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BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to increase understanding of the forms of systemic racism experienced by Latinx communities in North Carolina during the COVID-19 pandemic as identified by Latinx community health workers (CHWs) and community-based organization (CBO) leaders. METHODS: We held three focus groups in July 2022 (N = 16) with CHWs and CBO leaders in Spanish to discuss policy and community interventions that improved access to resources during the COVID-19 pandemic; policy or community interventions needed to improve care of Latinx communities; and lessons learned to improve the health of Latinx communities in the future. We performed directed and summative qualitative content analysis of the data in the original language using the Levels of Racism Framework by Dr. Camara Jones to identify examples of implicitly and explicitly discussed forms of systemic racism. RESULTS: Latinx CHWs and CBO leaders implicitly discussed numerous examples of all levels of racism when seeking and receiving health services, such as lack of resources for undocumented individuals and negative interactions with non-Latinx individuals, but did not explicitly name racism. Themes related to institutionalized racism included: differential access to resources due to language barriers; uninsured or undocumented status; exclusionary policies not accounting for cultural or socioeconomic differences; lack of action despite need; and difficulties obtaining sustainable funding. Themes related to personally-mediated racism included: lack of cultural awareness or humility; fear-inciting misinformation targeting Latinx populations; and negative interactions with non-Latinx individuals, organizations, or institutions. Themes related to internalized racism included: fear of seeking information or medical care; resignation or hopelessness; and competition among Latinx CBOs. Similarly, CHWs and CBO leaders discussed several interventions with systems-level impact without explicitly mentioning policy or policy change. CONCLUSION: Our research demonstrates community-identified examples of racism and confirms that Latinx populations often do not name racism explicitly. Such language gaps limit the ability of CHWs and CBOs to highlight injustices and limit the ability of communities to advocate for themselves. Although generally COVID-19 focused, themes identified represent long-standing, systemic barriers affecting Latinx communities. It is therefore critical that public and private policymakers consider these language gaps and engage with Latinx communities to develop community-informed anti-racist policies to sustainably reduce forms of racism experienced by this unique population.
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Disparidades em Assistência à Saúde , Hispânico ou Latino , Racismo , Adulto , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Agentes Comunitários de Saúde , COVID-19 , Grupos Focais , Acessibilidade aos Serviços de Saúde , Disparidades em Assistência à Saúde/etnologia , Hispânico ou Latino/psicologia , North Carolina , Pesquisa Qualitativa , Racismo/psicologia , Racismo SistêmicoRESUMO
There is great variation in the experiences of Latiné/e/x/o/a, Hispanic, and/or Spanish origin (LHS) individuals in the United States, including differences in race, ancestry, colonization histories, and immigration experiences. This essay calls readers to consider the implications of the heterogeneity of lived experiences among LHS populations, including variations in country of origin, immigration histories, time in the United States, languages spoken, and colonization histories on patient care and academia. There is power in unity when advocating for community, social, and political change, especially as it pertains to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI; sometimes referred to as DEI) efforts in academic institutions. Yet, there is also a critical need to disaggregate the LHS diaspora and its conceptualization based on differing experiences so that we may improve our understanding of the sociopolitical attributes that impact health. We propose strategies to improve recognition of these differences and their potential health outcomes toward a goal of health equity.
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Hispânico ou Latino , Humanos , Hispânico ou Latino/estatística & dados numéricos , Estados Unidos , Diversidade Cultural , Emigração e ImigraçãoRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Multimorbidity is increasing among adults in the United States. Yet limited research has examined multimorbidity clusters in persons aged 50 years and older with and without a history of cancer. An increased understanding of multimorbidity clusters may improve the cancer survivorship experience for survivors with multimorbidity. METHODS: We identified 7580 adults aged 50 years and older with 2 or more diseases-including 811 adults with a history of primary breast, colorectal, cervical, prostate, or lung cancer-from the 2018 National Health Interview Survey. Exploratory factor analysis identified clusters of multimorbidity among cancer survivors and individuals without a history of cancer (controls). Frequency tables and chi-square tests were performed to determine overall differences in sociodemographic characteristics, health-related characteristics, and multimorbidity between groups. RESULTS: Cancer survivors reported a higher prevalence of having 4 or more diseases compared to controls (57% and 38%, respectively). Our analysis identified 6 clusters for cancer survivors and 4 clusters for controls. Three clusters (pulmonary, cardiac, and liver) included the same diseases for cancer survivors and controls. CONCLUSIONS: Diseases clustered differently across adults ≥ 50 years of age with and without a history of cancer. Findings from this study may be used to inform clinical care, increase the development and dissemination of multilevel public health interventions, escalate system improvements, and initiate innovative policy reform.
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Multimorbidade , Neoplasias , Masculino , Humanos , Estados Unidos/epidemiologia , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Idoso , Inquéritos e Questionários , Sobreviventes , Prevalência , Neoplasias/diagnóstico , Neoplasias/epidemiologia , Neoplasias/terapia , Doença CrônicaRESUMO
Introduction: The Latinx Advocacy Team & Interdisciplinary Network for COVID-19 (LATIN-19) is a unique multi-sector coalition formed early in the COVID-19 pandemic to address the multi-level health inequities faced by Latinx communities in North Carolina. Methods: We utilized the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) Research Framework to conduct a directed content analysis of 58 LATIN-19 meeting minutes from April 2020 through October 2021. Application of the NIMHD Research Framework facilitated a comprehensive assessment of complex and multidimensional barriers and interventions contributing to Latinx health while centering on community voices and perspectives. Results: Community interventions focused on reducing language barriers and increasing community-level access to social supports while policy interventions focused on increasing services to slow the spread of COVID-19. Discussion: Our study adds to the literature by identifying community-based strategies to ensure the power of communities is accounted for in policy reforms that affect Latinx health outcomes across the U.S. Multisector coalitions, such as LATIN-19, can enable the improved understanding of underlying barriers and embed community priorities into policy solutions to address health inequities.
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COVID-19 , Equidade em Saúde , Humanos , North Carolina , Pandemias , COVID-19/epidemiologia , COVID-19/prevenção & controle , Políticas , Hispânico ou LatinoRESUMO
Introduction: The purpose of this study is to identify forms of systemic racism experienced by Latinx communities in North Carolina during the COVID-19 pandemic as identified by Latinx community health workers (CHWs) and community-based organization (CBO) leaders. Methods: We conducted three focus groups in July 2022 (N=16). We performed qualitative analysis of data using an iterative inductive approach of the original language in Dedoose. Results: Four central themes emerged: (1) Access to resources for Latinx individuals; (2) Immediate, transitional, and future fears; (3) Benefits of CHWs; and (4) Lessons learned. Discussion: Institutional and state policies often do not involve community members, such as CHWs and CBO leaders, at the start of the development process, leading to ineffective interventions that perpetuate health disparities and systemic racism. Health Equity Implications: Community-informed policy recommendations can improve alignment of community and policy priorities to create more effective interventions to address systemic racism and promote health equity.
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A growing literature associates the neuropeptides oxytocin (OT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) with affiliative and cognitive outcomes. The majority of this work in humans, however, considers these neuropeptides separately. Also, despite evidence that OT and AVP interact with gonadal hormones, still warranted is an examination of sex and age variations in endogenous neuropeptide levels, their interrelations, and their functional relationships with attachment and cognition in humans. This study measured endogenous plasma OT and AVP levels in generally healthy young (18-31 years) and older (63-81 years) men and women to (i) determine levels of and interrelations between OT and AVP; (ii) explore functional relationships with self-reported attachment (attachment anxiety and avoidance) and performance-based cognition (processing speed, verbal memory); and (iii) identify variations in these effects by sex and age. We observed sex- and age-differential patterns of results: Women had higher plasma OT levels than men and older adults had higher plasma AVP levels than young adults. The two neuropeptides were highly negatively intercorrelated across all groups. Functionally, higher AVP levels were associated with greater attachment anxiety and higher OT and lower AVP levels were associated with faster sensorimotor processing speed, with sex and age moderating these effects. This integrated approach identifies variations in endogenous peripheral neuropeptide levels in humans, supporting their sex- and age-specific role as "difference makers" in attachment and cognition.
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Envelhecimento/sangue , Cognição/fisiologia , Apego ao Objeto , Ocitocina/sangue , Vasopressinas/sangue , Adolescente , Adulto , Fatores Etários , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Ansiedade/sangue , Ansiedade/etiologia , Aprendizagem da Esquiva/fisiologia , Estudos de Coortes , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Fatores Sexuais , Adulto JovemRESUMO
The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) has been implicated in a wide range of affiliative processes. OT exerts its functions via OT receptors, which are encoded by the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR). Epigenetic modification of OXTR through the process of DNA methylation has been associated with individual differences in behavioral phenotypes. Specifically, lower levels of OXTR methylation have been linked to better social and affective functioning. However, research on epigenetic mechanisms of OXTR is scarce in non-clinical populations, and even less is known about epigenetic variability across adulthood. The present study assessed methylation levels at OXTR CpG site -934 and plasma OT levels in 22 young (20-31â¯years, Mâ¯=â¯23.6) and 34 older (63-80â¯years, Mâ¯=â¯71.4) participants. Lower levels of OXTR methylation and higher plasma OT levels were associated with less self-reported attachment anxiety in young but not older participants, with largely independent contributions of OXTR methylation and plasma OT levels. In contrast, in the overall sample, lower levels of OXTR methylation were associated with higher self-reported attachment avoidance. Age analysis suggested that these results were largely driven by young adults. Plasma OT levels were unrelated to attachment avoidance. Taken together, these findings support the emerging notion in the literature that epigenetic properties of OXTR, in addition to endogenous OT levels, are related to adult attachment. Further, the age effects observed in the associations between OXTR methylation, plasma OT, and adult attachment emphasize the importance of adopting a developmental perspective when studying properties of the OT system and their relation to affiliative processes. Findings contribute to growing evidence suggesting that epigenetic modification of genes regulating OT pathways and endogenous OT levels are associated with the way people form and maintain intimate social relationships.