Background: Data suggest that pesticides interact with the melatonin receptor, which may influence sleep. However, the link between pesticides and sleep remains unexplored among the general adult population. This study evaluated unstratified and sex-stratified associations between urinary pesticide exposure (N = 4,478) and self-reported acute household pesticide exposure (N = 14,956), with sleep health outcomes within a nationally representative sample of US adults. Methods: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) 2009–2014 were combined for analysis of aim 1 and aim 2. Urinary pesticide metabolite concentrations served as biomarkers of pesticide exposure. Acute household pesticide exposure (if any chemical products were used in the home in the past seven days to control pests) was self-reported (yes/no). Insufficient sleep duration (< 7 h/night) and trouble sleeping (yes/no) were self-reported. Log-binomial regression models that accounted for complex survey weights and adjusted for confounders were used to compute prevalence ratios and 95% CI. Results: Log urinary 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) was related to a higher probability of insufficient sleep [1.09 (95% CI: 1.00, 1.20), p = 0.04] and trouble sleeping [1.14 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.27), p = 0.02] among males. Self-reported acute household pesticide exposure was associated with a higher probability of insufficient sleep duration [1.16 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.32), p = 0.03] and trouble sleeping [1.20 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.44), p = 0.04] in the unstratified sample. Sex-stratified findings showed that associations between acute household pesticide exposure and trouble sleeping only persisted among males [1.69 (95% CI: 1.27, 2.24), p < .001]. Conclusions: In summary, acute pesticide exposure may be detrimental to adult sleep health, particularly among US males.

Student learning interactions and a sense of belonging are imperative to academic success within distance education settings. In March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, students who intended to be educated through in-person learning environments had to shift to remote learning suddenly. In public health, a field that emphasizes experiential and interactive learning, instructors and graduate students enrolled in residential in-person programs transitioned to remote learning with limited knowledge of how this transition would impact student learning interactions and a sense of belonging. To address these gaps, we examined how remote learning impacted Master of Public Health students’ learning interactions with peers, instructors, course content, as well as their sense of belonging in an overall sample and stratified by program year. We found that students perceived challenges interacting with peers, content, and instructors, such as a lack of community and an inability to interact with instructors during course discussions. Students reported not feeling a sense of belonging when engaging with peers and instructors. Findings from this study shed light on the challenges that emerged after students transitioned to remote learning, namely disrupted student learning interactions and a decreased sense of belonging. The study provides recommendations for future remote teaching, which may be of utility to university instructors and administrators tasked with creating and implementing an interactive remote learning curriculum that provides students with a community to foster learning.

Background: While recent studies, primarily among Asian cohorts, have linked adherence to 24-hour movement behavior (24-HMB) guidelines with improved mental health—some of which show sex differences—few studies have explored these relationships among older adults from the United States. Methods: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 2011-2018 were examined in 2,812 older adults (≥ 65years). Those considered adherent to 24-HMB guidelines had a sleep duration of 7–8 h./night, moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) ≥ 150 min/wk., and sedentary behavior (SB) < 8 h./day. Sleep duration, SB, and MVPA were self-reported, with SB and MVPA obtained from the validated Global Physical Activity Questionnaire. Depression was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), with a score of ≥ 10 indicating depression. Logistic regression was used to evaluate overall and sex-stratified associations between non-adherence to all three behaviors, combinations of two behaviors, or individual behavior guidelines, with odds of depression, adjusted for putative confounders. Results: Among the full sample, non-adherence to all three 24-HMB guidelines was associated with 1.7 [95% confidence interval (CI):1.1, 3.1; p = 0.02] higher odds of depression versus those that adhered to all three behaviors. After sex stratification, the association only persisted among males [OR = 2.5 (95% CI:1.1, 5.4); p = 0.02]. Within the overall sample, higher odds of depression were observed for those who did not adhere to the SB + sleep duration guidelines and the sleep duration + MVPA guidelines. Sex-stratified findings revealed that associations only remained significant in males. While in the overall sample of older adults, non-adherence to the sleep duration guideline was associated with 2.1 (95% CI:1.4, 3.3; p = 0.001) higher odds of depression compared to those that adhered to the guideline. Conclusions: Results provide evidence of associations between non-adherence to 24-HMB and higher odds of depression, specifically in older males, suggesting a potential sex-specific effect that warrants further investigation. Future studies using longitudinal designs are needed to confirm these findings and explore the mechanisms underlying these associations.

The built environment has been linked to physical activity (PA) behaviors, yet there is limited knowledge of this association among lower-income midlife and older adults who are insufficiently active. The present cross-sectional study utilized baseline data collected between October 2017 and November 2019 from a clustered randomized controlled trial to determine how built environment attributes were associated with PA behaviors among midlife and older adults (n = 255) residing in or near affordable housing sites (n = 10). At each site, perceptions of the built environment were collected and scored at the participant level via the abbreviated Neighborhood Environment Walkability Survey (NEWS-A), while objective built environment attributes were measured and scored by trained research staff using the Physical Activity Resource Assessment (PARA). Multiple PA behaviors—walking, total PA, and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) (min/wk)—were measured using the validated Community Healthy Activities Model Program for Seniors (CHAMPS) questionnaire. Adjusted linear regression models examined associations between NEWS-A measures and PA behaviors, and site-level correlations between PARA measures and PA behaviors were examined using Spearman’s rank correlations. At the participant level, adjusted models revealed that a one point increase in the NEWS-A aesthetics score was associated with a 57.37 min/wk increase in walking (β = 57.37 [95% CI: 20.84, 93.91], p = 0.002), with a similar association observed for street connectivity and MVPA (β = 24.31 min/wk [95% CI: 3.22, 45.41], p = 0.02). At the site level, MVPA was positively correlated with the quality of the features of local, PA-supportive environmental resources (ρ = 0.82, p = 0.004). Findings indicate that participant- and site-level measures of the built environment may play a role in promoting PA behavior among this demographic and similar populations. Results also suggest that improvements in aesthetic attributes and street connectivity, along with enhancing the quality of local, PA-supportive environmental resources, may be effective strategies for promoting physical activity among lower-income midlife and older adults.