Lawrence Hotchkiss

Higher Healthy Eating Index-2005 Scores Associated with Reduced Symptoms of Depression in an Urban Population: Findings from the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity Across the Life Span (HANDLS) Study

BACKGROUND Depression affects more than 15 million Americans in a given year. Compared to physical health, less is known about the affect of diet quality on symptoms of depression. OBJECTIVE This study investigated the relationship between diet quality and reported symptoms of depression in a low-income urban population. SUBJECTS/SETTING Subjects included 1,118 African-American and white adults, aged 30 to 64 years, living in Baltimore, MD, and represented a subsample of the initial examination and recruitment phase of the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span study. METHODS Nutrition data were based on two 24-hour dietary recalls collected by trained interviewers using the US Department of Agriculture Automated Multiple Pass Method. Diet quality was calculated using the US Department of Agriculture Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2005. Depressive symptoms were assessed by a trained interviewer using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Both linear and logistic regression analyses were used to examine whether or not diet quality was associated with depressive symptoms. The dependent variable was depressive symptoms and independent variables included HEI-2005, race, sex, age, education, income, and food-assistance program participation. RESULTS Mean HEI-2005 score was 52.17+/-0.40 (out of 100). Mean Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale score was 11.64+/-0.25 (out of 40). Diet quality was significantly associated with reported symptoms of depression. However, income was a significantly stronger predictor of depression compared to diet quality, education, and sex. CONCLUSIONS Registered dietitians should be aware of relationships between psychological status and nutritional health when assisting clients to better manage their food choices to improve their overall health and quality of life.

Effect of race and predictors of socioeconomic status on diet quality in the HANDLS Study sample.

PURPOSE To examine effects of race and predictors of socioeconomic status (SES) on nutrient-based diet quality and their contribution to health disparities in an urban population of low SES. DESIGN Data were analyzed from a sample of the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity Across the Life Span (HANDLS) Study participants examining effects of age, sex, race, income, poverty income ratio, education, employment, and smoking status on nutrient-based diet quality as measured by a micronutrient composite index of nutrient adequacy ratios and a mean adequacy ratio. Regression models were used to examine associations and t tests were used to look at racial differences. SUBJECTS African American and white adults ages 30 to 64 years residing in 12 predefined census tracts in Baltimore, Maryland. RESULTS Sex, age, education, poverty income ratio, and income were statistically significant predictors of diet quality for African Americans, while sex, education, and smoking status were statistically significant for whites. African Americans had lower mean adequacy ratio scores than whites (76.4 vs. 79.1). Whites had significantly higher nutrient adequacy ratios scores for thiamin, riboflavin, folate, B12, vitamins A and E, magnesium, copper, zinc, and calcium, while African Americans had higher vitamin C scores. CONCLUSION Education significantly impacted diet quality in the HANDLS sample, but race cannot be discounted. Whether the racial differences in diet quality are indicative of cultural differences in food preferences, selection, preparation, and availability, or disparities in socioeconomic status remains unclear.

The effect of inbreeding on early childhood mortality: Twelve generations of an amish settlement

An unresolved issue in research on child survival is the extent to which familial mortality risk in infancy is due to biological influences net of sociodemographic and economic factors. We examine the effect of consanguinity on early childhood mortality in an Old Order Amish settlement by using the inbreeding coefficient, an explicit measure of the degree of relatedness in one’s ancestry. Inbreeding has a net positive effect on neonatal and postneonatal deaths. We find social, demographic, and population-based sociocultural explanations for this effect among the Amish population, which is known to experience certain genetically transmitted defects associated with mortality.

PROC NLMIXED: For Estimating Parameters of IRT Models

The PROC NLMIXED procedure in Statistical Analysis System can be used to estimate parameters of item response theory (IRT) models. The data for this procedure are set up in a particular format called the “long format.” The long format takes a substantial amount of time to execute the program. This article describes a format called the “wide format” to estimate parameters of an IRT model more efficiently. The wide format substantially reduces execution time for models with few parameters. But the time savings decline as the number of parameters increases.

Consanguineous marriage and early childhood mortality in an Amish settlement

Abstract This paper examines the effect of inbreeding as a direct measure of consanguinity on early childhood mortality. Data are from a church directory of the Old Order Amish of the Lancaster, PA, settlement. The sample includes all infant deaths and a probability sample of survivors (total N = 1,823). We find that inbreeding has a net positive effect on neonatal and infant deaths and on the instantaneous hazard rate. However, we also find socioeconomic and other explanations, even in this population, likely to experience certain genetically transmitted defects associated with infant mortality.