Objective: This study examined the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and obesity risk during early adolescence, ages 10–13 years, and whether this association is present in different racial/ethnic and gender groups during 2 time points in early adolescence. Method: Data were from the Healthy Passages study, which enrolled 4,824 African American, Hispanic, and White 5th graders (ages 10–11) in a population-based, longitudinal study conducted in 3 U.S. metropolitan areas, and assessed them again 2 years later. Weight status was classified from measured body mass index using standard criteria into nonobese and obese (27% in 5th grade). SES was indexed based on highest education attainment in the household. Results: Youth in the highest SES had a significantly lower prevalence of obesity than those of lower SES at both 5th and 7th grades when disregarding race/ethnicity. Within-racial/ethnic group analyses mostly confirmed this pattern for Hispanic and White youth, but not for African American youth. When also considering gender, the SES differential in obesity risk was more pronounced among White girls and 5th-grade Hispanic boys. Conclusion: Growing up in a high SES home, marked by having a member with at least a college degree, is associated with lower risk for obesity among Hispanic and White youth. For African American youth, there appears to be no association between SES and obesity. Thus the health advantage generally attributed to higher SES does not appear consistently across racial/ethnic groups for obesity in youth. Further research should identify influences on weight status beyond SES, especially among African American youth.

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Racial/ethnic disparities in health-related quality of life and health status across pre-, early-, and mid-adolescence: a prospective cohort study.Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2rc50200 Journal Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation, 28 (7) Abstract Purpose To examine (1) racial/ethnic disparities in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and overall health status among Black, Latino, and White youth during adolescence; (2) whether socioeconomic status (SES) and family contextual variables influence disparities; and (3) whether disparities are consistent from pre-to early-to mid-adolescence. Methods A population sample of 4823 Black (1755), Latino (1812), and White (1256) youth in three US metropolitan areas was prospectively assessed in a longitudinal survey conducted on three occasions, in 5th, 7th, and 10th grades, when youth reported their HRQOL using the PedsQL™ short-form Total, Physical and Psychosocial scales and youth and parents separately reported on youth's overall health status. Parents reported their education and household income to index SES, family structure, and use of English at home. Results Based on analysis conducted separately at each grade, marked racial/ethnic disparities were observed across all measures of HRQOL and health status, favoring White and disfavoring Black, and especially Latino youth. More strongly present in 5th and 7th grade, HRQOL disparities decreased by 10th grade. Most disparities between White and Black youth disappeared when adjusting for SES. However, even after adjusting for SES, family structure, and English use, overall health status disparities disfavoring Latino youth remained across all three assessments. Conclusions Racial/ethnic disparities in adolescent HRQOL and health are substantial. These disparities appear consistent from pre-to early-adolescence but diminish for HRQOL by mid-adolescence. As disparities appear influenced by SES and other family contextual variables differently in different racial/ethnic groups, efforts to reduce health disparities in youth should address culturally specific conditions impinging on health.

There is considerable variability among psychology journals in Brazil, in terms of presence on the international stage. However, research as to why is very scarce. This study empirically examined the relationship between several indices of internationalization and real-world internationalization, among these journals. 661 articles from the top-17 psychology journals in Brazil were coded for: Englishlanguage text, editorial board makeup, lead author institution, and article type. Analyses revealed that successful internationalization was associated with: (a) lead author institution from a native English-speaking country; (b) empirical articles; and (c) editorial board members from a native English-speaking country. Use of English-language text was not associated with successful internationalization. These findings suggest that the path to internationalization for psychology journals in Brazil may depend on increased publishing of findings from English-speaking countries; or at the very least: increased collaboration between Brazilian and native English-speaking scholars.Keywords: globalization, scientific journals, psychology, Brazil, bibliometric analysis A Internacionalização dos Periódicos de Psicologia no Brasil: Uma Análise Bibliométrica Baseada em Quatro ÍndicesResumo: Há uma variação considerável na presença internacional entre os periódicos de psicologia no Brasil. No entanto, a investigação a respeito do porquê é muito escassa. Este estudo examinou empiricamente a relação entre vários índices de internacionalização e a internacionalização real entre essas revistas. 661 artigos provenientes das 17 melhores revistas de psicologia foram codificados para: texto em Inglês, composição do conselho editorial, instituição do autor principal e tipo de artigo. As análises revelaram que a internacionalização foi associada a: (a) instituição do autor principal de um país nativo de língua inglesa; (b) artigos empíricos; e (c) membros do conselho editorial nativos de um país de língua inglesa. Não foi encontrada associação entre o uso do texto na língua inglesa e a internacionalização bem sucedida. Estes achados sugerem que o caminho para a internacionalização de periódicos de psicologia no Brasil pode depender do aumento da publicação de resultados de países de língua inglesa; ou, pelo menos, uma maior colaboração entre estudiosos brasileiros e nativos de língua inglesa.Palavras-chave: globalização, periódicos científicos, psicologia, Brasil, análise bibliométrica La Internacionalización de las Revistas de Psicología en Brasil: Un Examen Bibliométrico Basado en Cuatro ÍndicesResumen: Existe una considerable variabilidad en la internacionalización de las revistas de psicología en Brasil, pero la investigación de por qué es muy escasa. Este estudio examinó la relación entre varios índices de internacionalización y la internacionalización real. 661 artículos de las 17 mejores revistas de psicología fueron codificados para: texto en inglés, composición del comité editorial, institución del autor, y el tipo de ar...