race-based policies

PURPOSE: The prevalence of visual impairment is increasing, and there is a need to understand the functional implications. Using the American Community Survey (ACS) data, this study examined the relationship between visual impairment and functional difficulties in California. METHODS: Using the 2010-2014 and 2015-2019 ACS 5-year estimates from the U.S. Census, data were obtained for visual impairment and functional difficulties including hearing, cognitive, ambulatory, self-care, and independent living difficulties...

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated health inequities worldwide. Research conducted in Canada shows that Black populations were disproportionately exposed to COVID-19 and more likely than other ethnoracial groups to be infected and hospitalized. This scoping review sought to map out the nature and extent of current research on COVID-19 among Black people in Canada. METHODS: Following a five-stage methodological framework for conducting scoping reviews, studies exploring the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Black people in Canada, published up to May 2023, were retrieved through a systematic search of seven databases...

UNLABELLED: Introduction. Personalized web-based clinical decision tools for breast cancer prevention and screening could address knowledge gaps, enhance patient autonomy in shared decision-making, and promote equitable care. The purpose of this review was to present evidence on the availability, usability, feasibility, acceptability, quality, and uptake of breast cancer prevention and screening tools to support their integration into clinical care. Methods. We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews Checklist to conduct this review...

STUDY QUESTION: What is the impact of the presence of uterine fibroids on the risk of developing hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) in a predominantly urban, low-income, Black, and Hispanic population of women with ultrasound or clinically diagnosed uterine fibroids with rich phenotypic data to carefully control for potential confounders? SUMMARY ANSWERS: The odds of HDP were 39% higher in women with uterine fibroids compared to those without when controlled for age at delivery, race, prepregnancy BMI, education, parity, and smoking status; neither fibroid location or size modified this risk...

PURPOSE: The Association of Social Work Boards (2022a) released a report evidencing test-taker demographics as the strongest predictor of professional licensure exam pass-rates. The purpose of this study was to examine statistical predictors of social work professional licensure exam pass rate disparities between first-time Black/African American and White test-takers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study addressed the following research question: To what extent do institutional and state licensure characteristics predict race-based disparities in social work licensure exam pass rates? To answer this question, the authors built a data set in an Excel spreadsheet comprised of institutional and state licensure variables using publicly available and reliable sources...

There are two dominant approaches to implementing permanent supportive housing (PSH), namely place-based (PB) and scattered-site (SS). Formal guidance does not distinguish between these two models and only specifies that PSH should be reserved for those who are most vulnerable with complex health needs. To consider both system- and self-selection factors that may affect housing assignment, this study applied the Gelberg-Anderson behavioral model for vulnerable populations to compare predisposing, enabling, and need factors among people experiencing homelessness (PE) by whether they were assigned to PB-PSH (n = 272) or SS-PSH (n = 185) in Los Angeles County during the COVID-19 pandemic...

PURPOSE: The study aimed to investigate longitudinal, bidirectional associations between discrimination due to multiple reasons (race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, weight; termed multiple discrimination) and substance use (SU) intention in late childhood. These associations were compared across youth with no, single, and multiple (i.e., intersecting) marginalized identities based on race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and overweight status. METHODS: Data were drawn from a national sample of youth in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study (N = 8,530; 9-12 years old)...

BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal (GI) luminal cancers can be detected at early stages by endoscopic procedures. Place-based factors, such as social deprivation and distance to specialist care, are under-investigated with regard to the stage of diagnosis. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study among persons ≥18 years of age in the Florida Cancer Data System, a population-based cancer incidence registry. We included persons diagnosed with esophageal cancer, gastric canceror colorectal cancer, with at least 1 measure of geographic location during the period January 1, 1981, to December 31, 2016...

BACKGROUND: Opioid use disorder (OUD) among pregnant individuals in the U.S. has been on the rise, and carries significant health risks if left untreated. Despite the effectiveness of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), rates of treatment utilization remain low, and access varies by state. This study seeks to expand on what is known about the utilization of MOUD by estimating annual percentages of MOUD use among treatment admissions among pregnant individuals across all 50 states and U...

BACKGROUND: Menthol cigarette use remains a large public health problem and disproportionately affects Black adults in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration has proposed prohibiting menthol flavor in cigarettes to protect public health. However, e-cigarettes are available in menthol flavor and are a popular alternative product adults might switch to if menthol is prohibited in cigarettes. Research is needed to understand how availability of menthol (vs. tobacco) flavored e-cigarettes could impact cigarette use among adults who smoke menthol cigarettes...

IMPORTANCE: Pursuant to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), continuous Medicaid eligibility during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) created a de facto national extension of pregnancy Medicaid eligibility beyond 60 days postpartum. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of continuous Medicaid eligibility with postpartum health insurance, health care use, breastfeeding, and depressive symptoms. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cohort study using a generalized difference-in-differences design included 21 states with continuous prepolicy (2017-2019) and postpolicy (2020-2021) participation in the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS)...

Amid the proliferation of state-level bans on race-based affirmative action in higher education, the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on June 29, 2023, dismantled race-conscious college admission policies, intensifying concerns about the persistence and potential increase of racial inequality in higher education. The authors analyze four restricted-use national survey datasets to investigate racial disparities in college attendance outcomes from the 1980s through the 2010s. Although college entrance rates increased for all racial groups, Black and Hispanic youth became increasingly less likely than their White peers to attend four-year selective colleges...

INTRODUCTION: This scoping review was undertaken to obtain conceptual clarification about how racism and cultural safety are understood by interdisciplinary health professionals globally in the aged care sector in regional, rural and remote areas. There is evidence in Australia and internationally that racism is a factor impacting significantly on the health of First Peoples and other racialised minorities. Recent policy changes in Australia have required health professionals to integrate cultural safety into their practice to mitigate racism and improve the health of older First Nations Australians and older people from diverse ethnic and cultural groups...

PURPOSE: To examine relationships between religiosity, workplace discrimination, religious accommodation, and related professional and psychological outcomes among US Muslim physicians. METHOD: In 2021, the authors surveyed 264 physicians from 3 U.S.-based Muslim clinician organizations. Religious commitment, as measured by multiple items, was evaluated as a possible predictor of workplace discrimination and accommodation; job turnover; career satisfaction; workplace motivation; and belonging, burnout, and depression...

Racial disparities in adverse health outcomes with aging have been well described. Yet, much of the research focuses on racial comparisons, with relatively less attention to the identification of underlying mechanisms. To address these gaps, the Research Centers Collaborative Network held a workshop on aging, race, and health disparities to identify research priorities and inform the investigation, implementation, and dissemination of strategies to mitigate disparities in healthy aging. This article provides a summary of the key recommendations and highlights the need for research that builds a strong evidence base with both clinical and policy implications...

BACKGROUND: Research evidence to inform primary care policy and practice is essential for building high-performing primary care systems. Nevertheless, research output relating to primary care remains low worldwide. This study describes the factors associated with the research productivity of primary care researchers. METHODS: A qualitative, descriptive key informant study approach was used to conduct semi-structured interviews with twenty-three primary care researchers across Canada...

INTRODUCTION: The use of body mass index (BMI) cut-off values has been suggested for proceeding with total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in obese patients. However, the relationship between obesity severity and early reoperations after TKA is poorly defined. This study evaluated whether increased World Health Organization (WHO) Obesity Class was associated with risk, severity, and timing of reintervention within one year after TKA. METHODS: There were 8,674 patients from our institution who had a BMI ≥ 30 and underwent unilateral TKA for primary osteoarthritis between 2016 to 2021...

BACKGROUND: Subjective cognitive impairment (SCI) measures in population-based surveys offer potential for dementia surveillance, yet their validation against established dementia measures is lacking. METHODS: We assessed agreement between SCI and a validated probable dementia algorithm in a random one-third sample (n = 1936) of participants in the 2012 National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS). RESULTS: SCI was more prevalent than probable dementia (12...

Policy Points Health equity work primarily centers monoracial populations; however, the rapid growth of the Multiracial population and increasingly clear health disparities affecting the people in that population complicate our understanding of racial health equity. Limited resources exist for health researchers and professionals grappling with this complexity, likely contributing to the relative dearth of health literature describing the Multiracial population. We introduce a question-based framework built on core principles from Critical Multiracial Theory (MultiCrit) and Critical Race Public Health Praxis, designed for researchers, clinicians, and policymakers to encourage health data equity for the Multiracial population...

We document the evolution and use of the stochastic agent-based COVID-19 simulation model (COVSIM) to study the impact of population behaviors and public health policy on disease spread within age, race/ethnicity, and urbanicity subpopulations in North Carolina. We detail the methodologies used to model the complexities of COVID-19, including multiple agent attributes (i.e., age, race/ethnicity, high-risk medical status), census tract-level interaction network, disease state network, agent behavior (i.e., masking, pharmaceutical intervention (PI) uptake, quarantine, mobility), and variants...