Background: Latinas constitute nearly 20% of midlife women in the United States (U.S.), but remain underrepresented in menopause research.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnn LGBTQ Public Popul Health
September 2024
Sexual minority (SM) adults have a higher prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), largely attributable to increased exposure to minority stressors. There are no evidence-based CVD risk reduction interventions tailored to the needs of SM adults. We conducted a qualitative descriptive study to explore SM adults' perceptions and preferences for a culturally tailored, minority stress-informed intervention for CVD risk reduction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: To evaluate the effects of oral contraceptive (OC) and hormonal intrauterine device (H-IUD) use, compared with an eumenorrheic (EUM) cycle, on maximal strength and power between hormone phases.
Methods: One-repetition maximum (1RM) leg press and bench press, peak force from knee extension and upright row isometric dynamometry, and power from vertical jump height and reactive strength index (cm·s -1 ) were measured in 60 healthy, active women (mean ± SD; age: 26.5 ± 7.
Objective: The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the symptom experience and coping strategies for managing joint pain during the menopause transition in urban Latina women.
Methods: We conducted focus groups with 13 English-speaking peri and early postmenopausal Latinas living in Upper Manhattan in New York City in 2014. Eligible participants were self-identified Latinas aged 45 to 60 years with new onset or worsening joint pain and spontaneous amenorrhea, recruited through flyers and snowball sampling.
Objectives: Vasomotor symptoms (VMS), including hot flashes and night sweats, are hallmark symptoms of the menopause transition. Previous research has documented greater frequency, duration, and severity of VMS in Black women compared with women from other racial/ethnic groups, even after accounting for other factors. This analysis examined the association between discrimination and VMS and the extent to which discrimination accounts for the disproportionate burden of VMS in Black women.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: This study aimed to evaluate the association between daily spiritual experiences and allostatic load (AL) trajectories in midlife African American women.
Methods: A longitudinal analysis of public-use data from 727 African American women in the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) was performed. We included African American women who completed the Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale at SWAN visit 4 (2000-2001) and had AL data at three or more study visits over 7 years.
Background: A previous systematic review reporting the contributions of informal, unpaid caregivers to patient heart failure (HF) self-care requires updating to better inform research, practice, and policy.
Objective: The aim of this study was to provide an updated review answering the questions: (1) What specific activities do informal caregivers of adults with HF take part in related to HF self-care? (2) Have the activities that informal caregivers of adults with HF take part in related to HF self-care changed over time? (3) What are the gaps in the science?
Methods: This review followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, and Cochrane CENTRAL databases were searched.
Objective: The objective of the review was to synthesize the evidence of the effectiveness of lifestyle-based interventions for mitigating absolute cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
Introduction: Evidence-based guidelines recommend employing an absolute CVD risk score to inform the selection and intensity of preventive interventions. However, studies employing this strategy have reported mixed results, hence the need for a systematic review of the current evidence.
Introduction: Although studies have demonstrated a J-shaped association between parity and cardiovascular disease (CVD), the association with arterial stiffness is not fully understood.
Methods: We examined the association between parity and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), a measure of central arterial stiffness. We conducted a longitudinal analysis of 1220 women (mean age 73.
Objectives: A shorter reproductive period, a marker of estrogen exposure, has been related to cognitive impairment among older (>65 years) non-Hispanic White women. We explored whether reproductive period duration, age at menarche, and age at menopause are related to cognitive function among postmenopausal Hispanic/Latina women.
Methods: This cross-sectional analysis used baseline (Visit 1: 2008-2011) data from 3630 postmenopausal women in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos.
Introduction: Police violence is a growing public health issue in the USA. Emerging evidence suggests that negative police encounters are associated with adverse physical and mental health outcomes. There is a critical need to examine the relationship between police violence and health disparities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The risk of developing cardiovascular disease is higher for women who had hypertensive disorders of pregnancy than for women without a history of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. However, it is unknown whether the emergency department visits and hospitalization differ between women with a history of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and women without hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. The objective of this study was to characterize and compare cardiovascular disease-related emergency department visits, hospitalization rates, and diagnoses in women with a history of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy with those in women without.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The aim of this study was to characterize and compare the symptoms women self-report during the late reproductive stage and the menopausal transition.
Methods: This cross-sectional analysis used data from the Spanish-language Women Living Better survey. Women aged 35 to 55 years completed an 82-item online survey to assess menstrual cycle patterns, changes, and 61 symptoms sometimes associated with menopause.
Pregnancy loss, including miscarriage and stillbirth, affects 15-20% of pregnancies in the United States (US) annually. Accumulating evidence suggests that pregnancy loss is associated with a greater cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden later in life. However, few studies have evaluated the impact of pregnancy loss on CVD risk factors in early adulthood (age <35 years).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Our objectives were to identify trajectories of palpitations over the menopause transition, characterize them, and examine associations with subclinical cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Methods: We analyzed the following data from the multisite, multiethnic SWAN (Study of Women Across the Nation): reported palpitations occurrence over time; baseline sociodemographic, reproductive, medication, and health-related factors; and follow-up visit subclinical CVD (carotid atherosclerosis, vascular stiffness). Trajectories of palpitations (n = 3,276), their characteristics, and their associations with subclinical CVD (n = 1,559) were identified using group-based trajectory modeling and linear and logistic regression models.
Hurricane Maria is regarded as one of the worst natural disasters in United States history as it devasted Puerto Rico (PR) in September 2017. This study compared population-based key health indicators among PR residents pre-and post-Hurricane Maria. We examined Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) PR data from five survey years, including pre-and post-Hurricane Maria: 2015 (N = 4556), 2016 (N = 5765), 2017 (N = 4462), 2018 (N = 4814), and 2019 (N = 4958).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The purpose of this brief report is to describe lessons learned in recruiting and enrolling midlife Latinas in a pilot study to reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk during the menopause transition. We also discuss strategies implemented to overcome the challenges presented by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Methods: Menopausia, Salud y Corazo´n is a two-group (intervention, waitlist control), repeated measures study.
Objective: African American women are exposed to multiple adverse psychosocial factors, including racism, discrimination, poverty, neighborhood stress, anxiety, and depression. The impact of these psychosocial factors on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in women during early adulthood is limited. This review aims to summarize and synthesize the recent literature on psychosocial factors related to CVD risk in young African American women.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHisp Health Care Int
December 2021
Background: Latino communities in the United States and Latin America are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed information shared on Twitter in Spanish language for insights into the public's communication and information needs about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: We performed a mixed-methods analysis using a text mining approach.
Objective: To examine whether blood pressure (BP) accelerates more rapidly during the menopause transition for women with a history of preterm or term small for gestational age (SGA) delivery compared to women with all term and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) births.
Methods: A longitudinal analysis was conducted with 1,008 parous women who had BP data at ≥2 study visits. We used generalized linear modeling to examine BP before the final menstrual period, at the final mentrual period, and up to 10 years after the final menstrual period, according to pregnancy group.
Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes
February 2021