Health Care Access Among Asian American Subgroups: The Role of Residential Segregation.

Few studies have examined differences in health care access across Asian American ethnicities and none have considered the effects of residential segregation. The segregation of Asians by neighborhood has been steadily increasing over the past few decades due in part to the settlement patterns of immigrants. Data from the 2009 National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (n = 746) were used.

Neighborhood socio-economic disadvantage and race/ethnicity as predictors of breast cancer stage at diagnosis.

Background: This study investigated the role of key individual- and community-level determinants to explore persisting racial/ethnic disparities in breast cancer stage at diagnosis in California during 1990 and 2000.

Methods: We examined socio-demographic determinants and changes in breast cancer stage at diagnosis in California during 1990 and 2000. In situ, local, regional, and distant diagnoses were examined by individual (age, race/ethnicity, and marital status) and community (income and education by zip code) characteristics.

Comparison of extramural clinical rotation days: did the Pipeline program make a difference?

Extramural clinical rotations are implemented by dental schools for a combination of clinical and didactic or behavioral goals. In the United States, the Pipeline, Profession, and Practice: Community-Based Dental Education program was launched to increase the number of underrepresented minority students who are recruited and retained in dental education, to expand the dental curriculum in cultural competence, and to incorporate community-based extramural rotations into the dental schools' clinical curriculum. The objective of this study was to conduct an impact analysis regarding the change in number of extramural clinical rotation weeks for Pipeline and non-Pipeline program students over the time period of 2003 to 2007.

Who will serve? Assessing recruitment of underrepresented minority and low-income dental students to increase access to dental care.

This article uses data from the 2007 American Dental Education Association survey of dental school seniors to assess their intentions to serve underserved populations according to the students' underrepresented minority (URM) and income status. Dental school recruitment and retention programs that concentrate exclusively on URM students will not benefit most low-income students since 83 percent of them are not URM. Recruiting URM students leads to more graduating students with intentions to serve minorities.

What enhances underrepresented minority recruitment to dental schools?

This study examined the factors influencing the proportion of underrepresented minority students (URM) in dental schools. Using a comprehensive recruitment model, it considered the relative importance of community characteristics (population demographics, oral health policies, dental care system, and university environment), dental school characteristics (Pipeline-supported, mission, and financing), and community-based dental education (CBDE) characteristics of the dental school on recruitment of URM students. Data come from a national survey of dental school seniors and a variety of publicly available sources.

Effect of school environment on dental students' perceptions of cultural competency curricula and preparedness to care for diverse populations.

Reports of oral health disparities among racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic sectors of the U.S. population have hastened development of strategies to address this issue.

Influence of contextual environment and community-based dental education on practice plans of graduating seniors.

This study investigated senior dental students' plans to provide care to underserved racial/ethnic minority populations. Three sets of determinants were analyzed: contextual environment, community-based dental education (CBDE), and student characteristics. We analyzed data from the ADEA Survey of Dental School Seniors and administrative data sources to construct contextual variables.

What influences dental students to serve special care patients?

This study examines factors associated with graduating dental students' motivation to deliver services to special care patients. We investigated community context and student characteristics, which would influence potential behavior. Higher percentages of older adults and low-income residents in the community were positively correlated with interest in serving special care populations.

Pipeline, profession, and practice program: evaluating change in dental education.

This article describes the conceptual and analytical framework that will be used to assess the effectiveness of the Pipeline, Profession, and Practice: Community-Based Dental Education Program. The evaluation will use a mixed method qualitative and quantitative data collection, analysis, and triangulation. Baseline measures are reported using data from the 2003 ADEA survey of dental school seniors.

Role of community risk factors and resources on breast carcinoma stage at diagnosis.

Background: The current study investigated the individual and community determinants of breast carcinoma stage at diagnosis (BCSAD) using multiple data sources merged with cancer registry data. The literature review yielded 5 studies that analyzed cancer registry data merged with community-level variables (1995-2004).

Methods: Community variables constructed for the current study reflected social and economic risk factors, physician supply, and health maintenance organization penetration.