scholarly journals Racial and Age Group Disparities in the Effect of Social Distancing on Health Status

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 197-198
Author(s):  
Karen Lincoln
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Protective Factors ◽  
Living Arrangements ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Work Demands ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Using Data

Abstract African Americans are dying from COVID-19 at younger ages than Whites. Social distancing (SD) prevents the spread of the virus, but because of work demands, transportation needs, and living arrangements SD may be difficult for many African Americans, many of whom are experiencing higher unemployment, poverty, food insufficiency, and social isolation. This study will determine if the health of African Americans and Whites are differentially impacted by SD measures. SD rules can increase or decrease health disparities by: (a) directly impacting the symptoms and progression of chronic health conditions; (b) influencing availability of protective factors and exposure to risk factors; and (c) mitigating or exacerbating the effects of sources of disparities. These hypotheses will be tested using data from the Understanding America’s COVID Study. Findings can advance understanding of how public health requirements can reduce or increase health disparities and identify protective factors to facilitate adherence to public health guidelines.

Racial Differences in Multigenerational Living Arrangements in 1910

2011 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 275-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl Elman ◽  
Andrew S. London
Keyword(s):  
African Americans ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Racial Differences ◽  
Living Arrangements ◽  
Living Arrangement ◽  
Future Research ◽  
European Americans ◽  
Kin Support ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Life Course

We explore racial differences in multigenerational living arrangements in 1910, focusing on trigenerational kin structures. Coresidence across generations represents a public function of the family, and we observe this across different ages or life-course stages through which adults came to be at risk for providing simultaneous household support for multiple generations of kin dependents. Using data from the 1.4 percent 1910 Integrated Public Use Microdata Sample, our comparisons adjust for marital turnover, including widow(er)hood/divorce and remarriage, as rates are known to be historically higher among African Americans in this period. Across subgroups defined by age and sex, we find that African Americans are virtually always as likely as or more likely than European Americans (of both native and foreign parentage) to live as grandparents in trigenerational households. Widow(er)hood/divorce generally increased the likelihood of trigenerational coresidence, while remarriage sometimes increased, sometimes decreased, and sometimes had no association with this living arrangement. Also, we find that the life-course staging of household kin support in 1910 differed across race/generation partly due to different economic and demographic circumstances, suggesting more complexity in kin support than previously considered. We discuss these findings in relation to the histories of African American and European American families as well as their implications for future research.

scholarly journals The incidence of stroke in pediatric patients in Brazil

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafaela Sandes Fonseca ◽  
Louise Seixas Lordêllo ◽  
Beatriz Gusmão Azevêdo ◽  
Lara Teixeira de Oliveira ◽  
Giovanna Carvalho Sousa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Pediatric Patients ◽  
Total Mortality ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
Limiting Factor ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Public Health Policies ◽  
Brain Stroke ◽  
Using Data

Background: Stroke is rare in pediatric patients, but it is of paramount importance due to its serious complications. The study of the incidence of strokes in these patients is important for us to be able to adequate public health policies. Objectives: To evaluate the incidence of strokes in pediatric patients in Brazil. Design and setting: Descriptive, retrospective study, carried out using data from the Hospital Information System (SIH/SUS), from 2011 to 2020. Methods: Variables: brain stroke not specific for the hemorrhagic or ischemic type, mortality, hospitalizations, sex, ethnicity and age group from 0 to 19 years of age. Results: During the period from 2011 from 2020, there were a total of 6912 cases of stroke in the age group from 0 to 19 years; the highest incidence in 2019 (10.59%) and the lowest incidence in 2020 (8.65%.) The age group from 15 to 19 accumulated the greatest number of cases (60.40%). The total mortality rate was 8.12% (561 cases). The highest mortality rate was observed between 15 and 19 years of age (62.03%), and the lowest between 5 and 9 years of age(4.63%). The incidence was slightly higher in males (50.41%). Conclusions: Similar annual stroke rates were identified during the analyzed period, demonstrating the need for interventional actions to reduce its incidence. The non-specification of the hemorrhagic or ischemic types is a limiting factor, since the prevention management is different in each case. There was a higher prevalence, as well as a higher mortality rate, from 15 to 19 years.

scholarly journals Tracking the dynamics and allocating tests for COVID-19 in real-time: An acceleration index with an application to French age groups and départements

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0252443
Author(s):  
Christelle Baunez ◽  
Mickael Degoulet ◽  
Stéphane Luchini ◽  
Patrick A. Pintus ◽  
Miriam Teschl
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Population Based ◽  
National Average ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Actual Distribution ◽  
Public Health Policies ◽  
Using Data

An acceleration index is proposed as a novel indicator to track the dynamics of COVID-19 in real-time. Using data on cases and tests in France for the period between the first and second lock-downs—May 13 to October 25, 2020—our acceleration index shows that the pandemic resurgence can be dated to begin around July 7. It uncovers that the pandemic acceleration was stronger than national average for the [59–68] and especially the 69 and older age groups since early September, the latter being associated with the strongest acceleration index, as of October 25. In contrast, acceleration among the [19–28] age group was the lowest and is about half that of the [69–78]. In addition, we propose an algorithm to allocate tests among French “départements” (roughly counties), based on both the acceleration index and the feedback effect of testing. Our acceleration-based allocation differs from the actual distribution over French territories, which is population-based. We argue that both our acceleration index and our allocation algorithm are useful tools to guide public health policies as France might possibly enter a third lock-down period with indeterminate duration.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities as a Public Health Ethics Issue

2019 ◽  
pp. 276-289
Author(s):  
Stephen B. Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
Ethnic Disparities ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Moral Foundations ◽  
Racial And Ethnic Disparities ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Policy Initiatives ◽  
Made In

It is well established that racial and ethnic minorities in the United States have lower life expectancies and suffer more from numerous health conditions than their white counterparts. This chapter draws on a US perspective to provide an overview of racial and ethnic health disparities and their causes. It describes public health policy initiatives that address racial and ethnic health disparities, situates racial disparities in the current social and political context, examines what progress has been made in reducing racial and ethnic disparities, offers an account of the moral foundations for further efforts to reduce disparities, and suggests a way forward for eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities. Public health issues of social justice, racism, and violence are discussed.

scholarly journals Sociodemographic and Psychological Correlates of Compliance with the COVID-19 Public Health Measures in France

2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 253-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvain Brouard ◽  
Pavlos Vasilopoulos ◽  
Michael Becher
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Election Study ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Psychological Correlates ◽  
The World ◽  
Using Data

The COVID-19 disease was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, having since spread rapidly across the world. The infection and mortality rates of the disease have forced governments to implement a wave of public health measures. Depending on the context, these range from the implementation of simple hygienic rules to measures such as social distancing or lockdowns that cause major disruptions in citizens’ daily lives. The success of these crucial public health measures rests on the public's willingness to comply. However, individual differences in following the official public health recommendations for stopping the spread of COVID-19 have not yet to our knowledge been assessed. This study aims to fill this gap by assessing the sociodemographic and psychological correlates of implementing public health recommendations that aim to halt the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigate these associations in the context of France, one of the countries that has been most severely affected by the pandemic, and which ended up under a nationwide lockdown on March 17. In the next sections we describe our theoretical expectations over the associations between sociodemographics, personality, ideology, and emotions with abiding by the COVID-19 public health measures. We then test these hypotheses using data from the French Election Study.

scholarly journals Addressing the Under-Representation of African American Public Health Researchers: The Flint Youth Public Health Academy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kent Key
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
African American ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Public Health Workforce ◽  
Educational Trajectories ◽  
Public Health Professionals ◽  
Institutional Review ◽  
Walden University

In order to meet the health needs of a culturally diverse population, the United States public health workforce must become ethnically diversified to provide culturally competent care. The underrepresentation of minority, specifically African American public health professionals may be a contributing factor to the high rates of preventable health disparities in the African American community. Studies have shown that racial/ethnic communities bear the highest disparities across multiple health outcomes. African Americans, when compared with European Americans, suffer the greatest rates of health disparities, thus providing the justification to increase minority public health professionals. In addition, studies suggest that minorities are more likely to seek medical and health services from individuals of the same ethnicity. This will assist in decreasing language and comprehension barriers and increase the cultural competence of the health providers who serve populations from their ethnic/cultural origin. This chapter will highlight a 2014 study designed to explore and identify motivators for African Americans to choose public health as a career. African American public health professionals and graduate students were engaged to discuss their career and educational trajectories and motivators for career choice. Using qualitative research methods, this study was guided by the following research question: what are the motivating factors to engage African Americans into careers in public health? The study was approved by the Walden University Institutional Review Board and was conducted in 2014. The results of this study have served as the blueprint for the creation of the Flint Public Health Youth Academy (FPHYA). Coincidently the 2014 study was wrapping up at the genesis of the Flint Water Crisis (FWC). The FWC impacted residents of all ages in Flint. Specifically, the youth of Flint were exposed to lead (a neuro-toxin) and other contaminants through the water system which impacted them physically and cognitively. National media outlets disseminated headlines across the world that Flint youth would have behavioral (aggression) issues and struggle academically as a result of their exposure to lead. The FPHYA was designed to provide positive messages to and about Flint youth. It is an introduction to careers in public health, medicine, and research for Flint Youth. It creates a space for Flint youth to work through their lived experience of the FWC while learning the important role public health and research plays in recovering from an environmental public health crisis. More importantly, it is a pathway to public health careers providing didactic sessions, local mentors and internships.

scholarly journals Disproportionate COVID-19 Related Mortality Amongst African Americans in Four Southern States in the United States

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Betson ◽  
Anirban Maitra
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
African American ◽  
African Americans ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
African American Community ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Southern States ◽  
Percent Change ◽  
Related Mortality

AbstractBackgroundAfrican Americans have been severely affected by COVID-19 noted with the rising mortality rates within the African American community. Health disparities, health inequities and issues with systemic health access are some of the pre-existing issues African Americans were subjected to within the southern states in the United States. Second, social distancing is a critical non-pharmacological intervention to reduce the spread of COVID-19. However, social distancing was not practical and presented a challenge within the African American community, specifically, in the southern states.ObjectiveThis article assesses the effect of COVID-19 on African Americans in the southern states.MethodologyThis short communication queried the publicly available Department of Health statistics on COVID-19 related mortality and underlying health conditions in four southern states (Alabama [AL], Georgia [GA], Louisiana [LA] and Mississippi [MS]) with a high proportion of African American residents. Second, the unacast COVID-19 toolkit was used to derive a social distancing (SD) grade for any given state, based on three different metrics: (i) percent change in average distance travelled (ii) percent change in non-essential visits and (iii) decrease in human encounters (compared to national baseline).ResultsAcross the four states, on average, as many as 54% of COVID-19 related deaths are in the African American community, although this minority group comprises only 32% of the population cumulatively. This article finds that all four southern states received a social distancing grade of F. COVID-19 have demonstrated that adverse outcomes are higher in individuals with underlying health conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, or pre-existing pulmonary compromise.ConclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic has exposed racial disparities in our healthcare system that disproportionately impacts African Americans within the four states of the southern United States. In addition, the lack of diversity in the healthcare system likely impacts this disproportionate impact on African American communities because it is not able to address its primary obligations within minority communities. Recognizing that there is a great need for African American representation or diversity in the health workforce would be able to better address the health disparities.

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