Objective

To examine the association of abdominal muscle area with coronary artery calcium (CAC) presence, extent, and progression in a multi-ethnic cohort of older, community-dwelling post-menopausal women.

Design and setting

Cross-sectional and longitudinal population-based cohort.

Participants

The sample comprised 179 non-Hispanic White women, 116 Filipina women and 144 African American women, all without known CVD, who underwent chest and abdominal computed tomography (CT) scans twice about four years apart for abdominal muscle and fat, as well as CAC.

Main outcome measures

CAC presence, extent and progression.

Results

There was a significant interaction of ethnicity with baseline oblique muscle area (p-for-interaction .01), and marginally significant interactions with baseline total and paraspinal muscle for change in CAC (p-for-interactions both .09). Among Filipina women, each standard deviation (SD) greater total muscle area was associated with a 26% (95% CI (-43%, -4%), P=.02) reduced rate of change in CAC; higher paraspinal and oblique muscle area were associated with a 24% (-38%, -6%, P=.01) and a 37% (-53%, -16%, P=.0002) reduced rate of change in CAC, respectively. These associations were not significant in African American or non-Hispanic White women. There were no significant associations of abdominal muscle with CAC presence or extent, nor were there significant ethnicity by muscle interactions in these models.

Conclusions

Among Filipina women, greater abdominal muscle mass is associated with a decreased rate of CAC progression. Higher muscle mass may be important for this group in reducing CVD outcomes.

Objective

We examined the association between breastfeeding and postmenopausal visceral adiposity.

Methods

Participants were community-dwelling women aged 55-80 from the Caucasian Rancho Bernardo Study, the Filipino Women's Health Study, and the Health Assessment Study of African-American Women who had visceral adipose tissue (VAT) measurements by computed tomography between 2000 and 2002. Linear regression was used to determine the association between average breastfeeding duration per child and VAT.

Results

In Caucasian, Filipino, and African-American women, average number of live births was 3, 4, and 3; average breastfeeding duration was 4.3, 1.8, and 5.1 months, respectively. Filipino women had more live births, were more likely to breastfeed, and breastfed shorter durations. African-American women had lower VAT, despite higher subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), BMI, and waist girth. Women who breastfed >3 months on average had 8.8 cm(3) lower VAT than women who breastfed ≤3 months, independent of covariates. Women who initiated breastfeeding had lower BMI and waist girth than those who did not, but they did not differ by VAT unless they breastfed >3 months. Associations were independent of race/ethnicity.

Conclusions

Results suggest breastfeeding initiation is associated with reduced BMI and smaller waist girth, and breastfeeding >3 months is associated with lower postmenopausal VAT.

Objective

The Farmers' Market Fresh Fund Incentive Program is a policy, systems and environmental intervention to improve access to fresh produce for participants on governmental assistance in the USA. The current study examined factors associated with ongoing participation in this matched monetary incentive programme.

Design

Relationship of baseline factors with number of Fresh Fund visits was assessed using Poisson regression. Mixed-effects modelling was used to explore changes in consumption of fruits and vegetables and diet quality.

Setting

San Diego, California.

Subjects

Recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) who attended participating farmers' markets from 2010 to 2012 (n 7298).

Results

Among those with participation for ≤6 months, factors associated with increased visits included reporting more daily servings of fruits and vegetables (F&V) at baseline, being Vietnamese or Asian/Pacific Islander, and eligibility because of SNAP/CalFresh or SSI (v. WIC). Among those who came for 6-12 months, being Asian/Pacific Islander, eligibility because of SNAP/CalFresh and enrolling in the autumn, winter or spring were associated with a greater number of Fresh Fund visits. Among those who came for >12 months, being male and eligibility because of SSI were associated with a greater number of visits. Overall, the odds of increasing number of servings of F&V consumed increased by 2 % per month, and the odds of improved perception of diet quality increased by 10 % per month.

Conclusions

Sustaining and increasing Fresh Fund-type programme operations should be a top priority for future policy decisions concerning farmers' market use in low-income neighbourhoods.