Masculinity ideology and racism as indicators of obesity risk among Black men.

Background: Racial inequities in health continue to persist and one major controllable and preventable risk factor is obesity. This study examined whether psychosocial factors such as masculinity ideology and frequency of experiences with racism may be significantly associated with Black men's obesity risk.

Method: Participants were 125 Black men aged 20-39 years old (M = 23.

Segregation and disparities in health services use.

We compared race disparities in health services use in a national sample of adults from the 2002 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey and data from the Exploring Health Disparities in Integrated Communities Project, a 2003 survey of adult residents from a low-income integrated urban community in Maryland. In the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data, African Americans were less likely to have a health care visit compared with Whites. However, in the Exploring Health Disparities in Integrated Communities Project, the integrated community, African Americans were more likely to have a health care visit than Whites.

Social context as an explanation for race disparities in hypertension: findings from the Exploring Health Disparities in Integrated Communities (EHDIC) Study.

Disparities in hypertension between African Americans and non-Hispanic whites have been well-documented, yet an explanation for this persistent disparity remains elusive. Since African Americans and non-Hispanic white Americans tend to live in very different social environments, it is not known whether race disparities in hypertension would persist if non-Hispanic whites and African Americans were exposed to similar social environments. We compared data from the Exploring Health Disparities in Integrated Communities-SWB (EHDIC-SWB) Study with the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2004 to determine if race disparities in hypertension in the USA were attenuated in EHDIC-SWB, which is based in a racially integrated community without race differences in income.

Sources of variability in John Henryism.

Objectives: To decompose sources of individual differences in coping as measured by John Henryism among African Americans.

Methods: Analyses described in this study are based on the pairwise responses from 180 pairs of same-sex, African-American twin pairs who participated in the Carolina African-American Twins Study of Aging (CAATSA). The sample consisted of 85 monozygotic (MZ) and 95 dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs.

The legacy of Tuskegee and trust in medical care: is Tuskegee responsible for race differences in mistrust of medical care?

Objectives: To examine race differences in knowledge of the Tuskegee study and the relationship between knowledge of the Tuskegee study and medical system mistrust.

Methods: We conducted a telephone survey of 277 African-American and 101 white adults 18-93 years of age in Baltimore, MD. Participants responded to questions regarding mistrust of medical care, including a series of questions regarding the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male (Tuskegee study).

Genetic and environmental influences on forced expiratory volume in African Americans: the Carolina African-American Twin Study of Aging.

Objectives: Previous research found measures of pulmonary functioning to be strong predictors of cognitive functioning and mortality; however, there is considerable individual variability in performance on these measures. In the present analyses, the relative contribution of genetic and environmental influences to variability in average peak expiratory flow rate (APEFR) are examined in a sample of adult African-American twins.

Design: Birth records from North Carolina Register of Deeds offices were used to identify participants for the Carolina African-American Twin Study of Aging (CAATSA).

Does intact pair status matter in the study of African American twins? The Carolina African American Twin Study of Aging.

In twin research, typically both members of a pair must participate. Survivorship of members of intact pairs compared to surviving members of nonintact twin pairs may reflect differences in psychosocial and health factors, and represent a potential selection bias relative to the general population. The purpose of the present study is to examine health, cognition, and well-being among members of African American intact twin pairs compared to individuals from nonintact twin pairs.

Genetics and health disparities: fears and realities.

The development and testing of explanatory hypotheses about the underlying mechanisms that create health disparities among ethnic minorities will be crucial in identifying solutions for reducing the current differentials. This paper addresses the potential for using genetic information as a useful and necessary addition to approaches to measures of the "environment" in the study of the origins of health disparities. Approaches and theoretical perspectives on the integration of social science and genetic findings are discussed.

Genetic and environmental influences on blood pressure and pulse pressure among adult African Americans.

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to identify sources of variability for systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and pulse pressure (PP) in a sample of adult African-American twins.

Design: The classic twin design was employed to examine genetic and environmental sources of variance in the outcome measures of interest.

Participants: Participants were 143 (71 MZ and 72 DZ) same-sex, intact twin pairs (mean age = 49.

Sociocultural influences in genetic designs of aging: unexplored perspectives.

As the aging population continues to become more diverse, there is growing interest in understanding the similar and unique aspects of aging within and across people of different ethnic groups. The impact of culture on the sources of variation identified in quantitative genetic approaches has not been well discussed in the literature. The purpose of this paper is to review previous research pertinent to the cultural aspects of quantitative genetic approaches and methodologies, and provide conceptual and statistical approaches for advancing the science.

Genetic and environmental influences on body-fat measures among African-American twins.

Objective: To investigate the genetic and environmental influences on body-fat measures including waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and body mass index (BMI) among African-American men and women.

Research Methods And Procedures: Measurements were taken as part of the Carolina African American Twin Study of Aging. This sample currently comprises 146 same-sex African-American twins with an average age of 50 years (range, 22 to 88 years).