The risk for overweight for low-income Hispanic children younger than age 5 in the United States is significantly higher than for non-Hispanic blacks, which in turn is higher than for nonHispanic whites (1,2). Using the criterion of a Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ the 95 th percentile for age and sex for defining overweight, the prevalence among low-income young children age 2-4 years in the US as of the year 2000 was around 19% (3). Though the sample was not nationally representative, a review of over 20 years of records from a Massachusetts health maintenance organization on over 120,000 children found that the percentage of infants under 6-months who were overweight or at risk for overweight increased from approximately 10% in 1980-81 to 17% in 2000-01 (4). In that report, overweight was defined as weight for length ≥ the 95 th percentile for age and sex; at risk for overweight as weight for length ≥ the 85 th percentile for age and sex. In that same report, Hispanic infants were higher than black, who in turn were higher than white in prevalence as well as in relative increase of overweight. Using NHANES data, the National Center for Health Statistics reports that the prevalence of overweight for infants (children < 2-years-old) increased from 7.2% over 1976-80 to 11.5% over 2003-2004 (5). Such trends speak to the need for examining the factors that may contribute to excess weight gain in infancy, since there is accumulating evidence that the rate of infant growth may bear on childhood or later obesity (6).To illustrate, recent work has sought to link patterns of infant growth to child obesity by relating infant characteristics to older weight outcomes, with some reporting a direct association between birth weight and BMI in young adulthood (7,8). For example, rapid weight gain by formula-fed infants in the first week of life was shown to relate to adult overweight status by Stettler et al.(9), while Dennison et al. (10) reported that the rate of weight gain during the first six months of life was associated with a significantly increased risk of overweight at 4-years. Several studies suggest an association between increased rates of weight gain during the first 4 to 24 months of life and risk of overweight during later childhood or early adulthood (11)(12)(13)(14). The impact of weight gain during infancy on child overweight may therefore be substantial, but the factors that contribute to early weight gain are not completely understood.Some research on weight gain in infancy has taken an energy balance approach. In an oft-cited study, Roberts et al. (15) studied18 infants, two-thirds with obese mothers, and tracking the babies from birth to 1-year. The six infants who became overweight consumed 42% more energy at 6-months than the 12 infants who remained lean (16). As these six infants also had reduced total energy expenditure at 3-months of age, the authors argued that energy spent on activity played a more important role in infant overweight than energy intake. In contrast, and with a larger sample of infants ...

ParentYprofessional partnership literature continues to emphasize the importance of including the parent voice. Spanish-speaking families are often excluded from such studies because of the language barrier. This article presents a qualitative interview study of eight Latina mothers of children with severe disabilities. All participants were members of a parent-to-parent support group available through a local community board. Data analysis revealed that the mothers identified three major benefits of the parent-to-parent support group, including (a) feeling like a family, (b) having a source of information, and (c) receiving emotional support. Findings indicated that information and assistance the parents were missing from the school system were offered through their group. Implications for educational providers and future research will be presented and discussed.

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This study describes racial and ethnic variation in dementia diagnosis and survival time between diagnosis and death for Medicare beneficiaries aged 50 years and older who died in 2018 (n=1,998,282). The prevalence of diagnosed dementia was higher among non-Hispanic white (45.7%), Black (45.5%), and American Indian/Alaska Native (44.1%) decedents compared to Asian American/Pacific Islander (42.7%), and Hispanic (38.5%) decedents. Median survival time in years was shorter for American Indian/Alaska Native (2.51, IQR 0.7-6.0) and white (2.85, IQR 0.8-6.3) beneficiaries, and longer for Asian American/Pacific Islander (3.36, IQR 1.0-7.3), Black (3.38, IQR 0.9-7.4), and Hispanic (3.83, IQR 1-8.2) beneficiaries. Median survival time also varied by geography and was shortest for Hispanic decedents in Arizona (2.37, IQR 0.6-6.0) and New Mexico (2.92, IQR 0.8-7.0) compared to New Jersey (4.85, IQR 1.5-8.9) and Puerto Rico (5.45, IQR 1.1-12.8). Among Black decedents, survival was longest in New Jersey (3.80, 1.1-7.9) and Arkansas (4.22, 1.0-8.5).

Death at home is preferred by most people and has become a key indicator of the end-of-life care quality; however cultural attitudes about death and dying may vary by race and ethnicity. This study describes racial and ethnic variation in place of death among Medicare beneficiaries aged 50 years and older who died in 2018 with a dementia diagnosis (n=902,208) and without a dementia diagnosis (n=1,096,074). Among those with dementia, 60% died at home, with the highest percentage for non-Hispanic white (62%) beneficiaries, followed by Black/African American (55%), Hispanic (61%), Asian American/Pacific Islander (58%), and American Indian/Alaska Native (58%) beneficiaries. Among those without dementia 61% died at home, with the highest percentage for non-Hispanic white (60%) beneficiaries, followed by Black (57%), Hispanic (65%), Asian American (65%), and American Indian (60%) beneficiaries. Among those who died at home, about half without dementia received hospice care compared to the majority with dementia.