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1.
J Health Care Poor Underserved ; 35(2): 692-706, 2024.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38828589

ABSTRACT

This study examined the e-cigarette and vaping resistance strategies used by Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) youths in rural Hawai'i. Focus groups (N = 17) were conducted in eight geographically dispersed elementary, middle/intermediate, and multilevel schools in low-income communities on Hawai'i Island. Sixty-nine youths (67% NHPI, Mage = 12.5 years) participated in this study. The resistance strategies discussed across the greatest number of groups were "refuse" (saying no), "explain" (providing reasons for vaping refusal), "avoid" (avoiding people or places where e-cigarettes were used), and "leave" (walking away from a situation where e-cigarettes were being used). Participants described the challenges in using these strategies within contexts characterized by widespread peer and family vaping and strong social demands to use e-cigarettes. The findings suggest the need for multi-level interventions based on youths' resistance strategies to meaningfully reduce youth vaping use in rural and/or NHPI communities.


Subject(s)
Focus Groups , Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander , Vaping , Humans , Adolescent , Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander/statistics & numerical data , Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander/psychology , Vaping/ethnology , Hawaii , Male , Female , Child , Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems/statistics & numerical data , Rural Population/statistics & numerical data , Pacific Island People
2.
Int J Soc Psychiatry ; : 207640241236109, 2024 Mar 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38491441

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Little is known about trauma and its mental health impact on Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders (NH/PI), an understudied Indigenous-colonized population that endures severe mental health disparities. AIMS: This novel investigation assessed trauma prevalence and its mental health and substance use correlates in NH/PIs in the U.S. METHOD: Using community-based participatory research methods, survey data on NH/PI trauma, depression, anxiety, substance use, and treatment need were collected from 306 NH/PI adults using online, telephone, and in-person methods. Descriptive statistics and adjusted regression models were employed. RESULTS: Sixty-nine percent of participants experienced lifetime trauma, reporting mean exposure to 2.5 different trauma types. Childhood physical and sexual abuse, and lifetime forced sexual assault rates were 34%, 25%, and 27%, respectively, exceeding general population rates. Women and men reported equivalent total mean exposure to different trauma types, as well as equal prevalence for every trauma type examined (e.g. sexual abuse/assault). Confirming hypotheses, after controlling for key demographic and mental health risk factors, increased exposure to multiple trauma types uniquely associated with greater depression, anxiety, alcohol symptomology, and greater likelihood for needing treatment and using illicit substances. CONCLUSIONS: Trauma is prevalent in NH/PI populations and significantly impacts NH/PI mental health; serving as an important but overlooked contributor to NH/PI mental health disparities. Current findings fill critical gaps in our knowledge of NH/PI trauma and mental health while revealing the importance of screening and treating NH/PIs for trauma exposure to alleviate existing mental health disparities.

3.
Nicotine Tob Res ; 2024 Feb 24.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38401167

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Detailed estimates of disparities in cigarette smoking across single- and multi-race groups and their intersections with ethnicity are lacking. This study estimates the prevalence of self-reported current smoking among intersecting adult race-ethnicity groups in the United States. METHODS: The analysis uses 2018-2019 data from the Tobacco Use Supplement - Current Population Supplement (TUS-CPS; n=137,471). Self-reported Hispanic origin and race were recoded into 19 mutually-exclusive race by ethnicity intersecting groups. Weighted race-ethnicity group smoking prevalence were compared to the overall population prevalence and one another. RESULTS: Compared to the US population current smoking prevalence (11.4% [95% CI=11.2%-11.6%]), smoking was particularly higher in non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) groups (20.7% [95% CI=17.8%-24.0%]) and non-Hispanic multiracial AI/AN/White (24.4% [95% CI = 20.3%-29.1%]) and AI/AN/Black (22.4% [95% CI = 14.4%-33.2%]) groups. Non-Hispanic single-race Asian (5.0% [95% CI = 4.4%-5.6%]) and Hispanic single-race White (7.2% [95% CI = 6.7%-7.7%]) smoking prevalence undercut the overall US population prevalence. In pairwise comparisons, smoking prevalence was higher in various non-Hispanic single- and multi-race AI/AN groups than non-AI/AN groups and was lower in various Hispanic groups than non-Hispanic groups. CONCLUSION: Smoking prevalence disparities are not monolithic across complex diversity of race and ethnicity in the US. Accurate identification of priority populations in need of targeted tobacco control efforts may benefit by acknowledging multinomial heterogeneity across intersecting racial and ethnic identities. IMPLICATION: Understanding racial and ethnic disparities in cigarette smoking can inform national strategies for reducing health inequities. This study examines cigarette smoking disparities among 19 adult intersecting race-ethnicity groups in the United States using the 2018-2019 TUS-CPS data. Results show higher smoking rates in some non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native and Black groups, while lower rates are seen in Asian and Hispanic individuals. These findings emphasize the need for disaggregated data to tackle smoking disparities and guide targeted prevention efforts.

4.
Glob Public Health ; 18(1): 2273425, 2023 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37902041

ABSTRACT

Racial/ethnic minority individuals in the U.S. experience numerous health disparities versus Whites, often due to differences in social determinants. Yet, limited large-scale research has examined these differences at the neighbourhood level. We merged 2021 PLACES Project and 2020 American Community Survey data across 3,211 census tracts (neighbourhoods) defined as majority (>50%) Black, Latina/o, Asian or White. T-tests and hierarchical linear regressions were used to examine differences and associations between neighbourhoods on key health (general health, mental health, obesity, diabetes, cancer, coronary heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, stroke), and social outcomes (income, unemployment, age, population density). Results indicated that minority neighbourhoods in California exhibited stark health and social disparities versus White neighbourhoods, displaying worse outcomes on nearly every social and health variable/condition examined; particularly for Black and Latina/o neighbourhoods. Moreover, regression findings revealed that, after considering income, unemployment, and population density, (1) fair/poor mental health and higher percentages of Black, Latina/o and Asian residents in neighbourhoods independently associated with greater neighbourhood fair/poor physical health, and (2) fair/poor mental health significantly associated with greater prevalence of obesity and COPD. This study thus underscores the need to address the profound health and social disparities experienced by minority neighbourhoods for more equitable neighbourhoods.


Subject(s)
Chronic Disease , Health Disparate Minority and Vulnerable Populations , Health , Neighborhood Characteristics , Social Determinants of Health , Humans , California/epidemiology , Chronic Disease/epidemiology , Chronic Disease/ethnology , Ethnicity/statistics & numerical data , Hispanic or Latino/statistics & numerical data , Mental Health/ethnology , Mental Health/statistics & numerical data , Minority Groups/statistics & numerical data , Obesity/epidemiology , Residence Characteristics/statistics & numerical data , Social Determinants of Health/ethnology , Social Determinants of Health/statistics & numerical data , Neighborhood Characteristics/statistics & numerical data , Health/ethnology , Health/statistics & numerical data , Health Disparate Minority and Vulnerable Populations/statistics & numerical data , Black or African American/statistics & numerical data , Asian/statistics & numerical data , White/statistics & numerical data , Vulnerable Populations/statistics & numerical data , Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/epidemiology , Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/ethnology
5.
J Couns Psychol ; 70(5): 510-521, 2023 Oct.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37261794

ABSTRACT

We examined Asian American college students' adherence to traditional values that are salient in Asian cultures, the students' perceptions of their mother's and father's adherence to the same values, and the discrepancies between the students and their mothers and fathers on the levels of adherence to these values. Based on the data from 301 participants who self-identified as Asian Americans, paired-samples t tests revealed that the child-parent cultural value discrepancies were present across all generational statuses of the participants with the children adhering less strongly to most of the value dimensions than their parents. The results based on correlational analyses showed that many types of value discrepancies were positively associated with the likelihood and seriousness of conflict. Several types of value discrepancies also were inversely associated with the participants' life satisfaction and self-esteem. In addition, the results from the PROCESS Macro for mediation analysis revealed significant mediation role of family conflict on the relationships between various types of value discrepancies and life satisfaction. The significant mediators were the likelihood and seriousness of family conflict and the family conflict about education and career decisions, and the value discrepancies centered on the values of conformity to norms, family recognition through achievement, and humility. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).


Subject(s)
Asian , Culture , Family Relations , Personal Satisfaction , Self Concept , Social Values , Female , Humans , Asian/psychology , Family Conflict/ethnology , Family Conflict/psychology , Mothers/psychology , Parents/psychology , Parent-Child Relations/ethnology , Social Values/ethnology , Students/psychology , Universities , Fathers/psychology , Family Relations/ethnology , Family Relations/psychology , Social Identification
6.
Am J Public Health ; 113(8): 874-882, 2023 08.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37200601

ABSTRACT

CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) is a Nobel Prize-winning technology that holds significant promise for revolutionizing the prevention and treatment of human disease through gene editing. However, CRISPR's public health implications remain relatively uncertain and underdiscussed because (1) targeting genetic factors alone will have limited influence on population health, and (2) minority populations (racial/ethnic, sexual and gender)-who bear the nation's greatest health burdens-historically suffer unequal benefits from emerging health care innovations and tools. This article introduces CRISPR and its potential public health benefits (e.g., improving virus surveillance, curing genetic diseases that pose public health problems such as sickle cell anemia) while outlining several major ethical and practical threats to health equity. This includes minorities' grave underrepresentation in genomics research, which may lead to less effective and accepted CRISPR tools and therapies for these groups, and their anticipated unequal access to these tools and therapies in health care. Informed by the principles of fairness, justice, and equitable access, ensuring gene editing promotes rather than diminishes health equity will require the meaningful centering and engagement of minority patients and populations in gene-editing research using community-based participatory research approaches. (Am J Public Health. 2023;113(8):874-882. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2023.307315).


Subject(s)
Gene Editing , Health Equity , Humans , Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats , Public Health , Minority Groups
7.
Community Ment Health J ; 59(5): 1021-1026, 2023 07.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36892628

ABSTRACT

Limited research has examined the mental health of individuals experiencing homelessness in Hawai'i, which bears the nation's second highest homelessness rate. Mental health, substance use, treatment need, and health data were collected from 162 unhoused individuals in Hawai'i County by visiting community locations where they congregate (e.g., beaches, vacant buildings). 77% of participants were Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (NH/PI) with participants demonstrating severe rates of mental and substance use disorders including 57% experiencing major depressive disorder (MDD), 56% experiencing generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and 64%, 74%, and 12% experiencing alcohol, methamphetamine, and opioid use disorders, respectively-heightening overdose risk. Treatment need was high (62%) but health was poor (85% reporting fair/poor health), with MDD and GAD predicting reduced general health (p < 0.05). Study findings indicate Hawai'i unhoused individuals are disproportionately Indigenous NH/PI, enduring striking mental and physical health disparities that may be reduced by increasing access/utilization of community mental health programs/services.


Subject(s)
Depressive Disorder, Major , Ill-Housed Persons , Substance-Related Disorders , Humans , Mental Health , Hawaii/epidemiology , Depressive Disorder, Major/epidemiology , Substance-Related Disorders/epidemiology
8.
Public Health Rep ; 138(1): 164-173, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36113145

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Minimal research has assessed COVID-19's unique impact on the Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (NH/PI) population-an Indigenous-colonized racial group with social and health disparities that increase their risk for COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. To address this gap, we explored the scope of COVID-19 outcomes, vaccination status, and health in diverse NH/PI communities. METHODS: NH/PI staff at partner organizations collected survey data from April through November 2021 from 319 community-dwelling NH/PI adults in 5 states with large NH/PI populations: Arkansas, California, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, Pearson χ2 tests, independent and paired t tests, and linear and logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: During the COVID-19 pandemic, 30% of survey participants had contracted COVID-19, 16% had a close family member who died of the disease, and 64% reported COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Thirty percent reported fair/poor health, 21% currently smoked cigarettes, and 58% reported obesity. Survey participants reported heightened COVID-19-related psychosocial distress (mean score = 4.9 on 10-point scale), which was more likely when health outcomes (general health, sleep, obesity) were poor or a family member had died of COVID-19. Logistic regression indicated that age, experiencing COVID-19 distress, and past-year use of influenza vaccines were associated with higher odds of COVID-19 vaccine uptake (1.06, 1.18, and 7.58 times, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our empirical findings highlight the acute and understudied negative impact of COVID-19 on NH/PI communities in the United States and suggest new avenues for improving NH/PI community health, vaccination, and recovery from COVID-19.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander , Adult , United States/epidemiology , Humans , COVID-19 Vaccines , Pandemics , Hawaii , Obesity
9.
Am J Orthopsychiatry ; 92(6): 702-710, 2022.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36174138

ABSTRACT

Promoting community participation is a core goal of behavioral health services for persons with serious mental illness (SMI) regardless of their racial/ethnic background. While practitioners are trained to respect diversity and culture, little is known about how racial/ethnic minorities participate in their communities during the recovery process. This is especially true for Black adults, who are disproportionately represented in current services. This study sought to compare differences in community participation experiences and interests between Black and White adults with SMI. Secondary data (n = 799) were analyzed from studies involving Black and White adults with SMI using the Temple University Community Participation Measure. Regression analyses were conducted to identify potential differences in four areas: amount of participation in a variety of community activities; number of activities participants deemed important; number of important activities actually performed; and the percentage of important activities performed as much as desired (i.e., sufficiency). Compared to White adults, Black adults had greater amounts of community participation overall and in a number of specific community activities (e.g., worship, visiting park/recreation center). Black adults also reported more community activities as important and were more likely to engage in their important activities. Relative to White adults, results suggest that Black adults with SMI were interested in and engaged more in social activities-potentially enhancing their sense of group solidarity and personal mental health recovery. Accordingly, practitioners should be aware of, and attend to, possible racial/ethnic differences in community participation, and its possible role in promoting or hindering recovery across diverse populations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).


Subject(s)
Black People , Mental Disorders , White , Adult , Humans , Community Participation , Mental Disorders/psychology
10.
Drug Alcohol Rev ; 41(7): 1653-1663, 2022 11.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35953887

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Before COVID-19, Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders (NH/PI) endured a heavy burden of alcohol, tobacco and other drug (ATOD) use in prior US data. Responding to reports that many NH/PI communities experienced severe COVID-19 disparities that could exacerbate their ATOD burden, we partnered with NH/PI communities to assess the substance use patterns and treatment needs of diverse NH/PIs during COVID-19. METHODS: Collaborating with NH/PI community organisations across five states with large NH/PI populations, we conducted a large-scale investigation of NH/PI ATOD use, mental health and treatment need during COVID-19. Between April and November 2021, NH/PI-heritage research staff from our community partners collected data involving 306 NH/PI adults using several community-based recruitment methods (e-mail, telephone, in-person) and two survey approaches: online and paper-and-pencil. Multivariate regressions were conducted to examine potential predictors of NH/PI alcohol use disorder and need for behavioural health treatment. RESULTS: During COVID-19, 47% and 22% of NH/PI adults reported current alcohol and cigarette use, while 35% reported lifetime illicit substance use (e.g., cannabis, opioid). Depression and anxiety were high, and alcohol use disorder, major depression and generalised anxiety disorder prevalence were 27%, 27% and 19%, respectively. One-third of participants reported past-year treatment need with lifetime illicit substance use, COVID-19 distress and major depression respectively associating with 3.0, 1.2, and 5.3 times greater adjusted odds for needing treatment. CONCLUSIONS: NH/PI adults reported heavy ATOD use, depression, anxiety and treatment need during COVID-19. Targeted research and treatment services may be warranted to mitigate COVID-19's negative behavioural health impact on NH/PI communities.


Subject(s)
Alcoholism , COVID-19 , Substance-Related Disorders , Tobacco Products , Adult , United States , Humans , Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander , Nicotiana , Asian/psychology , Mental Health , Substance-Related Disorders/epidemiology , Hawaii , Prevalence
12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35564460

ABSTRACT

U.S. non-citizen residents are burdened by inequitable access to socioeconomic resources, potentially placing them at heightened risk of COVID-19-related disparities. However, COVID-19 impacts on non-citizens are not well understood. Accordingly, the current study investigated COVID-19 mortality disparities within New York (NYC) and Los Angeles (LAC) to test our hypothesis that areas with large proportions of non-citizens will have disproportionately high COVID-19 mortality rates. We examined ecological associations between March 2020-January 2021 COVID-19 mortality rates (per 100,000 residents) and percent non-citizens (using ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTA) for NYC and City/Community units of analysis for LAC) while controlling for sociodemographic factors. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed significant positive associations between the percentage of non-citizen residents and COVID-19 mortality rates in NYC (95% CI 0.309, 5.181) and LAC (95% CI 0.498, 8.720). Despite NYC and LAC policies intended to provide sanctuary and improve healthcare access for non-citizen residents, communities with larger proportions of non-citizens appear to endure higher COVID-19 mortality rates. The challenges that non-citizens endure-e.g., inequitable access to public benefits-may discourage help-seeking behaviors. Thus, improved health surveillance, public health messaging, and sanctuary policies will be essential for reducing COVID-19 mortality disparities in communities with large shares of non-citizens.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , COVID-19/epidemiology , Citizenship , Humans , Los Angeles/epidemiology , New York/epidemiology , New York City/epidemiology , SARS-CoV-2
13.
J Racial Ethn Health Disparities ; 9(5): 1818-1827, 2022 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34378172

ABSTRACT

Pacific Islander (PI) young adults (age 18 to 30 years) experience elevated rates of hazardous drinking, AUDs, and alcohol-related harms. Yet, we know little about the risk and protective factors that drive, or can prevent, PI young adult hazardous drinking behaviors and AUDs due to a lack of targeted alcohol disparities research. This large qualitative study presents data from 8 focus groups with 69 PIs (51 young adults, 18 informal providers) to explore the major risk factors, protective factors, and negative consequences associated with PI young adult hazardous drinking and AUDs. Findings revealed (1) major risk factors including the presence of significant life stressors that trigger alcohol self-medication, peer/social pressure to drink, permissive drinking norms, and frequent access to alcohol and (2) negative consequences involving physical fights, health and relationship problems, harm to personal reputation, and community harms including driving-under-the-influence and sexual violence. Protective factors against hazardous drinking and AUDs included the cultural norm of protecting the family's reputation by avoiding AUDs, church/religious faith, family responsibilities, and culturally relevant prosocial activities (e.g., sports, dance, choir). Obtaining this in-depth data revealed that an effective culturally grounded AUD prevention intervention for PI young adults-which does not currently exist-should (1) target these identified major risk factors for AUDs, while (2) integrating culturally responsive strategies that incorporate their reported protective factors.


Subject(s)
Alcoholism , Adolescent , Adult , Alcohol Drinking , Ethanol , Humans , Protective Factors , Risk Factors , Young Adult
14.
Soc Sci Med ; 292: 114574, 2022 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34808396

ABSTRACT

Health disparities disproportionately affect minority cultural groups (e.g., Indigenous, immigrant, refugee) worldwide; enduring across time, disease states, and risk factors despite co-occurring advancements in health and medicine. Fundamental cause theory holds that important social factors (e.g., socioeconomic status, stigma, racism) produce health disparities by restricting equitable access to health-protective resources. Yet, extant literature has not utilized fundamental cause theory to describe the health disparities impact of cultural trauma: an overwhelming, often ongoing physical or psychological assault by an oppressive dominant group on another group's cultural resources through force, threats of force, or oppressive policies. This paper presents a novel conceptual model detailing cultural trauma and the mechanisms through which it may disrupt health and create disparities by damaging three health-protective cultural resources: cultural modes, institutions, and lands. Following cultural trauma, we propose affected groups are socially disadvantaged and exposed to pervasive stress, stigma, and diminished resources, perpetuating health disparities across generations. Consequently, cultural trauma may represent an unrecognized fundamental cause of health disparities, offering potential avenues for promoting health equity through targeted research, interventions, and policies.


Subject(s)
Health Equity , Racism , Health Status Disparities , Healthcare Disparities , Humans , Minority Groups , Social Stigma , United States , Vulnerable Populations
15.
J Natl Med Assoc ; 113(5): 587-594, 2021 Oct.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34134859

ABSTRACT

Despite concerted efforts over the past decade to increase diversity in U.S. medical schools, persistent applicant and enrollment gaps remain for students from underrepresented racial and economic backgrounds. To understand these gaps, we propose a new theory of 'academic redlining' as a widespread practice in medical schools that systematically excludes students from underrepresented backgrounds from entry into medicine through the nearly universal use of Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) cutoff scores. In this paper, we provide evidence that academic redlining via the MCAT disenfranchises students from underrepresented backgrounds prior to and during the admissions process due to structural racism, and describe the three core mechanisms that cause medical schools to engage in academic redlining: (1) the pursuit of institutional prestige, (2) market competition and pressure, and (3) market bands. Given the persistent lack of diversity in medicine-which contributes to devastating health care disparities-as medical schools redouble their commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion, structural alternatives within medical schools' admissions and education practices are offered to curtail the practice of academic redlining in medical school admissions and medicine.


Subject(s)
Racism , Students, Medical , College Admission Test , Humans , Minority Groups , Organizations , Schools, Medical
16.
Pediatr Dermatol ; 38(3): 704-706, 2021 May.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33749033

ABSTRACT

As more therapeutic clinical trials focus on treatment of individual wounds in patients with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, it has become crucial to understand the baseline clinical characteristics of these wounds. To investigate these features, we administered an RDEB-specific wound survey. Forty participants reported on location, size, pain, infection frequency, wound type, and duration of 189 wounds; a subset of 22 participants reported on pruritus in 63 wounds. Increased wound size was significantly associated with increased pain, increased pruritus, longer wound duration, increased infection frequency, and patients with mutations resulting in truncated type VII collagen.


Subject(s)
Epidermolysis Bullosa Dystrophica , Collagen Type VII/genetics , Epidermolysis Bullosa Dystrophica/genetics , Humans , Mutation , Wound Healing
17.
J Subst Abuse Treat ; 121: 108181, 2021 02.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33129635

ABSTRACT

Syringe exchange patients in Los Angeles' Skid Row endure conditions such as deep poverty, polysubstance use, underlying health problems, and living on the streets or in homeless encampments/shelters that make them uniquely vulnerable to acquiring and dying from COVID-19. In this commentary, we discuss two essential changes that Homeless Health Care Los Angeles (HHCLA) made to modify existing medication for addiction treatment (MAT) services to address the specific treatment needs of this high-risk population during COVID-19. First, HHCLA implemented a novel "telephone booth" model that allowed socially distanced on-site "face-to-face" treatment of syringe exchange patients; this model helped us to overcome the inherent challenges of using traditional telemedicine approaches (e.g., video, mobile telephone) with this disadvantaged patient population. Second, HHCLA transitioned from on-site direct dispensing of MAT medications in our providers' offices to a less contact- and time-intensive "coordinated pharmacy" model that allowed patients the freedom to obtain MAT medications off-site from participating pharmacies. Our data indicate that implementing these COVID-19-related changes effectively maintained patient enrollment and engagement in MAT-illuminating new, potentially effective models for delivering MAT that meet the critical health and safety needs of syringe exchange patients following COVID-19.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Ill-Housed Persons , Needle-Exchange Programs , Pharmacies , Substance-Related Disorders/drug therapy , Telemedicine , Humans , Los Angeles , Vulnerable Populations
18.
Prev Chronic Dis ; 17: E138, 2020 11 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33155972

ABSTRACT

Participatory mapping is a powerful methodology for working with community residents to examine social and environmental determinants of public health disparities. However, this empowering methodology has only been applied sparingly in public health research and practice, with limited examples in the literature. To address this literature gap, we 1) review participatory mapping approaches that may be applied to exploring place-based factors that affect community health, and 2) present a mixed-methods participatory geographic information systems (PGIS) examination of neighborhood assets (eg, streetlights) and challenges (eg, spaces of crime and violence) related to access to public parks in South Los Angeles, California. By taking a participatory, fine-grained spatial approach to examining public park access with input from 40 South Los Angeles adolescent and adult residents, our community-engaged PGIS approach identified tobacco shops as previously unrecognized community institutions that are associated with increased neighborhood crime and violence. Our investigation revealed unique challenges in community-level public park access that would likely have been overlooked by conventional spatial epidemiology and social science methods, such as surveys and questionnaires. Furthermore, our granular community-informed approach supported resident and stakeholder advocacy efforts toward reducing the proliferation of tobacco shops through community organizing and policy change initiatives. We thus contend that it would benefit public health research and practice to further integrate empowering, grassroots-based participatory mapping approaches toward informing advocacy efforts and policies that promote health and well-being in disadvantaged communities.


Subject(s)
Community-Based Participatory Research/organization & administration , Public Health , Social Determinants of Health , Adolescent , Adult , Female , Health Policy , Health Status Disparities , Humans , Los Angeles , Male , Residence Characteristics , Urban Population , Violence/prevention & control
19.
Prev Med ; 141: 106282, 2020 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33035550

ABSTRACT

Black and Hispanic communities in the U.S. have endured a disproportionate burden of COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality. Racial and ethnic health disparities such as these are frequently aggravated by inequitable access to healthcare resources in disadvantaged communities. Yet, no known studies have investigated disadvantaged communities' access to COVID-19-related healthcare resources. The current study accordingly examined racial and ethnic differences in (1) April 2020 COVID-19 total and positive viral test rates across 177 New York City (NYC) ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTA); and (2) November 2019-April 2020 licensed and intensive care unit (ICU) hospital bed access across 194 NYC ZCTAs. Pairwise analyses indicated higher COVID-19 total and positive test rates per 1000 persons in majority Black and Hispanic vs. majority White ZCTAs (CI [0.117, 4.55]; CI [2.53, 5.14]). Multiple linear regression analyses indicated that higher percentage of Black and Hispanic residents predicted more total COVID-19 tests per 1000 persons (p < 0.05). In contrast, majority Black and Hispanic ZCTAs had fewer licensed and ICU beds (CI [6.50, 124.25]; CI [0.69, 7.16]), with social disadvantage predicting lower licensed and ICU bed access per 1000 persons (p < 0.01). While news reports of inequitable access to COVID-19-related healthcare resources in ethnocultural minority communities have emerged, this is the first study to reveal that social disadvantage may be a major driver of hospital resource inequities in Black and Hispanic communities. Thus, it will be imperative to enact policies that ensure equitable allocation of healthcare resources to socially disadvantaged communities to address current and future public health crises.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 Drug Treatment , Ethnicity/statistics & numerical data , Health Services Accessibility/statistics & numerical data , Health Services Accessibility/standards , Healthcare Disparities/ethnology , Healthcare Disparities/statistics & numerical data , Adult , Black or African American/statistics & numerical data , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , COVID-19/epidemiology , Female , Hispanic or Latino/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , New York City/epidemiology , Pandemics/prevention & control , Pandemics/statistics & numerical data , Race Factors , SARS-CoV-2 , Socioeconomic Factors , White People/statistics & numerical data
20.
Am J Orthopsychiatry ; 90(5): 557-566, 2020.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32352815

ABSTRACT

Pacific Islander (PI) young adults are suspected to bear heavy risk for hazardous drinking, alcohol use disorders (AUD), and alcohol-related harms. Yet, PIs remain among the most understudied racial groups in the United States-creating a lack of empirical data documenting their alcohol use problems and treatment needs. The present study presents the first known data on PI young adults' hazardous drinking, possible AUDs, alcohol-related harms, and treatment needs. Survey data were collected from 156 community-dwelling PI young adults (40% women, age 18-30 years) in 2 large PI communities: Los Angeles County and Northwest Arkansas. We screened participants for alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use, hazardous drinking, possible AUD, alcohol-related harms, and past-year need for mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. Logistic regressions examined whether experiencing possible AUD and alcohol-related harms were associated with past-year need for treatment. PI young adults reported 78% lifetime rate of alcohol use with 56% screening positive for hazardous drinking, 49% for any possible AUD, and 40% experiencing significant alcohol-related harm (e.g., health, finances). Yet, just 25% of participants reported past-year need for SUD treatment. Although having possible AUD was not associated with perceived SUD treatment need, experiencing any alcohol-related harm associated with 4.7-13.2 times greater adjusted odds for needing treatment. Therefore, despite having low self-perceived treatment need, PI young adults experience excessive burden of hazardous drinking and alcohol-related harms. Given the profound negative social and health effects of AUDs, culturally grounded interventions should be designed to reduce PI young adults' elevated rates of hazardous drinking and alcohol-related harms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).


Subject(s)
Alcohol Drinking/epidemiology , Alcohol-Related Disorders/epidemiology , Alcohol-Related Disorders/therapy , Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander , Adolescent , Adult , Female , Humans , Logistic Models , Male , Mental Health , Surveys and Questionnaires , United States/epidemiology , Young Adult
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