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BackgroundGiven the protective effects of shared family mealtimes and the importance of family in the Hispanic culture, this context should be explored further to determine how it can be leveraged and optimized for interventions. ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore contextual factors associated with family mealtimes in Mexican and Puerto Rican families. MethodsA total of 63 mothers participated in 13 focus group interviews across 4 states. Thematic analysis was used to analyze transcripts. ResultsSeven overarching themes were identified through the thematic analysis. Themes reflected who was present at the mealtime, what occurs during mealtime, the presence of television, the influence of technology during mealtime, and how mealtimes have changed since the mothers were children. ConclusionsHispanic mothers may be adapting family mealtimes to fit their current situations and needs, keeping the television and other devices on during mealtimes, and making additional meals for multiple family members to appease everyone’s tastes. All of these are areas that can be incorporated into existing culturally tailored obesity prevention programs to help families lead healthier lives.

Studies suggest that telomere lengths, a biomarker of aging, could also capture the physiological weathering attributable to poor health behaviors and adverse experiences, particularly those experienced in early life. For these reasons, we propose that telomere lengths may be a pivotal biomarker for measuring the heightened susceptibility to illness resulting from the cumulative exposure to acculturation to the US culture. This binational study used an Actor-Partner Interdependence Model to test if maternal acculturation to the US moderates the cross-sectional associations of telomere lengths with percentage of body fat (PBF) among Mexican women, among their children, and the intergenerational associations of mother and children telomere lengths with each others PBF. Low income Mexican child-mother dyads (n ​= ​108 dyads) were recruited to participate in this cross-sectional study in Mexico and the US. The pooled dataset included measurements of maternal acculturation to the US, mother and childrens salivary telomere lengths, PBF measured through bioelectrical impedance, and demographic characteristics. Results showed that the influences of maternal acculturation in the associations of telomere lengths with PBF were different for mothers and their children: Among mothers with higher maternal acculturation to the US, longer salivary telomere lengths were associated with lower PBF. In contrast, among mothers with lower maternal acculturation to the US, salivary telomere lengths were not associated with PBF. There were no significant associations between childrens salivary telomere lengths and PBF, and the null associations did not vary across different levels of maternal acculturation to the US. Future longitudinal studies are needed to determine whether acculturation to the US (experienced through immigration or remotely) influences the association of telomere length attrition with obesity risks among immigrant and non-immigrant Mexican children and adults.

Previous studies suggest an increased prevalence of diet-related chronic diseases among African immigrants with increased length of stay in the U.S. The objective of the current study is to understand the dietary practices and perceptions of recent African immigrant families. Focus group sessions were conducted with Nigerian and Congolese immigrant parents residing in Illinois. Participants were recruited using convenience sampling methods and focus group sessions were conducted via videoconference. Participants discussed dietary practices, meal preparation, and family mealtimes for their families. They also discussed experiences with eating different kinds of foods since arrival in the U.S. Verbatim transcription of focus group sessions were completed and deductive thematic analysis of transcribed data was conducted using NVivo (QSR International Pty Ltd. [2020] NVivo [version 12]). Twenty African immigrant parents (Mean age: 42 years, Female: 95%) residing in Northern and Central Illinois participated in a total of five focus group sessions. Seven themes were derived from the analysis. Participants had a positive attitude toward healthy diet and had a high level of interest in receiving educational resources to make healthier food choices. Participants preferred and mostly consumed foods they were familiar with before migration. A majority of the participants perceived 'American foods' as unhealthy, characterizing them as containing a high amount of sugar and salt. Parents reported that their school-aged children often preferred a western diet over traditional African meals. This study helps to understand unique diet-related practices and perceptions of recent Nigerian and Congolese African immigrants in Illinois. Findings could help to inform cultural adaptation of evidence-based nutrition education programs for these groups of African immigrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Visceral adiposity index (VAI) has been identified as a cardiometabolic risk marker in children and adolescents which reflects abdominal fat distribution. The aim of the present study was to evaluated the predictive capacity of VAI, a body shape index (ABSI), atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), and triglycerides and glucose index (TyG index) compared with classical anthropometric measurements to discriminate metabolic syndrome (MetS). Methods: This retrospective study included 1372 individuals. Anthropometric, clinical, and biochemical measurements were used to screen the prevalence of MetS components and to calculate VAI, ABSI, TyG index, and AIP. Results: The discriminatory capacity among the variables was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC). VAI was the variable with the highest AUC with 0.932 CI 95% (0.917–0.948), followed by AIP with 0.914 CI 95% (0.897–0.931), and TyG index with 0.889 CI 95% (0.871–0.908). Conclusion: VAI is a promising tool to identify MetS in the late adolescence setting. Among the novel adiposity indexes VAI, AIP, TyG index are able to determine MetS presence, while ABSI is not capable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The beneficial effects of regular physical activity on insulin sensitivity (SO and glucose tolerance are well documented, with considerable heterogeneity in responsiveness to exercise training (ET). To find novel candidate genes for ET-induced improvement in [S.sub.I] we used microarray technology. Total RNA was isolated from vastus lateralis muscle before and after 20 wk of exercise from individuals participating in the HERITAGE Family Study. [S.sub.I] index was derived from a frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test using MINMOD Millennium software. Sixteen subjects were selected: eight showing no changes in [S.sub.I] (low responders, L[S.sub.1]R) and eight displaying marked improvement in [S.sub.I] (high responders, H[S.sub.I]R) with ET. The [S.sub.I] increase was about four times greater in H[S.sub.I]R compared with L[S.sub.I]R (+3.6 [+ or -] 0.5 vs. -1.2 [+ or -] 0.5 [micro]U*[ml.sup.-1] * [min.sup.-1], mean [+ or -] SE), whereas age, body mass index, percent body fat, and baseline [S.sub.I] were similar between the groups. Triplicate microarrays were performed, comparing pooled RNA with H[S.sub.I]R and L[S.sub.I]R individuals for differences in gene expression before and after ET using in situ-generated microarrays (18, 861 genes). Array data were validated by quantitative RT-PCR. Almost twice as many genes showed at least twofold differences between H[S.sub.I]R and L[S.sub.I]R after training compared with pretraining. We identified differentially expressed genes involved in energy metabolism and signaling, novel structural genes, and transcripts of unknown function. Genes of interest upregulated in H[S.sub.I]R include V-Ski oncogene, four-and-a-half LIM domain 1, and titin. Further study of these novel candidate genes should provide a better understanding of molecular mechanisms involved in the improvement in insulin sensitivity in response to regular exercise. microarray; MINMOD Millennium; exercise training