greater risk for poor diet quality, low PA, and obesity, but few interventions have targeted this setting. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of a multicomponent intervention conducted in FCCH on the diet quality and PA of 2-5 year old children in their care.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To examine racial/ethnic differences in maternal feeding practices and beliefs in a sample of low-income smoke-exposed women.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis using data collected during a randomised control trial. Maternal feeding practices and beliefs were assessed using the Infant Feeding Questionnaire (IFQ), which was administered at 6 months postpartum.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Food insecurity is associated with negative food parenting practices that may promote child obesity, including pressure to eat and food restriction. Less is known about the relationship between food insecurity and positive food parenting practices, including exposing the child to new foods and involving the child in food preparation. Further, few studies have investigated the associations between food insecurity and child eating behaviors that have been linked to poor dietary outcomes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: This study aimed to assess effects of emotional eating and stress on weight change among Black women in a culturally tailored weight-control program.

Methods: SisterTalk, a cable-TV-delivered weight-control randomized trial, included 331 Black women (aged 18-75 years; BMI ≥ 25 kg/m) in Boston, Massachusetts. BMI and waist circumference (WC) were assessed at baseline and 3, 8, and 12 months post randomization.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Many women stop smoking during pregnancy, but many relapse after giving birth, which was the focus of the study.
  • Researchers tested if motivational interviewing (MI) through phone counseling could help new mothers maintain their smoke-free status after childbirth, comparing it to standard care.
  • The results showed that MI did not significantly reduce relapse rates among postpartum women, indicating a need for new approaches in future studies on preventing smoking relapse after delivery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: As US Hispanic populations are at higher risk than non-Hispanics for cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes targeted interventions are clearly needed. This paper presents the four years results of the Vida Sana Program (VSP), which was developed and is implemented by a small clinic serving mostly Spanish-speaking, limited literacy population.

Methods: The eight-week course of interactive two-hour sessions taught by Navegantes, bilingual/cultural community health workers, was delivered to participants with hypertension, or high lipids, BMI, waist circumference, glucose or hemoglobin A1C (A1C).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF