Urban Black Men Research Articles

Symposium on William Julius Wilson’s More Than Just Race: Being Black and Poor in the Inner City

For more than 30 years, William Julius Wilson has engaged social scientists and public policymakers in an analysis of urban poverty and persistent racial inequality. Wilson's fundamental question over the long course of his career is why poverty persists for so many African Americans (2009:3). He has forcefully argued that social structural transformations and historical changes in the political economy are the primary basis for racial inequality and its interaction with class (Wilson 1973, 1978, 1987, 1996, 1999). In Wilson's argument, it is the persistent power of social structure (including the disappearance of work, the decimation of inner cities, and the abandonment of progressive social policies) not attitudes or values that results in urban poverty and its concomitant social problems. His comprehensive and lucid analyses of urban inequality, based on both his rich Chicago study and detailed secondary analysis, have informed the academy and, importantly, also major public figures, including presidents, mayors, governors, and the educated lay public. Indeed, there is probably no other sociologist who has so consistently had the attention of key policymakers, even at times when public policy has turned away from the progressive programs and policies that Wilson would endorse. Thus, when William Julius Wilson says now that we should be paying attention to culture, people listen. Implicit in Wilson's earlier work, although never as directly addressed before, is an argument with cultural determinists who ignore the structural causes of disadvantage in favor of arguments that posit values and attitudes as fundamental to the life chances of the urban, minority poor. In More Than Just Race, Wilson now directly engages the question of structure versus culture, arguing that we cannot ignore cultural influences if we are to understand urban poverty, the disadvantaged plight of poor, urban black men, and the black family (each topic detailed in a chapter). He criticizes his own earlier work for implicitly assuming that culture is merely a by-product of structural forces, arguing here for some influence of culture in its own right.

Validation of the group-based medical mistrust scale among urban black men.

Socioculturally relevant measures of medical mistrust are needed to better address health disparities, especially among Black men, a group with lower life expectancy and higher death rates compared to other race/gender groups. The study aim was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Group-Based Medical Mistrust Scale (GBMMS) in a Black male sample. Data were collected as part of a randomized controlled trial testing educational strategies to support Black men's decisions about prostate cancer screening. Participants included 201 Black men ages 40-75 years recruited in New York City during 2006-2007. The primary measures included: race-based medical mistrust, health care participation, avoidance of health care, perceived access to health care, health care satisfaction, racial identity, residential racial segregation, attitudes towards prostate cancer screening, and past prostate cancer screening behavior. An exploratory factor analysis suggested a three-factor structure. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the three-factor model. Internal consistency was high for the total GBMMS and the three sub-scales: Suspicion, Discrimination, and Lack of Support. Construct validity was supported by: significant positive correlations between GBMMS and avoidance of health care and racial identity as well as significant negative correlations with health care access, health care satisfaction, and attitudes about prostate cancer screening. ANOVA showed that the GBMMS was associated with greater residential racial segregation. Higher total GBMMS scores were associated with not visiting a physician in the last year and not having a regular physician. The present findings provide strong additional evidence that the GBMMS is a valid and reliable measure that may be used among urban Black men.

Methamphetamine use patterns among urban Black men who have sex with men

The present study investigates patterns of methamphetamine, contexts of use and sources for purchasing methamphetamine in a sample of gay, bisexual and heterosexually identified Black men who have sex with men living in New York City. Participants reported using multiple substances and used, on average, nine days within the last 30 days. They spent an average of US$159 per month on methamphetamine and a median of US$398 on all substances. Frequency of monthly methamphetamine use was related to the use of powdered cocaine and alcohol use, but not to the use of other substances. Black men who have sex with men primarily used in private venues, such as at home or in the homes of friends, and reported obtaining methamphetamine from multiple sources. Men who reported exchanging sex for methamphetamine reported greater use in public venues, such as sex clubs, sex parties and circuit parties. Findings from the present study may be critical in establishing culturally‐appropriate treatment modalities for Black men who have sex with men who use methamphetamine.

Beyond the Down Low: Sexual Risk, Protection, and Disclosure Among At-Risk Black Men Who Have Sex with Both Men and Women (MSMW)

Little information is available about sexual risk, protective, and disclosure practices among Black bisexually active men and how these may be amenable to intervention when necessary. In-depth interviews were conducted with 30 at-risk urban Black men who have sex with both men and women (MSMW). Participants reported protecting themselves and their partners through routine HIV testing, using condoms consistently, engaging in strategic positioning during sexual activity, and limiting the number of sexual partners. In addition, they described several reasons for not using protection, including not having condoms available, enjoying sexual activity more without condoms, and perceiving female partners to be "safer" than male partners. Disclosure of bisexuality was complex and reportedly difficult, in particular to female and gay-identified male partners. Future interventions must not only build protection and disclosure skills among MSMW, but also increase broader social awareness and acceptance of male bisexuality.

Measurement Suitability of the Center for Epidemiological Studies—Depression Scale among Older Urban Black Men

This study investigated the measurement suitability of the Center for Epidemiological Studies–Depression Scale (CED-S) when it was administered to older urban black men. This study used two samples of older black men in the Harlem Men’s Health Study (clinic, N = 404; community, N = 319). Three factors emerged in both the clinic and the community samples instead of four factors originally found in Radloff’s study. Depressive and somatic factors merged as one factor instead of as separate distinct factors to explain about 31% of the variance in the clinic sample and 37% of the variance in the community sample. Interpersonal distress measured differently in the two Harlem samples. The “crying” item (depressive affect item) loaded as interpersonal distress in both the clinic and the community samples. These results showed that the four-factor model of CES-D may not be applicable to older urban black men; therefore, caution should be exercised when interpreting CES-D results on populations of older black men.

‘The Kind that All White Men Want’: Race and the Role of Subtle Status Characteristics in an Urban Gay Setting

The relationship of social status to the patterning of health and illness is a fundamental concern of medical sociological and social epidemiological research programmes. Yet, despite the utility of the concepts of status and status structure for health research, status typologies run the risk of homogenizing heterogeneous characteristics, thereby obscuring aspects of status and status hierarchy which, in effect, fall ‘below the radar screen’ of core categories of people – including those captured by the categories of race, class, gender, and sexual orientation. This paper uses qualitative data from a sample of urban black homosexual men to introduce the concept, ‘subtle status characteristic’ and propose a middle-ground between the ‘universalizing’ and ‘essentializing’ tendencies of social epidemiological and biomedical research and the ‘relativizing’ tendencies of poststructural and postmodern approaches. By situating race in a specific urban gay setting, I advance an analysis of ‘difference-within’ race, identifying a finer subset of contextualized status characteristics, while retaining the analytic significance of classificatory typologies. The paper concludes with a discussion of the relevance of the concept for health research on race and sexuality, and for the analysis of status and health more generally.

High incidence of morbidity and mortality in young, urban black men with hypertension

High incidence of morbidity and mortality in young, urban black men with hypertension

Psychological correlates of substance use and adherence behaviors in urban young hypertensive black men

Psychological correlates of substance use and adherence behaviors in urban young hypertensive black men

Nature and consequences of stressful life events in urban young black men with hypertension

Nature and consequences of stressful life events in urban young black men with hypertension

Effects of a comprehensive intervention including losartan on renal outcomes in young urban black men with hypertension

Effects of a comprehensive intervention including losartan on renal outcomes in young urban black men with hypertension

Blood pressure control at 36 months follow-up in young urban black men

In an ongoing clinical trial we are comparing a more intensive (MI) intervention (comprised of a nurse practitioner (NP)-community health worker (CHW)-physician (MD) team providing individualized free HBP care and medications and social services referrals) to a less intensive (LI) intervention (HBP education and referral to care) in young urban black men with HBP. Black men, ages 18-54 years, residing in East Baltimore, with a BP >/=140 and/or 90 mm Hg (average of 2 measurements on 2 occassions) or on HBP medication, and able to give verified names of 3 contact persons, were eligible. A cohort of 309 men, with mean age 41 years, was recruited from the community and randomized to the MI (N=157) or LI (N=152) group. The purpose of this analyis is to compare changes in BPs and the proportion of men with controlled BPs (< 140/90 mm Hg) in the 2 groups from baseline to 36 months of follow up (FU). To date, 36 month FU BPs are available for 220 men. Mean BPs at baseline were 146(17)/98(13) mm Hg vs 144(18)/97(12) mm Hg. Group mean BPs were significantly different at 36 months: 138(18)/88 (12) mm Hg vs 148(23)/94(16) mm Hg in the MI and LI groups respectively (p <0.05/0.05). Mean changes from baseline to 36 months were -8(22)/-10(16) mm Hg vs +3(25)/-4(19) mm Hg in the MI and LI groups respectively. SBP and DBP change in MI group and DBP change in LI group, as well as between group SBP and DBP differences at 36 months were significant (p < 0.05). The percent of men with controlled BPs (< 140/90 mm Hg)in both groups increased from baseline to 36 months. The increase from 18% to 45% in the MI group was significant (p <0.001) while the increase in the LI group from 24% to 30% was not. Multivariate modeling, including baseline sociodemographic factors, BPs, and group assignment, identified the following significant predictors of SBP change from baseline to 36 months: employment (12.66, p < 0.05) and baseline SBP (.511, p < 0.01). Significant predictors of DBP change from baseline to 36 months included education (2.04, p < 0.05), MI group assignment (6.32, p < 0.05) and baseline DBP (.91, p < 0.01). Logistic regression analysis, including baseline sociodemographic factors, BP control status and group assignment in the model, revealed that MI group assignment (OR 2.4, p = 0.05) was the only significant predictor of BP control at 36 months. A NP-CHW-MD team is able to significantly improve BP control over a three year period in this little studied, high risk age/sex/race group. Grant/Research: Merck and Co. Consultant: Merck and Co. Speakers' Bureau: Merck and Co.

HBP Care (comprehensive hbp care in young urban black men)

Clinical CardiologyVolume 23, Issue 1 p. 58-58 Progress in Clinical TrialOpen Access HBP Care (comprehensive hbp care in young urban black men) First published: 03 February 2009 https://doi.org/10.1002/clc.4960230120AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume23, Issue1January 2000Pages 58-58 RelatedInformation

Barriers to hypertension care and control in young urban black men

Barriers to high blood pressure (HBP) care and control have been reported in the literature for > 30 years. Few reports on barriers, however, have focused on the young black man with HBP, the age/sex/race group with the highest rates of early severe and complicated HBP and the lowest rates of awareness, treatment, and control. In a randomized clinical trial of comprehensive care for hypertensive young urban black men, factors potentially associated with care and control were assessed at baseline for the 309 enrolled men. A majority of the men encountered a variety of barriers including economic, social, and lifestyle obstacles to adequate BP care and control, including no current HBP care (49%), risk of alcoholism (62%), use of illicit drugs (45%), social isolation (47%), unemployment (40%), and lack of health insurance (51%). Having health insurance (odds ratio = 7.20, P = .00) and a negative urine drug screen (odds ratio = .56, P = .04) were significant predictors of being in HBP care. Low alcoholism risk and employment were identified as significant predictors of compliance with HBP medication-taking behavior. Men currently using illicit drugs were 2.64 times less likely to have controlled BP compared with their counterparts who did not use illicit drugs, and men currently taking HBP medication were 63 times more likely have controlled BP compared with men not taking HBP medication. Comprehensive interventions are needed to address socioeconomic and lifestyle issues as well as other barriers to care and treatment, if HBP care is to be salient and effective in this high risk group.

A clinical trial to improve high blood pressure care in young urban black men: Recruitment, follow-up, and outcomes

This randomized trial recruited and followed underserved, inner-city, hypertensive (HTN), young black men and investigated whether a nurse-community health worker team in combination with usual medical care (SI) increased entry into care and reduced high blood pressure (HBP), in comparison to usual medical care (UC) alone. Emergency department records, advertising, and BP screenings identified potential participants with HBP. Telephone calls and personal contacts tracked enrollees. Of 1391 potential participants, 803 (58%) responded to an invitation to be screened and scheduled a visit. Of these, 528 (66%) kept an appointment, 207 (35%) were BP eligible, and 204 (99%) consented to enroll. At 12 months 91% of men were accounted for and 85.8% (adjusted for death, in jail, or moved away) were seen. Mean BP changed from 153(16)/98(10) to 152(19)/94(11) mm Hg in the SI group and 151(18)/98(11) to 147(21)/92(14) mm Hg in the UC group ( P = NS). High rates of participation are attainable in this population; however, culturally acceptable ways of delivering HBP care are needed.

From No Man's Land to Mother-Land: Emasculation and Nationalism in Richard Wright's Depression Era Urban Novels

Not plunge into the complex jungle of human relationships and analyze them is leave the field the fascists and I won't and can't do that. (Wright, qtd. in Fabre 185) ... anything that is felt give out goodness and beauty, and that calls forth pleasure and satisfaction, in the physical or in the wider sense, can in the unconscious mind take the place of [the infant's perception of the mother's] ever-bountiful breast, and of the whole mother. Thus we speak of our own country as the motherland because in the unconscious mind our country may come stand our mother, and then it can be loved with feelings which borrow their nature from the relation her. (Melanie Klein, Love, Guilt and Reparation 103) While serving as Director of the Harlem Bureau of the Daily Worker between 1937 and 1938, Richard Wright wrote an article the newspaper praising the launching of New Challenge, a black American literary quarterly that published first-rate black writers such as Ralph Ellison, Margaret Walker, and Langston Hughes. Wright was particularly excited about the quarterly because for the first time in Negro history problems such as nationalism in literature, perspective, the relation of the Negro politics and social movements were formulated and discussed (Negro Writers 7). For those familiar with Wright's A Negro Writing, first published in New Challenge in 1937, it is obvious that he was applauding his own planned contribution the quarterly, as Blueprint deals first and foremost with the problem of nationalism black writers. Moreover, since the Daily Worker article and the New Challenge essay were written in the middle of 1937, it is safe say that Wright, then twenty-eight years old, was beginning formulate just what sort of contribution black American writing he would make during the next few years. The literary works Wright wrote between 1937 and 1941 focus explicitly on issues related nationalism, although scholars have yet explore this fact in depth. Remarkably, Wright's literary treatment of nationalism remains avant-garde since he reveals what many contemporary theorists have yet disclose: a complex insight into the deep psychology of nationalism. Like many contemporary theorists, Wright viewed nationalism as an historical phenomenon that constructs what Benedict Anderson has termed imagined communities people who in fact are anonymous each other but wish social communion. Wright also perceived nationalism as a divisive political ideology that must be supplanted with a Communist ideology he believed necessary the emancipation of the working class. But Wright's most significant contribution is his synthesis of Marxist and psychoanalytic concepts in his effort portray critically the insidious appeal of nationalistic ideas the infantile desires of working-class men. For Wright, the danger posed by nationalism was its unconscious appeal the psyches of male workers. His Depression Era works suggests that, since all male workers are raised in a patriarchal society, their feelings of powerlessness can evoke feelings of emasculation. Wright shows how these feelings of emasculation can be intensified black men, since they are extra-oppressed by racism and are symbolically emasculated as boys in a racist discourse. In somewhat Oedipal terms, the black man is put in the position of having to kill the white man/father in order cancel his boy status. Wright's concern is that black working-class men are apt heed the call of black nationalists, precisely because they promise a reclamation of manhood and the goal of disposing of the white father - namely, the acquisition of the mother-land. In Lawd Today! (completed in 1938 and posthumously published in 1963) and Native Son (1940), Wright represents urban black men in the grip of such a racialized Oedipal struggle. His urban protagonists internalize the racist dynamic of the black boy-white father dialectic and are thus psychologically caught between an impulse act the black boy who submits (in various ways) whites and a desire be the man, which involves behaviors associated with the powerful white father. …

“We Need to Come Together and Raise Our Kids and Our Communities Right”: Black Males Rewriting Social Representations

This article excavates the voices of urban black males as they “speak their name” (Belton, 1996) in a society that denies them this right. Based on data gathered in a large-scale ethnographic interview study of urban America, the authors traverse the spoken lives of these men, as they weave stories about neighborhood and state violence, opportunities denied and missed, and the current power of black men's groups in the church. Through their day-to-day lives urban black men challenge social representations about them in racist America, constructing an alternative hegemonic masculinity revolving around relationships, fatherhood, and dignity.

High Prevalence of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Young Urban Black Men With Hypertension

High Prevalence of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Young Urban Black Men With Hypertension

High prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy in young urban black men with hypertension

High prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy in young urban black men with hypertension

Urban Labor Markets and Young Black Men: A Literature Review

(1995). Urban Labor Markets and Young Black Men: A Literature Review. Journal of Economic Issues: Vol. 29, No. 1, pp. 47-65.

Dietary practices and concerns of adult urban black men of high socioeconomic status

Dietary practices and concerns of adult urban black men of high socioeconomic status