Influence Of Sociocultural Factors Research Articles

The Influence of Socio-Cultural Factors in Access to Healthcare in Kenya: A Case of Nairobi County, Kenya

Access to public healthcare in Nairobi County is unequal among social classes. Lower social classes have worse healthcare than either the upper or the middle classes. These health inequalities are correlated with socio-economic inequalities. The higher socio-economic classes have better access to healthcare than the lower socio-economic classes. Higher incomes, education, employment and wealth result in better health of the households in the County. Unequal access to healthcare contributes to disparities in health status, increases costs for both the insured and the uninsured. Lack of access to healthcare reduces disposable incomes, particularly burdening the lower income households. These households cannot afford the care they need. This has forced them to forego such care altogether. The objectives of the study were three, namely: to evaluate the influence of demographic variables in access to public healthcare, to evaluate the influence of socio-cultural factors in access to public health care, and to evaluate the influence of institutional factors in access to public healthcare. The study used descriptive design, specifically, cross-sectional design for collection, measurements and analysis of data. The study took place in Nairobi County. The target population was households living in Nairobi County, where the sample was drawn from. The sampling techniques included multi-stage random sampling, random sampling, stratifies random sampling, cluster random sampling, convenient sampling and purposive sampling. The sample size was obtained using Chadha’s formula (2006) to arrive at 1066 sample size. Data collection instruments included observations, face-to-face interviews, questionnaires, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically but quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 23. The results show that there were positive correlations between independent and dependent variables. The P-value was statistically significant. The results were not due to random chance and that P-0.01 < 0.05 and this confirms a positive relations ships between the variables. The relationships were mutually inclusive and highly correlated. On that basis, the null hypotheses were rejected and the alternate hypotheses accepted. The results show that demographic (disposing), socio-cultural (need) and institutional (enabling) factors influence access to healthcare. Socio-economic factors should be addressed to benefit all the households. Socio-cultural factors should be distributed fairly among the households. Health systems should be improved and adequately financed to provide the requisite resources to all the households.

Профессиональные предпочтения учащихся и социокультурные трансформации профессиональных групп

Objectives. To characterize the preferences of modern adolescents in professional fields, taking into account the influence of demographic and socio-stratification factors, and also to identify the influence of socio-cultural factors: social success (class status, academic performance) and components of a life position (emotional assessment of prospects, plans, value orientations) on the transformation of ideas schoolchildren about professional fields and the features of their recruitment into various professional groups. Background. In connection with the complexity of the current sociocultural situation, which determines the uniqueness of the socialization of the modern adolescent (value-normative uncertainty, increasing social inequality, changing the information space, the transformation of the main social institutions of socialization, primarily family and school), it is becoming important to pay attention to the peculiarities of modern youth in various professional fields. Study design. The study examined the frequency of students’ choice of various professional fields for further activities. The influence of demographic, socio-stratification, factors of social success, components of the life position of students was studied. Participants. 11803 students of the 7th, 9th and 11th grades. Measurements. Anonymous questionnaire survey of students in primary and senior schools, using closed-ended questions, StatSoftStatistika 6.0 package (significant differences, factor analysis). Results. The features of the influence of demographic and socio-stratification factors on the professional preferences of modern adolescents are revealed. Using the factor analysis procedure, five generalized characteristics of the life position of schoolchildren are identified that determine the characteristics of their orientations towards different types of professional activity. Conclusions. The data obtained make it possible to predict the influence of demographic, socio-stratification and sociocultural factors on the nature of the transformations of various socio-professional groups.

Priority influence of socio-cultural factors on development of public governance

Priority influence of socio-cultural factors on development of public governance

Authenticity in Discursive Practices of the Online Market for Second-Hand Luxury Clothing

Authenticity is a particularly sensitive and salient issue in the online market for second-hand luxury clothing, and it is still little explored in the field of consumption studies. In this study we sought to analyze how authenticity is represented in discursive practices of the Brazilian online market for second-hand luxury clothing. The corpus of the work consisted of data collected through interviews in five stores of the Brazilian online market of luxury second-hand clothing. The data were analyzed using the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), proposed by Fairclough (1992), articulated to the sociocultural perspective of consumption. From the discursive categories Subject, Interdiscursivity, Intertextuality, Transitivity System, and Appraisal System, we perceived that the process of legitimizing the stores and the representations of authenticity are overlapped and traversed significantly by historical, social, and cultural aspects. We conclude that insofar as it becomes difficult to ensure objective authenticity, an interpretative dimension emerges, elaborated from the influence of sociocultural factors that underlie the judgment on what is authentic luxury, which in the scenario investigated are indexes of expression of high luxury. In this case, the origins and trajectories that are recognized as references of elite distinction for Brazilian consumers are important elements for the interpretation of authenticity.

Peculiarities of the institutional blocks of the Ukrainian higher education system in the conditions of economic transformation

Problems of influence of informatization and globalization processes on all the components of human economic activity and, accordingly, on a fundamental and rapid change in the requirements for educational and qualification characteristics of the specialists involved in the production of goods and services in general, and the mechanisms and instruments of providing educational services themselves, in particular, are quite rightly the focus of the researchers. Such a structural change of the national economy necessitated a substantial correction of the Ukrainian higher education system. Аs a result of the study, the influence of socio-cultural factors on the organization of institutional support of the Ukrainian educational space is revealed. The specific features of the institutional structure of the higher education system of Ukraine are highlighted and discussed. Based on a comparative approach, the article presents an analysis of the institutional blocks of the higher education system. The content of transformations in the mechanisms of structural and functional complementarity of institutional elements of the higher education system of Ukraine is revealed, namely the maintenance of structural complementarity of elements of the institutional system in the sphere of industrial relations is revealed, the peculiarities of the institutional block of financing are analyzed, the specifics of the institutional block of corporate governance is determined, the content of the institutional block of production models is revealed, the peculiarities of the training of the teaching staff of the higher education institution within the institutional block “training, preparation, and advanced training” are determined. The understanding of the transformation in the process of economic globalization of the role and importance of higher education systems as a key tool for ensuring the entry of the national economy into the nucleus, proto-periphery or periphery (orientation to knowledge transfer) of the capitalist world-system was improved.

Aesthetic perception of the compositional structure of the park environment

The article deals with the peculiarities of the influence of the composition structure of the park environment on aesthetic perception and its influence on the formation of preferences with the involvement of respondents (76 people).The peer review methodological approach was applied, which includes a parallel analysis of two interrelated structures (material and imaginative), as well as their relation to the aesthetic evaluation results of the respondents. Surveys involving respondents were conducted for four seasons 2017-2018 directly on the territory of the Park of Glory in Kyiv.We defined the relationship between the aesthetic evaluation of the park environment and the features of its compositional organization, which influence the formation of preferences and cause their variability during the year. It is revealed that the combination of features of the park environment, which are perceived as attractive due to the evolution of human as a biological species and the influence of socio-cultural factors increases the emotional impact and aesthetic evaluation of the park environment, but can both reduce and enhance its informative qualities. The presence of distant vistas and panoramas is an important feature that promotes the aesthetic qualities of the environment, but reduces, and in some cases, eliminates the influence of direct means of expression of ideological meaning. The compositional coherence of the architectural components of the park environment and plants, as well as the formation of perspectives on the memorial objects enhances emotional impact, informational qualities and aesthetic appreciation in general.

WORD AND IMAGE

The text is an attempt to present possible dialogical connections between works of literature and visual arts as an expression of the building up aspiration of the creative spirit to give rise to ideas ,by constructing the universe in fictional worlds. Such dialogue is far from utilitarian and bears the traces of artistic freedom; it is a kind of a play and provocation because it handles artifacts in which spiritual experience has crystallized, knowledge is preserved, and the coordinate system of values characterizing periods or communities is outlined. Although recreated through a different type of expression, a different articulation of meaning - verbal or non-verbal, they are manifestations of a worldview and moral convictions and fulfillment of aesthetic views - the author shows subjectivism regarding the choice of life material, regarding the scheme of its organization, the way its interpretation and the degree of distance from reality. In this sense, the analytical observations on works of literature and fine arts can be based on similar tendencies, related to the prerequisites for their emergence, the influence of sociocultural factors, and the distinction of imaginative, ideological, thematic and stylistic parallels.The characteristics are even more clarified in the contact zone of the two arts.Attention is drawn to icon and illustration, which are to some extent interconnected because, despite their iconographic, stylistic and printing differences, they can be defined as a plastic narrative. They are similar due to the presence of stylization and decorativeness in the image. Their aesthetic nature and social function are a kind of projection of the ideological and artistic tendencies in the spiritual pursuits of the community and the understanding of the role of the creative personality in the cultural and social life.Their juxtaposition with literary texts is conditioned by the possible thematic, ideological, figuratively-emotional and stylistic parallels, which are the basis of the functionality of similar psychological preconditions that determine their creation, as well as of similar aesthetic categories and social tasks to which the authors are subject. In such a view, the unique in both arts is more clearly distinguished, but at the same time, through the different languages, the “spirit of time” in its sociocultural condition is more fully reconstructed.The dialogue between works of literature and fine arts outlines a cultural field in which parallel worlds intersect. The various aspects of the relationship between them are examined - conflicting or complementary, with an emphasis on the idea of their mutual transformation or their clear separation. It is a communication in which meaning penetrates and dissolves into other cultural fields, overcomes limitations and generates additional nuances when it comes to ideas and emotions.The dynamics of their encounter, overlay, transformation or complementarity contribute to create a panoramic picture of the spiritual life over a period of time, to trace cultural interactions and to clarify the specifics of a work of art as an artifact.

Social Capital as a Factor of Economic Growth in the Regions of Russia

This paper examines the influence of sociocultural factors of economic growth on economic development of the Russian regions. The article analyses the influence of various forms of social capital according to James Coleman (norms of trust between individuals, horizontal ties, social norms and values) on economic growth rates of the Russian regions. The paper uses an augmented neoclassical model of economic growth to test the hypotheses about the impact of the initial social capital distribution on the subsequent GRP growth rates in 2007–2016. Particular attention is paid to the selection of relevant tools for measuring the level of social capital of the Russian regions. The empirical specifications of the proposed theoretical model of regional economic growth were evaluated using the two-stage least squares regression (2SLS); the robustness check was carried out using the system generalized method of moments (system GMM). The results of econometric analysis show that the initial spatial distribution of generalized trust does not have a statistically signifi cant effect on economic development. At the same time, the activity of lobbying groups (Olson groups) reduces the rate of economic growth in the regions of the Russian Federation. Increasing the level of civic cooperation (the willingness of citizens to unite to solve their own or social problems in the region) is associated with higher rates of economic development. For the selected study period, the economic signifi cance of sociocultural factors is marginal relative to the significance of the fundamental neoclassical growth factors. Unlocking the potential of sociocultural factors of economic growth may suggest activating the processes of structural transformation of the Russian economy by increasing the economic importance of the private sector and SME segment.

Cluster Analysis of the Relationship Between Traditional and Innovation Economies

Under contemporary conditions, programmes for the socio-economic development of Russian regions are increasingly relevant due to the necessity of a coordinating element between the Federal target programmes that operate on the territories of Federal Subjects and the target programmes of the Federal Subject itself. When creating an effective system for managing the development and implementation of regional socio-economic development programmes, it is necessary to proceed according to a unified method that is in conformity with government socio-economic development priorities. Regional economic policy essentially depends on a particular region's innovative potential, which, in turn, predetermines its further socio-economic development. In order to determine specific influence of socio-cultural factors involved in traditional approaches to the economic management of regions where the indigenous peoples are predominantly supported through innovative development, the authors conducted a cluster analysis of the regions of the Russian Federation.

Formation of a Regional Development Strategy According to the Level of Investment Activity of Enterprises

Under contemporary conditions, programmes for the socio-economic development of Russian regions are increasingly relevant due to the necessity of a coordinating element between the Federal target programmes that operate on the territories of Federal Subjects and the target programmes of the Federal Subject itself. When creating an effective system for managing the development and implementation of regional socio-economic development programmes, it is necessary to proceed according to a unified method that is in conformity with government socio-economic development priorities. Regional economic policy essentially depends on a particular region's innovative potential, which, in turn, predetermines its further socio-economic development. In order to determine specific influence of socio-cultural factors involved in traditional approaches to the economic management of regions where the indigenous peoples are predominantly supported through innovative development, the authors conducted a cluster analysis of the regions of the Russian Federation.

Impact of knowledge, attitudes, and sociocultural factors on school enrollment of children with epilepsy in Gabon

PurposePerceptions, beliefs and culture influence attitude towards epilepsy in sub-Saharan Africa. Misconceptions on epilepsy contribute to the persistence of negative attitudes in children with epilepsy particularly on their school enrollment. The aim of the study was to assess knowledge, attitudes, and sociocultural factors affecting schooling of children with epilepsy in Gabon. MethodsTeachers and health workers from two urban and four rural localities of Gabon were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. ResultsOverall 1310 subjects filled the survey questionnaire, including 813 teachers and 497 health workers. Knowledge on risk factors and suggestive signs of childhood epilepsy were globally poor. Misconceptions on etiology of epilepsy were significant with contagiousness (27.5%) and demonic possession (16.0%) representing the major prevalent idea about the origin of epilepsy in children. Attitudes of teachers and health workers towards schooling of children with epilepsy were positive (85.0%). However, more than half recommended enrollment of these children in specialized school programs. In multivariate analysis, education level (OR = 1.40; 95% confidence interval 1.01–1.81) and marital status (OR = 1.62; 95% confidence interval 1.18-2.22) were sociocultural factors likely to affect chances of school enrollment of children with epilepsy. ConclusionUnderstanding the influence of socio-cultural factors surrounding school enrollment of children with epilepsy could enhance public awareness campaigns about epilepsy and to improve school integration of these children.

The influence culture and maternal care on exclusive breastfeeding practice in post caesarean section mothers

The purpose of this study is to identify the influence of socio-cultural factors on the exclusive breastfeeding practice among post-caesarean section mothers on Cibinong West Java region. This study used a mixed quantitative survey method and qualitative phenomenological approach. Postpartum caesarean mothers had a good understanding and knowledge of exclusive breastfeeding (84%), but only 23.3% of postpartum caesarean mothers were doing exclusive breastfeeding. There were five themes identified from the qualitative study namely: the practice of breastfeeding, factors that influence mothers in giving breast milk, beliefs and values influencing the breastfeeding practice, experience of breastfeeding, and the mother's return to work and community beliefs. Exclusive breastfeeding remains low in that city especially in post-caesarean mothers who are influenced by culture, values, and due to the mother having to return to work. They need support to provide exclusive breastfeeding.

An Analysis of Intercultural Students’ Self-Determination in Graduate Online Programmes: Implications for Praxis

Abstract The self-determination of online graduate students was studied in terms of the impact of autonomy, competence and relatedness upon their persistence. Unique to this study was the assessment of the potential influence of socio-cultural factors. As the majority of research into online university students’ persistence is generated from the US, Canada, UK and European countries assessing their own domestic populations, the global nature of this study provides a new perspective. Fifty-four online graduate students representing 26 countries participated representing 19 lesser developed economies and 7 developed economies. Collectivist versus individualistic cultures were equally represented. Self-determination Theory (SDT) was examined both in terms of the online classroom environment as well as overcoming life challenges for programme perseverance. A correlational matrix was used to reject the null hypothesis. Results indicated that statistically significant correlations exist among the three variables, and, in the instances of the variables of autonomy and relatedness, a significant negative correlation exists. The findings indicate that the participants displayed strong internal locus of control, self-directed learning, competency and relatedness in attaining success within the online environment programme. Cultural communitarianism values were not found to be of significant influence.

Mini Review: Socio-Cultural Influences on the Link Between ADHD and SUD.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a risk factor for the development and persistence of substance use disorders (SUD). The prevalence of ADHD in patients with SUD varies across countries and cultures. So far, cross-cultural variance in ADHD prevalence rates among SUD patients was mainly ascribed to methodological differences between studies, leaving the role of societal and cultural practices in the ADHD-SUD link hardly acknowledged. The aim of the present mini review is to address this gap in the literature by providing evidence for the effect of socio-cultural practices on the ADHD-SUD link and suggesting directions for future research. To achieve this goal, we map the influence of socio-cultural factors on the ADHD-SUD link along three lines of research. The first line is concerned with the role of socio-cultural factors in the recognition, diagnosis and treatment of childhood ADHD. The second line of research is concerned with socio-cultural influences on substance use (e.g., religion, ethnic identity, acculturation, and socio-economic status). Finally, we describe potential socio-cultural factors which may operate as mechanisms for reducing or increasing access to substance abuse treatment (e.g., ethnic disparities in health care utilization). Identifying socio-cultural influences on the ADHD-SUD link may provide further insight into the bidirectional association between ADHD and SUD in different contexts and encourage future research in the field.

ВЛИЯНИЕ СОЦИОКУЛЬТУРНОЙ СИТУАЦИИ НА САМООБРАЗОВАНИЕ ЖИТЕЛЕЙ КАРЕЛЬСКИХ РАЙОНОВ КАК ФАКТОР СОХРАНЕНИЯ ЧЕЛОВЕЧЕСКОГО КАПИТАЛА

The article raises the problem of self-education of residents of the Karelian border region and the Arctic as the most important aspect of preserving human capital in the territory of the Republic in conditions of stable labour migration. The purpose of the article is to detect the influence of soci-ocultural factors on the level of self-education of the population of the districts remote from the capital centers. In a research the complex methodology including standard and non-standard ques-tionnaires, an interview, colloquiums, focus groups and questioning is used. Residents of Kosto-muksh city district, Sortaval, Pitkärant, Lahdenpoh municipal districts were involved as respondents for the study. The study found that the sociocultural situation is one of the determining factors of the self-educational activity of modern man, as it contributes to the formation of his axiosphere at the level of spiritual and material values. Analysis of the real sociocultural situation at the level of factors of internal order (social dynamics, economic model of development, changes in the political regime, state structure), historical factors (national peculiarities of culture, in the context of which the formation of current generations took place) and the factor of influence of global processes can identify the main factors determining the request for self-educational activities of our contemporar-ies. The results of the cameral processing of empirical data have made it possible to identify two main factors affecting the formation of a high motivation for self-education, which allows the in-habitants of Karelia to realize their spiritual and material needs at a high level and to preserve human capital as the main value of society in the unstable situation of a globalizing world.

Overcoming the Odds: an Assessment of the Instinctiveness of Refugees and Migrants

The paper explores the influence of socio-cultural factors on entrepreneurial acumen among migrants. It focuses on ethnic groups and how their stature in society has served as a motivating factor for their ilk in pursuing entrepreneurial activities outside their countries of origin. The paper draws on a number of theoretical strands—social instincts hypothesis, theory of displacement and the resilience dynamics—to understand why some of the entrepreneurial spirit remains a dominant element in their cultures. It finds that the entrepreneurial activities of migrants serve as a focal point to address their issues. It is also serves as their world of hope, destiny and future whilst being a symbol of their narrative too.

Barriers to good glycemic control levels and adherence to diabetes management plan in adults with Type-2 diabetes in Jordan: a literature review.

Poorly controlled Type-2 diabetes is considered a significant public health problem and associated with adverse outcomes in Jordan. This review focuses on barriers to good glycemic control levels and adherence to diabetes management plan in adults with Type-2 diabetes in Jordan. The aim was to identify the extent of Type-2 diabetes and the influence of knowledge, perceptions and sociocultural factors on adherence to the diabetes management plan. Thirty-two studies were included in the literature review. The high prevalence rate of poorly controlled Type-2 diabetes is associated with many negative consequences among patients in Jordan. Despite the publication of research findings that have shown the importance of adherence to diet, physical activity, medications, monitoring blood glucose and foot care, the level of adherence is still unsatisfactory among patients in Jordan. This review also identified that social, cultural and religious factors influence diabetes management. These factors highlighted the overwhelming influence of socio-cultural factors and lifestyles as determinants of patients’ health and health behaviors. For example, the influence of family, friends and culture on herbal use and food preferences that patients make on a daily basis and during social gatherings. A holistic approach incorporating patient-centered care could usefully be incorporated into educational programs to improve the understanding of patients’ health and information needs. The importance of factors beyond the individual level in terms of social, cultural, organizational and policy influences such as food habits, religious beliefs and lack of continuity of care were identified as key factors which influence adherence to the diabetes management plan. Recognition of multiple determinants of patients’ health among health care professionals may expand the scope of interventions to seek to modify social norms and values and improve patient outcomes.

Neo-institutional Approach for Regional Economic Development: The Impact of Sociocultural Determinants

Purpose: The aim of this article is to analyze neo-institutional approach for regional development by identifying the impact of sociocultural determinants at regional level. Design/Methodology/Approach: For regional economic development, it is required to identify sociocultural factors that contribute to (or impede) the innovative economic development of the regions by highlighting regions in which sociocultural factors will rather contribute (or rather impede) innovative development. Findings: To take account of the influence of sociocultural factors on the effectiveness of institutional transformations, a system of indicators has been developed, evaluating sociocultural characteristics and behavioral attitudes of economic agents in a certain region. Practical Implications: The author developed recommendations before starting the process of institutional changes in a specific regional innovation system. Practical Implications: The article formulates recommendations on the implementation of institutional changes in the region taking into account the sociocultural characteristics of the region’s population. Originality/Value: Sociocultural background is very important in terms of fine-tuning the process of institutional in regional level. As such it can be used for changes and to determine the specifics of their conduct in the regions of the Russian Federation.

DYNAMIC ASPECTS OF GROWING UP OF RURAL ADOLESCENTS

Introduction: growing up of a child is a process of constantly changing the structure of his subjective and objective characteristics, including the formation in ontogenesis of the image of adulthood, its development and implementation, as well as the reflection of the development of adulthood by children in the psychological and pedagogical space by participants of the educational process (parents, educators). In the framework of one of the particular hypotheses, we define the psychological and pedagogical space for the development of a rural schoolchild by the dynamics of maturation of the components of self-awareness: self-understanding, self-actualization and selfattitude. The data of an empirical study of the dynamic aspects of the maturing of schoolchildren in the space of the village, who are going through the inter-age transition, are presented. The goal is determined by the need to study the specific characteristics of growing up of rural adolescents living in the Velizhsky and Smolensk districts of the Smolensk region, who are studying in rural schools for a total of 120 people, 68 of which are boys and 52 are girls. Materials and methods: to study the structural and content characteristics of the dynamics of growing up, determined by the development of the components of self-awareness: selfunderstanding, self-actualization and self-relation, we used the following psychological tools: 1) the method of assessing the level of self-actualization of the person (SAMOAL) Kalina (1987); 2) the method of the study of self-attitude (IIA) Pantileev and V.V. Stolin (1989); 3) the method of free self-description of M. Kuhn and T. McPartland (1992). Results: the results of the study showed that adolescents in the studied sample are characterized by high self-understanding scales (χ = 7.82), which is evidence that adolescents are sensitive, sensitive to their own needs and desires, are free from psychological defenses that separate their personality from its own essence, and also not inclined to the substitution of their own tastes and evaluations by external social standards adopted in society. The data of the correlation analysis in the studied sample of adolescents self-understanding positively correlates with p &lt;0.01 with autonomy (r = 0.47), spontaneity (r = 0.31), autosympathy (r = 0.49) and contact (r = 0, 18). High values were determined on the scales of reflected self-relation (χ = 6.05), self-value (χ = 6.89) and selfattachment (χ = 5.92). These data reflect adolescents’ perceptions that their personality, character, and activities are capable of giving others respect, sympathy, approval, and understanding; and also point to some rigidity of their «self-concept», conservative self-sufficiency, denial of the possibility and desirability of developing their self hood against the background of the characteristics of growing up. Discussion and conclusions: the content of adolescents’ self-understanding presents the realities and aspects of their own inner life that are relevant for the development of their personality. High school students seek to understand not only their personal qualities and character traits, interests and abilities, attitudes towards themselves and with other people, but also their feelings and motives, values and beliefs, life plans and goals. The process of growing up of adolescents involves the development of the main components of their self-awareness, and in this process adults can be of great help to the teenager. The data obtained are taken into account in the psychological and pedagogical support of adolescents in the socio-cultural space of the village; a program of socio-psychological training sessions has been developed, aimed at developing their self-understanding, self-actualization and self-relationship, which will ensure the development of their adult self-consciousness. There is a tendency to further research on the influence of sociocultural factors on the implementation of a particular strategy of growing up and the attitude of growing children to it at a distance of adolescence.

Abstract P361: Body Image Dissatisfaction Influences Cardiovascular Health in Overweight and Obese African American Women

Introduction: African American women are 5 times less likely than white women to meet at least 5 or more ideal cardiovascular health metrics as defined by the American Heart Association Life’s Simple 7 (LS7) components (smoking, diet, physical activity, BMI, blood pressure, total cholesterol, and glucose). There are few studies probing the influence of sociocultural factors, such as body image dissatisfaction (BID), on these disparities. A better understanding of the impact of BID on cardiovascular health could assist in the design of more effective behavior change interventions for African American women. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that BID would have a negative association with cardiovascular health in overweight and obese African American women. Methods: We enrolled 32 women (mean age 49 years [SD 12.9]), from 5 predominantly African American churches participating in a larger community-based participatory study (FAITH! App Pilot Study) of a mobile health lifestyle intervention among African American women and men. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data to evaluate the association between BID and both cardiovascular health and select psychosocial factors (e.g. motivation for healthy eating, diet self-regulation). A LS7 composite score was calculated as a measure of overall cardiovascular health (range 0-14). The Pulvers scale, consisting of images of women across the BMI spectrum, was used to measure perceived current and goal body size (rating of figures, 1-9; underweight to very obese). A BID score was calculated as the difference between perceived current and desired body image (range -8-8; BID &lt; 0 [desire to be heavier], BID &gt; 0 [desire to be thinner], BID = 0 [no dissatisfaction]). The BID score range for our cohort was 0-4. Thus, we categorized BID as no/low BID (BID score 0-1) or high BID (BID score 2-4). Results: Twenty-two percent (7/32) of women were overweight (BMI 25-29.9) and 78% (25/32) were obese (BMI (≥ 30). Forty-four percent (14/32) had no/low BID and 56% (18/32) had high BID. Those with high BID were more likely to be obese as compared to no/low BID (94% (17/18) versus 57% (8/14), p=0.03). Although not statistically significant, the mean LS7 composite score was 1 point higher among those with no/low BID, versus high BID (8.83 versus 7.76, p=0.25). Compared to women with high BID, those with no/low BID were more likely to have greater: intrinsic motivation (P=0.01) and integrated regulation for healthy eating (P=0.007), and self-regulation to reduce fat and caloric intake (P=0.01). Conclusion: Ultimately, although small, our study suggests that African-American women with obesity are more likely to have high BID. High BID was associated with lower motivation and self-regulation, which predict cardiovascular health. BID and other psychosocial factors for behavior change are potential targets for culturally-tailored lifestyle interventions in this group.