Predictors of willingness to participate in COVID-19 clinical trials among Black and Latino adults.

Introduction: Black and Latino individuals are underrepresented in COVID-19 treatment and vaccine clinical trials, calling for an examination of factors that may predict willingness to participate in trials.

Methods: We administered the Common Survey 2.0 developed by the Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Against COVID-19 Disparities to 600 Black and Latino adults in Baltimore City, Prince George's County, Maryland, Montgomery County, Maryland, and Washington, DC, between October and December 2021.

Grassroots and Digital Outreach Strategies Raise Awareness of COVID-19 Information and Research in Baltimore City.

We aimed to disseminate reliable COVID-19 information to the Black and Latino communities of Baltimore City, Maryland, between July 2020 and December 2022. With community partners, we disseminated evidence-based COVID-19 information via grassroots and digital strategies, including Hopkins Opportunity for Participant Engagement, and connected volunteers to COVID-19 research. Using a multimodal approach facilitated dissemination of reliable information and raised awareness of research; evaluation of trust is ongoing.

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Against Women.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global public health crisis associated with adverse physical, psychological, economic, and social consequences. Studies on the impact of COVID-19 on IPV against women are scarce. This study aimed to understand the impact of COVID-19 on IPV against women.

The role of doulas in providing breastfeeding support during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Doulas have been instrumental in providing breastfeeding support to nursing mothers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, as they can significantly impact a mother's ability to initiate and maintain breastfeeding. However, the COVID-19 pandemic, subsequent lockdowns, and social isolation created challenges for nursing mothers to access doulas' services, usually provided in person. In this study, we examined the role of doulas in providing breastfeeding support during the COVID-19 pandemic, exploring adaptation to COVID-19 guidelines and the challenges doulas face in providing breastfeeding support during the pandemic.

Healing Baltimore: Creating Support for VALUE (Vaccine Access & Acceptance, Lives in Unity, Education & Engagement) Baltimore Ambassadors as They Serve During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

VALUE (Vaccine Acceptance & Access Lives in Unity, Engagement & Education) Baltimore began in February 2021 with the vision of helping underserved communities in Baltimore City value COVID-19 vaccination and have access to the vaccine. VALUE dispatched ambassadors to provide COVID-19 education and risk-mitigation strategies in their communities. Once the project was implemented, we noticed that our ambassadors were often overwhelmed by misinformation in the community and our priority populations faced deeper issues relating to the social determinants of health (SDOH) and social needs such as food, transportation, job loss, and housing.

Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic Response and Parental Adverse Childhood Experiences on Child Health and Well-Being.

Family responses to crises such as COVID-19 are driven by parents' experiences. Parental history of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) might play an important role in predicting resilience, coping capacity, and parenting practices during the COVID-19 pandemic response. The purpose of this review is to examine the impact of COVID-19 pandemic disruption on child health and well-being as influenced by the previous history of ACEs in the parents.

Building Capacity for Community-Academia Research Partnerships by Establishing a Physical Infrastructure for Community Engagement: Morgan CARES.

Research partnerships between universities and communities following the principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR) have the potential to eliminate cycles of health disparities. The purpose of this article is to describe the process of establishing a community-campus network with a distinct mission and vision of developing trusting and successful research partnerships that are sustained and effective. In 2019, Morgan CARES was established to facilitate community engagement by founding a community center "within" a low-income residential neighborhood as a safe and accessible hub for creating a vibrant learning community.

Examining the Relationship Between Sleep-Related Infant Deaths and Social Determinants of Health in Urban Communities.

Unlabelled: In 2017, sleep-related infant deaths (SRID) accounted for about 3600 deaths in the USA. The SRID rate for African American infants (186. 41 per 100,000 live births) is more than twice that of Caucasian American infants (85.

Examining the Health Belief Model Risk Factors on PrEP Use Among African-American Women Ages 20-44.

Truvada, also referred to as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), is the first medication approved for the purpose of preventing HIV infection. This study examined the odds of PrEP use solely among African-American women by comparing, by demographic profile, the relationship between risk taking behaviors of the Health Belief Model and the likelihood of PrEP use. A secondary data analysis from the 2013 National Survey on the potential adoption of PrEP was analyzed in this study.

Association between number of sexual partners and utilization of family planning and sexually transmitted infection services by men aged 15-44 in the United States.

Unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) pose a huge public health problem in the United States. Efforts towards reducing unintended pregnancies have previously focused on women, but the role of men in family planning and preventing unwanted pregnancy is becoming clearer. The primary objective of the study was to fully examine the utilization of family planning services by men in the US, and to determine whether factors such as race, health insurance type and number of sexual partners influenced their utilization and receipt of family planning services and STI-related health services.

Maternal Intimate Partner Violence: Relationships with Language and Neurological Development of Infants and Toddlers.

Objectives This longitudinal study examined the influence of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) experience of pregnant women participating in the Domestic Violence Enhanced Home Visitation Program on the language and neurological development of infants and toddlers. Methods A total of 210 infants and toddlers born to women reporting low, moderate, and high levels of IPV were included in the analysis. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the bivariate association between maternal IPV and risk of language and neurological delay of infants and toddlers and between covariates and language and neurological delay.

African American male and female student perceptions of Pulvers Body Images: implications for obesity, health care, and prevention.

Differences in male and female perception response to the Pulvers Body Image Scale (PBIS) were examined among 356 freshmen African American students attending an urban historically Black college/university (HBCU). Participants completed a questionnaire identifying images that best represented their current, healthy, and ideal body image. Compared with males, more females selected the normal body image as their ideal (63.

Explaining African-Americans' depressive symptoms: a stress-distress and coping perspective.

Findings from five community surveys suggest that the depressive symptom scores of African-Americans are the same as, or lower than, those of Whites. This seems at odds with the minority status hypothesis that predicts higher rates of mental disorders for African-Americans. However, little is known about the role of African-American coping capacity during the life stress process which may shed light on the seeming contradiction.

Weight status in US youth: the role of activity, diet, and sedentary behaviors.

Objectives: To assess associations of physical activity, diet, and sedentary behaviors with overweight and obesity.

Methods: Analyses of the NHANES 2003-06 were conducted among 2368 US adolescents, ages 12-19. Self-reported diet and sedentary behavior measures were used; physical activity was assessed using accelerometers.

Complementary and alternative medical practice: self-care preferred vs. practitioner-based care among patients with asthma.

Background: Interest in disease self-management has increased as the US population ages, as health care costs skyrocket, and as more evidence is gathered on the etiologic basis of most chronic diseases. This study uses National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data to analyze the association between asthma episode during the past 12 months and patterns of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use within the same period among adults, controlling for comorbid conditions.

Methods: Using questions taken from the adult sample questionnaire and the Alternative Supplement of the 2002 NHIS, responses of those ever having asthma (N=3327) were analyzed in this cross-sectional, correlational study.

COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF TOTAL PHENOLIC CONTENT IN SELECTED MEDICINAL PLANTS.

This study was to compare the total phenolic (TP) content in extracts from eleven plant materials collected at different geographical locations in Kenya, Nigeria, and USA. These plants have been selected because the majority of them are highly pigmented, from yellow to purple, and would therefore have economic value in industries for producing antioxidants and surfactants. Two of them were collected from the industrial and domestic waste outlets.

Effect of Cnidoscolus aconitifolius leaf extract on the blood glucose and insulin levels of inbred type 2 diabetic mice.

The effects of Cnidoscolus aconitifolius (CA) leaf extract and chlorpropamide on blood glucose and insulin levels in the inbred type 2 diabetic mice are reported. After treatment with CA, the glucose levels were measured at 0 and 2-hour intervals in experimental groups and controls. Group I received no treatment and served as control; Group II was the reference and it received chlorpropamide; Groups I-III were moderately diabetic, 100-300 mg/dL blood glucose levels while Group IV were severely diabetic (> 300 mg/dL).

Models for nutrition education to increase consumption of calcium and dairy products among African Americans.

Calcium and dairy consumption are documented to be low among African Americans and have demonstrated benefits to bone growth, overall nutritional status, and health throughout the life cycle. There is also an emerging relationship to the prevention of obesity. This low consumption has been attributed to both cultural and community/environmental barriers.

The utility of the environmental scan for public health practice: lessons from an urban program to increase cancer screening.

The environmental scan is a tool that can be utilized to collect data to design health programs uniquely tailored to the needs of communities. However, it remains relatively undefined, unevaluated and underutilized in the field of public health. While individual studies indicate the utility of the environmental scan for public health, it is difficult to find a theoretical framework or guidelines on how to design, implement or evaluate the process within public health practice.

Dads as breastfeeding advocates: results from a randomized controlled trial of an educational intervention.

Objective: Recognizing that an expectant father may influence a mother's decision to breast- or formula-feed, we tested the effectiveness of a simple, educational intervention that was designed to encourage fathers to advocate for breastfeeding and to assist his partner if she chooses to breastfeed.

Study Design: We conducted a randomized controlled trial in which expectant fathers (n = 59) were assigned randomly to attend either a 2-hour intervention class on infant care and breastfeeding promotion (intervention) or a class on infant care only (control group). The classes, which were led by a peer-educator, were interactive and informal and utilized different media to create an accessible environment for participants.

Discrepancies in body image perception among fourth-grade public school children from urban, suburban, and rural Maryland.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether there is an association between body image perception and weight status as measured by the body mass index among a group of fourth graders in Maryland.

Design: Cross-sectional data on height, weight, and body image were collected in the classroom. At risk for being overweight and being overweight designations were assigned to participants with body mass index (BMI) percentile values for age and sex of >/=85 to <95 and BMI >/=95, respectively.

Prenatal patients' views of prenatal care services: a medical center-based assessment of knowledge and intent to use support services.

Background: Our objective was to ascertain the priority of prenatal support services from the perspective of high-risk patients. The relationship between patients' needs, and both knowledge of and intent to use services, was examined, while documenting factors associated with the intent to use available support services.

Methods: The authors of this study conducted a cross-sectional survey of 102 African-American women at a university-affiliated, urban-health center.

Breakfast and lunch meal skipping patterns among fourth-grade children from selected public schools in urban, suburban, and rural maryland.

The objective of this study was to describe breakfast and lunch consumption patterns of fourth-grade students from selected public schools in Maryland and how they differ by geographic location. Data were collected from a sample of 540 fourth-grade public school children (46% male, 62% white; mean age=9 years) from three geographically distinct regions of Maryland (30% rural, 30% suburban, and 40% urban). Data on breakfast and lunch consumption were collected using an in-classroom questionnaire.

Lactose digestion in pregnant African-Americans.

Objective: This paper reports on the status of lactose digestion during early and late pregnancy and at 8 weeks postpartum in an African-American population. The hypothesis is that lactose digestion and milk tolerance do not change throughout pregnancy and do not differ from those of non-pregnant African-American women.

Design And Subjects: This longitudinal study determined lactose digestion after ingesting 240 ml of 1% fat milk containing 12 g of lactose at: (1) early pregnancy, prior to 16 weeks (n=148); (2) late pregnancy, 30-35 weeks (n=77); and (3) 8 weeks postpartum (n=93).