Childhood poverty, immune cell aging, and African Americans' insulin resistance: A prospective study

Trends in Prevalence of Insulin Resistance Among Nondiabetic/Nonprediabetic Adolescents, 1999-2020

Purpose: Insulin resistance (IR)/hyperinsulinemia in young individuals is associated with the subsequent development of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. To assess trends in the prevalence of IR/hyperinsulinemia among nondiabetic/nonprediabetic adolescents in the US from 1999 to 2020. Methods: A total of 6111 adolescents without diabetes and prediabetes were included from ten cycles of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 1999-2000 and 2017-2020. Hyperinsulinemia or IR was defined as fasting insulin or homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance [HOMA-IR] above the 75th percentile in all participants who underwent blood tests on fasting insulin, glucose, and hemoglobin A1c. Trends in prevalence rates were estimated using joinpoint regressions with heteroscedastic and uncorrelated errors. Results: The overall weighted median fasting insulin level, prevalence of hyperinsulinemia, and IR were 9.9 μU/ml [95% confidence interval (CI): 9.6, 10.1], 17.2% (95% CI: 15.7, 18.6), and 16.4% (95% CI: 15.2, 17.9), respectively. The estimated prevalence of hyperinsulinemia and HOMA-IR increased significantly from 15.2% (95% CI: 12.1, 18.9) and 14.0% (95% CI: 11.1, 17.8) in 1999-2000% to 21.5% (95% CI: 17.1, 26.3) and 20.4% (95% CI: 16.4, 25.6) in 2017-2020, respectively, with a 3.35% (95% CI: 1.74, 4.99) and 3.41% (95% CI: 1.72, 5.12) relative increase per 2-year survey cycle, respectively (p for trend <0.05). Substantial increases were observed in the subgroups of girls, Hispanic, non-Hispanic white, and overweight adolescents. Conclusions: The prevalence of hyperinsulinemia/IR increased substantially among US nondiabetic/nonprediabetic adolescents over the last two decades. Early detection and effective interventions are in dire need to reverse the rising tide.

Influencing Factors of Healthy Aging Risk Assessed Using Biomarkers: A Life Course Perspective

Assessing individual risks of healthy aging using biomarkers and identifying associated factors have become important areas of research. In this study, we conducted a literature review of relevant publications between 2018 and 2023 in both Chinese and English databases. Previous studies have predominantly used single biomarkers, such as C-reactive protein, or focused on specific life course stages and factors such as socioeconomic status, mental health, educational levels, and unhealthy lifestyles. By summarizing the progress in this field, our study provides valuable insights and future directions for promoting healthy aging from a life course perspective.

The effects of sleep disruption on metabolism, hunger, and satiety, and the influence of psychosocial stress and exercise: A narrative review

Sleep deficiency is a ubiquitous phenomenon among Americans. In fact, in the United States, ∼78% of teens and 35% of adults currently get less sleep than recommended for their age-group, and the quality of sleep appears to be getting worse for many. The consequences of sleep disruption manifest in a myriad of ways, including insulin resistance and disrupted nutrient metabolism, dysregulation of hunger and satiety, and potentially increased body weight and adiposity. Consequently, inadequate sleep is related to an increased risk of various cardiometabolic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Exercise has the potential to be an effective therapeutic to counteract the deleterious effects of sleep disruption listed above, whereas chronic psychosocial stress may causally promote sleep disruption and cardiometabolic risk. Here, we provide a narrative review of the current evidence on the consequences of short sleep duration and poor sleep quality on substrate metabolism, circulating appetite hormones, hunger and satiety, and weight gain. Secondly, we provide a brief overview of chronic psychosocial stress and its impact on sleep and metabolic health. Finally, we summarise the current evidence regarding the ability of exercise to counteract the adverse metabolic health effects of sleep disruption. Throughout the review, we highlight areas where additional interrogation and future exploration are necessary.

Advancing positive social determinants of health through collective impact and the 100% New Mexico Model

BACKGROUND

Communities across the U.S. and globally confront the challenge of transforming negative social determinants of health (SDOH) into positive ones. To address this complex social problem, the collective impact (CI) approach has promise but has been critiqued for insufficiently challenging structural inequities. Research applying CI to SDOH is limited. This mixed-methods study examined early adoption of CI in the 100% New Mexico initiative that aims to address SDOH population-wide in a state with strong cultural identity and assets but also persistent socio-economic inequality.

METHODS

A web-based survey, interviews and focus groups were conducted with initiative participants in June and July 2021. Survey participants rated agreement on a 4-point scale with six items assessing CI foundation adapted from the Collective Impact Community Assessment Scale. Interviews and focus groups centered on motivation to engage, progress achieved in model components, CI core conditions, and contextual factors influencing experiences. Surveys were analyzed using descriptive means and proportions. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis and an inductive approach followed by stratified analyses and co-interpretation of emergent findings with model developers.

RESULTS

Fifty-eight participants completed the survey, and 21 individuals participated in interviews (n = 12) and two focus groups (n = 9). Survey mean scores were highest related to initiative buy-in and commitment, and lower related to shared ownership, having multiple perspectives and voices involved, and adequate resources. Qualitative results showed that the framework's cross-sector emphasis helped motivate participation. Participants embraced the focus on leveraging existing community assets that is characteristic of CI and the current framework. Counties implemented effective engagement and visibility strategies including mural projects and book clubs. Participants expressed communication challenges across county sector teams which influenced feelings of accountability and ownership. Participants did not report challenges lacking relevant, available, and timely data or tension between funder-driven and community-driven desired outcomes, in contrast with previous CI research.

CONCLUSION

Multiple foundational conditions of CI were supported in 100% New Mexico, including evidence for support of the common agenda addressing SDOH, shared measurement framework, and mutually reinforcing activities. Study results suggest that efforts to launch CI to address SDOH, which is by nature multi-sector, should include robust strategies to address communication needs of local teams. The use of community-administered surveys to identify gaps in SDOH resource access contributed to ownership and a sense of collective efficacy that may portend sustainability; however, relying on volunteers in the absence of other resources extensively also threatens sustainability.