Community-Based Participatory Research-Speed Dating: An Innovative Model for Fostering Collaborations Between Community Leaders and Academic Researchers.

Developing meaningful community-based participatory relationships between researchers and the community can be challenging. The overall success of a community-based participatory relationship should be predicated on commitment and respect from empowered stakeholders. Prior to developing the technique discussed in this article, we hypothesized that the process of fostering relationships between researchers and the community was much like a social relationship: It has to develop organically and cannot be forced. To address this challenge, we developed a community-based participatory research-speed dating technique to foster relationships based on common interests, which we call CBPR-SD. This article describes the logistics of implementing CBPR-SD to foster scholarly collaborations. As part of a federally funded community-based research project, the speed dating technique was implemented for 10 researchers and 11 community leaders with a goal of developing scholarly collaborative groups who will submit applications for community-based research grants. In the end, four collaborative groups developed through CBPR-SD, three (75%) successfully submitted grant applications to fund pilot studies addressing obesity-related disparities in rural communities. Our preliminary findings suggest that CBPR-SD is a successful tool for promoting productive scholarly relationships between researchers and community leaders.

Physician Trust and Home Remedy Use Among Low-Income Blacks and Whites with Hypertension: Findings from the TRUST Study.

INTRODUCTION: Home remedies are used for the treatment of hypertension despite unsubstantiated claims of their effectiveness. Home remedy use is often attributed to mistrust towards healthcare providers. Few studies examine the relationship between home remedy use and physician trust. The objective of this study was to examine and compare the association between home remedy use and trust in physicians in a cohort of low-income Blacks and Whites with hypertension living in an inner city in Alabama. METHODS: A cross-sectional examination was conducted among 925 Black and White patients receiving care at an urban hospital. Data was collected from in-person surveys. Trust in physicians was self-reported using the Hall General Trust Scale which included questions about honesty, confidentiality, and trust. Home remedy use was self-reported using the Brown and Segal scale which included questions about home remedy use and types of home remedies used. Covariates included demographic factors such as age, race, gender, and health outcomes. Data were analyzed using linear regression. RESULTS: Twenty-eight percent of Black and 15% of White participants reported home remedy use (p = 0.001). Black home remedy users (38.9) and non-users (39.3) had similar trust scores (p = 0.582). Whites home remedy users (32.9) reported lower trust in physicians than White non-users (37.7) (p = 0.026). CONCLUSIONS: Black home remedy users, non-users, and White non-users reported similar trust scores; the lowest trust scores were found among White home remedy users. Home remedy use was higher among Black participants. Future studies should examine the context of mistrust and home remedy use among Whites.

Socioeconomic Status, Risk of Obesity, and the Importance of Albert J. Stunkard.

Albert J. Stunkard's influential career in obesity research spanned over 50 years and included several landmark studies on social factors related to obesity. This review discusses the important contributions Stunkard made to research on the relationship between socioeconomic status socioeconomic status and obesity, extensions of his work, and reflects on Stunkard's role in the mentoring of succeeding generations of scientists.

Physical characteristics associated with weight misperception among overweight and obese men: NHANES 1999-2006.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to (1) determine the prevalence of weight misperception among overweight and obese men with total body fat levels ≥ 25%, and (2) examine associations of weight misperception with anthropometric and body composition measures. METHODS: Data came from 4,200 overweight or obese men from the 1999 to 2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Weight misperception was operationalized as having a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry-derived total body fat percentage ≥25% and classifying oneself as either "underweight" or "about right weight." Logistic regression was used to determine physical characteristics associated with weight misperception. RESULTS: Weight misperception was highest among Mexican American (35.9%) followed by Black (30.8%) and White men (22.9%). Physical characteristics (OR, 95% CI) associated with weight misperception were decreased arm fat (0.95, 0.91-0.98), being overweight (9.02, 5.34-15.24), and having a waist circumference ≤ 94 cm (2.31, 1.72-3.09). CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that future research should include a measure of adiposity in the operationalization of weight misperception among male populations.