Multi-discrimination exposure and biological aging: Results from the midlife in the United States study.

Discrimination is a social determinant of health and health disparities for which the biological mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study investigated the hypothesis that discrimination contributes to poor health outcomes by accelerating biological processes of aging. We analyzed survey and blood DNA methylation data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study (N = 1967).

United States Federal Policies Contributing to Health and Health Care Inequities in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States since 1898, has recently experienced an increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters and public health emergencies. In 2022, Hurricane Fiona became the latest storm to attract media attention and cast a light on Puerto Rico's deteriorating conditions, including infrastructural failings, health care provider shortages, and high levels of chronic illness. Although recent events have been uniquely devastating, decades of inequitable US federal policy practices have fueled the persistence of health inequities in the territory.

Education, Income, Wealth, and Discrimination in Black-White Allostatic Load Disparities.

Introduction: Allostatic load (AL) is a significant marker of aging, associated with disease and mortality. Research has elucidated the impact of education and income on AL. However, the roles of wealth and discrimination in contributing to AL and shaping AL disparities remain underexplored.

Love after lockup: examining the role of marriage, social status, and financial stress among formerly incarcerated individuals.

Background: Upon reintegration into society, formerly incarcerated individuals (FIIs) experience chronic financial stress due to prolonged unemployment, strained social relationships, and financial obligations. This study examined whether marriage and perceived social status can mitigate financial stress, which is deleterious to the well-being of FIIs. We also assessed whether sociodemographic factors influenced financial stress across marital status.

Gaps in U.S. Public Health Monitoring and Surveillance Systems in Puerto Rico.

Introduction: Puerto Rico (PR) has an ambiguous status within Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) public health monitoring and surveillance systems. However, as a U.S.

The relationship between political efficacy and self-rated health: An analysis of Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban subgroups compared to non-Latinx whites in the United States.

Latinx represent a growing population in the United States (US) that continue to experience a disproportionate burden of disease. However, health disparities vary across Latinx subgroups, including Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban communities, particularly when assessing self-rated health. Given the nature of political exclusion in the US, these differences may be associated with underexplored political factors, or political determinants of health, within the social environment that distinctly shape health among racial and ethnic minorities.

Associations between Socioeconomic Status and Psychological Distress: An Analysis of Disaggregated Latinx Subgroups Using Data from the National Health Interview Survey.

Differences in socioeconomic status (SES), including income, education, and employment, continue to be significant contributors to health disparities in the United States (US), including disparities in mental health outcomes. Despite the size and diversity of the Latinx population, there is a lack of literature describing differences in mental health outcomes, including psychological distress, for Latinx subgroups (e.g.

Direct Delivery of Kidney Transplant Education to Black and Low-Income Patients Receiving Dialysis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Rationale & Objective: Compared with others, black and low-income patients receiving dialysis are less likely to receive kidney transplantation (KT) education within dialysis centers. We examined the efficacy of 2 supplementary KT education approaches delivered directly to patients.

Study Design: Prospective, 3-arm parallel-group, randomized, controlled trial.

Explore Transplant at Home: a randomized control trial of an educational intervention to increase transplant knowledge for Black and White socioeconomically disadvantaged dialysis patients.

Background: Compared to others, dialysis patients who are socioeconomically disadvantaged or Black are less likely to receive education about deceased donor kidney transplant (DDKT) and living donor kidney transplant (LDKT) before they reach transplant centers, often due to limited availability of transplant education within dialysis centers. Since these patients are often less knowledgeable or ready to pursue transplant, educational content must be simplified, made culturally sensitive, and presented gradually across multiple sessions to increase learning and honor where they are in their decision-making about transplant. The Explore Transplant at Home (ETH) program was developed to help patients learn more about DDKT and LDKT at home, with and without telephone conversations with an educator.

Assessment of daily and weekly fatigue among African American cancer survivors.

This investigation evaluates two common measures of cancer-related fatigue, one multidimensional/retrospective and one unidimensional/same day. Fifty-two African American survivors of diverse cancers completed fatigue visual analogue scales once daily, and the Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory-Short Form (MFSI-SF) once weekly, for four weeks. Zero-order correlations showed retrospective fatigue was significantly related to average, peak, and most recent same-day fatigue.