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Purpose: This study aimed to characterize physical activity (PA) environments in Georgia public elementary schools and to identify socioeconomic status (SES) and racial/ethnic disparities in PA environments. Design: A school setting PA survey was launched in 2013 to 2014 as a cross-sectional online survey assessing PA environment factors, including facility access and school PA practices, staff PA opportunities, parental involvement in school PA, and out-of-school PA opportunities. Setting: All 1333 Georgia public elementary schools were recruited. Participants: A total of 1083 schools (81.2%) responded. Survey respondents included school administrators, physical education (PE) teachers, and grade-level chairs. Measures: Physical activity environment factors were assessed via an online questionnaire adapted from school PA surveys and articles. Analysis: The chi-square and Fisher exact analyses were conducted to examine the reporting of PA environment factors overall and by school SES, as measured by free/reduced lunch rate, and/or racial/ethnic composition. Results: Overall, many PA environment factors were widely prevalent (ie, gym [99%] or field [79%] access), although some factors such as some PA-related programs (ie, a structured walk/bike program [11%]) were less widely reported. Disparities in school PA environment factors were largely patterned by SES, though they varied for some factors by racial/ethnic composition and across SES within racial/ethnic composition categories. For example, lower SES schools were less likely to report access to blacktops and tracks ( p-value < .0001), and higher SES schools were less likely to report access to playgrounds ( p-value = .0076). Lower SES schools were also less likely to report "always/often" giving access to PE/PA equipment during recess ( p-value < .01). Lower SES and majority nonwhite schools were less likely to report having joint use agreements with community agencies ( p-value < .0001). Conclusion: This study highlights SES and racial/ethnic disparities in PA environments in Georgia public elementary schools.

Racial and ethnic disparities in cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes are widely reported, but research has largely focused on differences in quality of inpatient and urgent care to explain these disparate outcomes. The objective of this review is to synthesize recent evidence on racial and ethnic disparities in management of CVD in the ambulatory setting. Database searches yielded 550 articles of which 25 studies met the inclusion criteria. Reviewed studies were categorized into non-interventional studies examining the association between race and receipt of ambulatory CVD services with observational designs, and interventional studies evaluating specific clinical courses of action intended to ameliorate disparities. Based on the Donabedian framework, this review demonstrates that significant racial/ethnic disparities persist in process and outcome measures of quality of ambulatory CVD care. Multimodal interventions were most effective in reducing disparities in CVD outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Obesity prevention has become a major focus of public health efforts in the United States. The Federal Government set forth national nutrition and physical activity recommendations to prevent obesity and promote well-being among children. A succinct message developed through a program in Maine "Let's Go! 5-2-1-0" summarizes these obesity prevention behaviors including ≥5 fruit and vegetables, ≤2 hours of screen time, ≥1 hour of physical activity, and 0 sugar sweetened beverages daily. The study evaluates racial/ethnic disparities among adolescents meeting the 5-2-1-0 targets in a nationally representative sample. METHODS: The 2011-2012 NHANES dataset was used to conduct a cross sectional analysis of Hispanic (n=287), non-Hispanic Black (n=321), Asian (n=145) and non-Hispanic White (n=234) adolescents 12-19 years old. The 5-2-1-0 targets were evaluated using dietary recalls, Global Physical Activity Questionnaire, and questions about sedentary activities. Differences in the proportion of racial/ethnic groups meeting the 5-2-1-0 targets were compared using chi-square tests. Logistic models accounting for the complex sampling design were used to evaluate racial/ethnic disparities in meeting the 5-2-1-0 targets. RESULTS: There were no adolescents that met all four 5-2-1-0 targets. Meeting individual targets and meeting none of the targets differed by racial/ethnic group. The study found 28% of White, 39% of Hispanic, 44% of Black and 35% of Asian adolescents met zero 5-2-1-0 targets. Adolescents from different racial/ethnic groups had increased odds of meeting no 5-2-1-0 targets compared to their White peers (adjusted odds ratio [95% Confidence Interval] – Hispanic: 1.76 [1.04-2.98], Black: 1.82[1.04-3.17], Asian: 1.48[1.08-2.04]). CONCLUSION: Understanding the uptake of national nutrition and physical activity recommendations is necessary to reduce future obesity and health consequences in adulthood. Despite national initiatives, adolescents in the United States are far from meeting the 5-2-1-0 targets and there are racial/ethnic disparities in meeting the recommendations.

Abstract Introduction Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the 2nd leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women in the U.S. Although routine screening via mammogram has been shown to increase survival through early detection and treatment of breast cancer, only 3 out of 5 women age ?40 are compliant with annual mammogram within the U.S. and the state of Florida. A breadth of literature exists on racial/ethnic disparities in compliance with mammogram; however, few such studies include data on individual Black subgroups, such as Haitians. This study assessed the association between race/ethnicity and annual mammogram compliance among randomly selected households residing in the largely Haitian community of Little Haiti, Miami-Dade County (MDC), Florida. Methods This study used cross-sectional, health data from a random-sample, population-based survey conducted within households residing in Little Haiti between November 2011 and December 2012 (n = 951). Mammogram compliance was defined as completion of mammogram by all female household members within the 12 months prior to the survey. The association between mammogram compliance and race/ethnicity was assessed using binary logistic regression models. Potential confounders were identified as factors that were conservatively associated with both compliance and race/ethnicity (P???0.20). Analyses were restricted to households containing at least 1 female member age ?40 (n = 697). Results Overall compliance with annual mammogram was 62%. Race/ethnicity was significantly associated with mammogram compliance (P = 0.030). Compliance was highest among non-Hispanic Black (NHB) households (75%), followed by Hispanic (62%), Haitian (59%), and non-Hispanic White (NHW) households (51%). After controlling for educational level, marital status, employment status, the presence of young children within the household, health insurance status, and regular doctor visits, a borderline significant disparity in mammogram compliance was observed between Haitian and NHB households (adjusted odds ratio = 1.63, P = 0.11). No other racial/ethnic disparities were observed. Discussion Compliance with annual mammogram was low among the surveyed households in Little Haiti. Haitian households underutilized screening by means of annual mammogram compared with NHB households, although this disparity was not significant. Compliance rates could be enhanced by conducting individualized, mammogram screening-based studies to identify the reasons behind low rate of compliance among households in this underserved, minority population.

This study aims to compare different approaches to measuring racial/ethnic disparities in mental health (MH) service use among a nationwide representative sample of children referred to the child welfare system and compare the magnitude and direction of potential disparities in MH service use over time. Using data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being, six summary measures of disparity were implemented to quantify racial/ethnic disparities in MH service use. This study found that youth of color were less likely than their White counterparts to receive MH services. This racial/ethnic disparity was found to increase over time; however, the magnitude of the increase varied considerably across disparity measures. In addition, the estimated increases in disparity were even greater when the sample was limited to youth in need of MH services. This study shows that the same data may produce different magnitudes of disparity, depending on which metric is implemented and whether MH need is accounted for. A greater understanding of and justification for selection of methods to examine MH disparities among child welfare researchers and policy makers is warranted.