RESUMO
BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has not only caused tremendous loss of life and health but has also greatly disrupted the world economy. The impact of this disruption has been especially harsh in urban settings of developing countries. We estimated the impact of the pandemic on the occurrence of food insecurity in a cohort of women living in Mexico City, and the socioeconomic characteristics associated with food insecurity severity. METHODS: We analyzed data longitudinally from 685 women in the Mexico City-based ELEMENT cohort. Food insecurity at the household level was gathered using the Latin American and Caribbean Food Security Scale and measured in-person during 2015 to 2019 before the pandemic and by telephone during 2020-2021, in the midst of the pandemic. Fluctuations in the average of food insecurity as a function of calendar time were modeled using kernel-weighted local polynomial regression. Fixed and random-effects ordinal logistic regression models of food insecurity were fitted, with timing of data collection (pre-pandemic vs. during pandemic) as the main predictor. RESULTS: Food insecurity (at any level) increased from 41.6% during the pre-pandemic period to 53.8% in the pandemic stage. This increase was higher in the combined severe-moderate food insecurity levels: from 1.6% pre-pandemic to 16.8% during the pandemic. The odds of severe food insecurity were 3.4 times higher during the pandemic relative to pre-pandemic levels (p<0.01). Socioeconomic status quintile (Q) was significantly related to food insecurity (Q2 OR = 0.35 p<0.1, Q3 OR = 0.48 p = 0.014, Q4 OR = 0.24 p<0.01, and Q5 OR = 0.17 p<0.01), as well as lack of access to social security (OR = 1.69, p = 0.01), and schooling (OR = 0.37, p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Food insecurity increased in Mexico City households in the ELEMENT cohort as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. These results contribute to the body of evidence suggesting that governments should implement well-designed, focalized programs in the context of economic crisis such as the one caused by COVID-19 to prevent families from the expected adverse health and well-being consequences associated to food insecurity, especially for the most vulnerable.
Assuntos
COVID-19 , Insegurança Alimentar , Pandemias , Humanos , COVID-19/epidemiologia , México/epidemiologia , Feminino , Adulto , Fatores Socioeconômicos , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , SARS-CoV-2/isolamento & purificação , Estudos de Coortes , Abastecimento de Alimentos/estatística & dados numéricos , Estudos LongitudinaisRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Examine the associations between subjective social status (SSS), diet, and health outcomes in college students. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 841 students enrolled at a large Midwestern university. Subjective social status within the US, as well as within the university, was measured using the MacArthur Scale of SSS. Outcomes included dietary intake (assessed using the Dietary Screening Questionnaire), body mass index, sleep, physical activity, alcohol use, and vaping behavior. Generalized linear models adjusting for students' sociodemographic characteristics were used to assess associations between SSS and outcomes of interest. RESULTS: Higher SSS-US was associated with 4%, 3%, and 1% higher intake of fruits, whole grains, and fiber, respectively (P < 0.05). Higher SSS-US and SSS-university rankings were both significantly associated with lower body mass index and better sleep duration (P < 0.05). Higher SSS-university rankings were also associated with more days of physical activity and alcohol consumption (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: In this exploratory study, higher SSS, apart from alcohol intake, was associated with more favorable health outcomes. More research is needed to consider additional psychological and biological mediators and dynamic aspects of SSS, examine potential interactions between SSS and racial and ethnic identities, and explore potential mechanisms underlying the observed associations.
Assuntos
Classe Social , Status Social , Humanos , Estudos Transversais , Comportamentos Relacionados com a Saúde , Estudantes , Nível de SaúdeRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in vitamin D metabolic pathway genes, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations, and leukocyte telomere length (LTL) in Brazilian adults. METHODS: The study population comprised 461 participants (33-79 y of age; 51% women) from the Pró-Saúde Study, a cohort of civil servants at a university campus in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. LTL, genotypes of vitamin D-related SNPs (rs12785878, rs10741657, rs6013897, and rs2282679), and serum 25(OH)D concentrations were determined cross-sectionally. Differences in age- and sex-adjusted LTL means by categories of genotypes and 25(OH)D serum concentrations were evaluated. LTL associations with genotypes and 25(OH)D were investigated using multiple linear regression models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics and markers of health behavior. RESULTS: Participants with CC genotype (rs2282679) had shorter age- and sex-adjusted mean LTL than those with AC and AA genotypes (mean ± SE: 0.51 ± 0.03, 0.58 ± 0.01 and 0.5 ± 0.01, respectively, P < 0.05). In adjusted analyses, the CC genotype (rs2282679) was inversely associated with LTL (ßâ¯=â¯-0.061; 95% confidence interval, -0.120 to -0.001). Other vitamin D-related SNPs and serum 25(OH)D concentrations were not associated with LTL. CONCLUSIONS: Genetic variations in the gene encoding vitamin D binding protein (GC - rs2282679) were associated with LTL, suggesting an influence of vitamin D status on telomere length that may start early in life.