Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Healthcare Access And Health Outcomes In Southern Nevada, Jennifer Pharr, Courtney Coughenour, Shawn Gerstenberger

Nevada Journal of Public Health

In a publication from the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation, it was recognized that a person’s zip code was a more important predictor of health than their genetic code. Where we live influences not only our access to health care, but other health indicators as well. Clark County has a low primary care physician to population ratio compared to other counties in Nevada and in the US. Clark County also has highest rates of uninsured in the Mountain West and among the highest in the nation.

Southern Nevada fared worse than other Mountain West Metropolitan areas in health indicators and preventative …

Environmental Correlates Of Physical Activity Among African-American Adults, Tim Bungum, Jennifer Pharr, Paulo S. Pinheiro, Maria Azzarelli

Nevada Journal of Public Health

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to identify perceived environmental correlates of meeting physical activity guidelines among African-American adults living in Southern Nevada. Trained interviewers phoned potential participants who lived in the 12 zip codes of Clark County, Nevada with the highest proportions of African-American residents. Respondents (n=237) answered 52 health-related and demographic questions. Slightly less than 50% of participants met physical activity guidelines. A factor analysis procedure produced two environmental variables, neighborhood safety and environmental supports for physical activity. Age, gender and educational attainment (p<.05) predicted the meeting of those guidelines (R2=.214), while neighborhood support for physical activity, neighborhood safety, and BMI failed to do so. This finding suggests that environmental factors are not strong predictors of physical activity among African- American adults, although environmental supports for physical activity approached significance. Future studies should consider assessing additional aspects of the built environment as an influence on physical activity.

Selective Screening Of Type 2 Diabetes For Washoe County’S Hispanic Population, Linda M. Dunn

Nevada Journal of Public Health

Hispanic Americans with unrecognized, asymptomatic diabetes are more likely to experience poor quality of life and diabetic complications such as heart, eye and kidney disease than non-Hispanic whites of similar age. Multiple factors, such as cultural beliefs, lack of knowledge and limited access to health care, contribute to the fact that one-third of total diabetes among Hispanic Americans is undiagnosed. For Washoe County, Nevada, the actual percentage of adult Hispanics with diabetes may be almost 12%. In 2003, the Defeat Diabetes Screening Project provided three screenings targeting the Hispanic population in Reno and Sparks. Seventy-one percent of 348 screened were …

How We Want To Be Treated! What Clark County African American Patients Want Their Health Providers To Know, Charlene A. Day, Joyce Woodson, Erica Archuleta

Nevada Journal of Public Health

Research continues to validate the fact that cultural values and beliefs play a major role in determining the extent to which an individual will engage in healthy behaviors, adhere to medical regimen, and seek care when necessary. A 2000 survey of 950 members of predominately African American churches in Clark County, Nevada (a county which comprises Las Vegas) conducted by the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension found members preferred healthcare providers as a source of information on health-related matters. Yet, research shows that for a variety of reasons, many African Americans do not regularly see a health care professional, and …