Publications by authors named "Michele R Forman"

Background: Cervical cancer screening rates in the USA fall behind national targets, requiring innovation to circumvent screening barriers. Cervical cancer screening where human papillomavirus (HPV) testing is performed on vaginal samples collected by the patients themselves (self-sampling) are effective and acceptable, and patient-operated rapid HPV tests (self-testing) are currently under development. It is unclear why there is ambivalence toward HPV self-sampling and self-testing among clinicians, an important stakeholder group.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Maternal diet may modulate human milk microbiota, but the effects of nutritional supplements are unknown. We examined the associations of prenatal diet and supplement use with milk microbiota composition. Mothers reported prenatal diet intake and supplement use using self-administered food frequency and standardised questionnaires, respectively.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cervical cancer screening rates are declining in the US, with persistent disparities among vulnerable populations. Strategies to better reach under-screened communities are needed. The COVID pandemic sparked major shifts in healthcare delivery, including the accelerated development and adoption of rapid diagnostic testing, broadened access to remote care, and growing consumer demand for self-testing, which could be leveraged for cervical cancer.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Primary human papillomavirus (HPV) testing, in which a high-risk HPV test is administered without cytology, was first included in 2018 US cervical cancer screening guidelines. Subsequent guidelines endorsed primary HPV testing as the preferred method for cervical cancer screening following evidence of its clinical and economic benefits, although many sources still indicate it as an option along with cytology and HPV/Pap co-testing. Primary HPV testing could be key to improving the declining cervical cancer screening rates in the US; however its adoption has been slow as clinicians are hesitant to make the change.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Observational research suggests higher red and processed meat intakes predict greater risks of developing or dying from cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but this research limits causal inference. This systematic review of reviews utilizes both observational and experimental research findings to infer causality of these relations. Reviews from four databases were screened by two researchers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

While excess weight is an established risk factor for postmenopausal breast cancer, consideration of maximum body mass index (maxBMI; BMI is calculated as weight (kg)/height (m)2) or BMI at a point in time relevant for breast carcinogenesis may offer new insights. We prospectively evaluated maxBMI and time-dependent BMI in relation to breast cancer incidence among 31,028 postmenopausal women in the Black Women's Health Study. During 1995-2015, a total of 1,384 diagnoses occurred, including 787 estrogen-receptor (ER)-positive (ER+) cases and 310 ER-negative (ER-) cases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The risk of cancer in adulthood can be influenced by exposure to environmental factors (e.g., food shortage and stress) in early life.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Household food insufficiency (HFIS) is a major public health threat to children. Children may be particularly vulnerable to HFIS as a psychological stressor due to their rapid growth and accelerated behavioural and cognitive states, whereas data focusing on HFIS and childhood mental disorders are as-yet sparse. We aimed to examine the associations of HFIS with depression and anxiety in US children.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Religious rituals are considered among the principle factors that impact dietary behaviors and food selections. The main objective of this study is to characterize food intake among Lebanese adults observant of the fasting month of Ramadan and compare it to their intake of the rest of the year. During a year-round study, including the month of Ramadan, Lebanese adults ( = 62), completed multiple (9 to 13) 24-h dietary recalls.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Food insecurity is associated with poorer nutrient intakes from food sources and lower dietary supplement use. However, its association with total usual nutrient intakes, inclusive of dietary supplements, and biomarkers of nutritional status among US children remains unknown.

Objective: The objective was to assess total usual nutrient intakes, Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) scores, and nutritional biomarkers by food security status, sex, and age among US children.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We examined whether regular television (TV) viewing at ages 3-5 and 5-10 years is related to the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) in adult women. We used data from 34,512 mother-nurse daughter dyads in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) II and the Nurses' Mothers' Cohort Study. Mothers of NHS II participants completed a questionnaire on their pregnancy with the nurse and her early life experience.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The first 1000 days of life support child growth and long-term health, but few studies address this period in Lebanon and the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

Objective: To examine the determinants of nutritional status among Lebanese children ≤2 years old by child's sex.

Methods: We analysed data from a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of 466 mother-child dyads.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Editor's Note: This article is a reprint of a previously published article. For citation purposes, please use the original publication details: Marks JS, Hogelin GC, Gentry EM, et al. The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveys: I.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Child undernutrition is a major public health challenge that is persistent and disproportionately prevalent in low- and middle-income countries. Undernourished children face adverse health, economic, and social consequences that can be intergenerational. The first 1000 days of life, from conception until the child's second birthday, constitute the period of greatest vulnerability to undernutrition.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study aims to assess the validity and reproducibility of a culture-specific semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for Lebanese adults. The 94-item FFQ captures intake of traditional Mediterranean dishes and Western food, reflective of current Lebanese nutrition transition. Among 107 participants (18-65 years), the FFQ was administered at baseline (FFQ-1) and one year thereafter (FFQ-2); 2-3 24-h recalls (24-HRs)/season were collected for a total of 8-12 over four seasons.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

According to the WHO, Arab countries have the highest relative increase in Breast Cancer (BC) rates worldwide. Current shifts in dietary patterns in these countries are postulated as important modifiable risk factors of the disease. The objectives of this review were to examine the gaps and opportunities in the extent, range and nature of nutrition-related BC research in Arab countries.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Both inflammatory and mechanical effects have been proposed to explain the increased risk of asthma and reduced lung function observed in obese children and adults. The evidence regarding the potential role of obesity in the aetiology of atopy and allergy is more conflicting. The adipokines leptin and adiponectin are inflammatory markers of fat metabolism which may be involved in explaining the increased risk of asthma and reduced lung function in obese children and adults.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) is considered a biomarker for mitochondrial function and oxidative stress. Although previous studies have suggested a potential relationship between mtDNAcn at the time of colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosis and CRC prognosis, findings have been inconsistent, and no study has specifically investigated the association of pre-diagnostic mtDNAcn with CRC survival.

Methods: We examined the association of pre-diagnostic leukocyte mtDNAcn (measured by qPCR) with overall and CRC-specific survival among 587 patients in Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Poor lifestyles have been linked to insulin insensitivity/hyperinsulinemia, which may contribute to downstream changes such as inflammation and oxidative damage and the development of chronic diseases. As a biomarker of intracellular oxidative stress, leukocyte mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN) has been related to lifestyle factors including diet and weight. No epidemiologic study has examined the relation between combined insulinemic potential of lifestyle and mtDNA-CN.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for the first 6 months of life with well-established benefits to the mother and child. The traditional practice of the 40-day rest period helps establish and maintain exclusive breastfeeding. This study aims to estimate the prevalence and examine the factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding at 40 days and at 6 months in Lebanon.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To investigate whether in utero exposure to the Great Chinese Famine in 1959 to 1961 was associated with risk of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in adulthood.

Methods: In this cohort analysis, we included 97,399 participants of the Kailuan Study who were free of cardiovascular disease and cancer at baseline (2006). Cases of incident ICH were confirmed by medical record review.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Breast cancer, the most common cancer in women worldwide, has recognized reproductive and anthropometric risk factors including age at menarche and adult height. Yet the age a woman attains her adult height or experiences menarche for example is simply the timing of the major life event at the end of a long trail of exposures that began . The objective of this article is to investigate through a review of the literature the role of nutrition in breast cancer prevention through three dimensions (D).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Weight extremes and food insecurity (FIS) represent public-health challenges, yet their associations in childhood remain unclear. We aimed to investigate the longitudinal time-specific relationship between FIS and risk of overweight/obesity and underweight in kindergarten through 8th grade.

Methods: In the prospective Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (1998-2007) of 6368 children, household FIS was assessed by the validated US Household Food Security Survey Module in kindergarten, 3rd, 5th and 8th grades.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF