A Mixed Methods Analysis of Long COVID Symptoms in Black Americans: Examining Physical and Mental Health Outcomes.

Background: While several reports confirm that long COVID is associated with poorer health, few studies explore how long COVID directly impacts the lives of Black Americans who experienced higher mortality rates early in the pandemic. Even fewer studies utilize both quantitative and qualitative methods to identify pertinent long COVID symptoms. The current study, therefore, sought to identify points of overlap and divergence when comparing qualitative vs.

Physical Activity Engagement among Black Immigrants and African American Adults in the 2010 to 2018 NHIS Study.

Background: High rates of physical inactivity persist in the United States, with higher rates among non-Hispanic Black adults than among their White peers. However, a comparison of physical activity engagement across nativity among Black adults in the United States has yet to be fully documented. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine physical activity engagement rates among African immigrant and Afro-Caribbean immigrant adults compared with native-born African American adults using data from the 2010 to 2018 National Health Interview Survey.

Continuous glucose monitoring for black older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus: Challenges, innovations and implications: A discursive review.

Aim: To conduct a discursive review on continuous glucose monitoring use among Black older adults and to address the issue of racial disparities in diabetes management and outcomes. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a global health concern with significant complications and mortality rates. Black older adults are disproportionately affected.

Chronic Stress and Cardiovascular Events: Findings From the CARDIA Study.

Introduction: Higher levels of perceived stress are associated with adverse cardiovascular health. It is plausible that these associations are attenuated among individuals with positive psychological factors such as social support and health-enhancing behaviors. Therefore, this study examined longitudinal associations of chronic stress with cardiovascular disease (CVD) events, and whether social support and physical activity (PA) modify these associations.

Racial Discrimination and Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Dysregulation in Adolescents With Overweight and Obesity: Does Context Matter?

Objectives: In adolescents at higher risk for chronic disease, the role that context of a discriminatory event may play on cortisol dysregulation is unclear. The purpose of this study was to perform a cross-sectional analysis examining the association between racial discrimination context (peer, educational, institutional, and cumulative) and diurnal cortisol patterning in adolescents with overweight and obesity.

Methods: One hundred adolescents (13-19 years; 49% non-Hispanic Black; 65% female; body mass index percentile = 93.

An exploratory analysis examining differences in physical activity and motor competence in children with and without asthma: brief report.

Objective: The purpose of this pilot study was to examine potential differences in motor competence (MC) and physical activity (PA) between children with and without asthma.

Methods: Thirty-seven children and adolescents completed the Exercises for a Healthy Asthma Lifestyle and Enjoyment study (46% with asthma, 51% female, 11.1 ± 0.

A Novel Policy Alignment and Enhancement Process to Improve Sustainment of School-Based Physical Activity Programming.

The purpose of the current study was twofold: (1) to evaluate the strength and comprehensiveness of district wellness policies in one central Michigan intermediate school district (ISD; 16 districts), and (2) to pilot a novel policy alignment and enhancement process in one district within the ISD to improve sustainment of district-wide physical activity (PA) programming. Policy evaluation and alignment were determined using WellSAT 3.0.

Migration-Related Weight Changes among African Immigrants in the United States.

(1) Background: people who migrate from low-to high-income countries are at an increased risk of weight gain, and excess weight is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Few studies have quantified the changes in body mass index (BMI) pre- and post-migration among African immigrants. We assessed changes in BMI pre- and post-migration from Africa to the United States (US) and its associated risk factors.

Weight stigma and physical activity avoidance among college-aged students.

This study explored cross-sectional associations between prior weight stigma experiences, physical activity (PA) intentions, behaviors, and the acute effects of a weight stigma exposure on PA intentions and behaviors among undergraduate students. Weight-stigma experiences and behavioral intentions were self-reported. Moderate-to-vigorous PA and total PA were assessed using accelerometry.

Psychological Responses to Intermittent Activities in Children With and Without Asthma.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the psychological responses to intermittent activities of varying intensities and types among children with and without asthma.

Methods: A total of 37 children and adolescents (51% male, aged 8-16 y, 54% nonwhite, and 54% without asthma) participated in this study. Participants completed 5 exercises in the same order: self-paced walking, resistance activities, dance video, gamified obstacle course, and step test.

Classroom-Based Strategies to Reduce Disparities in Physical Activity Among Children with Asthma.

Children with asthma often experience physical activity (PA) induced symptoms 5-15 min following the start of exercise. Classroom PA breaks provide short intermittent bouts of PA and may represent a novel strategy to safely promote PA participation in this clinical population. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of a classroom-based PA intervention, Interrupting Prolonged Sitting with Activity (InPACT), where teachers implement 5 × 4-min moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) breaks throughout the school day.

Racial differences in psychological stress and insulin sensitivity in non-Hispanic Black and White adolescents with overweight/obesity.

Introduction: Racial differences in type 2 diabetes risk persist among non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White adolescents with overweight/obesity; however, the role of psychological stress in this disparity is less clear.

Purpose: To examine racial differences in the association between psychological stress, insulin sensitivity (S), acute insulin response to glucose (AIR), and disposition index (DI) among non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White adolescents with overweight/obesity.

Methods: Ninety-six adolescents (60% female; 51% non-Hispanic Black; 16.

A randomized controlled trial for symptoms of anxiety and depression: Effects of a 1-day acceptance and commitment training workshop.

Background: Cognitive-behavioral therapies often are recommended for anxiety disorders. However, treatment adherence and compliance are major barriers for these treatments, which are often delivered in 10 to 12 sessions over several months. This randomized controlled trial (trial registration NCT02915874 at www.

Acute Daily Stress, Daily Food Consumption, and the Moderating Effect of Disordered Eating among Adolescents with Overweight/Obesity.

The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between acute daily stress dimensions (frequency, sum) and food intake in adolescents with overweight/obesity, and to explore the potential moderating effect of disordered eating behaviors on these associations. One hundred eighty-two adolescents with overweight/obesity (65% females; 68.7% non-white; 16.

Psychological Stress and Lowered Physical Activity Enjoyment in Adolescents With Overweight/Obesity.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was 2-fold: 1) to determine the cross-sectional associations between psychological stress, physical activity enjoyment, and physical activity participation [moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), total physical activity (TPA)]; and 2) to determine the moderating effect of physical activity enjoyment on the associations between stress, MVPA, and TPA in adolescents with overweight/obesity.

Design: Cross-sectional, secondary data analysis of the Health and Culture Project and the Stress, Obesity, and Diabetes in Adolescents study.

Sample: One hundred and ten adolescents (73% female; 65.

Adapting the InPACT Intervention to Enhance Implementation Fidelity and Flexibility.

Adapting classroom-based physical activity interventions are critical for program feasibility and fidelity in low-resource elementary schools. The purpose of this pilot study was to use Replicating Effective Programs (REP) framework to tailor the Interrupting Prolonged sitting with ACTivity (InPACT) intervention and evaluate its effectiveness on program fidelity in classrooms within a low-resource school. REP was applied to adapt program packaging, teacher training, and technical assistance to disseminate Tailored InPACT, a 20-week intervention where teachers implemented 5 × 4-min activity breaks per day.

Stress coping strategies and stress reactivity in adolescents with overweight/obesity.

This study explored the associations between the frequency and effectiveness of habitual stress coping strategies on physiological and psychological stress responses to an acute laboratory stressor in adolescents with overweight/obesity (51 adolescents; 47% female; ages 14-19 years). Coping strategies were assessed using the Schoolager's Coping Strategies Inventory. Acute physiological stress responses were measured as salivary cortisol and α-amylase output during the Trier Social Stress Test and during a control condition.

Community violence exposure and cortisol awakening responses in adolescents who are overweight/obese.

Background: Community violence exposure has been identified as a salient environmental stressor associated with dysregulated cortisol awakening response (CAR), which may act to exacerbate hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation observed in adolescents who are overweight/obese.

Purpose: To perform an exploratory cross-sectional analysis examining the association between community violence exposure and CAR in adolescents who are overweight/obese.

Methods: One-hundred adolescents (ages: 13-19 years; 65% female; average BMI percentile: 93.

Adolescent stress: A predictor of dieting behaviors in youth with overweight/obesity.

Objective: To examine associations between psychological stress and dieting behavior along with the heterogeneity of this association by gender and race in a diverse sample of adolescents with overweight/obesity.

Methods: One hundred and sixty-one adolescents between the ages of 13-19 years of age with overweight/obesity (65% female; 53% non-Hispanic black/47% non-Hispanic white; age: 16.7 ± 1.

A Pilot Intervention Using Gamification to Enhance Student Participation in Classroom Activity Breaks.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of adding game design elements (goal setting, feedback, and external rewards) to an evidence-based physical activity intervention to increase in-class physical activity participation (intensity of activity breaks performed). Nine third- through sixth-grade classrooms ( = 292 students) in one elementary-middle school in Detroit, Michigan (49% female, 95% nonwhite; 80% qualified for free/reduced lunch) participated in this 20-week intervention where teachers implemented 5 × 4 min moderate-to-vigorous activity breaks per day. Gamification of activity breaks occurred during weeks 13-20 of the intervention and included the use of game design elements and classroom goals for activity break intensity.

Acute Effects of Interrupting Prolonged Sitting With Intermittent Physical Activity on Blood Pressure in Preadolescent Children.

Purpose: To compare the acute effects of intermittent physical activity (PA) across 4 different intensities on blood pressure.

Methods: Thirty children (12 males and 18 females; aged 7-11 y; 33% overweight/obese; 53% nonwhite) completed 4 experimental conditions in random order: 8 hours sitting interrupted with 20, 2-minute low-, moderate-, high-intensity PA breaks, or sedentary screen-time breaks. PA intensity corresponded with 25%, 50%, and 75% of heart rate reserve.

Perceived Stress Predicts Lower Physical Activity in African-American Boys, but not Girls.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine cross-sectional relationships of psychological stress, stress coping, and minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in Amer- ican-American (AA) boys and girls.

Methods: A community-based sample of 139 AA adolescents (mean age 14.7 years; SD = 1.

The effects of interrupting prolonged sitting with intermittent activity on appetite sensations and subsequent food intake in preadolescent children.

Background: Short-term and long-term exposure to prolonged sitting is associated with excess food intake and weight gain in children. Interrupting prolonged sitting with low-intensity activity has been shown to not alter hunger, satiety, or food consumption in children, however it is unclear whether interrupting sitting with high-intensity activity will alter appetite regulation in children.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of interrupting prolonged sitting with intermittent activity performed at varying intensities on hunger, satiety, prospective food consumption (PFC), and food intake in preadolescent children.