A group prenatal care intervention reduces gestational weight gain and gestational diabetes in American Samoan women.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the preliminary effectiveness of an intervention to mitigate adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with pre-pregnancy obesity in American Samoa.

Methods: We enrolled n = 80 low-risk pregnant women at <14 weeks' gestation. A complete case analysis was conducted with randomized group assignment (group prenatal care-delivered intervention vs.

"There are still broken or fragmented systems": Qualitative assessment of needs to strengthen adolescent mental health services in American Samoa.

Mental health challenges appear common among adolescents in American Samoa. There is a community-identified need to better understand the health burden and identify opportunities to strengthen the mental health system to better meet adolescent mental health needs. The goal of this qualitative study was to gather community stakeholders' perceptions of common mental health problems among adolescents in American Samoa, identify existing services for adolescent mental health, and highlight strength-based opportunities to enhance care.

Insulin-induced lipid body accumulation is accompanied by lipid remodelling in model mast cells.

Mast cell lipid bodies are key to initiation, maintenance and resolution of inflammatory responses in tissue. Mast cell lines, primary bone marrow-derived mast cells and peripheral blood basophils present a 'steatotic' phenotype in response to chronic insulin exposure, where cells become loaded with lipid bodies. Here we show this state is associated with reduced histamine release, but increased capacity to release bioactive lipids.

Predictors of prenatal care satisfaction among pregnant women in American Samoa.

Background: Pregnant women in American Samoa have a high risk of complications due to overweight and obesity. Prenatal care can mitigate the risk, however many women do not seek adequate care during pregnancy. Low utilization of prenatal care may stem from low levels of satisfaction with services offered.

Conceptions of pregnancy health and motivations for healthful behavior change among women in American Samoa.

Background: American Samoan women are particularly at risk of obesity-related non-communicable disease (NCD), requiring efficacious interventions to protect their health and that of their infants. Prior studies have identified pregnancy as an ideal time for behavior change interventions related to NCD.

Aim: This study aimed to understand American Samoan women's conceptions of health during pregnancy, their motivations for pregnancy behavior change, and the role of their family in both enabling and preventing these changes.