Hypertension in African Americans: Advances in community outreach and public health approaches

Collaborative partnerships are a useful approach to improve health conditions of disadvantaged populations. The Ventanillas de Salud (VDS) (“Health Windows”) and Mobile Health Units (MHUs) are a collaborative initiative of the Mexican government and US public health organizations that use mechanisms such as health fairs and mobile clinics to provide health information, screenings, preventive measures (eg, vaccines), and health services to Mexican people, other Hispanic people, and underserved populations (eg, American Indian/Alaska Native people, geographically isolated people, uninsured people) across the United States. From 2013 through 2019, the VDS served 10.5 million people (an average of 1.5 million people per year) at Mexican consulates in the United States, and MHUs served 115 461 people from 2016 through 2019. We describe 3 community outreach projects and their impact on improving the health of Hispanic people in the United States. The first project is an ongoing collaboration between VDS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to address occupational health inequities among Hispanic people. The second project was a collaboration between VDS and CDC to provide Hispanic people with information about Zika virus infection and health education. The third project is a collaboration between MHUs and the University of Arizona to provide basic health services to Hispanic communities in Pima and Maricopa counties, Arizona. The VDS/MHU model uses a collaborative approach that should be further assessed to better understand its impact on both the US-born and non–US-born Hispanic population and the public at large in locations where it is implemented.

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Consequences of a match made in hell: the harm caused by menthol smoking to the African American population over 1980–2018

Tobacco Control ◽

10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2021-056748 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. tobaccocontrol-2021-056748 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

David Mendez ◽

Thuy T T Le

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

African American ◽

African Americans ◽

Smoking Initiation ◽

African American Community ◽

American Population ◽

The Public ◽

African American Population ◽

Menthol Cigarettes ◽

Life Years

BackgroundFor many years, national surveys have shown a consistently disproportionately high prevalence of menthol smokers among African Americans compared with the general population. However, to our knowledge, no prior study has quantified the harm that menthol smoking has caused on that population. In this work, we estimate the public health harm that menthol cigarettes have caused to the African American community over the last four decades.MethodsUsing National Health Interview Survey data, we employed a well-established simulation model to reproduce the observed smoking trajectory over 1980–2018 in the African American population. Then, we repeat the experiment, removing the effects of menthol on the smoking initiation and cessation rates over that period, obtaining a new hypothetical smoking trajectory. Finally, we compared both scenarios to calculate the public health harm attributable to menthol cigarettes over 1980–2018.ResultsOur results show that menthol cigarettes were responsible for 1.5 million new smokers, 157 000 smoking-related premature deaths and 1.5 million life-years lost among African Americans over 1980–2018. While African Americans constitute 12% of the total US population, these figures represent, respectively, a staggering 15%, 41% and 50% of the total menthol-related harm.DiscussionOur results show that menthol cigarettes disproportionally harmed African Americans significantly over the last 38 years and are responsible for exacerbating health disparities among that population. Removing menthol cigarettes from the market would benefit the overall US population but, particularly, the African American community.

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Houston Health Department’s response to the threat of Zika virus

Online Journal of Public Health Informatics ◽

10.5210/ojphi.v9i1.7686 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Eric Bakota ◽

Kirsten Short ◽

Amanda Eckert

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Mosquito Control ◽

Action Plan ◽

Community Outreach ◽

Health Department ◽

Public Health Authority ◽

The Public ◽

Incident Command ◽

The City

ObjectiveThis session will explore the role of the Houston Health Department(HHD) in the City of Houston’s response to the threat of Zika. Thepanelists will provide perspective from the roles of Bureau Chief,informatician, and epidemiologist and provide insight into lessonslearned and strategic successes.IntroductionZika virus spread quickly through South and Central America in2015. The City of Houston saw its first travel-related Zika cases inDecember of 2015. On January 29th, the City held the first planningmeeting with regional partners from healthcare, blood banks,petrochemical companies, mosquito control, and others. Additionallythe City activated Incident Command Structure (ICS) and designatedthe Public Health Authority as the Incident Commander.Initial steps taken by HHD included expanding the capabilityand capacity of the public health laboratory to test for Zika virus;expand surveillance efforts; created an educational campaign aroundthe “3Ds” of Zika defense (Drain, Dress, DEET) which were thendisseminated through several means, including a mass mailing withwater bills; and provided DEET to mothers through the WIC program.The Houston Health Department took the lead in authoringthe City’s Zika Action Plan. In this 3 goals and 6 strategies wereidentified. Goals included 1) Keep Houstonians and visitors aware ofthe threat of Zika; 2) minimize the spread of the virus; and 3) protectpregnant women from the virus. The 6 strategies employed were toA) develop preparedness plans; B) implement ICS within the City;C) ensure situational awareness through surveillance; D) Increasecommunity awareness; E) reduce opportunities for Zika mosquitobreeding grounds; and F) provide direct intervention to reduce thethreat of Zika.HHD was responsible for many of the action items within theplan. We conducted several community outreach events, where wedisseminated educational materials, t-shirts, DEET, and other give-aways. These events allowed frequent engagement with the public forbidrectional communication on how to approach the threat.

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High-intensity exercise to promote accelerated improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness (HI-PACE): Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

10.21203/rs.2.380/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Joshua E. McGee ◽

Savanna G. Barefoot ◽

Nicole R. Gniewek ◽

Patricia M. Brophy ◽

Angela Clark ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

African Americans ◽

Aerobic Exercise ◽

Cardiorespiratory Fitness ◽

High Intensity ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

High Intensity Exercise ◽

Moderate Intensity

Abstract Background African Americans have a disproportionate prevalence and incidence of type 2 diabetes compared to Caucasians. Recent evidence indicates low cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) level, an independent risk factor for type 2 diabetes, is also more prevalent in African Americans than Caucasians. Numerous studies in Caucasian populations suggest vigorous exercise intensity may promote greater improvements in CRF and other type 2 diabetes risk factors (e.g. reduction of glucose/insulin levels, pulse wave velocity, body fat, etc.) than moderate intensity. However, current evidence comparing health benefits of different aerobic exercise intensities on type 2 diabetes risk factors in African Americans is negligible. This is clinically important as African Americans have a greater risk for type 2 diabetes and are less likely to meet public health recommendations for physical activity than Caucasians. The purpose of the High-Intensity exercise to Promote Accelerated improvements in CardiorEspiratory fitness (HI-PACE) study is to evaluate whether high-intensity aerobic exercise elicits greater improvements in CRF, insulin action, and arterial stiffness than moderate-intensity exercise in African Americans. Methods/Design A randomized controlled trial will be performed on overweight and obese (body mass index: 25-45 kg/m2) African Americans (35-65 years) (n=60). Participants will be randomized to moderate-intensity (MOD-INT) or high-intensity (HIGH-INT) aerobic exercise training, or a non-exercise control group (CON) for 24 weeks. Supervised exercise will be performed at a heart rate associated with 45-55% and 70-80% of VO2 max in the MOD-INT and the HIGH-INT groups, respectively, for an exercise dose of 600 MET-minutes/week (consistent with public health recommendations). The primary outcome is change in CRF. Secondary outcomes include change in insulin sensitivity (measured via an intravenous glucose tolerance test), skeletal muscle mitochondrial oxidative capacity (via near infrared spectroscopy), skeletal muscle measurements (i.e. citrate synthase, COX IV, GLUT-4, CPT-1, PGC1-α), arterial stiffness (via carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity), body fat, C-reactive protein, and psychological outcomes (quality of life/exercise enjoyment). Discussion The anticipated results of the HI-PACE study will provide vital information on the health effects of high-intensity exercise in African Americans. This study will advance health disparity research and has the potential to influence future public health guidelines for physical activity. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02892331. Registered on 8 September 2016, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02892331

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Should there be a Mandate to Consistently and Systematically Report Asthma Occurrences within Minority-Underserved Communities in the State of Mississippi?

The International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Invention ◽

10.18535/ijsshi/v6i3.03 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 5355-5364

Author(s):

Lolita D Gray ◽

Ananda Collins

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

African Americans ◽

Effective Treatment ◽

Adult Population ◽

The State ◽

Newly Diagnosed ◽

Underserved Communities ◽

Current Asthma ◽

Current Prevalence ◽

Critical Public Health

The epidemic of asthma has become one of the most critical public health threats within the state of Mississippi. In Mississippi, the most current prevalence of adult asthma is 12.0% for lifetime asthma and 8.6% for current asthma. Among African-Americans, the adult population represents the leading rates in overall asthma burden, with the highest percent of adult lifetime asthma being 14.6% and current asthma being 11.0%. This study asserts that a mandate to systematically and consistently report newly diagnosed cases of asthma among minority-underserved communities can provide a pathway to decrease this asthma disparity, effective treatment, and healthier lives. Based upon the findings, the participants, overall, agree that asthma disproportionately occurs among minority-underserved communities; and, mandated systematic and consistent reporting should be implemented. Additionally, these actions can lead to a decrease in this asthma disparity, an implementation of targeted public policies, effective treatment and a pathway to healthier lives.

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Abstract P081: Applying Precision Public Health Tools to Address Health Disparities Among African-Americans in Alachua County, Florida

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.139.suppl_1.p081 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 139 (Suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Andrew S Cistola

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Disparities ◽

African Americans ◽

Precision Public Health ◽

Alachua County

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Community Engagement of African Americans in the Era of COVID-19: Considerations, Challenges, Implications, and Recommendations for Public Health

Preventing Chronic Disease ◽

10.5888/pcd17.200255 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 ◽

Author(s):

Tabia Henry Akintobi ◽

Theresa Jacobs ◽

Darrell Sabbs ◽

Kisha Holden ◽

Ronald Braithwaite ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

African Americans ◽

Community Engagement

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Oil Spills and Safety – Community Outreach and Education in Oil Spill Response

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings ◽

10.7901/2169-3358-2003-1-877 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 2003 (1) ◽

pp. 877-883

Author(s):

Scott McCreery ◽

Michael Myers ◽

Anita White

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Oil Spill ◽

Oil Spills ◽

Health And Safety ◽

Community Outreach ◽

Public Perceptions ◽

Outreach Program ◽

Oil Spill Response ◽

Local Residents ◽

Public Health And Safety

ABSTRACT In the summer of 2001, an oil spill into the Strait of Georgia occurred from a tank vessel docked at the BP Cherry Point Refinery. The resultant sheen impacted approximately three miles of pristine beach. While the spill volume was relatively small, odors from the spill of mixed slop materials were strong enough to prompt several residents to evacuate their homes. In response to this experience, the BP Cherry Point Refinery developed a community outreach program focused on educating local residents about the nature of oil spills, including oil spill response and issues of public health and safety. Rooted in both research and past experience with risk communication, this approach provides a model for engaging local communities in educational efforts to ensure public health and safety in the event of a spill, and for addressing public perceptions regarding response effectiveness.

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Healthy Eating Index and Alternate Healthy Eating Index among Haitian Americans and African Americans with and without Type 2 Diabetes

Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism ◽

10.1155/2011/398324 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 2011 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Fatma G. Huffman ◽

Maurcio De La Cera ◽

Joan A. Vaccaro ◽

Gustavo G. Zarini ◽

Joel Exebio ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

African Americans ◽

Healthy Eating ◽

Community Outreach ◽

Healthy Eating Index ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Haitian American ◽

Black Populations ◽

Haitian Americans

Ethnicities within Black populations have not been distinguished in most nutrition studies. We sought to examine dietary differences between African Americans (AA) and Haitian Americans (HA) with and without type 2 diabetes using the Healthy Eating Index, 2005 (HEI-05), and the Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI). The design was cross-sectional (225 AA, 246 HA) and recruitment was by community outreach. The eating indices were calculated from data collected with the Harvard food-frequency questionnaire. African Americans had lower HEI-05 scores (−8.67, 13.1); , than HA. Haitian American females and AA males had higher AHEI than AA females and HA males, respectively, () adjusting for age and education. Participants with diabetes had higher adherence to the HEI-05 (1.78, 6.01), , and lower adherence to the AHEI (16.3, −3.19), , , than participants without diabetes. The findings underscore the importance of disaggregating ethnicities and disease state when assessing diet.

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