Objective: This study examined the short- and long-term effects of a community-based lifestyle intervention among Latino youth with obesity. Methods: Latino adolescents (14–16 years old) were randomized to a 3-month lifestyle intervention ( N =67) or comparison control ( N =69) and followed for 12-months. The intervention included weekly nutrition and health classes delivered to groups of families and exercise sessions (3 days/week) delivered to groups of adolescents. Comparison youth received laboratory results and general health information. Primary outcomes included insulin sensitivity and weight-specific quality of life (QoL) with secondary outcomes of BMI%, waist circumference and percent body fat. Results: At 3-months, youth in the intervention group exhibited significant increases in insulin sensitivity (p<0.05) and weight-specific QoL (p<0.001) as well as reductions in BMI%, waist circumference and percent body fat compared to controls. Increases in weight-specific QoL and reductions in BMI% and percent body fat remained significant at 12-months (p<0.001) while changes in insulin sensitivity did not. In a subsample of youth with prediabetes at baseline, insulin sensitivity (p=0.01), weight-specific QoL (p<0.001), and BMI% (p<0.001) significantly improved at 3-months. Conclusions: Lifestyle intervention can improve cardiometabolic and psychosocial health in a vulnerable population of Latino adolescents at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

Purpose To create and test an index to indicate both availability and quality of physical activity (PA) resources (PARs), to examine associations between access to quality PARs and changes in PA, and to determine whether this association differed in lower- and higher-income neighborhoods. Design Longitudinal, 6-month intervention. Setting. Houston and Austin, Texas. Subjects African-American and Hispanic or Latina women. Measures Women (N = 410) completed a questionnaire and accelerometry to measure PA. Neighborhoods (N = 163) were classified as lower- or higher-income by median household income at the census-tract level. PARs were audited using the PARA (physical activity resource assessment). Access to quality PARs was determined by a composite index (QPAR) of features, amenities, and incivilities. Analysis Repeated measures analyses of variance were used to examine changes in PA by (1) neighborhood income (lower/higher) and QPAR (lower/higher) groups, and (2) neighborhood income (lower/higher) and number of PARs (lower/higher) groups, adjusting for ethnicity, household income, and body mass index. Results Women in neighborhoods with lower QPAR scores had small increases in self-reported vigorous PA (M Δ = 327.8 metabolic equivalent of task [MET]-min/wk) and decreases in accelerometer PA (M = −3.4 min/d), compared to those with higher QPAR scores who had larger increases in self-reported vigorous PA (M Δ = 709.8 MET-min/wk) and increased accelerometer PA (M = 3.9 min/d). There was a significant interaction between changes in leisure-time PA, QPAR score, and number of PARs (p =.049). Women with both more PARs and higher QPAR scores reported greater increases in leisure-time PA than women with fewer PARs and lower QPAR scores. Conclusion Access to higher-quality PARs can help increase or maintain PA over time regardless of neighborhood income. PAR quality is a separate and distinct, important determinant of PA in ethnic minority women.

Promoting outdoor play and participation in sports and organized physical activities in children may depend on neighborhood characteristics. This study investigated associations between neighborhood streets and physical activities among Mexican children (N = 1,509, 6-11 years). Child sociodemographic characteristics and physical activity were measured in schools in Guadalajara (n = 10), Mexico City (n = 13), and Puerto Vallarta (n = 3), Mexico, in 2012. Street segments within an 800 m radius around each school were measured

BackgroundLow physical activity (PA) and fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption in early childhood are continued public health challenges. This manuscript describes outcomes from two pilot studies for Sustainability via Active Garden Education (SAGE), a program designed to increase PA and F&V consumption among 3 to 5 year old children.MethodsSAGE was developed using community-based participatory research (CBPR) and delivered to children (N = 89) in early care and education centers (ECEC, N = 6) in two US cities. Children participated in 12 one-hour sessions that included songs, games, and interactive learning activities involving garden maintenance and taste tests. We evaluated reach, efficacy, adoption, implementation, and potential for maintenance of SAGE following the RE-AIM framework. Reach was evaluated by comparing demographic characteristics among SAGE participants and residents of target geographic areas. Efficacy was evaluated with accelerometer-measured PA, F&V consumption, and eating in the absence of hunger among children, parenting practices regarding PA, and home availability of F&V. Adoption was evaluated by the number of ECEC that participated relative to the number of ECEC that were recruited. Implementation was evaluated by completion rates of planned SAGE lessons and activities, and potential for maintenance was evaluated with a parent satisfaction survey.ResultsSAGE reached ECEC in neighborhoods representing a wide range of socioeconomic status, with participants’ sociodemographic characteristics representing those of the intervention areas. Children significantly increased PA during SAGE lessons compared to usual lessons, but they also consumed more calories in the absence of hunger in post- vs. pre-intervention tests (both p < .05). Parent reports did not suggest changes in F&V consumption, parenting PA practices, or home F&V availability, possibly due to low parent engagement. ECEC had moderate-to-high implementation of SAGE lessons and curriculum. Potential for maintenance was strong, with parents rating SAGE favorably and reporting increases in knowledge about PA and nutrition guidelines for young children.ConclusionsSAGE successfully translated national PA guidelines to practice for young children but was less successful with nutrition guidelines. High adoption and implementation and favorable parent reports suggest high potential for program sustainability. Further work to engage parents and families of young children in ECEC-based PA and nutrition programming is needed.

No abstract