The National Conference on Health Disparities Student Research Forum.

The annual National Conference on Health Disparities (NCHD) was launched in 2000. It unites health professionals, researchers, community leaders, and government officials, and is a catalyzing force in developing policies, research interventions, and programs that address prevention, social determinants, health disparities, and health equity. The NCHD Student Research Forum (SRF) was established in 2011 at the Medical University of South Carolina to build high-quality biomedical research presentation capacity in primarily underrepresented undergraduate and graduate/professional students.

Psychometric Properties and Analysis of the Masculinity Barriers to Medical Care Scale Among Black, Indigenous, and White Men.

Non-Hispanic (NH) Black, American Indian/Alaska Native (Indigenous), and NH-White men have the highest colorectal cancer (CRC) mortality rates among all other racial/ethnic groups. Contributing factors are multifaceted, yet no studies have examined the psychometric properties of a comprehensive survey examining potential masculinity barriers to CRC screening behaviors among these populations. This study assessed the psychometric properties of our Masculinity Barriers to Medical Care (MBMC) Scale among NH-Black, Indigenous, and NH-White men who completed our web-based MBMC, Psychosocial Factors, and CRC Screening Uptake & Intention Survey.

Factors Influencing the Relationship Between Work-Related Stress and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Working Black Adults in the United States.

: Work-related stress (WRS) and posttraumatic disorder (PTSD) is higher among Black adults relative to their White counterparts. Trauma exposure is not the only connection to increased risk for PTSD as WRS is highly associated with risk for PTSD. However, the factors that link WRS and PTSD among working Black adults is not well understood.

Examining the Association of Pain and Financial Hardship Among Older Men by Race in the United States.

Pain associated with financial hardship among older men varies by race. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of financial hardship with the presence of pain in men 50 years and older by race. Using the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) 2010 wave, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess the association between four financial hardship indicators and total financial hardship as a composite score, and the presence of pain by race.

Poverty, Racism, and the Public Health Crisis in America.

The purpose of this article is to discuss poverty as a multidimensional factor influencing health. We will also explicate how racism contributes to and perpetuates the economic and financial inequality that diminishes prospects for population health improvement among marginalized racial and ethnic groups. Poverty is one of the most significant challenges for our society in this millennium.

Internet Access, Social Risk Factors, and Web-Based Social Support Seeking Behavior: Assessing Correlates of the "Digital Divide" Across Neighborhoods in The State of Maryland.

We aimed to empirically measure the degree to which there is a "digital divide" in terms of access to the internet at the small-area community level within the State of Maryland and the City of Baltimore and to assess the relationship and association of this divide with community-level SDOH risk factors, community-based social service agency location, and web-mediated support service seeking behavior. To assess the socio-economic characteristics of the neighborhoods across the state, we calculated the Area Deprivation Index (ADI) using the U.S.

Familial Financial Assistance and Body Mass Index in Black College Graduates.

Racial disparities in obesity are larger between Black and White college graduates compared to disparities among those who did not complete high school. A possible explanation is that Black adults with higher socioeconomic status (SES) experience unique obesogenic determinants. Black adults who have completed a 4-year college degree can report "uplift stress" from providing financial assistance to family members.

Relationships of Educational Attainment and Household Food Insecurity with Obesity: Findings from the 2007-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

This study aimed to determine whether 1882 Black young adults' educational attainment was associated with their obesity ([BMI] ≥ 30) and whether this association varied with household food insecurity. Data from interviews with Black young adults and a medical examination from the 2007-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed. Modified Poisson regressions with robust standard errors were used.

Racial Residential Segregation and Race Differences in Ideal Cardiovascular Health among Young Men.

Background: Race disparities in cardiovascular disease (CVD) related morbidity and mortality are evident among men. While previous studies show health in young adulthood and racial residential segregation (RRS) are important factors for CVD risk, these factors have not been widely studied in male populations. We sought to examine race differences in ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) among young men (ages 24-34) and whether RRS influenced this association.

Social and Behavioral Factors Associated with BMI and Waist Circumference among Adolescents: The Jackson Heart KIDS Pilot Study.

Background: African American children and adolescents make up a disproportionately large segment of those classified as overweight and obese. The purpose of this study was to examine social and behavioral factors associated with accelerated accumulation of weight and adiposity among this group.

Methods: The data for this cross-sectional study were drawn from the Jackson Heart KIDS Pilot Study - an offspring cohort study comprising 12- to 19-year-old descendants of Jackson Heart Study participants (N=212).

Examining the Role of Family History of US Enslavement in Health Care System Distrust Today.

Objective: Black/African American people have long reported high, albeit warranted, distrust of the US health care system (HCS); however, Blacks/African Americans are not a homogenous racial/ethnic group. Little information is available on how the subgroup of Black Americans whose families suffered under US chattel slavery, here called Descendants of Africans Enslaved in the United States (DAEUS), view health care institutions. We compared knowledge of unethical treatment and HCS distrust among DAEUS and non-DAEUS.

Income Inequality and Obesity among US Adults 1999-2016: Does Sex Matter?

Obesity is a major public health problem that varies by income and sex, yet there is little evidence to determine the association between income inequality and obesity. We examined the association between income and obesity in adults ages 20 years and older and tested whether this relationship differs by sex in the United States. We used the 1999-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke's efforts on diversifying the neuroscience research workforce.

Research innovation that leads to discovery in the battle against neurological disease and disorders requires diverse ideas. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, one of the National Institutes of Health's 27 institutes and centers, strives to reduce the burden of neurological disease and disorders. The National Institutes of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke is very interested in increasing the diversity of researchers by addressing the existing barriers responsible for the low numbers of underrepresented populations from traditionally minority-serving institutions (MSIs) and non-minority serving institutions (non-MSIs).

Examining the Neighborhood Attributes of Recently Housed Partner Violence Survivors in Rapid Rehousing.

Survivors' considerations for re-housing following intimate partner violence (IPV) are understudied despite likely neighborhood-level influences on women's safety. We assess housing priorities and predictors of re-housing location among recent IPV survivors ( = 54) in Rapid Re-housing (RRH) in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. Choropleth maps depict residential location relative to census tract characteristics (neighborhood deprivation index (NDI) and residential segregation) derived from American Community Survey data (2013-2017).

Life Stressors and Sleep Problems as Predictors of the Likelihood of Lifetime Cannabis Use among Black Adults with Criminal Justice Contact.

Background: The criminal justice system is the second largest referral source to publicly funded marijuana use disorder treatment. Individuals with criminal justice contact (being unfairly treated or abused by the police, lifetime arrest, incarceration, or parole) have reported notably high levels of stress, sleep problems, and marijuana use. There are well-known race and sex disparities in marijuana use and criminal justice contact.

Study protocol of a randomized controlled trial evaluating the Prime Time Sister Circles (PTSC) program's impact on hypertension among midlife African American women.

Background: The Prime-Time Sister Circles® (PTSC) program is a multifaceted, community-based peer support intervention targeting African American women who are 40 to 75 years of age. It aims to reduce hypertension disparities observed among African American women by promoting adherence to antihypertensive therapies, including lifestyle modification and therapeutic regimens.

Methods: The PTSC randomized controlled trial will evaluate the effectiveness of the PTSC Program on improved blood pressure control, healthcare utilization attributed to cardiovascular events, and healthcare costs.

The Role of Place in Disparities Affecting Black Men Receiving Hemodialysis.

Introduction: Black men are over-represented in the end stage kidney disease population and are at disproportionate risk of unfavorable outcomes. There is a paucity of investigation to elucidate the mediators of this risk. This study attempts to identify residential community attributes as a possible contributor.

Church Attendance and Mobility Limitation Among Black and White Men With Prostate Cancer.

Prostate cancer is a significant impediment that can reduce physical functional status. Mobility is fundamental for quality of life and church attendance to be associated with improved physical functioning. Few studies have examined how religious participation have implications for mobility limitation among men in general and among prostate cancer survivors in particular.

Evaluating Depressive Symptoms Among Low-Socioeconomic-Status African American Women Aged 40 to 75 Years With Uncontrolled Hypertension: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Depression is one of the leading causes of disability in the United States. African American women of low socioeconomic status with uncontrolled hypertension are at risk of having severe depressive symptoms, yet there is limited research about the mental health of this vulnerable population. Data from the Prime Time Sister Circles randomized clinical trial (PTSC-RCT) study can shed light on the prevalence of depressive symptoms among low-socioeconomic-status older African American women with hypertension.

Meaningful Causal Decompositions in Health Equity Research: Definition, Identification, and Estimation Through a Weighting Framework.

Causal decomposition analyses can help build the evidence base for interventions that address health disparities (inequities). They ask how disparities in outcomes may change under hypothetical intervention. Through study design and assumptions, they can rule out alternate explanations such as confounding, selection bias, and measurement error, thereby identifying potential targets for intervention.

The Association Between Depressive Symptoms and Accumulation of Stress Among Black Men in the Health and Retirement Study.

Background And Objectives: Among the multiple factors posited to drive the health inequities that black men experience, the fundamental role of stress in the production of poor health is a key component. Allostatic load (AL) is considered to be a byproduct of stressors related to cumulative disadvantage. Exposure to chronic stress is associated with poorer mental health including depressive symptoms.

Erratum to: Do Depressive Symptoms Shape Blacks' Perceptions of Stress Over Time?

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igaa022.].

Geographic disparities in COVID-19 infections and deaths: The role of transportation.

The US government imposed two travel restriction policies to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 but may have funneled asymptomatic air travelers to selected major airports and transportation hubs. Using the most recent JHU COVID-19 database, American Community Survey, Airport and Amtrak data form Bureau of Transportation Statistics from 3132 US counties we ran negative binomial regressions and Cox regression models to explore the associations between COVID-19 cases and death rates and proximity to airports, train stations, and public transportation. Counties within 25 miles of an airport had 1.

Psychosocial determinants of colorectal Cancer screening uptake among African-American men: understanding the role of masculine role norms, medical mistrust, and normative support.

Objectives: Despite having the highest colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality across all major racial/ethnic groups, African-American men consistently have poor CRC screening rates. Gendered and racialized beliefs and norms have been associated with African-American men's lower medical assistance-seeking rates, but how these notions influence African-American men's CRC screening practices merits further investigation. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of psychosocial determinants of men's health on CRC screening uptake among African-American men in three states.