Article Database

Unlocking the Cage: Empowering Literacy Representations in Netflix’s Luke Cage Series

Abstract:

(CHAT)ting at Home: A Family’s Activity Theory System

Abstract:

This article examines how two African American urban middle school learners and their father engaged in using a “do-it-yourself” (DIY) video to create Christmas ball lights, and the effect it had on their learning. Cultural Historical Activity Theory was used to focus on the ways activity systems played in human interaction. Findings conclude how their learning was based on the roles they played, how agency and apprenticeship were constructed, and how familial experiences were supported by one another. The article concludes with implications for teachers of urban middle school learners that contribute to students’ learning in informal settings.

Imagining New Hopescapes: Expanding Black Girl’s Windows and Mirrors

Abstract:

In this article, the author conducts a meta-analysis of 12 studies in which researchers analyze Black girl representations in fiction literature. The studies are used to investigate which fiction books scholars use in their research with Black girls and what influences the researchers to make their book selections. The author uses information gleaned from the analysis to examine which mirrors and windows are constructed and how publishing influences and constrains Black girl representations. To assist in imagining new hopescapes and to disrupt the systemic publishing cycle, the author concludes the article with a list of science fiction and fantasy texts featuring Black female protagonists.

Sex Tourism and STI/HIV Risk in a Jamaican Tourism Destination

Abstract:

A chapter written by Lauren C. Johnson in the book: Legacy of the Crossing: Life, Death and Triumph Among Descendants of the World’s Greatest Forced Migration edited by Thomas A. LaVeist.

Effectiveness of Strategies to Recruit Underrepresented Populations into Cancer Clinical Trials

Abstract:

Background: Certain populations, including racial and ethnic minorities and older persons, have had a history of low participation in cancer-related trials, yet there has been little information reported on recruitment strategies tailored to improve their enrollment.

Methods: We conducted a systematic literature review to examine the methods used to study recruitment of underrepresented populations into cancer prevention and treatment trials and examined the studies that compared the efficacy and/or effectiveness of different recruitment strategies. We performed an electronic search through multiple databases including PubMed and a hand search of 34 journals. Potential studies were pulled and underwent title, abstract, and article review by at least two investigators.

Results: Fourteen articles examined recruitment of underrepresented populations into cancer trials and, of these, five compared efficacy or effectiveness of different strategies for recruitment of underrepresented populations into randomized or concurrent controlled trials. These five studies used various strategies but only three reported that specific recruitment strategies, such as media campaigns and church-based project sessions, resulted in improvement in accrual to cancer trials.

Conclusion: There is limited evidence for efficacious or effective strategies to recruit underrepresented populations in cancer-related trials. The available evidence cannot be generalized to these heterogeneous groups. Further study is needed on efficacious strategies for recruitment of underrepresented populations into cancer-related trials.

Socioecological Determinants of Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes: Agenda for Action

Abstract:

Since the latter half of the 20th century, increases in the rate of type 2 diabetes have closely followed increases in obesity in the United States. One-third of U.S. adults and 16–18% of young people are obese,¹ and 35% of adults ≥ 20 years of age have prediabetes and therefore an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes.²

Fortunately, research shows that type 2 diabetes may be prevented or delayed with lifestyle modifications resulting in a loss of 7% of body weight and ≥ 150 minutes/week of moderate physical activity.³ The American Diabetes Association (ADA) “Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes—2014”⁴ also recommends nutrition therapy and physical activity as part of a treatment plan for individuals with diabetes.

As identified in the ADA scientific statement “Socioecological Determinants of Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes,”⁵ social and environmental factors also contribute to increased diabetes risk, diabetes complications, and morbidity. Considering this, it is important for health care professionals (HCPs) to recognize the intersection of these social and environmental factors when treating individuals with or at risk for type 2 diabetes. In addition, HCPs have many opportunities to serve as advocates for policy changes that could positively affect their local environment and complement the work they do in the clinical setting.

This article describes the built, food, school, and work environments that were identified in the ADA statement⁵ as affecting diabetes and obesity risks and proposes some policy solutions to address the socioecological determinants of diabetes risk.

Built Environment and Health Behaviors Among African Americans: a Systematic Review

Abstract:

Context: An overall understanding of environmental factors that affect weight-related behaviors and outcomes in African American adults is limited. This article presents a summarization of the literature on the built environment and its association with physical activity, diet, and obesity among African Americans.

Evidence acquisition: A systematic review was conducted by searching the PubMed electronic database from inception to July 31, 2007, reviewing bibliographies of eligible articles, and searching authors’ personal databases using various search terms for the built environment, physical activity, diet, and obesity. Eligible articles were observational studies that included a study population >or=90% African American (or subgroup analysis), adults (>or=18 yrs), and were published in English; final article data abstraction occurred from October 2007 through February 2008.

Evidence synthesis: A total of 2797 titles were identified from the initial search, and 90 were deemed eligible for abstract review. Of these, 17 articles were eligible for full review and ten met all eligibility criteria. The median sample size was 761 (234 to 10,623), and half of the articles included only African Americans. Light traffic, the presence of sidewalks, and safety from crime were more often positively associated with physical activity, although associations were not consistent (OR range = 0.53-2.43). Additionally, perceived barriers to physical activity were associated with obesity. The presence of supermarkets and specialty stores was consistently positively associated with meeting fruit and vegetable guidelines.

Conclusions: With relatively few studies in the literature focused on African Americans, more research is needed to draw conclusions on features of the built environment that are associated with physical activity, diet, and obesity.

Sedentary Time, Physical Activity, and Adiposity: Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Associations in CARDIA

Abstract:

Introduction: Higher sedentary time (ST) and lower moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) have each been associated with greater adiposity, but most studies are cross-sectional and measure ST and MVPA by self-report. This study evaluated associations between objective ST and MVPA with current and 5-year changes in BMI and waist circumference.

Methods: The Coronary Artery and Risk Development in Young Adults longitudinal cohort study recruited black or white young adults from four U.S. cities. This analysis (conducted in 2016) used data from 2005 to 2006 as baseline and 2010 to 2011 as 5-year follow-up. Accelerometers measured baseline ST (total and prolonged in bouts of ≥10 minutes) and MVPA (bouts of ≥10 minutes). BMI and waist circumference were assessed at baseline and repeated 5 years later. Regression models included sedentary time and MVPA simultaneously with adjustment for demographics and lifestyle factors.

Results: Participants (n=1,826) were 57% female; 40% black; aged 38-50 years; and had a BMI of 28.7 (SD=6.3). At baseline, total and prolonged ST were directly associated with BMI and waist circumference, whereas MVPA was inversely related (all p<0.05). Longitudinally, only prolonged ST (per hour/day) was associated with greater increases in BMI (0.077, p=0.033) and waist circumference (0.198 cm, p=0.028). Associations between ST and adiposity were more apparent in less active participants. Risk of ≥5% increase in BMI across assessments increased by 8%-10% (p<0.05) per hour/day of ST.

Conclusions: Time spent sedentary was associated with increases in adiposity over time. Reducing sedentary time may be a novel strategy for weight control.

Therapeutic Management, Delivery, and Postpartum Risk Assessment and Screening in Gestational Diabetes

Abstract:

Objectives: We focused on four questions: What are the risks and benefits of an oral diabetes agent (i.e., glyburide), as compared to all types of insulin, for gestational diabetes? What is the evidence that elective labor induction, cesarean delivery, or timing of induction is associated with benefits or harm to the mother and neonate? What risk factors are associated with the development of type 2 diabetes after gestational diabetes? What are the performance characteristics of diagnostic tests for type 2 diabetes in women with gestational diabetes?

Data sources: We searched electronic databases for studies published through January 2007. Additional articles were identified by searching the table of contents of 13 journals for relevant citations from August 2006 to January 2007 and reviewing the references in eligible articles and selected review articles.

Review methods: Paired investigators reviewed abstracts and full articles. We included studies that were written in English, reported on human subjects, contained original data, and evaluated women with appropriately diagnosed gestational diabetes. Paired reviewers performed serial abstraction of data from each eligible study. Study quality was assessed independently by each reviewer.

Results: The search identified 45 relevant articles. The evidence indicated that: Maternal glucose levels do not differ substantially in those treated with insulin versus insulin analogues or oral agents. Average infant birth weight may be lower in mothers treated with insulin than with glyburide. Induction at 38 weeks may reduce the macrosomia rate, with no increase in cesarean delivery rates. Anthropometric measures, fasting blood glucose (FBG), and 2-hour glucose value are the strongest risk factors associated with development of type 2 diabetes. FBG had high specificity, but variable sensitivity, when compared to the 75-gm oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes after delivery.

Conclusions: The evidence suggests that benefits and a low likelihood of harm are associated with the treatment of gestational diabetes with an oral diabetes agent or insulin. The effect of induction or elective cesarean on outcomes is unclear. The evidence is consistent that anthropometry identifies women at risk of developing subsequent type 2 diabetes; however, no evidence suggested the FBG out-performs the 75-gm OGTT in diagnosing type 2 diabetes after delivery.

Antepartum Glucose Tolerance Test Results as Predictors of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Women with a History of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: a Systematic Review

Abstract: