Men Of Color Health Awareness Research Articles

A culturally and gender responsive stress and chronic disease prevention intervention for low/no-income African American men: The MOCHA moving forward randomized control trial protocol

Low/no-income, African American men are disproportionally burdened by chronic disease resulting from a complex interplay of systemic, sociocultural, and individual factors. These disparities are related to poverty, racism, gender role strain, high levels of stress, low levels of physical activity, and malnutritious diet. Men of Color Health Awareness (MOCHA) is a community-driven movement to address the physical, mental, social, and spiritual needs of men of color. As part of ongoing programming, the MOCHA Standard intervention consists of a 10-week program including: (1) small group discussions of issues particularly relevant to men of color, (2) classes on health topics focusing on chronic disease control, such as nutrition, obesity, high blood pressure, fitness, and the social determinants of health; and (3) 60-min of moderately intensive aerobic exercise twice a week. While the MOCHA Standard intervention has yielded positive results, feedback from previous participants warranted an in-depth sociocultural tailoring of the curriculum to improve community receptiveness, in particular, revising the sessions to “narrativize” the materials to strengthen their potential effectiveness. This manuscript describes the novel recruitment strategies; the development of an enhanced MOCHA+ Stories Matter program that uses narrative communication strategies; and the methodology used to assess the comparative effectiveness of the MOCHA Standard relative to MOCHA+ Stories Matter program in lowering stress and risk of chronic diseases in a randomized controlled trial. The results of this research will contribute to the identification of effective interventions to address health disparities in low-income African-American men and the dissemination of effective chronic disease prevention programming.

Participant Engagement and Ethical Digital Storytelling: The MOCHA Moving Forward Study.

African-American men continue to bear a disproportionate share of the burden of health disparities, in general, and chronic diseases, in particular. The Men of Color Health Awareness (MOCHA) Moving Forward study seeks to determine the effectiveness of an innovative, community-driven program to improve the health and quality of life of low-income African-American men between the ages of 35 to 70 years by reducing identified social risk factors for chronic disease for these men. The project uses digital storytelling (DST) to encourage African-American men to tell their stories, especially related to stress, gender role stereotypes, and mental and physical health and well-being. Thirty-six men were recruited to participate in one of four DST workshops, which resulted in each participant creating a 2- to 3-minute digital story. In this article, we describe and analyze three salient ethical dilemmas that arose in conducting the Men of Color Health Awareness Moving Forward study DST workshops with African-American men. The dilemmas can be traced to the distinct purposes for which DST can be used, data collection or intervention development, and the trade-offs between protecting and patronizing participants. We discuss potential ways to resolve or circumvent the identified issues.

Abstract A16: Invisible men: Men of color in health disparities research

Abstract Purpose: As the 21st century has brought a myriad of newfound discoveries for cancer researchers, the inclusion of men of color in this research remains minimal. It is as if men of color are invisible in these discussions and gaps in health disparities widen even as survivorship and treatments expand for other populations. The new focus on precision medicine has created stronger emphasis on expanding the research ideas currently being discussed and examined. The new protocol focus for immunotherapy and use of genetic biomarkers has transformed cancer research because of its ability to create innovative cellular models for cancer cell development. New Methodologies Needed: Clinical trials continue to contain disproportionate representation of African American participants, and yet the gaps that exist within mortality rates and survivorship remain lower among African American participants. The health care/cancer research arena reports outcomes that are satisfactorily accepted as reasonable measures of cancer strategies and outcomes. The significant question is whether these outcomes measures are valid in their findings due to inadequate representation of some groups who are identified as most vulnerable from nonsatisfactory cancer outcomes. Summary: The development of programs targeted toward under-represented populations and evaluation of communications strategies to assess the effectiveness of such programs to improve health outcomes is essential to diminish disparities. The purpose of this report is to evaluate the effectiveness of a community education program and initiative to highlight health disparities among high-risk populations. The Men of Color Health Awareness (MOCHA) initiative has been in existence since 2010 in Springfield, Massachusetts; since its inception it has reached almost 1,000 men of color in educational settings, and some 400 men have participated in its exercise and empowerment programs. MOCHA has been a key player in providing health information and interventions to men of color. Activities include hosting a prostate cancer symposium, recruitment for free PSA screenings, digital story-telling documentation, ongoing participation in community activities, and focusing on domestic violence. MOCHA plays a key role with academic institutions and health organizations in gathering information about health disparities that exist among men of color. Conclusions: A utilization of community-based programs that focus on minority populations can represent an effective strategy and approach to communicate with special populations--particularly as it relates to clinical trials education, recruitment, and accrual. Community-based organizations and faith-based institutions that contain men of color in key leadership roles and positions build trust within the community and may improve accrual and retention in clinical trials research. MOCHA has a Program Coordinator and Outreach Coordinator in key positions and decision-making processes. Men of color remain critical players to include in any outreach approaches. Minority groups will attend educational programs and respond with actions if encouraged by representatives who resemble their population. African Americans will support programs with research focuses and find information beneficial to their overall health. Community-based research is possible and inclusive of real-world experiences. Citation Format: Antonio Delesline, Sanford Earl Jeames. Invisible men: Men of color in health disparities research [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Tenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2017 Sep 25-28; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2018;27(7 Suppl):Abstract nr A16.

Outreach Strategies to Recruit Low-Income African American Men to Participate in Health Promotion Programs and Research: Lessons From the Men of Color Health Awareness (MOCHA) Project.

African American men continue to bear a disproportionate share of the burden of disease. Engaging these men in health research and health promotion programs—especially lower-income, African American men who are vulnerable to chronic disease conditions such as obesity and heart disease—has historically proven quite difficult for researchers and public health practitioners. The few effective outreach strategies identified in the literature to date are largely limited to recruiting through hospital clinics, churches, and barbershops. The Men of Color Health Awareness (MOCHA) project is a grassroots, community-driven initiative that has developed a number of innovative outreach strategies. After describing these strategies, we present data on the demographic and health characteristics of the population reached using these methods, which indicate that MOCHA has been highly effective in reaching this population of men.

Abstract B7: Community-based physical activity and impacts on health disparities for men of color

Abstract Purpose of Research: Health disparities are associated with higher incidences of cancer in minority populations. The development of programs targeted toward underrepresented populations and evaluation of biomarkers to assess the effectiveness of such programs to improve health outcomes is essential to diminish disparities. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the effectiveness of a community based intervention program to reduce cancer disparities in at-risk populations. Men of Color Health Awareness (MOCHA) was established in Springfield, Massachusetts in April 2010 to reduce health disparities and improve the health of men of color through holistic health promotion, health education and awareness, and physical activity participation. Telomeres are the ends of genomic DNA. Telomere length has been related to cancer, aging, and cardiovascular diseases and appears to be influenced by lifestyle factors such as physical activity and perceived stress. Expanded research on specific interventions should be explored for potential to reduce cancer risks (1). Our continued investigations will allow us to determine whether telomere length in the DNA of blood cells is altered in men participating in the MOCHA program and whether this marker can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of a community based intervention program in men of color. We believe that MOCHA will provide an intervention strategy to impact men's overall health and this will affect health disparities. Experimental Procedures: Participants: 15 men were recruited from within Springfield for this pilot study. Men were African American and Latino age 35–55. Program Description: The MOCHA curriculum consists of an intensive 10-week fitness and health education and counseling program. Participants completed three surveys: 1) an assessment of the men's physical health, 2) perceptions of their own fitness, vitality and stress levels, and 3) the participants’ perceived knowledge and attitudes towards health and male identity. Physical fitness and health assessments included height, weight, resting heart rate and blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), and body fat percentage. Upper and lower body strength was evaluated with a 3 repetition maximum (3-RM) test for the bench and leg press. Flexibility was evaluated with the sit and reach test. Endurance was assessed with a 12min walk/run test. Participants met 2x/wk for three hours per session. Summation of Research: Preliminary data reveal that in 10 weeks participants lost 3.08 lbs, reduced their BMI by a quarter point, and reduced their body fat by 2.4%. All measures of physical fitness improved. Upper and lower body strength measures increased significantly with 15.9 lbs and 15.4 lbs, respectively. Flexibility (measured by stretching length while sitting) increased 1.95cm. MOCHA participants showed an improvement in perceived stress and had a 0.67 gain for controlling irritations and 0.5 percent gain in ability to cope with changes in their life. Our data reveals that men completing the MOCHA program improve a variety of health and fitness outcomes that have been related to cancer risk. Conclusions: Our preliminary data reveal that the MOCHA program is effective in reducing various markers of physical and emotional health related to cancer risk. Our future studies will include an evaluation of the use of telomere length to evaluate the effectiveness of community based intervention programs for men of color. Reference: 1. Blackburn, et al Cancer Pre Res, 2011; 4(4); 473–475 Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2011;20(10 Suppl):B7.