Background For patients receiving hemodialysis, distance to their dialysis facility may be particularly important due to the need for thrice-weekly dialysis. We sought to determine whether African-Americans and Whites differ in proximity and access to high-quality dialysis facilities. Methods We analyzed urban, Whites, and African-Americans aged 18–65 receiving in-center...
Introduction Few studies have analyzed the cohort effects of lifecourse socioeconomic position (SEP) on racial disparities in body mass index (BMI) trajectories. We assessed the contribution of lifecourse SEP on racial differences in BMI trajectories among two different age cohorts of women. Methods Four waves of the Americans’ Changing Lives study (1986–2002) were used to...
Background Underrepresentation of minorities within academic surgery is an ever present problem with a profound impact on healthcare. The factors influencing surgery residents to pursue an academic career have yet to be formally investigated. We sought to elucidate these factors, with a focus on minority status. Methods A web-based questionnaire was sent to all administered to...
Objective There is limited research focusing on the five-factor model (FFM) of personality among diverse older adults, particularly cancer patient populations. This study aimed to examine the association of personality traits, positive and negative affect, and health in White and Black older adults receiving outpatient treatment for various cancer types. Design Data were...
PurposeAfrican-Americans are disproportionally represented among high-risk, high-utilizing patients. To inform program development for this vulnerable population, the current study describes racial variation in chronic conditions and sociodemographic characteristics among high-utilizing patients in the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System (VA).MethodsWe identified the 5 % most...
PurposeWe examined the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) cancer screening among older African American men.MethodsWe analyzed baseline data from a sample of 485 community-dwelling African American men who participated in the Cancer Prevention and Treatment Demonstration Trial. The outcome was receipt of PSA screening within the...
ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to compare labor outcomes across race/ethnicity in women undergoing prostaglandin labor induction.MethodsSecondary analysis of misoprostol vaginal insert (MVI) trial, a double-blind, randomized, control trial of 1,308 patients comparing sustained release vaginal inserts containing dinoprostone 10 mg and misoprostol 50 mcg (MVI 50) or 100 mcg (MVI...
ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to examine how targeted six-month interventions impacted best practice/patient outcomes for minority patients receiving primary care in physician practices participating in a pay-for-performance (P4P) program.MethodsP4P practices were invited to participate in a pilot intervention study designed to improve care for minority patients with...
ObjectiveSome immigrant populations, for instance, Turkish immigrants, suffer from worse mental health than the general population. Moreover, psychotherapeutic treatment does not work well in this group. This might be explained by lower motivation for psychotherapy and particular illness beliefs as important early predictors of treatment outcome. We investigate differences in...
IntroductionWe examined the effects of the Great Recession (December 2007–June 2009) among vulnerable adults who may be at high risk of poor health and low access to health care.MethodsOur primary outcomes of interest were self-reported health status (fair/poor versus good/very good/excellent), and foregoing needed health care due to cost in the past 12 months.ResultsRacial and...
IntroductionMedical mistrust is associated with disparities in a variety of health outcomes. The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has the potential to decrease disparities in cervical cancer by preventing infection with the virus that causes these malignancies. No study has examined associations between medical mistrust and preventative health behaviors including the HPV...
Introduction Despite a higher prevalence of mental disorders and poorer outcomes, ethnic minorities have low participation in mental health research in the UK. This restricts the generalisability of results and leads to health inequalities. It is important to identify barriers to recruitment and develop strategies to overcome them. Methods Field researchers recruiting on the...
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for white and black Americans. Despite the presence of therapies that improve survival and quality of life in cardiac patients, African-Americans continue to have the worst heart disease survival rates of all racial groups. The literature has described racial disparities in cardiovascular care for at least 25 years. We review...
Many studies show that immigrants face significant barriers in accessing health care. These barriers may be particularly pronounced for newer immigrants, who may face additional obstacles in navigating the health care system. Understanding the sources of health care disparities between recent and non-recent immigrants may allow for better design of policies and interventions to...
Social media is changing how individuals gather information and relate to others. Public health professionals can use social media in their efforts to assess health needs, set policy, and communicate health concerns as they focus on protecting and improving the health of the community. It has been estimated that traditional health messaging campaigns reach less than 10 % of the...
Objective Weight loss interventions have produced little change in insulin sensitivity in black women, but mean data may obscure metabolic benefit to some and adverse effects for others. Accordingly, we analyzed insulin sensitivity relative to fat mass change following a weight loss program. Design and Methods Fifty-four black women (BMI range 25.9 to 54.7 kg/m2) completed the 6...
To evaluate how disparities in the distribution of environmental air pollution impact birth outcomes in Allegheny County, PA, we utilized the National Air Toxics Assessment modeled air pollution at the census tract level to evaluate pollution levels and census estimated median income for all census tracts throughout the county. The distribution of air pollution and its...
Unhealthy diet is one of the leading contributors for chronic disease related morbidity and mortality in African-American (AA) women living in the USA. The purpose of this study was to describe eating habits and intention to change using the stages of change (SOC) model in a sample of AA women. A cross-sectional population-based study was conducted in Florida with AA women. A...
Bone and soft tissue sarcomas are rare diagnoses in the orthopedic patient population. Without rapid evaluation and proper treatment, mortality is increased in these patients. The purpose of our study is to identify factors associated with a variance of care in bone and soft tissue sarcoma patients within a large urban hospital system. Our study retrospectively reviewed the...
This study addressed health disparities in sleep duration, sleep quality, and daytime sleepiness among African-American college students. To investigate evening behaviors promoting insufficient and inadequate sleep, we assessed electronic (e.g., computer and music) and nonelectronic (e.g., socializing) sleep competing activities (SCA). Students (N = 154) were recruited from a...
Real-world experience with HCV medications differs from original the index studies. African-Americans (AA) are commonly underrepresented in clinical trials. Therefore, we hypothesized that postmarketing experience with the first generation HCV protease inhibitors (PI) (telaprevir and boceprevir) differs from premarket reports in clinically meaningful ways regarding patient race...
BackgroundWe evaluated the differences within various ethnic groups diagnosed with head and neck cancer in the USA with a specific focus on the clinical outcomes of patients of Hispanic ethnicity.Material/MethodsWe used the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database to examine the clinical outcomes of patients with head and neck cancer by ethnicity, region of...
We are at an important time-point in American History where diversity is about to enter its second generation of activity. Diversity 5.0 describes where we are today, and where we need to be to truly emerge as a diverse society in America that values one another.ᅟ
Objectives This study aimed to identify community-level actions to decrease racial disparities in infant mortality (IM). Design Six urban multidisciplinary teams generated ideas for decreasing racial disparities in IM using a mixed methods concept mapping approach. Participants rated each idea as to its necessity and action potential and grouped ideas by theme. A cluster analysis...
Developing an effective youth-based health messaging intervention for African American women, who remain disparately impacted by cancer, presents unique challenges. This paper reports on the challenges with recruiting familial dyads from predominantly low-income, African American neighborhoods, as well as the challenges associated with designing and implementing an upward...