PCD News Summary for November 9, 2017
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CDC’s News Media Branch releases to reporters the PCD media packet every Tuesday afternoon between 12 and 2 pm.
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Risk of Diabetes Mellitus Among Medicaid Beneficiaries in Hawaii
Diabetes prevalence in Hawaii was significantly higher among the Medicaid population than among the non-Medicaid population. Researchers examined 2013 through 2015 data from the Hawaii Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. They found that the Hawaiian Medicaid population was younger, was less educated, had more health impairments, was more likely to be obese, and was more likely to be of Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander (NH/OPI) descent than the non-Medicaid population. This study was the first to compare the adult Medicaid and adult non-Medicaid populations in Hawaii on demographic characteristics and association with diabetes after the Medicaid question was added.
Neighborhood Resources to Support Healthy Diets and Physical Activity Among U.S. Military Veterans
Nearly 90 percent of U.S. military veterans live in areas where access to healthy, affordable food options and to places to engage in recreational physical activity are less available than for the average U.S. adult. Researchers used American Community Survey data to determine the percentage of military veterans among the adult population in all continental U.S. census tracts in 2013, and then used proprietary data to construct measures of availability of food and recreational venues per census tract. They found that compared to areas with low concentrations of veterans, areas with high concentrations of veterans had less access to supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, fast food restaurants, fitness facilities, and nearby parks. This relationship was true in both metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas.
Maternal Obesity, Gestational Weight Gain, and Asthma in Offspring
Extreme-low or extreme-high weight gain during pregnancy and maternal obesity are risk factors for early childhood asthma. Researchers used data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Birth Cohort (a nationally representative sample of children followed from birth in 2001 through age 4 years) to study the relationship between childhood asthma, maternal obesity, and gestational weight gain. They found that compared with children of normal-weight mothers, children of obese mothers had an increased risk of asthma by age 4 years, and that children born to overweight mothers had a similar risk. Extreme-low weight gain and extreme-high weight gain were also associated with increased risk of asthma.
Food Insecurity and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Adolescents
Food insecurity in adolescents may serve as an important precursor to poor cardiometabolic health. Researchers evaluated the association between food insecurity and several cardiometabolic risk factors by using data collected from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey at the state and city levels. This included a survey of nearly 500,000 adolescents. Of the sample studied, 12.8 percent reported being food insecure. Food-insecure adolescents had more than a twofold increased odds of not eating breakfast on all 7 days, a 60 percent increased odds of reporting less than 8 hours per day of sleep, a 65 percent increased odds of reporting current cigarette smoking, and a 65 percent increased odds of current alcohol consumption, compared with food-secure adolescents.
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