Knowledge Of Health Disparities Research Articles

Integrating lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) competency into the dental school curriculum.

Decreasing healthcare disparities in marginalized communities requires healthcare providers who understand and appreciate social, economic, and cultural backgrounds. This includes care and education focused on individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ). This study examined dental students' and residents' self-reported clinical preparedness, prejudicial attitudes (implicit and explicit), and knowledge of health disparities that exist in the LGBTQ community using the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Development of Clinical Skills Scale (LGBT-DOCSS) prior to and after the presentation of an LGBTQ competency course. A total of 178 dental students at a private US dental school ranging from D1 to first-year postdoctoral residency participated in the course and completed both pre-course survey and post-course survey. Sixty-seven percent of the students reported having formal training in LGBTQ competency prior to completing the pre-training survey. The results of the LGBT-DOCSS in this population following intervention training revealed an increased feeling of clinical preparedness in treating LGBTQ patients, decreased bias toward LGBTQ, and increased knowledge of health disparities in the LGBTQ community. A more significant percentage of male respondents self-reported prejudicial beliefs. Knowledge of LGBTQ health issues increased significantly among pre-clinical students. Introducing an early intervention LGBTQ competency course in the dental curriculum is an effective method of improving students' awareness and self-confidence in working with LGBTQ patients while decreasing biases that may have existed prior to a training course.

Medical Student Perceptions of Sociocultural Issues in Healthcare: A Multisite Study of Medical Spanish Education

Theory Cultural competence and humility are core elements of medical education in a diverse society. Language is inseparable from culture, as language informs, indexes, frames, and encodes both culture and worldview. Spanish is the most common non-English language taught in U.S. medical schools, yet medical Spanish courses tend to artificially separate language from culture. It is unknown to what extent medical Spanish courses advance students’ sociocultural knowledge or patient care skills. Hypotheses Based on current predominant pedagogy, medical Spanish classes may not adequately integrate sociocultural issues relevant to Hispanic/Latinx health. We hypothesized that students who completed a medical Spanish course would not demonstrate significant gains in sociocultural skills following the educational intervention. Method An interprofessional team developed a sociocultural questionnaire, and 15 medical schools invited their students to complete the questionnaire before and after completing a medical Spanish course. Of participating schools, 12 implemented a standardized medical Spanish course and three served as control sites. Survey data were analyzed regarding: (1) perceived sociocultural competence (recognition of common cultural beliefs, recognition of culturally normative non-verbal cues, gestures, and social behaviors, ability to address sociocultural issues in healthcare context, and knowledge of health disparities); (2) application of sociocultural knowledge; and (3) demographic factors and self-rated language proficiency (Poor, Fair, Good, Very Good, or Excellent) on the Interagency Language Roundtable scale for healthcare (ILR-H). Results Overall, 610 students participated in sociocultural questionnaire between January 2020 and January 2022. After the course, participants reported an increased understanding of cultural aspects of communication with Spanish-speaking patients and the ability to apply sociocultural knowledge to patient care (all p < 0.001). When analyzed by demographic factors, students who identified as Hispanic/Latinx or as heritage speakers of Spanish tended to report increased sociocultural knowledge/skills following the course. When examined by Spanish proficiency, preliminary trends showed that students at both ILR-H Poor and Excellent levels did not demonstrate gains in sociocultural knowledge or ability to apply sociocultural skills. Students at sites with a standardized course were likely to improve sociocultural skills in mental health conversations (p < 0.001) while students at control sites were not (p = 0.05). Conclusions Medical Spanish educators may benefit from additional guidance on teaching sociocultural aspects of communication. Our findings support that students at ILR-H levels of Fair, Good, and Very Good are particularly well-suited for gaining sociocultural skills in current medical Spanish courses. Future studies should explore potential metrics to evaluate cultural humility/competence within actual interactions with patients.

Implementation and analysis of a LGBTQ cultural competency module on pharmacy student knowledge

IntroductionThis study describes the implementation and assessment of a cultural competency module on caring for patients who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer (LGBTQ). The module was delivered to first professional year pharmacy students, and focused on student knowledge and application of LGBTQ-specific definitions, inclusive language, and health disparities. MethodsA mixed-methods design captured data to assess the effect of a LGBTQ module on student knowledge and confidence. For the pre- and post-assessment, descriptive statistics were calculated and mean differences were compared using the paired sample t-test. The number of correct choices for multiple-select questions were compared using the Pearson chi-square test. Post-laboratory (lab) reflections were analyzed via percentages of agreement for Likert-scale questions and thematic analysis of free-response questions. ResultsAverage pre- and post-assessment scores (n = 74 students) were 47.84% and 53.51% (P = .02). Sub-analysis of the multiple-select questions indicated statistically significant improvement in student performance on health disparities and culturally-competent communication (P values < .05). Likert-scale questions from 71 student's post-lab reflections indicated agreement of improved knowledge of health disparities (95.77%) and LGBTQ terminology (92.96%). Agreement in student's confidence using inclusive language and competent communication improved from 64.79% pre- to 95.67% post-module. Reflection themes included respect, inclusivity, awareness, and avoiding assumptions. ConclusionsThe module slightly improved student knowledge via assessment performance; however, student-reported knowledge and confidence regarding LGBTQ competency significantly improved. This module can be utilized by schools of pharmacy as a model educational activity on LGBTQ cultural competency with lab-based application.

The lockdown, mobility, and spatial health disparities in COVID-19 pandemic: A case study of New York City

The world has adopted unprecedented lockdown as the key method to mitigate COVID-19; yet its effect on pandemic outcomes and health disparities remains largely unknown. Adopting a multilevel conceptual framework, this research investigates how city-level lockdown policy and public transit system shape mobility and thus intra-city health disparities, using New York City as a case study. With a spatial method and multiple sources of data, this research demonstrates the uneven impact of the lockdown policy and public transit system in shaping local pandemic outcomes. Census tracts with people spending more time at home have lower infection and death rates, while those with a higher density of transit stations have higher infection and death rates. Residential profile matters and census tracts with a higher concentration of disadvantaged population, such as Blacks, Hispanics, poor and elderly people, and people with no health insurance, have higher infection and death rates. Spatial analyses identify clusters where the lockdown policy was not effective and census tracts that share similar pandemic characteristics. Through the lens of mobility, this research advances knowledge of health disparities by focusing on institutional causes for health disparities and the role of the government through intervention policy and public transit system.

Health Equity and Enrollment in Preventive Parenting Programs: A Qualitative Study of Filipino Parents

ABSTRACT This qualitative study identified the parent health beliefs and normative beliefs related to child behavioral and mental health problems and examined the benefits and barriers of enrolling in an evidence-based parenting intervention among Filipino parents of school-aged children. A secondary aim was to also use the results to inform the development of a theory-based video intervention to increase enrollment in parenting interventions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fifteen parents who had or had not participated in the Incredible Years® parenting program, an evidence-based parenting intervention. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Using a “Coding Consensus, Co-occurrence, and Comparison” methodology, emergent themes were mapped into a matrix against a priori-coded health belief model (HBM) and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) constructs. Parents believed that perceived susceptibility could be influenced by including knowledge of health disparities affecting Filipino youth in the U.S. Perceived severity was related to behavioral and mental health concerns about school, family dynamics, bullying and parent coping strategies. Perceived benefits included strengthening parent-child relationships, creating support systems, and learning positive parenting skills. Perceived barriers included logistics, stigma, and the perception of the relevance of the program, cultural factors such as generational differences about parenting, and family issues. Social norms and subjective norms related to parent participation were also discussed. Applying the HBM and TPB to enrollment in parenting interventions may explain low enrollment rates. Future interventions need to target perceived susceptibility to future behavioral health problems, barriers, and benefits to enrollment, and influence subjective and social norms.

Confronting racism in nursing

Confronting racism in nursing

NACCHO's Follow-up Assessment of Disability Inclusion Within Local Health Departments.

NACCHO's Follow-up Assessment of Disability Inclusion Within Local Health Departments.

An overview of the unique challenges facing African-American breast cancer survivors.

The existence of cancer disparities is well known. Focus on alleviating such disparities centers on diagnosis, treatment, and mortality. This review surveyed current knowledge of health disparities that exist in the acute survivorship period (immediately following diagnosis and treatment) and their contributors, particularly for African-American breast cancer survivors (AA-BCS). Utilizing the ASCO four components of survivorship care, we explore disparities in surveillance and effects of cancer and therapies that AA-BCS face within the acute survivorship period (the years immediately following diagnosis). A literature review of PUBMED, Scopus, and Cochrane databases was conducted to identify articles related to AA-BCS acute survivorship. The search yielded 97 articles. Of the 97 articles, 38 articles met inclusion criteria. AA-BCS experience disparate survivorship care, which negatively impacts quality of life and health outcomes. Challenges exist in surveillance, interventions for late effects (e.g., quality-of-life outcomes, cardiotoxicity, and cognitive changes), preventing recurrence with promotion of healthy living, and coordinating care among the healthcare team. This overview identified current knowledge on the challenges in survivorship among AA-BCS. Barriers to optimal survivorship care inhibit progress in eliminating breast cancer disparities. Research addressing best practices for survivorship care is needed for this population. Implementation of culturally tailored care may reduce breast cancer disparities among AA-BCS.

An Academic Medical Center's Learners' Perceptions of Health Disparities.

Lack of health equity ultimately leads to unequal treatment of diverse patients and contributes to the growing disparities seen in national health. Academic medical centers should consider providing health care providers and biomedical researchers training on how to identify and address health disparities. The authors led an introductory health disparities course for graduate students and research and clinical fellows at an academic medical center in the Midwest. We compared pre/postcourse assessments to determine changes in learners' perceptions and knowledge of health disparities using an unpaired analysis to permit inclusion of responses provided only at baseline. Sixty-two learners completed preassessment, with 56 completing the postassessment (90%). In the postcourse assessment, learners reported an increase in knowledge of disparities and had changes in their perceptions of health disparities linked to treatment of different patient groups based on demographic characteristics. There was a statistically significant difference in learners' perceptions of how patients are treated based on gender identity (P=0.02) and sexual orientation (P=0.04). The results detail how an academic medical center can provide training on health disparities for diverse learners. This study underscores the influence of health disparities from the perspective of learners who conduct biomedical research and patient care. This course serves a model for introductory-level health disparities courses.

Using a Community Bus Tour for Pediatric Residents to Increase Their Knowledge of Health Disparities

A community bus tour with a focus on social determinants of health created through a partnership between the pediatric residency program and the hospital's Child Health Advocacy Institute was shown to increase knowledge of health disparities among pediatric interns.

Teaching Cultural Competence in Dental Education: A Systematic Review and Exploration of Implications for Indigenous Populations in Australia

Indigenous and other minority populations worldwide experience higher rates of disease including poor oral health than other populations. Cultural competence of practitioners is increasingly being recognized as fundamental to health care and quality of life in addressing these disparities. The aims of this study were to conduct a systematic review of the literature about teaching cultural competence in dental education and to explore the particular relevance of that teaching for the oral health care of Indigenous populations in Australia. A systematic review employing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement was conducted of published studies that explored cultural competency interventions in dental curricula. A total of 258 studies from 2004 to 2015 were identified; after removing duplications and applying criteria for exclusion, 12 were selected for analysis, involving 1,360 participants. The principal themes identified in the qualitative analysis of these studies were curriculum content, curriculum delivery, community service-learning, reflective writing, and evaluation. Students need knowledge of health disparities and community health to better understand the perspectives of culturally diverse populations and to communicate effectively with people from various cultures. The principal strategies that improved cultural competence in the articles examined in this study were educational seminars, community service-learning, and reflective writing. These findings suggest that integration of cultural competency curricula using a combination of didactic or online training, community engagement, and reflective writing may increase the cultural knowledge and skills of dental students.

A Mid-South Perspective: African American Faith-based Organizations, HIV, and Stigma

Shelby County, Tennessee has the fastest growing rate of HIV infection in the state, and the majority of new infections are in African Americans. In 2011, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report stated that Memphis (the largest city in Shelby County) ranked seventh highest in new HIV infections. Little research has addressed HIV-related themes in African American culture that could hinder HIV prevention measures. Our qualitative study engaged African American, faith-based leaders in areas with high rates of HIV in meaningful conversations regarding their attitudes toward HIV and those who are infected. Although faith-based leaders felt they had a role in HIV prevention, only 4% in our study had participated in HIV prevention activities, but they were open to HIV prevention programs. We found that faith-based leaders had limited knowledge of health disparities and ongoing stigma concerning HIV, which served as a major barrier to HIV prevention.

Determining the Sufficiency of Cultural Competence Instruction in Pharmacy School Curriculum

To assess the change in the level of cultural competency and knowledge of health disparities among students in the third year of the doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program at the University of Florida and to explore the demographic correlates. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 3 consecutive academic years. Chi-square tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and multivariate regression were used for data analysis. Following the inclusion of relevant instruction, there was some increase in knowledge of health disparities and self-awareness, but no significant increase in cultural competency skills. More students reported receiving relevant instruction within the pharmacy school curriculum than outside the curriculum. Current effort to incorporate cultural competence and health disparities instruction into the pharmacy curriculum has met with some success. However, there is a need to establish standards on how much relevant training is required and further explore ways to effectively incorporate it into pharmacy education.

Long-term Aspirin Use Minimally Increases Risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration

The purpose of this paper was to describe the development and implementation of a health disparities summer internship program for minority high school students that was created to increase their knowledge of health disparities, provide hands-on training in community-engaged research, support their efforts to advocate for policy change, and further encourage youth to pursue careers in the health professions.Fifty-one high school students who were enrolled in a well-established, science-enrichment afterschool program in Brooklyn, New York, participated in a 4-week summer internship program. Students conducted a literature review, focus groups/interviews, geographic mapping or survey development that focused on reducing health disparities at 1 of 15 partnering CBOs.Overall, student interns gained an increase in knowledge of racial/ethnic health disparities. There was a 36.2% increase in students expressing an interest in pursuing careers in minority health post program. The majority of the participating CBOs were able to utilize the results of the student-led research projects for their programs. In addition, research conclusions and policy recommendations based on the students' projects were given to local elected officials.As demonstrated by our program, community-academic partnerships can provide educational opportunities to strengthen the academic pipeline for students of color interested in health careers and health disparities research.

Engaging Minority High School Students as Health Disparities Interns: Findings and Policy Implications of a Summer Youth Pipeline Program

The purpose of this paper was to describe the development and implementation of a health disparities summer internship program for minority high school students that was created to increase their knowledge of health disparities, provide hands-on training in community-engaged research, support their efforts to advocate for policy change, and further encourage youth to pursue careers in the health professions. Fifty-one high school students who were enrolled in a well-established, science-enrichment after-school program in Brooklyn, New York, participated in a 4-week summer internship program. Students conducted a literature review, focus groups/interviews, geographic mapping or survey development that focused on reducing health disparities at 1 of 15 partnering CBOs. Overall, student interns gained an increase in knowledge of racial/ethnic health disparities. There was a 36.2% increase in students expressing an interest in pursuing careers in minority health post program. The majority of the participating CBOs were able to utilize the results of the student-led research projects for their programs. In addition, research conclusions and policy recommendations based on the students' projects were given to local elected officials. As demonstrated by our program, community-academic partnerships can provide educational opportunities to strengthen the academic pipeline for students of color interested in health careers and health disparities research.

Clinical Cultural Competency and Knowledge of Health Disparities Among Pharmacy Students

To evaluate the level of competency and knowledge about health disparities among third-year doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students at 2 Florida public colleges of pharmacy and to explore the demographic correlates of these variables. A cross-sectional survey study design was used to collect data from participants. The students had low health-disparities knowledge and moderate skills in dealing with sociocultural issues and cross-cultural encounters. Speaking a language(s) other than English and having exposure to cultural-competency instruction were the demographic variables found to be most significantly associated with clinical cultural competency and/or knowledge of health disparities. Clinical cultural competency and health-disparities instruction may not be adequately incorporated into the pharmacy school curricula in the institutions studied. Relevant education and training are necessary to enhance cultural competency among pharmacy students.

Factors that contribute to post-treatment follow-up care for survivors of childhood cancer

As children complete cancer treatment and enter survivorship, follow-up care is critical to monitor for and treat relapses, secondary malignancies, and late effects of treatment. Relative contributions of cancer and treatment variables and sociodemographic factors in engagement with follow-up care are not fully understood. This study aimed to identify risk factors for inadequate follow-up care. The sample included a cohort of 173 children (birth-18 years) diagnosed with cancer in 2004 and treated at a children's hospital. Sociodemographics (gender, patient current age, ethnic minority status, distance from hospital, type of insurance), cancer and treatment variables (patient age at diagnosis, type of cancer, treatment modality, time off treatment, relapse, on clinical trial protocol), and follow-up care through 2009 were gathered via the hospital tumor registry and medical charts. In simultaneous linear regression analysis (full model: F(12, 160) = 3.49, R2 = 0.21, p = 0.001), having a liquid tumor (p < 0.05), presence of relapse (p = 0.009), and shorter distance from hospital (p = 0.006) predicted total number of follow-up visits between completion of treatment and 5 years post-diagnosis. In simultaneous logistic regression analysis (full model: χ2 (12, N = 173) = 53.27, p < 0.001), being male (p = 0.077), having a brain tumor (p = 0.055), longer time off treatment (p = 0.004), and greater distance from hospital (p = 0.003) decreased the likelihood of completing a follow-up or survivorship visit between completion of treatment and 5 years post-diagnosis. In simultaneous linear regression analysis (full model: F(12, 160) = 4.52, R2 = 0.25, p = 0.001), non-White race (p = 0.001) and having public insurance (p = 0.002) predicted total number of no shows between completion of treatment and 5 years post-diagnosis. These results extend knowledge of health disparities in pediatric cancer follow-up care suggesting that cancer and treatment-related variables (type of cancer, relapse, number of treatment modalities) and sociodemographic factors (distance from treatment center, non-White race, public insurance) are important predictors of engagement in follow-up care. Survivors at risk for poor engagement may benefit from targeted interventions designed to increase likelihood of follow-up care.

Disparities in Initiation and Adherence to Prenatal Care: Impact of Insurance, Race-Ethnicity and Nativity

We used the intersectionality framework to examine impact of racial/ethnic, immigration, and insurance differences on the timing of initiation of prenatal care (PNC) and subsequent adherence. In this cross sectional study independent variables were women's race/ethnicity; nativity; age; education; and insurance. The dependent variables were late initiation and non-adherence to recommended number of PNC visits. We used multivariate analysis to evaluate the impact of the independent variables on late initiation and non-adherence. Analysis revealed that race/ethnicity/nativity (RE-N) was more consistently associated with late initiation and non-adherence for privately insured than publicly insured persons. While private insurance had a positive impact on initiation and adherence overall, its impact was greater for White women. Having private insurance coverage was most beneficial to White women. We contend that the intersectional approach provides promising avenues for expanding our knowledge of health disparities and of identifying new ways of going about eliminating the persistent and pervasive social inequalities and informing efforts to reduce them.

Enhancing the Measurement of Health Disparities for Vulnerable Populations

This article presents a mechanism for tracking and reporting health disparities data that are based on a general model of vulnerability. We briefly discuss the origins of this model and describe its focus on the cumulative impact of multiple risk factors on health-related outcomes. We then demonstrate how the model can be applied to inform the collection and reporting of health disparities data by providing three examples. Since national and state datasets contain information on a wide range of risk factors, researchers and policy makers would benefit from examining the multiple risks that affect vulnerable populations simultaneously, as we have demonstrated in the three examples. These examples suggest that the determinants of health and healthcare problems are multifactorial and that they can be studied in an integrative approach using risk profiles. This research methodology can strengthen our existing knowledge of health disparities and aid in the recognition of points of intervention to successfully improve health and healthcare for vulnerable populations.

Health disparities and culturally specific treatment: Perspectives and expectancies of African American smokers

When the following article originally appeared in the Journal of clinical Psychology (Volume 63, number 6, june 2007), a number of author corrections were omitted. We regret this oversight and now reprint the article in full. Researchers suggest that culturally specific (CS) interventions are important in addressing smoking-related health disparities. Yet, little research has examined the perspectives of African American smokers regarding these efforts. This qualitative study sought to gain insight into perceptions related to (a) the smoking prevalence among African Americans, (b) smoking-related health disparities, (c) expectancies for CS interventions, (d) methods of recruiting research participants, and (e) key intervention components. Six focus groups were conducted with 41 African American smokers (aged 21-64) at a community health center. Content analyses revealed several themes, including the perception that smoking is normative among African Americans, limited knowledge of racial health disparities, mixed perceptions regarding race as a risk factor for illness, and mixed expectancies for the efficacy of CS interventions. In conclusion, individual differences, such as smoking norms, knowledge of health disparities, and intervention expectations may influence receptivity to CS treatments. Implications for tobacco interventions among African Americans are discussed.