Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association最新文献

Background: Diminished social support lias shown to lead to worse cardiovascular outcomes and since cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States (U.S.), it is critical to non-invasively study its precursor- vascular disease (VD). Assessing the impact social support lias on vascular outcomes can unveil potential CVD susceptibilities in at-risk populations. African American women exhibit the greatest burden of CVD morbidity and mortality; therefore, the purpose of tins study is to examine the association between living arrangement/social support and impaired vascular function in asymptomatic African American women.

Methods: Vascular function was assessed by a non-invasive screening tool, HDI/PulseWave CR-2000, during screenings at community outreach events on participants clinically free of CVD. Vascular disease was defined as abnormal/impaired vascular function. Living arrangement, a binary variable (living with someone/living alone), was determined by survey responses (N=67) and represented social support. Multivariable analyses were used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) to determine the association between living arrangement and vascular disease after controlling for confounders. Analyses were conducted using SAS 9.2.

Results: Of those who lived alone, 82% had vascular disease (p=0.03). After adjusting for family CVD, and other CVD risk factors, those who lived with a spouse/partner or relative were 78% (p=0.04) less likely to develop vascular disease (AOR=0.22; 95% 0=0.05, 0.98).

Conclusions: Our study provides preliminary evidence to suggest that among African American women, clinically free of CVD, living arrangement is associated with vascular disease. While living alone may place individuals at an increased risk of CVD because of the association, living with a spouse/partner or relative may act as a protective factor against vascular disease and reduce the risk of CVD. Public health practitioners may use individuals' living arrangement as preventive measure for CVD risk.

Background: Obesity is a growing problem in the United States and is disproportionately increasing among African Americans. The objective of this study is to examine the sociodemographic and biometric factors associated with eating behaviors among African American women.

Methods: We analyzed data from the 2009-2010 dietary screener and weight history questionnaire from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Multivariable analyses were used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) to determine the association between six specific eating behaviors and different sociodemographic and biometric factors. Analyses were conducted using SAS 9.4.

Results: The analyses show that being middle aged (45-64) decreased the likelihood of consuming soft drinks (AOR: 0.48; 95% CI: 0.27-0.86); consuming red meat (AOR: 0.45; 95% CI: 0.25-0.82); and consuming processed meat (AOR: 0.55; 95% CI: 0.31-0.97). In addition, high school grads were over 3 times as likely to consume high amounts of soft drinks (AOR: 3.04; 95% CI: 1.33-6.94) and 65% less likely to consume high amounts of leafy/lettuce salads than college grads (AOR: 0.35; 95% CI: 0.15-0.82). Finally, single/widowed/divorced African American women were 13% less likely to eat high amounts of leafy green salads than married African American women (AOR: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.70-0.97).

Conclusions: The results indicate that some sociodemographic factors have an association with certain eating behaviors. Further exploration of sociodemographic and biometric factors, with the inclusion of culture and its association with eating behaviors will help to expand the literature.