Demography, Population, and Ecology Commons^™

The Latino Higher Education Landscape In Massachusetts, Fatema B. Ahad, Fabián Torres-Ardila, Elisa Castillo, Lorna Rivera, Joseph B. Berger

Gastón Institute Publications

This white paper provides a statistical overview of HSIs in Massachusetts within the state’s evolving demographics and postsecondary education context. It presents historical trends on student enrollment, student outcomes, and faculty and staff composition, highlighting the state of Latino students in the Commonwealth. The analysis offers descriptive data to inform policymakers, practitioners, and institutional leaders. It does not evaluate causal relationships or institutional effectiveness. The institutions included in this report were identified as HSIs and emerging HSIs through full-time equivalent (FTE) analysis for fall 2024 data. This is not an official or comprehensive list of schools eligible for, or that …

Latinos In Massachusetts: Puerto Ricans, Phillip Granberry, Florita Coto Tristán, Melissa Colón

Gastón Institute Publications

As part of the Gastón Institute’s 2025 Latinos in Massachusetts series, we present here a profile of Puerto Ricans, the largest Latino population in the state. This report analyzes Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) data from the 2023 American Community Survey (ACS), conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. Our descriptive analysis uses both household- and individual-level data to estimate population size and percentages and to compare Puerto Ricans to Other Latinos and Non-Latinos in the state.

A Scoping Review To Conceptualize Social Privilege For Studying Patients' Health Outcomes And Health Disparities, Elizabeth A. Brown, Priyanka Patel, Esther May B. Sarino, Vladimir Markovic, Carles Muntaner

Health Behavior, Policy & Management Faculty Publications

Background

The continued reliance on single-category self-reported demographic data (e.g., race/ethnicity) reflects conceptual limitations that hinder the study and understanding of health outcomes research. There is a pressing need for more precise measures of social privilege that conceptualize privilege and oppression while enabling the examination of their effects on health outcomes in the United States (US) healthcare system.

Objective

The purpose of this scoping review was to review the literature, determine how researchers have measured aspects of privilege and oppression, and develop a conceptual framework to study patients' social privilege in the US healthcare system and public health research.

Methods …

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: Saugus, Phillip Granberry, Florita Coto Tristán

Gastón Institute Publications

Established in 1989, the Massachusetts Legislature created the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy in response to a need for an improved understanding of the Latino experience in the commonwealth. Now in its 34th year, the Gastón Institute continues its mission of informing the public and policymakers about issues vital to the state’s growing Latino community and providing information and analysis necessary for effective Latino participation in public policy development. To learn more about the Gastón Institute, visit: www.umb.edu/gastoninstitute

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: Revere, Phillip Granberry, Florita Coto Tristán

Gastón Institute Publications

Established in 1989, the Massachusetts Legislature created the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy in response to a need for an improved understanding of the Latino experience in the commonwealth. Now in its 34th year, the Gastón Institute continues its mission of informing the public and policymakers about issues vital to the state’s growing Latino community and providing information and analysis necessary for effective Latino participation in public policy development. To learn more about the Gastón Institute, visit: www.umb.edu/gastoninstitute

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: Newton, Phillip Granberry, Florita Coto Tristán

Gastón Institute Publications

Established in 1989, the Massachusetts Legislature created the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy in response to a need for an improved understanding of the Latino experience in the commonwealth. Now in its 34th year, the Gastón Institute continues its mission of informing the public and policymakers about issues vital to the state’s growing Latino community and providing information and analysis necessary for effective Latino participation in public policy development. To learn more about the Gastón Institute, visit: www.umb.edu/gastoninstitute

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: Chelsea, Phillip Granberry, Florita Coto Tristán

Gastón Institute Publications

Established in 1989, the Massachusetts Legislature created the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy in response to a need for an improved understanding of the Latino experience in the commonwealth. Now in its 34th year, the Gastón Institute continues its mission of informing the public and policymakers about issues vital to the state’s growing Latino community and providing information and analysis necessary for effective Latino participation in public policy development. To learn more about the Gastón Institute, visit: www.umb.edu/gastoninstitute

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: Webster, Phillip Granberry, Florita Coto Tristán

Gastón Institute Publications

Established in 1989, the Massachusetts Legislature created the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy in response to a need for an improved understanding of the Latino experience in the commonwealth. Now in its 34th year, the Gastón Institute continues its mission of informing the public and policymakers about issues vital to the state’s growing Latino community and providing information and analysis necessary for effective Latino participation in public policy development. To learn more about the Gastón Institute, visit: www.umb.edu/gastoninstitute

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: Lynn, Phillip Granberry, Florita Coto Tristán

Gastón Institute Publications

Established in 1989, the Massachusetts Legislature created the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy in response to a need for an improved understanding of the Latino experience in the commonwealth. Now in its 34th year, the Gastón Institute continues its mission of informing the public and policymakers about issues vital to the state’s growing Latino community and providing information and analysis necessary for effective Latino participation in public policy development. To learn more about the Gastón Institute, visit: www.umb.edu/gastoninstitute

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: Boston, Phillip Granberry, Florita Coto Tristán

Gastón Institute Publications

The City of Boston Planning Department has found that Boston’s population was undercounted in the 2020 Census by as many as 25,000 people and that subsequent population estimates continue to understate the population.1 The Planning Department’s Research Division has developed a tool to display limited demographic data, but these population estimates are insufficient for purposes of this report.2 Therefore, this report uses 2019-2023 American Community Survey and may therefore undercount Boston’s population. Boston, the largest city in the Commonwealth, is home to an estimated 126,647 Latinos. This is the largest Latino population in the state, though other smaller cities (Lawrence, …

Bikeability Disparities In Orange County, California: Intersection Of Place And Demographics, Jeanette Gritton, Maria Cristina Martinez, Georgiana Bostean, Megan Thiele Strong

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

Active transportation modes such as walking and biking are gaining popularity for their extensive health and environmental benefits, yet scholars know little about how place-based accessibility varies by area sociodemographic composition. This study is among the first to examine sociodemographic disparities (by both race and socioeconomic status) in bikeability while allowing for heterogeneity in disparities. Consideration of bikeability disparities is particularly critical within the framework of urban planning concepts that promote equitable accessibility and reduced dependency on automobiles, such as the 15-minute city. Geographically Weighted Regressions examined associations between census tract-level bikeability (using an index that combines five components), socioeconomic …

De Aquí, Y De Allá: Education, Culture, And Identity Development Of Transnational Latinas, Elizabeth Harris-Medina

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

De Aquí, y De Allá: Education, Culture, and Identity Development of Transnational Latinas This ethnographic case study examines the experiences of three transnational Latina women, descendants of families from Degollado, Jalisco, Mexico, exploring how their migration history and educational backgrounds influence their life trajectories. Focusing on these three women, the study aims to better understand their challenges and inform the development of resources to support their success in the U.S. education system. Using ethnographic interviews and Ecological Systems Theory, the research highlights how places and social systems shape views and life paths, offering insights into how best to support these …

Shades Of Justice: Exploring Colorism In The Hispanic Community And Its Legal Battle For Equity, Christel A. Infante

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis focuses on the racial disparity within the Hispanic and Latinx communities as injustices exist within the community and the workplace. Racial disparities in the United States have been a persistent and deeply rooted issue that has plagued the nation for centuries. Despite significant progress in civil rights and anti-discrimination legislation, disparities in areas such as education, employment, and criminal justice persist. Understanding the factors contributing to these disparities is essential for addressing systemic inequalities and fostering a more just society. The analysis of this thesis primarily focuses on the cases and ramifications of Hispanic persons within the workplace, …

U.S. Counties With Higher Drug Overdose Rates Have Lower School Test Scores, Rajeev Darolia, Sam Owens, John Tyler

Population Health Research Brief Series

The impacts of the contemporary U.S. drug overdose crisis on child and family wellbeing have been profound. This brief describes the link between county-level opioid overdose rates and children’s test scores, finding that counties with higher overdose rates have lower average 3^rd and 8th-grade test scores than counties with lower overdose rates. The relationship between higher overdose rates and lower test scores is particularly strong in rural counties. The places with the highest overdose rates and lowest test scores tend to be economically-disadvantaged, suggesting that economic investments may be needed to address the issue.

Counties With Higher Prescription Opioid Presence Have Slower Student Learning Rates, Jessica Drescher, Carrie Townley-Flores

Population Health Research Brief Series

The adverse impacts of the U.S. opioid crisis have been documented in many domains, but surprisingly little attention has been directed to understanding how the opioid crisis has affected children’s educational outcomes. This brief shows that students in counties with high levels of opioid prescribing are learning more slowly over time than their peers in counties with low levels of opioid prescribing. In addition to directing more support to schools, the authors advocate for policies that address the underlying social conditions that lead to prescription opioid misuse.

The Socioeconomic Background Of The Covid-19 Pandemic In New York City: Latinos In Corona, Elmhurst, And Jackson Heights, 1990-2019, Oscar Aponte

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

Introduction:

This report analyzes the socioeconomic conditions of Latinos between 1990 and 2019 in three of the neighborhoods in New York City hit the most by the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of the number of cases and deaths per capita. The cases per capita in Corona, Elmhurst, and Jackson Heights neighborhoods were 1 in 19 people in Corona, 1 in 16 people in Elmhurst, and 1 in 19 people in Jackson Heights, significantly higher than the cases per capita in the rest of the city.

Methodology:

This study uses the American Community Survey PUMS (Public Use Microdata Series) for all …

Assessment Of Economic Opportunities For Young Rohingyas In Bangladesh, Md. Noorunnabi Talukder, Md. Irfan Hossain, Abdullah Al Mahmud Shohag, Eashita Haque, Iqbal Ehsan, Joseph Falcone, Ubaidur Rob

Adolescents and Young People

Bangladesh has been hosting nearly a million Rohingyas for the past five years. Since the 1980s, to escape widespread persecution and conflict, Rohingyas have been crossing the border from Myanmar into Bangladesh. Rohingyas are not entitled to, or integrated into, any long-term development agendas of the Bangladesh government. They do not have freedom of movement and permission to work, but they are engaged in some informal income-generating activities in Cox’s Bazar. This study was intended to assess the livelihood and work opportunities, challenges, aspirations, needs, and preferences of young Rohingya populations living in the camps in the Cox’s Bazar district …

Property, Wealth, Race, And Power: An Introduction To Critical Resource Theory, Andrew Whitfield

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

School funding inequality is an issue that has plagued America and the Commonwealth of Virginia for years (Owings & Kaplan, 2020). Understanding the role that funding plays in education is one that is of extreme importance today This study explored the relationship between income inequality and how education is funded. This study follows a quantitative study approach using correlational methods. This study takes multiple facets from Critcal Theory, Critical Race Theory, and Resource Dependency Theory to introduce a new theory, Critical Resource Theory The results indicated there is a practically significant relationship between income inequality and education funding. These findings …

Keeping Girls In Schools To Reduce Child Marriage In Rural Bangladesh—Research Brief And Baseline Highlights, Sigma Ainul, Md. Noorunnabi Talukder, Md. Irfan Hossain, Forhana Rahman Noor, Iqbal Ehsan, Sajeda Amin, Ubaidur Rob

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Bangladesh has made considerable progress in improving access to education at all levels for the last two decades. Despite these impressive gains, Bangladesh continues to face challenges of student dropout at the secondary level. Girls drop out of school earlier than boys because of child marriage. Targeted policies and interventions designed to improve mainstream educational attainment and decrease child marriage may be the effective and sustainable way to address both issues. The Population Council implemented the project “Keeping Girls in Schools to Reduce Child Marriage in Rural Bangladesh.” An intervention research study, the project tests a life-skills and tutoring support …

Associations Between Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting And Early/Child Marriage: A Multi-Country Dhs/Mics Analysis, Jamlick Karumbi, David Gathara

Reproductive Health

Over the last several decades, global efforts to end female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) have intensified through the combined efforts of international and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), governments, and religious and civil society groups. Evidence of the wider impacts of FGM/C and interventions for its abandonment is small but emerging. The practice of FGM/C has frequently been linked to a girl’s marriageability and is thought to be associated with child marriage, either directly, as a cause of early/child marriage, or vice versa, or indirectly, resulting from common causes. Evidence of the relationships between these two practices to inform programming and policy for …

Keeping Girls In Schools To Reduce Child Marriage In Rural Bangladesh—Program Brief, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

For the last two decades, Bangladesh has made considerable progress in improving access to education at all levels. Despite these gains, the country continues to face challenges from student dropout at the secondary level. Girls drop out of school earlier than boys because of child marriage. Targeted policies and interventions designed to improve educational attainment and decrease child marriage may be an effective and sustainable way to address both issues. The Population Council implemented an intervention research study to test a life-skills and tutoring support model to reduce school dropout among secondary-school girls and enhance livelihood skills for unmarried girls …

Education As Important Predictor For Successful Employment In Adults With Congenital Heart Disease Worldwide., Maayke Sluman, Maayke Sluman, Silke Apers, Judith Sluiter, Karen Nieuwenhuijsen, Philip Moons, Philip Moons, Koen Luyckx, Koen Luyckx, Adrienne Kovacs, Adrienne Kovacs, Corina Thomet, Werner Budts, Junko Enomoto, Hsiao-Ling Yang, Jamie Jackson, Paul Khairy, Stephen Cook, Raghavan Subramanyan, Luis Alday, Katrine Eriksen, Mikael Dellborg, Mikael Dellborg, Malin Berghammer, Malin Berghammer, Eva Mattsson, Andrew Mackie, Samuel Menahem, Maryanne Caruana, Kathy Gosney, Alexandra Soufi, Susan Fernandes, Kamila White, Edward Callus, Shelby Kutty, Berto Bouma, Barbara Mulder

Psychology Faculty Works

Background: Conflicting results have been reported regarding employment status and work ability in adults with congenital heart disease (CHD). Since this is an impor‐ tant determinant for quality of life, we assessed this in a large international adult CHD cohort. Methods: Data from 4028 adults with CHD (53% women) from 15 different countries were collected by a uniform survey in the cross‐sectional APPROACH International Study. Predictors for employment and work limitations were studied using general linear mixed models. Results: Median age was 32 years (IQR 25‐42) and 94% of patients had at least a high school degree. Overall employment rate …

Life Expectancy Is Increasingly Tied To Our Education Level, Jennifer Karas Montez

Population Health Research Brief Series

In the U.S., an individual’s education level is one of the strongest predictors of how long they will live. Since the mid-1980s, it has become an increasingly strong predictor. This is true for women and men and for different race and ethnic groups.

Adolescent Girls' Voices On Enhancing Their Own Productivity In Pakistan: Highlights 2019, Iram Kamran, Tahira Parveen, Rehan M. Niazi

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Of the 11 million girls aged 15 to 19 years in Pakistan, nearly half (47 percent) are “not in education, employment, or marriage” (NEEM). This brief presents highlights from a qualitative study conducted in Punjab province of Pakistan to probe the lives, perspectives, and aspirations of NEEM girls regarding education and involvement in economic activity and identify locally acceptable ways in which their lives may be positively transformed through access to education and safe and fair work opportunities.

« More Than Brides Alliance (Mtba) » : Rapport D’Évaluation À Mi-Parcours Au Mali Et Au Niger, Andrea J. Melnikas, Grace Saul, Mouhamadou Gueye, Aissa Diarra, Sajeda Amin

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

L’Alliance « Plus qu’une épouse » (More Than Brides Alliance—MTBA) a été formée, rassemblant les forces d’une équipe diversifiée, compétente pour la mise en œuvre et la recherche de programmes destinés aux adolescents. Le volet recherche de l’Alliance MTBA vise à fournir des preuves et des connaissances sur ce qui fonctionne pour retarder le mariage des enfants en Inde, au Malawi, au Mali, au Niger et au Pakistan en évaluant le programme d’intervention de l’Alliance MTBA et en examinant les facteurs spécifiques du mariage des enfants dans chaque contexte. Dans ce rapport, nous visons à évaluer les succès du programme …

Examining Early Marriage In India: Qualitative Findings, Neelanjana Pandey, Komal Saxena, Andrea J. Melnikas

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The More Than Brides Alliance (MTBA) implements the “Marriage: No Child’s Play” program (2016–20) in India, Malawi, Mali, Niger, and Pakistan. The MTBA is a holistic program that addresses early marriage through multiple strategies, including: sexual and reproductive health and rights, livelihoods, education, and prevalent community social norms around marriage. Furthermore, the program operates at multiple levels (girl, family, community, block, and district) to address individual, familial, and structural barriers to reducing child marriage in these communities. This report first looks at the legal environment in which programs operate by examining participants’ awareness of laws, acts, and programs related to …

More Than A Backdrop: Understanding The Role Of Communities In Programming For Adolescent Girls—Action Guide, Sarah Blake, Miriam Temin

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The structural and social features of a girl’s community play a critical role in determining what effects programs for adolescent girls can achieve. Girls’ communities include both the physical spaces girls must navigate and adults and peers who shape their beliefs about marriage, work, and education. This action guide focuses on key questions to ask when designing programs: How many girls live in a given community? Is the community urban, peri-urban, or rural? Is it formal or informal? How stable or cohesive is a community? Who is considered a “community member”? What resources exist for girls in the community, and …

Accelerating Action To End Child Marriage In Bangladesh—Project Brief, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Bangladesh ranks among the five countries with the highest rate of child marriage in the world. Community norms and values are among the underlying factors that support the practice of child marriage in Bangladesh. The Population Council is partnering with the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs to delay marriage as part of the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Program to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage. This program is being implemented to generate evidence on reduction of child marriage through an adolescent skills-building program. The project works to empower girls with life-skills and livelihood and gender-awareness trainings, as well as engaging communities …

More Than Brides Alliance: Midline Evaluation Report, Andrea J. Melnikas, Grace Saul, Santosh Kumar Singh, James Mkandawire, Mouhamadou Gueye, Aissa Diarra, Sajeda Amin

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The More than Brides Alliance (MTBA) was formed to bringing together the strengths of a diverse team skilled in adolescent program implementation and research. The goal of the research presented in this report is to promote an evidence-based programmatic approach to delaying marriage in India, Malawi, Mali, Niger, and Pakistan by gathering detailed quantitative and qualitative information from the program areas over time to examine the impact of the present intervention and inform future strategies. This report highlights data from the midline survey on a set of outcomes approximately midway through the MTBA intervention and compares them with the same …

Does Education Improve Health In Low- And Middle Income Countries? Results From A Systematic Review, Stephanie Psaki, Barbara Mensch, Erica Chuang, Andrea J. Melnikas

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Despite enormous progress in expanding school enrollment globally, improvements in health have not always followed, raising important questions: Does education, in fact, enable women, men and their families to be healthier? And if so, how? To fill this gap in knowledge, the GIRL Center conducted a systematic review of the evidence for the effects of education on health in low- and middle-income countries.