HBCUs Matter: A Review of Behavioral Health at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

2021 ◽  
pp. 002193472110605
Author(s):  
Autumn Asher BlackDeer ◽  
Sara Beeler-Stinn ◽  
David A. Patterson Silver Wolf ◽  
Jenifer Van Schuyver

Nearly one-fourth of all undergraduate degrees received by Black students are from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). HBCUs have both historical significance and present-day relevance in the promotion of Black excellence in higher education, especially in the consideration of behavioral health. The purpose of this work is to examine the present state of research surrounding behavioral health within HBCUs. A scoping review was conducted of the EbscoHost database, yielding a total of 252 articles. A total of 39 articles met the inclusion criteria and were examined within this work. Six studies informed the prevalence of behavioral health issues on campus, while the remaining articles covered a broad range of research from psychological and physical wellbeing, sexual health, violence, identity, and ideology, and finally programs and policies. Gaps and future recommendations for research and practice are discussed.

2021 ◽  
pp. 089011712110244
Author(s):  
Mariah Kornbluh ◽  
Shirelle Hallum ◽  
Marilyn Wende ◽  
Joseph Ray ◽  
Zachary Herrnstadt ◽  
...  

Purpose: Examine if Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are more likely to be located in low food access area (LFA) census tracts compared to public non-HBCUs. Design: ArcGIS Pro was utilized to capture food environments and census tract sociodemographic data. Setting: The sample included 98 HBCUs and 777 public non-HBCUs within the United States. 28.9% of study census tracts were classified as LFA tracts. Measures: University data were gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics. Census tract-level LFA classification was informed by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Access Research Atlas. Covariates included population density and neighborhood socioeconomic status of census tracts containing subject universities. Analysis: Multilevel logistic regression was employed to examine the relationship between university type and LFA classification. Results: A higher percentage of HBCUs (46.9%) than public non-HBCUs (26.6%) were located in LFAs. After adjusting for population density and neighborhood socioeconomic status, university type was significantly associated with food access classification (B=0.71;p=.0036). The odds of an HBCU being located in LFA tracts were 104% greater than for a public non-HBCU (OR=2.04;95% CI=1.26,3.29). Conclusion: Findings underscore the need for policy interventions tailored to HBCU students to promote food security, environmental justice, and public health.


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