scholarly journals Factors Influencing Brain Healthy Diets Among Older Midwestern African Americans

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 946-946
Author(s):  
Ashley Shaw ◽  
Samantha Fikru ◽  
Jannette Berkley-Patton ◽  
Chris Goode ◽  
Jaime Perales ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Health Status ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Dietary Practices ◽  
Community Based Research ◽  
Knowledge And Beliefs ◽  
Dementia Risk ◽  
Healthy Diets ◽  
Eating Practices

Abstract Emerging evidence suggests that up to half of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) cases are a result of modifiable risk factors related to poor diet such as blood pressure and diabetes, disproportionately affecting African Americans. Adherence to brain healthy diets remains low among African Americans. Therefore, it is important to understand needs, preferences, and barriers to inform intervention designs aimed to reduce AD risk among African Americans. Using a qualitative community-based research approach, we conducted six semi-structured focus group discussions (n= 30) to explore older African American experiences with brain healthy diets, preferences, and barriers to eating healthy. Secondly, we assessed the feasibility and acceptability of collecting biomarkers of health status and dietary behaviors among African Americans. A thematic analysis was conducted to identify emerging themes and biomarkers of health status were analyzed using descriptive statistics. We identified four themes: “Knowledge and Beliefs about Brain Healthy Diets,” “Eating Practices,” “Ways to Improve Dietary Practices,” and “Preferences for Enhancing Awareness about Brain Healthy Diets.” Themes indicated that older African Americans are receptive to healthy dietary consumption but perceived lack of education, cost, access, and perception of losing one’s culture as barriers to adherence. A total of 87.5% of participants completed biomarker assessments and 82% tested positive for 1 or more cardiovascular risk factor. Our study identified ways to enhance brain healthy dietary practices to reduce dementia risk. Also, our study demonstrated feasibility and acceptability in collecting AD related biomarkers in the African American community.

A Pilot Trial To Assess College Student’s Willingness To Donate Blood.

Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (11) ◽  
pp. 4029-4029 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derrick G. Demmons ◽  
Colleen P. Crittenden ◽  
Mark Lee ◽  
Beth H. Shaz ◽  
Miriam Burnett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
African American ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Blood Donation ◽  
Pilot Trial ◽  
Recruitment Methods ◽  
School Work ◽  
Knowledge And Beliefs ◽  
Willingness To Donate ◽  
Donation Frequency

Abstract Background: Nationally, African Americans are significantly underrepresented in community blood donation programs. The need to understand the willingness to donate blood among African Americans is essential. In this study, we explore factors that serve as motivators and barriers to blood donation identified by college students at two Historical Black Colleges/Universities (HBCUs). Methods: HBCU students at least 18 years of age were given the opportunity to complete a paper-based or on-line 41-item questionnaire to assess the participant’s demographic background, donation frequency, motivators and barriers toward donation, knowledge and beliefs regarding blood donation, and specific behavioral practices. No personal identifiers were used. Univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted to describe the sample. Results: 409 individuals completed the survey. 95% self-identified as African-American and 45% of college students reported previously donating blood. Student’s felt that incentives, personal requests to donate from blood centers, blood drives sponsored by campus organizations, and the university involvement in promoting blood drives were significant motivating factors for donating blood (p<.05). Significant barriers against blood donation included believing donation was too painful, fear of feeling faint, dizzy, or nauseated, losing valuable time from school or work, too time consuming, and fear of deferral (p<.05). Conclusions: College students are willing to donate blood based on convenience, accessibility, and support from their university. Campus-based recruitment methods geared towards students, specifically those of African American descent, may prove beneficial for increasing the general pool of African American blood donors. Significant relationships between barriers, motivators, and donor status Χ2 Sig. *p<.05 Barriers against blood donation Too painful 60.20 .000 Would feel faint, dizzy, or nauseated 42.15 .000 Will lose valuable time from school/work 16.82 .002 Previously been told not to donate 8.49 .004 Takes too long 37.41 .000 Motivators toward blood donation Incentive for donating 14.56 .006 Personal request to donate from blood center 10.15 .038 Blood drive sponsored by campus organization 26.29 .000 University involvement in promoting blood drives 5.36 .021

scholarly journals Polypharmacy and Psychological Distress May Be Associated in African American Adults

Pharmacy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shervin Assari ◽  
Mohsen Bazargan
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
African American ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Health Status ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Health Care Access ◽  
Comprehensive Evaluation ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Multiple Chronic Conditions ◽  
African American Adults

Background: Compared to Whites, African Americans are at a higher risk of multiple chronic conditions, which places them at a higher risk of polypharmacy. Few national studies, however, have tested whether polypharmacy is associated with psychological distress—the net of socioeconomic status, health status, and stress—in African Americans. Aims: In a national sample of African Americans in the US, this study investigated the association between polypharmacy and psychological distress. Methods: The National Survey of American Life (NSAL, 2003) included 3570 African American adults who were 18 years or over. This number was composed of 2299 women and 1271 men. Polypharmacy (using ≥ 5 medications) and hyper-polypharmacy (using ≥ 10 medications) were the independent variables. Psychological distress was the dependent variable. Age, gender, socioeconomic status (education attainment, income, employment, and marital status), health care access (insurance status and usual place of care), and health status (multimorbidity and psychiatric disorders) were the covariates. Linear multivariable regression was applied to perform the data analysis. Results: Both polypharmacy and hyper-polypharmacy were associated with psychological distress. This association was significant after controlling for all the covariates. Conclusions: African Americans with polypharmacy, particularly those with hyper-polypharmacy, are experiencing higher levels of psychological distress, which itself is a known risk factor for poor adherence to medications. There is a need for a comprehensive evaluation of medications as well as screening for psychopathology in African Americans with multiple medical conditions.

A Multi-City Community Based Smoking Research Intervention Project in the African-American Population

1997 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
William A. Darity ◽  
Robert W. Tuthill ◽  
Alvin E. Winder ◽  
George P. Cernada ◽  
Ted T. L. Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Smoking Behavior ◽  
The United States ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Period Prevalence ◽  
Community Based Research ◽  
Active Intervention ◽  
Income Groups

Objective: To carry out a community-based research approach to determine the most effective educational interventions to reduce smoking among African-American smokers. The intervention included preparation of the community, planning and developing a model of change, and developing a community-based intervention. The study population consisted of 2,544 randomly selected adult African-American smokers residing in four sites in the northeastern and southeastern parts of the United States. The research design provided a comparison of active intervention sites with passive control sites as well as low income and moderate income areas. Major Outcome Measures: Point prevalence of non-smoking at the time of interview; Period prevalence of non-smoking at the time of interview; Period prevalence of quit attempts in the prior six months; Number of smoke-free days in the prior six months; Number of cigarettes smoked daily at the time of interview. Results: Based upon a survey eighteen months after baseline data was collected, all four measures of cigarette smoking behavior showed a strong statistically significant reduction of personal smoking behavior among those receiving active interventions versus the passive group. On the basis of process variable analysis, direct contact with the project staff in the prior six months was significantly higher in the active intervention areas. There was only a small non-significant increase in personal smoking behavior in moderate income groups as opposed to low income groups. Conclusion: An analysis of process variables strongly suggests that, within this African-American Community, “hands on” or “face to face” approaches along with mass media, mailings, and other less personal approaches were more effective in reducing personal smoking behavior than media, mailings, and other impersonal approaches alone addressed to large audiences.

scholarly journals Neighborhood Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Health Status Among African Americans Living in Low-Income Housing

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 577-578
Author(s):  
Adrienne Aiken-Morgan ◽  
Dextiny McCain ◽  
Karon Phillips ◽  
Keith Whitfield
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
African American ◽  
Health Status ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Social Determinants Of Health ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Socioeconomic Disadvantage ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
African American Older Adults

Abstract Research has shown the importance of social determinants of health in explaining racial/ethnic disparities in many health outcomes; however, less attention has been given to within-group differences in social determinants of health among low-income African American older adults. The Physical and Cognitive Health Pilot Study (n=50) was utilized to examine associations between level of neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage and self-reported health in African American older adults living in public housing in Durham, NC and Annapolis, MD. Results from ANOVA showed that Durham participants living in more disadvantaged neighborhoods had statistically significantly worse cardiovascular health, higher depression symptoms, worse sleep quality, and higher alcohol use (p=.05) than Annapolis participants living in a more resource-rich neighborhood. These findings suggest that among low-income African American elders, greater neighborhood/state socioeconomic disadvantage is associated with worse health status. Future research should consider neighborhood context as an essential variable when assessing health status among aging African Americans.

scholarly journals Perceptions from Latino and African American Older Adults about Biological Markers in Research

2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerardo Moreno, MD, MSHS ◽  
Carol M. Mangione, MD, MSPH ◽  
Carlos E. Meza, BS ◽  
Ivy Kwon, MPH ◽  
Teresa Seeman, PhD ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
African American ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Biological Markers ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Barriers And Facilitators ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
And Storage

<p>Although older adult minorities face disparities in health and health care, they continue to be underrepresented in health research. Studies with biological markers of health often lack representation of older minority adults. The purpose of this study was to describe perceptions of biomarkers among ethnic minority seniors who might participate in studies of biological markers of health and to document barriers and facilitators to acceptance of biomarkers. Six focus groups (3 of Spanish-speaking Latinos and 3 of African Americans) were con­ducted in three community senior service organizations (two senior centers and one church). Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted to support and augment focus group data. Seventy-two community-dwelling minority older adults aged 62 years and older and 10 community stakeholders participated. A community-based partnered research approach was used and two com­munity partners participated in the analysis and interpretation of results. Standard quali­tative content-analysis methods were used to identify and organize themes in domains. Focus group participants were 49% Latino and 51% African American. Results included barriers: 1) mistrust, 2) fear of specimen collection/storage, 3) perceived harms, 4) competing demands, and 5) costs. Older Latinos cited issues of language as barriers to awareness and acceptance of biomarkers. African Americans had concerns over per­ceived harms of biomarkers. Facilitators to acceptance of biomarkers were community engagement through church and communi­ty leaders. Older Latino and African Ameri­cans identified many barriers and facilitators to the collection and storage of biomarkers. Participants identified community-partnered recommendations to overcome barriers to the acceptance, collection, and storage of biomarkers. <em>Ethn Dis.</em>2015;25(3):355-362.</p>

scholarly journals The Use of Critical Race Theory to Inform Culturally Adapted Recruitment Strategies for Community-Based Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 486-486
Author(s):  
Joseph Gaugler ◽  
Laura Gitlin ◽  
Lauren Parker
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
Recruitment Strategies ◽  
Critical Race ◽  
Race Theory ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Caregiver Support ◽  
Black African ◽  
Community Based Research

Abstract Black/African American participation in non-pharmacological randomized trials and community-based research on Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias (ADRD) remains low. This presentation introduces Critical Race Theory (CRT), its tenets and how it can be used in tandem with national strategies to encourage participation of Black/African Americans in ADRD research. CRT is a transdisciplinary methodology that draws on anti-racist tenets to study and transform the relationships among race, racism, and power. We describe how CRT constructs (e.g., race consciousness, counter-storytelling) can be used to inform recruitment strategies to enroll Black/African American ADRD caregivers into community-based research by drawing upon two ongoing studies: a randomized trial providing caregiver support through Adult Day Services (ADS) and the evaluation of impact of ADS on stress levels of Black/African American using biomarker measures. In the spirit of CRT this presentation is a call for action and transformation of dementia care research to actively include Black/African Americans.

More Shadow than Substance

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leah Wright Rigueur
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Substance P ◽  
National Committee ◽  
Party Leaders ◽  
Political Ideas ◽  
Black Republicans ◽  
State And Local ◽  
American Party ◽  
Local Party

This chapter studies how, as the 1970s progressed, black Republicans were able to claim clear victories in their march toward equality: the expansion of the National Black Republican Council (NBRC); the incorporation of African Americans into the Republican National Committee (RNC) hierarchy; scores of black Republicans integrating state and local party hierarchies; and individual examples of black Republican success. African American party leaders could even point to their ability to forge a consensus voice among the disparate political ideas of black Republicans. Despite their ideological differences, they collectively rejected white hierarchies of power, demanding change for blacks both within the Grand Old Party (GOP) and throughout the country. Nevertheless, black Republicans quickly realized that their strategy did not reform the party institution.

Reducing Police Brutality in African American Communities: Potential Roles for Social Workers in Congregations

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 66-84
Author(s):  
Betty Wilson ◽  
Terry A. Wolfer
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
General Public ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Police Brutality ◽  
Religious Congregations ◽  
Predominantly Black ◽  
African American Communities ◽  
White Congregations

In the last decade, there have been a shocking number of police killings of unarmed African Americans, and advancements in technology have made these incidents more visible to the general public. The increasing public awareness of police brutality in African American communities creates a critical and urgent need to understand and improve police-community relationships. Congregational social workers (and other social workers who are part of religious congregations) have a potentially significant role in addressing the problem of police brutality. This manuscript explores and describes possible contributions by social workers, with differential consideration for those in predominantly Black or White congregations.

Emancipation and Free African Americans

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Archer
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
African Americans ◽  
New England ◽  
Rhode Island ◽  
New Hampshire ◽  
Jim Crow ◽  
African Descent ◽  
American Population ◽  
African American Population ◽  
Free African Americans

Except in parts of Rhode Island and Connecticut, slavery was a peripheral institution, and throughout New England during and after the Revolution there was widespread support to emancipate slaves. Some of the states enacted emancipation laws that theoretically allowed slavery to continue almost indefinitely, and slavery remained on the books as late as 1857 in New Hampshire. Although the laws gradually abolished slavery and although the pace was painfully slow for those still enslaved, the predominant dynamic for New England society was the sudden emergence of a substantial, free African American population. What developed was an even more virulent racism and a Jim Crow environment. The last part of the chapter is an analysis of where African Americans lived as of 1830 and the connection between racism and concentrations of people of African descent.

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