Fruit, Vegetable, and Physical Activity Guideline Adherence and Metabolic Syndrome in El Banco por Salud.

Adherence to dietary and physical activity recommendations has been associated with reductions in morbidity and mortality. The association between baseline adherence to fruit, vegetable, and physical activity guidelines and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in El Banco por Salud (El Banco) was examined. El Banco is a wellness biobank for Latino individuals affiliated with partnered Federally Qualified Health Centers in southern Arizona. Study participants (n = 972) were 65% female, 62.3% foreign-born, 56.3% obese, 29.2% food insecure, and with an average age of 51.3 years. Adherence scores were developed using baseline questionnaires for fruits and vegetable consumption and self-reported physical activity. Adherence was low in those fully meeting guidelines for fruit, vegetable, and physical activity at 14.6%, 37.5%, and 23.5%, respectively. Roughly 65% (n = 630) had ≥3 cardiometabolic risk factors. Large waist circumference was the most prevalent risk factor at 77.9%. Adherence to physical activity recommendations differed by MetS status with 32.8% without MetS reporting ≥150 min of physical activity per week compared to 18.5% in those with MetS (p < 0.001). There were no significant associations with adherence to any guidelines and MetS in the fully adjusted model. Overall, in this sample guideline adherence was low and the cardiometabolic risk factors prevalence was high.

Biobanking in Latinos: current status, principles for conduct, and contribution of a new biobank, El Banco por Salud, designed to improve the health of Latino patients of Mexican ancestry with type 2 diabetes.

Underserved Latino communities experience a greater burden of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) than the general population. Predictors of glycemic control are likely to include both biological/genetic and social determinants of health (SDOH). A variety of approaches have been used with cohorts of Latino patients to study aspects of this health disparity, and those are reviewed briefly here. Such projects range from cohorts that are studies for a primary purpose, for example, to discover genetic variation associated with T2DM or to examine a particular aspect of SDOH that might be involved. Other studies have been conducted more as infrastructure that is broadly based in order to provide a resource that can be used by many investigators to address a variety of questions. From our experience and those of others, we propose a set of principles to ensure that needs of the community are identified and taken into account during the conduct of these studies. As an example of the implementation of these principles, we also describe a new biobank El Banco por Salud (El Banco), which was designed to improve access to studies designed to improve glycemic control and health in Latinos in partnership with Federally Qualified Health Centers in Arizona.

Use of herbal remedies by diabetic Hispanic women in the southwestern United States.

OBJECTIVE: The primary purpose of this study was to examine the use and documentation of herbal remedies used by Hispanic women with Type II diabetes enrolled in two Community Health Centers in the Southwest USA. A secondary purpose was to review the literature on identified herbs to assess their likely effects on diabetes. DESIGN: Open-ended structured interviews were conducted on a convenience sample (n = 23) of participants. Medical and medication charts were reviewed for the interviewed participants, and for a random sample of enrolled Hispanic diabetic patients (n = 81) who were not interviewed. SETTING: Two Community Health Centers in the Southwest USA. PARTICIPANTS: Enrolled patient, Hispanic females with Type II diabetes. INTERVENTION: Subjects were interviewed about their use of herbal therapies and supplements. Information collected from medical and pharmaceutical charts included documented use of herbal remedies; standard therapies prescribed and diabetes control (hemoglobin A1C values). For those herbal remedies reported, literature reviews were conducted to determine if there was supporting evidence of harm or efficacy for the stated condition. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Reports of herbal use, and types of remedies used. RESULTS: Among the interviewed participants, 21 of 23 (91%) reported using one or more herbal remedies. Among a random sample of patient medical charts, seven (6.7%) contained documentation of diabetes-specific herbs, and 16 (15.4%) had documented general herb use. A total of 77 different herbal remedies were identified, most of which were contained as part of commercial preparations, and appeared to supplement, rather than replace standard medical therapy for diabetes. CONCLUSION: Use of herbal therapies is not uncommon among diabetic patients. Many of the herbs reported have potential efficacy in treating diabetes or may result in adverse effects or interactions. In practical use, however, the herbs reported in this study are unlikely to have a significant effect on clinical outcomes in diabetes, either positively or negatively.