Body Mass Index, Waist Circumference, and Chronic Disease Risk Factors in Australian Adolescents

Time constraints and lack of awareness of risk factors for future chronic disease development prevent many young adults from accessing lifestyle programs offered by local health services. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of a rural pharmacy-based multidisciplinary healthy lifestyle pilot program on reducing risk factors for chronic disease development among young adults. Individuals under the age of 50 with chronic disease risk factors were referred to the program. All subjects were provided with free after-hours nutritional counselling from a dietitian at the local community pharmacy, a comprehensive medication review conducted by the pharmacist, gym membership and access to cooking classes and supermarket tours. Selected participants also received bulk-billed GP appointments and assistance with establishing a home vegetable garden. Body weight, waist circumference, fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity were assessed at baseline and after program conclusion. Forty participants regularly attended the program between March 2009 and March 2010. At program conclusion, mean body weight was reduced by 3.8 ± 6.7 kg (P < 0.001) and waist circumference reduced by 3.9 ± 6.5 cm (P < 0.001). Fruit consumption increased by 1.2 ± 0.2 serves/day (P < 0.001) and vegetable intake increased by 1.6 ± 1.0 serves/day (P < 0.001). Participants also spent an average of 88.0 ± 47.7 more min/week (P < 0.001) engaged in physical activity on completion of the program. The community pharmacy provided an accessible location for the delivery of a successful chronic disease risk reduction program targeting young adults in a rural area.

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Worry About Deportation and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors Among Adult Women: The Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas Study

Annals of Behavioral Medicine ◽

10.1093/abm/kax007 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 52 (2) ◽

pp. 186-193 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Jacqueline M Torres ◽

Julianna Deardorff ◽

Robert B Gunier ◽

Kim G Harley ◽

Abbey Alkon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Body Mass Index ◽

Cardiovascular Risk ◽

Waist Circumference ◽

Body Mass ◽

Pulse Pressure ◽

Disease Risk ◽

Health Assessment ◽

Adult Women ◽

Mothers And Children

AbstractBackgroundU.S. Latinos report high levels of concern about deportation for themselves or others. No previous research has tested the link between worry about deportation and clinical measures of cardiovascular risk.PurposeWe estimate the associations between worry about deportation and clinically measured cardiovascular risk factors.MethodsData come from the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas study. The analytic sample includes 545 Mexican-origin women.ResultsIn multivariable models, reporting a lot of worry about deportation was significantly associated with greater body mass index, greater risk of obesity, larger waist circumference, and higher pulse pressure. Reporting moderate deportation worry was significantly associated with greater risk of overweight and higher systolic blood pressure. Significant associations between worry about deportation and greater body mass index, waist circumference, and pulse pressure, respectively, held after correcting for multiple testing at p < .05.ConclusionsWorry about deportation may be an important cardiovascular risk factor for ethnic minority populations in the USA.

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