Urban Public Housing Research Articles

Determinants of Parental Monitoring and Preadolescent Sexual Risk Situations Among African American Families Living in Urban Public Housing

We investigated determinants of parental monitoring and the association between parental monitoring and preadolescent sexual risk situations among low-income, African American families living in urban public housing. Preadolescents and their parents or caregivers who participated in a longitudinal study of familial and contextual influences on HIV/AIDS risk provided data on parental monitoring and preadolescent sexual risk situations. Data were also collected on parent risk factors (psychological distress, maternal age at first childbirth); preadolescent risk factors (responsiveness to parents, peer pressure) and contextual factors (parenting help, household type, friendship, partner presence, and perception of religious guidance) that were hypothesized to predict parental monitoring levels. Results showed that greater parental monitoring predicted less sexual risk situations. Further, instrumental and emotional supports were both significant predictors of parental monitoring, but parent and preadolescent risk factors were not strongly associated with parental monitoring. These results were similar for male and female preadolescent youth. Our findings suggest that preventive interventions to reduce sexual risk situations for urban, African American youth should consider parental monitoring. In addition, contextual factors such as strong parental friendship networks and instrumental help may enable parents to provide closer monitoring of youth.

Efficacy of Integrated Pest Management in Reducing Cockroach Allergen Concentrations in Urban Public Housing

The efficacy of residential interventions to reduce cockroach allergens in public housing developments was evaluated over months of follow-up. Repeated measurements were collected from 39 apartments, with longitudinal analyses used to evaluate changes over time. Bla g 1 kitchen concentrations were reduced 71% and bed concentrations 53% (86% and 70% for Bla g 2, respectively) by 6 months post-intervention, after which concentrations began to increase. Apartments with higher concentrations were usually in poorer condition and benefited most from pest management efforts. Intensive interventions can significantly reduce the allergen burden in public housing apartments, but intervention efforts must be sustained.

Modeling Exposures to Organophosphates and Pyrethroids for Residents of Urban Public Housing

MAB4-O-05 Introduction: Pesticide exposure in urban public housing may be elevated as a result of persistent application due to severe pest infestation. It is unclear whether these exposures pose a potential health risk, as there are limited measurements available in urban indoor environments, and no attempts to translate concentration measurements into exposures and health risks. In this study, we use a novel dataset of pesticide concentrations in dust and floor wipe samples in a low-income urban setting and apply the Stochastic Human Exposure and Dose Simulation Model (SHEDS) to simulate exposures for a variety of hypothetical populations. Methods: As part of the Healthy Public Housing Initiative, measurements were collected in 42 low-income, multi-unit dwellings of pediatric asthmatics, including vacuum dust and floor wipe samples from the kitchens and living rooms. Concentrations were determined for 2 organophosphates (diazinon and chlorpyrifos) and 11 pyrethroids (eg, permethrin, cypermethrin, and cyfluthrin) using GC/MS. Exposure modeling of these concentration distributions will be performed using SHEDS, with incorporation of an activity pattern simulation reflective of persons living in a low-income, urban indoor environment from the Consolidated Human Activity Database (CHAD). Potential doses will be simulated for young children, who exhibit more hand-to-mouth behavior, and for adults. Potential doses associated with dust/residue concentrations will be combined with modeled dietary exposures based on dietary intake patterns and known concentrations of pesticides on and in food products, yielding a total potential dose. Comparisons will be made between the simulated distribution of potential doses to various analytes and respective reference doses (RfDs), with consideration of additive/synergistic effects. Results: Measured concentrations from kitchen floor wipes indicated detection of permethrin and chlorpyrifos in every home, with frequent detection of diazinon (98%), cypermethrin (90%), and cyfluthrin (71%). Median (range) concentrations for the frequently detected pesticides were 6.8 μg/m2 (0.2–226.5 μg/m2) for permethrin, 0.40 μg/m2 (<LOD–556.2 μg/m2) for diazinon, 0.3 μg/m2 (0.03–19.5 μg/m2) for chlorpyrifos, 3.7 μg/m2 (<LOD–330.7 μg/m2), for cypermethrin and 1.1 μg/m2 (<LOD–567.1 μg/m2) for cyfluthrin, suggesting a wide range of potential exposures. Discussion and Conclusions: Pesticide concentrations, including for some banned or restricted-use pesticides, may be at levels of concern in some urban public housing dwellings, where residents spend significant time indoors. Simulation of doses resulting from these concentrations will provide insight about the potential health risks for various subpopulations, the importance of dietary vs. nondietary pathways in low-income urban settings, and the analytes of greatest concern from a health risk perspective.

A Longitudinal Analysis of the Efficacy of Environmental Interventions on Asthma-Related Quality of Life and Symptoms Among Children in Urban Public Housing

In an environmental intervention study in public housing, we examined monthly Juniper Paediatric Asthma Quality of Life (QOL) Questionnaires for 51 children. Longitudinal analysis and spline models were used to identify time periods with significant improvements in QOL to inform judgments about causality. We found significant improvements in QOL, with moderate improvements before environmental interventions, increased rates of improvement immediately after, and reduced rates more than 5 months post-intervention. Effect modification analyses identified high-risk subpopulations and emphasized the importance of environmental, social, and economic conditions. Our results demonstrate the value of longitudinal techniques in evaluating the benefits of environmental interventions for asthma.

Who is playing doctor?—The gap between self-perceived versus professionally diagnosed chronic conditions among the underserved minority

Objective. To assess the gap between self-perceived and professionally diagnosed physical and mental conditions in underserved minority populations. Study setting. The study sample consisted of 287 African-American and Latino heads of households respondents, obtained from a geographically defined random sample of 418 households from three Urban Public Housing Communities in Los Angeles County, California. Study design. This study conducted a cross-sectional survey with face-to-face interviews. Results. Eighty-five percent (245) of this sample reported that they were suffering from at least one chronic condition. However, 43% of participants who suffer from chronic condition(s) claimed that a physician had never diagnosed at least one of their chronic illnesses. Depression (16%), hearing impairment (10%), arthritis (8%), dental problems (7%), and vision conditions (7%) are the most frequently reported undiagnosed chronic conditions among these populations. Conclusion. This study documents significant disparities in the detection and treatment of specific medical conditions among Hispanic and African-American population residing in public housing, which often leads to end-stage complications due to lack of timely diagnoses and treatment.

Single-period location models for subsidized housing: Project-based subsidies

Large urban public housing authorities (PHAs) in the US have abandoned the traditional model of high-rise public housing developments and increasingly use lower-density project-based subsidized housing as well as tenant-based housing subsidies to provide affordable shelter. PHAs generally apply practitioner expertise to locate subsidized housing and do not identify housing alternatives using prescriptive planning models that optimize policy criteria and incorporate well-defined stakeholder impacts. Using policy characteristics and estimated economic impacts of subsidized housing, a new single-period multi-objective integer programming model for location of project-based subsidized housing is developed. Data requirements, relationships with standard planning models, solution characteristics and sensitivity analyses are examined. It is shown that this model gives planners considerable flexibility in choosing alternative housing configurations that can satisfy the needs of various interest groups.

DIFFERENTIAL EFFICACY OF ENVIRONMENTAL INTERVENTIONS FOR ALLEVIATING SYMPTOMS AMONG ASTHMATIC CHILDREN IN URBAN PUBLIC HOUSING

ISEE-305 Introduction: Asthma disproportionately impacts children in lower-income urban communities where environmental, social, and economic exposures exacerbate this multifactorial disease. Aim: The Healthy Public Housing Initiative (HPHI), a collaboration of university, government, and community partners, explored whether indoor environmental interventions may alleviate asthma symptoms, and which factors may modify efficacy of interventions. Methods: Seventy-eight children, aged 4 through 17, were recruited from 3 public housing developments; 58 were retained for longitudinal follow-up of 8 to 20 months. Cockroach and dust mite antigen, mouse urinary protein, and pesticides were sampled before and after indoor environmental interventions (intensive cleaning, Integrated Pest Management, mattress replacement, and air cleaners) to estimate pollutant reductions. Health outcomes data, collected monthly by trained Community Health Advocates, included Juniper Asthma Quality of Life (QOL) questionnaires for child and caregiver, reports of symptoms, unplanned ED/clinic visits, and medication use. Allergy testing, and spirometry were performed before and after interventions. Data on social exposures associated with immune function (stress, violence, social support) were collected monthly. Longitudinal analysis with random intercepts was used to assess improvement. Spline models were used to differentiate improvements during pre-intervention, post-intervention (<4 months), and longer term follow-up periods (4–18 months post-intervention). Effect modification was explored by dichotomizing the cohort by demographic, medical, social, and environmental risk factors. Pre-post changes in lung function score and caretaker QOL will be assessed. Results: Longitudinal analyses indicate significant improvement in QOL scores over the course of study (p<.001). Significant improvement is shown in the pre-intervention phase, indicating potential benefits of case management and support. The most rapid improvement occurred in the first four months following intervention. Boys showed higher QOL at time of intervention (p=.039), but made less improvement overall (p=.008). Older children showed higher QOL scores (p=.008), no difference in improvement. Children not: allergic to cockroach antigen made marginally more improvement (p=.06), as did non-obese children (p=.05). Children of families reporting higher life stress showed significantly lower QOL scores (p=.004), and those with reporting higher fear of violence showed less improvement (p=.036). Children receiving interventions during spring (vs. fall) made more improvement (p=.08), as did children spending less time around smokers (p=.015). No effect modification was found by medical care indicators. Discussion: Results indicate that environmental interventions may significantly improve the health of asthmatic children in urban public housing. It is less clear whether benefits are largely atttributable to environmental or social aspects of intervention. We found interventions to be more effective for girls, and for children not allergic to cockroach antigen, not obese, with lower exposures to tobacco smoke, violence, and stress, and who received interventions during spring months. Results indicate a need for coordinated interventions in the physical, social, and medical environments to alleviate severe asthma among inner-city children.

Rural versus Urban African-American Adolescents

The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the differences between rural versus urban African-American adolescents on several scores of perceived competence in important areas of an adolescent's development. The sample included only African-American adolescents either living in urban public housing developments or a rural area approximately 40 miles away in the mid-south region. The Harter scale was utilized and the areas of competence included: scholastic competence, physical appearance, athletic competence, behavioral conduct, close friendships, social acceptance, and global self-worth. All scores were analyzed between environments and within gender. The urban sample scored significantly higher on several normed mean scores of self-competence with the exception of athletic ability, and social acceptance. In addition, the sample was contrasted with the original population norms developed by the authors of Harter's Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC) scale and participants scored lower on several competencies including: scholastic abilities, athletic ability, social acceptance, close friendships, and behavioral conduct. The differences found may be influenced by parenting skills, environment, or the interaction between them. Implications for practice would suggest these youth have lower competency scores in important developmental areas, and should benefit from interventions designed to increase mastery in critical competency areas.

Influence of prior sexual risk experience on response to intervention targeting multiple risk behaviors among adolescents

Purpose To identify correlates of sexual risk variations among African-American adolescents, and to examine the influence of prior sexual experience on response to a HIV risk-reduction intervention. Methods Eight hundred seventeen African-American youth aged 13 to 16 years living in and around urban public housing in Baltimore were recruited to participate in a HIV risk-reduction intervention targeting multiple risk behaviors. An instrument designed to measure three levels of sexual risk (“abstinent,” “protected sex” [having sex with a condom], and “unprotected sex” [having sex without a condom]) was administered at baseline, 6 months and 12 months postintervention. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to identify predictors of the degree of sexual risk using longitudinal data. Repeated measure analyses were conducted to assess behavioral changes over time among the three groups. Results Data confirmed the co-variation of sexual risk behavior and other problem behaviors among adolescents, cross-sectionally and longitudinally. After exposure to an 8-session risk-reduction intervention, youth engaging in the highest degree of sexual risk demonstrated the greatest reduction in both sexual risk and other risks. These improvements were seen at both 6 months and 12 months postintervention. Youth who were abstinent at baseline maintained the lowest levels in risk involvement throughout the study period when compared with sexually active youth. However, abstinent youth risk involvement significantly increased at 6 months and 12 months after baseline. Youth engaging in protected sex at baseline demonstrated a significant increase in non-condom use and a significant decrease in multiple risk involvement over time. Conclusions Results support HIV risk-reduction intervention efforts that target multiple risk behaviors. Response of adolescents to the intervention is directly related to the sexual risk behavior at baseline. These data may suggest that the response to risk behavior intervention depends in part on the risk behavior profile of the population to which it is being applied.

Access to Vision Care in an Urban Low-Income Multiethnic Population

Objective: This study applied a well-known, recently revised theoretical model of healthcare access and utilization, the Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations, to examine the relationship between access to care and utilization of eye care services among a mutiethnic, predominately minority sample of residents from low-income public housing. Design: Population-based, cross-sectional survey of community sample. Setting: Urban Public Housing Communities in Los Angeles County, California. Participants: A geographically defined stratified random sample of 152 residents (86% Latino or African American) 40 years of age and older from three urban public housing communities. Results: Only 62% of our sample of persons 40 years and older had received an eye examination within the past 2 years. Sixty-one percent of participants reported having vision care coverage. Yet, one out of four respondents claimed that no health care provider had ever told them that they needed an eye-examination. Applying multiple logistic regression and controlling for a number of predisposing, enabling, and need-for-care characteristics, the variables 1) receiving advice from health care providers for eye examination (OR = 3.9, p < 0.01), 2) possessing coverage for eye-care (OR = 3.2, p < 0.01), and 3) having regular and continuity of medical care (OR = 2.4, p < 0.01) remained significant predictors of eye-examination within the past 2 years. Conclusion: This study documents significantly diminished utilization of eye care services relative to recommended guidelines for a low-income, predominately minority sample of residents from public housing communities. We documented no association between presence of diabetes or hypertension and recency of eye examination. Affordability, continuity, and regular sources of care, as well as receiving physician advice, remain the core factors significantly associated with receiving vision care. These results underscore the need for continued efforts to ensure that the medically underserved minority have access to vision care services. These findings also point toward the urgent need for educational and motivational interventions that encourage health care providers serving underserved communities to promote eye examination, particularly among diabetic patients, hypertensive patients, and other individuals at risk for eye-related disease and complications.

Lung function, asthma symptoms, and quality of life for children in public housing in Boston: a case-series analysis.

BackgroundChildren in urban public housing are at high risk for asthma, given elevated environmental and social exposures and suboptimal medical care. For a multifactorial disease like asthma, design of intervention studies can be influenced by the relative prevalence of key risk factors. To better understand risk factors for asthma morbidity in the context of an environmental intervention study, we conducted a detailed baseline evaluation of 78 children (aged 4–17 years) from three public housing developments in Boston.MethodsAsthmatic children and their caregivers were recruited between April 2002 and January 2003. We conducted intake interviews that captured a detailed family and medical history, including questions regarding asthma symptom severity, access to health care, medication usage, and psychological stress. Quality of life was evaluated for both the child and caregiver with an asthma-specific scale. Pulmonary function was measured with a portable spirometer, and allergy testing for common indoor and outdoor allergens was conducted with skin testing using the prick puncture method. Exploratory linear and logistic regression models evaluating predictors of respiratory symptoms, quality of life, and pulmonary function were conducted using SAS.ResultsWe found high rates of obesity (56%) and allergies to indoor contaminants such as cockroaches (59%) and dust mites (59%). Only 36% of children with persistent asthma reported being prescribed any daily controller medication, and most did not have an asthma action plan or a peak flow meter. One-time lung function measures were poorly correlated with respiratory symptoms or quality of life, which were significantly correlated with each other. In multivariate regression models, household size, body mass index, and environmental tobacco smoke exposure were positively associated with respiratory symptom severity (p < 0.10). Symptom severity was negatively associated with asthma-related quality of life for the child and the caregiver, with caregiver (but not child) quality of life significantly influenced by caregiver stress and whether the child was in the intensive care unit at birth.ConclusionGiven the elevated prevalence of multiple risk factors, coordinated improvements in the social environment, the built environment, and in medical management would likely yield the greatest health benefits in this high-risk population.

Privatized Management in Urban Public Housing: A Comparative Analysis of Social Service Availability, Utilization, and Satisfaction

This article presents the results of a study that assessed the effect of privatized management on social service availability, utilization, and resident satisfaction in public housing communities. The respondents were heads of household who lived in public housing "projects" in Miami, Florida-more than 90 percent of whom were African American women. A quasi-experimental design with nonequivalent control groups compared respondent data from privately and publicly managed sites. Publicly managed sites reported more availability of social services, but privately managed sites reported higher levels of use. Implications for welfare reform, public housing demolition or renewal policies, the importance of social services with self-sufficiency efforts, and the need for culturally sensitive social work practices in ethnic minority public housing communities are discussed.

Teen Mothers Parenting their Own Teen Offspring

This study investigated whether parenting support moderated relations between age of mother at childbirth and parental responsiveness and monitoring. The sample included 212 African American families living in urban public housing; Offspring were entering adolescence when data were collected. Parenting support was measured by assessing the perceived assistance mothers received with parenting tasks. Child, maternal, and observer reports of maternal responsiveness and child and maternal reports of monitoring were used to measure parenting behaviors. Multigroup structural equation modeling was employed to examine the hypotheses. Results indicated that parenting support moderated the association between age of mother at childbirth and monitoring. Specifically, the younger a mother is when she has her child, the less she monitors her child, but only if she perceives that she is receiving little parenting support. Among mothers who reported higher levels of parenting support, no relationship existed between age of mother and monitoring behaviors.

Correlates of cervical cancer screening among underserved Hispanic and African-American women

Background. Substantial subgroups of American women, specifically those of ethnic minorities, have not been screened for cervical cancer or are not screened at regular intervals. The rates for receipt of female-related cancer screening tests remain far below the goals set forth in Healthy People 2010. Objective. This study applied a well-known, recently revised theoretical model of health care access and utilization, the Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations, to examine the correlates of the adherence to cervical cancer screening guidelines among publicly housed Hispanic and African-American women, two of the most vulnerable segments of our population. Methods. This study conducted a cross-sectional survey of a community-based random sample of 230 African-American and Latino female heads of household, from a geographically defined area, the three urban public housing communities in Los Angeles County, CA. Results. Only 62% of our sample had received a screening for cervical cancer within the past year. Yet, 29% of the sample claimed that no health care provider had ever told them that they needed a screening test for cervical cancer. Hispanic and older women are by far less likely to adhere to screening guidelines; in this study, 51% of Hispanics and 22% of African-Americans reported no screening within the last year. Multivariate analysis shows that affordability, continuity of care, and receiving advice from health care providers regarding a Papanicolaou (Pap) smear were significant predictors of up-to-date to cervical cancer screening. Conclusion. This study documents a significant disparity in screening for cervical cancer among underserved minorities, particularly Hispanic, uninsured, and older women. The continuity of obtaining medical services and receiving recommendations from physicians remain the core factors that are significantly associated with obtaining cervical cancer screening. These results underscore the need for continued efforts to ensure that medically underserved minority women have access to cancer screening services.

Single-Period Location Models for Subsidized Housing: Tenant-Based Subsidies

Previous research has established a need for operations research models to help urban public housing authorities (PHAs) in the U.S. better manage the transition from the traditional model of high-rise public housing developments to tenant-based housing subsidies for market-rate rental units and project-based housing subsidies for scattered-site, low-density public housing. This paper presents the tenant-based subsidized housing location model (TSHLP) that is simplified and applied to a larger and more representative data set than has been done previously. Base-case and sensitivity analyses indicate that model solutions, which are approximations to a Pareto frontier of nondominated potential family allocations, give planners considerable flexibility in choosing alternative housing configurations that can satisfy the needs of various interest groups.

Several Factors Mitigate Seniors’ High Suicide Risk

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Clinical & Research NewsFull AccessSeveral Factors Mitigate Seniors’ High Suicide RiskJoan Arehart-TreichelJoan Arehart-TreichelSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:16 Aug 2002https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.37.16.0018Older Americans, and especially older white men, are at greater risk of suicide than any other group. And now some of the factors that increase seniors’ suicide risk have been identified in two studies reported in the August American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.Those factors are depression, poor sleep quality, limited social support, and the possession of firearms.In the first study, Carolyn Turvey, Ph.D., of the University of Iowa College of Medicine, and her colleagues followed some 15,000 elderly subjects’ mental and physical health over a decade as part of the Established Populations for Epidemiological Studies of the Elderly.Of those subjects, 21 committed suicide during the study period. Baseline and follow-up data about these 21 subjects were then compared with baseline and follow-up data about the remaining subjects (controls) to identify suicide risk factors.Depression, poor sleep quality, and absence of a relative or friend to confide in turned out to be risk factors, whereas medical illness and alcohol use were not.Interestingly, depression, poor sleep quality, and limited social support have previously been identified as risk factors for death by natural causes, as well as for death by suicide. Or as Turvey and her team noted in their study report: “It appears that these variables erode a will to live that affects mortality even in the absence of suicidal tendencies.”In the second study, Yeates Conwell, M.D., of the University of Rochester School of Medicine, and his colleagues probed the role of firearms in senior suicide risk, since firearms are the most common method of suicide used by both men and women in later life.The subjects included 86 persons aged 50 or older who had committed suicide and 86 community control subjects individually matched on age, sex, race, and county of residence.The presence of a firearm in the home was found to be associated with an increased risk of suicide, even after controlling for psychiatric illness. Elevated risk was accounted for by access to handguns rather than to long guns and was more pronounced in men than in women.However, it is probably not the presence of a firearm in the home per se that constitutes a risk factor for senior suicides, but rather the recent purchase of a firearm, Conwell and his team contended. The reason, they explained in their study report, is that firearm suicide rates for the elderly have declined markedly in states that have instituted waiting periods or background checks, or both, for handgun purchases.Yet just as depression, poor sleep quality, limited social support, and the recent purchase of a handgun may put seniors at risk of suicide, social support and religious beliefs may help protect them against it. The reason to believe that this is the case comes from a third study published in the August American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.This study, headed by Joan Cook, Ph.D., of the University of Pennsylvania, focused on a senior group with a very low suicide risk—older African-American women. Indeed, compared with older white men, older African-American men, and older white women, senior African-American women have had the lowest suicide rate for decades.Cook and her colleagues interviewed 835 elderly African Americans, 77 percent of whom were women, in urban public housing developments to find out how many were having suicidal thoughts. They found that only 27 (about 3 percent) were. They then compared characteristics of the suicide-contemplation subjects with the subjects not contemplating suicide and found that the former were more likely to be experiencing depression and anxiety and to have less life satisfaction, fewer social supports, and fewer religious beliefs. In fact, some 90 percent of control subjects reported that they obtained a great deal of support and comfort from religion.The study reports “Risk Factors for Late-Life Suicide: A Prospective, Community-Based Study,” “Access to Firearms and Risk for Suicide in Middle-Aged and Older Adults,” and “Suicidality in Older Americans: Findings From the EPOCH Study” are posted on the Web at http://ajgp.psychiatryonline.org under the August issue. ▪ Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 2002 10 407 ISSUES NewArchived

Suicidality in Older African Americans: Findings From the EPOCH Study

The authors examined the current frequency of suicidality and associated characteristics in a sample of 835 African-American older adult residents of six urban public housing developments who consented to participate in an intervention trial of mobile outreach. The frequency of passive and active suicidal ideation was 2.5% and 1.4%, respectively. Characteristics of individuals with both active and passive suicidality included elevated anxiety, social dysfunction, somatic symptoms, low social support, lack of a confidant, and low religiosity. Characteristics of those with passive, but not active, ideation also included older age, lower levels of education, elevated depressive symptoms, poorer cognitive functioning, and having recently discussed emotional problems with a healthcare provider. The characteristics of those reporting active, but not passive, ideation included having a history of mental health treatment and reporting no instrumental support. Multivariate analyses indicated that depression and religiosity were uniquely associated with passive suicidal ideation, and life satisfaction and religiosity were uniquely associated with active suicidal ideation. The authors discuss implications of these findings and offer suggestions for research and clinical practice. The authors examined the current frequency of suicidality and associated characteristics in a sample of 835 African-American older adult residents of six urban public housing developments who consented to participate in an intervention trial of mobile outreach. The frequency of passive and active suicidal ideation was 2.5% and 1.4%, respectively. Characteristics of individuals with both active and passive suicidality included elevated anxiety, social dysfunction, somatic symptoms, low social support, lack of a confidant, and low religiosity. Characteristics of those with passive, but not active, ideation also included older age, lower levels of education, elevated depressive symptoms, poorer cognitive functioning, and having recently discussed emotional problems with a healthcare provider. The characteristics of those reporting active, but not passive, ideation included having a history of mental health treatment and reporting no instrumental support. Multivariate analyses indicated that depression and religiosity were uniquely associated with passive suicidal ideation, and life satisfaction and religiosity were uniquely associated with active suicidal ideation. The authors discuss implications of these findings and offer suggestions for research and clinical practice.

Suicidality in Older African Americans: Findings From the EPOCH Study

The authors examined the current frequency of suicidality and associated characteristics in a sample of 835 African-American older adult residents of six urban public housing developments who consented to participate in an intervention trial of mobile outreach. The frequency of passive and active suicidal ideation was 2.5% and 1.4%, respectively. Characteristics of individuals with both active and passive suicidality included elevated anxiety, social dysfunction, somatic symptoms, low social support, lack of a confidant, and low religiosity. Characteristics of those with passive, but not active, ideation also included older age, lower levels of education, elevated depressive symptoms, poorer cognitive functioning, and having recently discussed emotional problems with a healthcare provider. The characteristics of those reporting active, but not passive, ideation included having a history of mental health treatment and reporting no instrumental support. Multivariate analyses indicated that depression and religiosity were uniquely associated with passive suicidal ideation, and life satisfaction and religiosity were uniquely associated with active suicidal ideation. The authors discuss implications of these findings and offer suggestions for research and clinical practice.

Modified soul: A culturally sensitive process model for helping African‐Americans achieve dietary guidelines for cancer prevention

“Modified Soul” was tested over a 12‐month period with a focus group of 10 African‐American women, recruited through a social services organization serving an urban public housing project. Methods included focus group interviews (n = 4), observations and chemical analysis of traditional (n = 10) and modified soul food cooking practices (n = 10), and sensory evaluation discussions (n = 10). Four quarterly community center taste‐test events were successfully planned and executed by the focus group. Over half of 21 dishes reduced in fat content by the focus group received taste‐test ratings of “very good” from participants (n = 500). Based on AOAC (1984) methods, mean fat contents (grams per 100 g portions) of modified vegetables (n = 4) and meats (n = 7) were reduced by 68% (from 7.7 ± 4.7 to 2.5 ± 1.6) and 49% (from 15.0 + 4.4 to 7.7 ± 4.4), respectively (p < 0.001). Modified Soul has potential for empowering low‐income African‐Americans to reduce diet‐related cancer risk in their communities.

The Burke Incident: Political Belief in Los Angeles' Public Housing During the Domestic Cold War

October 1946, one of initial skirmishes of domestic cold war in Los Angeles' public housing was beginning» Within context of an acute housing crisis, and just prior to State and Federal elections of 1946, surfaced what popular press and City Council would term the Burke This referred to Sidney and Libby Burkeacknowledged members of Communist Partyand their residency in city's public housing projects. The Burke incident would highlight issues of political belief in both Los Angeles and United States. From this episode emerged certain characteristics of urban politics and public housing, particularly a paralysis of positive action in favor of redbaiting, that would plague city until mid-1950s.