Neighborhood Child Opportunity and Preterm Birth Rates by Race and Ethnicity.

Importance: In the US, infants born to non-Hispanic Black birthing parents are 50% more likely to be born preterm than those born to non-Hispanic White birthing parents, and individual-level factors do not fully account for this inequity. Neighborhood context, rooted in historic patterns of structural racism, may facilitate understanding patterns of inequity in preterm birth.

Objective: To estimate the association between neighborhood opportunity level, measured by the Child Opportunity Index (COI), and preterm birth among infants in Massachusetts.

Racial/Ethnic and Nativity Inequalities in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: The Role of Psychosocial Stressors.

Introduction: Racial/ethnic and nativity disparities in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) persist in the United States. Identified factors associated with these differences do not fully explain them. Research has recognized psychosocial stress as a potentially modifiable risk factor for GDM.

Care Managers in the Aging Network: Increasing Self-Efficacy in Human Service Providers.

One in four older adults has Behavioral Health (BH) concerns, and over 63% are not receiving services. Older adults living in the community depend on the aging network for home- and community-based services and care managers are critical providers in this network. However, most care managers' current education and training are inadequate to care for older adults with BH needs.

Ethnic, Nativity and Country of Origin Inequities in Preterm Birth Among Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Whites in New York City: What's Stress Got to Do With It?

Hispanic populations experience good birth outcomes despite their socioeconomic disadvantage, a phenomenon referred to as the Hispanic paradox. This health advantage, however, deteriorates over time and understanding of this pattern is limited. Using data from the 2009-2013 New York City (NYC) PRAMS survey linked with birth certificate data, we tested whether stressful life events (SLEs) partially accounted for differences in preterm birth (PTB) between birthing parents across ethnicity, nativity and country of foreign birth (CFB).

Racial, ethnic and nativity inequalities in gestational diabetes mellitus: The role of racial discrimination.

Introduction: Racial/ethnic minority and foreign-born women in the United States are at high risk of experiencing racial discrimination, which is associated with adverse health outcomes. Although racial discrimination is associated with metabolic disturbances such as insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, more studies should examine its effect on gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), which is highest among racial/ethnic minority and foreign-born women.

Methods: We used New York City Pregnancy Risk and Assessment Monitoring System survey data (2012-2014) linked with birth certificate items (N = 4084) in bivariate and multivariate analyses to examine racial/ethnic/nativity differences in racial discrimination, and to test if racial discrimination explains racial/ethnic/nativity inequalities in GDM

Results: The 12-month prevalence of racial discrimination (9.

Preterm Birth Among US and Foreign-Born Non-Hispanic Black Birthing Parents in Massachusetts: Variation by Nativity, Region, and Country of Origin.

Introduction: Foreign-born non-Hispanic Black (NHB) birthing parents are less likely to have a preterm birth (PTB) than US-born NHBs. There is further variation by region and country of origin. We update previous studies by examining PTB rates by nativity, region and country of origin among NHBs in Massachusetts, a state with a heterogeneous population of foreign-born NHBs, including communities excluded from previous studies.

The Time has Come for All States to Measure Racial Discrimination: A Call to Action for the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS).

Introduction: Racial/ethnic inequities in preterm birth (PTB) are well documented. Most of this research has focused on maternal behavioral and socio-demographic characteristics. However, the full magnitude of the racial/ethnic gap remains inadequately understood.

A randomized controlled trial of motivational interviewing tailored for heavy drinking latinxs.

Objective: This randomized controlled trial (Clinicaltrials.gov NCT [01996280]) compared the efficacy of a brief motivational interview (MI) adapted to address social stressors and cultural influences (culturally adapted MI [CAMI]) to a standard MI for heavy-drinking Latinxs. CAMI was hypothesized to reduce heavy drinking days and frequency of alcohol-related consequences more than MI.

Racial/Ethnic Inequities in Low Birth Weight and Preterm Birth: The Role of Multiple Forms of Stress.

Introduction Racial/ethnic inequities in low birth weight (LBW) and preterm birth (PTB) persist in the United States. Research has identified numerous risk factors for adverse birth outcomes; however, they do not fully explain the occurrence of, or inequalities in PTB/LBW. Stress has been proposed as one explanation for differences in LBW and PTB by race/ethnicity.

The association between anti-immigrant policies and perceived discrimination among Latinos in the US: A multilevel analysis.

Research has found a strong inverse association between discrimination and health and well-being. Most of these studies have been conducted among African-Americans, and have examined the relationship at the individual-level. To fill these gaps in knowledge we estimated the prevalence of perceived discrimination among a nationally representative sample of Latino adults in the US, and investigated the association between state-level anti-immigrant policies and perceived discrimination.

A randomized controlled trial of culturally adapted motivational interviewing for Hispanic heavy drinkers: Theory of adaptation and study protocol.

Background: The NIH Strategic Plan prioritizes health disparities research for socially disadvantaged Hispanics, to reduce the disproportionate burden of alcohol-related negative consequences compared to other racial/ethnic groups. Cultural adaptation of evidence-based treatments, such as motivational interviewing (MI), can improve access and response to alcohol treatment. However, the lack of rigorous clinical trials designed to test the efficacy and theoretical underpinnings of cultural adaptation has made proof of concept difficult.

Acculturation, hazardous drinking and depressive symptomatology among Hispanics enrolled in a clinical trial.

Background: Among Hispanics in the U.S., lower acculturation level has been found to be protective against alcohol abuse and depression.

Obesogenic behaviors among adolescents: the role of generation and time in the United States.

Objectives: To examine how obesogenic behaviors (consumption of sugary drinks, physical activity, and/or sedentary behaviors) differ among adolescents within and across generation.

Design: Data come from the 2008 Boston Youth Survey, a population-based sample of 9th-12th-graders in 22 public high schools in Boston, MA. We used self-reported information to calculate generation and obesogenic behaviors (i.

Does neighborhood collective efficacy for families change over time? The Boston Neighborhood Survey.

There is an increased interest in how neighborhood social processes, such as collective efficacy, may protect mental health. Yet little is known about how stable these neighborhood processes are over time, or how to change them to influence other downstream factors. We used a population-based, repeat cross-sectional study of adults (n=5135) to assess stability of collective efficacy for families in 38 Boston neighborhoods across 4 years (2006, 2008, 2010) (the Boston Neighborhood Survey).

Are first-generation adolescents less likely to be overweight? Results from a survey of Boston youth.

The effect of years of residence in the US on the weight of adolescents is unclear. We examined the association between generation (i.e.

Racial/Ethnic and nativity differences in birth outcomes among mothers in New York City: the role of social ties and social support.

Immigrants have lower rates of low birth weight (LBW) and to some extent preterm birth (PTB), than their US-born counterparts. This pattern has been termed the 'immigrant health paradox'. Social ties and support are one proposed explanation for this phenomenon.

Substance use, generation and time in the United States: the modifying role of gender for immigrant urban adolescents.

Although immigrant youth have lower rates of substance use than US born youth, whether substance use varies by generation and time in the US is unclear. This study examines adolescent alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use by generation/time in US (i.e.

Integrating social epidemiology into immigrant health research: a cross-national framework.

Scholarship on immigrant health has steadily increased over the past two decades. This line of inquiry is often approached as a "specialty" topic involving a discrete de-contextualized population, rather than a topic that is central for understanding patterns of population health within and between sending and receiving countries. Frequently immigrant health research employs theoretical frameworks (e.

Peer violence perpetration among urban adolescents: dispelling the myth of the violent immigrant.

Researchers have found an inverse relationship between immigrant status and violence perpetration. Most studies have examined Mexican immigrants, and few have assessed immigration factors other than nativity. Additionally, the majority have focused on the most serious forms of violence despite the fact that moderate violence is more common.