Psychometric properties of the KPAS in diverse ethnic groups of midlife women

Recruitment and Retention Issues in a Technology-Based Intervention Among Korean American Midlife Women With Depressive Symptoms

The number of health technology-based intervention studies has grown significantly. However, issues in the recruitment and retention for such studies, especially of Asian Americans, have rarely been discussed. The purpose of this paper was to discuss issues in the recruitment and retention of a specific group of Asian Americans-Korean American midlife women with depressive symptoms-into a technology-based intervention study using computers and mobile devices with a measurement device and to provide directions for future participant recruitment and retention in technology-based intervention studies. The written memos of research team members and the written records of research team meetings were analyzed using a content analysis. The issues in the recruitment and retention process included (1) low recruitment and retention rates; (2) the perceived long intervention period; (3) strict inclusion/exclusion criteria; (4) concerns related to the use of a measurement device; and (5) the perceived adequacy of monetary incentives. Based on the issues identified in the study, several suggestions are made for future recruitment and retention of racial/ethnic minorities in technology-based intervention studies (eg, appropriate intervention period, innovative and creative motivation strategies, acceptable measurement scales and devices, and adequate monetary reimbursement).

A web-based, health promotion program for adolescent girls and their mothers who reside in public housing

This study tested a brief web-based, family-involvement health promotion program aimed at drug use, physical activity, and nutrition for adolescent girls, aged 10 to 12 years, who reside in public housing. Separately, girls (n=67) and their mothers (n=67) completed baseline measures online. Following baseline, 36 randomly assigned mother-daughter dyads jointly completed a 3-session, health promotion program online. Subsequently, all girls and mothers separately completed posttest and 5-month follow-up measures. Attrition at posttest and 5-month follow-up measures was 3% and 9%, respectively. At posttest, intervention-arm girls, relative to control-arm girls, reported greater mother-daughter communication and parental monitoring. Intervention-arm mothers reported greater mother-daughter communication and closeness as well as increased vegetable intake and physical activity. At 5-month follow-up, intervention-arm girls and mothers, relative to those in the control arm, reported greater levels of parental monitoring. Intervention-arm girls also reported greater mother-daughter communication and closeness, reduced stress, greater refusal skills, and increased fruit intake. Findings indicate the potential of a brief, web-based program to improve the health of low-income girls and their mothers.

The Association between Self-Reported Energy Intake and Intra-Abdominal Adipose Tissue in Perimenopausal Women

We have previously shown that physical activity predicts intra-abdominal adipose tissue (IAT), but it is unknown whether energy intake predicts IAT independently of physical activity in a community-based, naturalistic environment. The association of energy intake with IAT was explored cross-sectionally in women, recruited between 2002 and 2005 for a study of fat patterning in midlife. IAT at L(4)-L(5) vertebral interspace was assessed by computed tomography, energy intake by the Block Food Frequency Questionnaire, and physical activity by the Kaiser Physical Activity Survey. Linear regression models were used for the principal analyses. Among the 257 women, 48% were African American and 52% were Caucasian. Women were 52 ± 3 years old, and 49% were postmenopausal. Every 500 kcal increase in energy intake was associated with a 6% higher IAT (P = 0.02), independent of physical activity (P = 0.02), after adjustment for ethnicity, menopausal status, age, smoking, income, and DXA-assessed percent body fat. Energy intake had a significant interaction with ethnicity (P = 0.02), but not with physical activity. Models using the IAT to subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue ratio as an outcome had similar associations. In conclusion, self-reported EI was associated with preferential IAT accumulation in midlife women, independent of physical activity. This association was significantly stronger in Caucasian than African American women. Future longitudinal studies are needed to explore lifestyle predictors of IAT accumulation during the menopausal transition.