scholarly journals Barriers and Motivators to Participating in mHealth Research Among African American Men

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1605-1613 ◽  
Author(s):  
Delores C. S. James ◽  
Cedric Harville

Most African American (AA) men own a smartphone, which positions them to be targeted for a variety of programs, services, and health interventions using mobile devices (mHealth). The goal of this study was to assess AA men’s use of technology and the barriers and motivators to participating in mHealth research. A self-administered survey was completed by 311 men. Multinomial logistic regression examined associations between three age groups (18-29 years, 30-50 years, and 51+ years), technology access, and motivators and barriers to participating in mHealth research. Sixty-five percent of men owned a smartphone and a laptop. Men aged 18 to 29 years were more likely willing to use a health app and smartwatch/wristband monitor than older men ( p < .01). Men aged 18 to 29 years were also more likely than older men to be motivated to participate for a free cell phone/upgraded data plan and contribution to the greater good ( p < .05). Older men were more likely than younger ones to be motivated to become more educated about the topic ( p < .05). Younger men were more likely than older ones to report lack of interest in the topic as a barrier to participating ( p < .01), while older men were more likely than younger ones to cite lack of research targeted to minority communities as a barrier ( p < .05). This study suggests that culturally tailored mHealth research using smartphones may be of interest to AA men interested in risk reduction and chronic disease self-management. Opportunities also exist to educate AA men about the topic at hand and why minority men are being targeted for the programs and interventions.

Author(s):  
Michaela Soyer

A Dream Denied: Incarceration, Recidivism, and Young Minority Men in America shows how the narrative of American dream shapes the offending trajectories of twenty-three young Latino and African American men in Boston and Chicago. Believing in the American dream helps the teenagers cope with the pains of incarceration. However, without the ability to experience themselves as creative actors, reproducing the rhetoric of American meritocracy leaves the teenagers unprepared to negotiate the complex and frustrating process of desistance and reentry.


2009 ◽  
Vol 36 (9) ◽  
pp. 1947-1952 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARIA THOMAS-JOHN ◽  
MARY B. CODD ◽  
SIALAJA MANNE ◽  
NELSON B. WATTS ◽  
ANNE-BARBARA MONGEY

Objective.Osteoporotic fractures are associated with significant morbidity and mortality particularly among older men. However, there is little information regarding risk factors among this population. The aims of our study were to determine risk factors for osteoporosis and fragility fractures and the predictive value of bone mineral density (BMD) measurements for development of fragility fractures in a cohort of elderly Caucasian and African American men.Methods.We evaluated 257 men aged 70 years or older for risk factors for osteoporosis and fragility fractures using a detailed questionnaire and BMD assessment. Exclusion criteria included conditions known to cause osteoporosis such as hypogonadism and chronic steroid use, current treatment with bisphosphonates, bilateral hip arthroplasties, and inability to ambulate independently.Results.Age, weight, weight loss, androgen deprivation treatment, duration of use of dairy products, exercise, and fracture within 10 years prior to study entry were associated with osteoporosis (p ≤ 0.05). Fragility fractures were associated with duration of use of dairy products, androgen deprivation treatment, osteoporosis, and history of fracture within 10 years prior to BMD assessment (p ≤ 0.05). There were some differences in risk factors between the Caucasian and African American populations, suggesting that risk factors may vary between ethnic groups.Conclusion.Although men with osteoporosis had a higher rate of fractures, the majority of fractures occurred in men with T-scores > −2.5 standard deviations below the mean, suggesting that factors other than BMD are also important in determining risk.


2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (18_suppl) ◽  
pp. 4576-4576 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Wright ◽  
D. W. Lin ◽  
J. E. Cowan ◽  
J. Duchane ◽  
P. R. Carroll ◽  
...  

4576 Background: Over the past two decades, the age at diagnosis and treatment of men with prostate cancer (CaP) has steadily declined. Previous work suggests that younger men have similar or improved pathologic and clinical outcomes compared to older men. The literature on quality of life (QOL) following local treatment for CaP has primarily focused on comparing treatment modalities rather than specific age groups. This analysis explored QOL outcomes in younger men following primary curative treatment for localized prostate cancer. Methods: This was a secondary analysis of a prospectively collected cohort from the CaPSURE (Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Endeavor) registry. Men who underwent radical prostatectomy (RP) for localized disease and completed the UCLA Prostate Cancer Index (PCI) pre- and one-year post-surgery were identified. Men were grouped based on age (< 55, 55–64, ≥ 65 years). A severe decline in PCI domains from pre- to post-RP was defined as a decrease of one standard deviation from the pre-RP score. PCI scores were compared across age groups, and a multivariate model created to analyze the predictors of severe declines in PCI domains. Results: 1,143 men were identified, with 190, 526 and 427 men in the three age groups, respectively. Younger men had significantly higher mean scores one-year after RP in the urinary function (UF), urinary bother (UB) and sexual function (SF) domains of the PCI. The proportion of men with a severe decline in UF, UB and SF was not significantly different in the age groups (range 49–54%, 32–38%, 58–51% respectively). However, a severe decline in SB was more common in the youngest age group than in the oldest (54% vs. 36%, p < 0.01). With the youngest men as the reference group in the multivariate model, the oldest age group was 40% less likely to have a severe decline of SB (OR = 0.60, 95% CI 0.41–0.90, p = 0.04) but trended toward a higher risk of severe decline in UB (OR = 1.27, 95% CI 0.85–1.89, p = 0.08). Conclusions: Age predicts disease-specific QOL changes at one-year following RP. Younger men had significantly better mean UF, UB, and SF domain scores one-year after RP than did their older counterparts. Men < 55 years old are more likely than older men to experience a severe decline of sexual bother but trend toward a lower risk of a severe urinary bother. No significant financial relationships to disclose.


1998 ◽  
Vol 84 (2) ◽  
pp. 599-605 ◽  
Author(s):  
David N. Proctor ◽  
Kenneth C. Beck ◽  
Peter H. Shen ◽  
Tamara J. Eickhoff ◽  
John R. Halliwill ◽  
...  

Proctor, David N., Kenneth C. Beck, Peter H. Shen, Tamara J. Eickhoff, John R. Halliwill, and Michael J. Joyner. Influence of age and gender on cardiac output-V˙o 2 relationships during submaximal cycle ergometry. J. Appl. Physiol. 84(2): 599–605, 1998.—It is presently unclear how gender, aging, and physical activity status interact to determine the magnitude of the rise in cardiac output (Q˙c) during dynamic exercise. To clarify this issue, the present study examined theQ˙c-O2 uptake (V˙o 2) relationship during graded leg cycle ergometry in 30 chronically endurance-trained subjects from four groups ( n = 6–8/group): younger men (20–30 yr), older men (56–72 yr), younger women (24–31 yr), and older women (51–72 yr). Q˙c (acetylene rebreathing), stroke volume (Q˙c/heart rate), and whole bodyV˙o 2 were measured at rest and during submaximal exercise intensities (40, 70, and ∼90% of peakV˙o 2). Baseline resting levels of Q˙c were 0.6–1.2 l/min less in the older groups. However, the slopes of theQ˙c-V˙o 2relationship across submaximal levels of cycling were similar among all four groups (5.4–5.9 l/l). The absolute Q˙c associated with a given V˙o 2(1.0–2.0 l/min) was also similar among groups. Resting and exercise stroke volumes (ml/beat) were lower in women than in men but did not differ among age groups. However, older men and women showed a reduced ability, relative to their younger counterparts, to maintain stroke volume at exercise intensities above 70% of peakV˙o 2. This latter effect was most prominent in the oldest women. These findings suggest that neither age nor gender has a significant impact on theQ˙c-V˙o 2relationships during submaximal cycle ergometry among chronically endurance-trained individuals.


2008 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 1025-1045 ◽  
Author(s):  
CLIVE SEALE ◽  
JONATHAN CHARTERIS-BLACK

ABSTRACTRecognition of the greater capacity of older women to draw on supportive social networks has now supplemented an earlier focus of research into gender and ageing which portrayed older men as a ‘privileged gerontocracy’ because of their greater access to financial resources and spousal care. This study of the experiences of cancer among people of three different age groups conducted a comparative keyword analysis of their narratives to consider the gender differentiation of a third resource: access to medical information and personnel. The analysed narratives were sampled from a large archive of research interviews. It was found that older men with cancer demonstrated a greater involvement with medicine as an expert system than younger men or women or older women. This stemmed from their social confidence when interacting with doctors and their interest in treating their illness as a ‘problem’ to be fixed with medico-scientific solutions. Compared with younger men and women of all ages, older men were less likely to draw on informal social and family networks for support, or to discuss in a direct style the emotional dimension of illness experience. Our findings contrast with other studies that have reported linguistic disadvantage in older people in elderly care settings, which underlines the importance of context for linguistic studies.


2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Sara Canetto

Globally, older adults have higher suicide rates than other age-groups. However, it is predominantly men who die of suicide in late adulthood, with variability by culture. In the United States, European-descent men are overrepresented among suicide decedents. In this article, theories and evidence about aging adversities, individual dispositions, and cultural influences were evaluated for their potential to explain the suicide vulnerability of European-descent older men. Aging adversities were not found to account for these men’s suicide proneness. European-descent older men are exposed to less severe aging adversities than older women or ethnic-minority men—though they may be more impacted by them. Rigidity in coping and in sense of self, consistent with hegemonic-masculinity scripts, emerged as individual-level clues. The indignities-of-aging and the masculinity-of-suicide scripts may be cultural influences. This analysis shows how consideration of masculinities and suicide scripts expands our understanding of older men’s suicide as well as, likely, our tools for its prevention.


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