Law Enforcement Officers Have an Increased Prevalence of Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease That Is Not Explained by Traditional Risk Factors.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study is to determine if law enforcement officers develop subclinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) earlier than nonofficers and, if so, the extent to which conventional risk factors explain this difference. Methods: Estimated pulse wave velocity (ePWV) was the marker of subclinical ASCVD. EPWV, ASCVD risk factors, metabolic syndrome (MetS), and 10-year risk for ASCVD were compared among 408 law enforcement officers and a civilian cohort. Results: EPWV, 10-year ASCVD risk, and MetS prevalence increased significantly with age. All but the officers age 55 and older had higher ePWV cohort than the civilian cohort ( P < 0.001). Ten-year ASCVD risk explained the most variability of ePWV ( R2 = 0.49, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Officers develop subclinical ASCVD earlier than nonofficers. Conventional ASCVD risk factors only explain about half of this increase. Occupational factors may play a role in contributing to this increased ASCVD risk.

The effect of physical activity on the association between perceived racial discrimination and depression in African Americans.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine the effect of physical activity (PA) on the relationship between perceived racial discrimination and major depressive disorder (MDD) in African Americans. METHODS: 645 African Americans (mean age 45 years) were interviewed on their perceived racial discrimination, PA, and past 12-month MDD. Participants were categorized into tertiles (lower, middle, upper) of racial discrimination as well as "active" or "inactive" groups based on the US PA guidelines. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for MDD prevalence across discrimination tertiles stratified by PA group after adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: The upper (higher) discrimination group had 2.99 (95% CIs 1.03-8.67) increased odds of MDD compared with the lower group after adjusting for potential confounders. The stratified analysis indicated that the increased odds of MDD in the upper discrimination group were observed only among the inactive group (5.19 [1.08-24.87]) after adjusting for age and sex. The association between discrimination and MDD was not significant among active participants. LIMITATIONS: Limitations include generalizability since participants were predominantly women and recruited solely from Iowa or Georgia; the low number of MDD cases in some groups; and that causation cannot be inferred from this cross-sectional study. CONCLUSION: Not meeting the PA guidelines may be associated with higher depression among African Americans experiencing higher levels of perceived racial discrimination.

Revising Diabetes Programming for Black Men and Their Families.

Type-2 diabetes has increased 160% for African American males in the United States. This two-part study's purpose was to apply social marketing theory to understand the Type-2 diabetes education needs of men in Iowa. Study One was a preference assessment of Type-2 diabetes education strategies. Four African American men participated in a series of four focus groups and indicated that they were interested in diabetes prevention programming with their families but not in having it labeled as diabetes education. Participating men would rather increase their physical activity as opposed to tracking their food intake. As a follow-up to this study, nine other African American males took part in Study Two, which used cooking demonstrations and recipe taste-testing with the men to examine their relationship to food in the context of managing their Type-2 diabetes. The findings of both studies, which provided insight into these African American men's lifestyle as related to their Type-2 diabetes, could be useful for nursing professionals who have a critical role in navigating cultural, gender, and family norms while developing care plans, offering patient education, and promoting quality of life.