Dementia and COVID-19 among Older African American Adults: A Scoping Review of Healthcare Access and Resources.

African American/Black communities comprise 12.2% of the U.S. population, with a COVID-19 infection rate of more than 18% and marginal access to healthcare services. This scoping review synthesizes the emerging evidence on healthcare accessibility among older African American adult communities with dementia and COVID-19, as well as the resource requirements for this population during the pandemic. Searches of different databases for empirical studies and other sources on dementia and COVID-19 among older African American adults yielded 13 studies that met the following inclusion criteria: (a) focus on dementia and COVID-19, (b) sampled older African American adults, (c) investigated healthcare accessibility and resources, and (d) published between 2019 and 2022. Following the initial selection of the studies, eight were selected for relevance based on the Population, Concept, and Context (PCC) inclusion and exclusion criteria. Thematic analysis indicated that older African Americans with dementia and COVID-19 experienced longer delays in accessing timely healthcare, including transportation, intensive care units (ICUs), and mechanical ventilation. They also had reduced healthcare resources associated with a lack of health insurance, low financial resources, and an increased length of hospital stay, which further aggravated the negative effects of comorbid dementia and COVID-19 infections. Evidence showed that racial and age disparities affected older African American adults with dementia and COVID-19, resulting in lower healthcare access and marginal resources. This is consistent with historical and systemic inequities in meeting the healthcare needs of people of color in the United States, which was compounded for older African Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Financial hardship and depression experienced by pre-retirees during the COVID-19 pandemic: the mitigating role of stimulus payments

This study examines the association between financial hardship and depression among pre-retirees (ages 50 to 65) using the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and its 2020 COVID-19 supplement. We find a negative association between the amount of stimulus received and financial hardship experienced by respondents during the pandemic. Additionally, the results indicate that African American households were less likely to increase spending, Hispanic households were more likely to increase savings, and households with lower educational attainment were more likely to pay down debt using their stimulus money. Financial wealth was negatively associated with the perception of feeling depressed. Overall, the findings from this study underscore the important role that the stimulus checks and other financial resources played in buffering the economic shock experienced by American households during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Criminal anthroposcenes 2.0: Race, racism, and breath-taking violence in the time of COVID

While media attention has focused on the visceral brutality of police chokeholds, less noticed are the breath-taking effects of air pollution caused by the (in)actions of state agencies dedicated to environmental protection. To think through how race and racism are embedded in the processes that underlie the Anthropocene, I reframe three key terms of engagement to analyze with greater rigor contemporary criminal anthroposcenes (i.e. scenes constituted by the inextricable enmeshing of crime and anthropogenic climate change): (1) climate and weather, (2) bodies and environments, and (3) anestheticization. Shaping a racial geography of dirty air, a climate of anti-Blackness in the US has been quietly impacting the health and lives of African Americans for centuries, so that the deadly impact of viral outbreaks can merge with existing modes of spectacular and slow violence. From the murder of George Floyd to the establishment of sacrifice zones, the complexity and messiness of recent breath-taking scenes of injustice are formed and maintained by a dangerous mixture of racial apathy and racially-charged violence.

Barriers and facilitators to the engagement of physical activity among Black and African American cancer survivors during and after treatments.

PURPOSE: To identify physical activity (PA) barriers and facilitators among Black and African American (Black/AA) cancer survivors that should be considered in future PA intervention development for this population. METHODS: A community advisory board (CAB) of Black/AA cancer survivors and patient advocates guided in-depth qualitative interviews (n = 19) that were completed via telephone using a semi-structured interview guide. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and data were analyzed using directed content analysis to detail a report of PA barriers and facilitators during and after cancer treatment. The CAB reviewed and interpreted these barriers and facilitators to identify the final results. RESULTS: Survivors (n = 19) of nine different types of cancer completed interviews. PA barriers during cancer treatments included physical and psychological suffering. PA barriers after cancer treatments included social and environmental constraints (e.g., lack of access needed for PA, safety concerns, and competing priorities). PA facilitators both during and after cancer treatments included family support, faith, and support from other survivors. PA facilitators during treatment also included feeling better after doing PA, setting realistic and flexible goals, and gaining a sense of control of one's health by striving for PA goals. CONCLUSIONS: To increase PA among Black/AA cancer survivors, PA interventions are needed that address structural barriers, include the role of faith, leverage family support, highlight the psychological benefits of PA, and use goal setting.

Socio-demographic Heterogeneity in Prevalence of SARS-COV-2 Infection and Death Rate: Relevance to Black College Student Knowledge of COVID-19 and SARS-COV-2.

Black and Brown communities are affected disproportionately by COVID-19. In an attempt to learn if young Black college students unknowingly contribute to the spread of the COVID-19 in their communities, using surveys, this pilot study gauges the general safety knowledge and basic scientific knowledge of Black college students about SARS-COV-2 virus and COVID-19 at an HBCU. We also investigated whether students enrolled in chemistry courses designed for STEM (Science, Technology, and Engineering Majors) majors displayed increased knowledge of SARS-COV-2 and COVID-19 in comparison to their non-STEM major peers. Two sets of surveys with multiple choice questions, one with 25 and the other with 34 questions, were designed to assess general safety knowledge and basic scientific knowledge of the students about COVID-19 and the SARS-COV-2 virus. Survey questions were administered through Blackboard learning management system to one hundred eighty-seven (187) students in the summer of 2020 to two freshman non-science majors and in the fall of 2020 to one freshman non-science-major class, two freshmen STEM-major classes, and one senior STEM-major class. All students self-registered in the 6 chemistry classes at North Carolina A&T State University at random with no predetermined criteria. Results of the study show that regardless of their year of study, majority (> 90%) of the students possess basic scientific knowledge and are aware of the safety precautions concerning SARS-COV-2 virus and COVID-19. Majority of non-science major freshmen answered the basic safety questions correctly but were not able to choose the correct answers for the more specific scientific questions concerning SARS-COV-2 and COVID-19. Surprisingly, there was no significant difference in basic scientific knowledge regarding SARS-COV-2 and COVID-19 between STEM and non-STEM student populations, and first year STEM students were just as knowledgeable as senior STEM students. Based on these data, we speculate that students surveyed here have an acceptable basic understanding of how SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted, and therefore, they may not be a source of COVID-19 transmission to Black and Brown communities as this study confirms they are receiving accurate information about SARS-COV-2 and COVID-19. Possession of crucial timely and accurate knowledge about the health and safety is important in fighting racism and to gain equity within the society at large. By sharing the acquired knowledge, students can serve as positive role models for others in the community thus encouraging them to pursue science. Education brings equity, sharing the acquired knowledge encourages others to continue their education and succeed in obtaining higher degrees and better jobs as remedies for social inequality. Spread of accurate knowledge on various aspects of COVID-19 will also help remove fears of vaccination and hesitation towards visits to health clinics to resolve health issues. Relying on the results of this pilot study, we plan to explore these important factors further in our next study.

Psychosocial Stressors and Coping Strategies Among African Americans During Early Stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic: a Qualitative Study.

OBJECTIVES: The disproportionate impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on African Americans along with associated inequities in social determinants of health (SDOH) and racism increase their vulnerability to the psychosocial impact of COVID-19. This qualitative study applied the socio-ecological model (SEM) to explore psychosocial stressors, coping styles, and needs to improve psychosocial health among unique subgroups of African Americans in early pandemic stages. METHODS: Sixty-two African Americans (16 parents, 15 young adults, 16 essential workers, and 15 individuals with underlying medical conditions) participated in qualitative, semi-structured interviews between May and September 2020. Interview data were analyzed based on the SEM using thematic analysis. RESULTS: The majority (84%) reported being stressed with parents having the highest level. Four themes emerged : (1) our COVID-19 pandemic state of mind, (2) top stressors in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, (3) coping strategies during COVID-19, and (4) needs during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce stress. While there were similarities, different stressors were experienced among subgroups, which yielded different coping styles and needs from stakeholders across multi-levels to improve their psychosocial health. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest current and future pandemic response plans need targeted strategies across multiple levels of influence to address the psychosocial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on African Americans.

Disentangling SEL: Advocating for Black Sociality, Questioning White Teachers' Emotionality

This article disentangles social and emotional learning (SEL) into its 2 constitutive parts--sociality and emotionality through a backward mapping of the School Development Program (SDP) developed by James Comer. This article argues that Comer's school-level intervention is a process model for how to achieve SEL outcomes given its intentionality toward making schooling a homeplace and its capacity to buildout conditions of Black sociality. The SDP also challenges how teacher preparation programs perpetuates harm to students of color by codifying white emotionality. This harm suggests a need to reimagine teacher preparation. This article thus concludes by recommending that teacher preparation programs should study more models and processes like the SDP and confront color-evasiveness.

All We Need Is One Mic: A Call for Anti-Racist Solidarity to Deconstruct Anti-Black Racism in Educational Leadership

In this article, we outline some of the vital measurements of racism and anti-blackness as a macro system in education. We contend that principal preparation programs have not explicitly prioritized anti-racist school leadership, while often resisting the possibilities of solidarity or "one mic" of knowledge to increase anti-racist dispositions. Considering the lexicon of whiteness as an assemblage, a racial discourse should be "supported by material practices and institutions," that prepare educational leaders to examine anti-blackness curriculum that have been embedded as a standard method. We also posit that theoretical understanding of racism as global whiteness from a post-oppositional lens and decoloniality that will challenge the way racism is currently referenced in educational leadership scholarship. Moreover, current global and decolonial research gives way for a new vision of solidarity by humanizing scholarly resistance that cultivates a vision of community that regards differences of knowledge across groups and investigates racist policies and practices in educational leadership programs.

Imagining Decolonial Desires of the Public Good

Considering the legacies of exclusion, white supremacy, and genocide found within the walls of U.S. higher education, the public good construct is also embedded in exclusion, white supremacy, and genocide. The fact that existing notions of the public good remain intact and unquestioned of its origins means that the public good is not for all individuals of our society, particularly Black, Indigenous, Asian, Latinx, gender diverse, and ability diverse folks. Through a relational praxis, we engage in freewriting and Blackout poetry to share three solidarity narratives. This process and action detailed in this article come from a space that imagines the impossible -- a decolonial desire for the public good.

Just what is afropessimism and what's it doing in a nice field like education?: Unpacking new contributions to Black educational thought

In recent years, the theory of antiblackness known, generally, as 'afropessimism' has been taken up in the field of Education. In this article, the author outlines afropessimism and emplaces it into the traditions of Black educational thought, namely Critical Race Theory. The article also highlights the emerging contributions of scholars who have begun to incorporate the use of afropessimist theory into their work. Ultimately, the author argues that the urgent and critical questions that afropessimism demands has the potential to open up a whole new world of inquiry and action in our quest for a liberatory and liberated Black education. [ FROM AUTHOR]

Factors Associated with Telehealth Utilization among Older African Americans in South Los Angeles during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic transformed healthcare delivery with the expansive use of telemedicine. However, health disparities may result from lower adoption of telehealth among African Americans. This study examined how under-resourced, older African Americans with chronic illnesses use telehealth, including related sociodemographic and COVID-19 factors. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional design, 150 middle-aged and older African Americans were recruited from faith-based centers from March 2021 to August 2022. Data collected included sociodemographics, comorbidities, technological device ownership, internet usage, and attitudes toward COVID-19 disease and vaccination. Descriptive statistics and multivariable regression models were conducted to identify factors associated with telehealth use. RESULTS: Of the 150 participants, 32% had not used telehealth since the COVID-19 pandemic, with 75% reporting no home internet access and 38% having no cellular/internet network on their mobile device. Age, access to a cellular network on a mobile device, and wireless internet at home were significantly associated with the utilization of telehealth care. Higher anxiety and stress with an increased perceived threat of COVID-19 and positive attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination were associated with telehealth utilization. DISCUSSION: Access and integration of telehealth services were highlighted as challenges for this population of African Americans. To reduce disparities, expansion of subsidized wireless internet access in marginalized communities is necessitated. Education outreach and training by healthcare systems and community health workers to improve uptake of telehealth currently and post-COVID-19 should be considered.

COVID-19 survey among NYC non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic/Latino adults with diabetes.

OBJECTIVES: To better understand the knowledge, practice, importance, awareness, usefulness, and confidence of non-Hispanic Black and English- and Spanish-speaking Hispanic/Latino adults with diabetes. DESIGN: A descriptive cross-sectional survey study design was used and descriptive statistics was conducted. SAMPLE: Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic/Latino adults with diabetes were recruited from three New York City public hospitals. MEASUREMENTS: A one-time survey was delivered via email, text message or over the phone. RESULTS: Of the 96 participants, 47.9% were Hispanic/Latino and 52.1% were non-Hispanic Black individuals; 43.8% of the surveys were completed in Spanish and 56.3% in English; 41.7% were female and 58.3% male; 77.1% preferred to complete the survey via the telephone, 14.6% through email, and 8.3% via text message. Chi-square findings showed, 90.6% knew mask wearing prevented COVID-19; 96.9% knew that covering the nose and mouth during mask wearing is needed, 93.8% wore a mask, and 92.8% felt it important or very important to wear a mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19. For social distancing, 88.5% knew it prevented the spread of COVID-19, 93.8% practiced it, and 95.8% felt it important or very important. CONCLUSION: In having a better understanding of the knowledge and practices of COVID-19 among non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic populations with diabetes, the development of culturally and linguistically tailored community-based mitigation strategies can be developed that are aimed at improving the preparedness of these groups for the next emerging infectious disease, such as COVID-19.

Listening to Community Partners: Successes and Challenges in Fostering Authentic, Effective, and Trusting Partnerships in the RADx-UP Program

Engaging community partners helps public health researchers to (1) identify meaningful questions based on their authentic knowledge and lived experience, (2) develop protocols responsive to community needs, (3) ensure that interventions are culturally and contextually relevant, and (4) disseminate findings accessible for communities.1-3 The Rapid Acceleration of DiagnosticsUnderserved Populations (RADx-UP) program, created by the National Institutes of Health, is a consortium of more than 125 research projects aiming to understand and reduce COVID-19 disparities in morbidity and mortality through community-engaged research partnerships. The CEC also is critical to meeting communities' social needs in the midst of the pandemic, including building social networks, promoting trust in academic partners, and fostering mutual respect. LISTENING SESSION Attendees consisted of an executive director of a health coalition in Garden City, Kansas (CP1);a founder and director of a Christian faith community-based organization in Shubuta, Mississippi (CP2);a community partner working with a RADx-UP study aiming to understand the effects of COVID-19 and violence within African American communities in Chicago, Illinois (CP3);and a chief executive officer of a minority health institute in Jackson, Mississippi (CP4). Whereas we were sending people to community health center health care providers, we now have self-tests, and organizations are also making it more convenient for the community to have access to testing.

County-level societal predictors of COVID-19 cases and deaths changed through time in the United States: a longitudinal ecological study

People of different racial/ethnic backgrounds, demographics, health, and socioeconomic characteristics have experienced disproportionate rates of infection and death due to COVID-19. This study tests if and how county-level rates of infection and death have changed in relation to societal county characteristics through time as the pandemic progressed. This longitudinal study sampled monthly county-level COVID-19 case and death data per 100,000 residents from April 2020 to March 2022, and studied the relationships of these variables with racial/ethnic, demographic, health, and socioeconomic characteristics for 3125 or 97.0% of U.S. counties, accounting for 96.4% of the U.S. population. The association of all county-level characteristics with COVID-19 case and death rates changed significantly through time, and showed different patterns. For example, counties with higher population proportions of Black, Native American, foreign-born non-citizen, elderly residents, households in poverty, or higher income inequality suffered disproportionately higher COVID-19 case and death rates at the beginning of the pandemic, followed by reversed, attenuated or fluctuating patterns, depending on the variable. Patterns for counties with higher White versus Black population proportions showed somewhat inverse patterns. Counties with higher female population proportions initially had lower case rates but higher death rates, and case and death rates become more coupled and fluctuated later in the pandemic. Counties with higher population densities had fluctuating case and death rates, with peaks coinciding with new variants of COVID-19. Counties with a greater proportion of university-educated residents had lower case and death rates throughout the pandemic, although the strength of this relationship fluctuated through time. This research clearly shows that how different segments of society are affected by a pandemic changes through time. Therefore, targeted policies and interventions that change as a pandemic unfolds are necessary to mitigate its disproportionate effects on vulnerable populations, particularly during the first six months of a pandemic.

Coping With Disasters and Pandemics Through Experience and Community: How African American Older Adults Navigate Disaster Planning, Response, and Recovery.

OBJECTIVE: Studies have reported that minorities are disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Few studies have elucidated the lived experiences of African American older adults, and the resiliency displayed in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic and other disasters. METHODS: This study used 4 recorded focus groups with 26 African American older adults who have spent most of their lives living in Houston, Texas to assess safety, economic, and health concerns related to the pandemic and similarities or differences with other types of disasters that are specific to Houston/ the Gulf Region of Texas, such as Hurricane Harvey. RESULTS: Key themes emerged from the thematic analysis: 1) previous disasters provided important coping and preparation skills, although each occurrence was still a major stressor, 2) while telehealth was a significant benefit, regular health maintenance and chronic disease management were not completed during the COVID-19 pandemic, 3) information from the federal and state authorities were inconsistent and spurred fear and anxiety, 4) participants experienced few to no disruptions to their income but were heavily called on to support family members, and 5) participants experienced anxiety and isolation, but many used existing social connections to cope. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate how African American older adults navigate disaster response and recovery through experience and community. Providing unambiguous information to older adults could prove useful in preparing for future disaster events and coping with disasters.

Living through their first pandemic: Mississippi young adults reveal COVID-19 concerns and challenges.

Objective: The study aimed to understand the perceptions, knowledge, information sources, and coping skills pertaining to COVID-19 among two groups of African American young adults. Participants: African American ages 18-29 years enrolled in Historically Black Colleges and Universities and non-college enrolled young adults in Mississippi were the participants. Methods: Focus groups were conducted from February through May 2021. The qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Findings suggest the college students faced anxiety and stress from the loss of loved ones and the college experience. Non-college enrolled young adults dealt with maintaining employment, pros and cons of taking the vaccine to continue work, and handling the frequent flow of information. Conclusion: The study highlights the importance of ensuring that reliable and trustworthy health promotion and health crisis prevention information, resources, and coping tools are available in the environments in which young adults live, learn, and work.

COVID-19 Outcomes: The Impact of Obesity Within Racial Groups

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has thrust the obesity epidemic into the spotlight, revealing that obesity is no longer a disease that harms in the long run, but one that can have acutely devastating effects. Studies have suggested that obesity not only increases your risk of hospitalization, mechanical ventilation and death but increases your risk of becoming infected. Rapid data collection started in late 2019 as the COVID-19 spread from its site of origination, Wuhan, China. Initial observational studies noted that Hypertension, Type 2 Diabetes and Coronary Artery Disease were the most common comorbid conditions in patients with more severe complications. Although data was collected in China regarding BMI, it was not until April 2020 when the editors of the American published Obesity medical journal stated that obesity would likely prove to be independent risk factor for more severe disease. This observation was likely yet to be realized in the Chinese data given the significantly lower rates of obesity than the United States. In 2019, the overall rate of obesity among Chinese adults was 13.58%. The rate of obesity in the United States in 2017-2018, the last reported data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, was 42.4%. COVID-19 also revealed conspicuous health care disparities that have been documented for decades with little national spotlight until July 2021. Federal data reported that the Black American life expectancy decreased almost 3 years from 2019 to 2020 compared to 1.2 years for White Americans. In our study we examine the association of four clinical complications from COVID-19 infection among Black/African American and White/Caucasian patients with overweight and obesity while controlling for co-morbid conditions. Our aim is to identify if different risk exists between ethnicity groups in overweight and obese patients, controlling for additional comorbidities. We hypothesize that racial disparities in COVID outcomes persist. Methods: A random sample of 3,000 records was extracted from the COVID19 DataMart through the University of Virginia Health System EMR. This included patients who tested positive by RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 using swab specimens between March 2020 and July 2021. We limited this study to Black/African American or White/ Caucasian patients age > 18 with a BMI >25, for a total of 1,904 patients. Measurements Four clinical outcomes from COVID-19 were examined;hospitalization, length of hospital stay (LOS), ventilator dependence and mortality. LOS was measured by an indicator constructed within the EMR calculating the difference between admission and discharge dates. Ventilator dependence and mortality were binary indicators related to COVID-19. Race was dichotomized as Black/ African American or White/Caucasian. We controlled for comorbidies with the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), which accounts for 17 conditions. Patients were divided into four groups based on the CCI score. CCI score and corresponding weighted category were computed using the "comorbidity" package in R. Based on patients' BMI, we computed a variable indicating BMI category: 25< and <30;>30 and <35;>35. Sex and age were controlled. Sample Size Calculation We used the "pwr" package in R to compute the minimum required sample size that would offer 80% power and significance level of 0.05 to detect a small effect size. This was attainable in our analysis. Statistical Analysis Means and standard deviations were applied to continuous variables. We ran bivariate comparisons between the four outcomes of interest and race. Unadjusted odds ratios with corresponding 95% Confidence intervals (CI) are presented for hospitalized, ventilation required and mortality. A t-test is presented for mean comparisons of LOS by race. Four regression models were constructed for each respective outcome of interest while controlling for race, CCI category, BMI category, age and sex. Logistic regression models estimated the odds of hospitalization, ventilation dependence and mortality, and a linear model to estimate effe ts of covariate on LOS. All hypothesis tests were 2-sided with a significance level of 5%. R version 4.1.1 was used for all analyses. As a sensitivity analysis, we replicated these models in a sub-sample of patients who were infected between March 2020 and February 2021 (n = 756). Results: 1,904 patients were included in the main cohort and 756 in the sensitivity cohort. The mean age was 45.7 and 46.3 in the sensitivity cohort. Females comprised 58.5% and 81% of the sensitivity cohort. Average LOS was significantly greater for Black patients than WHITE patients. Hospitalization rates for White patients were significantly lower than those for Black patients. Ventilation did not differ significantly between White and Black patients. Mortality rates were lower for White patients compared to Black patients. In the regression model White patients had significantly shorter LOS compared to Black patients. Patients with low and mild CCI risk had significantly shorter LOS compared to patients in the severe risk category. Patients with a BMI category or >35 had shorter LOS compared to those with BMI <30;males had significantly longer LOS compared to females. Race did not have a significant effect on hospitalization after controlling for CCI category, sex, BMI category and age. Patients with low and mild CCI had significantly lower odds of being hospitalized. Males had significantly greater odds of being hospitalized compared to females. Race did not have a significant effect on ventilation. Male patients had significantly higher odds of needing ventilation. Patients with low CCI risk had significantly lower odds of needing ventilation. Increase in age was associated with increased odds of needing ventilation. Race was significantly associated with mortality. White patients had significantly lower odds of death compared to Black patients. Patients in the low and mild CCI risk had lower odds of death. White patients had significantly shorter LOS compared to Black patients. Patients with low and mild CCI risk had significantly shorter LOS compared to patients in the severe risk category. Race did not have a significant effect on hospitalization. Patients with low and mild CCI risk had significantly lower odds of being hospitalized. Race did not have a significant effect on ventilation. Patients with low and moderate CCI risk had significantly lower odds of needing ventilation. Increase in age was associated with increased odds of needing ventilation. Race was associated with mortality after controlling for CCI category, sex, BMI category and age at a p value = 0.05. White patients had lower odds of death compared to Black patients. Conclusions: Our findings emphasize that racial differences persist when we look at only patients that have overweight and obesity. The racial disparities are not due to just obesity and its common co-morbidities. There are other factors contributing to these outcomes. These factors are likely multifactorial. It could be due to a combination of social and environmental factors that prevent or delay these patients from receiving care. Furthermore there may be differences in the care these patients receive once in the health care system. Further examination of these socioeconomic factors are just as important as mechanistic causes in order to decrease healthcare disparities.

Understanding COVID-19 Risk Perceptions and Precautionary Behaviors in Black Chicagoans: A Grounded Theory Approach.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether actual community-level risk for COVID-19 in the Black community influenced individual perceptions of community-level and personal risk and how self-assessment of personal risk was reflected in the adoption of COVID-19 precautionary behaviors. METHODS: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 20 Black Chicago adults from February to July 2021. A grounded theory approach was used for the qualitative analysis and initial, focused, and theoretical coding were performed. RESULTS: We developed a grounded model consisting of four major themes: (a) Pre-Existing Health Conditions; (b) Presence of COVID-19 Infection in Participant Social Network; (c) COVID-19-Related Information, Participant Trust, and Perceived Personal Risk; and (d) Perceived Higher Burden of COVID-19 in the Black Community. CONCLUSIONS: Higher perceptions of personal risk were shaped by pre-existing health conditions and experiences with COVID-19 in one's social network but were not influenced by perceived higher burden of COVID-19 in the Black community. POLICY IMPLICATIONS: Black adults' perceptions of their individual risk and precautionary behaviors were not congruent with public health data and recommendations. Therefore, COVID-19 messaging and mitigation should be informed by local community engagement and transparent communication.

An Overview of Legal Issues and Regulations Affecting CBD-Based Franchise Systems

[...]in Oregon and Florida, consumers can purchase CBD in their coffee.2 Following declassification of hemp as a Schedule I drug, a recent Gallup poll found that one in seven Americans use hemp-derived CBD products (although CBD derived from marijuana is still illegal under federal law and will not be addressed here). "3 CBD products are available at a variety of mainstream retailers including CVS, Walgreens, GNC, Kroger, Ulta Beauty, Abercrombie & Fitch, and American Eagle Outfitters.4 Industry research firms estimate that by 2024, CBD sales will exceed twenty billion dollars in the United States.5 Another study projects a twenty-five percent compound annual growth rate in the CBD edible market between 2020 and 2027.6 Many consumers rely on CBD to treat anxiety, pain, and insomnia.7 Other common usages include over-the-counter treatment for depression, muscle contractions, skin conditions, and digestive concerns.8 A third of pet owners have purchased CBD-infused treats, food, or other items for their cats and dogs, and purchases of CBD pet products are rapidly increasing as pet owners begin to return to the office following the nationwide lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.9 Considering this clear market demand and the likelihood that states will continue to ease restrictions on sale of CBD and other hemp-derived related products, franchisors may find entering the CBD market an irresistible opportunity-either through creating a new franchised system that primarily sells CBD products or by adding them as a new or additional product line in an existing system. [...]Section IV addresses many of the unique challenges associated with franchises selling CBD and proposes best practices for both franchisors and franchisees. "25 Guy believed a cannabis product with low levels of THC but high levels of CBD would be appealing for these users.26 By the late 1990s, several Northern California cannabis growers were cultivating high CBD/low THC strains and distributing both the seeds and their research about its effects at marijuana shops and fairs on the West Coast.27 In 2010, a group of medical marijuana researchers and cannabis growers founded Project CBD, a nonprofit corporation with the goal of collecting and promoting medical research regarding the benefits of CBD.28 In August 2013, CNN aired Dr. Sanjay Gupta's documentary Weed, which contained a segment describing the successful use of a CBD oil developed by the Stanley Brothers, called "Charlotte's Web," to reduce seizures in fiveyear old Charlotte Figi.29 After the segment, the wait list for the oil grew to 15,000 people, families moved to Colorado with the hope of using the oil, and the Food and Drug Administration fast-tracked trials of GW Pharmaceutical's CBD-based medication, Epidiolex.30 Popular culture acceptance and demand for CBD has continued to increase in the last decade.

Nutrition and physical exercise prevention strategies to reduce obesity during the covid-19 pandemic

Obesity has reached an epidemic level of 75 million obese adults and 15 million obese children in the United States. The research problem addressed in this study is the lack of information on how obese people manage their weight-loss strategies to prevent or reduce obesity during shut-in place restrictions for the COVID-19 Pandemic. This study included the Prochaska and DiClemente Trans-Theoretical Model of Behavioral Change and the Stage of Change Theory. The phenomenon approach using phenomenology described participants' lived experiences of being obese. The researcher completed data collection and evaluation among sixteen participants using email questionnaires to analyze participant's responses to answer research questions on the lived experiences of African American adult women in Horn Lake, MS. Findings and recommendations from the study indicated the impact the COVID-19 Pandemic had on the African American population for participants in Horn Lake, MS is due to limited access to healthy and fresh foods, supply chain disruption, and panic buying. Data showed decreased physical exercise due to the closure of gyms, closure of neighborhood parks, and cancellation of sports and other activities increased obesity rates. Future recommendations from the study should include researchers interviewing a more significant number of obese people to assess the relative prevalence of the general population to understand how obese people increase the risk of severe illness because of the COVID-19 virus. This study can influence positive social change through educational awareness programs by helping public health officials educate African American women on obesity and the COVID-19 virus to help the community better self-manage their health during COVID-19. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)