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Objective: Development of a new framework for the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to assess progress and opportunities toward stimulating and supporting rigorous research to address health disparities.Design: Portfolio review of NIA’s health disparities research portfolio to evaluate NIA’s progress in addressing priority health disparities areas. Results: The NIA Health DisparitiesResearch Framework highlights important factors for health disparities research related to aging, provides an organizing structure for tracking progress, stimulates opportunities to better delineate causal pathways and broadens the scope for malleable targets for intervention, aiding in our efforts to address health disparities in the aging population. Conclusions: The promise of health disparitiesresearch depends largely on scientific rigor that builds on past findings and aggressively pursues new approaches. The NIA Health Disparities Framework provides a landscape for stimulating interdisciplinary approaches, evaluating research productivity and identifying opportunities for innovative health disparities research related to aging. Ethn Dis. 2015;25(3):245-254.

Background: Inclusion of racial/ethnic mi­norities in cancer-related research remains inadequate, continuing to impact disparate health outcomes. Data regarding enrollment of racial/ethnic minorities in nontherapeu­tic, health-related research is sparse, and even less is known about enrollment of those with a double disparity of racial/ethnic minorities in rural settings.Objective: To examine perspectives of Latinx and African American (AA) healthy volun­teers from rural and urban settings in five southern US states and Puerto Rico regarding their trust in research and their willingness to participate in nontherapeutic research trials based on who conducts the research.Methods: This study was conducted in 2013 in rural and urban communities across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Missis­sippi, Louisiana, and Puerto Rico. A 38-item questionnaire based on the Tuskegee Legacy Project Questionnaire assessed willingness, motivators, and barriers to participation in nontherapeutic cancer-related research. The sample was segmented into four subgroups by urban/rural location and race/ethnicity.Results: Of 553 participants (rural Latinx=151, urban Latinx=158, rural AA=122, urban AA=122), more than 90% had never been asked to participate in research, yet 75% of those asked agreed to participate. Most had positive views regard­ing health-related research. Trust in who conducted research varied by subgroup. Personal doctors and university hospitals were most trusted by all subgroups; for-profit and tobacco companies were least trusted. Both Latinx subgroups trusted pharmaceutical companies more than AAs; local hospitals and for-profit businesses were more trusted by AAs. Both rural subgroups trusted research by insurance companies more than their urban counterparts.Conclusions: If asked, rural and urban AA and Latinx healthy volunteers were willing to participate in health-related research, with personal doctors and university hos­pitals considered the most trusted sources to encourage/conduct research.Ethn Dis. 2021;31(2):263-272; doi:10.18865/ed.31.2.263

Background: Neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with adverse health outcomes, but longitudinal data among Black Americans, who tend to live in more deprived neighborhoods, is lacking. Objectives: We prospectively assessed the relation of neighborhood SES to mortality in the Black Women’s Health Study.Design: A prospective cohort of 59,000 Black women was followed from 1995-2011. Participant addresses were geocoded and US Census block group was identified. Neighborhood SES was measured by a score based on US Census block group data for six indicators of income, education and wealth.Main outcome measures: Deaths were identified through the National Death Index. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs with control for covariates.Results: Based on 2,598 deaths during 1995-2011, lower neighborhood SES was associated with increased all-cause and cancer mortality irrespective of individual education: among those with 16 or more years of education, HRs for lowest relative to highest neighborhood SES quartile were 1.42 (95% CI 1.18-1.71) for all-cause and 1.54 (95% CI 1.14-2.07) for cancer mortality. Neighborhood SES was associated with cardiovascular mortality among lesseducated women.Conclusions: Lower neighborhood SES is associated with greater risk of mortality among Black women. The presence of the association even among women with high levels of education suggests that individual SES may not overcome the unfavorable influence of neighborhood deprivation. Ethn Dis. 2016;26(2):157-164; doi:10.18865/ ed.26.2.157

African Americans (AAs) are disproportionately affected by cerebrovascular pathology and more likely to suffer from premature cognitive decline. Depression is a risk factor for poorer cognitive functioning, and research is needed to identify factors that serve to mitigate its negative effects. Studies have demonstrated positive influences of spirituality within the AA community. Determining whether spirituality attenuates the effects of depressive symptoms on cognitive functioning and the pathophysiological mechanisms that explain these relationships in AAs is paramount. This study examines the influence of daily spiritual experiences on the relationship between depressive symptoms and cognitive functioning, and how inflammatory markers may partially explain these associations. A sample of 212 (mean age = 45.6) participants completed the Daily Spiritual Experience Scale (DSES), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Trail Making Test A and B (TMT) and Stroop Color and Word Test (Stroop). Blood samples were collected to measure inflammatory mediators (IL-6, IL-1a, TNF-a). Linear regression analyses were used to evaluate associations. Higher BDI-II scores were associated with poorer psychomotor speed and visual scanning, measured by TMT A (B = 1.49, P =. 01). IL-6 explained a significant amount of variance in this relationship (B =. 24, CI 95% [. 00,. 64]). IL-6 also significantly mediated the relationship between depressive symptoms and psychomotor speed and mental flexibility, measured by TMT B performance (B =. 03, CI 95% [. 003,. 095]). Frequent spiritual experiences among AAs may ameliorate the negative influence of depressive symptoms on cognitive functioning.

Purpose: To examine barriers recruiters encounter when enrolling African American study participants, identify motivating factors to increase research participation, and provide recommendations to facilitate successful minority recruitment. Background: Recruiters are often the first point of contact between the research study and potential African American participants. While challenges in enrolling African Americans into clinical and epidemiologic research has been reported in numerous studies the non-physician recruiter’s role as a determinant of overall participation rates has received minimal attention. Methods: We conducted four 90-minute teleconference focus groups with 18 recruiters experienced in enrolling African Americans for clinical and epidemiologic studies at five academic/medical institutions. Participants represented diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds and were asked to reflect on barriers preventing African Americans from participating in research studies, factors that motivated participation, and recommendations to increase participation of African Americans in research. Multi-coder and thematic data analysis was implemented using the Braun and Clarke method. Results: Prominent concerns in recruitment of African Americans in research include fear and mistrust and inflexible research protocols. The participants suggest that improved recruitment could be achieved through cross-cultural and skillset building training opportunities for recruiters, greater community engagement among researchers, and better engagement with clinic staff and research teams.Ethn Dis. 2017;27(4):453- 462; doi:10.18865/ed.27.4.453. 

Objective: To compare self-perceived health indicators between ethnic  groups in Colombia.Methods: Cross-sectional study with data from the 2007 National Public Health Survey (ENSP-2007). Data from 57,617 people ≥18 years were used. Variables included: belonging to an ethnic group (exposure); self-rated health; mental health problems, injuries for accidents/violence (outcomes); sex, age, education level and occupation (explicative/control). A descriptive study was carried out of the explicative variables, and the prevalence of the outcomes was calculated according to ethnicity, education level and occupation. The association between the exposure variable and the outcomes was estimated by means of adjusted odds ratios (OR) with 95% CI using logistic regression. Analyses were conducted separately for men and women.Results: The prevalence of outcomes was higher in people reporting to belong to an ethnic group and differences were found by sex, ethnic groups and health outcomes. Women from the Palenquero group were more likely to report poor self-rated health (aOR 7.04; 95%CI 2.50-19.88) and injuries from accidents/violence (aOR 7.99; 95%CI 2.89-22.07). Indigenous men were more likely to report mental health problems (aOR 1.75; 95%CI 1.41-2.17). Gradients according to ethnicity, education, occupation and sex were found.Conclusions: Minority ethnic groups are vulnerable to reporting poor health outcomes. Political actions are required to diminish health inequalities in these groups. Ethn Dis. 2016;26(2):147-156; doi:10.18865/ed.26.2.147

Purpose: New onset supraventricular arrhythmias (SVA) are commonly reported in mixed intensive care settings. We sought to determine the incidence, risk factors and outcomes of new onset SVA in African American (AA) patients with severe sepsis admitted to medical intensive care unit (MICU).Methods: Patients admitted to MICU between January 2012 through December 2012 were studied. Patients with a previous history of arrhythmia or with new onset of ventricular arrhythmia were excluded. Data on risk factors, critical care interventions and outcomes were obtained.Results: One hundred and thirty-one patients were identified. New onset SVA occurred in 34 (26%) patients. Of those 34, 20 (59%) had atrial fibrillation (AF), 6 (18%) had atrial flutter and 8 (24%) had other forms of SVA. Compared with patients without SVA, patients with new onset SVA were older (69 ± 12 yrs vs 59 ± 13 yrs, P=.003), had congestive heart failure (47% vs 24%, P=.015) and dyslipidemia (41% vs 15%, P=.002). Additionally, they had a higher mean mortality prediction model (MPM II) score (65 ± 25 vs 49 ± 26, P=.001) and an increased incidence of respiratory failure (85% vs 55%, P=.001). Hospital mortality in patients with new onset SVA was 18 (53%) vs 30 (31%); P=.024; however, in a multivariate analysis, new onset SVA was associated with nonsignificantly increased odds (OR 2.58, 95% CI 0.86-8.05) for in-hospital mortality.Conclusion: New onset SVA was prevalent in AA patients with severe sepsis and occurred more frequently with advanced age, increased severity of illness, congestive heart failure, and acute respiratory failure; it was associated with higher unadjusted in hospital mortality. However, after multiple adjustments, new onset SVA did not remain an independent predictor of mortality. Ethn Dis.2016;26(2):205-212; doi:10.18865/ ed.26.2.205

1) To examine the association of multiple dimensions of discrimination with reported trust and satisfaction with providers; 2) to report within-group differences among African Americans (AAs). Measures of perceived discrimination included everyday, lifetime, burden from lifetime discrimination, and stress from discrimination. Outcomes included trust and satisfaction with providers. Descriptive cross sectional study. The study population included AAs aged 35 to 84 years from the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) (N=5,301). Poisson regression (PR) was used to quantify the association between perceived discrimination and reported trust and satisfaction with providers before and after controlling for selected characteristics. The mean everyday discrimination score was 2.11 (SD±1.02), and the mean lifetime discrimination score was 2.92 (SD±2.12). High (vs low) levels of everyday discrimination were associated with a 3% reduction in the prevalence of trust in providers (PR .97, 95% CI .96, .99) in all models. In fully-adjusted models, high (vs low) lifetime discrimination was associated with a 4% reduction in the prevalence of trust and satisfaction (PR .96, 95% CI .95, .98). Burden of discrimination was not associated with trust or satisfaction, but stress from discrimination was inversely associated with satisfaction. The significant association between discrimination and mistrust and dissatisfaction suggests that health care providers should be made aware of AA perceptions of discrimination, which likely affects their levels of trust and satisfaction.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of HealthKick(HK), a healthy lifestyle intervention, on nutrition knowledge, behavior, and dietary selfefficacy of school children in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Design: A three-year cluster randomized control trial at primary schools in low socioeconomic settings with a baseline study in 2009 and follow-up in 2010 and 2011. Participants: Participants were Grade four children (n=500) at eight schools in the intervention group and at eight schools in the control group (n=498). Methods: An action planning process was followed with educators whereby they identified their own school health priorities and ways to address them. Schools were provided with nutrition resources, including curriculum guidelines and the South African food-based dietary guidelines. Children completed a questionnaire comprising nutrition knowledge, self-efficacy and behavioral items. Results: The intervention significantly improved the knowledge of the intervention group at the first (mean difference =1.88, 95%CI: .32 to 3.43, P=.021) and second follow-up (mean difference=1.92, 95%CI: .24 to 3.60, P=.031) compared with the control group. The intervention effect for self-efficacy was not significant at the first follow-up (mean difference=.32, 95%CI: -.029 to .94, P=.281) whereas a significant effect was observed at the second followup (mean difference=.71, 95%CI: .04 to 1.38, P=.039). There were no significant differences between the intervention and control groups for nutritional behavior scores at any of the follow-up time points. Conclusion: The HK intervention improved nutrition knowledge and  self-efficacy significantly in primary schoolchildren; however, it did not improve their eating behavior. Ethn Dis. 2016;26(2):171-180; doi:10.18865/ed.26.2.171

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mortality; it is known to be positively associated with obesity but there is some evidence that this association differs by race or sex. We used nationally representative data of adults aged >50 years to investigate sex and race modifiers of the associations between obesity and CRP in non-Hispanic White males (n=3,517) and females (n=4,658), and non-Hispanic Black males (n=464) and females (n=826). Using multiple linear regression models with the natural logarithm of CRP as the dependent variable, we sequentially included body mass index (BMI), a body shape index (ABSI), and socioeconomic, health and health behavior covariates in the model. The association between BMI and CRP was significantly stronger in females than males. Obese White females had mean CRP values slightly above 3 mg/liter (vs 2 for White males) and Black females had mean CRP values >4 mg/liter (vs 3 for Black males). More than 50% of Black females in the United States have obesity. Continued research into racial and sex differences in the relationship between obesity, inflammation, and health risks may ultimately lead to more personalized weight loss recommendations.