2633 research outputs found
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Foreword. Partnered participatory research to build community capacity and address mental health disparities and disaster.
No full textNo abstract available
An Assessment of State Efforts to Combat Racial/Ethnic Health Disparities Case Studies of Wisconsin, Texas, and Massachusetts
No full textAbstract available at publisher's website
Assessment of Physical Fitness Status of Young Sikkimese Residing in High-Hill Temperate Regions of Eastern Sikkim under the Influence of Climate and Socio-Cultural Factors
No full textObjective: The least populated state of India, Sikkim is situated over 6,000 ft as of the sea level. The health of people residing at high altitude is shaped not only by the low-oxygen environment, but also by population ancestry and socio-cultural determinants. These factors may also have an influence over their physical fitness level. Thus the present survey work was designed in order to assess the influence of high altitude on physical fitness and anaerobic power.
Material & Methods: The study was conducted in randomly selected young adult male residents of Gangtok, Sikkim (mean age 22.0) and the college students of Kolkata (mean age 21.9) served as controls. Some parameters of physical fitness and endurance were measured using resting heart rate, blood pressure, PFI, energy expenditure, VO2max etc.
Results: A significant difference (p<0.05) in blood pressure, PFI, energy expenditure, BF% and anaerobic power were found in Sikkimese.
Conclusion: This study implies health of young Sikkimese is not only under the influence of low-oxygen environment but also by their socio-cultural factors over their physical parameters
Training for Public Information Officers in Communication to Reduce Health Disparities: A Needs Assessment
No full textGovernment public information officers and risk communicators bear the burden for reaching all Americans with public health and emergency messages. To assess needs specifically regarding communication to reduce health disparities, an Internet survey is made available to members of the National Public Health Information Coalition. Respondents are asked to rate their own needs at their level of organizational responsibility as well as the needs of staff whom they may be supervising on 25 communication and cultural competencies. Multicultural understanding, culturally appropriate message development, and ways to better collaborate with diverse populations are identified as communication competencies in which more training is especially needed
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Colorectal Cancer Screening Persisted Despite Expansion of Medicare's Screening Reimbursement
No full textObjective: We examined the effect of Medicare's expansion of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening test reimbursement on racial/ethnic disparities in CRC screening.
Methods: CRC screening was ascertained for Medicare beneficiaries (n = 30,893), aged 70 to 89, who had no history of any tumor and resided in 16 Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results regions of the United States from 1996 to 2005. CRC screening tests were identified in the 5% sample of Medicare claims. Age–gender-adjusted percentages and -adjusted odds of receiving any guideline-specific CRC screening [i.e., annual fecal occult blood test (FOBT), sigmoidoscopy every 5 years or colonoscopy every 10 years] by race/ethnicity and Medicare coverage expansion period (i.e., prior to FOBT coverage, FOBT coverage only, and post–colonoscopy coverage) were reported.
Results: CRC screening increased as Medicare coverage expanded for white and black Medicare beneficiaries. However, blacks were less likely than whites to receive screening prior to FOBT coverage (OR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.61–0.90), during FOBT coverage only (OR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.52–0.83) and after colonoscopy coverage (OR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.68–0.95). Hispanics were less likely to receive screening after colonoscopy coverage (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.54–0.99).
Conclusions: Despite the expansion of Medicare coverage for CRC screening tests, racial/ethnic differences in CRC screening persisted over time in this universally insured population, especially for blacks and Hispanics. Future studies should explore other factors beyond health insurance that may contribute to screening disparities in this and younger populations.
Impact: Although CRC screening rates increased over time, they were still low according to recommendations. More effort is needed to increase CRC screening among all Medicare beneficiaries. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 20(5); 811–7. ©2011 AACR
Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation Awards $1.5 Million in Grants to Help African American Women Fight Type 2 Diabetes
No full textThe Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation today awarded five grants totaling 100 million initiative to improve health outcomes of people living with type 2 diabetes in the United States by strengthening patient self-management education, community-based supportive services and broad-based community mobilization. Consistent with the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation's mission to reduce health disparities, the initiative targets adults disproportionately affected by type 2 diabetes
Groups Working to Address Minority Care Disparities
No full textDisparities in minority health continue to be a major health care issue in Memphis, but a determined group of health care, academic, government and faith-based entities is working diligently to address those disparities.
The Consortium for Health Education, Economic Empowerment and Research is a health-equity research initiative housed at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
Working to develop, share and implement research aimed at impacting minority health and reducing inequities, CHEER partners with LeMoyne-Owen College; Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare; the Memphis and Shelby County Health Department; Memphis Housing Authority; First Baptist Church Lauderdale; and Mustard Seed Inc., a faith-based
The role of patient navigators in eliminating health disparities
No full textDespite many important efforts to increase equity in the US health care system, not all Americans have equal access to health care—or similar health outcomes. With the goal of lowering costs and increasing accessibility to health care, the nation's new health care reform legislation includes certain provisions that expand health insurance coverage to uninsured and underinsured populations, promote medical homes, and support coordination of care. These provisions may help narrow existing health care disparities. Many of the most vulnerable patients, however, may continue to have difficulty accessing and navigating the complex US health care delivery system. This article explores the unique role that patient navigation can play in improving health outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities, as well as other underserved populations, in the context of a changing healthcare environment. Patient navigators can not only facilitate improved health care access and quality for underserved populations through advocacy and care coordination, but they can also address deep-rooted issues related to distrust in providers and the health system that often lead to avoidance of health problems and non-compliance with treatment recommendations. By addressing many of the disparities associated with language and cultural differences and barriers, patient navigators can foster trust and empowerment within the communities they serve. Specific patient navigator activities are discussed, and metrics to evaluate program efforts are presented. Cancer 2011;117(15 suppl):3541–50. © 2011 American Cancer Society
Practice paper of the American Dietetic Association: addressing racial and ethnic health disparities.
No full textMinority populations have remained in relatively poor health compared to the majority population and continue to be underserved by the health care system. Racial and ethnic health disparities are not new phenomena. Understanding the causes of these disparities continues to evolve. Within the past decade researchers have looked more toward social determinants of health to explain the differences. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) report Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care provided documentation to shift the discussion from patient behaviors to the contributions of health care systems, including health care providers, that contribute to health disparities. The report was the first comprehensive study that documented racial and ethnic inequities within the US health care delivery system (ie, differential treatment on the basis of race and ethnicity). The authors of the IOM report indicated that they found some evidence to suggest that bias, prejudice, and stereotyping by providers may contribute to differences in care. It is possible that food and nutrition practitioners have the same biases and are presented with the same systems challenges as the health care providers referenced in the IOM report. It is, therefore, also possible that food and nutrition practitioners may be at risk of contributing to health disparities. This article provides an in-depth look at the recommendations put forth by the IOM, offers discipline-specific recommendations consistent with those outlined in the IOM model, and introduces other models that may be of use as food and nutrition practitioners move forward with developing strategies to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities
Does Cultural Competency Training of Health Professionals Improve Patient Outcomes? A Systematic Review and Proposed Algorithm for Future Research
No full textBACKGROUND: Cultural competency training has been proposed as a way to improve patient outcomes. There is a need for evidence showing that these interventions reduce health disparities.
OBJECTIVE: The objective was to conduct a systematic review addressing the effects of cultural competency training on patient-centered outcomes; assess quality of studies and strength of effect; and propose a framework for future research.
DESIGN: The authors performed electronic searches in the MEDLINE/PubMed, ERIC, PsycINFO, CINAHL and Web of Science databases for original articles published in English between 1990 and 2010, and a bibliographic hand search. Studies that reported cultural competence educational interventions for health professionals and measured impact on patients and/or health care utilization as primary or secondary outcomes were included.
MEASUREMENTS: Four authors independently rated studies for quality using validated criteria and assessed the training effect on patient outcomes. Due to study heterogeneity, data were not pooled; instead, qualitative synthesis and analysis were conducted.
RESULTS: Seven studies met inclusion criteria. Three involved physicians, two involved mental health professionals and two involved multiple health professionals and students. Two were quasi-randomized, two were cluster randomized, and three were pre/post field studies. Study quality was low to moderate with none of high quality; most studies did not adequately control for potentially confounding variables. Effect size ranged from no effect to moderately beneficial (unable to assess in two studies). Three studies reported positive (beneficial) effects; none demonstrated a negative (harmful) effect.
CONCLUSION: There is limited research showing a positive relationship between cultural competency training and improved patient outcomes, but there remains a paucity of high quality research. Future work should address challenges limiting quality. We propose an algorithm to guide educators in designing and evaluating curricula, to rigorously demonstrate the impact on patient outcomes and health disparities