American journal of preventive medicine
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The association between ultraprocessed food consumption and body composition and potential variations by sociodemographic factors is unclear. This study aims to examine the cross-sectional associations of ultraprocessed food consumption with imaging markers of body fat distribution in a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults, overall and by sociodemographic strata. ⋯ In a national U.S. sample, higher intake of ultraprocessed food was associated with greater body fat, in particular android fat, and this relationship was most prominent in certain population subgroups. These cross-sectional findings call for prospective and interventional studies to assess the impact of ultraprocessed food on body composition in different populations.
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Observational Study
Racial/ethnic disparities in vicarious and direct COVID-19-related discrimination and vigilance.
The high visibility of COVID-19-related discrimination underscores the importance of understanding the psychological harms associated with vicariously and directly experiencing such incidents. In this observational study, both vicariously and directly experienced COVID-19-related discrimination and their association with heightened concerns about discrimination and vigilance were examined in U.S. adults who use commercial tobacco. ⋯ COVID-19-related discrimination may undermine the psychological well-being of those who are exposed to it vicariously as well as those who experience it directly and may also make individuals feel vulnerable and unsafe. Interventions to prevent and reduce the impact of COVID-19-related discrimination may have wide-reaching societal benefits.
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Social determinants are structures and conditions in the biological, physical, built, and social environments that affect health, social and physical functioning, health risk, quality of life, and health outcomes. The adoption of recommended, standard measurement protocols for social determinants of health will advance the science of minority health and health disparities research and provide standard social determinants of health protocols for inclusion in all studies with human participants. ⋯ Promoting the adoption of well-established social determinants of health protocols can enable consistent data collection and facilitate comparing and combining studies, with the potential to increase their scientific impact.
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Understanding Associations of Personal Values with Support for Tobacco and Alcohol Control Policies.
This cross-sectional analysis of the 2020 Health Information National Trends Survey (N=3,604) examines the associations of personal values with tobacco and alcohol control policy support, which may inform policy-related communication efforts. ⋯ Personal values are associated with support for alcohol and tobacco control policies, with making my own decisions associated with the lowest policy support. Future research and communication efforts may consider aligning tobacco and alcohol control policies with the idea of supporting autonomy.
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Screening for food insecurity in clinical settings is recommended, but implementation varies widely. This study evaluated the prevalence of screening for food insecurity and other social risks in telehealth versus in-person encounters during the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in screening before versus after widespread COVID-19 vaccine availability. ⋯ Food insecurity screening in first primary care encounters is low overall, with lower rates during telehealth visits and the earlier phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research should explore the methods for enhancing social risk screening in telehealth encounters.