African Americans

 Obesity is a major public health concern in the U.S. As compared to whites, minority populations are disproportionately at risk, with the highest prevalence rates of overweight and obesity occurring among African American women. Although researchers and policymakers argue that environmental approaches have the greatest potential to reverse the rising prevalence of obesity, critical gaps remain in our understanding of the complex mechanisms that underlie the associations between neighborhood food environments and weight status.

Prostate cancer is the most common cause of cancer in men and the second leading cause of cancer deaths. African-American men bear a disproportionate burden of prostate cancer diagnosis and mortality. Current guidelines for prostate cancer screening differ among various medical organizations. Therefore, it is important that African-American men have the appropriate information needed to make informed decisions about prostate cancer screening.

Prostate cancer affects African Americans at a higher rate than any other ethnic group in the United States. Prostate cancer does not only affect the man with the disease but also affects those individuals who are closest to him, such as his family and friends. Open communication is valuable in coping with stressors that are affiliated with chronic illnesses. This article focuses on family and friend social support of men with prostate cancer.

Fifteen African American women with a history of intimate partner violence (IPV) were interviewed to examine (a) the ways in which poor, urban African American women stay healthy, and particularly how they protected themselves from sexually transmitted diseases and HIV while in abusive relationships; and (b) the roles of intersecting contextual factors such as lifetime experiences of violence, mental health symptoms, and substance use in women's processes of maintaining their health. Data were analyzed using a qualitative descriptive approach.

Because stress is a major factor in hypertension, research on parenting stressors and lifestyle behaviors of grandparents with hypertension is important. This study describes urban African Americans caring for grandchildren and examines effects of perceived parenting stressors on hypertension self-management. Hypertensive African American grandparents (N = 49) residing in a large Midwestern city participated in the study. Structured interviews collected descriptive data and the Index of Parental Attitudes (IPA).

OBJECTIVE: To provide information on the characteristics of eating disorders based on nationally representative samples of African American and Caribbean Black adults and adolescents. METHOD: Conducted between 2001 and 2003 the National Survey of American Life (NSAL) interviewed adults (n = 5,191) and adolescents (n = 1,170) in their homes. Professionally trained interviewers used the WMH Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WMH-CIDI-WHO Organization 2004-modified) to assess DSM-IV TR eating disorders.

Introduction: This study examines risks for high blood pressure (BP) among undiagnosed African American mothers and daughters, because African American children are at risk for hypertension due to familial influences. Method: This study was cross-sectional in design and included 70 African American mother and daughter participants from the Detroit metropolitan area. Results: BP readings clinically diagnostic of hypertension were found for mothers (25.7%) and daughters (54.3%), although they were undiagnosed.

BMI represents an internal metabolic and physiological environment that plays a key role in development of high blood pressure (BP) for many Americans. African-American women have a higher prevalence of high BP and being overweight than men or other ethnic groups. This study examines the genetic-environmental interaction effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms and BMI on BP among African-American women using 1418 African-American women and men from the Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy study.

Successful outcomes for studies on health disparities depend on recruitment of research participants. Obtaining willing participants, protecting their rights, and acknowledging their contribution to research is as important as seeking answers to the study phenomena. Recruiting research participants can be an arduous process for investigators. Although literature has published participant recruitment methods, investigators sometimes underestimate the time and intensity required to attract eligible participants into research studies.

Women affected by breast cancer experience an array of quality-of-life issues that affect their daily living in both short-term and long-term survivorship. Because African American women experience disparities in breast cancer survival, their quality-of-life concerns may paint a different picture from those of other racial and ethnic groups.