Nature as a promising prevention and intervention medium for individuals living with dysfunctional eating attitudes and behaviours

Beyond the classic categorical classifications of eating disorders (ED) (i.e., anorexia nervosa, bulimia, etc.), recent scientific writings, particularly in the context of COVID-19, demonstrate the importance of considering dysfunctional eating attitudes and behaviours (DEAB). Indeed, this continuum of well-being and dietary health ranging from a so-called 'functional' state (absence of DEAB) to a dysfunctional state in dietary health (proven presence of an ED) responds to this holistic and integrated perspective of health. Among existing interventions, the use of the natural environment appears to be a promising prevention and intervention modality for individuals living with DEAB. However, no recent scientific literature conceptualizes the use of the natural environment on the DEAB continuum. The objective of the communication is therefore to present the progress of a research project and to offer a conceptual, methodological, and experimental insight into the use of the context of nature applied to DEAB in a population engaged in a clinical program (eLoriCorps). Quasi-experimental research with mixed design aims for a secondary use of data from the research unit Loricorps' database (BDL) and a research/intervention using nature for people with DEAB. Those studies include individuals aged of at least 18 years old who present DEAB of various severities. The expected results of this study aim to highlight the promising avenues of this non-drug intervention within a clinical program to provide reliable indicators to the scientific community and thus contribute to the development of best practices in the management of this disorder.

Is the Pope's Hope Being Dashed? Five Years of Research on Laudato Si

At the height of the deadlocks around global climate change discussions and negotiations, Pope Francis made entry with a morally captivating encyclical letter (Laudato Si) on the Care for Creation. Using a scoping review approach, we focused on a five-year-old body of research around the encyclical, identifying impacts as well as other issues arising from the scholarly engagements. Here, 150 English written publications from 2015 to 2020 were reviewed. The majority of these texts (80%) addressed the significance and vision of Laudato Si. The rest were distributed between those that presented criticisms of the letter (11%) and those that gauged the impact of the letter on environmental worldviews (9%). Second, the climate change (technological advancement)-poverty (climate justice) connection, which is the encyclical's major focus, remains contested and inconclusive as some critics have rather found and presented a positive relationship between these variables. Third, Laudato Si has recorded a mixed impact. To some people, it has not only led to increased credibility of the Pope but also the increased concern for climate change, whereas to others, it has led to a decreased credibility of the Pope as well as a lessened concern for climate change. Fourth, studies gauging Laudato Si's impact is geographically biased as they have largely focused on the US and Europe while neglecting other regions especially Africa. The implications of these findings for research and policy are discussed. © 2022 Copyright 2022 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES TO RECRUITMENT AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT DURING COVID-19 AND DEVELOPMENT OF A DIGITAL COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAM

Introduction: COVID-19 disrupted traditional research infrastructures and processes most notably in-person community recruitment, especially in underrepresented populations like racial ethnic minorities. To find creative and effective strategies, our group implemented and tested the efficacy of a culturally tailored community outreach plan (COP) developed during the US COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: In February 2021, we developed an 11 step culturallytailored community outreach program to support the implementation of three NIH funded community-based sleep studies. The following steps include: (1) description of the situation statement, 2) definition of goals, 3) engagement of audience/stakeholders, 4) tailoring message, 5) defining incentives, 6) choice of outreach methods, 7) identification of spokesperson, 8) choice of tools to assess progress, 9) identification of media outlets, 10) creation of study timeline, and 11) implementation of the plan. The studies leveraged several recruitment channels: 1) community settings (Place of worship, “community recruiter”, health fairs, word of mouth, & healthcare providers/doctors' clinics), 2) online platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Research Match), and 3) preexisting datasets in NYC. Results: All three studies successfully met recruitment goals. ESSENTIAL [n= 224, 69% females, mean age= 36], MOSAIC [n=109, 61% females;mean age= 64] and Latinx/Hispanics: DORMIR[n=260, 61.3% of female;32.4]. Among the three NYC cohorts, the most common recruitment channels were: preexisting datasets (74%), community settings (19%), & online platform (7%) for ESSENTIAL;preexisting datasets (85%) & community settings (15%) for MOSAIC, and (71.7%) online platform for DORMIR. However, the Miami cohorts came mostly from community settings 90% for Essential and 97% for MOSAIC. Conclusion: Overall, the TSCS community outreach plan seems to be an effective tool to engage minoritized populations in greater NY and Miami. Our current field experience indicates that recruitment channels must be adapted to age, and community resources. Limited access to technology, particularly among older Blacks seem to be a major barrier for field staff to successfully engage the disenfranchised communities.

DOES COPING STRATEGY PROTECT SLEEP QUALITY DURING COVID-19? AN EXAMINATION OF RACIAL, ETHNIC, CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

Introduction: Little has been done to examine within/between group predictors and mediators of race/ethnic differences in sleep health outcomes, due to COVID-19 exposure. We evaluated the effect of COVID-19 exposure on sleep quality in a multiracial/ethnic sample of New York residents. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among adults exposed to COVID-19 across New York State from September to November of 2020. Comparisons of participant characteristics e.g., mean scores by race/ethnicity status were made using one-way ANOVA for continuous variables, and chi-square tests for categorical variables. Associations between social determinants of health (employment, location), Trauma Coping Self-Efficacy (CES-T), and sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index-PSQI) were examined using multilinear regression analysis stratified by race/ethnicity. Results: Of the 541 participants, 373 (68.9%) were female;mean age was 40.9 years (SD=15), 198 (36.6%) identified as Whites, 111 (20.5%) as Black, 97 (17.9%) as Hispanics, and 135(25%) identified as either Asians, Native-Americans, Pacific-Islanders. Sex was the strongest predictor [β = 1.335;p < .05] of sleep quality, but only among Whites. Trauma Coping Self-Efficacy was negatively associated with sleep quality among Asian, Native-American, or Pacific- Islander participants [β = -.114;p < .05 ];Black [β = -.099;p < .05] and White participants [β = -0.79;p < .05] but not among Latinos/ as [β = -.058;p = 0.71]. Conclusion: Coping Self-Efficacy moderated the effect of COVID-19 on sleep quality among some, but not all, racial/ethnic groups. While CSE-T scores during the first wave of COVID-19 acted as a protective factor for sleep quality among Asians, Native-Americans, and Pacific- Islanders, White and Black participants, this was not the case for Latinos/as/Hispanics residing in New York. Clinical interventions that are tailored for racial/ethnic, community and cultural needs may help to mitigate sleep problems associated with COVID-19 exposure.

Transdisciplinarity in health, power rather than absence of disciplines. The example of Eating Disorders towards Eating Attitudes and Behaviors

???Eating??? might be perceived as trivial but the act of eating is, in fact, the expression of our (cultural) identity and the ???barometer??? of our well-being and health. Multidimensional, dynamic and interactional, the act of eating becomes a real issue for certain profiles of eaters [said to be at risk of eating disorders (ED)];and this is particularly true in the context of a pandemic [48]. Consequently, its holistic understanding and its complex management aiming for the protection of populations impose a transdisciplinary approach;ideally in an intersectoral prism [44,51]. However, society, in the field of health, approaches eating disorders and obesity as an expression of the act of eating, in silo with multidisciplinary or, at best, interdisciplinary (silo-based) interventions [11]. In the multidisciplinary approach, the disciplines are positioned as independent of each other. Each practitioner proposes an assessment and an intervention plan based on his or her own discipline. The individual is then seen as a patient, a client and a user made up of different parts but without representing a whole [11]. In the interdisciplinary approach, the disciplines are positioned as complementary to each other through a ???disciplinary coordinator???. In consultation with each practitioner, the coordinator ensures that the assessment and intervention plan from his or her discipline meets a common objective. The individual is the result of a combination of a patient, a client and a user who attempts to represent a whole [43]. It is clear that these multi- and inter-disciplinary health interventions are not sufficient to respond to the complexity of the issues related to the act of eating since (i) 60% of individuals disorders and obesity [18,25,50]. A question arises: should a transdisciplinary intervention with a holistic view of the individual based on the integration of disciplines be considered to address these societal issues?

COVID-19 risk perception, sleep health and peritraumatic distress among New Yorkers: The NYU COVID-19 mental health study

Introduction: Long-term exposure to pandemics like COVID-19 may increase psychological distress (e.g., peri-traumatic and post-traumatic distress) and sleep problems. Little is known about the effects of COVID-19 on peritraumatic distress, a well-documented risk factor for post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD). The aim of this study was to investigate the association between COVID-19 risk perception and peritraumatic distress, and whether this relationship is moderated by sleep quality among individuals located in NY. Methods: We examined data from 541 individuals (69% were female, mean age (SD) = 40.9 (15.3)] recruited online during summer and fall 2020 in New York for the NYU-COVID-19 Mental Health Study. Data were gathered on sociodemographic, COVID-19 risk perception (yes or no items), peri-traumatic distress measured by Peritraumatic Distress Inventory (PDI), and sleep quality measured by the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Descriptive, regression analysis and interaction terms were conducted using SPSS v. 25 to examine associations between COVID-19 risk perception with symptoms of peritraumatic distress and sleep quality. Results: Of the 541 participants, 311(57.5%) reported they felt at risk for contracting COVID-19. PSQI was positively correlated with PDI (r =.38, p =0.01). An independent sample t student test indicated, on average, that the symptoms of PDI [(mean (SD)=27.3 (7.63), t = 7.07, n =307)] and PSQI [mean(SD)=10.62(3.57), t=4.31 n=311)] of our participants who felt at risk for contracting the COVID-19 significantly exceeded those who did not [(PDI mean(SD)=22.7(7.13), n =228);PSQI (mean(SD) =9.25(3.72), n=229]. Results of multiple linear regression analysis shown that COVID-19 risk perception was the strongest predictor of PDI [B(t) = -.630(12.7);p < .001]. Furthermore, the interaction effect of PSQI scores and COVID-19 risk perception revealed that sleep quality significantly reduced the association between COVID-19 risk perception and PDI [B(t) = .319(5.71);p <.001], such that poorer sleep and feeling at risk of contracting COVID-19 resulted in more severe PDI scores. Conclusion: COVID-19 risk perception was associated with peritraumatic distress and poorer sleep quality, and sleep quality attenuated this relationship.

Sleep latency, pre and peri-COVID-19 experiences and PTSD symptoms: Results from the NYU COVID-19 mental health study

Introduction: An effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been the decision to subject individuals residing in New York City to quarantine rules in order to reduce the spread of the virus. As might have been expected, restriction of usual daily activities would affect individuals' sleep-wake patterns. It is also known that exposure to traumatic experiences can also engender sleep disturbances, most notably in their ability to initiate sleep. This study investigated the associations between sleep onset latency (SOL), pre and peri-COVID-19 exposure and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among New Yorkers. Methods: 541 individuals (female = 373(69%);mean age=40.9) were recruited during the summer and fall of 2020 in New York City to participate in the NYU-COVID-19 Mental Health Study. Participants provided sociodemographic data and were also asked to respond to the COVID-19 quarantine experiences, comprised of seven binary questions, the PTSD Checklist-PCL-5, and the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index. Descriptive and linear regression analysis were performed to explore associations of scores on the COVID-19 quarantine experience with PTSD and sleep data. All analyses were performed using SPSS 25.0 Results: Regression analyses revealed that SOL emerged as the strongest independent predictor of PTSD symptoms [B(t) = -.630(12.7);p < .001];factors adjusted in the model included pre and peri-COVID-19 factors such as age, sex, job type, and quarantine experience. Analyses assessing potential interaction effect revealed that quarantine experience did not affect the relationship between SOL and PTSD [B(t) = .086(.831);p = >.005]. The other sleep factors in the model did not yield significance. sleep duration had a weak correlation with quarantine, it was not found to be a predictor of PTSD. Conclusion: We observed that SOL was the most important determinant of PTSD symptoms among individuals exposed to COVID-19. This is consistent with other findings suggesting that a sizable proportion of individuals exposed to pandemics are likely to experience sleep disturbances. It is plausible that quarantine might lead to increased daytime naps, which may impact SOL. Further research is needed to better understand the association of SOL and PTSD as a result of Covid-19.