Health disparities: Using policies to rethink our strategies for eliminating the impact of food deserts by focusing on unhealthy dietary patterns

2018 ◽  
pp. e1875 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward V. Wallace
Keyword(s):  
Health Disparities ◽  
Dietary Patterns ◽  
Food Deserts ◽  
The Impact

Dietary Patterns: A New Therapeutic Approach for Depression?

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariana Jesus ◽  
Tânia Silva ◽  
César Cagigal ◽  
Vera Martins ◽  
Carla Silva
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Dietary Patterns ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Randomized Clinical Trials ◽  
Dietary Intervention ◽  
Common Mental Disorder ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Inverse Association ◽  
The Impact

Introduction: The field of nutritional psychiatry is a fast-growing one. Although initially, it focused on the effects of vitamins and micronutrients in mental health, in the last decade, its focus also extended to the dietary patterns. The possibility of a dietary cost-effective intervention in the most common mental disorder, depression, cannot be overlooked due to its potential large-scale impact. Method: A classic review of the literature was conducted, and studies published between 2010 and 2018 focusing on the impact of dietary patterns in depression and depressive symptoms were included. Results: We found 10 studies that matched our criteria. Most studies showed an inverse association between healthy dietary patterns, rich in fruits, vegetables, lean meats, nuts and whole grains, and with low intake of processed and sugary foods, and depression and depressive symptoms throughout an array of age groups, although some authors reported statistical significance only in women. While most studies were of cross-sectional design, making it difficult to infer causality, a randomized controlled trial presented similar results. Discussion: he association between dietary patterns and depression is now well-established, although the exact etiological pathways are still unknown. Dietary intervention, with the implementation of healthier dietary patterns, closer to the traditional ones, can play an important role in the prevention and adjunctive therapy of depression and depressive symptoms. Conclusion: More large-scale randomized clinical trials need to be conducted, in order to confirm the association between high-quality dietary patterns and lower risk of depression and depressive symptoms.

Measuring the Impact of a Full Service Grocery Store in a Food Desert

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-176
Author(s):  
Kellie Schneider ◽  
Diana Cuy Castellanos ◽  
Felix Fernando ◽  
Jeanne A. Holcomb
Keyword(s):  
Systems Engineering ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Food Deserts ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Grocery Store ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being

Food deserts, areas in which it is difficult to obtain affordable, nutritious food, are especially problematic in low-income neighbourhoods. One model for addressing food hardship and unemployment issues within low-income food deserts is a cooperative grocery store. Through the cooperative model, the grocery store can serve as a cornerstone to address socio-economic marginalisation of low-income neighbourhoods and improve the health and well-being of its residents. It is important for communities and policymakers to be able to assess the effectiveness of these types of endeavours beyond traditional economic factors such as profitability. This article uses a systems engineering approach to develop a framework for measuring the holistic impact of a cooperative grocery store on community health and well-being. This framework encompasses values that characterise the relationship between food retail, economic viability and social equality. We develop a dashboard to display the key metrics for measuring the economic, social and environmental indicators that reflect a grocery store’s social impact. We demonstrate the usefulness of the framework through a case study of a full-service cooperative grocery store that is planned within the city of Dayton, OH.

scholarly journals How to Tackle the Relationship between Autoimmune Diseases and Diet: Well Begun Is Half-Done

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 3956
Author(s):  
Camilla Barbero Mazzucca ◽  
Davide Raineri ◽  
Giuseppe Cappellano ◽  
Annalisa Chiocchetti
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Dietary Patterns ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
The Body ◽  
Nutritional Interventions ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Immune Mediated ◽  
Energy Consuming ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Ecological Correlation

Nutrition and immunity are closely related, and the immune system is composed of the most highly energy-consuming cells in the body. Much of the immune system is located within the GI tract, since it must deal with the huge antigenic load introduced with food. Moreover, the incidence of immune-mediated diseases is elevated in Westernized countries, where “transition nutrition” prevails, owing to the shift from traditional dietary patterns towards Westernized patterns. This ecological correlation has fostered increasing attempts to find evidence to support nutritional interventions aimed at managing and reducing the risk of immune-mediated diseases. Recent studies have described the impacts of single nutrients on markers of immune function, but the knowledge currently available is not sufficient to demonstrate the impact of specific dietary patterns on immune-mediated clinical disease endpoints. If nutritional scientists are to conduct quality research, one of many challenges facing them, in studying the complex interactions between the immune system and diet, is to develop improved tools for investigating eating habits in the context of immunomediated diseases.

scholarly journals “Here in the Bible Belt, It’s Predominantly Negative”: Sexual Identity Stigma in the American South, 50 Years After Stonewall

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph J. Frey ◽  
William J. Hall ◽  
Jeremy T. Goldbach ◽  
Paul Lanier
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
Sexual Identity ◽  
Minority Stress ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mental Health Disparities ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
United States South ◽  
The Impact

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and pansexual (LGB+) individuals have disproportionate rates of mental illness. Minority stress and sexual identity stigma are posited as the primary social determinants of LGB+ mental health disparities. Discussions in the literature have questioned the impact of sexual identity stigma in a world increasingly accepting of sexual minorities. Additionally, the LGB+ population in the United States South is often overlooked in American research. This article details a qualitative study exploring experiences related to sexual identity stigma among adults who identify as LGB+ in the United States South. Semi-structured interviews with 16 individuals were analyzed using content analysis. Six thematic categories of stigma emerged from participants’ experiences: (a) navigating an LGB+ identity, (b) social acceptability of an LGB+ identity, (c) expectation of LGB+ stigma, (d) interpersonal discrimination and harassment, (e) structural stigma, and (f) relationship with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community. Findings suggest that sexual identity stigma remains a common experience among these Southern United States participants. Further, thematic categories and subcategories primarily aligned with extant theory with one exception: Intracommunity stigma, a form of stigma emanating from the LGBTQ community, emerged as a stigma type not currently accounted for in theoretical foundations underpinning mental health disparities in this population.

scholarly journals Effects of Randomized Corruption Audits on Early-Life Mortality in Brazil

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Pedro Ramos ◽  
Robert Weiss ◽  
Simeon Nietcher ◽  
Leiwen Gao
Keyword(s):  
Health Disparities ◽  
Infant Mortality ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Neonatal Mortality ◽  
Child Mortality ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Preterm Births ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Improve Health

Background: Various studies suggest that corruption affects public health systems across the world. However, the extant literature lacks causal evidence about whether anti-corruption interventions can improve health outcomes. We examine the impact of randomized anti-corruption audits on early-life mortality in Brazil. Methods: The Brazilian government conducted audits in 1,949 randomly selected municipalities between 2003 and 2015. To identify the causal effect of anti-corruption audits on early-life mortality, we analyse data on health outcomes from individual- level vital statistics (DATASUS) collected by Brazil government before and after the random audits. Data on the audit intervention are from the Controladoria-Geral da Uniao, the government agency responsible for the anti-corruption audits. Outcomes are neonatal mortality, infant mortality, child mortality, preterm births, and prenatal visits. Analyses examine aggregate effects for each outcome, as well as effects by race, cause of death, and years since the intervention. Results: Anti-corruption audits significantly decreased early-life mortality in Brazil. Expressed in relative terms, audits reduced neonatal mortality by 6.7% (95% CI -8.3%, -5.0%), reduced infant mortality by 7.3% (-8.6%, -5.9%), and reduced child mortality by 7.3% (-8.5%, -6.0%). This reduction in early mortality was higher for nonwhite Brazilians, who face significant health disparities. Effects are greater when we look at deaths from preventable causes, and show temporal persistence with large effects even a decade after audits. In addition, analyses show that the intervention led to a 12.1% (-13.4%, -10.6%) reduction in women receiving no prenatal care, as well as a 7.4% (-9.4%, -5.5%) reduction in preterm births; these effects are likewise higher for nonwhites and are persistent over time. All effects are robust to various alternative specifications. Interpretation: Governments have the potential to improve health outcomes through anti-corruption interventions. Such interventions can reduce early-life mortality and mitigate health disparities. The impact of anti-corruption audits should be investigated in other countries, and further research should further explore the mechanisms by which combating corruption affects the health sector.

Effects of dietary patterns on driving behaviours among professional truck drivers: the mediating effect of fatigue

2021 ◽  
pp. oemed-2020-107206
Author(s):  
Yan Ge ◽  
Shanshan He ◽  
Yan Xu ◽  
Weina Qu
Keyword(s):  
Pathway Analysis ◽  
Dietary Patterns ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Truck Drivers ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Mediation Effect ◽  
Driving Behaviour ◽  
Staple Foods ◽  
The Impact

ObjectiveTo explore the impact of the dietary patterns of truck drivers on their driving behaviours and the mediation effect of fatigue between these factors.MethodsA sample of 389 male truck drivers from a transport company in Suzhou, China completed the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI), the Positive Driver Behaviours Scale (PDBS) and the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ). The associations among dietary patterns, fatigue and driving behaviour were examined using pathway analysis.ResultsFour dietary patterns were identified based on principal component analysis: animal-derived foods, staple foods, snacks and vegetables. The pathway analysis showed that the vegetable-rich pattern had a direct positive impact on positive driving behaviour (β=0.211, p<0.001); the animal-derived pattern had a direct positive impact on errors (β=0.094, p<0.05) and ordinary violations (β=0.071, p<0.05); the snacks pattern had a direct negative impact on positive driving behaviour (β=−0.191, p<0.001); fatigue mediated the effect of dietary patterns on driving behaviours (p<0.001); and the staple foods had an indirect effect on driving behaviours.ConclusionsOverall, the driving behaviours of truck drivers are correlated with their dietary patterns. Drivers who preferred vegetables and staple foods had more positive driving behaviour, while the animal-derived food and snack patterns were related to dangerous driving behaviour. The experience of fatigue could explained the underlying mechanism between these factors.

Health Disparities and New Health Technologies – A Patients’ and Human Rights Perspective

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Mette Hartlev
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Human Right ◽  
Health Technologies ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Human Rights Based Approach ◽  
Based Medicine ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The human right to health requires that everyone should have equal opportunities to enjoy the highest attainable standard of health. In practice, this is hard to achieve, as health is shaped by social determinants. This article explores the impact personalized medicine and use of big data may have on health disparities. New health technologies offer a lot of hope for more individual and better health promotion and care, which potentially could be beneficial for the most deprived. However, there are also concerns that not all population groups will profit equally from this new population-based medicine, and that new digital health technologies will maintain – or even reinforce – existing health disparities. This article suggests using insights from poverty studies combined with a patients’ and human rights-based approach to ensure that the most deprived are not left behind in the application of new health technologies.

scholarly journals From the Table to the Tumor: The Role of Mediterranean and Western Dietary Patterns in Shifting Microbial-Mediated Signaling to Impact Breast Cancer Risk

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 2565 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffany M. Newman ◽  
Mara Z. Vitolins ◽  
Katherine L. Cook
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Breast Cancer Risk ◽  
Cancer Risk ◽  
Mediterranean Diet ◽  
Dietary Patterns ◽  
Gut Microbiome ◽  
Western Diet ◽  
Diet Pattern ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Impact

Diet is a modifiable component of lifestyle that could influence breast cancer development. The Mediterranean dietary pattern is considered one of the healthiest of all dietary patterns. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet protects against diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Reported consumption of a Mediterranean diet pattern was associated with lower breast cancer risk for women with all subtypes of breast cancer, and a Western diet pattern was associated with greater risk. In this review, we contrast the available epidemiological breast cancer data, comparing the impact of consuming a Mediterranean diet to the Western diet. Furthermore, we will review the preclinical data highlighting the anticancer molecular mechanism of Mediterranean diet consumption in both cancer prevention and therapeutic outcomes. Diet composition is a major constituent shaping the gut microbiome. Distinct patterns of gut microbiota composition are associated with the habitual consumption of animal fats, high-fiber diets, and vegetable-based diets. We will review the impact of Mediterranean diet on the gut microbiome and inflammation. Outside of the gut, we recently demonstrated that Mediterranean diet consumption led to distinct microbiota shifts in the mammary gland tissue, suggesting possible anticancer effects by diet on breast-specific microbiome. Taken together, these data support the anti-breast-cancer impact of Mediterranean diet consumption.

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