Objective: Latinos disproportionately experience overweight/obesity (OWOB) and insufficient physical activity (PA), which are risk factors for numerous health conditions. Whereas numerous studies investigate acculturation as a determinant of OWOB and PA, few have examined acculturation multidimensionally, and none has examined its interaction with gender. Methods: Participants were 140 Latino adults. Primary outcomes were status as OWOB and endorsement of insufficient PA. Acculturation was measured with the Multidimensional Acculturation Scale II. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine the moderating effect of gender on the relationship between each acculturation scale and outcome, controlling for education, nativity, and smoking status. Results: Greater Spanish proficiency was significantly associated with lower odds of insufficient PA. Greater American Cultural Identity was significantly associated with higher odds of OWOB. Women had significantly higher odds of endorsing insufficient PA compared to men. Gender did not moderate the relationship between acculturation and either OWOB or PA. Conclusions: Acculturation is similarly associated with OWOB and insufficient PA for Latino men and women. Cultural identity may need to be considered to target OWOB interventions. Acculturation may be less important, and gender more important, to consider for appropriate targeting of PA interventions.

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Although parent training (PT) interventions are considered the gold standard for preventing externalizing behaviors in children and youth, their dissemination in low-income Latina/o immigrant communities continues to be scarce throughout the United States (US). An alternative to address this gap in service delivery consists of implementing culturally adapted PT interventions characterized by cultural and contextual relevance. Thus, the main objective of this qualitative study was to document salient immigration-related experiences, as well as parenting needs and challenges, as reported by 30 low-income Mexican-origin immigrant caregivers residing in an urban setting in the Southern United States. The research methodology was guided by the tenets of the Thematic Analysis approach, which involved collecting data through a series of focus group interviews. Qualitative research findings highlight the importance of culturally and contextually tailoring adapted PT prevention interventions, prior to their delivery in contexts that differ from those in which interventions were originally adapted. Specifically, parents in the current investigation provided detailed accounts of immigration-related stressors that are highly relevant to inform recruitment procedures, intervention curriculum, and intervention delivery activities.

Objective: Negative affect is widely emphasized in behavior modification interventions. However, positive affect is associated with smoking cessation, physical activity, and healthy dietary habits and may be an important treatment target. Few studies have examined the relationship between positive affect and health behaviors among Latinos, who disproportionately experience modifiable health risk behaviors. This study examined the independent associations of positive affect and negative affect on modifiable health risk behaviors among Latino adults. Method: Data came from 432 persons who participated in one of two studies examining determinants of modifiable health risk behaviors among Latino adults. Primary outcomes were current smoking, at-risk drinking, insufficient physical activity, and insufficient fruit and vegetable consumption. Predictors were positive and negative affect as measured by the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Associations between positive and negative affect and health risk behaviors were examined using multiple logistic regression. Results: Positive affect was associated with lower odds of insufficient physical activity and insufficient fruit and vegetable consumption and lower odds of engaging in multiple health risk behaviors. Negative affect was associated with higher odds of at-risk drinking and current smoking. Conclusions: Emphasis on increasing positive affect may be warranted for multiple health risk behavior interventions targeting Latinos. Intervention development efforts may also consider prioritizing positive affect for physical activity and dietary interventions, and negative affect for at-drinking and smoking cessation interventions.

This study explored the personal, real-time experience of accessing adult mental health services after aging out of child mental health services. Mean age of the 19 participants at enrollment was 18. Eleven identified as women, five as men, and two as gender non-conforming. Over half of the sample identified as Hispanic or Latinx. This study employed a longitudinal, qualitative design with three interviews over 12-months (e.g., baseline, 6-months, 12-months), and monthly check-ins to prevent study attrition. Interviews explored previous and current mental health service experiences; the transition experience from child-to-adult services, and perceived service barriers and facilitators. Research team members used thematic coding to code each interview individually, focusing on identifying the disengagement timeline, experience, and related factors. Universally, participants saw a benefit in continuing mental health services, but almost all disengaged due to difficulty in navigating care and getting their needs met during the transition from child to adult services. This study provides a young adult perspective on the real gap between child and adult services within one community mental health agency. Improved transition practices and tailoring services to young adult development may prevent mental health disengagement during the transition from child to adult service systems.