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Ten percent of Americans are food-insecure. Few known studies have accessed college food insecurity via random sampling. An online cross-sectional survey ( n = 1087) was distributed via email to a random sample of undergraduate college students. Food insecurity was determined by the USDA Food Security Short Form. Data were analyzed using JMP Pro. Results: Thirty-six percent of the students were food-insecure. Most food-insecure students were enrolled full-time (93.6%), female (81.2%), received financial aid (77.9%), lived off-campus (75.0%), non-white (59.6%), and employed (51.7%). Food-insecure students had a significantly lower GPA ( p < 0.001 *), were more likely to be non-white ( p < 0.0001 *), and were more likely to have received financial aid compared to food-secure students ( p < 0.0001 *). Food-insecure students were significantly more likely to have lived in government housing, had free or reduced lunch, used SNAP and WIC benefits, and received food from a food bank during childhood ( p < 0.0001 * for all). Food-insecure students were significantly less likely to report that they experienced a food shortage to counseling and wellness personnel, a resident assistant, and their parents ( p < 0.05 * for all). Discussion: College students might be at greater risk for food insecurity if they are non-white, first-generation students, employed, on financial aid, and have a history of accessing government assistance during childhood.

Background: The high rate of obesity, ownership of smartphones, and online search for nutrition and dieting information among African American women (AAW) provide a unique opportunity to develop cost-effective, accessible, and acceptable mHealth weight management programs for them. Furthermore, they should participate in the development and evaluation of these programs., Objective: To explore ideal components of a culturally relevant mHealth weight management program for AAW and to examine how these components may vary by age group., Design: Twelve focus group triads were conducted with AAW in north central Florida. The framework method was used to manage, organize, synthesize, and analyze data themes by age groups: 18 to 29 (young), 30 to 50 (middle age), and 51+ (older)., Participants/setting: Thirty-six smartphone owners who expressed a desire to lose weight were recruited through several community partnerships., Results: Based on body mass index (BMI), young women were classified as overweight (BMI 26.23 ± 6.7), middle-aged women as obese (BMI30.72 ± 8.31), and older women as obese (BMI 31.03 ± 5.67). Most searched online for dieting information within the past 12 months. Five overarching themes for designing mHealth weight management programs were identified: (1) holistic program that goes beyond dieting; (2) social media integration for support and sense of community; (3) self-monitoring app; (4) two-way text messaging; and (5) programs of varying lengths and meaningful incentives., Conclusion: AAW were receptive to mHealth weight management programs, which may be appealing during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Holistic programs of 4 to 6 weeks that addressed stress eating, had a social media component, and included a few educational texts per week may be appealing to AAW., (Copyright © 2022 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Recruitment and retention in longitudinal studies can be challenging because the numbers of participants may not adequately reflect the targeted population., Objectives: The aim of the study was to present a replicable pathway model of recruitment via retrospective chart review and describe outcomes of the recruitment methods used in the model on enrollment, scheduling, and attrition., Methods: This retrospective chart review included recruitment data from participants of a parent grant (n = 99) that met chart review inclusion criteria (n = 47) for a follow-up study measuring microbiome data of preterm infants at toddler and preschool age., Results: Over a 3-year recruitment period, 25 of the 47 participants eligible for recruitment were enrolled in the follow-up study. Initial contact was more likely to be performed via mail and e-mail for first time points and via phone for subsequent contact and second time points. For scheduling, phone contact was the method utilized most frequently for both groups, with online scheduling second when introduced in the preschool group. Two participants were lost to follow-up, resulting in an attrition rate of 8%., Discussion: This recruitment pathway model offers researchers multiple recruitment methods for initial contact and scheduling that may be useful in contacting more participants to positively affect enrollment and reduce attrition rates for longitudinal cohorts. The innovation of recruitment methods via Facebook for initial contact and online scheduling are new methods with promise and multiple benefits for the research staff and participants.

Background: African American women (AAW) are in a unique position to be recruited into mobile (mHealth) weight management research and programs due to their high rates of obesity and their high ownership of smartphones., Aim: This study examined smartphone usage, social media engagement, and willingness to participate in mHealth weight management among AAW in north-central Florida, United States., Methods: A self-administered survey was completed by a convenience sample of 425 smartphone owners in north-central Florida., Results: Mean age was 34.84 ± 13.74, with age distribution of 18 to 29 (45%), 30 to 50 (39%), and 51+ years (17%). Mean body mass index was 29.52 ± 8.18. Most used smartphones to access the Internet daily and were engaged with eight social media sites, such as Facebook (85%), YouTube (75%), and Google+ (57%). Compared to those 51+, those 18 to 29 were more likely to use YouTube (odds ratio [OR] = 2.52, p = .017) and Instagram (OR = 10.90, p < .0001), but they were less likely to use Google+ (OR = 0.40, p = .009). Compared to those 51+, those 30 to 50 were more likely to use Instagram (β = 1.28, OR = 3.61, p = .014) and Facebook (β = 1.04, OR = 2.84, p < .006). Most were willing to participate in research that used text messages (73%), smartwatches/fitness trackers (69%), and smartphone apps (68%). Compared to those 51+, women 18 to 29 were more likely to report willingness to use a smartphone app (OR = 5.45, p < .0001) as were those 30 to 50 (OR = 3.14, p < .0001)., Conclusion: AAW's high ownership of smartphones, use of mHealth apps and tools, and willingness to participate in mHealth research has the potential to curb the obesity epidemic by participating in mHealth weight management programs and research.

Most African American (AA) men own a smartphone, which positions them to be targeted for a variety of programs, services, and health interventions using mobile devices (mHealth). The goal of this study was to assess AA men's use of technology and the barriers and motivators to participating in mHealth research. A self-administered survey was completed by 311 men. Multinomial logistic regression examined associations between three age groups (18-29 years, 30-50 years, and 51+ years), technology access, and motivators and barriers to participating in mHealth research. Sixty-five percent of men owned a smartphone and a laptop. Men aged 18 to 29 years were more likely willing to use a health app and smartwatch/wristband monitor than older men ( p < .01). Men aged 18 to 29 years were also more likely than older men to be motivated to participate for a free cell phone/upgraded data plan and contribution to the greater good ( p < .05). Older men were more likely than younger ones to be motivated to become more educated about the topic ( p < .05). Younger men were more likely than older ones to report lack of interest in the topic as a barrier to participating ( p < .01), while older men were more likely than younger ones to cite lack of research targeted to minority communities as a barrier ( p < .05). This study suggests that culturally tailored mHealth research using smartphones may be of interest to AA men interested in risk reduction and chronic disease self-management. Opportunities also exist to educate AA men about the topic at hand and why minority men are being targeted for the programs and interventions.

Background: Despite the high ownership of smartphones, African Americans (AAs) remain underrepresented in health research and specifically mobile health (mHealth) research. This may be due to ineffective recruitment efforts., Purpose: To explore strategies for recruiting AAs into mHealth research and examine how these strategies may vary by gender and age-group., Method: Twenty triad focus groups ( n = 60) were conducted with AA males ( n = 9 groups) and females ( n = 11 groups). The framework method was used to manage, organize, synthesize, and analyze data themes by gender and age-group (18-29, 30-50, 51+)., Results: Most participants owned smartphones (71%) and were willing to participate in mHealth research (62%). The participants' narrative revealed the tension between mistrust of researchers and the excitement of participating in technology-based research. Both genders and all age-groups can be reached via word-of-mouth because it is "the best advertisement." Personal contact must precede traditional and electronic recruitment strategies because "we have to know you." Churches are excellent places for recruitment because they are "trustworthy" and have a "repeat audience." Facebook may be effective for both genders and all age-groups because "everybody is on Facebook" and it can "reach more people than text and e-mail." Beauty/barber shops may be limited in reaching both genders and age-groups, but especially young women who style their own hair natural, and young men who wear braids and dreadlocks. Personal contact must precede traditional and electronic recruitment strategies because "we have to know you.", Conclusion: A tailored, multipronged strategy that combines traditional recruitment methods with texting, e-mail, and social media may be effective in recruiting AA adults into mHealth research.

Background: African Americans (AA) experience high levels of health disparities for several diseases, yet remain underrepresented in clinical trials and other types of research. The high ownership of smartphones among AA puts them in a unique position to be recruited into e-Health/m-Health interventions., Objective: This article is a systematic review of the participation of AA in e-Health/m-Health interventions, the diseases/health conditions targeted, and the recruitment and retention strategies used., Materials and Methods: A systematic review was done with PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, EBSCOhost, and CINAHL databases, as well as hand searches of 14 journals. The search was restricted to studies conducted in the United States and that were published between January 2000 and June 2016. Twenty-three distinct search terms were used., Results: After removal of duplicates, 565 studies were screened and assessed for eligibility, and 56 met the inclusion criteria. Eight studies had exclusively AA participants. Eighty percent of the studies had female participants. Participants were recruited primarily from clinics/healthcare facilities. Forty-five percent of the studies provided monetary incentives. Only five studies addressed retention of participants. The diseases/health conditions that were studied included overweight/obesity, diabetes, physical activity, cardiovascular conditions, nutrition, prenatal health, and HIV., Conclusion: There was a low representation of AA in the studies in this review. Opportunities exist to engage AA in e-Health/m-Health research, but researchers must go beyond the traditional one-size-fits-all approach to determine what mixture of incentives and recruitment/retention strategies would work best for a particular health condition, population group, or community.

Introduction: The high rate of ownership of smartphones among African Americans provides researchers with opportunities to use digital technologies to reduce the prevalence of chronic diseases in this population. This study aimed to assess the association between eHealth literacy (EHL) and access to technology, health information-seeking behavior, and willingness to participate in mHealth (mobile health) research among African Americans., Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was completed by 881 African American adults from April 2014 to January 2015 in north central Florida. EHL was assessed by using the eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS) with higher scores (range, 8-40) indicating greater perceived skills at using online health information to help solve health problems., Results: Overall eHEALS scores ranged from 8 to 40, with a mean of 30.4 (standard deviation, 7.8). The highest score was for the item "I know how to find helpful health resources on the Internet," and the lowest score was for "I can tell high quality from low quality health resources on the Internet." Most respondents owned smartphones (71%) and searched online for health information (60%). Most were also willing to participate in health research that used text messages (67%), smartwatches/health tracking devices (62%), and health apps (57%). We found significantly higher eHEALS scores among women, smartphone owners, those who use the Internet to seek health information, and those willing to participate in mHealth research (P < .01 for all)., Conclusion: Most participants owned smartphones, used the Internet as a source of information, and were willing to participate in mHealth research. Opportunities exist for improving EHL and conducting mHealth research among African Americans to reduce the prevalence of chronic diseases.

Background: Baby Boomer men (those born in 1946-1964) are becoming obese at an earlier age compared to previous generations. The present study aimed to identify weight-loss strategies used by Baby Boomer men, to determine whether those strategies varied by weight status and to explore their dieting experiences., Methods: The study used a cross-sectional survey of 211 men and 20 in-depth interviews., Results: Men had a mean (SD) body mass index (BMI) of 29.35 (5.07) kg m(-2), with 82% being overweight or obese. Fifty-six percent were currently trying to lose weight. Healthy weight-loss strategies included reducing portions, increasing physical activity, cutting back on fried foods, cutting back on sweets, cutting back on alcohol, using meal replacement drinks/bars and joining a weight-loss programme. Unhealthy strategies included skipping meals and using over-the-counter 'diet pills'. Men who reduced portions, skipped meals, cut back on sweets, joined a weight-loss programme and used diet pills had significantly higher BMIs than men who said they did not (P < 0.05 for all). Interviews revealed that older men struggle to lose weight, 'I've been struggling for the last 2-3 years'. 'The last time I really tried to lose weight I stayed on the diet for just a day or two'. Wives were considered essential to their weight management success., Conclusions: Men used a do-it-yourself weight-loss approach using both healthy and unhealthy strategies. Obese men were more likely to use unhealthy practices than overweight men., (© 2015 The British Dietetic Association Ltd.)

Introduction: Due to high rates of technology adoption, African American women are well positioned to benefit from e-health/mobile health (m-health) interventions; yet, there are limited data on understanding their use of technology and willingness to participate in e-health/m-health research., Materials and Methods: A self-administered survey was completed by 589 African American women. Survey items measured sociodemographics, technology use and access, and willingness to participate in e-health/m-health research. Multinomial logistic regression examined associations among three age groups (18-29, 30-50, and 51+years old) and technology access, as well as motivators and barriers to participating in e-health/m-health research., Results: Most participants were willing to receive text messages as part of a research study. Many reported using a health-related application in the past 30 days, with younger women more likely to do so than older women (p<0.0001). Younger women were more likely than older women to be motivated for the greater good (p<0.01) and for financial incentives (p=0.02), whereas older women were more likely than younger women to be motivated if referred by a healthcare provider (p=0.02). Younger women were more likely than older women to report concerns about data plans (p<0.01 for all), whereas older women were more likely to report a lack of a smartphone (p=0.048) and privacy concerns (p<0.001)., Conclusions: Culturally tailored e-health/m-health research using smartphones may be of interest to African American women who are interested in risk reduction and chronic disease self-management. Barriers such as smartphone data plans and privacy will need to be addressed.