Abstract 07: Perceptions of Neighborhood Environment are Associated with Shorter Telomere Length in African American Women

Circulation ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 133 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samson Y Gebreab ◽  
Pia Riestra ◽  
Rumana J Khan ◽  
Ruihua Xu ◽  
Amadou Gaye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
African Americans ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Telomere Length ◽  
Social Cohesion ◽  
Mean Difference ◽  
Cellular Aging ◽  
Neighborhood Environment ◽  
Base Pairs ◽  
American Women

Objectives: Telomere length (TL) is increasingly being used as a biomarker of cellular aging and age-related cardiovascular diseases (CVD), but the associations between perceptions of neighborhood environment and TL among African Americans is understudied. This study examined whether perceptions of neighborhood environment were associated with TL in African Americans after adjustment for potential confounders. Methods: Data was obtained from the Minority Health Genomics and Translational Research Bio-Repository Database (MH-GRID) study recruited from April 2012 and September 2013. 252 (170 women and 82 men) African Americans aged 30 to 55 years were included. TL was measured from peripheral blood mononuclear cells using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Perceptions of neighborhood environment were assessed using a 12- item scale administered to study participants. The items were summed and averaged to create a score index representing social cohesion, problems and overall unfavorable perception of neighborhood environment. Multivariable linear regression models were used to examine the associations of perceptions of neighborhood environment with TL. Results: On average, women had significantly longer TL than men (4868.6 vs. 4574.8 base pairs, p=0.01). After controlling for socio-demographic variables, and CVD and psychosocial risk factors, a one standard deviation (SD) increase in perception of neighborhood problems was associated with shorter TL (mean difference[[Unable to Display Character:  ]]=[[Unable to Display Character:  ]]-106 base pairs; standard error (SE)=42, p[[Unable to Display Character:  ]]=[[Unable to Display Character:  ]]0.014) among women. Overall unfavorable perception of neighborhood environment was also associated with shorter TL among women (mean difference[[Unable to Display Character:  ]]=[[Unable to Display Character:  ]]-80; SE=38, p=[[Unable to Display Character:  ]]0.034). Better perception of social cohesion was associated with longer TL, but did not reach statistical significance (mean difference = 32, SE=29, p=0.282). No consistent association was observed between perceptions of neighborhood environment and TL among men. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that perceptions of neighborhood environment may be predictive of cellular aging in African American women. Future longitudinal studies are needed to better determine the causal mechanisms underlying these associations.

Abstract P080: Self-reported Experiences of Everyday Discrimination are Associated With Shorter Leukocyte Telomeres in African-American Women With Coronary Heart Disease

Circulation ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 135 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samaah Sullivan ◽  
Viola Vaccarino ◽  
Muhammad Hammadah ◽  
Ibhar Al Mheid ◽  
Kobina Wilmot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Telomere Length ◽  
White Women ◽  
African American Men ◽  
White Men ◽  
Cellular Aging ◽  
Telomere Shortening ◽  
American Women ◽  
And Gender

Rationale: Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is an indicator of biological aging. Telomere shortening may be sensitive to social stressors such as discrimination, but this has not been previously examined in a biracial cohort of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Objective: To explore differences in LTL by race and gender and examine whether discrimination was associated with accelerated cellular aging (shorter telomere length). Methods: Data were from 367 White and African American patients in the Mental Stress Ischemia Mechanisms and Prognosis Study (MIPS) which enrolled patients with a diagnosis of stable CHD from Emory University-affiliated hospitals and clinics. LTL was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and expressed as a ratio of the amount of telomeric DNA to the amount of single-copy control gene (T/S). The T/S ratios were then converted to kilobase pairs. Discrimination was measured using the 10-item Everyday Discrimination Scale (EDS), where participants reported their experiences of everyday mistreatment during the previous 12 months. Responses were rated using 4-point Likert scales ranging from never = 1 to often = 4 which were summed. Due to the potential batch effect in telomere length, we modeled telomere plate as a random effect. Multiple linear regression models were stratified by race/ethnicity and gender to estimate differences in mean LTL and associations with discrimination, adjusted for potential confounding factors. Results: African American women had longer mean LTL (5.58; SD: 0.05) compared to African American men (5.28; SD: 0.04), White women (5.22; SD: 0.05) and White men (5.24; SD: 0.03). Reports of discrimination were higher among African American men (16.1; SD: 6.5) compared to African American women (15.4; SD: 4.9), White women (14.9; SD: 4.4), and White men (13.5; SD: 3.8). The association between discrimination and accelerated cellular aging was statistically significant among African American women [β = -0.02; 95% CI: (-0.04, -0.001); p=0.0377] after models were adjusted for demographics, smoking history, BMI, and disease history. Discrimination was not significantly associated with accelerated cellular aging among African American men [β = -0.01; 95% CI: (-0.02, 0.01)], White men β = [-0.003; 95% CI: (-0.02, 0.01)], or White women [β = -0.01; 95% CI: (-0.03, 0.01)]. The association between discrimination and accelerated cellular aging remained statistically significant for African American women after further adjusting for depression and perceived stress. Conclusions: Although African American women with CHD have longer telomere length, they may experience greater telomere shortening in relation to discrimination. Accelerated telomere shortening secondary to discrimination stress may be a potential mechanism of health related disparities among African American women with CHD.

scholarly journals Africultural Coping Systems Inventory: Psychometrics in a Clinical Sample of African American Women

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (6-7) ◽  
pp. 457-481
Author(s):  
Natalie N. Watson-Singleton ◽  
Devon LoParo ◽  
Yara Mekawi ◽  
Joya N. Hampton-Anderson ◽  
Nadine J. Kaslow
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
African Americans ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Clinical Sample ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
General Factor ◽  
American Women ◽  
Structure Reliability ◽  
Clinical Counseling

The Africultural Coping Systems Inventory (ACSI) assesses African Americans’ culturally relevant stress coping strategies. Although its factor structure, reliability, and validity of the scores have been examined across ethnic groups of African descent, psychometric properties have not been investigated in an African American clinical sample. Thus, it is unclear if the ACSI is useful for research with African Americans with distress. To assess the ACSI’s psychometrics, we used data from 193 low-income African American women who in the past year encountered interpersonal trauma and attempted suicide. We tested four models: one-factor, four-factor, four-factor hierarchical, and bifactor. None of the models were optimal, suggesting possible revisions to ACSI items. Yet the bifactor model provided a better fit than other models with items loading onto a general factor and onto specific factors. Internal consistency of the scores was above the recommended criterion (i.e., .70), and the ACSI general factor was related to depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation (but not alcohol abuse), providing some support for its concurrent validity. Future directions, limitations, and clinical-counseling implications are discussed.

scholarly journals Neighborhood social cohesion is associated with lower levels of interleukin-6 in African American women

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 ◽  
pp. 28-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa L. Neergheen ◽  
Matthew Topel ◽  
Miriam E. Van Dyke ◽  
Samaah Sullivan ◽  
Priscilla E. Pemu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Social Cohesion ◽  
Interleukin 6 ◽  
American Women ◽  
Neighborhood Social Cohesion

scholarly journals A Dream Deferred: African American Women’s Diminished Socioeconomic Returns of Postponing Childbearing from Teenage to Adulthood

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 62-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shervin Assari ◽  
Shanika Boyce ◽  
Mohsen Bazargan ◽  
Cleopatra H. Caldwell
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Marital Status ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Social Mobility ◽  
White Women ◽  
The United States ◽  
Continuous Measure ◽  
American Women ◽  
Upward Social Mobility

Background: Brookings Institution has identified postponing childbirth from teenage to adulthood as a major strategy that is needed for upward social mobility of women. However, according to the Minorities’ Diminished Returns (MDRs), the associations between aspirations, investments, behaviors, and socioeconomic position (SEP) may be diminished for marginalized groups such as African Americans. Objective: To extend the existing knowledge on the MDRs, the current study had two aims: First to compare White and African American women for the association between postponing childbearing to adulthood and SEP in a national sample of American women. Second, to test correlates of postponing childbearing to adulthood and SEP at birth with long term outcomes 15 years later when the child was 15 years old. Methods: For this longitudinal study, data came from the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study (FFCWS), a national longitudinal prospective study in the United States (US) that followed an ethnically diverse sample of women from childbirth for 15 years from 1998 to 2016. For the first aim, this study included 2679 women composed of 723 Whites and 1956 African Americans. For the second aim, among 1842 individuals who had available data 15 years later, we measured various economic, behavioral, and mental health outcomes when the child was 15 years old. For aim 1 we ran linear regression. Postponing childbearing to adulthood was the independent variable. The dependent variable, SEP (poverty) was treated as a continuous measure with higher score indicating more poverty. Confounders included marital status and delivery characteristics. For the aim 2, we ran Pearson correlation test (exploratory analysis) to test if baseline SEP correlates with future outcomes. Results: Postponing childbearing from adolescence to adulthood was associated with higher SEP in adulthood, net of all confounders including marital status and education. We found a significant interaction between postponing childbearing from adolescence to adulthood and race on SEP, suggesting that the economic reward of postponing childbearing may be weaker for African American women than for White women. Conclusions: Although postponing the age at childbirth is a recommended strategy for women who wish to maximize their chance of upward social mobility, this strategy may be associated with smaller economic returns for African American women than White women. The results can also be interpreted as MDRs in investments in terms of a postponing childbearing. In a fair society, the same investment should be similarly rewarded across diverse racial groups. In the reality, however, the US society differently rewards White and African American women who postpone childbearing. Research should explore the roles of social stratification, blocked opportunities, and concentrated poverty in explaining the unequal return of such an investment for African American and White women.

Health Portals and Menu-Driven Identities

2011 ◽  
pp. 1549-1557
Author(s):  
Lynette Kvasny
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
African Americans ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Health Information ◽  
The Internet ◽  
American Women ◽  
The Government ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Cultural Inclusiveness

In this article, we make a case for research which examines the cultural inclusiveness and salience of health portals. We make our case from the standpoint of African-American women. While healthcare should be a ubiquitous social good, health disparities exist among various demographic groups. In fact, health disparities have been placed on the U.S. disease prevention and health promotion agenda. Healthy People 2010 is an initiative sponsored by policy makers, researchers, medical centers, managed care organizations, and advocacy groups across the country. Although there is no consensus regarding what a health disparity is, sponsors agree that “racial and ethnic minorities experience multiple barriers to accessing healthcare, including not having health insurance, not having a usual source of care, location of providers, lack of transportation, lack of child care, and other factors. A growing body of evidence shows that racial and ethnic disparities in health outcomes, healthcare access, and quality of care exist even when insurance, income, and other access-related factors are controlled.”1 In addition to healthcare, African American women have less access to the internet. Even at equivalent income levels, African Americans are less likely than either whites or English speaking Hispanics to go online. Demographically, the composition of populations not online has not changed dramatically since 2000. Overall, 60% of the total U.S. population is online with African Americans making up 11% of the total U.S. population, 8% of the online population, and 14% of the offline population. However, when looking at those who are offline, African Americans are more likely than offline whites or Hispanics to believe that they will eventually go online (Lenhart, 2003). Although online health information is available from multiple sources, we focus solely on those health portals sponsored by the U.S. government. We made this choice based upon some early interviews with physicians and managers at a healthcare facility which serves predominantly African American clients. We learned that most clients exhibited a low degree of trust in information provided by pharmaceutical companies and other sources which seemed too commercial. Instead, clients searched for information from recognizable sources, and tended to use portals and search pages like Yahoo and Google. We found that portals sponsored by U.S. government agencies were received positively by clients. Also, portals like healthfinder.gov and cdc.gov are highly regarded by the Medical Library Association2 . Moreover, the government is entrusted to uphold values of democracy and social justice therefore the health information that they provide should be accessible to a demographically diverse audience. To gain insights into the cultural inclusiveness and salience of health portals, we use Nakumura’s notion of menu-driven identities. For Nakumara (2002), the internet is a discursive place in which identity is enacted. She uses the term “menudriven identities” to signify the ways in which content providers represent identities through the design of the interface and the personalization of content, and users perform their identity as they engage with the content. In what follows, we discuss health disparities and the promise of the internet in redressing inequities. Next, we further explain the ways in which users perform identity and health portals represent identities. We do this by theorizing about the health portals as mediating two-way communication between users and information providers. We conclude with directions for future research.

Health Portals and Menu-Driven Identities

2011 ◽  
pp. 745-751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynette Kvasny ◽  
Jennifer Warren
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
African Americans ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Health Information ◽  
The Internet ◽  
American Women ◽  
The Government ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Cultural Inclusiveness

In this article, we make a case for research which examines the cultural inclusiveness and salience of health portals. We make our case from the standpoint of African-American women. While healthcare should be a ubiquitous social good, health disparities exist among various demographic groups. In fact, health disparities have been placed on the U.S. disease prevention and health promotion agenda. Healthy People 2010 is an initiative sponsored by policy makers, researchers, medical centers, managed care organizations, and advocacy groups across the country. Although there is no consensus regarding what a health disparity is, sponsors agree that “racial and ethnic minorities experience multiple barriers to accessing healthcare, including not having health insurance, not having a usual source of care, location of providers, lack of transportation, lack of child care, and other factors. A growing body of evidence shows that racial and ethnic disparities in health outcomes, healthcare access, and quality of care exist even when insurance, income, and other access-related factors are controlled.”1 In addition to healthcare, African American women have less access to the internet. Even at equivalent income levels, African Americans are less likely than either whites or English speaking Hispanics to go online. Demographically, the composition of populations not online has not changed dramatically since 2000. Overall, 60% of the total U.S. population is online with African Americans making up 11% of the total U.S. population, 8% of the online population, and 14% of the offline population. However, when looking at those who are offline, African Americans are more likely than offline whites or Hispanics to believe that they will eventually go online (Lenhart, 2003). Although online health information is available from multiple sources, we focus solely on those health portals sponsored by the U.S. government. We made this choice based upon some early interviews with physicians and managers at a healthcare facility which serves predominantly African American clients. We learned that most clients exhibited a low degree of trust in information provided by pharmaceutical companies and other sources which seemed too commercial. Instead, clients searched for information from recognizable sources, and tended to use portals and search pages like Yahoo and Google. We found that portals sponsored by U.S. government agencies were received positively by clients. Also, portals like healthfinder.gov and cdc.gov are highly regarded by the Medical Library Association2. Moreover, the government is entrusted to uphold values of democracy and social justice therefore the health information that they provide should be accessible to a demographically diverse audience. To gain insights into the cultural inclusiveness and salience of health portals, we use Nakumura’s notion of menu-driven identities. For Nakumara (2002), the internet is a discursive place in which identity is enacted. She uses the term “menu-driven identities” to signify the ways in which content providers represent identities through the design of the interface and the personalization of content, and users perform their identity as they engage with the content. In what follows, we discuss health disparities and the promise of the internet in redressing inequities. Next, we further explain the ways in which users perform identity and health portals represent identities. We do this by theorizing about the health portals as mediating two-way communication between users and information providers. We conclude with directions for future research.

scholarly journals The Impact of Neighborhood Environment, Social Support, and Avoidance Coping on Depressive Symptoms of Pregnant African-American Women

2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 294-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Giurgescu ◽  
Shannon N. Zenk ◽  
Thomas N. Templin ◽  
Christopher G. Engeland ◽  
Barbara L. Dancy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
African American ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Neighborhood Environment ◽  
Avoidance Coping ◽  
American Women ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals The Experience of African-American Women with Multiple Sclerosis

2020 ◽  
pp. 0000-0000
Author(s):  
Alexa Stuifbergen ◽  
Heather Becker ◽  
Carolyn Phillips ◽  
Shalonda Horton ◽  
Janet Morrison ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
African American ◽  
Black Women ◽  
African Americans ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Common Belief ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
American Women ◽  
Health Promotion Behaviors

Abstract Background: Despite growing understanding that African-Americans may have a more aggressive course of multiple sclerosis (MS) and experience disparities in diagnosis and treatment, fewer studies have examined how African-Americans experience MS and its impact on their lives. This study explored the experience of African American women living with MS in order to inform future research and practice. Methods: Face-to face semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 African-American women. Inductive content analysis was used to identify major categories and sub-categories. Results: The analyses yielded three major categories: No one could believe I had MS; It's tough living with MS; and You have to keep going. Many women reported that the MS diagnosis was a surprise to them and their doctors because of the common belief that MS is a “Caucasian disease.” For this reason, many women felt their diagnosis had been delayed while their physicians initially focused on other diseases considered more typical in African-Americans. Living with losses related to social and family activities, independence and employment was especially challenging for them. Faith in God, coming to grips with the diagnosis and health promotion behaviors were key strategies for dealing with their MS. Women also spoke of pushing forward, working through MS challenges, and taking care of themselves, thus preserving their identity as strong Black women, a culturally important construct in the African-American community. Conclusions: Future research should explore the interactions of culture with coping strategies and the development of useful and valued resources and supports for African-Americans with MS.

Unsophisticated Buyers

2019 ◽  
pp. 167-210
Author(s):  
Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
African Americans ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Black People ◽  
Urban Housing ◽  
Housing Crisis ◽  
American Women

As the HUD failed to provide adequate housing for African Americans, officials and media increasingly placed the blame on the African American homeowners. In many cases the focus was on African American women. Instead of attributing an abundance of foreclosures to the selling of dilapidated housing and the inability of tenants to pay for extensive repairs, people claimed African American women were not knowledgeable enough about home maintenance and budgeting to own homes. In some places, potential low-income home buyers were educated on budgeting and home maintenance. However, the assumption that counselling could lead to better home retention ignored the systematic issues that placed Black people in inferior housing. Stories about low-income homeowners, mostly women, suing organizations for tricking them into poor residences, helped undercut the unsophisticated buyer narrative. Additionally, reports of scandal and corruption within the HUD cast a negative light on the response to the urban housing crisis.

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