Norma Olvera

Acculturative Stress Among Documented and Undocumented Latino Immigrants in the United States

The purpose of the study was to examine differences between documented and undocumented Latino immigrants in the prevalence of three immigration-related challenges (separation from family, traditionality, and language difficulties), which were made more severe after the passage of restrictive immigration legislation in 1996. Specifically, the study sought to determine the combined and unique associations of legal status, the three immigration-related challenges listed above, and fear of deportation to acculturative stress related to family and other social contexts. Participants in the study consisted of 416 documented and undocumented Mexican and Central American immigrants living in two major cities in Texas. The Hispanic Stress Inventory—Immigrant form was used to assess acculturative stress in the sample. Results indicated that although undocumented immigrants reported higher levels of the immigration challenges of separation from family, traditionality, and language difficulties than documented immigrants, both groups reported similar levels of fear of deportation. Results also indicated that the immigration challenges and undocumented status were uniquely associated with extrafamilial acculturative stress but not with intrafamilial acculturative stress. Only fear of deportation emerged as a unique predictor of both extrafamililal and intrafamilial acculturative stress.

Weight-related teasing, emotional eating, and weight control behaviors in Hispanic and African American girls

PURPOSE To assess the association among parent and peer weight-related teasing, emotional eating, and weight control behaviors in minority girls. METHODS 141 Hispanic and African American preadolescent girls (mean age = 11.1 years, SD = 1.5 years) participated. Most of the participants were of Hispanic origin, had a bicultural orientation, and were obese. Participants completed surveys assessing weight-related teasing, emotional eating, weight control behaviors, demographic, and acculturation characteristics. Body weight and height were also assessed. Hierarchical regression analyses were run to determine the associations among study variables. RESULTS Fifty-nine percent of participants reported being weight-related teased by peers and 42% participants reported weight-related teasing by parents. Weight-related teasing by parent was associated with emotional eating and binge eating, whereas peer weight-related teasing was only associated with emotional eating. CONCLUSIONS Findings demonstrated the differential association of weight-related teasing from peers and parents to emotional and binge eating in minority girls.

BOUNCE: an exploratory healthy lifestyle summer intervention for girls.

OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy of the BOUNCE parent-daughter intervention in promoting selected physical fitness measures and activity. METHODS Thirty-seven Latino and African American parent-daughter pairs participated. The intervention entailed physical activities, nutrition classes, and self-esteem activities. Childs height, weight, waist circumference, body fat %, blood pressure, physical fitness, and activity were assessed pre- and postintervention. RESULTS A repeated-measures ANOVA yielded significant results [F(4,26) = 793.003, P < 0.001]. Post hoc analyses demonstrated significant (P < 0.05) changes in BMI, waist circumference, physical fitness, and activity. CONCLUSIONS The BOUNCE intervention was effective in promoting fitness and activity in minority girls.

Maternal socialization of safety practices among Mexican American children

The relationship between maternal socialization strategies and childrens safety practices was examined in a sample of 80 low-income Mexican American mothers and their 4- to 8-year-old children. Mothers were interviewed about the socialization strategies they used to influence their childs safety practices and about their childrens safety behaviors in the home. Observations of the home environment yielded a measure of the familys use of proactive safety strategies. Childrens safety knowledge was assessed in a structured play situation conducted in a simulated home environment. Results showed that although mothers uniformly set safety rules regarding child behavior inside and outside the home, a significant number of mothers engaged in relatively few proactive practices to ensure child safety. Children who showed the greatest degree of safety knowledge and/or behavior tended to have mothers who used proactive safety strategies and who relied on consequence explanations versus commands or unelaborated explanations to teach child safety.

Environmental Audits of Friendliness toward Physical Activity in Three Income Levels

An important research area is the relationship among income status, health, and the environment. This study examined the relationships among income levels, features of the environment and friendliness toward physical activity. We investigated whether low-, middle-, and high-income neighborhoods differ in terms of four environmental characteristics that affect the degree to which an area is conducive to physical activity: population density, land use diversity, street design, and physical disorder in the environment. In a large, urban southwestern county, 30 block groups were randomly selected to represent low-, middle-, and high-income neighborhoods. Using the St. Louis Environmental Checklist Audit, walking audits were conducted and analyzed. The low-income neighborhoods had significantly greater density and land use diversity than the high-income neighborhoods. High- and middle-income neighborhoods had significantly fewer manifestations of physical disorder and incivility than low-income neighborhoods. Features of physical activity-promoting environments were found in each income level neighborhood.

Validation of the OMNI Scale of Perceived Exertion in a Sample of Spanish-Speaking Youth from the USA:

Whether the translation of verbal descriptors from English to Spanish affects the validity of the Childrens OMNI Scale of Perceived Exertion is not known, so the validity of a Spanish version of the OMNI was examined with 32 boys and 36 girls (9 to 12 years old) for whom Spanish was the primary language. Oxygen consumption, ventilation, respiratory rate, respiratory exchange ratio, heart rate, and ratings of perceived exertion for the overall body (RPE-O) were measured during an incremental treadmill test. All response values displayed significant linear increases across test stages. The linear regression analyses indicated RPE-O values were distributed as positive linear functions of oxygen consumption, ventilation, respiratory rate, respiratory exchange ratio, heart rate, and percent of maximal oxygen consumption. All regression models were statistically significant. The Spanish OMNI Scale is valid for estimating exercise effort during walking and running amongst Hispanic youth whose primary language is Spanish.

Body Fat and Fitness Improvements in Hispanic and African American Girls

OBJECTIVE The design of effective obesity interventions to reduce adiposity and increase fitness in minority children is a public health priority. This study assessed the effectiveness of a summer intervention in lowering adiposity and increasing aerobic endurance in minority girls. METHODS 99 Hispanic and African American girls and their mothers participated. During the intervention, girls attended daily exercise, nutrition education, and counseling sessions from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Mothers attended 2-h weekly exercise, nutrition, and counseling sessions. Percent body fat, abdominal fat, and aerobic endurance (1-mile run/walk minutes) data were collected at pre- and post-intervention. RESULTS A repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to test differences in adiposity indicators and aerobic endurance. Findings indicated statistically significant reductions in percent body fat (p < .001), abdominal fat (p < .001), and 1-mile run/walk minutes (p < .001). CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated the effectiveness of a summer intervention in reducing adiposity indicators and increasing aerobic endurance.

Hispanic Maternal and Children's Perceptions of Neighborhood Safety Related to Walking and Cycling

This study examined neighborhood safety as perceived by children (mean age=10 years) and their mothers, and its association with childrens physical activity. For all eight safety items examined, children perceived their environment as less dangerous than mothers (p<0.05). None of the multiple regression models predicting childrens physical activity by safety perceptions were significant (p>0.10). The maternal perception model explained the highest percentage of variance (R(2)=0.26), compared to the childrens perception model (R(2)=0.22). Findings suggest that future studies should explore relations between self-reported and objectively measured safety barriers to Hispanic youth walking and cycling.

Promoting Moderate-Vigorous Physical Activity in Overweight Minority Girls

There is limited research on the types of activities that are most effective for promoting MVPA in children. Purpose. To assess which types of activities elicit MVPA in overweight minority girls. Methods. Sample consisted of 31 overweight (BMI ≥ 85th percentile) Latina and African-American girls (mean age 10.3 ± 1.2 years). Participants wore an Actical accelerometer each day for 8 hours for 15 days to assess engagement in MVPA during their participation in a three-week activity intervention that included traditional fitness, sport skills, games, dancing, and flexibility sessions. Results. On average 62% of participants met the MVPA recommended guidelines (60 min/5d/wk) with an average of 68.5 ± 14 minutes of MVPA across the three weeks. Traditional fitness sessions elicited the highest percent of MVPA (mean time spent in MVPA = 32%), followed by dancing and games (mean time spent in MVPA = 21%), sports skills (mean time spent in MVPA = 18%), and flexibility (mean time spent in MVPA = 7%). Step aerobics and rumba fitness elicited the highest proportions of MVPA. Conclusion. Traditional fitness activities were identified as the most successful in eliciting MVPA in overweight Latina and African American girls.

Association Between the Summer Season and Body Fatness and Aerobic Fitness Among Hispanic Children

BACKGROUND Few studies have investigated changes in adiposity and fitness during the academic year (AY) and summer season (SS) in minority children. This study aimed to assess if adiposity indicators and fitness change during the school AY and SS in Hispanic children. METHODS One hundred nineteen low-income Hispanic children (9.2 ± 0.8) participated in the study. Demographic, body weight and height, percent body fat (% BF), and aerobic endurance were assessed at 3 time points: measurement 1 (M1), beginning of AY; M2, end of AY; and M3, end of SS. Using weight and height, body mass index (BMI) was calculated and normalized (BMI z-scores). Mixed effects between-within-subjects analysis of variance (ANOVA) design was used to examine changes in selected variables. RESULTS A significant decrease of BMI z-scores in overweight children (p = .024) was observed during the AY only, but not during the SS. Percent BF increased significantly over the AY and SS (p < .001), particularly in girls. Aerobic endurance showed a significant increase over the AY (p < .001), but it did not change over the SS (p = .552). CONCLUSIONS Results indicated that the SS might place Hispanic children at increased risk for additional adiposity and lower fitness.