Why Us?! How Members of Minority Groups React to Public Health Advertisements Featuring Their Own Group

AbstractIn this paper, I explore multilingual preventative public health messages against the spread of COVID-19 in Taiwan between January and April 2020. Based on empirical data, the symbolic and substantive content of multilingual top-down and bottom-up public health strategies was analyzed and discussed. Findings suggest that the voices of indigenous people have largely been excluded from top-down efforts and strategies in public health communications. Top-down communication did not address the actual concerns of indigenous populations who relied on tourism to bolster their economy. Bottom-up efforts emerged from social exclusion and the inaccessibility of public health information to indigenous populations; such efforts were over-communicated, and the problems of indigenous populations remained unaddressed. I conclude by relating multilingualism and the needs of minority groups, and suggest an inclusive approach to social challenges and solutions for future pandemic preparedness.

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Existence and Implications of Women Who Have Sex with Women in Tanzania: A Public Health Perspective

European Journal of Medical and Health Sciences ◽

10.24018/ejmed.2021.3.2.750 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 87-92

Author(s):

Switbert R. Kamazima ◽

Happiness P. Saronga ◽

Jackline V. Mbishi ◽

Saidah M. Bakar ◽

Saumu K. Shabani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Minority Groups ◽

Population Group ◽

Public Health Research ◽

Same Sex ◽

Public Health Importance ◽

Public Health Perspective ◽

Sexual Activities ◽

Sex Behaviors

Women who engage in sexual activities with other women are known existing in all societies around the globe. However, the understanding of the size, trends and implications of female same sex behaviors and practices is generally lacking and vary within and among many countries including Tanzania. As a result, there is limited understanding of the public health importance of this group, which is often cited as the reason for not investing in work targeted at women who have sex with women and other minority groups in the country. It is from this perspective, that we conducted a formative qualitative study that aimed at, among other objectives, to establish the existence of women who have sex with women and the magnitude of female same sex behaviors and practices in Tanzania using a case study of the Dar-es-Salaam administrative region. Our findings prove that women who have sex with women exist mainly in urban areas in the country and for several reasons, their number is perceived rapidly increasing. We recommend further multidisciplinary (public health) research among women who have sex with women in the country to facilitate the availability of comprehensive and informative data on this population group.

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Public Health and a President’s Racism

Pained ◽

10.1093/oso/9780197510384.003.0009 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 29-30

Author(s):

Michael D. Stein ◽

Sandro Galea

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Social Norms ◽

Health Effects ◽

Cultural Context ◽

Minority Groups ◽

The Public ◽

Negative Side ◽

Positive Side ◽

The Social ◽

The World

This chapter addresses how racism presents a clear threat to the health of populations. In 2018, President Donald Trump made racist comments toward countries with predominantly nonwhite populations. Why did the president’s racism matter for the health of the public? To answer this question, one needs to understand where health comes from. Health is the product of the social, economic, and cultural context in which people live. This context is also shaped by social norms that do much to determine people’s behaviors and their consequences. Changing these norms can produce both positive and negative health effects. On the positive side, changing norms can promote health, by making unacceptable unhealthy conditions and behaviors that were once common, even celebrated. On the negative side, changing norms for the worse can empower elements of hate in society. When a president promotes hate, it shifts norms, suggesting that hate does in fact have a place in the country and the world. This opens the door to more hate crimes, more exclusion of minority groups from salutary resources, and little to no effort to address racial health gaps.

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“Dirt, death and disease”

Journal of Historical Pragmatics ◽

10.1075/jhp.15.2.04ore ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 207-227 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Carole O’Reilly

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Nineteenth Century ◽

Print Media ◽

Minority Groups ◽

Health Problems ◽

Crucial Issue ◽

Media Environment ◽

The Subject ◽

The Impact

This study makes use of a range of local and national British newspapers and periodicals to examine the discourses of public health during the nineteenth century. It argues that many newspapers and periodicals used a very limited and limiting discourse to present often complex details to their readership. There was a heavy reliance on the use of established experts whose language was allowed to define the journalistic coverage of the subject with the result that other voices were marginalised or unheard altogether. Certain minority groups such as the Irish and women were stigmatised and blamed for the increase in public health problems. All of this combined to constrain the reporting of this crucial issue. The impact of an increasingly competitive print media environment also propelled this form of journalism towards extremes of language and of emphasis, resulting in an even more limited discourse.

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“Data makes the story come to life.” Understanding the ethical and legal implications of Big Data research involving ethnic minority healthcare workers: a qualitative study

10.31235/osf.io/wdk9b ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Edward S. Dove ◽

Ruby Reed-Berendt ◽

Manish Pareek

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Big Data ◽

Ethnic Minority ◽

Health Research ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Minority Groups ◽

Significant Implication ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Increased Risk ◽

The Uk

The aim of UK-REACH (“The United Kingdom Research study into Ethnicity And COVID-19 outcomes in Healthcare workers”) is to understand if, how, and why healthcare workers (HCWs) in the UK from ethnic minority groups are at increased risk of poor outcomes from COVID-19. In this article, we present findings from Work Package 3, the ethico-legal stream, which undertook qualitative research seeking to understand and address legal, ethical, and social acceptability issues around data protection, privacy, and information governance associated with the linkage of HCWs’ registration data and healthcare data. We interviewed 22 key opinion leaders in healthcare and health research from across the UK in two-to-one semi-structured interviews. Transcripts were manually coded using qualitative thematic analysis. Participants told us that a significant implication across all stages of Big Data research in public health are drivers of mistrust – of the research itself, research staff and funders, and broader concerns of mistrust within participant communities, particularly in the context of COVID-19 and those situated in more marginalised community settings. However, despite the challenges, participants also identified ways in which legally compliant and ethically informed approaches to research can be crafted to mitigate or overcome mistrust and establish confidence in Big Data public health research. Overall, our research indicates that a “Big Data Ethics by Design” approach can help assure 1) that meaningful engagement is taking place and that extant challenges are addressed, and 2) that any new challenges or hitherto unknown unknowns can be rapidly and properly considered to ensure potential (but material) harms are identified and minimised where necessary. Our findings indicate such an approach, in turn, will help drive better scientific breakthroughs that translate into medical innovations and effective public health interventions, which benefit the publics studied.

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Addressing Healthcare Gaps in Sweden during the COVID-19 Outbreak: On Community Outreach and Empowering Ethnic Minority Groups in a Digitalized Context

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare8040445 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 445

Author(s):

Giuseppe Valeriani ◽

Iris Sarajlic Vukovic ◽

Tomas Lindegaard ◽

Roberto Felizia ◽

Richard Mollica ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Care Services ◽

Minority Groups ◽

Digital Health ◽

Community Outreach ◽

Patient Centered ◽

Public Health Response ◽

Health Technologies ◽

The Government ◽

The Individual

Since its early stages, the COVID-19 pandemic has interacted with existing divides by ethnicity and socioeconomic statuses, exacerbating further inequalities in high-income countries. The Swedish public health strategy, built on mutual trust between the government and the society and giving the responsibility to the individual, has been criticized for not applying a dedicated and more diverse strategy for most disadvantaged migrants in dealing with the pandemic. In order to mitigate the unequal burden on the marginalized members of society, increasing efforts have been addressed to digital health technologies. Despite the strong potential of providing collective public health benefits, especially in a highly digitalized context as Sweden, need for a stronger cooperation between the public health authorities and migrant community leaders, representatives of migrant associations, religious leaders and other influencers of disadvantaged groups has emerged. Suggestions are presented on more culturally congruent, patient-centered health care services aimed to empower people to participate in a more effective public health response to the COVID-19 crisis.

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Graduation and Academic Placement of Underrepresented Racial/Ethnic Minority Doctoral Recipients in Public Health Disciplines, United States, 2003-2015

Public Health Reports ◽

10.1177/0033354918814259 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 134 (1) ◽

pp. 63-71 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Joanna R. Jackson ◽

Ann M. Holmes ◽

Elizabeth Golembiewski ◽

Brittany L. Brown-Podgorski ◽

Nir Menachemi

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Ethnic Minority ◽

Minority Groups ◽

Ethnic Minority Groups ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Doctoral Graduates ◽

Doctoral Recipients ◽

Public Health Training ◽

Black Graduates ◽

Racial Ethnic

Objectives: Given public health’s emphasis on health disparities in underrepresented racial/ethnic minority communities, having a racially and ethnically diverse faculty is important to ensure adequate public health training. We examined trends in the number of underrepresented racial/ethnic minority (ie, non-Hispanic black, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander) doctoral graduates from public health fields and determined the proportion of persons from underrepresented racial/ethnic minority groups who entered academia. Methods: We analyzed repeated cross-sectional data from restricted files collected by the National Science Foundation on doctoral graduates from US institutions during 2003-2015. Our dependent variables were the number of all underrepresented racial/ethnic minority public health doctoral recipients and underrepresented racial/ethnic minority graduates who had accepted academic positions. Using logistic regression models and adjusted odds ratios (aORs), we examined correlates of these variables over time, controlling for all independent variables (eg, gender, age, relationship status, number of dependents). Results: The percentage of underrepresented racial/ethnic minority doctoral graduates increased from 15.4% (91 of 592) in 2003 to 23.4% (296 of 1264) in 2015, with the largest increase occurring among black graduates (from 6.6% in 2003 to 14.1% in 2015). Black graduates (310 of 1241, 25.0%) were significantly less likely than white graduates (2258 of 5913, 38.2%) and, frequently, less likely than graduates from other underrepresented racial/ethnic minority groups to indicate having accepted an academic position (all P < .001). Conclusions: Stakeholders should consider targeted programs to increase the number of racial/ethnic minority faculty members in academic public health fields.

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Social Effects of Health Care Reform

Socius Sociological Research for a Dynamic World ◽

10.1177/2378023117700903 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

pp. 237802311770090

Author(s):

Heeju Sohn ◽

Stefan Timmermans

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Low Income ◽

Minority Groups ◽

Insurance Coverage ◽

Well Being ◽

Social Consequences ◽

Volunteer Work ◽

Health Coverage ◽

Medicaid Eligibility ◽

Medicaid Expansions

Do public health policy interventions result in prosocial behaviors? The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansions were responsible for the largest gains in public insurance coverage since its inception in 1965. These gains were concentrated in states that opted to expand Medicaid eligibility, and they provide a unique opportunity to study not just medical but also social consequences of increased public health coverage. The authors examine the association between Medicaid and volunteer work. Volunteerism is implicated in individuals’ health and well-being, yet it is highly correlated with a person’s existing socioeconomic resources. Medicaid expansions improved financial security and a sense of health, two factors that predict volunteer work, for a socioeconomic group that has had low levels of volunteerism. Difference-in-difference analyses of the volunteer supplement of the Current Population Survey (2010–2015) find increased reports of formal volunteering for organizations as well as informal helping behaviors between neighbors for low-income nonelderly adults who would have likely benefited from expansions. Furthermore, increased volunteer work associated with Medicaid was greater among minority groups and narrowed existing ethnic differences in volunteerism in states that expanded Medicaid eligibility.

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Ethnic differences in COVID-19 mortality during the first two waves of the Coronavirus Pandemic: a nationwide cohort study of 29 million adults in England

10.1101/2021.02.03.21251004 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Vahé Nafilyan ◽

Nazrul Islam ◽

Rohini Mathur ◽

Dan Ayoubkhani ◽

Amitava Banerjee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Ethnic Minority ◽

Ethnic Groups ◽

Minority Groups ◽

Ethnic Minority Groups ◽

Public Health Campaign ◽

Health Campaign ◽

Private Households ◽

Second Wave

AbstractBackgroundEthnic minorities have experienced disproportionate COVID-19 mortality rates in the UK and many other countries. We compared the differences in the risk of COVID-19 related death between ethnic groups in the first and second waves the of COVID-19 pandemic in England. We also investigated whether the factors explaining differences in COVID-19 death between ethnic groups changed between the two waves.MethodsUsing data from the Office for National Statistics Public Health Data Asset on individuals aged 30-100 years living in private households, we conducted an observational cohort study to examine differences in the risk of death involving COVID-19 between ethnic groups in the first wave (from 24th January 2020 until 31st August 2020) and second wave (from 1st September to 28th December 2020). We estimated age-standardised mortality rates (ASMR) in the two waves stratified by ethnic groups and sex. We also estimated hazard ratios (HRs) for ethnic-minority groups compared with the White British population, adjusted for geographical factors, socio-demographic characteristics, and pre-pandemic health conditions.ResultsThe study population included over 28.9 million individuals aged 30-100 years living in private households. In the first wave, all ethnic minority groups had a higher risk of COVID-19 related death compared to the White British population. In the second wave, the risk of COVID-19 death remained elevated for people from Pakistani (ASMR: 339.9 [95% CI: 303.7 – 376.2] and 166.8 [141.7 – 191.9] deaths per 100,000 population in men and women) and Bangladeshi (318.7 [247.4 – 390.1] and 127.1 [91.1 – 171.3] in men and women)background but not for people from Black ethnic groups. Adjustment for geographical factors explained a large proportion of the differences in COVID-19 mortality in the first wave but not in the second wave. Despite an attenuation of the elevated risk of COVID-19 mortality after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and health status, the risk was substantially higher in people from Bangladeshi and Pakistani background in both the first and the second waves.ConclusionBetween the first and second waves of the pandemic, the reduction in the difference in COVID-19 mortality between people from Black ethnic background and people from the White British group shows that ethnic inequalities in COVID-19 mortality can be addressed. The continued higher rate of mortality in people from Bangladeshi and Pakistani background is alarming and requires focused public health campaign and policy changes.*VN and NI contributed equally to this paperResearch in contextEvidence before this studyA recent systematic review by Pan and colleagues demonstrated that people of ethnic minority background in the UK and the USA have been disproportionately affected by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, compared to White populations. While several studies have investigated whether adjusting for socio-demographic and economic factors and medical history reduces the estimated difference in risk of mortality and hospitalisation, the reasons for the differences in the risk of experiencing harms from COVID-19 are still being explored during the course of the pandemic. Studies so far have analysed the ethnic differences in COVID-19 mortality in the first wave of the pandemic. The evidence on the temporal trend of ethnic inequalities in COVID-19 mortality, especially those from the second wave of the pandemic, is scarce.Added value of this studyUsing data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Public Health Data Asset on 29 million adults aged 30-100 years living in private households in England, we conducted an observational cohort study to examine the differences in the risk of death involving COVID-19 between ethnic groups in the first wave (from 24th January 2020 until 31st August 2020) and second wave (from 1st September to 28th December 2020). We find that in the first wave all ethnic minority groups were at elevated risk of COVID-19 related death compared to the White British population. In the second wave, the differences in the risk of COVID-19 related death attenuated for Black African and Black Caribbean groups, remained substantially higher in people from Bangladeshi background, and worsened in people from Pakistani background. We also find that some of the factors explaining these differences in mortality have changed in the two waves.Implications of all the available evidenceThe risk of COVID-19 mortality during the first wave of the pandemic was elevated in people from ethnic minority background. An appreciable reduction in the difference in COVID-19 mortality in the second wave of the pandemic between people from Black ethnic background and people from the White British group is reassuring, but the continued higher rate of mortality in people from Bangladeshi and Pakistani background is alarming and requires focused public health campaign and policy response. Focusing on treating underlying conditions, although important, may not be enough in reducing the inequalities in COVID-19 mortality. Focused public health policy as well as community mobilisation and participatory public health campaign involving community leaders may help reduce the existing and widening inequalities in COVID-19 mortality.

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Ethnic differences in COVID-19 mortality during the first two waves of the Coronavirus Pandemic: a nationwide cohort study of 29 million adults in England

European Journal of Epidemiology ◽

10.1007/s10654-021-00765-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Vahé Nafilyan ◽

Nazrul Islam ◽

Rohini Mathur ◽

Daniel Ayoubkhani ◽

Amitava Banerjee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Ethnic Minority ◽

Ethnic Groups ◽

Minority Groups ◽

Mortality Rates ◽

Ethnic Minority Groups ◽

Men And Women ◽

Geographical Factors ◽

Second Wave

AbstractEthnic minorities have experienced disproportionate COVID-19 mortality rates in the UK and many other countries. We compared the differences in the risk of COVID-19 related death between ethnic groups in the first and second waves the of COVID-19 pandemic in England. We also investigated whether the factors explaining differences in COVID-19 death between ethnic groups changed between the two waves. Using data from the Office for National Statistics Public Health Data Asset, a linked dataset combining the 2011 Census with primary care and hospital records and death registrations, we conducted an observational cohort study to examine differences in the risk of death involving COVID-19 between ethnic groups in the first wave (from 24th January 2020 until 31st August 2020) and the first part of the second wave (from 1st September to 28th December 2020). We estimated age-standardised mortality rates (ASMR) in the two waves stratified by ethnic groups and sex. We also estimated hazard ratios (HRs) for ethnic-minority groups compared with the White British population, adjusted for geographical factors, socio-demographic characteristics, and pre-pandemic health conditions. The study population included over 28.9 million individuals aged 30–100 years living in private households. In the first wave, all ethnic minority groups had a higher risk of COVID-19 related death compared to the White British population. In the second wave, the risk of COVID-19 death remained elevated for people from Pakistani (ASMR: 339.9 [95% CI: 303.7–376.2] and 166.8 [141.7–191.9] deaths per 100,000 population in men and women) and Bangladeshi (318.7 [247.4–390.1] and 127.1 [91.1–171.3] in men and women) background but not for people from Black ethnic groups. Adjustment for geographical factors explained a large proportion of the differences in COVID-19 mortality in the first wave but not in the second wave. Despite an attenuation of the elevated risk of COVID-19 mortality after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and health status, the risk was substantially higher in people from Bangladeshi and Pakistani background in both the first and the second waves. Between the first and second waves of the pandemic, the reduction in the difference in COVID-19 mortality between people from Black ethnic background and people from the White British group shows that ethnic inequalities in COVID-19 mortality can be addressed. The continued higher rate of mortality in people from Bangladeshi and Pakistani background is alarming and requires focused public health campaign and policy changes.

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