scholarly journals All about Having Fun: Women’s Experience of Zumba Fitness

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanya Nieri ◽  
Elizabeth Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Gender Norms ◽  
Ethnically Diverse ◽  
Individual Autonomy ◽  
Adult Women ◽  
Inland Empire ◽  
Group Fitness ◽  
Women's Experience ◽  
Positive Experiences

This study explored women’s subjective experience of Zumba, a new, popular form of group fitness. We interviewed 41 racially/ethnically diverse adult women from the Los Angeles/Inland Empire (California) area who had taken Zumba in the previous year. The women reported taking Zumba for the purpose of exercise and did not challenge the notion that exercise is imperative. However, they reported positive experiences of Zumba, contrasting it with other fitness forms, which they characterized as boring, stressful, painful, lonely, and/or atomistic, and with other dancing, which they characterized as more restrictive. They perceived Zumba to prioritize fun over work and process over outcomes; value individual autonomy and personalization rather than strict conformity; and engage the participant as more than just a body to be shaped. They felt freer to engage in behavior that is considered to violate structural gender norms, but their experience did not translate to an explicit challenge to the gender structure.

scholarly journals Longitudinal Tracking of Vape Shop Compliance With State Business Regulations Within Southern California Ethnic Neighborhoods During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-92
Author(s):  
Donna Medel ◽  
Artur Galimov ◽  
Leah Meza ◽  
Jane K. Steinberg ◽  
Carla J. Berg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Southern California ◽  
Ethnically Diverse ◽  
Ethnic Communities ◽  
Contextual Risk ◽  
Business Operations ◽  
Longitudinal Tracking ◽  
Business Regulations ◽  
Stage 1 ◽  
Vape Shops

The overall aim of this study is to examine vape shop business operations during COVID-19 among a cohort of 88 vape shops in the Greater Los Angeles area in Southern California, located in ethnically diverse communities. A total of six web- and/or phone-based assessments were conducted over a 12-week period (April 1, 2020–June 10, 2020), extending from the mandated closure of nonessential businesses (Stage 1; Assessments 1–3) to the reopening of nonessential sectors (Stage 2; Assessments 4–6), to evaluate business operations (open and closure statuses). The proportion of vape shops found to be noncompliant with the Governor’s executive order (i.e., open) during Stage 1 gradually increased from 54 (61.4%) at Assessment 1 (week of April 1, 2020) to 58 (65.9%) at Assessment 3 (week of April 29, 2020). Moreover, vape shops located in Hispanic/Latino and Korean/Asian communities (vs. those in non-Hispanic White and African American communities) were more likely to stay open both during and after the shutdown at Assessments 1 and 6. More specifically, vape shops located in Hispanic/Latino communities were significantly more likely to offer walk-in service during Assessment 1 (during the shutdown), and vape shops in Hispanic/Latino and Korean/Asian were significantly more likely to offer walk-in service during Assessment 6 (after the re-opening). This study demonstrates high rates of noncompliance with shutdown orders among vape shops located in ethnic communities, thus suggesting higher contextual risk factors of COVID-19 exposure among certain ethnic communities.

scholarly journals SUPPORTING FAMILY CAREGIVERS: HOW DO CAREGIVERS OF OLDER ADULTS COPE WITH ROLE STRAIN? A QUALITATIVE STUDY

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S489-S489
Author(s):  
Laura Rath ◽  
Kylie Meyer ◽  
Elizabeth S Avent ◽  
Paul Nash ◽  
Donna Benton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Ethnically Diverse ◽  
Positive Coping ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Qualitative research on positive coping approaches actually used by caregivers can inform interventions that can be feasibly implemented. Absent from previous qualitative research is how caregivers respond to strain in the relationship, specifically. Eight focus groups were conducted with a purposeful sample of racially and ethnically diverse family caregivers in Los Angeles (n=75). An additional 8 in-depth follow-up interviews were conducted. Content analysis was used to understand the mechanisms employed by caregivers to cope with strain and tension in the caregiving relationship. Preliminary results revealed twenty-two individual themes, which were subsequently grouped into four main superordinate themes: 1) Self-care; 2) Adaptation of behaviors and feelings; 3) Seeking and utilizing assistance and respite; and 4) Education and support groups. This work can help inform the design of programs to support caregivers and prevent potentially harmful behaviors, through understanding the experiences of caregivers in their own words.

Clinical characteristics of melanoma in an ethnically diverse population of adolescents and young adults.

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e21043-e21043
Author(s):  
Kimberly Ann Miller ◽  
Anthony Pham ◽  
Jacob Stephen Thomas ◽  
Myles G Cockburn ◽  
David Robert Freyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Clinical Characteristics ◽  
Ethnically Diverse ◽  
Adolescents And Young Adults ◽  
P Value ◽  
Diverse Population ◽  
Acral Lentiginous Melanoma ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Melanoma Patients

e21043 Background: Melanoma is the third most common cancer among adolescents and young adults (AYAs; aged 15-39). Disease characteristics have not been well-described in this age group, particularly among diverse populations. We describe clinical features of AYAs diagnosed with melanoma at a large public hospital serving an ethnically diverse population. Methods: We reviewed medical chart data from patients diagnosed with melanoma between 2001-2016 at Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center. We describe clinical characteristics of AYA patients and compare to non-AYAs (aged ≥40) using Fisher’s exact test. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Of the 273 melanoma patients identified, 47 (17.3%) were AYAs (mean age 32.3; SD±4.45; lower age range 18). The majority of patients were Hispanic (AYA, 53.2%; non-AYA, 51.1%), followed by non-Hispanic whites (AYA, 38.3%; non-AYA, 38.7%). A greater proportion of AYA patients were female (59.6%) compared to non-AYAs (38.2%) (p < 0.01). No AYA patients reported prior skin cancer compared to 19.9% of non-AYAs; 8.5% of AYAs reported family history of melanoma compared to 6.3% of non-AYAs. For all patients, superficial spreading melanoma was the most common histological subtype (AYA, 21.3%; non-AYA, 20.9%). Nodular melanoma was the second most common subtype in AYAs (17.02%) in contrast to acral lentiginous melanoma among non-AYAs (20.9%). Median Breslow depth was 3.0 mm for AYAs and 2.55 mm among non-AYAs. A slightly higher percentage of AYAs were diagnosed with regional disease (31.9%) than non-AYAs (24.4%), and a greater proportion of non-AYAs presented with distant metastases (AYA, 6.4%; non-AYA, 18.7%). The most common site of diagnosis were the extremities for all patients (AYA, 45.0%; non-AYA, 29.3%). Conclusions: We found similar clinical characteristics between AYA and non-AYA melanoma patients. However, we found a statistically significant difference for gender. The increased incidence of melanoma in female AYAs may be driven by biological factors such as sex hormones or genotype, or tanning behaviors. Further research is warranted to identify predictive and prognostic factors of melanoma among diverse AYAs, particularly females.

The Subjective Experience of Patients who Received Electroconvulsive Therapy

2003 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie Frank Koopowitz ◽  
Leslie Frank Koopowitz ◽  
Anna Chur-Hansen ◽  
Sally Reid ◽  
Miriam Blashki
Keyword(s):  
Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Memory Loss ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cognitive Effects ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
Framework Approach ◽  
Positive Experiences ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Future Treatment Option

Objective: Despite the vast amount of scientific literature available on electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), there is little qualitative focus upon the patients' subjective experience of this procedure. Using an exploratory descriptive methodology, this study aims to provide a more unique insight into what certain patients actually think of ECT. Method: Semistructured interviews were conducted to explore eight patients' opinions and experiences of ECT. Interviews were subjected to analysis by a five-step framework approach that identified prominent themes in relation to five broad questions and in conjunction with issues raised by the subjects themselves. Results: Eleven major themes were identified. Four of these were chosen for discussion, not only as the most prevalent themes (in terms of how frequently they were mentioned by the subjects), but also as the most striking (in regards to the intensity of emotions evoked, or their influence on their perception of ECT as a future treatment option). The four themes are fear of ECT, attribution of cognitive decline and memory loss to ECT, positive ECT experiences, and patients' suggestions. Conclusions: Using such a qualitative approach, the depth of the information obtained has revealed new perspectives on how patients perceive the experience of ECT. Fears reported by patients present an opportunity to address specific areas of the procedure that generate the most angst. These were closely associated with recommendations that many patients proposed throughout the interviews. Patients' perceptions of the cognitive effects of ECT do not necessarily correspond with those commonly reported in the literature on ECT. Positive experiences with ECT were more complex than simply its efficacy. There is a need for future research in order to explore and address patients' experiences of ECT.

Internal Ethnicity: Iranians in Los Angeles

1997 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 387-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehdi Bozorgmehr
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Ethnic Studies ◽  
Ethnically Diverse ◽  
The United States ◽  
Immigrant Group ◽  
National Origin ◽  
Religious Minorities ◽  
Majority Population ◽  
Muslim Majority ◽  
Theoretical Developments

Case studies of immigrant groups have contributed significantly to theoretical developments in the fields of immigration and ethnic studies. The focus on the immigrant group as a whole has resulted in ignoring immigrant subgroups, reducing ethnicity to national-origin. Ethnically diverse immigrant groups contain more than one type of ethnicity. Internal ethnicity refers to the presence of ethnic groups within an immigrant group. It is argued that, in the destination country, the immigrant subgroups who were already minorities in the country of origin are less assimilated than the immigrant subgroup which was part of the majority population. Survey data collected in a probability sample of Iranians in Los Angeles allow us to address this issue. Ethnicity of the Muslim majority in the United States is compared with that of Armenian, Bahai, and Jewish ethno-religious minorities from Iran. The data analysis supports the argument, and further shows that pre-migration ethnicity is an important and neglected aspect of post-migration ethnicity.

scholarly journals Smoking Diffusion through Networks of Diverse, Urban American Adolescents over the High School Period

2019 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 362-376
Author(s):  
Kayla de la Haye ◽  
Heesung Shin ◽  
George G. Vega Yon ◽  
Thomas W. Valente
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Peer Effects ◽  
Diffusion Processes ◽  
Ethnically Diverse ◽  
Smoking Initiation ◽  
Friendship Networks ◽  
Probit Regression ◽  
School Differences ◽  
School Period

This study uses recent data to investigate if smoking initiation diffuses through friendship networks over the high school period and explores if diffusion processes differ across schools. One thousand four hundred and twenty-five racially and ethnically diverse youth from four high schools in Los Angeles were surveyed four times over the high school period from 2010 to 2013. Probit regression models and stochastic actor-based models for network dynamics tested for peer effects on smoking initiation. Friend smoking was found to predict adolescent smoking, and smoking initiation diffused through friendship networks in some but not all of the schools. School differences in smoking rates and the popularity of smokers may be linked to differences in the diffusion of smoking through peer networks. We conclude that there are differences in peer effects on smoking initiation across schools that will be important to account for in network-based smoking interventions.

Body appreciation, anxiety, and depression among a racially diverse sample of women

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (11) ◽  
pp. 1517-1525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia Ramseyer Winter ◽  
Meghan M Gillen ◽  
Laura Cahill ◽  
Aubrey Jones ◽  
Michaella Ward
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Linear Regression ◽  
Ethnically Diverse ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Adult Women ◽  
Body Appreciation ◽  
Racially Diverse ◽  
Socioeconomic Levels

This study aims to explore correlates between body appreciation and mental health among a racially and ethnically diverse sample of adult women using validated measures. The sample included racially and ethnically diverse women ( N = 497) from various socioeconomic levels. Linear regression results indicated that body appreciation was significantly and inversely associated with depression ( b = −3.68; p < 0.001). In this sample, as body appreciation increased, depression scores decreased. Similarly, body appreciation was significantly and inversely associated with anxiety among this sample ( b = −1.78; p < 0.001). This article concludes with a discussion of findings and implications.

8. The view from Hollywood

2014 ◽  
pp. 109-125
Author(s):  
Stephen Aron
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
American West ◽  
Ethnically Diverse ◽  
American Cinema ◽  
Multiethnic Neighborhoods

‘The view from Hollywood’ begins with the “Westerns” that dominated American cinema for much of the twentieth century and that influenced popular understandings of the western past. It goes on to describe Los Angeles, the most ethnically diverse metropolis in America; the 1965 Watts riot; and the violence of 1992. Across the centuries, migrations and minglings of peoples have triggered struggles that have torn families and societies apart. Yet, there are examples of episodes of concord, from colonial frontiers to multiethnic neighborhoods in the modern American West, which provide evidence of barriers breached and accords reached, of people overcoming their differences instead of being overcome by them, of heterogeneity made hopeful.

scholarly journals Hothouse Victorians: Art and Agency in Freshwater

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 183-193
Author(s):  
Kristine Swenson
Keyword(s):  
Gender Norms ◽  
Adult Women ◽  
Female Agency ◽  
Generational Change ◽  
Isle Of Wight ◽  
To The Lighthouse ◽  
Alice In Wonderland ◽  
Artistic Freedom ◽  
Charles Dodgson

Abstract The Victorian artistic community that grew up on the Isle of Wight around Tennyson and Julia Margaret Cameron has been reimagined in Virginia Woolf's play, Freshwater (1923, 1935), and more recently in Lynn Truss's novel, Tennyson's Gift (1996). Whereas Freshwater should be read as modernist or post- Victorian, Tennyson's Gift is neo-Victorian and postmodern in its form and attitude. Integral to both are the discontent of women and the disruption of gender norms. Therefore, this essay looks particularly at the question of female agency in a Victorian world envisioned in 1923-35 and one of 1996. In Freshwater, one sees a serious exploration of generational change and the desire for artistic freedom, especially through the character of Ellen Terry. Freshwater is a dress rehearsal for To the Lighthouse. Truss reimagines Freshwater by adding to Woolf's cast the unstable Charles Dodgson, whose Alice in Wonderland becomes the familiarizing scaffolding for readers in a Victorian world that seems as strange as Wonderland did to Alice. Here, female agency is elusive - too-knowing little girls hold sway and adult women use their power, rather pathetically, to win and hold the undeserving men they love.

“Pay Attention in Class… [and] Don't Get Pregnant”: A Discourse of Academic Success among Adolescent Latinas

10.1068/a3239 ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 635-654 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa S Hyams
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Adult Women ◽  
Sexual Morality ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Institutional Practices ◽  
Friendship Groups ◽  
The Life Course

The focus of this paper is the significance of an urban high school in the process of gender and sexual identity construction for a group of adolescent Latinas in Los Angeles. I explore multiple discourses of adolescent femininity, masculinity, sexual morality, and achievement conveyed through consecutive, in-depth group discussions with friendship groups of young Latinas. I argue that for these young women, studenthood is not a generic stage in the life course, but one that is embedded in society's expectations of and anxieties about young women. In and through dominant discourses and institutional practices they are constituted as vulnerable and as out of control in terms of sexual desire (their own as well as others' for them). In a ‘spatiality of protection’ they are positioned, precariously, as singularly responsible for both their academic diligence and their bounded sexuality in order to succeed as young women in high school and realise their goals as adult women beyond high school.

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