University of Illinois at Chicago
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Agricultural Worker Housing: A Review and New Framework for Action
No full textHousing is a social determinant of health, acting as both a driver and indicator of social inequity. For migrant and seasonal farmworkers, it is difficult to tease apart the interaction between the environmental and social factors related to their housing, in conjunction with extreme poverty, immigration, precarious employment, and linguistic, cultural, and educational factors. The relationship of housing with employment and the transient nature of farmworkers’ occupancy add to the complexity. To assess the strengths, weaknesses, and research gaps and to identify areas requiring further investigation, we performed a critical review of the scientific and gray literature on farmworker housing and health. We propose a framework to focus research and suggest housing policy interventions to improve the health and wellbeing of this essential workforce.</p
The association between obstructive sleep apnea risk and cardiovascular disease risk in midlife Thai women in the U.S
No full textObjectivesThis study examined associations between self-reported sleep characteristics (quality, efficiency, and obstructive sleep apnea [OSA] risk), sociodemographic and cultural factors, and calculated cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk among Thai women across menopausal stages in the United States. We also evaluated whether sleep characteristics mediated or moderated these relationships.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, participants completed questionnaires assessing sleep, OSA risk, and sociodemographic factors. Weight, height, and blood pressure were measured to calculate 10-year CVD risk. Analyses included bivariate correlations, robust regression, and structural equation modeling to test mediation and moderation.ResultsAmong 120 participants (mean [SD] age 51.53 years [7.73]; mean calculated-CVD risk score 6.56 [5.74]), 17% had high calculated CVD risk. Length of U.S. stay was positively associated with CVD risk (r = 0.40, p </p
Do subject databases index what scholars cite?: A cross-disciplinary comparison
No full textThis study examines how well subject databases in chemistry, sociology, medicine, and education cover the literature cited by scholars in the corresponding fields. This investigation illuminates both important differences in citation practices across disciplines as well as the relative usefulness of subject databases. It takes a random sample of citations from four flagship journals in each discipline and then determines whether the citations are covered in a corresponding subject database. Of each database/journal pair, the greatest number of citations were found in chemistry, followed by medicine, education, and sociology. In the two STEM disciplines, citations were much more concentrated in journal articles and in the core subject area, whereas citations in the two social science disciplines showed much more variety in both format and subject matter. Although previous studies have compared individual subject databases to web-scale discovery tools, this one adopts a consistent evaluative framework to make cross-disciplinary comparisons. This comparative approach illuminates how database coverage varies across disciplines and helps to inform database selection and use.</p
What do I want my providers to know? Co-designing education with older adults living with HIV
No full textTo co-design an educational resource for primary healthcare providers in partnership with older adults living with HIV, with the aim of addressing key gaps in provider knowledge and enhancing the delivery of holistic, person-centered care</p
Lived experiences of social isolation and meaningful relationships among older adults living with HIV with a concurrent mental health diagnosis: A Heideggerian phenomenological approach
No full textBackground/Objectives: Meaningful social connections are critical for well-being in later life, yet older adults living with HIV frequently experience social isolation and loneliness, compounded by stigma, mental health conditions, and systemic inequities. This study aimed to explore how older adults living with HIV and a concurrent mental health diagnosis experience social isolation and cultivate meaningful relationships, situating these experiences within Social Convoy Theory. Methods: Using a Heideggerian phenomenological approach, we conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 33 adults aged 50 and older in Ontario, Canada, who self-identified as living with HIV and a diagnosed mental health condition. Participants were recruited through community-engaged strategies and snowball sampling. Data were analyzed iteratively, combining descriptive and interpretive coding to identify patterns in social isolation, relational meaning, and the influence of intersecting social, structural, and health determinants. Results: Participants described social isolation as both a physical and existential experience, influenced by stigma, mental health challenges, and contextual factors such as urban versus rural settings. Meaningful relationships were characterized by authenticity, trust, emotional safety, and reciprocity, often formed within peer networks sharing similar lived experiences. Community engagement and virtual platforms facilitated connection, while rural or suburban environments often intensified isolation. Relationships providing validation, agency, and continuity of experience were particularly impactful on participants’ well-being. Conclusions: Social isolation among older adults living with HIV and mental health conditions extends beyond objective network measures to include emotional and identity-related dimensions. Interventions should prioritize affirming, context-sensitive spaces that support disclosure, trust, and reciprocal relationships, recognizing the nuanced needs of this population for both social and existential connectedness.</p
Soaring optimism: The Black-white subjective well-being paradox
No full textThis poster was presented at the annual conference of the Society for the Analysis for African American Public Health Issues in Minneapolis, MN in October 2024. It investigates the racialized subjective well-being (SWB) paradox in the United States: that people racialized as Black report higher SWB, or self-reported quality of life, relative to those racialized as white despite lesser access to the things it takes to be well, referred to as the determinants of SWB. Specifically, this research asks: (1) how does subjective well-being (SWB) differ for people racialized as Black and white in the U.S.? and (2) do the determinants of SWB shape SWB in racialized and gendered ways? The research found that paradoxes in optimism, a key SWB variable, endure with and without sociodemographic controls. Notably, Black women and men with lesser access to the determinants of SWB report more optimism than white people with the same objective experiences.</p
Residential Greenness and Diabetes Incidence in Two Prospective Cohorts of US Women
No full textBackground: Epidemiologic studies have associated higher neighborhood greenness with lower type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk. However, more work is needed to assess interrelationships between greenness, T2D risk factors, and T2D. Our aim was to prospectively evaluate the association between greenness and T2D incidence, and investigate effect modifiers, in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and Nurses’ Health Study II (NHSII) cohorts of US women.Methods: Greenness exposure was defined using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), a quantitative indicator of photosynthetic vegetation. We obtained 30m2 resolution Landsat satellite data and calculated average NDVI within 270 m and 1230 m radial buffers to represent residential exposure and exposure within a short walk/drive using addresses from 1992 to 2017. We used time-varying Cox proportional hazards models to assess summer average NDVI in the 2 years before diagnosis and self-reported, validated clinician T2D diagnosis through 2019. We adjusted for time-varying covariates including lifestyle factors, hormone use, individual and neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES), population density, particulate matter (PM)2.5 and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposure, and baseline body mass index (BMI). Results from the two cohorts (n = 212,548) were meta-analyzed. We examined effect modification by time-varying BMI, physical activity, smoking, region, air pollution, population density, and nSES. Supplemental analyses explored mediation by physical activity and air pollution.Results: During the 27 years of follow-up, there were 18,527 incident T2D cases. In fully adjusted models, the meta-analyzed hazard ratio was 0.96 (95% confidence interval = 0.95, 0.97) for a 0.1 unit increase in 2-year summer average NDVI. In NHS, stronger associations were found among participants in the lowest PM2.5 tertile, and in NHSII, among those with BMI Conclusions: In one of the first US nationwide prospective analyses of greenness and T2D, we found a protective association robust to air pollution co-exposure adjustment and persistent across subpopulations.</p
Long-term Exposure to Air Pollution and Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes in the Nurses’ Health Study and Nurses’ Health Study II
No full textBackground: Research has detected associations between air pollution exposure and type 2 diabetes (T2DM), but findings from large cohort studies are needed to ascertain the most influential pollutants, susceptible subpopulations, and low-level exposure associations. Our aim was to prospectively evaluate the association between long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and T2DM incidence in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and Nurses’ Health Study II (NHSII) cohorts of U.S. women.Methods: Monthly PM2.5 and NO2 exposures were predicted from spatiotemporal models and linked to participants’ residential addresses. We used Cox proportional hazards models to assess the association between 24-month moving average PM2.5 and NO2 exposure and self-reported, clinician diagnosed T2DM from 1992-2019. We adjusted for time-varying lifestyle factors, reproductive hormonal factors, and individual and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES). Results were meta-analyzed. We evaluated whether relationships persisted at levels below the current U.S. EPA National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Lastly, we examined multiplicative and additive interactions by body mass index (BMI), smoking status, physical activity, neighborhood SES, and region.Results: Over follow-up, there were 19,083 incident T2DM cases among the 208,733 women in NHS and NHSII. In fully-adjusted single pollutant models, the HR for an interquartile range (IQR=4.9 µg/m3) higher 24-month average PM2.5 exposure was 1.05 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.08) for incident T2DM. The HR for an IQR (7.3 ppb) higher NO2 exposure was 1.05 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.09). Both associations were robust to co-adjustment. Associations remained stable when restricting to PM2.5 levels below the NAAQS as compared to the full dataset. Stronger associations were observed in individuals who had a BMI ≥30, were physically active, and resided in the Northeast.Conclusions: Our results showed a positive association between T2DM and long-term exposure to PM2.5 and NO2, persisting even at levels below the current EPA NAAQS. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP15673</p
Anonymized Focus Group Discussion Transcripts from Powwer Health Study
No full textThese anonymized transcripts come from four focus group discussions (FGDs) conducted with women and nine conducted with men in Kenya in 2025. The women were participants in a single arm trial assessing the impact of menstrual cups on the vaginal microbiome, BV, and STIs, and the male participants are sex partners. The FGDs assess experiences and perspectives from women on using menstrual cups, and impacts on health and finances, and sexual life. FGDs with men assesses their knowledge and awareness of menstrual cups, perceived or actual impact on their sexual life.</p
DMSP for R21 Microbial Characterization
No full textData management plan for study that collected microbial cell characterization data, including transcriptomic profiles, microscopy images, and assay results.</p
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