Eliminating Health Disparities in the African American Population: The Interface of Culture, Gender, and Power

2006 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 488-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Collins O. Airhihenbuwa ◽  
Leandris Liburd
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
The United States ◽  
Task Force Report ◽  
Excess Death ◽  
Sociocultural Environment ◽  
Gender And Power

Since the release of former Secretary Margaret Heckler’s Secretary’s Task Force Report on Black and Minority Health more than two decades ago, excess death from chronic diseases and other conditions between African Americans and Whites have increased. The conclusion of that report emphasized excess death and thus clinical care, paying little attention to the sociocultural environment and its effects on risk of disease. The authors of this article contend that eliminating health disparities between the African American and White populations in the United States requires a focus on improving the social environment of African Americans. They examine the interface of culture, gender, and power and how those are central to analysis of the root causes of health disparities. The REACH 2010 project of the Centers for Disease Control offers examples on how a coalition of community and research organizations can infuse community interventions with informed considerations of culture, gender, and power to eliminate health disparities

Religion, Race, and Humanism

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony B. Pinn
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
African American ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Richard Wright ◽  
Institutional Development ◽  
The United States ◽  
Unitarian Universalist ◽  
Racial Injustice ◽  
History Of ◽  
Lorraine Hansberry

This chapter explores the history of humanism within African American communities. It positions humanist thinking and humanism-inspired activism as a significant way in which people of African descent in the United States have addressed issues of racial injustice. Beginning with critiques of theism found within the blues, moving through developments such as the literature produced by Richard Wright, Lorraine Hansberry, and others, to political activists such as W. E. B. DuBois and A. Philip Randolph, to organized humanism in the form of African American involvement in the Unitarian Universalist Association, African Americans for Humanism, and so on, this chapter presents the historical and institutional development of African American humanism.

scholarly journals Optimising neurodevelopmental and psychosocial outcomes for survivors with CHD: a research agenda for the next decade

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Erica Sood ◽  
Jeffrey P Jacobs ◽  
Bradley S Marino
Keyword(s):  
Health Disparities ◽  
Outcomes Research ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Outcome ◽  
Psychosocial Outcomes ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Outcomes ◽  
Working Groups

Abstract Neurodevelopmental and psychosocial impairments negatively impact health-related quality of life for survivors with CHD and complicate the transition to independent adulthood. Risk for neurodevelopmental and psychosocial impairments is influenced by a complex interplay among genetic, foetal, surgical, perioperative, family, and social factors, requiring a multi-pronged approach to neuroprotection and intervention. To ensure future research can ultimately reduce the burden of CHD for individuals, families, and society, the most pressing issues in cardiac neurodevelopment requiring scientific investigation must be identified. Through funding from an R13 Grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health of the United States of America, the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Outcome Collaborative convened a two-day meeting of international experts in cardiac neurodevelopmental and psychosocial research, clinical care, and health disparities, including patient and family stakeholders, to define the cardiac neurodevelopmental and psychosocial outcomes research agenda for the next decade. Seven multidisciplinary working groups were formed to address key domains crucial to the advancement of cardiac neurodevelopmental and psychosocial outcomes research: 1) Foetal Brain Development and Neuroprotection, 2) Surgical/Perioperative Neuroprotection and Neurodevelopment, 3) Characterization of Neurodevelopmental and Psychological Outcomes, 4) Neurodevelopmental and Psychosocial Intervention, 5) Parent Mental Health and Family Functioning, 6) Neurodevelopmental Education, Outreach and Advocacy, and 7) Health Disparities and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes. Working groups identified significant gaps in knowledge and critical questions that must be answered to further knowledge, policy, care, and outcomes. The development of a research agenda in cardiac neurodevelopmental and psychosocial outcomes is critical for informing collaborative initiatives and allocation of funding for research to scientific inquiries of highest value to key stakeholders.

A Discussion of Ismail K. White and Chryl N. Laird’s Steadfast Democrats: How Social Forces Shape Black Political Behavior

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 209-210
Author(s):  
Michael Leo Owens
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Political Behavior ◽  
Democratic Party ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Forces ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Behavioral Norm ◽  
Black Political Behavior

Charge: As Ismail K. White and Chryl N. Laird note, collectively more than 80% of African Americans self-identify as Democrats according to surveys, and no Republican presidential candidate has won more than 13% of the Black vote since 1968. This is true despite the fact that at the individual level many African Americans are increasingly politically moderate and even conservative. Against this backdrop, what explains the enduring nature of African American support for the Democratic Party? In Steadfast Democrats: How Social Forces Shape Black Political Behavior, White and Laird answer this question by developing the concept of “racialized social constraint,” a unifying behavioral norm meant to empower African Americans as a group and developed through a shared history of struggle against oppression and for freedom and equality. White and Laird consider the historical development of this norm, how it is enforced, and its efficacy both in creating party loyalty and as a path to Black political power in the United States. On the cusp of perhaps the most consequential presidential election in American history, one for which African American turnout was crucial, we asked a range of leading political scientists to assess the relative strengths, weaknesses, and ramifications of this argument.

African American males navigating their way to college : a socio-ecological resiliency model

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Laura E. Danforth
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
African American Males ◽  
Task Force ◽  
American Psychological Association ◽  
The United States ◽  
African American College Students ◽  
University Of Missouri ◽  
Ecological Resources ◽  
College Population ◽  
The University

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] The majority of African American college students are female, with males representing five percent of the total four-year college population (U.S. Census, 2013). Despite the evolution of race relations in the United States, African American males experience increased residential and school segregation, reduced access to qualified teachers and school staff, discipline disparities due to zero-tolerance policies, and increased likelihood of experiencing school to prison pipeline, all of which reduce their likelihood of enrollment in college (American Psychological Association Task Force, 2008; Aud, Fox, and Kewel-Ramani, 2010; Orfield, Kucsera, and Siegal-Hawley, 2012). In order to shift from deficit to strengths-based perspectives on achievement, a qualitative grounded theory investigation was utilized to uncover essential resources in participants' (N=22) social ecologies that increased the likelihood of college enrollment. As a result, insight was provided into the particular socio-ecological influences and elements that contributed to "pre-college socialization and readiness," (Harper, 2010, pg. 5) that eventually led to enrollment at a four-year college. It was found that family was the most powerful resource in participants' environments, as the initial establishment of the non-negotiable family expectation that they would attend college greatly influenced their selection in peer groups, involvement in positive community programs, as well as whether or not they were able to take advantage of other socio-ecological resources in their environment, such as positive teacher relationships and involvement in school programs.

scholarly journals “Using History to Make Slavery History”: The African American Past and the Challenge of Contemporary Slavery

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
James B. Stewart
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
African American ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Deep Understanding ◽  
The United States ◽  
Racial Justice ◽  
Specific Detail ◽  
Abolitionist Movement ◽  
Racist Ideology

This article argues that contemporary antislavery activism in the United States is programmatically undermined and ethically compromised unless it is firmly grounded in a deep understanding of the African American past. Far too frequently those who claim to be “the new abolitionists” evince no interest in what the original abolitionist movement might have to teach them and seem entirely detached from a U.S. history in which the mass, systematic enslavement of African Americans and its consequences are dominating themes. As a result contemporary antislavery activism too often marginalizes the struggle for racial justice in the United States and even indulges in racist ideology. In an effort to overcome these problems, this article seeks to demonstrate in specific detail how knowledge of the African American past can empower opposition to slavery as we encounter it today.

scholarly journals Book Review: History of African Americans: Exploring Diverse Roots

2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 265
Author(s):  
Trent Shotwell
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
African American ◽  
African Americans ◽  
American History ◽  
Social Life ◽  
African American History ◽  
The United States ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Rich

History of African Americans: Exploring Diverse Roots by Thomas J. Davis chronicles the remarkable past of African Americans from the earliest arrival of their ancestors to the election of President Barack Obama. This work was produced to recognize every triumph and tragedy that separates African Americans as a group from others in America. By distinguishing the rich and unique history of African Americans, History of African Americans: Exploring Diverse Roots provides an account of inspiration, courage, and progress. Each chapter details a significant piece of African American history, and the book includes numerous concise portraits of prominent African Americans and their contributions to progressing social life in the United States.

Abstract 15312: Racial Disparities in Trends in Mortality From Cardiac Arrests in the United States

Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (Suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anas M Al Zubaidi ◽  
Graham Bevan ◽  
Mariam Rana ◽  
Abdul Rahman Al Armashi ◽  
Mustafa Alqaysi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Cardiac Arrest ◽  
African American ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Cause Of Death ◽  
Census Data ◽  
International Classification Of Diseases ◽  
The United States ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Increased Risk

Background: African Americans are at increased risk of fatal cardiac arrests, but population-based studies exploring contemporary epidemiology are not available. We sought to identify the trend in race-specific mortality from cardiac arrest in the United States. Methods: Using the multiple cause of death database, we identified all patients (Caucasians or African Americans) who died of cardiac arrest (International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision code I46.x listed as underlying cause of death) between 1999 and 2018. Age-adjusted mortality rates were standardized to the 2000 US census data, and stratified by age group (<35 years, 35-64 years, and ≥ 65 years). Results: A total of 311,065 cardiac arrest deaths were identified, with an overall age-adjusted mortality of 53.6 per million (Caucasian: 49.1 per million, African American: 90.6 per million). Overall, age-adjusted mortality decreased from 80.1 per million persons (1999) to 44.3 per million persons (2012), followed by 8.8% increase to 48.2 (2018). Between 2012 and 2018, African Americans had higher rates of increase (10.9%) compared with Caucasians (6.9%). Largest disparities in relative changes between 2012 and 2018 occurred in patients younger than 35 years (African American: 35%, Caucasians -11%), and patients ≥ 65 years (African Americans: 8%, Caucasians 4%), figure. Conclusions: Although the mortality due to cardiac arrest has declined in the US between 1999 and 2012, a recent increase has been noted between 2012 and 2018, particularly among younger African Americans. Studies should focus on identifying causes of disparities and identifying methods to reduce the racial gap.

Africa in the Shuffle

1995 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-23
Author(s):  
Immanuel Wallerstein
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
New York ◽  
African American ◽  
African Americans ◽  
New York Times ◽  
The United States ◽  
The New York Times ◽  
The U.S

Once upon a time, not so very long ago, the study of Africa in the United States was a very rare and obscure practice, engaged in almost exclusively by African-American (then called Negro) intellectuals. They published scholarly articles primarily in quite specialized journals, notably Phylon, and their books were never reviewed in the New York Times. As a matter of fact, at this time (that is, before 1945) there weren't even very many books written about African-Americans in the U.S., although the library acquisitions were not quite as rare as those for books about Africa.

Media Communication Perspectives of African American Males Regarding Criminal Behaviors

2019 ◽  
pp. 28-38
Author(s):  
Carl L. Gardiner
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
African Americans ◽  
African American Males ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cultural Identities ◽  
Abstract Concepts ◽  
Media Communication ◽  
The Media ◽  
Criminal Behaviors

The representation of African Americans in the media has been a major concern in mainstream American culture and is also a component of media bias in the United States. Representation, in itself, refers to the construction in any medium of aspects of “reality” such as people, places, objects, events, cultural identities, and other abstract concepts. Such representations may be in speech or writing as well as still or moving pictures. Media representation of minorities is not always seen in a positive light; therefore, representation of African Americans in particular propagates somewhat controversial and misconstrued images of what African American represent. According to Potter, research on the portrayal of African Americans in prime-time television from 1955 to 1986 found that only 6% of the characters were African Americans, while 89% of the TV population was white. Among these African-American characters, 19% lacked a high school diploma, and 47% were low in economic status.

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