Associations between mental health indicators and genital immune biomarkers among recent survivors of forced sex: A case-control analysis.

As we continue to see an alarming rise in overweight and obesity rates among Hispanic women living in the United States, prevention strategies continue to play a pivotal role towards addressing this growing public health issue. With many known adverse effects and risk factors, the burden of excess weight is detrimental on this rapidly growing population, of which 78.8% are affected by overweight or obesity today (). This places Hispanic American women at an increased risk for obesity and its comorbidities, including heart disease and stroke, type 2 diabetes, many types of cancer, and premature death (). Recent evidence demonstrates that overweight and obesity are more common among ethnic and racial minorities (). As the largest ethnic group in the U.S., Hispanic Americans—particularly women—are disproportionately more impacted (). Contradictorily, while Hispanic American women have a higher frequency of weight loss attempts as opposed to non-Hispanic white women (), they are 20% more likely to have excess weight (). Compared to the rest of the U.S. population, Hispanic Americans experience distinctive sociocultural factors that contribute to being less likely to follow physical activity guidelines and dietary recommendations (), which adds onto the complex set of challenges in the development and management of obesity in this group of individuals. Because over 40% of Hispanic Americans were born in a foreign country, there are socioecological factors that may decrease the effectiveness of standard weight loss approaches among the Hispanic population living in the U.S. and may contribute to obesity rates in this population, including access to culturally appropriate foods, acculturation, cultural transition and assimilation (). Literature suggests that immigrants arriving from Spanish-speaking countries are healthier than the American-born Hispanic population (; ; ). However, as they begin their lives in the U.S., the newly arrived often assume poor health behaviors resembling common American dietary habits characterized by large portion sizes, low nutritional quality, high caloric density, and high fat, sodium, and added sugar content (). Consequently, more acculturated Hispanic Americans tend to consume more added sugar, red meat, full-fat dairy, and have a lower consumption of legumes, rice, vegetables, and fruits ().