Hong Xue

• PhD, MS
• Professor (Assistant) at University at Buffalo, State University of New York

Background Preventing youth exposure to cigarette smoking is a public health priority. One of the most effective ways to reduce tobacco use is to increase the prices of tobacco products. Minimum floor price laws (MFPLs) are a relatively new but more feasible strategy that sets a price below which the product cannot be sold. We aim to examine the ef...

Using data from NHANES for years 2005–2018, we examined temporal trends in osteoporosis prevalence and the proportion of undiagnosed osteoporosis in the United States of America. Our results suggested statistically significant increases in osteoporosis prevalence across several demographic groups. These findings carry profound implications for publ...

Background e-Cigarette (electronic cigarette) use has been a public health issue in the United States. On June 23, 2022, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued marketing denial orders (MDOs) to Juul Labs Inc for all their products currently marketed in the United States. However, one day later, on June 24, 2022, a federal appeals court gr...

The study examines effects of the CMS State Innovation Models(SIM) on capturing social risk factors in adults hospitalized with Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD). Using a difference-in-differences(DID) approach with propensity score weights, the study compared documentation of secondary diagnosis of SDOH/social factors using ICD-9 V co...

Importance: Virginia raised the minimum legal age of sale for tobacco from 18 to 21 (T21), effective July 1, 2019. Evaluating the potential policy effects of this new policy is crucial.Objectives: To simulate and predict the effects of different levels of TRL enforcement on youth cigarette use and the consequent health and economic impacts. Design:...

BACKGROUND E-cigarette use has been a public health issue in the US. On June 23, 2022, the FDA issued marketing denial orders (MDOs) to Juul Labs Inc. for all of their products currently marketed in the United States. However, one day later, on June 24, 2022, a federal appeals court granted a temporary reprieve to Juul Labs that allowed it to keep...

Background The geographic information science-based interactive map provided good prospects for the public health to study disease prevalence. The purpose of this study is to understand global spatial–temporal trends of childhood overweight and obesity and underlying causes help formulating intervention strategies. Methods This multiple cross-sect...

Hospice care facilities are required to provide prescription drugs related to a hospice patient's terminal illness. From October 2010 to present, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a series of communications regarding Medicare paying for hospice patients' prescription drugs under Part D that should be covered under the h...

The popularity of e-cigarette use among young adults is a growing concern. However, little is known about factors associated with e-cigarette use in pregnant women and birth outcomes. In this retrospective cohort study, we evaluated the influence of several factors on behavioral changes in e-cigarette use before and during pregnancy, and assessed t...

Objectives To examine longitudinal effects of school policies on children’s weight status and eating behaviors, and study how these effects may vary by children’s age, sex, and baseline weight status in China. Methods Data were collected in 2015, 2016, and 2017 in an open cohort of 3298 children aged 6–17, their parents, and schools in five large...

Background Social media platforms provide a valuable source of public health information, as one-third of US adults seek specific health information online. Many antitobacco campaigns have recognized such trends among youth and have shifted their advertising time and effort toward digital platforms. Timely evidence is needed to inform the adaptatio...

Objective: This study examined the effects of overweight/obesity on mortality and morbidity outcomes and the disparities, time trends, and projected future obesity health burden in China. Methods: Cohort studies that were conducted in China and published in English or Chinese between January 1, 1995, and July 31, 2021, were systematically search...

Objective We examine the association between tobacco retail outlet density and adult smoking prevalence at the county level in Virginia, controlling for spatial autocorrelations. Methods Pooling data from 2020 County Health Rankings (compiled data from various sources including, but not limited to, the National Center for Health Statistics - Morta...

Objective: This review examines main government and nongovernmental institutions for childhood obesity prevention and control in China, as well as major national interventions for childhood obesity. Methods: PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, official websites of national governments and professional institutions/as...

Research shows that a significant number of adolescents and young adults quit vaping or reduced the amount of nicotine consumed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is a lack of evidence on adolescent risk perceptions regarding the link between vaping and susceptibility to contracting COVID-19. This study examined the level...

Importance The high and increasing expenditures for prescription medications in the US is a national problem. Objective To explore the association of generic statin competition on relevant use and cost savings and to provide use and expenditure trends for all available statins for private and public payers and for out-of-pocket spending. Design,...

Purpose Eating-out and prevalence of obesity/overweight have been rising rapidly in China in the past two decades due to social economic developments. This study examined Chinese school children’s eating-out behaviors and associated factors, including their association with obesity during a 3-year follow. Methods Data were collected from 3313 prim...

Objective: To examine dose-response associations between use of specific social media sites and the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and traditional cigarettes. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 298 first-year college students enrolled in the fall 2019 semester at a large state university. Heckman selection and Probit model...

China has experienced many drastic social and economic changes and shifts in people's lifestyles since the 1990s, in parallel with the fast rising prevalence of obesity. About half of adults and a fifth of children have overweight or obesity according to the Chinese criteria, making China the country with the highest number of people with overweigh...

Breastfeeding is critically important to maternal and child health in the United States. Examining the relationship between breastfeeding outcomes and state policies requires multidisciplinary efforts to link data from various sources. This article describes an integrated dataset that was used to understand the relationship between participation in...

Background: Although understanding changes in the body weight distribution and trends in obesity inequality plays a key role in assessing the causes and persistence of obesity, limited research on this topic is available for Cuba. This study thus analyzed changes in body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) distributions and obesity inequ...

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides breastfeeding support and free formula to low-income participating infants in the U.S. Literature has consistently documented worse breastfeeding outcomes in WIC infants and children than in non-participants, although self-selection bias poses a challenge in...

Abstract Background Partial- or full-lockdowns, among other interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic, may disproportionally affect people (their behaviors and health outcomes) with lower socioeconomic status (SES). This study examines income-related health inequalities and their main contributors in China during the pandemic. Methods The 2020 Chi...

Background: Obesity prevalence has become one of the most prominent issues in global public health. Physical activity has been recognized as a key player in the obesity epidemic. Objectives: The objectives of this study are to (1) examine the relationship between physical activity and weight status and (2) assess the performance and predictive p...

For a comprehensive understanding of high-level obesity in the USA, we studied the trends of obesity prevalence since 2007, and related biological, behavioral, and sociocultural factors in obesity racial/ethnic disparities. We searched PubMed, Embase, and national data archives for the studies using national survey data and published in English fro...

The associations between children’s pocket money and their eating behaviors and weight status have not been examined using longitudinal data in China. Examined child and parental factors associated with children’s pocket money, and longitudinal effects of pocket money on children’s eating behaviors and weight status. Data were collected in 2015, 20...

Objectives Examine school children's physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviours (SB) during 2015 to 2017 in China, and study their associations with children's weight status and relevant gender differences. Methods This open cohort study included students from five major cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, Nanjing, and Chengdu) across China. Da...

Objectives: Little is known about cancer survivors' self-perception of their dietary quality compared with their measured diet quality and how those perceptions may influence their actual diet. This study aimed to fill this gap using national large datasets. Methods: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 2005 to 201...

This study systematically examines the diffusion of the discrete event simulation (DES) approach in health services and health care management by examining relevant factors such as research areas, channels with the objective of promoting the application of DES in the health field. We examined 483 journal papers referencing this approach that were p...

Objectives: Examine school children’s physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviors (SB) during 2015-2017 and study their effects on children’s weight status and their relevant gender differences in China. Methods: This open cohort study included students from 5 major cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an, Nanjing, and Chengdu) across China. Data were...

Background: Obesity (OB) is a serious epidemic in the United States. Methods: We examined OB patterns and time trends across socio-economic and geographic parameters and projected the future situation. Large national databases were used. Overweight (OW), OB and severe obesity (SOB) were defined using body mass index cut-points/percentiles; centr...

Spatial lifecourse epidemiology is an interdisciplinary field that utilizes advanced spatial, location-based, and artificial intelligence technologies to investigate the long-term effects of environmental, behavioural, psychosocial, and biological factors on health-related states and events and the underlying mechanisms. With the growing number of...

This study examined prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity (ov/ob) and central obesity in five mega-cities across China (Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Nanjing and Chengdu); described parental perceptions of children's ideal body image (IBI); and prospectively examined associations between parental perception of child IBI and child weight changes...

Childhood obesity is one of the most pressing public health issues nowadays. The environmental factors have been identified as potential risks for obesity, as they may influence people's lifestyle behaviours. Lack of access to supermarkets that usually provide healthy food options has been found to be a risk factor for childhood obesity in several...

BACKGROUND Diabetes and obesity has become a serious epidemic and costly chronic disease. The impact of mHealth interventions for diabetes and obesity management is promising, however, studies showed varied results of mHealth. OBJECTIVE Evaluate the effectiveness of mobile health (mHealth) interventions on diabetes and obesity treatment and manage...

Background Diabetes and obesity have become epidemics and costly chronic diseases. The impact of mobile health (mHealth) interventions on diabetes and obesity management is promising; however, studies showed varied results in the efficacy of mHealth interventions. Objective This review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of mHealth interventions f...

Childhood obesity increases the risk of adulthood obesity and is associated with other adverse health outcomes later in life. It may be influenced by environmental characteristics of neighborhoods where children live, particularly dietary supply–related environmental factors. This study aimed to systematically review the evidence on the association...

Background: The built environment is an important contributor to childhood obesity; however, large-scale and longitudinal studies designed to examine their associations remain limited. This study aimed to examine whether walkable neighborhoods were associated with childhood obesity risk over a 9-year period. Methods: We used data collected in th...

Objectives: This study examined Chinese children's self-perceived and measured weight status, the main and interaction effects of children's self-perceived weight status and lifestyle behaviors on changes in their body mass index (BMI) over 3 years. Methods: Children's weight, height, self-perceived weight status, and lifestyle behaviors (food i...

Objectives: This study examined: 1) prevalence of overweight and obesity (ov/ob) in children and maternal perception of children's ideal body image in China, 2) associations between maternal perception of children's ideal body image and changes in children's body mass index (BMI) over 3 years. Methods: The Children Obesity Study in China Mega-ci...

Objectives: This study examined:1) prevalence of overweight and obesity (ov/ob) in children aged 0-18 y in China, 2) national policies and intervention programs on childhood obesity in China since 1949, and 3) provided recommendations for future work. Methods: Literature search and expert consultation were conducted to identify childhood obesity...

Background Effects of food environments (FEs) on childhood obesity are mixed. Objectives To examine the association of residential FEs with childhood obesity and variation of the association across gender and urbanicity. Methods We used the US Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Kindergarten Cohort data, with 9440 kindergarteners followed up from...

Background: Economic growth and urbanization may contribute to the decline of active travel to school (ATS). We aim to explain the change of ATS in China between 1997 and 2011 and to predict the prevalence of ATS in China within the next 30 years using various scenario. Methods: We developed a system dynamics model to study ATS and the model ass...

Drawing on the intergenerational stress proliferation theory, the courtesy stigma thesis, and the buffering ethnic culture thesis, this study examines the association between maternal obesity and child's peer victimization and whether this association varies for white and black children. Based on longitudinal data from a nationally representative s...

Introduction: Limited is known about prevalence and risk factors for diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia among refugees. Methods: At a refugee clinic in Buffalo, N.Y. (2004-2014), 1,570 adults were studied using multivariate logistic regression. Results: Prevalences of diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia were 7.8%, 24.1%, and 27....

Objectives Childhood obesity rate has been increasing rapidly in China, but understanding is limited on how parents perceive their child's weight status and how this perception affects parenting practices. This study examined maternal perception of her child's weight status, its association with demographic characteristics and its effects on subseq...

Objectives Although the importance of social norms in affecting health behaviors has been increasingly recognized, the current understanding of social norm effects on obesity is limited due to data and methodology limitations. This study aims to use nontraditional innovative systems science methods to examine: a) the effects of social norms on scho...

Objective Describe recent sex‐ and ethnic‐specific childhood BMI growth trajectories of US children, and explore the potential causes of racial/ethnic disparities in childhood BMI trajectories, including household socio‐economic status (SES) and family rules for children's TV watching, bedtime, and meal time. Methods The sex‐ and ethnic‐specific c...

Background/objectives: Study sex- and ethnic-specific childhood BMI growth trajectories of US children, and explore the potential causes of ethnic disparities in childhood BMI trajectories, including household socio-economic status (SES) and parenting practice using nationally representative longitudinal data. Subjects/methods: BMI trajectory cu...

We aimed to systematically examine Americans' perceptions of fast food (FF) and how these perceptions might affect fast food consumption (FFC) and obesity risk. We searched PubMed and Google for studies published in English until February 17, 2017 that reported on Americans' perceptions (defined as their beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge) regarding...

Introduction: Limited is known about mental illness and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and their risk factors among refugees. These were studied using data collected from a refugee population in Buffalo, NY. Methods: Longitudinal data collected on 1055 adults (> 18 years) at a large refugee health center in Buffalo, NY, during 2004-2014 were u...

Objective Previous studies in China showed large sex differences in childhood overweight and obesity (OW/OB) rates. However, limited research has examined the cause of these sex differences. The present study aimed to examine individual and parental/familial factors associated with sex differences in childhood OW/OB rates in China. Design Variable...

Objectives: To study the country-level dynamics and influences between population weight status and socioeconomic distribution (employment status and family income) in the U.S., and to project the potential impacts of socioeconomic-based intervention options on obesity rates. Study design: Ecological study and simulation Methods: Using the longitu...

Background: China has seen rapid increase in obesity and hypertension prevalence and fast food consumption over the past decade. We examined status and risk factors for Western- and Chinese fast food consumption and their associations with health outcomes in Chinese children, and examined how maternal factors were associated with child health outc...

System dynamics modelling (SDM) applications in health research began to appear in 1972 while agent-based modelling (ABM) applications first appeared in 1995, but their applications have increased dramatically over the last decade. This study examines the diffusion patterns of these two approaches and the main driving factors. We conducted a system...

The fast food (FF) industry has expanded rapidly in China during the past two decades, in parallel with an increase in the prevalence of obesity. Using government-reported longitudinal data from 21 provinces and cities in China, this study examined the growth over time and the spatial distribution patterns of the FF industry as well as the key soci...

Objectives The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity has increased rapidly in China over the past two decades, and is most pervasive in urban areas. However, studies that examine changes in energy balance‐related behaviors remain limited for Chinese children. This study aimed to: 1) study the current physical activity (PA) patterns and die...

Aims To examine the dual impacts of parental achievement expectation on nonacademic and academic‐related sedentary behavior among junior high students in China. Methods Based on the first nationally representative sample of 7 th and 9 th graders in China (N=15,736), we fitted multilevel structural equation models linking multiple indicators of par...

Background Peer influence on health behaviors in children is widely recognized, but the understanding of peer influence on childhood obesity and eating behavior and the between‐country differences is limited. Aims Using innovative social network analysis and agent‐based models (ABM), we examined: 1) peer influence on obesity in children; 2) associ...

Background China, the world's second largest economy, has experienced rapid economic development and many social and environmental changes including people's lifestyle and disease patterns in the past 40 years. Methods Based on nationally representative data, we studied trends of obesity and non‐communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) in China and pr...

Background Systems science approaches, especially simulation approaches have been widely adopted by the researchers in health fields to gain better understanding of nonlinearities and dynamics generated by complex and dynamic interplay of many factors from biology to human behaviors and policy interventions. The range of applications includes but a...

Background The influence of parenting behaviors on children's weight status is evident based on research in western world. However, in developing countries under dramatic economic and social changes, such as China, the parenting behaviors and related effects on Children's BMI and weight status remain understudied. Aims This study aimed to assess t...

Objectives Childhood obesity in China is on the rise. School environment is very important for the development of obesity for children. This study examined regional variations in childhood obesity and school environments/policies and their associations among junior high students in China. Methods Analyses were based on the China Education Panel Su...

Objective: Study the trends in Western fast food consumption (FFC) among Chinese school-age children and the association between FFC and obesity using nationwide survey data. Design: Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were conducted to study the trends in FFC and the associations between FFC and weight status (overweight, obesity and body...

Recent years have witnessed prominent calls to tax sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) to prevent obesity in the United States. Despite efforts to evaluate this proposed policy, limited data and no framework exist for evaluating long-term, dynamic, cumulative health impacts of taxing SSBs while recycling revenue to support related interventions. System...

Dietary patterns represent the combined effects of foods, and illustrate efficaciously the impact of diet on health outcomes. Some findings of previous studies have limited applicability to Chinese children due to cultural factors. The presnt study was designed to identify dietary patterns and determine their relationships with obesity among Chines...

Objectives Fast food (FF) industry and obesity rate have increased rapidly in China the past 2 decades. This study examined overtime growth and spatial distribution patterns of FF industry in China and the key social economic factors that might contribute to the growth. Methods Using government reported longitudinal data from 21 provinces and citi...

Objectives Examine influences of community social norms on school children's dietary intake and body mass index (BMI). Methods Contextual effect models were fit using data from the 1991‐2011 China Health and Nutrition Survey for school‐age children (6‐18 y, n=6034), from 9 provinces and over 200 communities across China. Local community level aver...

Interest in the application of systems science (SS) in biomedical research, particularly regarding obesity and noncommunicable chronic disease (NCD) research, has been growing rapidly over the past decade. SS is a broad term referring to a family of research approaches that include modeling. As an emerging approach being adopted in public health, S...

Background: Obesity has become a major health problem among children and adolescents worldwide. This study aimed to examine the trends of overweight and obesity among childhood in China and assess their associations with family income, dietary intake, and physical activity (PA) between 1997 and 2009. Methods: Two waves of cross-sectional data of...

Background Although the importance of social norms in affecting health behaviors is widely recognized, the current understanding of the social norm effects on obesity is limited due to data and methodology limitations. This study aims to use nontraditional innovative systems methods to examine: a) the effects of social norms on school children’s BM...

Interest in the application of systems science (SS) to obesity and noncommunicable chronic disease (NCD) research has been growing rapidly over the past decade as the epidemic of obesity and NCDs continues to grow globally. This article summarizes the key messages of the presentations made in the special symposium “Applications of Complex Systems S...

Background Clustered obese parents and children are prevalent, but there is little knowledge about whether and how child–parent resemblance varies by sociodemographic groups. Methods This paper used nationally representative data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (NHANES: 1988–1994). We matched 4958 parents with 6765 chi...

Objective: This study compared obese, overweight, and normal weight children's physical activity (PA) and improvements in family routines. Methods: The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Kindergarten Cohort followed children from kindergarten to 3rd and 5th grade (N = 13,850). Mixed-effect models analyzed the association of children's baseline we...

This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the recent obesity prevention–related food policies initiated in countries worldwide. We searched and reviewed relevant research papers and government documents, focusing on those related to dietary guidelines, food labeling, regulation of food marketing, and policies affecting food prices. We also co...

Background: Little is known about how food prices affected children’s nutrient intakes after China’s entry to the World Trade Organization, which has substantial policy implications. Objective: To assess the differential effects of food price change on the distributions of macronutrient intakes in children (6‐18yrs) in Urban China and to simulate p...

Childhood obesity has become a serious public health threat worldwide due to its many short- and long-term adverse health effects. We assessed the association between weight status and metabolic co-morbidities among South Korean children using nationally representative data. Data from the 2007-2008 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Su...

Researchers use system dynamics models to capture the mean behavior of groups of indistinguishable population elements (e.g. people) aggregated in stock variables. Yet many modeling problems require capturing the heterogeneity across elements with respect to some attribute(s) (e.g. body weight). This paper presents a new method to connect the micro...

Background Little research tested the direct effect of energy intake and expenditure to study the causal links between shifts in diet and the increase in childhood obesity in developing world. Objective To examine the unique patterns of energy imbalance in China. Methods The 1991–2000 nationwide China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) data and q...

Background Requiring students to attend physical education (PE) class can promote their physical activity (PA) in school, while vending machine and soda are prevalent in middle schools in the US. Objective To test the complex interactions between students’ PA, school environment, and students’ water/beverage drinking choices and energy intake. Me...

Background Although the obesity prevalence seems to level off in young children in the US recently, the racial/ethnic disparities remain substantial. The non‐linear dynamic complexity in the increase of childhood obesity rates over time is not well studied. Objectives To forecast future trends and disparities in childhood obesity in US till 2030....

Background Sugar‐sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes have been proposed to contribution to reducing the obesity epidemic in the US. Using a systems dynamics approach, we assess changes in SSB supply and demand in a dynamic process. Methods A systems dynamic model simulates the interactions and dynamics of consumer and supplier responses to an SSB tax a...

Background The impact of national school lunch program (NSLP) on the US childhood obesity epidemic is controversial, while NSLP is widely viewed critical to help school children improve dietary intake and develop lifelong healthy eating habits. Using national data, we studied the effects of NSLP on childhood obesity. Methods National Health and Nu...

Selected Paper prepared for presentation at the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association's 2011 AAEA & NAREA Joint Annual Meeting, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, July 24-26, 2011 Copyright 2011 by Hong Xue, Wen You, and Rodolfo M. Nayga, Jr. All rights reserved. Readers may make verbatim copies of this document for non-commercial purposes by any mea...

This study uses experimental economic techniques to explore consumers’ preferences between conventional beef and grass-fed beef, and their willingness to pay for grass-fed beef. Our analysis shows that palatability attributes play a central role in determining consumers’ preferences and WTP. We also find that consumers’ nutrition knowledge, beef co...

Selected Paper prepared for presentation at the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association's 2009 AAEA & ACCI Joint Annual Meeting, Milwaukee, WI, July 26-28, 2009. Copyright 2009 by Hong Xue, Denise Mainville, Wen You, and Rodolfo M. Nayga, Jr. All rights reserved. Readers may make verbatim copies of this document for non-commercial purposes by...

The relationship between nutrition knowledge and consumers’ food behavior has been debated for years. This may be partially attributed to the difficulty introduce by endogeneity of nutrition knowledge in econometric modeling. Using grass-fed beef as a vehicle, this paper investigates the impacts of consumers’ nutrition knowledge on their willingnes...