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Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Latina women, and Latina women are at higher risk for breast cancer mortality than white women. Lifestyle factors, such as consuming a nutritious diet and engaging in regular physical activity, promote health and are protective against heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and breast cancer recurrence. Previous studies have developed and tested interventions for Latina breast cancer survivors to improve diet and increase physical activity, however, no studies to date have developed a smartphone delivered intervention. The purpose of the current study was to compare two Smartphone delivered interventions, My Health, which focused on diet and physical activity, and My Guide, which focused on psychosocial functioning, on dietary and physical activity outcomes, post-intervention, and at a 2-week follow-up assessment. Overall, participants receiving the My Health intervention reported a greater reduction in daily fat sources than the My Guide group over time. However, daily sources of fat did not differ between conditions. Walking, measured by estimated weekly metabolic equivalents, increased across time points in both groups. These preliminary findings suggest that eHealth interventions aimed at improving lifestyle factors may favorably impact nutritional intake and physical activity. Future research should utilize more comprehensive and objective measures of diet and physical activity, and incorporate more behavioral lifestyle components into the intervention in larger samples with a longer follow-up period., Author(s): Joanna Buscemi [sup.1] [sup.2] , Laura B. Oswald [sup.3] [sup.4] , Sharon H. Baik [sup.3] , Diana Buitrago [sup.3] , Francisco Iacobelli [sup.5] , Siobhan M. Phillips [sup.6] , [...]

Since making its debut on the global stage in December 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has afflicted nearly 4 million people and caused hundreds of thousands of deaths. Case reports and case series depicting the clinical effects of the causative virus--severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)--have been published, yet few demonstrate the cytopathologic alterations of this disease. We present a clinical-pathologic correlation report of a previously healthy Hispanic woman with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who had typical features of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and also showed cardiac abnormalities thought to represent fulminant viral myocarditis. Congruent with the ARDS clinical impression, autopsy findings were remarkable for extensive and markedly severe acute lung injury consistent with viral pneumonia, characterized by diffuse alveolar damage, pulmonary infarction, severe pulmonary edema, desquamation of pneumocytes with intra-alveolar aggregation, and pneumocyte morphologic alterations suggestive of viral cytopathic effect. However, there was incongruence between the clinical impression and the cardiovascular pathology findings in that viral myocarditis was not detected on histopathologic evaluation. This case highlights the importance of pathologic corroboration of the clinical impression and, in addition, illuminates the key role autopsy plays during a pandemic by providing valuable insight into viral pathology in tissues. (Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2020;144:1041-1047; doi: 10.5858/arpa.2020-0217-SA), The coronavims family of RNA positive-strand viruses attained global recognition with the 2002-2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) in the Chinese province of Guangdong, and, later, the [...]

BACKGROUND: Household cleaning products may be a significant source of chemical exposures, including carcinogens and suspected endocrine disruptors. OBJECTIVES: We characterized exposures during routine household cleaning and tested an intervention to reduce exposures to cleaning product chemicals. Methods: The Lifting Up Communities with Interventions and Research (LUCIR) Study is a youth-led, community-based intervention project. Youth researchers conducted personal air monitoring with 50 Latina women while they cleaned their homes with their regular cleaning products (preintervention visit) and then 1 week later while they used 'green' cleaning products provided by the study (postintervention visit). Air samples were analyzed for volatile and semivolatile organic compounds using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and high- performance liquid chromatography. We compared pre- and postintervention air concentrations of 47 chemicals of concern, selected because they were on California's Proposition 65 list of carcinogens or reproductive/developmental toxicants or were suspected endocrine disruptors. Youth researchers were integrally involved in the study design, data collection, interpretation, and dissemination of findings. RESULTS: We observed statistically significant decreases in air concentrations of 17 chemicals of concern when participants switched to green cleaning products, including decreases in geometric mean concentrations of 1,4-dioxane (-46.4%), chloroform (-86.7%), benzene (- 24.8%), naphthalene (-40.3%), toluene (-24.2%), and hexane (-35.5%). We observed significant increases in air concentrations of three fragrance compounds: the plantderived terpene, beta-myrcene (221.5%), and the synthetic musks celestolide (31.0%) and galaxolide (79.6%). Almost all participants (98%) said the replacement products worked as well as their original products, and 90% said that they would consider buying the replacement products in the future. DISCUSSION: This study demonstrates that choosing cleaning products that are marketed as green may reduce exposure to several carcinogens and endocrine disruptors. Future studies should determine whether use of unscented green products would further reduce exposure to terpenes and musks. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP8831, Introduction Household cleaning products can expose consumers to multiple chemicals, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that may affect human health. Multiple studies have shown associations of cleaning products with increased [...]

Zisteria monocytogenes is a widely distributed environmental bacterium that can grow at refrigeration temperatures. Infection can cause severe illness and death. Persons at higher risk for infection include older adults, [...]

Objectives. We explored whether higher levels of acculturation were associated with higher rates of cigarette smoking among pregnant Hispanic women residing in the United States. Methods. We evaluated data from the Latina Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Study, a prospective study of 1231 Hispanic prenatal care patients conducted from 2000 to 2004 in Massachusetts. Self-reported data on acculturation, cigarette smoking, and covariates were collected by bilingual interviewers using a questionnaire. We conducted logistic regression multivariate analyses to examine the impact of acculturation level on the odds of smoking. Results. Overall, 21% of women reported smoking during pregnancy. Acculturation was associated with elevated smoking rates in pregnant Hispanic women. US-born Hispanic women who preferred English had more than twice the odds of smoking compared with Puerto Rican or foreign-born Hispanic women who preferred Spanish (odds ratio [OR]=2.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.36, 5.63). Conclusions. Our findings suggest that higher-acculturated Hispanic women living in the United States are more likely to smoke cigarettes during pregnancy than are less-acculturated Hispanic women. These results will inform interventions aimed at reducing cigarette smoking during pregnancy among US Hispanic women. (doi:10.2105/AJPH.2006.095505)

As part of a broader study aimed at evaluating perceived alliance with service providers and level of satisfaction with services received, 103 monolingual Spanish speaking Hispanic women were interviewed. Participants were receiving ongoing behavioral health treatment at three different community service provider sites located in the greater New Haven area in Connecticut. These sites included a community health center (n = 40), a community behavioral health center (n = 40), and a faith-based agency (n=23). As part of this study, the English version of the Therapeutic Alliance with Clinician (TAC) questionnaire was translated into Spanish and administered to our sample of Hispanic women. Results on the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the TAC are presented in this article. KEY WORDS: behavioral health, community, Hispanic, relationship, therapeutic alliance

Objectives: We investigated how couples' immigration status and ethnicity determined the decision to initiate breast-feeding and to breastfeed at 6 months. Methods: From data collected on 4207 mothers and 3013 fathers participating in a longitudinal birth cohort study, we used linear regression and covariate-adjusted proportions to estimate the determinants of breastfeeding behaviors. The sample was divided by immigration status (either foreign born or born in the United States) and further subdivided by ethnicity (Mexican Hispanic, non-Mexican Hispanic, and non-Hispanic). Results. Mothers born in the United States had an 85% reduction in the odds of breastfeeding as compared to foreign-born mothers and a 66% reduction in the odds of breastfeeding at 6 months. Each additional year of US residency decreased the odds of breastfeeding by 4%. These differences by immigration status were seen for Mexicans, other Hispanics, and non-Hispanics. Conclusion: The Hispanic paradox may extend to other non-Hispanic immigrants for breastfeeding behaviors, but may not be true for Hispanic mothers born in the United States. Low rates of breastfeeding for Hispanic American mothers indicate that they should not be overlooked by breastfeeding promotion programs. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2005.064840)

An evaluation of pesticide use data and breast cancer incidence rates in California Hispanic females was conducted via a regression analysis. The analysis used 1988-2000 data from the California Cancer Registry, the population-based cancer registry that monitors cancer incidence and mortality in California. It also used pesticide use data from 1970-1988 from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. California is the leading agricultural state in the United States, and more than a quarter of all pesticides in the United States are applied there. Hispanic (Latina) females are commonly employed in agricultural operations. The authors performed regression analysis of county-level specific pesticide use data (pounds of active ingredients applied) for two classes of pesticides, organochlorines and triazine herbicides, against the breast cancer incidence rates among Latinas, controlling for age, socioeconomic status, and fertility rates, using negative binomial regression models. A total of 23,513 Latinas were diagnosed with breast cancer in California during the years 1988-1999. Risk of breast cancer was positively and significantly associated with age and socioeconomic status, and inversely and significantly associated with fertility levels. With respect to pesticides, breast cancer was positively associated with pounds of the organochlorines methoxychlor (adjusted incidence rate ratio [IRR] for highest quartile = 1.18; confidence interval [CI] = 1.03-1.35) and toxaphene (IRR = 1.16; CI = 1.01-1.34). No significant associations were found for the triazine herbicides atrazine and simazine., Introduction Hispanic (Latina) females experience lower risk of breast cancer than do non-Hispanic white women. In California, the age-adjusted breast cancer incidence rate in 1999 among Latinas was 84.9/100,000, while [...]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cancer among Latinos; screening can reduce mortality from CRC. The aims of this study are; to assess the current compliance with free [...]

Objectives. We investigated hysterectomy prevalence among Hispanic women. Methods. We obtained data from 4684 Hispanic women and 20604 non-Hispanic White women from the 1998-1999 National Health Interview Survey. We calculated nationally representative odds ratios of previous hysterectomy, controlling for confounders. Results. Compared with non-Hispanic White women, the odds ratio for hysterectomy was 0.36 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.30, 0.44) for Hispanic women with no high school diploma, 0.57 (95% CI=0.44, 0.74) for high school graduates, and 0.67 (95% CI=0.42, 0.87) for college attenders. Country of origin had little influence on hysterectomy prevalence. Hysterectomy was positively associated with acculturation. Conclusions. Hispanic women undergo fewer hysterectomies than do non-Hispanic White women. The reasons for this, as well as information on ethnicity-specific appropriateness of hysterectomy, should be explored.

INTRODUCTION The rate of HIV infection is increasing rapidly among women of color, particularly African American women and Latinas. Recent statistics indicate that among people with AIDS in the United […]

Much of the research on women's health has not deepened our understanding of health issues affecting Latinas. Yet integration of research on Latinas into the women's health agenda is important for at least 2 reasons. First, critical public health issues facing Latinas must be better understood if effective interventions designed to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health are to be developed and implemented. Second, studies on the health of Latinas represent unique opportunities to advance scientific understandings of underlying processes relevant to the health of other populations. Such research can further our knowledge of the processes underlying cultural adaptation and negotiation of changing sex roles and how these issues affect the health of women. Critical research and empirical approaches that help us to understand how race, ethnicity, sex, and class shape the health of Latinas will inform broader public health issues.

Objectives. This study analyzed changes in the financing of prenatal care and delivery, the use of prenatal care, and birth outcomes among foreign-born vs US-born Latino women following enactment of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) in August 1996. Methods. We used a pre-post design with a comparison group. The sample consisted of resident Latinas in California, New York City, and Texas who delivered a live infant in 1995 or 1998. Results. The proportion of births to Latinas that initiated prenatal care in the first 4 months of pregnancy increased for all foreign-born Latinas in California, New York City, and Texas between 1995 and 1998 (P Conclusions. There are little evidence from vital statistics in California, New York City, and Texas that PRWORA had any substantive impact on the perinatal health and health care utilization of foreign-born relative to US-born Latinas. (Am J Public Health. 2001;91:1857-1864)

Dr. Fulton is Chief of Health Promotion, Rhode Island Department of Health, and Clinical Assistant Professor of Community Health, Brown University, Providence, RI. Dr. Rakowski is Assistant Professor of Community […]

EARLY DETECTION, appropriate intervention, and adequate followup treatment make cervical cancer one of the most preventable of diseases. The age-adjusted cervical cancer incidence rate in 1987 for black women was […]

Objectives. This study examined whether Hispanic women with breast cancer have tumor characteristics associated with delayed detection and whether these characteristics vary by birthplace. Methods. Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program data were used in examining breast cancer size and stage by racial/ethnic group and birthplace. Results. Hispanic women with breast cancer had a higher percentage of tumors larger than I cm (77.7%) than -- non-Hispanic Whites (70.3%), as well as a higher percentage of tumors larger than 2 cm (45.9% vs 33.0%). Furthermore, in comparison with Hispanic women born in the United States. Hispanic American women born in Latin America had higher percentages of tumors larger than 1 cm (82.2% vs 75.2%) and larger than 2 cm (54.1% vs 41.7%). Conclusions. These findings suggest that Hispanic women with breast cancer, especially first-generation Hispanic Americans have a relative delay in the timeliness of their cancer diagnosis. First-generation Hispanic American women should be targeted in interventions designed to increase the use of breast cancer screening. (Am J Public Health. 2001;91:122-125)

Objectives. This study evaluated whether incorporation of an abuse assessment protocol into the routine procedures of the prenatal clinics of a large urban public health department led to increased referral for and assessment, identification, and documentation of abuse. Methods. Evaluation was conducted at 3 matched prenatal clinics serving a total of 12 000 maternity patients per year. Two clinics used the abuse protocol and 1 did not. An audit was performed at the clinics on a randomly selected sample of 540 maternity patient charts for the 15 months before the protocol was initiated and of 540 records for the 15 months after the protocol was introduced. Ninety-six percent of the patients represented in the sample were Latina. Results. At the clinics using the protocol, abuse assessment increased from 0 to 88%. Detection of abuse increased from 0.8% to 7%. There were no changes at the comparison clinic. Conclusions. Incorporation of an abuse assessment protocol into the routine procedures of public health department prenatal clinics increases the assessment, identification, and documentation of and referral for abuse among pregnant women. An abuse protocol should be a routine part of maternity care. (Am J Public Health. 1999; 89:1217-1221)