Middle school cycling program is associated with improved mental health and wellbeing in adolescents during COVID-19.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health issues among adolescents. Exercise is well-regarded for boosting mental health. Riding for Focus (R4F) is a 6-8 week cycling education program designed to equip middle school adolescents with basic cycling skills and introduce students to lifetime physical activity. A secondary goal of the R4F program is to improve adolescent mental health and psychosocial well-being. This study aimed to quantify the change in adolescent psychosocial well-being associated with the R4F program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Program evaluation also examined associations between participating in the R4F and mental health outcomes in the context of established risk factors, including gender, race, socioeconomic status, involvement in IEP programs, participation in after-school clubs, screen time, hours of sleep, and physical activity levels. Methods: Anonymous surveys were collected before and after the program in 20 schools in North America, with psychosocial well-being quantified using WHO-5 and PSC-17-Y. 1,148 middle school students, aged 11-14, completed pre intervention surveys. 815 students also completed post intervention surveys. Results: There was a general increase in psychosocial well-being after the R4F program and positive psychosocial well-being changes in students that identified as female, non-white, physically active, part of an IEP program, meeting screentime recommendations, and engaged in school programs, though effect sizes were small. Despite mental health improvements among underrepresented groups, relative risk assessments still indicated that males, white students, those from high socioeconomic status families still had reduced relative risk of developing psychosocial disorders post intervention. Discussion: These analyses illustrate the feasibility of cycling as a viable PE elective and the need for further, more robust studies to better assess the positive impacts of the R4F scholastic cycling program on the psychological health and well-being of middle school age children.

Factors Influencing Formal and Informal Resource Utilization for Mental Distress Among Korean Americans in Southern California.

Despite the high prevalence of mental distress in the Korean American (KA) community, KAs continue to have significantly lower rates of professional mental health utilization than the general U.S. population, making it increasingly critical to study factors related to such utilization. A total of 243 surveys were collected at Korean churches of various denominations in the greater Los Angeles area. This cross sectional study examined KAs' resource utilization using Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Use as a multi-level theoretical framework. Level of education and employment status significantly predicted professional health service utilization. Informal resource utilization was significantly influenced by gender, attitudes toward professional mental health services, acculturation, and views of God and religion. Future studies should further explore which types of interventions or resources would be most effective for KAs to decrease their high levels of mental distress based on their unique intersections and cultural realities.

Different Depression Treatment Recommendations and Adherence for Spanish- and English-Speaking Patients.

INTRODUCTION: National guidelines recommend primary care providers (PCPs) screen patients for depression with a standardized tool and address positive screenings. However, depression prevalence is lower in Latinos (8% to 15%, with Spanish speakers at 8%) than non-Latino whites (22%). As a result of these prevalence differences, PCPs may use ethnicity and language of the patient to determine depression screening behaviors. This study examined standard of care (SoC) depression treatment recommendations by ethnicity and language for patients who screened positive for major depression during a medical visit. METHODS: 275 patients scored ≥10 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 screening; a chart review assessed treatment referrals, followed by semistructured interviews with 18 patients and 7 PCPs regarding depression treatment behaviors. RESULTS: 138 patients (50%) received SoC treatment recommendations. After controlling for age, gender, and race, a binary logistic regression was performed to determine language and ethnicity effects on SoC depression treatment recommendations (psychotherapy/pharmacotherapy vs other). Spanish-speaking Latinos were 72% less likely to receive SoC recommendations than English speakers (odds ratio [OR] = 0.39). Interviews with Spanish-speaking patients confirmed that negative perceptions about medications, patient noncompliance, and a shortage of bilingual behavioral health providers within the clinic impacted SoC recommendations and uptake. CONCLUSIONS: Spanish-speaking Latinos did not receive or follow through with SoC recommendations as often as English speakers regardless of ethnicity. Future studies should explore reasons why language is a barrier to SoC recommendations for Latinos and explore culturally and linguistically sensitive methods to effectively treat Spanish speakers for depression during a medical visit.

Access to health care among Latinos of Mexican descent in colonias in two Texas counties.

CONTEXT: Critical to resolving the problem of health disparities among Latinos is examining the needs within ethnic subpopulations. This paper focused on the unique challenges encountered by one ethnic subpopulation-Latinos of Mexican descent living in colonias. Findings reaffirm the importance of looking within ethnic subpopulations to understand the complexities of health disparities. PURPOSE: This paper reports on data collected measuring access to health care among Latinos of Mexican descent living in several colonias in two southern Texas counties. METHOD: Observations are based on data gathered from a non-probability sample obtained through a face to face questionnaire focusing on health care access. Persons living in two Texas counties near the US border were included in this sample, and demographic data were compared to county, state and national statistics to examine the comparability of the sample to similar populations. FINDINGS: Findings from this snowball sample, N=271, suggested lower rates of health insurance coverage compared to the Latino population nationwide, decreased patterns of preventive screenings for blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, cancers (ie, breast, cervical, and prostate), and regular access to health care in Mexico by slightly more than half the sample. CONCLUSIONS: Seeking care in Mexico may be a viable solution for many indigent people of Mexican descent living in close geographic proximity to the border because it surmounts the political, cultural, linguistic, or economic barriers to health care services in the United States. Nonetheless, there are longer term questions regarding quality of care and health and wellness for this group of people.