Publications by authors named "Valene Garr-Barry"

Objective: To identify individual- and community-level factors that predict the odds of multigravid Black women having consecutive pregnancies without adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of 515 multigravid Black women from a longitudinal observational study (2017-2019). We assessed the presence of adverse pregnancy outcomes (hypertensive disorders, gestational diabetes, preterm birth, fetal growth restriction, placental abruption, and pregnancy loss) for the index and prior pregnancies.

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Objective: To assess whether diet quality and specific dietary components are associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP).

Study Design: Nested case control study in a prospectively collected cohort of 450 participants with singleton pregnancies who completed the National Institutes of Health Diet Health Questionnaire II (DHQ-II) in the third trimester or within 3 months of delivery. Patients with fetal anomalies, conception by in-vitro fertilization, and deliveries at outside hospitals were excluded from the original prospective cohort study.

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Objective: To estimate the effect of diabetes group prenatal care on rates of preterm birth and large for gestational age (LGA) among patients with diabetes in pregnancy compared with individual diabetes prenatal care.

Data Sources: We searched Ovid Medline (1946-), Embase.com (1947-), Scopus (1823-), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ClinicalTrials.

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Membrane capacitance (C), a bioimpedance-derived measure of cell membrane health, has been suggested as an indicator of health status. However, there are few published data to support its use in clinical settings. Hence, this study evaluated clinically relevant sources of variation, precision, and reliability of C measurements.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to determine if an Intensive Cardiac Rehabilitation (ICR) program could help reduce depression and improve confidence in managing heart health among patients with heart conditions.
  • Conducted at a single outpatient center, the study included 268 patients, most of whom were men with an average age of 69.
  • Results showed significant improvements in depression levels and cardiac self-efficacy across all participants, with the most notable changes seen in those who initially had moderate to severe depressive symptoms.
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Postpartum fat mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) may be informative predictors of future disease risk among women; hence, there is growing use of bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to quantify FFM and FM among postpartum women due to the quick, non-invasive, and inexpensive nature of BIA. Despite this, very few studies have examined BIA's performance, and it remains unclear as to whether specific BIA equations are needed for postpartum women. To explore these questions, we measured total body FFM and FM with a multi-frequency, segmental BIA, and dual-X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in (1) women at one and four months postpartum ( = 21); and (2) height- and weight-matched non-postpartum women (controls, = 21).

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Objective: To estimate short-term maternal and neonatal outcomes with one-compared with two-step testing for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

Data Sources: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies comparing one-step and two-step GDM testing strategies before September 2021 was conducted. We searched Ovid Medline (1946-), EMBASE (1947-), Scopus (1960-), Cochrane Central, and ClinicalTrials.

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High blood pressure (BP) is the leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although factors outside the home, such as crime and noise, have been associated with high BP in women and children, it is unknown if disorder within the home (household disorder) influences BP. We tested the hypothesis that women and children with more household disorder would have higher BP, independent of age, race, sodium intake, and body mass index (BMI).

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Adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) collectively represent the leading causes of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Beyond the potentially devastating impact of APOs during pregnancy and the puerperium, women diagnosed with APOs have a 2-fold to 4-fold increased risk of future cardiovascular disease. Fortunately, APOs occur at an opportune time, in early-adulthood to mid-adulthood, when primary and secondary prevention strategies can alter the disease trajectory and improve long-term health outcomes.

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Objectives: The aim was to determine the nutritional adequacy of calorie restricted (CR) diets during CR interventions up to 12 months.

Methods: The Comprehensive Assessment of Long-Term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy (CALERIE™) phase 1 trial consisted of 3 single-site studies to test the feasibility and effectiveness of CR in adults without obesity. After baseline assessments, participants who were randomized to a CR intervention received education and training from registered dietitians on how to follow a healthful CR diet.

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Purpose Of Review: Total ceramide levels in cardiac tissue relate to cardiac dysfunction in animal models. However, emerging evidence suggests that the fatty acyl chain length of ceramides also impacts their relationship to cardiac function. This review explores evidence regarding the relationship between ceramides and left ventricular dysfunction and heart failure.

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The objective of this study is to determine whether middle-aged adults prescribed a low carbohydrate-high fat (LCHF) or low fat (LF) diet would have greater loss of central fat and to determine whether the insulin resistance (IR) affects intervention response. A total of 50 participants (52.3 ± 10.

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Objective: This study aimed to determine whether higher membrane capacitance (C ), a bioelectrical measure of cell membrane function, is associated with insulin resistance (IR) and/or metabolic syndrome (MetS).

Methods: Cross-sectional analyses were performed on 2,191 relatively healthy adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The C of those with low/no disease risk was compared with those with IR, MetS, or both IR and MetS using ANCOVA.

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Background: Insulin resistance and accumulation of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) place aging adults with obesity at high risk of cardio-metabolic disease. A very low carbohydrate diet (VLCD) may be a means of promoting fat loss from the visceral cavity and skeletal muscle, without compromising lean mass, and improve insulin sensitivity in aging adults with obesity.

Objective: To determine if a VLCD promotes a greater loss of fat (total, visceral and intermuscular), preserves lean mass, and improves insulin sensitivity compared to a standard CHO-based/low-fat diet (LFD) in older adults with obesity.

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Participants in the ENCOURAGE Healthy Families Study, a family-focused, modified Diabetes Prevention Program, reported challenges to and preferences for engaging in a diabetes prevention program. Challenges with flexible intervention delivery, accessibility, the traditional group-based format, and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) exposure risk can be mitigated by participant preferences for one-on-one, virtual/online intervention delivery.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.

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Background: Evidence suggests that the association between dietary energy density (DED) and body composition in children is different than in adults. The purpose of this study was to measure if DED differed by race/ethnicity and if DED was associated with adiposity markers in children.

Methodology: Dietary intake and body composition were measured in a multi-ethnic sample of 307 children aged seven to 12 (39% European American, EA; 35% African American, AA; and 26% Hispanic American, HA).

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Background & Aims: Segmental body composition may be an important indicator of health and nutritional status in conditions where variations in fat and lean mass are frequently isolated to a particular body segment (e.g. paralysis, sarcopenia).

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