Race and Ethnicity Commons^™

Obesity Prevalence, Weight-Related Beliefs And Behaviors Among Low-Income Ethnically Diverse National Job Corps Students, Jamie S. Bodenlos, Milagros C. Rosal, Diane Blake, Celeste Lemay, Diane Elfenbein

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The obesity rates of Job Corps students, a predominantly ethnic minority and low income group of youth, are unknown. The purpose of this project was to examine obesity rates among these youth as well as their weight-related perceptions and behavior. First, medical charts (N=641) of all Job Corps students (ages 16-25) who were enrolled in the program in the past year were examined for height and weight. In the second phase of the study, 344 Job Corp students were recruited and information on weight perceptions, knowledge of obesity consequences, and weight loss behavior were examined. Almost half of the participants …

The Significance Of A K-12 Diabetes-Based Science Education Program For Tribal Populations: Evaluating Cognitive Learning, Cultural Context, And Attitudinal Components, Carolee D. Francis, Doug Coulson, Bonnie Kalberer, Lemyra Debruyn, William Freeman, Janet Belcourt

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Preventing and reducing the onset of type 2 diabetes among American Indian/Alaska Native youth requires ground-breaking strategies to affect knowledge, attitudes, and cognitive decision-making skills. In an unparalleled endeavor to address the growing epidemic of type 2 diabetes in tribal communities, a K-12 Diabetes Education in Tribal Schools (DETS) curriculum was created by eight tribal colleges and three federal agencies. This article highlights the results of the implementation phase, the final evaluation step in acquiring and measuring student knowledge and attitude gains through pre-post standardized assessment.

Barriers, Control And Identity In Health Information Seeking Among African American Women, Jennifer R. Warren, Lynette Kvasny, Michael L. Hecht, Diana Burgess, Jasjit S. Ahluwalia, Kolawole S. Okuyemi

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Qualitative research methods were used to examine the role of racial, cultural, and socio-economic group (i.e., communal) identities on perceptions of barriers and control related to traditional and internet resources for seeking health information. Eighteen lower income, African American women participated in training workshops on using the internet for health, followed by two focus groups. Transcripts were analyzed using standardized coding methods. Results demonstrated that participants perceived the internet as a tool for seeking health information, which they believed would empower them within formal healthcare settings. Participants invoked racial, cultural, and socio-economic identities when discussing barriers to seeking health information …

Health Care Disparities For Persons With Limited English Proficiency: Relationships From The 2006 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (Meps), Diane L. Smith

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Inadequate communication between patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) and providers can be associated with lower access to health care. The purpose of this research was to determine if there is a significant difference among those persons whose primary language is English and those with LEP in ability to access care and preventative screenings and perception of interaction with their physician. Chi square analysis was performed to determine if there was a significant relationship between primary language spoken and access to health care and patient-provider interaction. Data were obtained from the 2006 Medical Expenditure Panel Study. Results show that there …

Colorectal Cancer Brochure Development For African Americans, Kim L. Freeman, Lina Jandorf, Hayley Thompson, Katherine N. Duhamel

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Introduction: African Americans are more likely to die from colorectal cancer (CRC) than any other racial/ethnic group in the United States. Unfortunately, African Americans are also less likely to undergo screening for CRC than their White counterparts. Focus groups methodology was used to refine educational brochures designed to increase CRC screening among African Americans.

Methods: Two series of focus groups were completed, with a total of seven groups and 39 participants. Six different brochures (stage-matched and culturally sensitive) designed to promote CRC screening among African Americans were evaluated.

Results: All participants thought that the brochures motivated them …

Modeling Health Inequities Research In Context And The Minority Researcher’S Role, Ari Mwachofi, Ngure Wamwachofi

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Current health inequities research templates are flawed and self-defeating because they do not include historical inequalities as the central context that points to the root causes of health inequities. The context includes structural malformations which are products of the history of colonization and slavery that created racial separation and hierarchies which established Whites as the dominant group and non-Whites (minorities) as the subordinate group. Consequently it is difficult for mainstream researchers to capture the minorities’ core knowledge necessary for the creation of relevant and effective interventions for fundamental and sustainable improvement of their health. This paper proposes a health inequities …

Hiv/Sti Risk Factors Among African-American Students Attending Predominantly White Universities, Marya L. Shegog, Lisa Lindley, Melva Thompson-Robinson, David Simmons, Donna Richter

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Introduction: The majority of African American college students in the U.S. attend predominantly white institutions (PWIs). However, there is minimal research examining this population’s HIV/STI risk behaviors. The purpose of this investigation was to assess HIV/STI behavioral risk factors among African American college students (aged 18 – 24years) attending PWIs. (n = 2,568)

Methods: Backwards step-wise logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine factors associated with a positive HIV/STI diagnosis (past year) among sexually active African American college students who participated in the Spring, 2006 National College Health Assessment.

Findings: Nine factors were significantly associated with an HIV/STI diagnosis among …

Pap Test Follow-Up Pattern Among American Indian Women In Arizona, Merrill Eisenberg, Kathryn Coe, Charlton Wilson, Kathleen Evans, Elizabeth Brewer

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Objective: To quantify the loss to follow-up rate after abnormal Pap test results at the Phoenix Indian Medical Center, an Indian Health Service regional facility, and identify barriers to follow-up from the patients’ point of view.

Materials and Methods: Patient records were used to identify women who had abnormal Pap tests in 2002 and to document the status of their follow-up care. Women who had no clinical record of follow-up were contacted by telephone to arrange a follow-up appointment and to request participation in a structured qualitative interview to identify barriers to follow-up at the individual, family, community, and health …

Application Of The Pen-3 Model In A Diabetes Prevention Intervention, Joan E. Cowdery, Shandowyn Parker, Amy Thompson

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

More effective strategies for addressing health issues in African American communities are needed. As part of a three year NIH funded Project Export grant, this community campus partnership used community-based participatory research principles and thePEN-3 Cultural Framework to develop a culturally specific, locally relevant intervention to prevent Diabetes among African-Americans. A comprehensive needs assessment which included 13 elicitation interviews, 3 focus groups, and 217 surveys resulted in identifying major themes including overall lack of knowledge regarding Diabetes,issues of denial and stigma, sense of inevitability, influence of family on perceptionsand behaviors, communication issues with health care providers, and lack of culturally …

Racial Differences In The Use Of Most Commonly Performed Medical Procedures In The United States, Syed S. Haque, Mohammad A. Faysel, Hafiz M. R. Khan

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Objective: This study investigates racial disparities in the use of commonly performed medical procedures in U.S. hospitals. Methods: To examine racial disparities, we calculated age-adjusted rate of procedures used by all Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, Asians or Pacific Islanders and Native Americans and calculated corresponding Relative Risks(RRs) of White vs. all other races based on procedure utilizations and insurance types using 20% random sample of Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) data between 2001 and2003. Results: Whites were significantly more likely to receive 3 of the study procedures than Blacks, 3 of the procedures than Hispanics, 2 of the procedures than Asians or …

Racial Disparities In Cancer Screening Among Women With Chronic Joint Pain, Edith M. Williams, Laurene Tumiel-Berhalter, Christopher Purdy, Adrianne Ransom, Judith Anderson

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Chronic pain related disorders and breast and cervical cancer are more prevalent among African-American women compared with non-Hispanic White women. However, few studies address how racial differences in the context of comorbidity may compound these disparities. This study used secondary analysis of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to assess racial differences in breast and cervical cancer screening and patient education among adult women with chronic joint pain conditions. Statistical analyses included chi-square and independent samples t-tests. African-American women compared with non-Hispanic White women were less likely to receive a pap smear or mammogram within the last two years and …

Umass Boston – Brazilian Immigrant Center Partnership, Tim Sieber, C. Eduardo Siqueira, Natalicia Tracy, Gaston Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Brazilian Immigrant Center (BIC) does organizing, advocacy and training to reduce marginalization of Brazilian immigrants, promoting their engagement as workers & civic participants. A worker’s center, BIC supports and defends workers’ rights under current state & US labor laws. BIC helps workers mediate complaints with employers, and refers others for class action suits, or intervention by the Mass. Attorney General or US Dept. of Labor. A special focus at present is organizing mostly women domestic workers, and BIC has a new Law and Policy Clinic, a Domestic Worker Mediation Program, and an Immigration Justice Project staffed by two full-time …

The Gastón Institute’S Partnership With The Puerto Rican Cultural Center In Springfield, Ma, Maria Idali Torres, Ivette Cruz, Anjuli Manrique, Phillip Granberry, Gaston Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Gastón Institute responds to requests from government and foundations for CBPR studies seeking to test theories and methods for addressing disparities in educational, health, and economic outcomes in U.S. Latino and Latin American communities. Our future research in this area seeks to answer questions about the factors that contribute to the production of disparities in health, educational, and economic outcomes. Our current CBPR projects seek to test the feasibility of a variety of intervention strategies.

The Gastón Institute’S Response To Requests For Descriptive Socio-Demographic Profiles Of Latinos In Massachusetts, Maria Idali Torres, Phillip Granberry, Gaston Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Gastón Institute responds to requests for periodic demographic updates on the Latino population in Massachusetts and other New England states. The rapidly changing makeup of the Latino population of Massachusetts calls for a deep understanding of the characteristics and situations of the different sectors of the community. While the non-Latino white population from Massachusetts declined around 4% over the last decade, the Latino population grew approximately 45%. This fact highlights the importance of Latino population to the State’s economic, political and social growth and stability.

Latino Leadership Initiative (Lli): A Partnership With The Harvard Kennedy School Center For Public Leadership And The University Of Massachusetts Boston Since 2010, Albis Mejia, Liliana Mickle, Shannon Seaver

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Latino Leadership Initiative (LLI), annually serves up to 50 of the nation’s most promising undergraduates with demonstrated interest in serving the Latino(a)community. The first two colleges and university cohorts represented are Miami Dade College, UMass Boston, Texas A&M, UC Merced, University of Texas-Pan American, Loyola Marymount and the University of Houston. The objectives of this program are to enhance the leadership capacity of students committed to serving the Latino community, to help participants form a strong and durable bond among themselves and with other leader and to inspire participants to view their own possibilities for leadership and professional achievement …

Locating Royce's Reasoning On Race, Marilyn Fischer

Philosophy Faculty Publications

In the fall 2009 issue of The Pluralist, Tommy Curry and Dwayne Tunstall challenged the current, dominant view of Royce as an antiracist. In "Royce, Racism, and the Colonial Ideal," Curry presents Royce as a white supremacist, an admirer of British colonialism, and an advocate of black assimilation to Anglo-Saxon cultural practices (14-15). Tunstall, in "Josiah Royce's 'Enlightened' Antiblack Racism?," presents Royce as a non-essentialist regarding race, yet as a cultural antiblack racist, with a colonial attitude comparable to that held by John Stuart Mill (Tunstall 40). In the same issue of The Pluralist, Jacquelyn Kegley analyzes Royce's …

Whose Gay Town Is Cape Town? An Examination Of Cape Town’S Gay Village And The Production Of A Queer White Patriarchy., Mollie Beebe

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

My ISP works to illuminate the diversity of LGBTQI experiences and lives in Cape Town. I do this through discussing the privilege necessary to "come out" in Cape Town and, subsequently, have access to The Pink Village, Cape Town's gay district. By Bringing in theory on "coming out" as a white experience and the queer movement as re-centering white normativity, I work to openly discuss how a history of exclusion has lived on in Cape Town's gay district and pushed the more marginalized gay communities out of the city center. Through academic research, participant observation in both the gay village …

Applying Indices Post-Grutter To Monitor Progress Toward Attaining A Diverse Student Body, Roger W. Reinsch, Sonia Goltz, Hong Chen, Joel C. Tuoriniemi

Northwestern Journal of Law & Social Policy

The Supreme Court decision in Grutter v. Bollinger provided more definitive guidance for institutions of higher education desiring to use racial preferences in an effort to achieve a diverse student body. This Article first examines Grutter and other relevant cases to set forth the parameters established by the Supreme Court concerning how university preferences, including but not limited to race, may be used in an admissions policy. This Article then provides a framework for creating and using diversity indices that can help institutions implement the guidelines found in these court decisions and monitor whether or not the goal of diversity …

American Sueño: Hispanic Immigrants' Cultural Adaptation In American Small Cities, Tatiana Almeida

Masters Theses

This study investigated certain aspects of the cross-cultural adaptation process of Spanish-speaking Hispanic immigrants residing in small cities in the United States. Using Young Yun Kim's cross-cultural adaptation theory as a theoretical framework, the researcher investigated the journey those sojourners undergo and how their cultural identities are shaped throughout the process. The two questions that guided the research were: (1) What are the difficulties that Hispanics that migrate to small cities in the United States encounter? (2) What are the mechanisms (media usage, language acquisition, habits, life style etc.) utilized by them in order to adapt to the new environment? …

The Subtleties Of Social Exclusion: Race, Social Class, And The Exclusion Of Blacks In A Racially Mixed Neighborhood, Daniel Monroe Sullivan, Jonathan Picarsic

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

We use interviews, content analysis, and surveys to describe how a neighborhood association in a racially mixed neighborhood in Portland, Oregon (USA) subtly excludes many blacks from being full members of the neighborhood. In contrast to explicit cases of social exclusion, this neighborhood association excludes blacks without ever referring to race. They instead justify their actions—e.g., helping close down a black social club and discouraging more affordable housing—based on such nonracial goals as increasing homeownership, minimizing crime, and maximizing “economic diversity.” We argue that without the inclusion of black residents and their neighborhood organizations (e.g., churches) in the decision-making process, …