Individual-Level Experiences of Structural Inequity and Their Association with Subjective and Objective Sleep Outcomes in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study.

Purpose: Research has documented that adolescent sleep is impacted by various stressors, including interpersonal experiences and structural disadvantage. This study extends existing knowledge by empirically examining interconnected individual experiences of structural inequity and assessing its association with subjective and objective sleep outcomes.

Methods: We utilized data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study to identify seven conceptual domains of structural inequity: perceived discrimination, low school inclusivity, neighborhood safety, unmet medical needs, legal problems, material hardship, and housing insecurity.

Associations between cohort derived dementia and COVID-19 serological diagnosis among older Black adults in rural South Africa.

Objectives: This study investigates the association between cohort derived dementia and serologically confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, an underexplored phenomena in low-and middle-income countries. Examining this relationship in a rural South African community setting offers insights applicable to broader healthcare contexts.

Methods: Data were collected from Black South Africans in the Mpumalanga province who participated in the Health and Aging in Africa: A Longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH Community in South Africa.

In-Person Social Interactions and Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Exploring the Role of Household Size and Virtual Social Contact Among Midlife and Older Black South African Adults.

Objectives: The current study investigates how physical distancing during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was associated with increased anxiety among a cohort of midlife older Black South African adults and the extent to which household size and virtual social contact modify this association for men and women.

Methods: We analyze data from a phone survey conducted from July 2021 to March 2022 as part of Health and Aging in Africa: A Longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH Community in South Africa (n = 2,080). We employ logistic regression to estimate the association between changes in in-person social interactions and anxiety symptoms and examine whether the association is modified by household size and changes in virtual social contact.

Area-level deprivation and individual-level socioeconomic correlates of the diabetes care cascade among black south africans in uMgungundlovu, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

South Africa is experiencing a rapidly growing diabetes epidemic that threatens its healthcare system. Research on the determinants of diabetes in South Africa receives considerable attention due to the lifestyle changes accompanying South Africa's rapid urbanization since the fall of Apartheid. However, few studies have investigated how segments of the Black South African population, who continue to endure Apartheid's institutional discriminatory legacy, experience this transition.

Telomere Length, Health, and Mortality in a Cohort of Older Black South African Adults.

Telomere length (TL) may be a biomarker of aging processes as well as age-related diseases. However, most studies of TL and aging are conducted in high-income countries. Less is known in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as South Africa, where life expectancy remains lower despite population aging.