Suchergebnisse

<p class="Pa7"><strong>Introduction: </strong>Sleep disturbance is a major public health issue and is comorbid with the cluster of conditions associated with meta­bolic syndrome (MetS). Our study explored the presence of sleep disturbance, including daytime sleepiness, the risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and insomnia symp­toms, in a cohort of adult Black men and women with MetS.</p><p class="Pa7"><strong>Methods: </strong>Patients (n=1,013) from the Met­abolic Syndrome Outcome Study (MetSO), 2009-2012, met criteria for MetS based on guidelines from the National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel and provided sociodemographic data and the Apnea Risk Evaluation System (ARES) questionnaire to assess OSA risk, sleep char­acteristics, and physician-reported diagnosis of a sleep disorder.</p><p class="Pa7"><strong>Results: </strong>Prevalence of the components of MetS included: diabetes (60%); obesity (67%); hypertension (94%); and dyslip­idemia (74%). Based on the ARES, 49% were at risk for OSA. Of all study patients, slightly more than half (53%) reported feel­ing sleepy during the day, and 10% reported an insomnia diagnosis. The most common sleep disturbance reported by 46% of the patients was early morning awakenings (EMA). This was closely followed by 42% who reported difficulty staying asleep (DSA) and 38% reporting difficulty falling asleep (DFA). Seventy percent reported short sleep (≤ 6 hours), whereas a minority (19%) reported long sleep (≥ 9 hours). Only 12% used sleep aids. Women, compared with men, reported greater daytime sleepiness, greater DFA, and greater DSA (57% vs 45%; 41% vs 32.4%; 45% vs 37%), respectively.</p><p class="Default"><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Blacks with MetS reported insomnia symptoms and insomnia disor­der, use of sleep aids, feeling sleepy during the day, and inadequate sleep durations. The presence of these sleep characteristics suggests that patients with MetS should be referred for further sleep assessment. <em></em></p><p class="Default"><em>Ethn Dis. </em>2018;28(3):193-200; doi:10.18865/ ed.28.3.193</p>

Introduction: Mentorship is crucial for academic success. And yet, there are few mentoring programs that address the needs of underrepresented, racially/ethnically diverse junior faculty conducting health-related research in the United States.Methods: To expand mentoring capacity for these racially/ethnically diverse faculty, we developed a Peer Mentor Develop­ment Program (PMDP) to prepare near-peers, who have similar characteristics and personal experiences, to provide support to participants in an NIH-PRIDE funded Insti­tute. The PMDP program is designed based on the 8-year experience of the Mentor Development Program of the NYU-Health and Hospitals Clinical Translational Science Institute. Annually, up to six alumni are selected into the PMDP, participate in the 12-hour program over 4 days, are paired with 1 to 3 scholar participants to mentor and join monthly PMDP conference calls during the ensuing year.Results: We describe the program, partici­pant experience and lessons learned from our first 18 peer mentors in three PMDP cohorts. Additionally, all 18 peer mentors completed a post-evaluation survey to as­sess the program. Overall, peers agreed that participating in the PMDP enhanced most of the specific skills targeted. Participants rated 53%-86% of skills as "more than be­fore" participating in PMDP, demonstrating the appreciation and impact of the program.Conclusions: The PMDP may be a model for higher education and academic medi­cine programs committed to mentoring and retaining racially/ethnically diverse faculty and ultimately contributing to reducing entrenched health disparities between majority and minority populations.Ethn Dis. 2020;30(2):321-330; doi:10.18865/ ed.30.2.321

OBJECTIVE: Compared to European Americans, research indicates that African Americans have higher white matter hyperintensity (WMH) load; however, the clinical and biological bases underlying this higher burden are poorly understood. We hypothesize that obesity may explain differences in WMH between African and European Americans. METHODS: Participants enrolled in longitudinal brain aging studies (n=292; 61% Female; 92% European American; mean age=69.6±7.7) completed evaluations including medical exams, neuroimaging, and sociodemographic surveys. Overweight/obese status defined as body mass index ≥30 kg/m(2), and WMH load, captured by FLAIR images, as sum of deep and periventricular volumes, scored using the Fazekas scale (0–6), WMH≥4 considered high. RESULTS: Logistic regression analyses, adjusted for age, sex, hypertension, and smoking history, indicated that age and interaction between race and obesity were significant predictors of WMH, demonstrating that obesity significantly moderated the relationship between race and WMH. Age independently increased the odds of high WMH by 16% (OR=1.16, 95% CI=1.09–1.23, p<0.001). Stratified analysis indicates that older European Americans had increased WMH (OR=1.17, 95% CI=1.09–1.23, p<0.001), while obese African Americans had increased WMH (OR=27.65, 95% CI=1.47–519.13, p<0.05). In a case controlled subgroup matched by age, sex, and education (n=48), African Americans had significantly higher WMH load (27% vs 4%, Χ(2)=5.3, p=0.02). CONCLUSION: Results denote that age predicted WMH among European Americans, while obesity predicted WMH among African Americans. Matched sample analyses indicate that obesity increases the odds of WMH, though more pronounced in African Americans. These findings suggest that obesity may explain the differential burden of white matter hyperintensity load, signifying public health and clinical importance.

<ins cite="mailto:Author"><p class="Pa7"><strong>Objectives: </strong>To reduce respondent burden for future evaluations of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-supported Programs to Increase Diversity Among Indi­viduals Engaged in Health-Related Research (PRIDE), a mentored-research education program, we sought to shorten the 33-item Ragins and McFarlin Mentor Role Instru­ment (RMMRI), measuring mentor-role ap­praisals, and the 69-item Clinical Research Appraisal Inventory (CRAI), measuring research self-efficacy.</p><p class="Default"><strong>Methods: </strong>Three nationally recruited, junior-faculty cohorts attended two, annual 2-3 week Summer Institutes (SI-1/SI-2: 2011/2012, 2012/2013, 2013/2014) at one of six PRIDE sites. Mentees completed the RMMRI two months after mentor assign­ment and the CRAI at baseline (pre-SI-1) and 6-month (mid-year) and 12-month (post-SI-2) follow-up. Publications data ob­tained from Scopus in October 2015 were verified with mentees' curriculum vitae. The RMMRI and CRAI were shortened using an iterative process of principal-components analysis. The shortened measures were ex­amined in association with each other (mul­tiple linear regression) and with increase in publications (repeated-measures analysis of covariance).</p><p class="Pa7"><strong>Results: </strong>PRIDE enrolled 152 mentees (70% women; 60% Black, 35% Hispanic/Latino). Cronbach's alphas for the new 9-item RMMRI, 19-item CRAI, and four CRAI-19 subscales were excellent. Controlling for baseline self-efficacy and cohort, RMMRI-9 scores were independently, positively associated with post-SI-2 scores on the CRAI-19 and three subscales (writing, study design/data analysis, and collaboration/grant preparation). Controlling for cohort, higher RMMRI-9 and post-SI-2 CRAI-19 scores were each associated with greater increase in publications.</p><p class="Pa7"><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The RMMRI-9 and CRAI- 19 retained the excellent psychometric properties of the longer measures. Find­ings support use of the shortened mea­sures in future evaluations of PRIDE. <em>Ethn Dis. </em>2017;27(2):179-188; doi:10.18865/ed.27.2.179.</p></ins>

<p>Aspiring junior investigators from groups underrepresented in the biomedical sciences face various challenges as they pursue research independence. However, the biomedical research enterprise needs their participation to effectively address critical research issues such as health disparities and health inequities. In this article, we share a research education and mentoring initiative that seeks to address this challenge: Programs to Increase Diversity among Individuals Engaged in Health Related Research (PRIDE), funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). This longitudinal research-education and mentoring program occurs through summer institute programs located at US-based academic institutions. Recruited participants are exposed to didactic and lab-based research-skill enhancement experiences, with year-round mentoring over the course of two years. Mentor-mentee matching is based on shared research interests to promote congruence and to enhance skill acquisition. Program descriptions and sample narratives of participants' perceptions of PRIDE's impact on their career progress are showcased. Additionally, we highlight the overall program design and structure of four of seven funded summer institutes that focus on cardiovascular disease, related conditions, and health disparities. Mentees' testimonials about the value of the PRIDE mentoring approach in facilitating career development are also noted. Meeting the clinical and research needs of an increasingly diverse US population is an issue of national concern. The PRIDE initiative, which focuses on increasing research preparedness and professional development of groups underrepresented in the biomedical research workforce, with an emphasis on mentoring as the critical approach, provides a robust model that is impacting the careers of future investigators. <em>Ethn Dis. </em>2016;26(3):379- 386; doi:10.18865/ed.26.3.379 </p>

<p class="Pa5"><strong>Objective: </strong>To report baseline character­istics of junior-level faculty participants in the Summer Institute Programs to Increase Diversity (SIPID) and the Programs to In­crease Diversity among individuals engaged in Health-Related Research (PRIDE), which aim to facilitate participants' career devel­opment as independent investigators in heart, lung, blood, and sleep research.</p><p class="Pa5"><strong>Design and Setting: </strong>Junior faculty from groups underrepresented in the biomedical-research workforce attended two, 2-3 week, annual summer research-education programs at one of six sites. Programs provided didactic and/or laboratory courses, workshops to develop research, writing and career-development skills, as well as a mentoring component, with regular contact maintained via phone, email and webinar conferences. Between summer institutes, trainees participated in a short mid-year meeting and an annual scientific meeting. Participants were surveyed during and after SIPID/PRIDE to evaluate program compo­nents.</p><p class="Pa5"><strong>Participants: </strong>Junior faculty from under­represented populations across the United States and Puerto Rico participated in one of three SIPID (2007-2010) or six PRIDE programs (2011-2014).</p><p class="Pa5"><strong>Results: </strong>Of 204 SIPID/PRIDE participants, 68% were female; 67% African American and 27% Hispanic/Latino; at enrollment, 75% were assistant professors and 15% instructors, with most (96%) on non-tenure track. Fifty-eight percent had research doctorates (PhD, ScD) and 42% had medi­cal (MD, DO) degrees. Mentees' feedback about the program indicated skills develop­ment (eg, manuscript and grant writing), access to networking, and mentoring were the most beneficial elements of SIPID and PRIDE programs. Grant awards shifted from primarily mentored research mechanisms to primarily independent investigator awards after training.</p><p class="Pa7"><strong> Conclusions: </strong>Mentees reported their career development benefited from SIPID and PRIDE participation.</p><p class="Pa7"><em>Ethn Dis. </em>2017;27(3):249-256; doi:10.18865/ed.27.3.249</p>

Social distancing, also referred to as physical distancing, means creating a safe distance of at least two meters (six feet) between yourself and others. This is a term popularized during the COVID-19 pandemic, as it is one of the most important measures to prevent the spread of this virus. However, the term 'social distancing' can be misleading, as it may imply that individuals should stop socializing. However, socializing in a safe context (i.e. over the phone, video-chat, etc.) is especially important during this time of crisis. Therefore, in this narrative review, we suggest the term 'distant socializing' as more apt expression, to promote physical distancing measures while also highlighting the importance of maintaining social bonds. Further, articles discussing the practice, implementation, measurement, and mental health effects of physical distancing are reviewed. Physical distancing is associated with psychiatric symptoms (such as anxiety and depression), suicidal ideation, and domestic violence. Further, unemployment and job insecurity have significantly increased during COVID-19, which may exacerbate these negative mental health effects. Governments, medical institutions, and public health bodies should therefore consider increasing mental health resources both during and after the pandemic, with a specific focus on frontline workers, COVID-19 survivors, and marginalized communities.