Publications -- Shane I. Fernando

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12503/31229

This collection is limited to articles published under the terms of a creative commons license or other open access publishing agreement since 2016. It is not intended as a complete list of the author's works.

Browse

Recent Submissions

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Uptake of cancer screenings among a multiethnic refugee population in North Texas, 2014-2018
    (PLOS, 2020-03-30) Raines-Milenkov, Amy; Felini, Martha; Baker, Eva; Acharya, Rushil; Longanga Diese, Elvis; Onsa, Sara; Fernando, Shane I.; Chor, Holy
    BACKGROUND: Refugees are less likely than US born populations to receive cancer screenings. Building Bridges is a community health worker prevention program designed to increase refugee's cancer screening uptake. The purpose of this cross sectional analysis was to assess differences in uptake of cervical, breast, liver, and colorectal screens across six cultural groups. METHODS: Data was abstracted in 2018 for this analysis. Participants were categorized into six cultural groups (Myanmar, Central Africa, Bhutan, Somalia, Arabic Speaking Countries, and Other) to assess differences in sociodemographic measures and screening uptake. Uptake proportions were calculated for each cancer type (cervical, breast, liver, and colon) among eligible participants, by gender and cultural group. Differences in uptake across groups were assessed using stratified analysis and logistic regression. Prevalence odds ratios (POR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for each group to assess the association between screening completion and cultural group. FINDINGS: 874 refugees were asked about cancer screening history. The majority of participants were either 'never had been screened' or 'not up-to-date' for every cancer screening. Among age eligible, 82% had no prior pap exam within the past 3 years, 81% had no prior mammogram within the past year, 69% didn't know their Hepatitis B status and 87% never had a colon cancer screening. Overall, higher uptake of all types of cancer screenings was observed in Myanmar and Bhutanese groups, except colon cancer screening which was higher among Central African Region and Arabic Speaking participants. CONCLUSION: Screening uptake varied by ethnic group and screening type. The program reached an under and never screened population, however, the proportion of refugees who received a cancer screening remained low compared to the US population. Diversity within refugee communities requires adaptation to specific cultural and linguistic needs to include new Americans in cancer elimination efforts.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    How often parents make decisions with their children is associated with obesity
    (BioMed Central Ltd., 2018-09-25) Rahman, Adrita; Fulda, Kimberly G.; Franks, Susan F.; Fernando, Shane I.; Habiba, Nusrath; Muzaffar, Omair
    Background: Evidence supports that better parental involvement and communication are related to reduced obesity in children. Parent-child collaborative decision-making is associated with lower BMI among children; while child-unilateral and parent-unilateral decision-making are associated with overweight children. However, little is known about associations between joint decision-making and obesity among Hispanic youth. The purpose of this analysis was to determine the relationship between parent-child decision making and obesity in a sample of predominantly Hispanic adolescents. Methods: Data from two studies focused on risk for type II diabetes were analyzed. A total of 298 adolescents 10-14 years of age and their parent/legal guardian were included. Parents completed questionnaires related to psychosocial, family functioning, and environmental factors. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine the association between obesity (≥ 95th percentile for age and gender), the dependent variable, and how often the parent felt they made decisions together with their child (rarely/never, sometimes, usually, always), the primary independent variable. Covariates included gender, age, ethnicity, total family income, and days participated in a physical activity for at least 20 min. ORs and 95% CIs were calculated. Results: Adolescent participants were predominantly Hispanic n = 233 (78.2%), and approximately half n = 150 (50.3%) were female. In multivariate analyses, adolescents who rarely/never made decisions together with their family had significantly higher odds (OR = 3.50; 95% CI [1.25-9.83]) of being obese than those who always did. No association was observed between either those who sometimes make decisions together or those who usually did and those that always did. Conclusions: Parents and children not making decisions together, an essential aspect of parent-child communication, is associated with increased childhood obesity. The results of our study contribute to evidence of parental involvement in decision-making as an important determinant of adolescent health. Further studies should explore temporal relationships between parenting or communication style and obesity.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Liver Biomarkers and Lipid Profiles in Mexican and Mexican-American 10- to 14-Year-Old Adolescents at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes
    (Hindawi, 2017-07-26) Fernández-Gaxiola, Ana Cecilia; Valdés-Ramos, Roxana; Fulda, Kimberly G.; López, Ana Laura Guadarrama; Martínez-Carrillo, Beatriz E.; Franks, Susan F.; Fernando, Shane I.
    Liver enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) are markers for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM); alkaline phosphatase is a marker of liver disease. Mexican-American adolescents are disproportionately affected by T2DM, while in Mexico its prevalence is emerging. We assessed liver biomarkers and lipid profiles among Mexican and Mexican-American adolescents 10-14 years old with high/low risk of T2DM through a cross-sectional, descriptive study (Texas n = 144; Mexico n = 149). We included family medical histories, anthropometry, and blood pressure. Obesity was present in one-third of subjects in both sites. ALT (UL) was higher (p < 0.001) in high-risk adolescents (23.5 ± 19.5 versus 17.2 ± 13.4 for males, 19.7 ± 11.6 versus 15.1 ± 5.5 for females), in Toluca and in Texas (26.0 ± 14.7 versus 20.0 ± 13.2 for males, 18.2 ± 13.4 versus 14.6 ± 10.1 for females), as well as GGT (UL) (p < 0.001) (18.7 ± 11.1 versus 12.4 ± 2.3 for males, 13.6 ± 5.8 versus 11.5 ± 3.9 for Mexican females; 21.0 ± 6.8 versus 15.4 ± 5.5 for males, 14.3 ± 5.0 versus 13.8 ± 5.3 for females in Texas). We found no differences by sex or BMI. Total cholesterol and HDL were higher among Mexican-Americans (p < 0.001). In conclusion, multiple risk factors were present in the sample. We found differences by gender and between high and low risk for T2DM adolescents in all liver enzymes in both sites.