Socioeconomic Status and the Physical and Mental Health of Arab and Chaldean Americans in Michigan.

Research that explains health of Arab and Chaldean Americans relative to the health of non-Arab White Americans is limited but steadily increasing. This study considers whether socioeconomic status moderates the relationship between race/ethnicity and physical and mental health. Data come from a state representative sample of Arab and Chaldean Americans-the 2013 Michigan Behavioral Risk Factor Survey and the 2013 Michigan Arab/Chaldean Behavioral Risk Factor Survey (N = 12,837 adults with 536 Arab/Chaldean Americans). Structural equation models examine whether socioeconomic status, operationalized as educational attainment, moderates the relationship between Arab/Chaldean identity and health, and whether physical activity, access to healthcare, and depression mediate the relationship between educational attainment and health. Results indicate that while Arab/Chaldean Americans have poor health relative to non-Arab White Americans, these differences are largely explained by educational differences. Depression, access to healthcare, and physical activity mediate the relationship between socioeconomic status and health of Arab/Chaldean Americans.

A dynamic model of client recruitment and retention in community-based HIV prevention programs.

The study used system dynamics modeling computer simulations to gain a better understanding of the process of delivering small-group, evidence-based HIV prevention programs in the community and to explore implications for public health practice. A model was developed to explain provider-reported challenges associated with recruiting, retaining, and graduating people from small-group workshop programs. The model simulations revealed the difficulty in sustaining high rates of recruitment and retention in small-group programs over time. The model simulations provided insight into what processes may lead to suboptimal numbers of people being recruited and positively influenced by these programs.

The impact of school-based health centers on the health outcomes of middle school and high school students.

OBJECTIVES: We studied the direct and indirect effects of school-based health centers (SBHCs) on the health and health behaviors of middle and high school students. METHODS: We used a prospective cohort design to measure health outcomes annually over 2 consecutive years by student self-report. Cohorts of middle school and high school students were recruited from matched schools with and without SBHCs. Data were obtained from 744 students in both year 1 and year 2 of the study. We used 2-level hierarchical linear models to estimate the effects of the presence of SBHCs at the school level and of SBHC use at the student level. RESULTS: At year 2, users of SBHCs experienced greater satisfaction with their health, more physical activity, and greater consumption of healthy food than did nonusers of SBHCs. CONCLUSIONS: Students who used SBHCs were more satisfied with their health and engaged in a greater number of health-promoting behaviors than did students who did not use SBHCs. These findings indicate that SBHCs are achieving their goal of promoting children's health.