Papers by Purni Abeysekara
Issues: Seventy-nine million adults in the United States have prediabetes. To prevent the onset o... more Issues: Seventy-nine million adults in the United States have prediabetes. To prevent the onset of type II diabetes, individuals with prediabetes are recommended to lose 5-7% of their body weight. Studies have provided evidence that dietary self-monitoring significantly improves weight loss. Current literature lacks adequate research on weight loss and dietary self-monitoring among African Americans with prediabetes. Description: The Getting People in Sync (GPS) Prediabetes Program is a 16-week a faith-placed community-based participatory research study which focuses on lifestyle behavior change. GPS aims to determine the effectiveness of social support on weight loss, while this study seeks to identify best practices for increasing dietary self-monitoring among program participants. Participants (n=86) were recruited from African Americans churches in Philadelphia across two phases. Seven-day food trackers were distributed each week and collected at weeks 2, 8, 15 and 16. Perspecti...
Annals of Epidemiology, 2015
This study sought to examine whether perceived interpersonal racism in the form of racial micro a... more This study sought to examine whether perceived interpersonal racism in the form of racial micro aggressions was associated with preterm birth (PTB) and whether the presence of depressive symptoms and perceived stress modified the association. Data stem from a cohort of 1410 black women residing in Metropolitan Detroit, Michigan, enrolled into the Life-course Influences on Fetal Environments (LIFE) study. The Daily Life Experiences of Racism and Bother (DLE-B) scale measured the frequency and perceived stressfulness of racial micro aggressions experienced during the past year. Severe past-week depressive symptomatology was measured by the Centers for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale (CES-D) dichotomized at ≥23. Restricted cubic splines were used to model nonlinearity between perceived racism and PTB. We used the Perceived Stress Scale to assess general stress perceptions. Stratified spline regression analysis demonstrated that among those with severe depressive symptoms, perceived racism was not associated with PTB. However, perceived racism was significantly associated with PTB among women with mild to moderate (CES-D score ≤22) depressive symptoms. Perceived racism was not associated with PTB among women with or without high amounts of perceived stress. Our findings suggest that racism, at least in the form of racial micro aggressions, may not further impact a group already at high risk for PTB (those with severe depressive symptoms), but may increase the risk of PTB for women at lower baseline risk.
Issue: There is a dearth of research on the relationship between shopping habits and the impact i... more Issue: There is a dearth of research on the relationship between shopping habits and the impact it has on weight loss behavior among African Americans, particularly in urban settings. The lack of access to healthy and affordable food options in urban areas has been well studied and continues to be a barrier towards attaining and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Background: Although many interventions promoting healthy lifestyle change exist, many do not discuss how weight loss may be affected by food accessibility for participants. The Getting People in Sync program (GPS) is a 16-week pre-diabetes prevention program that aims to promote healthy lifestyle change through the use of the Project NOT ME video series. Methods: Participants were administered a brief shopping habits survey assessing barriers (e.g., cost, variety of food retailers, accessibility) facilitators, (e.g., couponing, proximity, public assistance) and the overall impact it has on an individual’s lifestyle change. W...
Issue: There is a dearth of research on the relationship between shopping habits and the impact i... more Issue: There is a dearth of research on the relationship between shopping habits and the impact it has on weight loss behavior among African Americans, particularly in urban settings. The lack of access to healthy and affordable food options in urban areas has been well studied and continues to be a barrier towards attaining and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Background: Although many interventions promoting healthy lifestyle change exist, many do not discuss how weight loss may be affected by food accessibility for participants. The Getting People in Sync program (GPS) is a 16-week pre-diabetes prevention program that aims to promote healthy lifestyle change through the use of the Project NOT ME video series. Methods: Participants were administered a brief shopping habits survey assessing barriers (e.g., cost, variety of food retailers, accessibility) facilitators, (e.g., couponing, proximity, public assistance) and the overall impact it has on an individual’s lifestyle change. W...
Current Opinion in Pediatrics, 2014
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Papers by Purni Abeysekara