The Exposure Peaks of Traffic-Related Ultrafine Particles Associated with Inflammatory Biomarkers and Blood Lipid Profiles.

In this article, we explored the effects of ultrafine particle (UFP) peak exposure on inflammatory biomarkers and blood lipids using two novel metrics-the intensity of peaks and the frequency of peaks. We used data previously collected by the Community Assessment of Freeway Exposure and Health project from participants in the Greater Boston Area. The UFP exposure data were time-activity-adjusted hourly average concentration, estimated using land use regression models based on mobile-monitored ambient concentrations.

Fish-To Eat or Not to Eat? A Mixed-Methods Investigation of the Conundrum of Fish Consumption in the Context of Marine Pollution in Indonesia.

The Indonesian government faces a dilemma of promoting fish consumption for its health benefits and to ease food insecurity, while at the same time seeking effective approaches to reduce the high levels of marine pollution. However, the factors associated with fish consumption in the face of persistent high levels of marine pollution are not well elucidated in the literature. This was an explorative study to investigate the sociodemographic factors related to fish consumption and to understand the perspectives of expert informants on marine pollution and its impact on fish quality and availability in Indonesia.

The Socio-Ecological Context of the Nutrition Transition in Indonesia: A Qualitative Investigation of Perspectives from Multi-Disciplinary Stakeholders.

Background: Indonesia is undergoing a rapid nutrition transition—a shift in food consumption related to globalization, modernization, urbanization, and economic development—with potentially adverse impacts on diets, health, and the environment. This study sought to understand the perspectives of a multi-disciplinary group of experts on the effects of the nutrition transition on dietary behaviors, cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, and the food environment in Indonesia. Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted online with 27 Indonesian experts, who are either healthcare providers, nutrition researchers, or environmental researchers.

Better Understanding Wearable Activity Monitor Use and Non-Use Among Older Adults: A Qualitative Study.

We used qualitative methods to better understand wearable activity monitor (WAM) use and its relationship with physical activity (PA) among older adults. Four focus groups, stratified by current/past ("ever") WAM users and "never" WAM users, were conducted with 57 participants aged ≥60 years. Data were coded with deductive and inductive approaches.

A Cross-Sectional Assessment of Dietary Patterns and Their Relationship to Hypertension and Obesity in Indonesia.

Background: There is a marked increase in the intake of foods associated with higher risks for hypertension and obesity in Indonesia. However, studies assessing the relationship between dietary patterns and health outcomes are few.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to characterize dietary patterns and investigate their relationship with hypertension and obesity in Indonesia.

Vitamin D supplementation and cardiometabolic risk factors among diverse schoolchildren: a randomized clinical trial.

Background: There remains a lack of evidence demonstrating a potential relationship between vitamin D and cardiometabolic risk among children.

Objectives: We examined the effect of 3 different dosages of vitamin D on cardiometabolic risk factors among children at risk of deficiency.

Methods: Racially diverse schoolchildren aged 8-15 y were randomly assigned in a double-blind fashion to supplementation with 600, 1000, or 2000 IU vitamin D3/d for 6 mo.

Arts, Culture, and Creativity as a Strategy for Countering the Negative Social Impacts of Immigration Stress and Gentrification.

. This article looks at the role that arts, culture, and creativity play in promoting social cohesion and community well-being. It presents research on the role that a community arts center plays in an ethnic enclave that is under stress of immigration and gentrification.

The Fueling Learning Through Exercise Study Cluster RCT: Impact on Children's Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity.

Introduction: Most children do not meet the recommendations for school-time and daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, with significant demographic disparities and declines over the elementary school years. Investigators examined the impact of Fueling Learning through Exercise study school-based physical activity programs on school-time and total daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity among lower-income school children.

Design, Participants, And Intervention: Urban elementary schools (N=18) were cluster randomized to 100 Mile Club, Just Move, or control.

Wearable Activity Monitor Use Is Associated With the Aerobic Physical Activity Guidelines and Walking Among Older Adults.

Purpose: To examine wearable activity monitor (WAM) use and its association with meeting the 2008 aerobic Physical Activity Guidelines (PAG) and walking among older adults.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Setting: FallStyles 2015 national consumer panel survey.

Self-Reported Changes and Perceived Barriers to Healthy Eating and Physical Activity among Global Breast Cancer Survivors: Results from an Exploratory Online Novel Survey.

Background: Despite being motivated to improve nutrition and physical activity behaviors, cancer survivors are still burdened by suboptimal dietary intake and low levels of physical activity.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess changes in nutrition and physical activity behaviors after cancer diagnosis or treatment, barriers to eating a healthy diet and staying physically active, and sources for seeking nutrition advice reported by breast cancer survivors.

Design: This was a cross-sectional study.

Differences in Food-at-Home Spending for SNAP and Non-SNAP Households Given Geographic Price Variation.

Background: As the largest nutrition safety net program in the United States, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) enhances food security by providing low-income households with benefits for food-at-home (FAH) spending. A large literature finds a positive effect of SNAP on FAH spending, but it is unclear whether this relationship varies with area-level prices. SNAP benefits do not explicitly account for price variation across the contiguous United States.

Perceived Benefits and Barriers to Free Summer Meal Participation Among Parents in New York City.

Objective: To examine perceived benefits and barriers of summer meal participation among lower-income families who participate in school lunch programs during the year.

Design: Semistructured phone interviews were conducted with parents of elementary-aged children, including both participants and nonparticipants in summer meals.

Setting: Queens, Bronx, and Brooklyn, NY.

Potential of Using Twitter to Recruit Cancer Survivors and Their Willingness to Participate in Nutrition Research and Web-Based Interventions: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Social media is rapidly changing how cancer survivors search for and share health information and can potentially serve as a cost-effective channel to reach cancer survivors and invite them to participate in nutrition intervention programs.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the feasibility of using Twitter to recruit cancer survivors for a web-based survey and assess their willingness to complete web-based nutrition surveys, donate biospecimens, and to be contacted about web-based nutrition programs.

Methods: We contacted 301 Twitter accounts of cancer organizations, advocates, and survivors to request assistance promoting a web-based survey among cancer survivors.

Modifying dietary risk behaviors to prevent obesity and dental caries in very young children: results of the Baby Steps to Health pediatric dental pilot.

Objectives: To describe the design, feasibility, and acceptability of a theory-informed obesity and dental caries prevention pilot study, Baby Steps to Health, conducted in an academic dental clinic among a primarily Asian immigrant population.

Methods: Baby Steps used self-determination theory and behavioral motivation strategies for a caregiver/child (6-36 months) nutrition and oral health behavior change intervention implemented in a pediatric dental clinic. Caregivers completed a dietary practice assessment to identify risk behaviors and potential courses of action.

The FLEX study school-based physical activity programs - measurement and evaluation of implementation.

Background: Increasing children's physical activity (PA) at school is critical to obesity prevention and health promotion. Implementing novel, low-cost PA programs offers potential to contribute to children's in-school PA, particularly in resource-constrained schools. This evaluation describes implementation fidelity, reach, and dose of two PA programs in the Fueling Learning through Exercise (FLEX) Study.

Relationship Between Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Weight Status, and Academic Performance: Longitudinal Evidence From 1 School District.

Objectives: We examined the longitudinal relationship between cardiovascular fitness (CRF) and academic performance (AP) among students in a diverse public school district. Furthermore, we determined whether the relationship between CRF and AP varied by student sociodemographic characteristics.

Methods: This study used data from 2005-2006 to 2008-2009.

The Physical Activity Environment and Academic Achievement in Massachusetts Schoolchildren.

Background: A supportive school-based physical activity environment (PAE) is integral to children's physical activity behaviors, but less understood is its association with academic achievement. We aimed to assess the association between PAE and academic performance and whether a stronger relationship exists in lower-income schools (LIS) compared to middle-income schools (MIS).

Methods: Schoolchildren (grades 3rd to 5th) were recruited from 17 Massachusetts public schools.

Impact of Three Doses of Vitamin D3 on Serum 25(OH)D Deficiency and Insufficiency in At-Risk Schoolchildren.

Objective: We investigated the daily dose of vitamin D needed to achieve serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] sufficiency among schoolchildren at risk for deficiency.

Study Design: The Daily D Health Study was a randomized double-blind vitamin D supplementation trial among racially/ethnically diverse schoolchildren (n = 685) in the northeastern United States. Children were supplemented with vitamin D3 at 600, 1000, or 2000 IU/d for 6 months.

Healthy Living Behaviors Among Chinese-American Preschool-Aged Children: Results of a Parent Survey.

Associations between diet, physical activity, parenting, and acculturation among Chinese-American children are understudied. Parents/caregivers of children attending child-care programs in Boston Chinatown completed a self-administered survey on demographics, child's diet, physical activities, anthropometrics, and parenting practices. Associations were evaluated in multivariable regression analysis, stratified by survey language preference, a proxy for acculturation.

Study protocol: the Fueling Learning through Exercise (FLEX) study - a randomized controlled trial of the impact of school-based physical activity programs on children's physical activity, cognitive function, and academic achievement.

Background: Physical activity (PA) is critical to preventing childhood obesity and contributes to children's overall physical and cognitive health, yet fewer than half of all children achieve the recommended 60 min per day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Schools are an ideal setting to meeting PA guidelines, but competing demands and limited resources have impacted PA opportunities. The Fueling Learning through Exercise (FLEX) Study is a randomized controlled trial that will evaluate the impact of two innovative school-based PA programs on children's MVPA, cognitive function, and academic outcomes.

Impact of a Community-Based Physical Activity Program on Fitness and Adiposity Among Overweight and Obese Children.

This study tested whether overweight/obese children's attendance in a community-based physical activity (PA) program was associated with changes in cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and adiposity and whether in-program activity levels influenced those associations. Program sessions (offered twice/week, 2 hours/session, over 9 months) included structured exercise/sports. At baseline and follow-up, CRF was measured as Progressive Aerobic Cardiorespiratory Endurance Run (PACER) laps, height/weight were measured, and body mass index (BMI) was calculated.

Increasing Children's Physical Activity During the School Day.

Insufficient levels of daily physical activity (PA) among children in the USA and worldwide have profound implications for pediatric obesity and children's health and well-being more generally. Public health recommendations highlight the central role that schools play in providing equitable opportunities for PA for all children. This review identifies evidence-based approaches for increasing children's PA throughout the school day and discusses multilevel factors that support implementation of such approaches.

Challenges of Data Dissemination Efforts Within a Community-Based Participatory Project About Persistent Racial Disparities in Excess Weight.

Background: Despite universal environmental and policy-focused initiatives that resulted in declines in obesity among children in Cambridge, Massachusetts, disparities persist among racial/ethnic groups. In response, a community coalition formed the Healthy Eating and Living Project (HELP), to investigate and disseminate findings regarding disparities in excess weight among Cambridge Black youth (ages 6-14), with the aim of facilitating reciprocal learning and community mobilization to ultimately increase community engagement and inform prevention efforts.

Objectives: This paper details the theoretical framework, methods, and results of disseminating HELP findings to various sectors of the Cambridge Black/African American (Black) community.

The role of systemic inflammation linking maternal BMI to neurodevelopment in children.

Children of obese mothers are at increased risk of developmental adversities. Maternal obesity is linked to an inflammatory in utero environment, which, in turn, is associated with neurodevelopmental impairments in the offspring. This is an integrated mechanism review of animal and human literature related to the hypothesis that maternal obesity causes maternal and fetal inflammation, and that this inflammation adversely affects the neurodevelopment of children.