Implementation of the Texas Community-Engaged Statewide Consortium for the Prevention of COVID-19.

The Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Against COVID-19 Disparities aims to conduct community-engaged research and outreach. This paper describes the Texas CEAL Consortium's activities in the first year and evaluates progress. The Texas CEAL Consortium comprised seven projects. To evaluate the Texas CEAL Consortium's progress, we used components of the RE-AIM Framework. Evaluation included estimating the number of people reached for data collection and education activities (reach), individual project goals and progress (effectiveness), partnerships established and partner engagement (adoption), and outreach and education activities (implementation). During the one-year period, focus groups were conducted with 172 people and surveys with 2107 people across Texas. Partners represented various types of organizations, including 11 non-profit organizations, 4 academic institutions, 3 civic groups, 3 government agencies, 2 grassroots organizations, 2 faith-based organizations, 1 clinic, and 4 that were of other types. The main facets of implementation consisted of education activities and the development of trainings. Key recommendations for future consortiums relate to funding and research logistics and the value of strong community partnerships. The lessons learned in this first year of rapid deployment inform ongoing work by the Texas CEAL Consortium and future community-engaged projects.

Breast Cancer Disparities Through the Lens of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Purpose of Review: The emergency medicine and critical care needs of the COVID-19 pandemic forced a sudden and dramatic disruption of cancer screening and treatment programs in the USA during the winter and spring of 2020. This review commentary addresses the impact of the pandemic on racial/ethnic minorities such as African Americans and Hispanic-Latina Americans, with a focus on factors related to breast cancer. Recent Findings: African Americans and Hispanic-Latina Americans experienced disproportionately higher morbidity and mortality from COVID-19; many of the same socioeconomic and tumor biology/genetic factors that explain breast cancer disparities are likely to account for COVID-19 outcome disparities. Summary: The breast cancer clinical and research community should partner with public health experts to ensure participation of diverse patients in COVID-19 treatment trials and vaccine programs and to overcome COVID-19-related breast health management delays that are likely to have been magnified among African Americans and Hispanic-Latina Americans.

Determinants of low-fat eating behaviors among midlife African American women.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to explore midlife African American women's low-fat eating habits in the context of health attitudes, social support, and food preferences. DESIGN: A cross-sectional design was used. SETTINGS: One Midwestern and 1 national African American women's organization were targeted for data collection. PARTICIPANTS: African American women between the ages of 45 and 64. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Health Attitudes Scale, Social Support Scale, Eating Behaviors subscale, and Low-Fat Eating subscale. ANALYSIS: A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: Highly educated women did not engage in better eating habits than women with less education. Family members provided more criticism and friends provided more encouragement for healthful eating. However, only family encouragement and criticism for healthful eating and food preferences remained predictive of low-fat eating habits in midlife African American women in the final regression model. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Changing attitudes may not influence changes in behaviors. Women experience family support as a significant influence to eating habits. Future nutrition interventions should be inclusive of women at every educational level and have a multidimensional focus that targets family involvement and changing behaviors.