Design and Implementation of a Federal Program to Engage Community Partners to Reduce Disparities in Adult COVID-19 Immunization Uptake, United States, 2021-2022.

Vaccination disparities are part of a larger system of health inequities among racial and ethnic groups in the United States. To increase vaccine equity of racial and ethnic populations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) designed the Partnering for Vaccine Equity program in January 2021, which funded and supported national, state, local, and community organizations in 50 states-which include Indian Health Service Tribal Areas; Washington, DC; and Puerto Rico-to implement culturally tailored activities to improve access to, availability of, and confidence in COVID-19 and influenza vaccines. To increase vaccine uptake at the local level, CDC partnered with national organizations such as the National Urban League and Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum to engage community-based organizations to take action. Lessons learned from the program include the importance of directly supporting and engaging with the community, providing tailored messages and access to vaccines to reach communities where they are, training messengers who are trusted by those in the community, and providing support to funded partners through trainings on program design and implementation that can be institutionalized and sustained beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Building on these lessons will ensure CDC and other public health partners can continue to advance vaccine equity, increase vaccine uptake, improve health outcomes, and build trust with communities as part of a comprehensive adult immunization infrastructure.

E-cigarette use among Hispanics: Reducing risk or recruiting new tobacco users?

The prevalence of cigarette smoking in the United States has been declining for over 50 years among all racial/ethnic groups. However, this progress could be stalled or even reversed by the increasing popularity of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). Hispanics have experienced tobacco-related health disparities resulting from early age of cigarette smoking initiation and less success in quitting smoking. The effects of e-cigarettes on tobacco-related health disparities among Hispanics have not been well described. The uptake of e-cigarettes among Hispanic youth could lead to a "tipping point" phenomenon, in which Hispanics disproportionately become nicotine-dependent in adolescence and suffer increased tobacco-related disease in adulthood. Hypothetically, if Hispanic adult cigarette smokers switch to e-cigarettes, they could reduce (but not completely eliminate) their health risks. This article summarizes the research on the use of e-cigarettes among Hispanics. We describe the prevalence and patterns of e-cigarette use among Hispanic adolescents and adults compared with non-Hispanic whites. Findings indicate that e-cigarette use is rare among Hispanic adults, but Hispanic adolescents are at risk of experimenting with e-cigarettes at early ages, potentially leading to early nicotine addiction and exacerbating tobacco-related disparities in the future. Health education and policy interventions are needed to prevent e-cigarette use among Hispanic adolescents, while acknowledging that some Hispanic adult cigarette smokers may benefit from switching to e-cigarettes.

Personalized medicine and Hispanic health: improving health outcomes and reducing health disparities - a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute workshop report.

Persons of Hispanic/Latino descent may represent different ancestries, ethnic and cultural groups and countries of birth. In the U.S., the Hispanic/Latino population is projected to constitute 29% of the population by 2060. A personalized approach focusing on individual variability in genetics, environment, lifestyle and socioeconomic determinants of health may advance the understanding of some of the major factors contributing to the health disparities experienced by Hispanics/Latinos and other groups in the U.S., thus leading to new strategies that improve health care outcomes. However, there are major gaps in our current knowledge about how personalized medicine can shape health outcomes among Hispanics/Latinos and address the potential factors that may explain the observed differences within this heterogeneous group, and between this group and other U.S. demographic groups. For that purpose, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), in collaboration with the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), held a workshop in which experts discussed (1) potential approaches to study medical treatments and health outcomes among Hispanics/Latinos and garner the necessary evidence to fill gaps of efficacy, effectiveness and safety of therapies for heart, lung, blood and sleep (HLBS) disorders and conditions--and their risk factors; (2) research opportunities related to personalized medicine to improve knowledge and develop effective interventions to reduce health disparities among Hispanics/Latinos in the U.S.; and (3) the incorporation of expanded sociocultural and socioeconomic data collection and genetic/genomic/epigenetic information of Hispanic/Latino patients into their clinical assessments, to account for individual variability in ancestry; physiology or disease risk; culture; environment; lifestyle; and socioeconomic determinants of health. The experts also provided recommendations on: sources of Hispanic/Latino health data and strategies to enhance its collection; policy; genetics, genomics and epigenetics research; and integrating Hispanic/Latino health research within clinical settings.

Maximizing participation of Hispanic community-based/non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in emergency preparedness.

To better understand social and structural changes needed to maximize community-based participation in emergency preparedness, 27 organizations, representing 12 states, participated in a study of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health. The study assessed social change needs (social will, community readiness, assets, and barriers) and structural needs (organizational capacity to integrate services into emergency management efforts locally). Results show high social will but little community readiness. Most non-governmental organizations (NGOs; 96%) were willing, but ill-prepared (65%) to face large-scale emergencies. Assets include bilingual/bicultural personnel, cultural competency, local knowledge, and public trust. Barriers include lack of culturally appropriate training and resources. Structurally, most NGOs want to link with voluntary organizations (79%) and public health departments (74%), but lack integration and coordination. Maximizing timely participation of these underutilized stakeholders in emergency planning can ensure culturally-proficient, community-tailored emergency plans, increased public confidence, and timely compliance with evacuation orders, thus helping to save lives.