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Rural, indigenous populations in Mexico face barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) resources and services. Given the lack of information to inform educational materials tailored to the needs of these indigenous communities, we aimed to: (a) quantitatively characterise the SRH awareness and practices among adolescents and adults in a rural, mostly indigenous community in northern Mexico and (b) qualitatively assess community perspectives on an educational pamphlet with SRH information (e.g. contraceptive options). Quantitative data collection occurred in November 2018 and April 2019 using convenience sampling in a community clinic and random sampling for community households. Qualitative data collection occurred in November 2019 via individual interviews and focus group discussions to assess community perspectives about an SRH educational pamphlet developed from quantitative data. Participants in the quantitative phase of our study ( n  = 217) were a median age of 30 years, 71% were female, and those with children reported having a median of three (range = 1-11). SRH knowledge was low, as were self-reported efforts to obtain contraceptives or testing for HIV/STIs. Most believed that children should learn about SRH by age 10-15 years, and 94% felt that parents should deliver such education. Participants had low knowledge about SRH but high motivation to educate children and adolescents on these topics, indicating potential for SRH campaigns in this community. Health education materials were well-received in the qualitative phase of our study ( n  = 17 from individual interviews; n  = 22 from focus group discussions), and raised interest among community members in learning more about these topics.

Background: Failure to recognize children's overweight status by parents may contribute to children's risk for obesity. We examined two methods of measuring mothers' perceptions of children's weight and factors associated with weight perception inaccuracy. Methods: Cross-sectional analyses of clinical and self-report data from 287 Mexican-heritage mother-child dyads. Mothers identified their child's weight category using a scale ( e.g. , "normal/overweight/obese") and a visual silhouette scale (11 child gender-specific weight-varying images). Children's height and weight were measured to calculate body mass index (BMI). Chi-square tests examined associations between categorical, silhouette, and BMI percentile categories of children's weight. Bivariate logistic regression analyses examined factors associated with mothers' inaccuracy of their children's weight. Results: Only 13% of mothers accurately classified their child as obese using the categorical scale, while 78% accurately classified their child as obese using the silhouette scale. Mothers were more likely to underestimate their child's weight using BMI categories (62%) compared to using the silhouette scale (23%). Predictors of mothers' underestimation using the categorical method were child sex [female] (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.99; 95% CI: 1.02-3.86), child age [younger age] (AOR = 10.39; 95% CI: 4.16-25.92 for ages 5-6 years), and mother's weight status (overweight AOR = 2.99; 95% CI: 1.05-8.51; obese AOR = 5.19; 95% CI: 1.89-14.18). Child BMI was the only predictor of mothers' overestimation (AOR = 0.89; 95% CI: 0.85-0.94) using the silhouette method. Conclusions: Using silhouette scales to identify children's body weight may be a more accurate tool for clinicians and interventionists to activate parents' awareness of unhealthy weight in children compared to using traditional categorical weight-labeling methods.

Few studies have established the lifestyle predictors of peak bone mineral density (BMD) in Mexican-American (MA) and Asian-American (AA) women. Pre-menopausal MA (n = 48) and AA (n = 58) women aged 30-45 years old were tested for BMD, body composition, aerobic fitness, and muscle function. Socio-demographic characteristics, health status, prevalence of osteoporosis risk factors, physical activity, and diet were determined via questionnaire. Pearson's correlations and multiple linear regressions were used to test the associations between various osteoporosis risk factors and BMD. Body composition, anthropometric, and BMD differences were noted between groups. Hip, but not spine BMD, remained significantly higher for the MA compared to the AA group after adjustment for age, BMI, income, and physical activity index. Lean body mass was a significant predictor of hip BMD for both groups and this relationship was stronger for the AA group. Lean body mass may explain ethnic differences in BMD.