Neighborhood Factors Relevant for Walking in Older, Urban, African American Adults

PubMed Central

Gallagher, Nancy Ambrose; Gretebeck, Kimberlee A.; Robinson, Jennifer C.; Torres, Elisa R.; Murphy, Susan L.; Martyn, Kristy K.

2010-01-01

Focus-group and photo-voice methodology were used to identify the salient factors of the neighborhood environment that encourage or discourage walking in older, urban African Americans. Twenty-one male (n = 2) and female (n = 19) African Americans age 60 years and older (M = 70 ± 8.7, range = 61–85) were recruited from a large urban senior center. Photographs taken by the participants were used to facilitate focus-group discussions. The most salient factors that emerged included the presence of other people, neighborhood surroundings, and safety from crime, followed by sidewalk and traffic conditions, animals, public walking tracks and trails, and weather. Future walking interventions for older African Americans should include factors that encourage walking, such as the presence of other friendly or active people, attractive or peaceful surroundings, and a sense of safety from crime. PMID:20181997

Urban Middle School African American Girls' Attitudes toward Physical Education and Out-of-School Physical Activity Levels

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramsey, Victor

2012-01-01

The purposes of this two-part study were (1) to investigate urban middle school African American girls' physical activity levels and their relationships to attitudes and, (2) to explore urban middle school African American girls' attitude toward physical education. A total of (N = 649) African American girls from 14 New York City middle schools…

Coping and metabolic syndrome indicators in urban black South African men: the SABPA study.

PubMed

du Plessis, A; Malan, L; Malan, N T

2010-01-01

Urbanisation is associated with obesity, hypertension and development of the metabolic syndrome (MS). We aimed to assess the use of different coping styles and their influence on increases in MS indicators and target end-organ damage (TOD) in urban black African men. A sample of 53 men was classified as clear high active (AC, n = 30) or passive coping (PC, n = 23) responders, using the Amirkhan African validated coping style indicator. Blood pressure (BP) was recorded with an aneroid sphygmomanometer and waist circumference (WC) was determined. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and microalbuminuria were analysed to determine TOD. Fasting serum and eight-hour urine samples revealed elevated MS indicators in AC men. Strong associations existed between MS indicators and TOD in AC but not PC men. To conclude, only BP and seeking social support were positively associated with TOD in urban PC African men, while in urban AC African men, most MS indicators were positively associated with TOD, i.e. sub-clinical atherosclerosis and renal impairment.

Struggles of agency and structure as cultural worlds collide as urban African American youth learn physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elmesky, Rowhea

This critical ethnography focused on five urban African American students, coming from economically disadvantaged homes in Philadelphia, who were considered at risk with regard to their position within society as well as within the small learning community of their low-academically performing school. As participants in the study, they were employed from June 11, 2001 from 9:00 AM until 1:00 PM and continuing until September 7, 2001 at $7.50 per hour under research grants from the Spencer Foundation and the National Science Foundation. Through this study, these five youth were provided with traditional and nontraditional opportunities to build understandings of some of the most essential concepts of physics as learners. Moreover, they also had the chance to work as research assistants, teacher educators and curriculum developers. The findings of the research conclusively reveal that African American, urban youth from some of the most challenging situations are capable of learning physics concepts. Moreover, the most success resulted when students' strategies of action were directed towards the objective of learning although, in the process of meaning-making, their personal goals unrelated to science were also met. In addition, the research results show that urban African American students come to school with strategies of action replete with cultural practices, symbols and their underlying meanings from fields outside of school including both the home and the neighborhood. These cultural resources, when triggered, then become apparent within learning environments and can powerfully assist learning when the desired outcomes of the student(s) are in tune with the objective of learning physics. Through the physics teaching and learning that occurred within this study, as well as their work as researchers, teacher educators and curriculum developers, April, Ebony, Markist, Pierre and Ya-Meer had opportunities to utilize their cultural capital to build new knowledge

Sociodemographic, Behavioral, and Psychological Correlates of Current Overweight and Obesity in Older, Urban African American Women

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patt, Madhavi Reddy; Yanek, Lisa R.; Moy, Taryn F.; Becker, Diane M.

2004-01-01

To better understand obesity and overweight among urban African American women, the authors examined sociodemographic, behavioral, and psychological factors within body mass index (BMI) categories. A total of 496 women were recruited for cardiovascular risk factor screening from 20 urban African American churches. Study participants had a mean age…

African American Male Superintendents in Urban School Districts: National Stories of Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carrier, Isaac Charles

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine and interpret the life experiences and leadership practices of four African American male superintendents leading urban school districts across the nation. The research approach adopted in this dissertation used semi-structured interviews with four African American male superintendents that consisted of…

African American Women Principals: Heeding the Call to Serve as Conduits for Transforming Urban School Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newcomb, Whitney Sherman; Niemeyer, Arielle

2015-01-01

African American women leaders are often found in urban schools that have been exhausted of resources and lack support. However, due to their disproportionate representation in urban schools, African American women principals have become adept at uniting and engaging stakeholders in marginalized school settings into action. The intent for this…

Stereotype Threat Effects on African American Children in an Urban Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wasserberg, Martin J.

2014-01-01

This study investigated whether a diagnostic testing condition leads to stereotype threat effects for African American children (n = 198) at an urban elementary school. Results indicated that presenting a reading test as diagnostic of abilities hindered the performance of African American children aware of racial stereotypes but not of those…

Urban African American Males' Perceptions of School Counseling Services

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owens, Delila; Simmons, Robert W., III; Bryant, Rhonda M.; Henfield, Malik

2011-01-01

Using a qualitative framework, researchers explored urban African American male students' perceptions of their school counselors and the ways to improve school counseling services. While participants reported positive feelings toward their school counselors, they identified specific services school counselors can offer them to optimize academic…

Predictors of Early Substance Use among African American and Caucasian Youth from Urban and Suburban Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abbey, Antonia; Jacques, Angela J.; Hayman, Lenwood W., Jr.; Sobeck, Joanne

2006-01-01

The deleterious effects of early substance use have been well documented. Past research has produced mixed results regarding the extent to which the profile of risk differs for urban African American and suburban Caucasian youth. Sixth graders from urban (n = 420; 92% African American) and suburban (n = 391; 89% Caucasian) schools in metropolitan…

Social Messages, Social Context, and Sexual Health: Voices of Urban African American Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Secor-Turner, Molly; Sieving, Renee; Garwick, Ann

2011-01-01

Objective: To describe aspects of the social context that low-income, urban African American young women articulate as having influenced social messages they received during adolescence about pregnancy timing and childbearing. Methods: Individual interviews were conducted with 20 African American young women ages 18-22. Results: Findings clustered…

Parenting Needs of Urban, African American Fathers.

PubMed

Smith, Tyler K; Tandon, S Darius; Bair-Merritt, Megan H; Hanson, Janice L

2015-07-01

Fathers play a critical role in children's development; similarly, fatherhood positively affects men's health. Among the larger population of fathers relatively little is known about the parenting knowledge of urban, African American fathers. Focusing on urban, African American fathers, the objectives of this study were to (1) understand the primary sources from which fathers learn about parenting, (2) determine where and how fathers prefer to receive future parenting education, and (3) explore the information perceived as most valuable to fathers and how this compares with the recommended anticipatory guidance (Bright Futures-based) delivered during well visits. Five focus groups, with a total of 21 participants, were conducted with urban fathers at a community-based organization. Study eligibility included being more than 18 years old, English speaking, and having at least one child 0 to 5 years old. During the focus groups, fathers were asked where they received parenting information, how and where they preferred to receive parenting information, and what they thought about Bright Futures parenting guidelines. Fathers most commonly described receiving parenting information from their own relatives rather than from their child's health care provider. Most fathers preferred to learn parenting from a person rather than a technology-based source and expressed interest in learning more about parenting at community-based locations. Although fathers viewed health care providers' role as primarily teaching about physical health, they valued Bright Futures anticipatory guidance about parenting. Fathers valued learning about child rearing, health, and development. Augmenting physician counseling about Bright Futures with community-based parenting education may be beneficial for fathers. © The Author(s) 2014.

Dietary intake patterns of low-income urban African-American adolescents

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Background: Improper dietary intake pattern is a risk factor for chronic disease. Few studies have examined the multifaceted aspects of dietary intake of low-income, urban African American adolescents. Objective: This study aimed to describe dietary intake patterns including energy, nutrient, food g...

Physical Education and Academic Performance in Urban African American Girls

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shen, Bo

2017-01-01

This study was designed to examine urban African American girls' participation in physical education and its association with academic performance. One hundred eighty four participants completed questionnaires assessing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and learning engagement in physical education while their academic performance was based…

Experiences of African American and Caucasian women who survive urban residential fires.

PubMed

Jepson, C; Pickett, M; Keane, A; Tax, A; McCorkle, R

1996-01-01

This study examined differences in socioeconomic characteristics, traumatic experiences suffered, and psychological distress in African American and Caucasian women 3 months after urban residential fires. Distress was measured by the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). The sample included 310 women (224 African Americans and 86 Caucasians). The African American women had lower levels of education and income than the Caucasian women, and were more likely to be unmarried. Injury and deaths of loved ones were similar in the two groups; African American women reported greater loss of possessions, less insurance coverage, and less displacement than Caucasian women. African American and Caucasian women scored similarly on the BSI. Scores on the BSI for both groups were higher than the norms reported in the literature.

African civil society initiatives to drive a biobanking, biosecurity and infrastructure development agenda in the wake of the West African Ebola outbreak

PubMed Central

Abayomi, Akin; Gevao, Sahr; Conton, Brian; Deblasio, Pasquale; Katz, Rebecca

2016-01-01

This paper describes the formation of a civil society consortium, spurred to action by frustration over the Ebola crises, to facilitate the development of infrastructure and frameworks including policy development to support a harmonized, African approach to health crises on the continent. The Global Emerging Pathogens Treatment Consortium, or GET, is an important example of how African academics, scientists, clinicians and civil society have come together to initiate policy research, multilevel advocacy and implementation of initiatives aimed at building African capacity for timely and effective mitigations strategies against emerging infectious and neglected pathogens, with a focus on biobanking and biosecurity. The consortium has been able to establish it self as a leading voice, drawing attention to scientific infrastructure gaps, the importance of cultural sensitivities, and the power of community engagement. The GET consortium demonstrates how civil society can work together, encourage government engagement and strengthen national and regional efforts to build capacity. PMID:28154625

African civil society initiatives to drive a biobanking, biosecurity and infrastructure development agenda in the wake of the West African Ebola outbreak.

PubMed

Abayomi, Akin; Gevao, Sahr; Conton, Brian; Deblasio, Pasquale; Katz, Rebecca

2016-01-01

This paper describes the formation of a civil society consortium, spurred to action by frustration over the Ebola crises, to facilitate the development of infrastructure and frameworks including policy development to support a harmonized, African approach to health crises on the continent. The Global Emerging Pathogens Treatment Consortium, or GET, is an important example of how African academics, scientists, clinicians and civil society have come together to initiate policy research, multilevel advocacy and implementation of initiatives aimed at building African capacity for timely and effective mitigations strategies against emerging infectious and neglected pathogens, with a focus on biobanking and biosecurity. The consortium has been able to establish it self as a leading voice, drawing attention to scientific infrastructure gaps, the importance of cultural sensitivities, and the power of community engagement. The GET consortium demonstrates how civil society can work together, encourage government engagement and strengthen national and regional efforts to build capacity.

Attitudes and beliefs about exercise among elderly African Americans in an urban community.

PubMed Central

Lavizzo-Mourey, R.; Cox, C.; Strumpf, N.; Edwards, W. F.; Lavizzo-Mourey, R.; Stinemon, M.; Grisso, J. A.

2001-01-01

Older African Americans are less likely to exercise compared with their white counterparts. Few studies have examined the facilitating factors and barriers to exercise among older African Americans living in urban communities. This study represented the first phase of a program to develop an exercise intervention in an urban community. Qualitative research was conducted to identify culturally determined attitudes that could be useful in designing an effective exercise program. Five focus groups involving 38 persons from a variety of settings were facilitated by trained professionals. Transcripts were analyzed to identify themes and contrasts among group participants. Contrary to the expectations of the investigative team, focus-group participants: (1) uniformly preferred group exercises compared with exercising at home, (2) rejected walking as a feasible option because of safety concerns, and (3) expressed limited interest in using weights or Eastern exercises such as Tai Chi. Concepts and goals of exercise differed according to the physical capabilities of the participants. The analysis of these focus-group discussions provided valuable insights with regard to the development of our community-based exercise-intervention protocol. These findings may be important in designing effective exercise programs for older African Americans in urban settings. PMID:11800276

Prevalence of Glaucoma in an Urban West African Population

PubMed Central

Budenz, Donald L.; Barton, Keith; Whiteside-de Vos, Julia; Schiffman, Joyce; Bandi, Jagadeesh; Nolan, Winifred; Herndon, Leon; Kim, Hanna; Hay-Smith, Graham; Tielsch, James M.

2014-01-01

Importance Multiple studies have found an increased prevalence, younger age at onset, and more severe course of glaucoma in people of African descent, but these findings are based on studies conducted outside Africa. Objective To determine the prevalence of glaucoma in an urban West African population of adults. Design and Setting A population-based, cross-sectional study of adults 40 years and older conducted from September 1, 2006, through December 31, 2008, from 5 communities in Tema, Ghana. Participants Participants from randomly selected clusters underwent a screening examination that consisted of visual acuity, frequency doubling perimetry, applanation tonometry, and optic disc photography. Participants who failed any of these tests were referred for complete examination, including gonioscopy, standard automated perimetry, and stereoscopic optic disc photography. Results A total of 6806 eligible participants were identified, and 5603 (82.3%) were enrolled in the study. The field examination referred 1869 participants (33.3%) to the clinic examination, and 1538 (82.2%) came for complete examination. A total of 362 participants were identified as having glaucoma of any type and category. Primary open-angle glaucoma was the underlying diagnosis in 342 participants (94.5%). The prevalence of primary open-angle glaucoma was 6.8% overall, increasing from 3.7% among those 40 to 49 years old to 14.6% among those 80 years and older, and was higher in men than in women in all age groups, with an overall male-female prevalence ratio of 1.5. Of the participants with glaucoma, 9 (2.5%) were blind using World Health Organization criteria, and only 12 (3.3%) were aware that they had glaucoma. Conclusions and Relevance The prevalence of glaucoma is higher in this urban West African population than in previous studies of people of East or South African and of non-African descent. Strategies to identify affected persons and effectively manage the burden of glaucoma are needed

The Effect of Racial Socialization on Urban African American Use of Child Mental Health Services

PubMed Central

Cavaleri, Mary A.; Rodriguez, James; McKay, Mary M.

2009-01-01

SUMMARY Objective To examine how parental endorsement of racial socialization parenting practices relates to child mental health service use among an urban sample of African American families. Methods A cross-sectional sample of urban African American parents (n = 96) provided ratings of their beliefs concerning various dimensions of racial socialization constructs, i.e., spiritual or religious coping (SRC), extended family caring (EFC), cultural pride reinforcement (CPR), and assessed regarding their use of child mental health services. Results At the multivariate level, the use of child mental health services was significantly positively associated with moderate levels of endorsement of SRC and EFC. Inversely, scores in the moderate range of CPR were associated with a reduced likelihood of child mental health service use. Conclusion Parental endorsement of racial socialization parenting practices appear to play a salient role in child mental health service use among an urban African American families. Further research with larger and more representative samples should be pursued. PMID:20228964

"No One Ever Asked Me": Urban African American Students' Perceptions of Educational Resilience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Joseph M.; Portman, Tarrell Awe Agahe

2014-01-01

This qualitative study examined high-achieving urban African American high school graduates' (N = 5) retrospective appraisal of what K-12 students from high-risk urban areas need to succeed academically despite seemingly insurmountable social, financial, and educational barriers. Findings revealed 6 themes: shared responsibility for…

Patient priorities and needs for diabetes care among urban African American adults.

PubMed

Batts, M L; Gary, T L; Huss, K; Hill, M N; Bone, L; Brancati, F L

2001-01-01

This study was conducted to determine diabetes care priorities and needs in a group of urban African American adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. One hundred nineteen African American adults with type 2 diabetes, aged 35 to 75, received behavioral/educational interventions from a nurse case manager, a community health worker, or both. Priorities and needs were assessed during 3 intervention visits. The most frequently reported priorities for diabetes care were glucose self-monitoring (61%), medication adherence (47%), and healthy eating (36%). The most frequently addressed diabetes needs were glucose self-monitoring and medication adherence. Most of the intervention visits (77%) addressed non-diabetes-related health issues such as cardiovascular disease (36%) and social issues such as family responsibilities (30%). Participants' self-reported priorities for diabetes care directly reflected the diabetes needs addressed. Needs beyond the focus of traditional diabetes care (social issues and insurance) are important to address in urban African Americans with type 2 diabetes. Interventions designed to address comprehensive health and social needs should be included in treatment and educational plans for this population.

Feasibility and usability of a text message-based program for diabetes self-management in an urban African-American population.

PubMed

Dick, Jonathan J; Nundy, Shantanu; Solomon, Marla C; Bishop, Keisha N; Chin, Marshall H; Peek, Monica E

2011-09-01

We pilot-tested a text message-based diabetes care program in an urban African-American population in which automated text messages were sent to participants with personalized medication, foot care, and appointment reminders and text messages were received from participants on adherence. Eighteen patients participated in a 4-week pilot study. Baseline surveys collected data about demographics, historical cell phone usage, and adherence to core diabetes care measures. Exit interview surveys (using close-coded and open-ended questions) were administered to patients at the end of the program. A 1-month follow-up interview was conducted surveying patients on perceived self-efficacy. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to compare baseline survey responses about self-management activities to those at the pilot's end and at 1-month follow-up. Eighteen urban African-American participants completed the pilot study. The average age was 55 and the average number of years with diabetes was 8. Half the participants were initially uncomfortable with text messaging. Example messages include "Did you take your diabetes medications today" and "How many times did you check your feet for wounds this week?" Participants averaged 220 text messages with the system, responded to messages 80% of the time, and on average responded within 6 minutes. Participants strongly agreed that text messaging was easy to perform and helped with diabetes self-care. Missed medication doses decreased from 1.6 per week to 0.6 (p = .003). Patient confidence in diabetes self-management was significantly increased during and 1 month after the pilot (p = .002, p = .008). Text messaging may be a feasible and useful approach to improve diabetes self-management in urban African Americans. © 2011 Diabetes Technology Society.

The Meaning High-Achieving African-American Males in an Urban High School Ascribe to Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, LaTasha; Davis, Julius

2013-01-01

Many researchers, educators, administrators, policymakers and members of the general public doubt the prevalence of high-achieving African-American males in urban high schools capable of excelling in mathematics. As part of a larger study, the current study explored the educational experiences of four high-achieving African-American males…

Leading School Improvement: African American Women Principals in Urban Educational Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mack, Yejide S.

2010-01-01

African American women administrators working in urban educational settings have been found to be effective leaders of school improvement. Underutilized women and people of color are the untapped value that organizations of all types need to enhance creativity, change efforts, teamwork, and financial benefits (Northouse, 2001). During the last…

Measuring Urban Teachers' Beliefs about African American Students: A Psychometric Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Natesan, Prathiba; Kieftenbeld, Vincent

2013-01-01

Understanding urban teachers' beliefs about African American students has become important because (a) many teachers are reluctant to teach students from other cultures, and (b) most teachers are European American. To construct a psychometrically sound measure of teacher beliefs, the authors investigate the measurement properties of a teacher…

Built urban heritage conservation in Islamic societies: Study case in Banda Aceh, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meutia, Z. D.

2017-06-01

This paper aims to find the concept of the built heritage related to Islamic societies with a case study in the city of Banda Aceh through study literature review, with the context of the planning in the era of uncertainty. In this paper will be elaborated and described what it was about heritage and urban heritage and conservation Islamic values in heritage, as well as explain the concept of the built heritage conservation in Islamic societies. Discussion and analysis will be done through its study literature. Literature reviews about built urban heritage conservation and perspective of the Islamic societies in Banda aceh was done using systematic methodology literature review. This methodology summarizes research results earlier that presents the fact that a more comprehensive and balanced. The synthesis of the results conducted using narrative techniques or technique of qualitative. The discovery paper in this paper is to understand the relationship the built heritage conservation of Islamic societies perspective that consider shari’a aspect and local tradition in built urban heritage that can affect to heritage planning.

South African, urban youth narratives: Resilience within community.

PubMed

Mosavel, Maghboeba; Ahmed, Rashid; Ports, Katie A; Simon, Christian

2015-06-01

South African youth in low-income, urbanized communities are exposed to high levels of daily stressors, which increase their risk to negative outcomes. Resiliency can provide avenues for youth to transcend adversity and may contribute to their positive development. To provide a deeper understanding of the pathways that adolescents use to overcome adversity, this paper examined future aspirations of South African youth, and how these aspirations were connected to resiliency factors framed by their lived context. A phenomenological approach was used to explore the perceptions of high school students. Fourteen focus groups with girls and boys (N=112) were conducted. Data was analyzed using a thematic approach. Discussions of the harsh conditions undermining the community's future highlighted opportunities for improvement. Community connectedness, hope and altruism were prevalent in youth's responses and could be used to facilitate community and individual resiliency. Our overall findings have important implications for positive youth development efforts.

Acculturation and Quality of Life in Urban, African American Caregivers of Children with Asthma

PubMed Central

Everhart, Robin S.; Miadich, Samantha A.; Leibach, Gillian G.; Borschuk, Adrienne P.; Koinis-Mitchell, Daphne

2016-01-01

Objective Racial/ethnic minority caregivers of children with asthma are at risk for low levels of quality of life (QOL). Limited research has identified factors that contribute to lower QOL among African American caregivers. This study examined associations between acculturation (e.g., engaging in values/beliefs traditional of one’s culture versus adopting mainstream cultural views) and caregiver QOL in low-income, urban African American families of children (7–12 years) with persistent asthma. We also investigated the association between caregiver QOL and child emergency department (ED) use. Methods Fifty-five caregivers and their children completed interview-based questionnaires in a single research session. Caregivers completed the Pediatric Asthma Caregiver Quality of Life Questionnaire (PACQLQ), the African American Acculturation Scale-Revised (AAAS-R), and reported on child asthma variables. Children completed items assessing asthma control. Results Higher overall QOL and emotional function subscale scores were associated with more traditional African American religious beliefs/practices (r=.288, p=.033; r=.333, p=.013). Higher emotional function subscale scores were associated with more traditional values of African American families (r=.306, p=.023). Lower QOL was found among caregivers of children who had visited the ED three or more times in the last year. Conclusions Less acculturation tied to religious beliefs/practices and family values (as measured by the AAAS-R) may serve a protective role in reducing the burden low-income, urban African American caregivers experience in managing child asthma. This study is the first of its kind to study acculturation in African American caregivers of children with asthma. PMID:27115558

Depression, stress, and blood pressure in urban African-American women.

PubMed

Artinian, Nancy T; Washington, Olivia G M; Flack, John M; Hockman, Elaine M; Jen, Kai-Lin Catherine

2006-01-01

African-American women have disturbingly high rates of hypertension, exceeding those of African-American men and other ethnic groups. Reasons for these disparities are not understood. Depression, more common in women than men, has been linked to endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, metabolic and hematologic abnormalities, and increased sympathetic nervous system activity--all factors associated with cardiovascular disease. A descriptive correlational design was used to test the following hypotheses: 1) African-American women with higher levels of depression will have higher blood pressure (BP) levels, more cardiovascular risk factors, greater stress, and lower social support; and 2) depression will mediate the relationship between stress and BP. A convenience sample of 245 hypertensive African-American women (mean age, 61+/-12.7 years) was recruited through free BP screenings offered in the community. All data were collected during a structured interview and brief physical examination. Pearson r correlation coefficients, analysis of variance, and multiple regression analyses were used to analyze the hypotheses. Women with higher levels of depression had higher diastolic BP and were more likely to smoke, eat fewer fruits and vegetables, and have more stress and less social support. Depression mediated the relationship between stress and diastolic BP. The findings emphasize the importance of assessing both behavioral and psychosocial factors in urban African-American women with hypertension.

Acceptance of a community-based navigator program for cancer control among urban African Americans.

PubMed

Halbert, Chanita Hughes; Briggs, Vanessa; Bowman, Marjorie; Bryant, Brenda; Bryant, Debbie Chatman; Delmoor, Ernestine; Ferguson, Monica; Ford, Marvella E; Johnson, Jerry C; Purnell, Joseph; Rogers, Rodney; Weathers, Benita

2014-02-01

Patient navigation is now a standard component of cancer care in many oncology facilities, but a fundamental question for navigator programs, especially in medically underserved populations, is whether or not individuals will use this service. In this study, we evaluated acceptance of a community-based navigator program for cancer control and identified factors having significant independent associations with navigation acceptance in an urban sample of African Americans. Participants were African American men and women ages 50-75 who were residents in an urban metropolitan city who were referred for navigation. Of 240 participants, 76% completed navigation. Age and perceived risk of developing cancer had a significant independent association with navigation acceptance. Participants who believed that they were at high risk for developing cancer had a lower likelihood of completing navigation compared with those who believed that they had a low risk for developing this disease. The likelihood of completing navigation increased with increases in age. None of the socioeconomic factors or health care variables had a significant association with navigation acceptance. There are few barriers to using community-based navigation for cancer control among urban African Americans. Continued efforts are needed to develop and implement community-based programs for cancer control that are easy to use and address the needs of medically underserved populations.

Digital expression among urban, low-income African American adolescents.

PubMed

Baker, Christina M; Staiano, Amanda E; Calvert, Sandra L

2011-01-01

Digital production is a means through which African American adolescents communicate and express their experiences with peers. This study examined the content and the form of the digital productions of 24 urban, low-income African American adolescents who attended a summer academic program. The content of student digital productions focused on academic experiences and friendships. Their production styles revealed that youth used perceptually salient production features, such as rapid scene changes and loud rap music. The results suggest that when placed in a supportive, academic environment and provided with digital production resources, students who traditionally face barriers due to cultural and economic inequalities digitally express to their peers an interest in academics and positive peer relationships, and that these youth communicate their experiences through a shared production style that reflects their broader cultural experiences.

Examining Relevant Influences on the Persistence of African-American College Students at a Diverse Urban University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Jackie C., Jr.; Wolters, Christopher; Horn, Catherine; Kennedy, Heidi

2014-01-01

In this study, campus involvement, faculty mentorship, motivational beliefs (self-efficacy and utility value), and sense of belonging were examined as potential predictors of African-American college student academic persistence. Participants (n = 139) in the study were African-American college students from a large-urban university. Separate…

Impediments to the adoption of alternative sewerage in South African urban informal settlements.

PubMed

Ashipala, N; Armitage, N P

2011-01-01

In recent decades South Africa has witnessed a substantial growth in its urban population. This growth has been accompanied by the mushrooming of informal settlements (shantytowns) flanking more formal development. The lack of adequate urban drainage in many of these informal settlements has resulted in extremely polluted environments which add to the disease burden of the poor people who live there. In many instances, informal settlements in South Africa are established on marginal land that is inherently difficult to service using conventional gravity sewerage. International experience has shown that various alternative wastewater collection systems may present more appropriate ways of providing water-borne sewerage in areas that are difficult to service by conventional means. Alternative sewerage schemes have however had a poor record of success in South African informal settlements - primarily stemming from the implementing agencies' failure to adequately address various social and institutional factors. In this paper, a review of South African experiences with simplified sewerage, settled sewerage and vacuum sewerage in urban informal settlements is used to highlight the key constraints that currently impede the application of these technologies.

Urban vs Rural Residence and the Prevalence of Depression and Mood Disorder Among African American Women and Non-Hispanic White Women

PubMed Central

Weaver, Addie; Himle, Joseph A.; Taylor, Robert Joseph; Matusko, Niki N.; Abelson, Jamie M.

2015-01-01

IMPORTANCE There is a paucity of research among African Americans and rural residents. Little is known about the association between urbanicity and depression or about the interaction of urbanicity, race/ethnicity, and sex on depression and mood disorder prevalence. OBJECTIVE To examine the interaction of urbanicity and race/ethnicity on lifetime and 12-month major depressive disorder (MDD) and mood disorder prevalence for African American women and non-Hispanic white women. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS The US National Survey of American Life data were used to examine the interaction of urbanicity and race/ethnicity on lifetime and 12-month diagnoses of DSM-IV MDD and mood disorder among female respondents, who included noninstitutionalized African American, Caribbean black, and non-Hispanic white women in the United States between February 2001 and June 2003. Participants included 1462 African American women and 341 non-Hispanic white women recruited from the South because all suburban and rural National Survey of American Life respondents resided in this region. Bivariate multiple logistic regression and adjusted prevalence analyses were performed. Urban, suburban, or rural location (assessed via Rural-Urban Continuum Codes), self-reported race/ethnicity, and sociodemographic factors (age, education, household income, and marital status) were included in the analysis. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Lifetime and 12-month MDD and mood disorder assessed via the World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview. RESULTS Compared with urban African American women, rural African American women had a significantly lower odds of meeting criteria for lifetime (odds ratio [OR], 0.39; 95% CI, 0.23–0.65) and 12-month (OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.18–0.46) MDD and for lifetime (F = 0.46; 95% CI, 0.29–0.73) and 12-month (F = 0.42; 95% CI, 0.26–0.66) mood disorder. However, the interaction of urbanicity and race/ethnicity suggested that rural non-Hispanic white

Academic Self-Concept and Academic Achievement of African American Students Transitioning from Urban to Rural Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bacon, La Shawn Catrice

2011-01-01

The relationship between academic self-concept and academic achievement in African American students who have experienced geographic mobility was the focus of this study. Specifically, this study used quantitative methods to assess African American students from counties in Iowa to obtain information about the students' relocation from urban to…

The Renewed Community; Pursuing Quality in an Urbanizing Society.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buck, Roy C., Ed.; Lyons, William E., Ed.

Numerous readings on the urbanizing society are presented, with guidelines for study and discussion, session by session. The first three sessions cover community development as a point of view and problems of a changing economic base--fixed human and nonhuman assets as aids and obstacles, and a realistic policy of industrial development. Two…

Factors influencing HIV-risk behaviors among HIV-positive urban African Americans.

PubMed

Plowden, Keith O; Fletcher, Audwin; Miller, J Lawrence

2005-01-01

Urban African Americans are disproportionately affected by HIV, the virus associated with AIDS. Although incidence and mortality appear to be decreasing in some populations, they continue to remain steady among inner-city African Americans. A major concern is the number of HIV-positive individuals who continue to practice high-risk behaviors. Understanding factors that increase risks is essential for the development and implementation of effective prevention initiatives. Following a constructionist epistemology, this study used ethnography to explore social and cultural factors that influence high-risk behaviors among inner-city HIV-positive African Americans. Leininger's culture care diversity and universality theory guided the study. Individual qualitative interviews were conducted with HIV-positive African Americans in the community to explore social and cultural factors that increase HIV-risky behaviors. For this study, family/kinship, economic, and education factors played a significant role in risky behaviors. Reducing HIV disparity among African Americans is dependent on designing appropriate interventions that enhance protective factors. Clinicians providing care to HIV-positive individuals can play a key role in reducing transmission by recognizing and incorporating these factors when designing effective prevention interventions.

"I Do but I Don't": The Search for Identity in Urban African American Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gullan, Rebecca Lakin; Hoffman, Beth Necowitz; Leff, Stephen S.

2011-01-01

Achievement of a coherent and strong sense of self is critical to positive academic outcomes for urban minority youth. The present study utilized a mixed-methods approach to explore key aspects of identity development for African American adolescents living in a high-poverty, urban neighborhood. Results suggest that efforts to develop a sense of…

Sexuality Education in South African Schools: The Challenge for Civil Society Organisations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams Tucker, Leigh; George, Gavin; Reardon, Candice; Panday, Saadhna

2017-01-01

Objective: Drawing on the perceptions of various key stakeholders, the paper explores the strengths and limitations of involving civil society organisations in the delivery of HIV and AIDS and sexuality education in South African schools. Design: Qualitative study with a cross-sectional design. Setting: Research was conducted at 16 public…

Risk and Protective Factors for Alcohol and Marijuana Use among African-American Rural and Urban Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Trenette T.; Nguyen, Anh B.; Belgrave, Faye Z.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine individual, family, peer, and community risk and protective factors associated with past-30-days alcohol and marijuana use among African-American adolescents living in rural and urban communities. This study used data collected from 907 tenth- and twelfth-grade African-American students who completed the…

Acceptance of a community-based navigator program for cancer control among urban African Americans

PubMed Central

Halbert, Chanita Hughes; Briggs, Vanessa; Bowman, Marjorie; Bryant, Brenda; Bryant, Debbie Chatman; Delmoor, Ernestine; Ferguson, Monica; Ford, Marvella E.; Johnson, Jerry C.; Purnell, Joseph; Rogers, Rodney; Weathers, Benita

2014-01-01

Patient navigation is now a standard component of cancer care in many oncology facilities, but a fundamental question for navigator programs, especially in medically underserved populations, is whether or not individuals will use this service. In this study, we evaluated acceptance of a community-based navigator program for cancer control and identified factors having significant independent associations with navigation acceptance in an urban sample of African Americans. Participants were African American men and women ages 50–75 who were residents in an urban metropolitan city who were referred for navigation. Of 240 participants, 76% completed navigation. Age and perceived risk of developing cancer had a significant independent association with navigation acceptance. Participants who believed that they were at high risk for developing cancer had a lower likelihood of completing navigation compared with those who believed that they had a low risk for developing this disease. The likelihood of completing navigation increased with increases in age. None of the socioeconomic factors or health care variables had a significant association with navigation acceptance. There are few barriers to using community-based navigation for cancer control among urban African Americans. Continued efforts are needed to develop and implement community-based programs for cancer control that are easy to use and address the needs of medically underserved populations. PMID:24173501

Blood Pressure Dipping and Urban Stressors in Young Adult African Americans.

PubMed

Mellman, Thomas A; Brown, Tyish S Hall; Kobayashi, Ihori; Abu-Bader, Soleman H; Lavela, Joseph; Altaee, Duaa; McLaughlin, Latesha; Randall, Otelio S

2015-08-01

Blunted nocturnal blood pressure (BP) dipping is an early marker of cardiovascular risk that is prevalent among African Americans. We evaluated relationships of BP dipping to neighborhood and posttraumatic stress and sleep in urban residing young adult African Americans. One hundred thirty-six black, predominately African American, men and women with a mean age of 22.9 years (SD = 4.6) filled out surveys and were interviewed and had two, 24-h ambulatory BP recordings. Thirty-eight percent had BP dipping ratios < .10. Wake after sleep onset (WASO), neighborhood disorder and neighborhood poverty rates but not posttraumatic stress symptoms, and other sleep measures correlated significantly with dipping ratios. Models with the neighborhood measures that also included WASO increased the explained variance. Studies elucidating mechanisms underlying effects of neighborhoods on BP dipping and the role of disrupted sleep, and how they can be mitigated are important directions for future research.

Urban Youth Public Education for the African American Community. Technical Assistance Bulletin.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (DHHS/PHS), Rockville, MD. Center for Substance Abuse Prevention.

The Urban Youth Public Education campaign was a Center for Substance Abuse Prevention initiative that embodied the concept of targeted programming in terms of cultural sensitivity and community participation. The Campaign, which began in 1990, targeted inner-city African American children, youth, and families in 14 initial sites. Other sites were…

Utilization of Mammography Services among Elderly Rural and Urban African American Women

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agho, Augustine O; Mosley, Barbara W; Rivers, Patrick A; Parker, Shandowyn

2007-01-01

Purpose: This study was a two-year educational intervention and research project aimed at increasing the awareness of breast cancer and the utilization of Clinical Breast Examination (CBE) services and Self-Breast Examination (SBE) among elderly rural and urban African American women who are Medicare beneficiaries. Design: The study was…

Reflections on Success and Retention in Urban Science Education: Voices of Five African-American Science Teachers Who Stayed

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fraser-Abder, Pamela

2010-01-01

This study highlights the factors that contribute to excellence in urban science teaching as pinpointed by five urban African-American science teachers who have taught successfully in the urban system for over 10 years. These teachers shared their experiences and reflections on the qualities that contributed to their success and persistence as…

Parental influences of sexual risk among urban African American adolescent males.

PubMed

Harris, Allyssa L; Sutherland, Melissa A; Hutchinson, M Katherine

2013-06-01

This study examined the influence of parental marital status, parent-child sexual communication, parent-child closeness on the HIV-related knowledge, safer-sex intentions, and behaviors of late adolescent urban African American males. The study employed a cross-sectional design with retrospective recall of salient parental influences and behaviors. Data were collected via paper-and-pencil questionnaire from 134 late adolescent African American males, 18 to 22 years of age, recruited from urban communities in and around Boston, Massachusetts. Data were analyzed using bivariate correlations, paired t tests, and regression modeling. Young men reported greater amounts of sexual communication with mothers than fathers (p < .001). Parent-child closeness was positively correlated with amount of parent-child sexual communication with both mothers and fathers (p < .001 for both). Parent-child closeness was, in turn, associated with greater condom use self-efficacy (p < .01), less permissive sexual attitudes (p < .001), fewer sexual partners (p < .01), and less unprotected sex (p < .01). Greater amounts of parent-child sexual communication were associated with fewer sexual risk behaviors, more consistent condom use, and greater intentions to use condoms in the future. There was evidence that parental influences on sexual risk behaviors and condom use intentions were mediated through young men's condom use self-efficacy, attitudes, and beliefs. These findings highlight the importance of the parent-child relationship and the role of parent-child communication between parents and sons. Further studies are needed to better understand the nature of father-son communication and develop strategies to help parents communicate effectively with sons. Evidence has shown that African American adolescent males are more likely to engage in high-risk sexual behaviors. Understanding the sexual risk communication between African American adolescent males and their parents is important to

Academic Success of Urban African American Elementary Students in Title I Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, James Sebastian

2017-01-01

The researcher investigated the achievement of third- and fifth-grade urban African American students who attended science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), Non-STEM, and Theme Title I schools in science and mathematics on the 2015 Georgia Milestones Assessment. The researcher used data from 29 Non-STEM, 14 STEM, and 10 Theme…

The influence of PTSD, sleep fears, and neighborhood stress on insomnia and short sleep duration in urban, young adult, African Americans.

PubMed

Hall Brown, Tyish; Mellman, Thomas A

2014-01-01

African Americans residing in stressful urban environments have high rates of insomnia and short sleep duration, both of which are associated with adverse health outcomes. However, limited data exist that explore factors influencing inadequate sleep in this high-risk population. This study sought to evaluate the contributions of demographics, trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, sleep fears, and neighborhood stress to both insomnia and short sleep in urban African American young adults. Data were analyzed from self-report measures completed by 378 participants 18-35 years of age. PTSD symptom severity and sleep fears were independently associated with insomnia severity, and sleep fears was associated with sleep duration. Results have implications for preventative health intervention strategies for urban African American young adults.

Adapting hypertension self-management interventions to enhance their sustained effectiveness among urban African Americans.

PubMed

Ameling, Jessica M; Ephraim, Patti L; Bone, Lee R; Levine, David M; Roter, Debra L; Wolff, Jennifer L; Hill-Briggs, Felicia; Fitzpatrick, Stephanie L; Noronha, Gary J; Fagan, Peter J; Lewis-Boyer, LaPricia; Hickman, Debra; Simmons, Michelle; Purnell, Leon; Fisher, Annette; Cooper, Lisa A; Aboumatar, Hanan J; Albert, Michael C; Flynn, Sarah J; Boulware, L Ebony

2014-01-01

African Americans suffer disproportionately poor hypertension control despite the availability of efficacious interventions. Using principles of community-based participatory research and implementation science, we adapted established hypertension self-management interventions to enhance interventions' cultural relevance and potential for sustained effectiveness among urban African Americans. We obtained input from patients and their family members, their health care providers, and community members. The process required substantial time and resources, and the adapted interventions will be tested in a randomized controlled trial.

Urban chaos and replacement dynamics in nature and society

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yanguang

2014-11-01

Replacements resulting from competition are ubiquitous phenomena in both nature and society. The evolution of a self-organized system is always a physical process substituting one type of components for another type of components. A logistic model of replacement dynamics has been proposed in terms of technical innovation and urbanization, but it fails to arouse widespread attention in the academia. This paper is devoted to laying the foundations of general replacement principle by using analogy and induction. The empirical base of this study is urban replacement, including urbanization and urban growth. The sigmoid functions can be employed to model various processes of replacement. Many mathematical methods such as allometric scaling and head/tail breaks can be applied to analyzing the processes and patterns of replacement. Among varied sigmoid functions, the logistic function is the basic and the simplest model of replacement dynamics. A new finding is that replacement can be associated with chaos in a nonlinear system, e.g., urban chaos is just a part of replacement dynamics. The aim of developing replacement theory is at understanding complex interaction and conversion. This theory provides a new way of looking at urbanization, technological innovation and diffusion, Volterra-Lotka’s predator-prey interaction, man-land relation, and dynastic changes resulting from peasant uprising, and all that. Especially, the periodic oscillations and chaos of replacement dynamics can be used to explain and predict the catastrophic occurrences in the physical and human systems.

The nature of culturally responsive pedagogy in two urban African American middle school science classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bondima, Michelle Harris

This ethnographic in nature study explores how two middle school science teachers who have classes populated by urban African Americans teach their students and how their students perceive their teaching. Since urban African American students continue to perform lower than desired on measures of science achievement, there is an urgent need to understand what pedagogical methodologies assist and hinder urban African American students in achieving higher levels of success in science. A pedagogical methodology that theorists posit assists subordinated school populations is culturally responsive pedagogy. Culturally responsive pedagogy is defined as a teaching methodology concerned with preparing students to question inequality, racism, and injustice. Teachers who use culturally responsive pedagogy respect the culture students bring to the class, and require that the teachers willingly do whatever is necessary to educate students (Nieto, 2000). The teacher participants were two female African Americans who were identified by their school supervisors as being highly effective with urban African American students. The researcher presented the teachers in separate case studies conducted over a data collection period of nine months. Data were collected by participant observation, interviews, and artifact collection. Data were analyzed by application of grounded theory techniques. Findings of the teachers' (and the students') beliefs about pedagogy that both assisted and hindered the students' performance in science were reported in a rich and nuanced storytelling manner based on multiple perspectives (teachers', students', and the researcher's). Pedagogical methodologies that the teachers used that assisted their students were the use of cultural metaphors and images in science and applications of motivational techniques that encouraged a nurturing relationship between the teacher and her students. Pedagogical methodologies that hindered students varied by teacher

Blood Pressure Dipping and Urban Stressors in Young Adult African Americans

PubMed Central

Mellman, Thomas A.; Hall Brown, Tyish S.; Kobayashi, Ihori; Abu-Bader, Soleman H.; Lavela, Joseph; Altaee, Duaa; McLaughlin, Latesha; Randall, Otelio S.

2015-01-01

Background Blunted nocturnal blood pressure (BP) dipping is an early marker of cardiovascular risk that is prevalent among African Americans. Purpose We evaluated relationships of BP dipping to neighborhood and posttraumatic stress and sleep in urban residing young adult African Americans. Methods One hundred thirty six Black, predominately African American, men and women with a mean age of 22.9 (SD = 4.6) filled out surveys, were interviewed and had two, 24-hour ambulatory BP recordings. Results Thirty eight percent had BP dipping ratios < .10. Wake after sleep onset (WASO), neighborhood disorder and neighborhood poverty rates but not posttraumatic stress symptoms, and other sleep measures, correlated significantly with dipping ratios. Models with the neighborhood measures that also included WASO increased the explained variance. Conclusions Studies elucidating mechanisms underlying effects of neighborhoods on BP dipping and the role of disrupted sleep, and how they can be mitigated are important directions for future research. PMID:25623895

Pubertal Development and Parent-Child Conflict in Low-Income, Urban, African American Adolescents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sagrestano, Lynda M.; McCormick, Sheila H.; Paikoff, Roberta L.; Holmbeck, Grayson N.

1999-01-01

Examined associations between pubertal development and parent-adolescent conflict in urban, low-income African-American adolescents. Found that parents reported more verbal aggression with sons during midpuberty than early or late puberty, more violent tactics with younger than older daughters, and more "hot" discussions with early-…

Adapting Hypertension Self-Management Interventions to Enhance their Sustained Effectiveness among Urban African Americans

PubMed Central

Ameling, Jessica M.; Ephraim, Patti L.; Bone, Lee R.; Levine, David M.; Roter, Debra L.; Wolff, Jennifer L.; Hill-Briggs, Felicia; Fitzpatrick, Stephanie L.; Noronha, Gary J.; Fagan, Peter J.; Lewis-Boyer, LaPricia; Hickman, Debra; Simmons, Michelle; Purnell, Leon; Fisher, Annette; Cooper, Lisa A.; Aboumatar, Hanan J.; Albert, Michael C.; Flynn, Sarah J.; Boulware, L. Ebony

2014-01-01

African Americans suffer disproportionately poor hypertension control despite the availability of efficacious interventions. Using principles of community-based participatory research and implementation science, we adapted established hypertension self-management interventions to enhance interventions’ cultural relevance and potential for sustained effectiveness among urban African Americans. We obtained input from patients and their family members, their health care providers, and community members. The process required substantial time and resources, and the adapted interventions will be tested in a randomized controlled trial. PMID:24569158

Risk and Protective Factors Associated with Gang Involvement among Urban African American Adolescents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Xiaoming; Stanton, Bonita; Pack, Robert; Harris, Carole; Cottrell, Lesley; Burns, James

2002-01-01

Analyzed data about urban African American youth to explore whether differences in exposure to violence, resilience, and distress symptoms between gang members and nonmembers resulted from risk behaviors in which youths participated or from gang membership itself. Results indicated that gang membership itself related to increased risk and…

Prevalence of glaucoma in an urban West African population: the Tema Eye Survey.

PubMed

Budenz, Donald L; Barton, Keith; Whiteside-de Vos, Julia; Schiffman, Joyce; Bandi, Jagadeesh; Nolan, Winifred; Herndon, Leon; Kim, Hanna; Hay-Smith, Graham; Tielsch, James M

2013-05-01

Multiple studies have found an increased prevalence, younger age at onset, and more severe course of glaucoma in people of African descent, but these findings are based on studies conducted outside Africa. To determine the prevalence of glaucoma in an urban West African population of adults. A population-based, cross-sectional study of adults 40 years and older conducted from September 1, 2006, through December 31, 2008, from 5 communities in Tema, Ghana. Participants from randomly selected clusters underwent a screening examination that consisted of visual acuity, frequency doubling perimetry, applanation tonometry, and optic disc photography. Participants who failed any of these tests were referred for complete examination, including gonioscopy, standard automated perimetry, and stereoscopic optic disc photography. A total of 6806 eligible participants were identified, and 5603 (82.3%) were enrolled in the study. The field examination referred 1869 participants (33.3%) to the clinic examination, and 1538 (82.2%) came for complete examination. A total of 362 participants were identified as having glaucoma of any type and category. Primary open-angle glaucoma was the underlying diagnosis in 342 participants (94.5%). The prevalence of primary open-angle glaucoma was 6.8% overall, increasing from 3.7% among those 40 to 49 years old to 14.6% among those 80 years and older, and was higher in men than in women in all age groups, with an overall male-female prevalence ratio of 1.5. Of the participants with glaucoma, 9 (2.5%) were blind using World Health Organization criteria, and only 12 (3.3%) were aware that they had glaucoma. The prevalence of glaucoma is higher in this urban West African population than in previous studies of people of East or South African and of non-African descent. Strategies to identify affected persons and effectively manage the burden of glaucoma are needed in West Africa.

Urban morphological determinants of temperature regulating ecosystem services in African cities: the case of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cavan, Gina; Lindley, Sarah; Kibassa, Deusdedit; Shemdoe, Riziki; Capuano, Paolo; De Paola, Francesco; Renner, Florian; Pauleit, Stephan

2013-04-01

Urban green structure provides important regulating ecosystem services, such as temperature and flood regulation, and thus, has the potential to increase the resilience of African cities to climate change. Green structures within urban areas are not only limited to discrete units associated with recreational parks, agricultural areas and open spaces: they also exist within zones which have other primary functions, such as church yards, along transport routes, and within residential areas. Differing characteristics of urban areas can be conceptualised and subsequently mapped through the idea of urban morphology types. Urban morphology types are classifications which combine facets of urban form and function. When mapped, UMT units provide biophysically relevant meso-scale geographical zones which can be used as the basis for understanding climate-related impacts and adaptations. For example, they support the assessment of urban temperature patterns and the temperature regulating services provided by urban green structures. There are some examples of the use of UMTs for assessing regulating ecosystem services in European cities but little similar knowledge is available in an African context. This paper outlines the concept of urban morphology types (UMTs) and how they were applied to African case study cities (Cavan et al., 2012). It then presents the methods used to understand temperature regulating ecosystem services across an example African case study city, including (i) a GIS-based assessment of urban green structures, and (ii) applying an energy balance model to estimate current and future surface temperatures under climate change projections. The assessment is carried out for Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Existing evidence suggests increases in both mean and extreme temperatures in the city. Historical analysis of the number of hot days per year suggests a rise from a maximum of 47 days per year in the period 1961-87 to 72 days per year in 2003-2011 (Giugni et al

The Effect of Poverty on the Achievement of Urban African American Male Students Successfully Completing High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Welch, Amy L.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of poverty on the achievement of African American male high school students attending the same large Midwest urban school district. Cumulative grade point average (GPA) at the tenth grade level were compared to the level of poverty provided through census data of African American male tenth…

Serum creatinine and uric acid levels in pregnant urban African and Caucasian women.

PubMed

Nduka, N; Ekeke, G I

1986-12-01

Serum creatinine and uric acid concentrations were determined for 117 pregnant urban African women and 109 pregnant Caucasian women covering the three trimesters of pregnancy. The creatinine levels for Caucasians rose as pregnancy progressed, exceeding the normal adult level, while that for Africans rose only slightly and only during the last trimester of pregnancy. A similar observation was made for uric acid levels except that the rise in Africans commenced earlier than it did for creatinine, commencing from about the second trimester. Also, the levels in both groups of people remained within the normal adult range. The increased levels of these non-protein nitrogen compounds during pregnancy was attributable to increased metabolism associated with the condition. The difference observed between the Caucasians and Africans was attributed to the better protein nutritional status of the former. It is suggested that the creatinine "curve" especially for the Caucasians could be utilized in the monitoring of foetal well-being.

Elevated hypertension risk for African-origin populations in biracial societies: modeling the Epidemiologic Transition Study.

PubMed

Cooper, Richard S; Forrester, Terrence E; Plange-Rhule, Jacob; Bovet, Pascal; Lambert, Estelle V; Dugas, Lara R; Cargill, Kathryn E; Durazo-Arvizu, Ramon A; Shoham, David A; Tong, Liping; Cao, Guichan; Luke, Amy

2015-03-01

Blood pressures in persons of African descent exceed those of other racial/ethnic groups in the United States. Whether this trait is attributable to the genetic factors in African-origin populations, or a result of inadequately measured environmental exposures, such as racial discrimination, is not known. To study this question, we conducted a multisite comparative study of communities in the African diaspora, drawn from metropolitan Chicago, Kingston, Jamaica, rural Ghana, Cape Town, South Africa, and the Seychelles. At each site, 500 participants between the age of 25 and 49 years, with approximately equal sex balance, were enrolled for a longitudinal study of energy expenditure and weight gain. In this study, we describe the patterns of blood pressure and hypertension observed at baseline among the sites. Mean SBP and DBP were very similar in the United States and South Africa in both men and women, although among women, the prevalence of hypertension was higher in the United States (24 vs. 17%, respectively). After adjustment for multiple covariates, relative to participants in the United States, SBP was significantly higher among the South Africans by 9.7 mmHg (P < 0.05) and significantly lower for each of the other sites: for example, Jamaica: -7.9 mmHg (P = 0.06), Ghana: -12.8 mmHg (P < 0.01) and Seychelles: -11.1 mmHg (P = 0.01). These data are consistent with prior findings of a blood pressure gradient in societies of the African diaspora and confirm that African-origin populations with lower social status in multiracial societies, such as the United States and South Africa, experience more hypertension than anticipated based on anthropometric and measurable socioeconomic risk factors.

The concrete jungle: city stress and substance abuse among young adult African American men.

PubMed

Seth, Puja; Murray, Colleen C; Braxton, Nikia D; DiClemente, Ralph J

2013-04-01

Substance use is prevalent among African American men living in urban communities. The impact of substance use on the social, psychological, and physical health of African American men has important public health implications for families, communities, and society. Given the adverse consequences of alcohol and drug abuse within communities of color, this study evaluated the relationship between city stress, alcohol consumption, and drug use among African American men. Eighty heterosexual, African American men, 18 to 29 years old, completed psychosocial risk assessments that assessed substance use and city stress. Multiple logistic regression analyses, controlling for age, indicated that participants reporting high levels of urban stress, relative to low levels of urban stress, were more likely to report a history of marijuana use (AOR = 5.19, p = .05), history of ecstasy and/or GHB use (AOR = 3.34, p = .04), having family/friends expressing strong concerns about their illicit drug use (AOR = 4.06, p = .02), and being unable to remember what happened the night before due to drinking (AOR = 4.98, p = .01). African American men living within the confines of a stressful urban environment are at increased risk for exposure to and utilization of illicit substances. Culturally competent public health interventions for substance use/abuse should address psychological factors, such as stress and neighborhood violence.

South African and international reference values for lung function and its relationship with blood pressure in Africans.

PubMed

van Rooyen, Yolandi; Huisman, Hugo W; Schutte, Aletta E; Eloff, Fritz C; Du Plessis, Johan L; Kruger, Annamarie; Van Rooyen, Johannes M

2015-06-01

In South Africa respiratory diseases are highly prevalent, with cardiovascular disease being a manifestation. However, international reference values for lung function are commonly used, which may not be appropriate to correctly identify reduced lung function. An inverse relationship exists between lung function and blood pressure (BP) but is not investigated extensively in black South Africans. We included 2010 Africans from the PURE (Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology) study (aged > 35 years) in the North West Province. Spirometry was performed and predicted values for forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) were calculated from South African, European and United States prediction equations. With the exception of the European predicted values, all other predicted mean FEV1 and FVC were above 80%. South African reference values displayed the highest percentages of the predicted values for FEV1 and FVC (87.9 and 99.7%, respectively.) BP increased from quintiles five to one for both FEV1 and FVC, (p for trend <0.001). After adjustment the differences remained (p<0.05). South African reference values yielded higher percentages of predicted FEV1 and FVC values than European and US equations suggesting that South African prediction equations may be more useful when investigating lung function in black South Africans. Elevated BP is related to reduced lung function, highlighting the importance in managing both respiratory- and cardiovascular disease. Copyright © 2015 Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rural and urban older African caregivers coping with HIV/AIDS are nutritionally compromised.

PubMed

Kruger, Annamarie; Lekalakalamokgela, Sebi E; Wentzel-Viljoen, Edelweiss

2011-01-01

This article describes the nutritional status of a group of rural and urban free living African older surrogate parents caring for HIV/AIDS orphans and grandchildren. Multiple sources of data collection were used, including anthropometry, biochemical analyses, and quantitative questionnaires. The diets of these older participants were marginal. The rural to urban geographical transition in these older persons is characterized by a better micronutrient and trace element intake; however, urban dwellers also had higher fat intakes, increasing the risk for cardiovascular disease. These results suggest that to be a surrogate grandparent provides a special meaning to the life of men that needs to be better understood. However, the diets of these older people caring for HIV/AIDS-affected children were more compromised than those of non-caregivers.

Community and family perspectives on addressing overweight in urban, African-American youth.

PubMed

Burnet, Deborah L; Plaut, Andrea J; Ossowski, Kathryn; Ahmad, Afshan; Quinn, Michael T; Radovick, Sally; Gorawara-Bhat, Rita; Chin, Marshall H

2008-02-01

To assess weight-related beliefs and concerns of overweight urban, African-American children, their parents, and community leaders before developing a family-based intervention to reduce childhood overweight and diabetes risk. We conducted 13 focus groups with overweight children and their parents and eight semistructured interviews with community leaders. Focus group participants (N = 67) from Chicago's South Side were recruited through flyers in community sites. Interview participants (N = 9) were recruited to sample perspectives from health, fitness, education, civics, and faith leaders. Community leaders felt awareness was higher for acute health conditions than for obesity. Parents were concerned about their children's health, but felt stressed by competing priorities and constrained by lack of knowledge, parenting skills, time, and financial resources. Parents defined overweight in functional terms, whereas children relied upon physical appearances. Children perceived negative social consequences of overweight. Parents and children expressed interest in family-based interventions to improve nutrition and physical activity and offered suggestions for making programs interesting. This study provides insights into the perspectives of urban, African-American overweight children, their parents, and community leaders regarding nutrition and physical activity. The specific beliefs of these respondents can become potential leverage points in interventions.

Urban African American Adolescent Parents: Their Perceptions of Sex, Love, Intimacy, Pregnancy, and Parenting.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Jewel L. Jones

1998-01-01

Examines the perception of urban African-American adolescent mothers and fathers regarding sex, love, intimacy, pregnancy, and parenting. Uses structured interviews and focus groups to gather data. Employs inductive data analysis using constant comparison methods to identify themes and patterns within and across gender groups. (Author/GCP)

Young African American Children Constructing Identities in an Urban Integrated Science-Literacy Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kane, Justine M.

2009-01-01

This is a qualitative study of identities constructed and enacted by four 3rd-grade African American children (two girls and two boys) in an urban classroom that engaged in a year-long, integrated science-literacy project. Juxtaposing narrative and discursive identity lenses, coupled with race and gender perspectives, I examined the ways in which…

Comparison of Abuse Experiences of Rural and Urban African American Women During Perinatal Period

PubMed Central

Bhandari, Shreya; Bullock, Linda F. C.; Richardson, Jeanita W.; Kimeto, Pamela; Campbell, Jacquelyn C.; Sharps, Phyllis W.

2015-01-01

A subsample of 12 African American women (6 urban and 6 rural) were selected from a larger longitudinal, randomized control trial, Domestic Violence Enhanced Home Visitation (DOVE-R01 900903 National Institute of Nursing Research [NINR]/National Institutes of Health [NIH]). All African American women were chosen to control for any racial- and/or race-related cultural differences that may exist among women across geographical areas. The experiences of abuse during the perinatal period are drawn from in-depth interviews conducted at five points in time during pregnancy and the post-partum period. The analysis describes three major themes that highlight the similarities and differences among rural and urban women. The main themes found were (1) types of abuse, (2) location of abuse, and (3) response to abuse. In addition, two sub-themes (a) defiance and compliance and (b) role of children were also identified. Implications for universal screening for women of reproductive age, safer gun laws, and the need for further research are discussed. PMID:25315478

Successfully Educating Our African-American Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moncree-Moffett, Kareem

2013-01-01

The purpose of this empirical study was to explore the lived experiences of African American retired female teachers who have prior experience with educating urban African American students in public schools. Also explored are the experiences of active African American female teachers of urban African American students and comparisons are…

School Attendance Revisited: A Study of Urban African American Students' GPA and Coping Strategies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steward, Robbie J.; Steward, Astin Devine; Blair, Jonathan

This study investigated the degree to which at-risk, urban, African American high school students' coping strategies and grade point average (GPA) would predict attendance. Data were collected from 100 high school freshmen using the Adolescent Coping Orientation for Problem Experiences. Students' GPAs were identified through school records.…

Implementing Conjoint Behavioral Consultation for African American Children from a Low-SES, Urban Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ohmstede, Tammi J.; Yetter, Georgette

2015-01-01

This study investigated the effectiveness of conjoint behavioral consultation (CBC) for addressing externalizing behavior concerns in African American children at home and school in a low-socioeconomic status (SES), urban setting. A small-n, multiple-baseline design was employed across participants. Three of the six caregivers were unable to…

Predictors of Tobacco and Alcohol Refusal Efficacy for Urban and Rural African-American Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nasim, Aashir; Belgrave, Faye Z.; Corona, Rosalie; Townsend, Tiffany G.

2009-01-01

This study sought to determine the relative contributions of individual, family, peer, and community risk and promotive factors in explaining alcohol and tobacco refusal attitudes among 227 African-American adolescents (ages 12 to 17) from urban and rural areas. Hierarchical linear regression (HLR) results revealed differences in the predictive…

Low Birth Weight and Cognitive Outcomes: Evidence for a Gradient Relationship in an Urban, Poor, African American Birth Cohort

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dombrowski, Stefan C.; Noonan, Kelly; Martin, Roy P.

2007-01-01

This study is one of the first to investigate the relationship between low birth weight and cognitive outcomes in an urban, poor, prospectively designed African-American birth cohort. Multivariate analyses of the Pathways to Adulthood study, a subset of the Johns Hopkins Collaborative Perinatal study, compared low birth weight African-American…

The influence of nondisclosure on the mental health of urban African-American adolescents exposed to community violence.

PubMed

Dinizulu, Sonya Mathies; Grant, Kathryn E; McIntosh, Jeanne M

2014-01-01

African-American youth residing in urban poverty have been shown to be at increased risk for exposure to violence and internalizing symptoms, but there has been little investigation of moderating processes that might attenuate or exacerbate this association. The current study examined nondisclosure as a possible moderator of the association between community violence and internalizing symptoms with a sample of 152 low-income urban African-American early adolescents using hierarchical regression analyses. Results revealed that nondisclosure for relationship reasons (e.g., adults could not be trusted to provide needed support) moderated the association between exposure to community violence and internalizing symptoms. Unexpectedly, however, results of simple effects analyses revealed a stronger association between exposure to violence and internalizing symptoms for youth who disclosed more to adults. Although unexpected, this pattern builds upon prior research indicating that adult-child relationships are compromised within the context of urban poverty and that protective factors may lose their power under conditions of extreme stress.

Improving Urban African Americans’ Blood Pressure Control through Multi-level Interventions in the Achieving Blood Pressure Control Together (ACT) Study: A Randomized Clinical Trial

PubMed Central

Ephraim, Patti L.; Hill-Briggs, Felicia; Roter, Debra; Bone, Lee; Wolff, Jennifer; Lewis-Boyer, LaPricia; Levine, David; Aboumatar, Hanan; Cooper, Lisa A; Fitzpatrick, Stephanie; Gudzune, Kimberly; Albert, Michael; Monroe, Dwyan; Simmons, Michelle; Hickman, Debra; Purnell, Leon; Fisher, Annette; Matens, Richard; Noronha, Gary; Fagan, Peter; Ramamurthi, Hema; Ameling, Jessica; Charlston, Jeanne; Sam, Tanyka; Carson, Kathryn A.; Wang, Nae-Yuh; Crews, Deidra; Greer, Raquel; Sneed, Valerie; Flynn, Sarah J.; DePasquale, Nicole; Boulware, L. Ebony

2014-01-01

Background Given their high rates of uncontrolled blood pressure, urban African Americans comprise a particularly vulnerable subgroup of persons with hypertension. Substantial evidence has demonstrated the important role of family and community support in improving patients’ management of a variety of chronic illnesses. However, studies of multilevel interventions designed specifically to improve urban African American patients’ blood pressure self-management by simultaneously leveraging patient, family, and community strengths are lacking. Methods/Design We report the protocol of the Achieving Blood Pressure Control Together (ACT) study, a randomized controlled trial designed to study the effectiveness of interventions that engage patient, family, and community-level resources to facilitate urban African American hypertensive patients’ improved hypertension self-management and subsequent hypertension control. African American patients with uncontrolled hypertension receiving health care in an urban primary care clinic will be randomly assigned to receive 1) an educational intervention led by a community health worker alone, 2) the community health worker intervention plus a patient and family communication activation intervention, or 3) the community health worker intervention plus a problem-solving intervention. All participants enrolled in the study will receive and be trained to use a digital home blood pressure machine. The primary outcome of the randomized controlled trial will be patients’ blood pressure control at 12 months. Discussion Results from the ACT study will provide needed evidence on the effectiveness of comprehensive multi-level interventions to improve urban African American patients’ hypertension control. PMID:24956323

Improving urban African Americans' blood pressure control through multi-level interventions in the Achieving Blood Pressure Control Together (ACT) study: a randomized clinical trial.

PubMed

Ephraim, Patti L; Hill-Briggs, Felicia; Roter, Debra L; Bone, Lee R; Wolff, Jennifer L; Lewis-Boyer, LaPricia; Levine, David M; Aboumatar, Hanan J; Cooper, Lisa A; Fitzpatrick, Stephanie J; Gudzune, Kimberly A; Albert, Michael C; Monroe, Dwyan; Simmons, Michelle; Hickman, Debra; Purnell, Leon; Fisher, Annette; Matens, Richard; Noronha, Gary J; Fagan, Peter J; Ramamurthi, Hema C; Ameling, Jessica M; Charlston, Jeanne; Sam, Tanyka S; Carson, Kathryn A; Wang, Nae-Yuh; Crews, Deidra C; Greer, Raquel C; Sneed, Valerie; Flynn, Sarah J; DePasquale, Nicole; Boulware, L Ebony

2014-07-01

Given their high rates of uncontrolled blood pressure, urban African Americans comprise a particularly vulnerable subgroup of persons with hypertension. Substantial evidence has demonstrated the important role of family and community support in improving patients' management of a variety of chronic illnesses. However, studies of multi-level interventions designed specifically to improve urban African American patients' blood pressure self-management by simultaneously leveraging patient, family, and community strengths are lacking. We report the protocol of the Achieving Blood Pressure Control Together (ACT) study, a randomized controlled trial designed to study the effectiveness of interventions that engage patient, family, and community-level resources to facilitate urban African American hypertensive patients' improved hypertension self-management and subsequent hypertension control. African American patients with uncontrolled hypertension receiving health care in an urban primary care clinic will be randomly assigned to receive 1) an educational intervention led by a community health worker alone, 2) the community health worker intervention plus a patient and family communication activation intervention, or 3) the community health worker intervention plus a problem-solving intervention. All participants enrolled in the study will receive and be trained to use a digital home blood pressure machine. The primary outcome of the randomized controlled trial will be patients' blood pressure control at 12months. Results from the ACT study will provide needed evidence on the effectiveness of comprehensive multi-level interventions to improve urban African American patients' hypertension control. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Young African American Children Constructing Academic and Disciplinary Identities in an Urban Science Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kane, Justine M.

2012-01-01

In this paper, I offer a framework for exploring the academic and disciplinary identities young African American children construct in urban science classrooms. Using interviews, fieldnotes, and videotapes of classroom lessons, I juxtapose the ways in which two children tell about their experiences in school and science with their performances of…

Parental Nurturance and the Mental Health and Parenting of Urban African American Adolescent Mothers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewin, Amy; Mitchell, Stephanie J.; Hodgkinson, Stacy; Burrell, Lori; Beers, Lee S. A.; Duggan, Anne K.

2011-01-01

This study examined the relationship between a teen mother's perceptions of nurturance from her mother and father and her mental health and parenting attitudes. One-hundred and thirty-eight urban, primarily African American adolescent mothers were interviewed. Multivariate results indicate that teen mothers who felt nurtured by their mothers had…

The Effects of Belonging and Racial Identity on Urban African American High School Students' Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boston, Colette; Warren, Susan R.

2017-01-01

A growing body of literature suggests students' feelings of belongingness influence academic achievement (Faircloth & Hamm, 2005). Additionally, research indicates that many urban African American students are disconnected from the school setting because of a cultural divide between students and educators (Thompson, 2004). This investigation…

Does Spirituality Influence Academic Achievement and Psychological Adjustment of African American Urban Adolescents?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steward, Robbie J.; Jo, Hanik

In a study of 121 African-American urban adolescents, the use of spiritual support as a means of coping was found to be significantly related to psychological well-being and adjustment. The participants were high school freshmen in a midwestern city in an area where the student attrition rate had ranged from 55 to 65% over a 5-year period.…

Threatened and Placed at Risk: High Achieving African American Males in Urban High Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGee, Ebony O.

2013-01-01

This study investigated the risk and protective factors of 11 high-achieving African American males attending 4 urban charter high schools in a Midwestern city to determine what factors account for their resilience and success in mathematics courses, and in high school more generally. This research was guided by a Phenomenological Variant of…

Working with Urban, African American Fathers: The Importance of Service Provision, Joining, Accountability, the Father-Child Relationship, and Couples Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greif, Geoffrey L.; Jones, Joseph T., Jr.; Worthy, James; White, Eddie; Davis, Will; Pitchford, Edward

2011-01-01

Urban, African American fathers have been a difficult population for social workers and other helping professionals to effectively serve. This article, based on interviews with front-line African American service professionals at a father-focused program, who also participated in writing this article, provides information about and suggestions for…

Understanding and Reversing Underachievement, Low Achievement, and Achievement Gaps among High-Ability African American Males in Urban School Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ford, Donna Y.; Moore, James L., III

2013-01-01

This article focuses on the achievement gap, with attention devoted to underachievement and low achievement among African American males in urban school contexts. More specifically, the article explains problems and issues facing or confronting these Black male students in urban education settings. A central part of this discussion is grounded in…

Relationships between discretionary time activities, emotional experiences, delinquency and depressive symptoms among urban African American adolescents.

PubMed

Bohnert, Amy M; Richards, Maryse; Kohl, Krista; Randall, Edin

2009-04-01

Using the Experience Sampling Method (ESM), this cross-sectional study examined mediated and moderated associations between different types of discretionary time activities and depressive symptoms and delinquency among a sample of 246 (107 boys, 139 girls) fifth through eighth grade urban African American adolescents. More time spent in passive unstructured activities was associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms only for adolescents residing in less dangerous neighborhoods, whereas more time spent in active unstructured activities was associated with higher levels of delinquency only if adolescents resided in more dangerous neighborhoods. Alienation was positively associated with depressive symptoms and delinquency, but neither alienation nor positive affect mediated the relationship between activities and adjustment. These findings suggest the importance of considering neighborhood environment issues when determining what types of discretionary time activities are most beneficial for urban African American young adolescents.

Retired African American female urban middle school science teachers' beliefs and practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitney, Frances M.

The purpose of this paper is to give a voice to a dedicated group of professionals who unselfishly labored twenty-five plus years educating the children of America's poorest taxpaying citizens. These retired African American female urban middle school science teachers (RAAFUMSST) explain the experiences that gave them the fortitude to stay in the urban school system until their retirement. The goal is to give you a glimpse into the distractions, challenges, and victories the teachers encountered as they strove to teach science in an overcrowded, underserviced, and depressed urban school district of a major city. Most times sacrificing self for service, the participants of this study held fast to their beliefs that all of America's children, regardless of their parents' socioeconomic status, deserve a quality education. It is through individual interviews that the five retired science teachers of this project share their reflections on the events and circumstances that altered their labor of love. Critical Race Theory (CRT) serves as the theoretical frame for this study.

Problematic Situations in the Lives of Urban African American Middle School Students: A Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farrell, Albert D.; Erwin, Elizabeth H.; Allison, Kevin W.; Meyer, Aleta; Sullivan, Terri; Camou, Suzanne; Kliewer, Wendy; Esposito, Layla

2007-01-01

Qualitative methods were used to identify problem situations encountered by adolescents in urban middle schools serving a predominantly African American student population. Interviews focusing on identifying problem situations and the context in which they occur were conducted with 60 adolescents including students and peer mediators at middle…

[The urbanized societies of Latin America and the Caribbean: some dimensions and observations].

PubMed

Ebanks, G E

1993-06-01

A demographic perspective on urbanization patterns in Latin America and the Caribbean is provided. The level and rate of urbanization and the hierarchies of urban places are considered, along with the determinants and consequences of these trends. Latin America and the Caribbean are the most urbanized of the developing regions, with almost 70% of the population classified as urban in 1991. Most Latin American and Caribbean countries have rural populations capable of maintaining continuous growth of the urban population for some time through internal migration and reclassification of localities. Latin American societies are urban in nature, and it is unlikely that decentralization and deconcentration policies will have significant repercussions. The Latin American urban population is estimated to have increased from 164 million in 1970 to 320 million in 1990, while the rural population increased from 122 to 128 million in the same years. Most governments of the region are preoccupied by the size of the urban population. There are too many urban residents to be absorbed in productive activities, but all require public services generally financed through taxation. The small tax bases result in frequent decisions to finance services through deficit spending. The size of the population and the level of urbanization may not be the principal agents of ecological deterioration or the greatest obstacles to development, but they play a significant role in these problems. Incorporating millions of urban residents into the productive sector of the economy is an important challenge for the development of these societies. The urban population in Latin America and the Caribbean is expected to continue growing at significant rates until well into the next century. In most countries of the region, internal migration accounted for 30-40% of urban growth between 1950 and 1970, but its contribution loses importance as the level of urbanization exceeds 70% or so. The number of urban

Gender Differences in the Educational Expectations of Urban, Low-Income African American Youth: The Role of Parents and the School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood, Dana; Kaplan, Rachel; McLoyd, Vonnie C.

2007-01-01

This study examined how youths' gender is related to the educational expectations of urban, low-income African American youth, their parents, and their teachers. As predicted, African American boys (ages 9-16) reported lower expectations for future educational attainment than did their female counterparts. Parents and teachers also reported lower…

Patterns of Violence Exposure and Sexual Risk in Low-Income, Urban African American Girls

PubMed Central

Wilson, Helen W.; Woods, Briana A.; Emerson, Erin; Donenberg, Geri R.

2013-01-01

Objective This study examined the relationship between violence exposure and sexual risk-taking among low-income, urban African American (AA) adolescent girls, considering overlap among different types and characteristics of violence. Methods AA adolescent girls were originally recruited from outpatient mental health clinics serving urban, mostly low-SES communities in Chicago, IL as part of a two-year longitudinal investigation of HIV-risk behavior. A subsequent follow-up was completed to assess lifetime history of trauma and violence exposure. The current study (N=177) included violence exposure and sexual risk behavior reported at the most recent interview (ages 14-22). Multiple regression was used to examine combined and unique contributions of different types, ages, settings, and perpetrators or victims of violence to variance in sexual risk. Results More extensive violence exposure and cumulative exposure to different kinds of violence were associated with overall unsafe sex, more partners, and inconsistent condom use. The most significant unique predictors, accounting for overlap among different forms of violence, were physical victimization, adolescent exposure, neighborhood violence, and violence involving dating partners. Conclusions These findings put sexual risk in the context of broad traumatic experiences but also suggest that the type and characteristics of violence exposure matter in terms of sexual health outcomes. Violence exposure should be addressed in efforts to reduce STIs among low-income, urban African American girls. PMID:24563808

Correlates of Risky Sexual Activity for Urban African American Youth in an Alternative Education Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carswell, Steven B.; Hanlon, Thomas E.; Watts, Amy M.; O'Grady, Kevin E.

2014-01-01

This study examined the link between developmental risk and protective factors and risky sexual activity among 222 urban African American youth attending an alternative education program (AEP) because of problematic behavior. Self-report information provided by these AEP participants revealed that, for the risk and protective factors examined, the…

A Dietary Intervention in Urban African Americans

PubMed Central

Miller, Edgar R.; Cooper, Lisa A.; Carson, Kathryn A.; Wang, Nae-Yuh; Appel, Lawrence J.; Gayles, Debra; Charleston, Jeanne; White, Karen; You, Na; Weng, Yingjie; Martin-Daniels, L. Michelle; Bates-Hopkins, Barbara; Robb, Inez; Franz, Whitney K.; Brown, Emily L.; Halbert, Jennifer P.; Albert, Michael C.; Dalcin, Arlene T.; Yeh, Hsin-Chieh

2015-01-01

Introduction Unhealthy diets, often low in potassium, likely contribute to racial disparities in blood pressure. We tested the effectiveness of providing weekly dietary advice, assistance with selection of higher potassium grocery items, and a $30 per week food allowance on blood pressure and other outcomes in African American adults with hypertension. Design We conducted an 8-week RCT with two parallel arms between May 2012 and November 2013. Setting/participants We randomized 123 African Americans with controlled hypertension from an urban primary care clinic in Baltimore, Maryland and implemented the trial in partnership with a community supermarket and the Baltimore City Health Department. Mean (SD) age was 58.6 (9.5) years, 71% were female, blood pressure was 131.3 (14.7)/77.2 (10.5) mmHg, BMI was 34.5 (8.2) kg/m2, and 28% had diabetes. Intervention Participants randomized to the active intervention group (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension [DASH]-Plus) received coach-directed dietary advice and assistance with weekly online ordering and purchasing of high-potassium foods ($30/week) delivered by a community supermarket to a neighborhood library. Participants in the control group received a printed DASH diet brochure along with debit account of equivalent value to that of the DASH-Plus group. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was blood pressure change. Analyses were conducted in January to October 2014. Results Compared with the control group, the DASH-Plus group increased self-reported consumption of fruits and vegetables (mean=1.4, 95% CI=0.7, 2.1 servings/day), estimated intake of potassium (mean=0.4, 95% CI=0.1, 0.7 grams/day), and urine potassium excretion (mean=19%, 95% CI=1%, 38%). There was no significant effect on blood pressure. Conclusions A program providing dietary advice, assistance with grocery ordering, and $30/week of high-potassium foods in African American patients with controlled hypertension in a community-based clinic did not

Society, materiality, resilience and sustainability: inquiries from the fields of industrial waste management, urban climate science and eco-urbanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MacKillop, Fionn

2018-06-01

This paper aims to investigate the links between materiality and society at a conceptual level, using examples from the author's decade of research in several fields relevant to the issue. With current talk of the need for `sustainability' and `resilience' reaching fever pitch in industry, politics and other arenas, there is a regrettable tendency to muddle the meaning of these words. Drawing on original research carried out in the UK, China, Germany, and Australia, and using the conceptual approaches of actor-network theory (ANT) and urban political ecology (UPE), the author invites us to re-engage with the materiality of society and how we, as businesses, consumers and thinkers, can advance sustainability and resilience through this re-engagement. We will ask what sustainability and resilience mean, for whom and in what context. We will also look at how we can shift thinking and reinvigorate these words, by contributing to the dialogue between the social sciences and business and industry. Specific examples will be taken from the UK and Chinese steel industries; climate-sensitive urban design in Manchester and Stuttgart; and housing construction and affordability in Scotland and Australia, thus covering a wide range of issues related to urban sustainability and resilience in relation to materiality.

Determinants of breast-feeding patterns in an urban society of India.

PubMed

Nath, D C; Goswami, G

1997-08-01

Breast feeding is the focus of rapidly growing interest in many areas of demographic research. However, relatively few rigorous studies on breast-feeding patterns and correlates in contemporary India have been published. This study uses data from a retrospective survey conducted in 1991-1992 to investigate current breast-feeding patterns and to identify the key factors that influence the duration of exclusive breast feeding and infant's age at the time of weaning in an urban Hindu society of the northeast Indian state of Assam. Applying life table procedures and a hazards regression model, we found evidence that the median duration of exclusive breast feeding and infant's age at the time of weaning were negatively associated with mother's education, per capita income, and social status of the household. Those infants who were breast-fed longer at night than in the daytime were also at greater risk of earlier introduction of non-breast-milk foods and of earlier termination of breast feeding than infants who were breast-fed longer during the day. Gender bias toward males in rearing infants prevails in this urban society, and male infants were found to have a significantly lower risk of early weaning than female infants.

Rural–urban variations in age at menarche, adult height, leg-length and abdominal adiposity in black South African women in transitioning South Africa

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Abstract Background: The pre-pubertal socioeconomic environment may be an important determinant of age at menarche, adult height, body proportions and adiposity: traits closely linked to adolescent and adult health. Aims: This study explored differences in age at menarche, adult height, relative leg-length and waist circumference between rural and urban black South African young adult women, who are at different stages of the nutrition and epidemiologic transitions. Subjects and methods: We compared 18–23 year-old black South African women, 482 urban-dwelling from Soweto and 509 from the rural Mpumalanga province. Age at menarche, obstetric history and household socio-demographic and economic information were recorded using interview-administered questionnaires. Height, sitting-height, hip and waist circumference were measured using standardised techniques. Results: Urban and rural black South African women differed in their age at menarche (at ages 12.7 and 14.5 years, respectively). In urban women, a one-year increase in age at menarche was associated with a 0.65 cm and 0.16% increase in height and relative leg-length ratio, respectively. In both settings, earlier age at menarche and shorter relative leg-length were independently associated with an increase in waist circumference. Conclusions: In black South African women, the earlier onset of puberty, and consequently an earlier growth cessation process, may lead to central fat mass accumulation in adulthood. PMID:29557678

Smoking, social support, and hassles in an urban African-American community.

PubMed Central

Romano, P S; Bloom, J; Syme, S L

1991-01-01

BACKGROUND. Despite public health efforts, the prevalence of smoking among African Americans remains high. The determinants of smoking behavior in this population must be elucidated so that interventions can be better targeted and more effective. METHODS. As part of a prospective community intervention trial to reduce cancer mortality, we conducted a random household survey of 1137 African-American adults in San Francisco and Oakland between November 1985 and July 1986. The survey instrument included questions about social network characteristics, instrumental and emotional aspects of social support, smoking behavior, and stressors. RESULTS. The overall prevalence of smoking (41.9%) was higher than that reported in national surveys. Logistic models revealed that persons reporting high levels of stress, represented by an abbreviated hassles index, were more likely to smoke than those reporting less stress. Women with poor social networks were more likely to smoke (odds ratio = 3.1) than women with optimal networks; however, this relationship did not hold among men. Indeed, men lacking emotional support from friends or family were less likely to smoke (odds ratio = 0.5) than men receiving such support. No interaction between social support and hassles was observed. CONCLUSIONS. Stressful environments may contribute to high-risk smoking behavior among urban African Americans. PMID:1951797

What Does it Mean to Be African American? Constructions of Race and Academic Identity in an Urban Public High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nasir, Na'ilah Suad; McLaughlin, Milbrey W.; Jones, Amina

2009-01-01

In this article, the authors explore variation in the meanings of racial identity for African American students in a predominantly African American urban high school. They view racial identity as both related to membership in a racial group and as fluid and reconstructed in the local school setting. They draw on both survey data and observational…

Acting "Tough" in a "Tough" World: An Examination of Fear among Urban African American Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Diane M.; Cassidy, Elaine F.; Stevenson, Howard C.

2008-01-01

African American adolescents (132 males and 128 females; age M=14.8 years, SD=0.92) enrolled in an urban community social skills development program participated in a study assessing the relationship among perceptions of family and community social support, fear of calamitous events, depression, and anger expression. Expressing fear of calamitous…

Educating At-Risk Urban African American Children: A Comparison of Two Types of Middle Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fenzel, L. Mickey; Domingues, Janine; Raughley, Brigid C.

2006-01-01

Evidence is clear that urban high poverty public schools are failing to meet the educational needs of its students, particularly students of color. The present study examines the effectiveness of two types of high poverty parochial schools for 354 African American middle school students. Results show that alternative middle schools, known as…

A Case Study of the Historically Successful Roles of African American Teachers in Contemporary, Selected, Urban Charter Schools in New York

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benson, Shanelle R.

2010-01-01

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine, to what degree, African American teachers in five selected, urban charter schools in New York performed the historical roles of counselor, advocate, disciplinarian, surrogate parent, and role model in, to determine how African American Teachers perceived the importance of performing the…

Perceptions of genetics research as harmful to society: differences among samples of African-Americans and European-Americans.

PubMed

Furr, L Allen

2002-01-01

Genetics has the potential not only to find cures for diseases, but to possess the mechanisms to change the bio-social make-up of populations. A specific question that has arisen on this issue is how developments in genetic technology may intersect with existing race and ethnic relations. Evidence of the racialization of some genetic disorders has been demonstrated elsewhere. The purpose of this study is to compare and contrast African-American and European-American attitudes on the benefits of genetics research for society. Findings show that African-Americans were more likely to say genetics research is harmful for society. This relationship remained statistically significant after controls were introduced in a regression model. Demographic characteristics and self-rated knowledge of genetics had no effect on attitudes among African-Americans. A willingness to use genetic services correlated with favorable attitudes. Differences in social position may lead some groups to opposing interpretations and symbolic meanings of genetics. This may be true in the context of this study because the social meanings of genetics may be tainted by racialization, historical attempts at eugenics, and the potential abuse of genetics targeting groups partially defined by superficial genetic characteristics.

Causes of schizophrenia reported by urban African American lay community members.

PubMed

Compton, Michael T; Esterberg, Michelle L; Broussard, Beth

2008-01-01

Although mental health professionals' "etiologic beliefs" concerning schizophrenia have evolved in accordance with diathesis-stress and neurodevelopmental models, little is known about etiologic attributions in nonclinical general population samples in the United States. Yet, course and outcome for people with the illness may be indirectly influenced by beliefs about causes in the larger community. Because of very limited research in this area, especially among African Americans in particular, this descriptive study investigated the causes of schizophrenia reported by 127 urban African Americans from the general population. The aim of this study was to assess the most commonly reported causes of schizophrenia, as well as the frequency of endorsing items from a list of 30 factors, some of which are congruent with current psychiatric conceptualizations of schizophrenia, whereas others are not. Results of this report complement previously reported findings from the same setting involving family members of patients with schizophrenia [Esterberg ML, Compton MT. Causes of schizophrenia reported by family members of urban African American hospitalized patients with schizophrenia. Compr Psychiatry 2006;47:221-226]. The 5 most commonly reported causes were disturbance of brain biochemistry (49.6%), drug/alcohol abuse (42.5%), hereditary factors (40.9%), brain injury (40.2%), and avoidance of problems in life (37.8%). The mean number of likely or very likely causes endorsed by participants was 7.5 +/- 5.7. Some 47.9% reported one or more esoteric factors as a cause. Of the 6 esoteric factors, possession by evil spirits (28.3%), radiation (20.2%), and punishment by God (19.7%) were most common. Esoteric causes were more commonly chosen by male participants, those with 12 years of education or less, and participants who reported never having known someone with schizophrenia. Future research should seek to better understand how esoteric beliefs about causation affect attitudes

"What Turns You On!": An Exploration of Urban South African Xhosa and Zulu Youth Texts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finlayson, Rosalie; Slabbert, Sarah

2003-01-01

The status of the current standard African languages has been seriously undermined by factors such as the association of the standardisation process with colonial and neo-colonial structures, the lack of function of the standards and the rise of high status non-standard urban varieties. This paper describes the process leading to and some…

High cancer-related mortality in an urban, predominantly African-American, HIV-infected population.

PubMed

Riedel, David J; Mwangi, Evelyn Ivy W; Fantry, Lori E; Alexander, Carla; Hossain, Mian B; Pauza, C David; Redfield, Robert R; Gilliam, Bruce L

2013-04-24

To determine mortality associated with a new cancer diagnosis in an urban, predominantly African-American, HIV-infected population. Retrospective cohort study. All HIV-infected patients diagnosed with cancer between 1 January 2000 and 30 June 2010 were reviewed. Mortality was examined using Kaplan-Meier estimates and Cox proportional hazards models. There were 470 cases of cancer among 447 patients. Patients were predominantly African-American (85%) and male (79%). Non-AIDS-defining cancers (NADCs, 69%) were more common than AIDS-defining cancers (ADCs, 31%). Cumulative cancer incidence increased significantly over the study period. The majority (55.9%) was taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) at cancer diagnosis or started afterward (26.9%); 17.2% never received ART. Stage 3 or 4 cancer was diagnosed in 67%. There were 226 deaths during 1096 person years of follow-up, yielding an overall mortality rate of 206 per 1000 person years. The cumulative mortality rate at 30 days, 1 year, and 2 years was 6.5, 32.2, and 41.4%, respectively. Mortality was similar between patients on ART whether they started before or after the cancer diagnosis but was higher in patients who never received ART. In patients with a known cause of death, 68% were related to progression of the underlying cancer. In a large cohort of urban, predominantly African-American patients with HIV and cancer, many patients presented with late-stage cancer. There was substantial 30-day and 2-year mortality, although ART had a significant mortality benefit. Deaths were most often caused by progression of cancer and not from another HIV-related or AIDS-related event.

Relationships between Discretionary Time Activities, Emotional Experiences, Delinquency and Depressive Symptoms among Urban African American Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bohnert, Amy M.; Richards, Maryse; Kohl, Krista; Randall, Edin

2009-01-01

Using the Experience Sampling Method (ESM), this cross-sectional study examined mediated and moderated associations between different types of discretionary time activities and depressive symptoms and delinquency among a sample of 246 (107 boys, 139 girls) fifth through eighth grade urban African American adolescents. More time spent in passive…

Academic Performance Differences among Male and Female African American Students: An Urban High School Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simmons, Livia A.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine differences between male and female African American high school students in an urban setting. The participants were from a senior academy located in a Southern state. Of the 270 participants in the study, 76 were seniors, 89 were juniors, 95 were sophomores, and 10 were freshmen. The gender composition…

Stability of maternal depressive symptoms among urban, low-income, African American adolescent mothers.

PubMed

Ramos-Marcuse, Fatima; Oberlander, Sarah E; Papas, Mia A; McNary, Scot W; Hurley, Kristen M; Black, Maureen M

2010-04-01

Maternal depressive symptomatology is an important public health issue with negative consequences for both mothers and infants. This study examined prevalence and patterns of depressive symptoms among 181 urban, low-income, first-time, African American adolescent mothers recruited from urban hospitals following delivery. Follow-up evaluations were conducted at 6 (N=148; 82%) and 24 (N=147; 81%) month home visits. Depressive symptoms were measured with Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Half of mothers (49%) had BDI scores >9 at baseline, with significant correlations between BDI scores across all visits (r=0.28-0.50). Depressive symptom trajectories analyzed using group-based trajectory modeling revealed three trajectories of depressive symptoms: Low (41%), Medium (45%), and High (14%). The high depressive symptom group reported lower self-esteem, more negative life events, and lower parenting satisfaction than the low and moderate depressive symptoms groups. Depressive symptoms were self-reported and not verified with a clinical interview. Findings are limited to urban, low-income, African American adolescent mothers and may not be generalizable to other populations. The high prevalence and relative stability of depressive symptoms through 2years of parenting suggest the need for early identification and treatment of maternal depressive symptoms. Brief screening for maternal depressive symptoms conducted during pediatric well-child visits is a feasible and effective method for identifying mothers with depressive symptoms, however, screening measures can not differentiate between high and low levels of depressive symptoms. Brief intervention may be an effective treatment for mothers with mild symptoms of depression; mothers with moderate to severe symptoms may require more intensive intervention. Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Young African American children constructing identities in an urban integrated science-literacy classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kane, Justine M.

This is a qualitative study of identities constructed and enacted by four 3rd-grade African American children (two girls and two boys) in an urban classroom that engaged in a year-long, integrated science-literacy project. Juxtaposing narrative and discursive identity lenses, coupled with race and gender perspectives, I examined the ways in which the four children saw and performed themselves as students and as science students in their classroom. Interview data were used for the narrative analysis and classroom Discourse and artifacts were used for the discursive analysis. A constructivist grounded theory framework was adopted for both analyses. The findings highlight the diversity and richness of perspectives and forms of engagement these young children shared and enacted, and help us see African American children as knowers, doers, and talkers of science individually and collectively. In their stories about themselves, all the children identified themselves as smart but they associated with smartness different characteristics and practices depending on their strengths and preferences. Drawing on the children's social, cultural, and ethnolinguistic resources, the dialogic and multimodal learning spaces facilitated by their teacher allowed the children to explore, negotiate, question, and learn science ideas. The children in this study brought their understandings and ways of being into the "lived-in" spaces co-created with classmates and teacher and influenced how these spaces were created. At the same time, each child's ways of being and understandings were shaped by the words, actions, behaviors, and feelings of peers and teacher. Moreover, as these four children engaged with science-literacy activities, they came to see themselves as competent, creative, active participants in science learning. Although their stories of "studenting" seemed dominated by following rules and being well-behaved, their stories of "sciencing" were filled with exploration, ingenuity

Metabolic syndrome indicators and target organ damage in urban active coping African and Caucasian men: the SABPA study.

PubMed

de Kock, A; Malan, L; Potgieter, J C; Steenekamp, W; van der Merwe, M T

2012-05-01

Psychosocial stress relating to an urban environment or acculturation increases the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS). The objectives of this study were firstly to indicate and compare differences regarding appraisal of stress or active coping responses in urban African (n=88) and Caucasian (n=101) male teachers of South Africa, in accord with the prevalence of MetS indicators. And secondly to investigate the extent to which utilisation of active coping responses, together with MetS indicators, predict target organ damage, in these men. The Coping Strategy Indicator determined high and low active coping responses in male teachers from the Sympathetic Activity and Ambulatory Blood Pressure in Africans (SABPA) study. SABPA inclusion and exclusion criteria were used. Additionally, diabetic medication users (n=8), and participants with renal impairment (n=2) or HIV positive (n=13), were excluded. MetS indicators included glucose, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, blood pressure, and waist circumference, independent of confounders (age, physical activity, gamma glutamyl transferase). Microalbuminuria and carotid intima-media thickness indicated target organ damage. More MetS indicators exceeded the IDF cut-off points in high active coping African men (14.71%) than in their Caucasian counterparts (3.33%), as determined from χ² analyses. Furthermore, stepwise regressions indicated that more MetS indicators predicted endothelial dysfunction, especially in the high active coping African men. High active coping African men showed more manifestation of MetS, compared to their Caucasian counterparts, and revealed progress towards endothelial dysfunction. © J. A. Barth Verlag in Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Strengthening human genetics research in Africa: report of the 9th meeting of the African Society of Human Genetics in Dakar in May 2016.

PubMed

Ndiaye Diallo, R; Gadji, M; Hennig, B J; Guèye, M V; Gaye, A; Diop, J P D; Sylla Niang, M; Lopez Sall, P; Guèye, P M; Dem, A; Faye, O; Dieye, A; Cisse, A; Sembene, M; Ka, S; Diop, N; Williams, S M; Matovu, E; Ramesar, R S; Wonkam, A; Newport, M; Rotimi, C; Ramsay, M

2017-01-01

The 9th meeting of the African Society of Human Genetics, in partnership with the Senegalese Cancer Research and Study Group and the Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) Consortium, was held in Dakar, Senegal. The theme was Strengthening Human Genetics Research in Africa. The 210 delegates came from 21 African countries and from France, Switzerland, UK, UAE, Canada and the USA. The goal was to highlight genetic and genomic science across the African continent with the ultimate goal of improving the health of Africans and those across the globe, and to promote the careers of young African scientists in the field. A session on the sustainability of genomic research in Africa brought to light innovative and practical approaches to supporting research in resource-limited settings and the importance of promoting genetics in academic, research funding, governmental and private sectors. This meeting led to the formation of the Senegalese Society for Human Genetics.

Marriage Trajectories and Health Risk Behaviors Throughout Adulthood Among Urban African Americans

PubMed Central

Green, Kerry M.; Doherty, Elaine E.; Fothergill, Kate E.; Ensminger, Margaret E.

2015-01-01

Although previous studies have identified a protective effect of marriage on risky health behaviors, gaps remain in our understanding of how marriage improves health, particularly among African Americans. This study uses longitudinal data to take selection into account and examines whether marital trajectories that incorporate timing, stability, and duration of marriage affect health risk behaviors among a community cohort of urban African Americans followed for 35 years (N = 1,049). For both men and women, we find six marital trajectories. Men and women in consistently married trajectories are less likely to smoke, drink heavily (women only), and use illegal drugs than those in unmarried or previously married trajectories. Late marrying men do not fare worse in midlife than men in earlier marrying trajectories, but late marrying women show increased risk of midlife drug use. Results suggest policies supporting marriage may have an impact on health but only if stable unions are achieved. PMID:26136611

Cultural hair practices, physical activity, and obesity among urban African-American girls.

PubMed

Bowen, Felesia; O'Brien-Richardson, Patricia

2017-12-01

Hair holds cultural meaning and value for women of African descent. The values placed on hair type and hair style date back to preslavery days. There is a small body of literature that addresses the relationship between cultural hair practices and physical inactivity among black women. Understanding this is important because inactivity during childhood and adolescent years contributes to increased weight-related morbidity and mortality during adult years. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between cultural hair practices, physical activity, and obesity among urban African-American adolescent girls. A convenience sample of 50 African-American girls completed questionnaires and were weighed and measured for body mass index (BMI) calculation. Cultural hair practices such as the amount of money (p = .047) and time (p = .015) spent on hair maintenance were associated with decreased physical activity but were not associated with BMI. Inactivity during adolescence can result in obesity, a major cause of chronic health conditions that contribute to morbidity and mortality as an adult. When nurse practitioners understand and appreciate the cultural differences and beliefs around cultural hair practices they will be able to develop culturally appropriate strategies that will aid in weight loss. ©2017 American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

[Human African trypanosomiasis in an urban area: an emerging problem?].

PubMed

Louis, F J; Bilenge, C M; Simarro, P P; Meso, V Kande; Lucas, P; Jannin, J

2003-08-01

The human African trypanosomiasis is essentially a rural disease. The notification of cases in urban area has always been incidental; either a diagnosis made in town revealed a disease contracted in rural environment or it meant the preservation of a complete epidemiological cycle in a remaining urban micro-focus. In Kinshasa, in Democratic Republic of Congo, about forty cases have been notified each year. All of them came from the nearby foci of Bandundu, Lower Congo and Kasaï. In 1996 the number of cases reached suddenly 254 and today the average annual number comes up to 500 in spite of all the efforts undertaken to fight the disease. A study of cases in 1998 and 1999 shows that patients are essentially distributed in suburbs and that the most affected by the disease are the 15-49 year old ones whose job is related with agricultural or fishing activities. Two phenomena seem to explain this sudden increase: the massive inflow of refugees in outskirts of town coming from provinces where trypanosomiasis is endemic and a major economic crisis throwing out urban population in suburbs living on a subsistence micro-agriculture. These concomitant factors have contributed to the setting up of a trypanosomiasis belt around the capital. Today a strategy has to be reconsidered in order to fight against the disease in the capital itself and to make the medical staff aware of the diagnosis of a disease still unknown in their sanitary district.

Urbanization in sub-saharan Africa and implication for malaria control.

PubMed

Keiser, Jennifer; Utzinger, Jurg; Caldas de Castro, Marcia; Smith, Thomas A; Tanner, Marcel; Singer, Burton H

2004-08-01

Malaria not only remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, but it also impedes socioeconomic development, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Rapid and unprecedented urbanization, going hand-in-hand with often declining economies, might have profound implications for the epidemiology and control of malaria, as the relative disease burden increases among urban dwellers. Reviewing the literature and using a modeling approach, we find that entomologic inoculation rates in cities range from 0 to 54 per year, depending on the degree of urbanization, the spatial location within a city, and overall living conditions. Using the latest United Nations figures on urbanization prospects, nighttime light remotely sensed images, and the "Mapping Malaria Risk in Africa" results on climate suitability for stable malaria transmission, we estimate that 200 million people (24.6% of the total African population) currently live in urban settings where they are at risk of contracting the disease. Importantly, the estimated total surface area covered by these urban settings is only approximately 1.1-1.6% of the total African surface. Considering different plausible scenarios, we estimate an annual incidence of 24.8-103.2 million cases of clinical malaria attacks among urban dwellers in Africa. These figures translate to 6-28% of the estimated global annual disease incidence. Against this background, basic health care delivery systems providing early diagnosis and early treatment and preventive actions through mother and child health programs and the promotion of insecticide-treated bed nets for the rapidly growing numbers of the urban poor must be improved alongside well-tailored and integrated malaria control strategies. We propose environmental management and larviciding within well-specified productive sites as a main feature for such an integrated control approach. Mitigation of the current burden of malaria in urban African settings, in turn, is a necessity for stimulating

School Attendance Revisited: A Study of Urban African American Students' Grade Point Averages and Coping Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steward, Robbie J.; Steward, Astin Devine; Blair, Jonathan; Jo, Hanik; Hill, Martin F.

2008-01-01

Urban African American first-year high school students' absenteeism was found to be negatively related to grade point average (GPA) and avoidance as a means of coping (use of substances as a way to escape--food, alcohol, smoking, caffeine, etc.) and positively related to use of social support as a means of coping (efforts to stay emotionally…

Negative Affect, Delinquency, and Alcohol Use among Rural and Urban African-American Adolescents: A Brief Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Matthew J.; Merritt, Stephanie M.; Austin, Chammie C.

2013-01-01

A model of negative affect and alcohol use was replicated on a sample of African-American high school students. Participants (N = 5,086) were randomly selected from a previously collected data set and consisted of 2,253 males and 2,833 females residing in both rural and urban locations. Multivariate analysis of covariance and structural equation…

Effects of the status of women on the first-birth interval in Indian urban society.

PubMed

Nath, D C; Land, K C; Goswami, G

1999-01-01

The status of women, which is relative and multidimensional, has an important bearing on any long-term reduction in fertility. In Indian society, where cohabitation and childbearing are socially sanctioned only after marriage, the length of the first-birth interval affects the completed family size by influencing the spacing and childbearing pattern of a family. This study examines the influence of certain aspects of the status of married women--education, employment, role in family decision making, and age at marriage--along with three socioeconomic variables--per capita income of the family, social position of the household, and the caste system--on the duration of the first-birth interval in an urban Hindu society of the north-east Indian state of Assam. The data were analysed by applying life table and hazard regression techniques. The results indicate that a female's age at marriage, education, current age, role in decision making, and the per capita income of the household are the main covariates that strongly influence the length of the first-birth interval of Hindu females of urban Assam. Of all the covariates studied, a female's education appears to be a key mediating factor, through its influence on her probability of employment outside the home and thereby an earned income and on her role in family decision making. Unlike other Indian communities, the effect of the caste system does not have a significant effect on first-birth timing in this urban Hindu society.

URBANIFE: a geographical information system for monitoring internal developments in an African traditional urban area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nkambwe, Musisi

Data acquisition and information organization are major constraits in monitoring developments in traditional African urban environments. The internal arrangements and developments of housing units, land uses, communication routes, etc., in these urban areas make it difficult to use cadastral mapping techniques from other continents in building an information base useful for planning. In particular, sub-divisions of plots eventually make the "plot" less meaningful for planning as they are not recorded over time. Ideas expressed in an earlier proposal for a framework for an urban information system that included a temporal component to partially overcome this problem were used to build URBANIFE, a geographical information systemfor mapping and monitoring internal developments in the urban area of Ile-Ife, in southwestern Nigeria. URBANIFE provides an information system in which x- y coordinates from cadastral maps are used to identify the location of individual buildings, while multidate aerial photographs are interpreted and supplemented with field work to provide the temporal dimensions of some of the buildings' attributes considered important in planning and administration.

Exposure to Violence and Parenting as Mediators between Poverty and Psychological Symptoms in Urban African American Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grant, K.E.; McCormick, A.; Poindexter, L.; Simpkins, T.; Janda, C.M.; Thomas, K.J.; Campbell, A.; Carleton, R.; Taylor, J.

2005-01-01

The present study builds on past research that has found support for a conceptual model in which poverty is linked with adolescent psychological symptoms through economic stressors and impaired parenting. The present study examined this model in a sample of urban African American mothers and their adolescent children. In addition, an alternative…

A Study of African American Male Students' Academic Achievement and School Attitude in an Urban Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mohamed, Roslyn J. F. Billy

2013-01-01

With the signing of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, much emphasis has been placed on the accountability of schools and school districts to ensure higher academic achievement of all students. The achievement gap remains among African American male students in urban school districts. This purposed quantitative study explored the relationship…

Urban African American High School Female Adolescents' Perceptions, Attitudes, and Experiences with Professional School Counselors: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owens, Delila; Stewart, Tiffany A.; Bryant, Rhonda M.

2011-01-01

The authors interviewed African American female students in an urban school district about their perceptions, attitudes, and experiences with their professional school counselors. Data analysis indicated seven primary themes perceived by the participants, some of which included their understanding and purpose of professional school counselors and…

Determinants of Parental Monitoring and Preadolescent Sexual Risk Situations among African American Families Living in Urban Public Housing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baptiste, Donna R.; Tolou-Shams, Marina; Miller, Scott R.; Mcbride, Cami K.; Paikoff, Roberta L.

2007-01-01

We investigated determinants of parental monitoring and the association between parental monitoring and preadolescent sexual risk situations among low-income, African American families living in urban public housing. Preadolescents and their parents or caregivers who participated in a longitudinal study of familial and contextual influences on…

Classroom Management Training for Teachers in Urban Environments Serving Predominately African American Students: A Review of the Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larson, Kristine E.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this paper was to review the literature in terms of professional development activities that researchers have enlisted to reduce student problem behaviors and improve classroom management competencies among teachers who work in urban environments serving predominately African American students. First, the author conducted a…

RURAL/URBAN RESIDENCE, ACCESS, AND PERCEIVED NEED FOR TREATMENT AMONG AFRICAN AMERICAN COCAINE USERS

PubMed Central

BORDERS, TYRONE F.; BOOTH, BRENDA M.; STEWART, KATHARINE E.; CHENEY, ANN M.; CURRAN, GEOFFREY M.

2014-01-01

Objective To examine how rural/urban residence, perceived access, and other factors impede or facilitate perceived need for drug use treatment, a concept closely linked to treatment utilization. Study Design Two hundred rural and 200 urban African American cocaine users who were not receiving treatment were recruited via Respondent-Driven Sampling and completed a structured in-person interview. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to test the associations between perceived need and rural/urban residence, perceived access, and other predisposing (eg, demographics), enabling (eg, insurance), and health factors (eg, psychiatric distress). Principal Findings In bivariate analyses, rural relative to urban cocaine users reported lower perceived treatment need (37% vs 48%), availability, affordability, overall ease of access, and effectiveness, as well as lower perceived acceptability of residential, outpatient, self-help, and hospital-based services. In multivariate analyses, there was a significant interaction between rural/urban residence and the acceptability of religious counseling. At the highest level of acceptability, rural users had lower odds of perceived need (OR=.23); at the lowest level, rural users had higher odds of perceived need (OR=2.74) than urban users. Among rural users, the acceptability of religious counseling was negatively associated with perceived need (OR=.64). Ease of access was negatively associated (OR=.71) whereas local treatment effectiveness (OR=1.47) and the acceptability of hospital-based treatment (OR=1.29) were positively associated with perceived need among all users. Conclusions Our findings suggest rural/urban disparities in perceived need and access to drug use treatment. Among rural and urban cocaine users, improving perceptions of treatment effectiveness and expanding hospital-based services could promote treatment seeking. PMID:25213603

Gambling participation and problem gambling severity among rural and peri-urban poor South African adults in KwaZulu-Natal.

PubMed

Dellis, Andrew; Spurrett, David; Hofmeyr, Andre; Sharp, Carla; Ross, Don

2013-09-01

Poor South Africans are significantly poorer and have lower employment rates than the subjects of most published research on gambling prevalence and problem gambling. Some existing work suggests relationships between gambling activity (including severity of risk for problem gambling), income, employment status and casino proximity. The objective of the study reported here is to establish the prevalence of gambling, including at risk and pathological gambling, and the profile of gambling activities in two samples of poor South African adults living in a rural and a peri-urban community. A total of 300 (150 male, 150 female) adults in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa in communities selected using census data, completed the Problem Gambling Severity Index and a survey of socioeconomic and household information, and of gambling knowledge and activity. It was found that gambling was common, and-except for lottery participation-mostly informal or unlicensed. Significant differences between rural and peri-urban populations were found. Peri-urban subjects were slightly less poor, and gambled more and on a different and wider range of activities. Problem and at risk gamblers were disproportionately represented among the more urbanised. Casino proximity appeared largely irrelevant to gambling activity.

A Preventive Intervention Program for Urban African American Youth Attending an Alternative Education Program: Background, Implementation, and Feasibility

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carswell, Steven B.; Hanlon, Thomas E.; O'Grady, Kevin E.; Watts, Amy M.; Pothong, Pattarapan

2009-01-01

This paper presents background, implementation, and feasibility findings associated with planning and conducting an after-school intervention program in an alternative education setting designed to prevent the initiation and escalation of violence and substance abuse among urban African American youth at high risk for life-long problem behaviors.…

Environmental factors that impact the eating behaviors of low-income African American adolescents in Baltimore City.

PubMed

Christiansen, Karina M H; Qureshi, Farah; Schaible, Alex; Park, Sohyun; Gittelsohn, Joel

2013-01-01

To understand environmental factors influencing the food-related habits of low-income urban African American adolescents. Qualitative research was conducted between February and April, 2010, using in-depth interviews, focus groups, and direct observation. The study was conducted in low-income, predominantly African American neighborhoods of Baltimore City. A total of 20 adolescents were interviewed in 18 in-depth interviews (n = 13) and 2 focus groups (n = 7). Participants were recruited from Baltimore City recreation centers and were eligible if they were African American and aged 10-16 years. The food-related habits of low-income, African American, urban adolescents and reported perceptions of their food environments. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, coded, and analyzed for emerging themes. Six thematic categories emerged and were organized into 4 environmental contexts: the neighborhood context (accessibility of food and safety of neighborhood), the school context (school food environment), the family context (family health history, role modeling, and monitoring) and the peer context (peer behaviors). Future efforts to reduce the obesity epidemic among low-income African American adolescents should address the social environment of the family; however, positive behavior change may not be sustainable without neighborhood or school food environment modifications. Copyright © 2013 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Promoting healthful diets and exercise: efficacy of a 12-week after-school program in urban African Americans.

PubMed

Engels, Hermann-J; Gretebeck, Randall J; Gretebeck, Kimberlee A; Jiménez, Linda

2005-03-01

This study examined the effectiveness of a unique extracurricular after-school initiative designed to promote healthy diets and exercise in urban African Americans. The Students and Parents Actively Involved in Being Fit after-school program was offered for 12 weeks to students and their parents/guardians at an urban middle school. Specific aims of the intervention were to increase participants' vegetable and fruit intake by using established 5 A Day for Better Health educational resource materials/activities and to affect their health-related fitness through dance, games, and fitness activities. Fifty-six children and 25 parents/guardians completed a standard battery of evaluations before and after the program. Pre-post pairwise t test revealed that both children and their parents/guardians showed an increase in fruit consumption and a reduction in diastolic blood pressure (P <.05). Moreover, children showed improvements in systolic blood pressure and fruit juice, salad, and nonfried potato consumption while parents/guardians showed a decrease in body fat, body mass index, and endurance walk/run time (P <.05). Overall, findings indicate that children tended to gain more diet-related benefits while parents/guardians tended to derive more fitness-related benefits. After-school programs like the Students and Parents Actively Involved in Being Fit initiative can potentially contribute to improved health levels in urban African Americans.

HIV/AIDS and African American men: urban-rural differentials in sexual behavior, HIV knowledge, and attitude towards condoms use.

PubMed

Williams, Patrick Bassey; Sallar, Anthony M

2010-12-01

We assessed the differences and similarities in knowledge, attitude, beliefs, myths, and misconceptions; and the various high-risk behavioral factors that influence the rate of infectivity of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS among African American men in urban and rural communities of Mississippi. A cross-sectional sample survey was conducted on 466 African American men in 2 sites between 2005 and 2007. With the main outcome variables of knowledge, attitude/feelings, behavior/practices, and potentials for behavior change, we administered a 64-item, ethnically sensitive, gender-specific instrument to the subjects via a person-to-person interview. Of the 466 respondents (urban, 33%; rural, 67%), 70%, 14.4%, and 16.6%, respectively, were heterosexual, bisexual, and men who have sex with men (MSM). The number of the respondents' sexual partners in the previous 12 months were: 1 to 2 (54%), 3 to 4 (25.7%), and 5 or more (20.2%). Statistically significant differences were observed between the 2 populations on HIV knowledge (p < .001), HIV/sexually transmitted infection testing history (p < .001), sexual partners (p = .038), unprotected sexual intercourse with drug users (p < .001), unprotected casual sex (p < .001), intercourse in an open relationship or marriage (p < .001), and communication with potential sex partners regarding sexual limits prior to intercourse (p = .027). Although the level of HIV/AIDS knowledge and education were lower among urban than rural respondents, subjects' negative overall beliefs, attitude/feelings, behavior and potentials for behavioral change did not differ significantly among the African American men in the 2 communities.

Changes in Bone Mineral Density, Body Composition, Vitamin D Status, and Mineral Metabolism in Urban HIV-Positive South African Women Over 12 Months.

PubMed

Hamill, Matthew M; Pettifor, John M; Ward, Kate A; Norris, Shane A; Prentice, Ann

2017-08-01

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and antiretroviral therapy (ART) are associated with bone loss and poor vitamin D status in white populations, though their relative roles are not known. No previous studies have examined longitudinal changes in areal bone mineral density (aBMD), measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), or in vitamin D status in HIV-positive African women. Of 247 premenopausal, urban, black African women from Soweto, South Africa, initially recruited, 187 underwent anthropometry, DXA scanning and blood and urine collections at both baseline and 12 months. Of these, 67 were HIV-negative throughout (Nref), 60 were HIV-positive with preserved CD4 counts at baseline (Ppres), and 60 were HIV-positive with low CD4 counts at baseline, eligible for ART by South African standards of care at the time (Plow). No participant had been exposed to ART at baseline. By 12 months, 51 Plow women had initiated ART, >85% of whom took combined tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), lamivudine, and efavirenz. By 12 months, Plow and Nref, but not Ppres, increased in body weight and fat mass (group-by-timepoint p ≤ 0.001, p = 0.002, respectively). Plow had significant decreases in aBMD of 2% to 3%, before and after size adjustment, at the femoral neck (p ≤ 0.002) and lumbar spine (p ≤ 0.001), despite significant weight gain. These decreases were associated with increased bone turnover but there were no significant differences or changes over time in vitamin D status, serum phosphate concentrations, or renal phosphate handling. Excluding data from nine Plow women unexposed to ART and 11 Ppres women who had initiated ART accentuated these findings, suggesting the bone loss in Plow was related to ART exposure. This is the first study describing DXA-defined bone loss in HIV-positive Sub-Saharan African women in association with ART. Further work is required to establish if bone loss continues with ongoing ART and, if so, whether this

Gold diggers, video vixens, and Jezebels: stereotype images and substance use among urban African American girls.

PubMed

Wallace, Scyatta A; Townsend, Tiffany G; Glasgow, Y Marcia; Ojie, Mary Jane

2011-09-01

This study sought to examine the relationship of negative stereotype attitudes and endorsement of western standards of beauty (i.e., colorism) on the substance use behavior of low-income urban African American girls. Racial socialization was also examined as a potential moderator to identify any buffering effects of parental messages concerning race. Two hundred seventy-two African American female adolescents (mean age 13.02 years) were recruited from community venues in a Northeastern city. Adolescents completed a self-report questionnaire. Results of a series of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that girls who accepted an African American standard of beauty reported lower levels of substance use than those who endorsed colorism. Additionally, racial socialization buffered the negative relationship of colorism to substance use behavior, but only for a certain subset of girls. Tailored health interventions that consider both gender-specific and race-specific issues may improve risk behaviors, including substance use among adolescent females.

Surmounting All Odds: Education, Opportunity, and Society in the New Millennium. Volume 2. A Volume in Research on African American Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeakey, Carol Camp, Ed.; Henderson, Ronald D., Ed.

This volume includes papers 16-32 in a 32-paper collection: (16) "Mining the Fields of Teacher Education: Preparing Teachers to Teach African American Children in Urban Schools" (Patricia A. Edwards, Gwendolyn T. McMillon, and Clifford T. Bennett); (17) "Mentoring Adolescents At Risk or At Promise" (Tammie M. Causey and Kassie…

Perceptions of Parenting Practices as Predictors of Aggression in a Low-Income, Urban, Predominately African American Middle School Sample

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murray, Kantahyanee W.; Haynie, Denise L.; Howard, Donna E.; Cheng, Tina L.; Simons-Morton, Bruce

2010-01-01

This research examined the relation between early adolescent aggression and parenting practices in an urban, predominately African American sample. Sixth graders (N = 209) completed questionnaires about their overt and relational aggressive behaviors and perceptions of caregivers' parenting practices. Findings indicated that moderate levels of…

Advancing maternal age and infant birth weight among urban African Americans: the effect of neighborhood poverty.

PubMed

Collins, James W; Simon, Dyan M; Jackson, Tara A; Drolet, Aimee

2006-01-01

This study sought to determine whether neighborhood poverty modifies the relationship between maternal age and infant birth weight among urban African Americans. Stratified analyses were performed on the vital records of African Americans born in Chicago by means of 1992-1995 computerized birth file with appended 1990 US Census income and 1995 Chicago Department of Public Health data. Four neighborhood-level variables (low median family income, high rates of unemployment, homicide, and lead poisoning) were analyzed. This is a population-based study. Twenty-one percent (n=21,811) of women resided in nonimpoverished neighborhoods (zero ecologic risk factors); 23% (n=24,914) of women lived in extremely impoverished neighborhoods (four ecologic risk factors). In nonimpoverished neighborhoods, 30-34 year old women had a moderately low birth weight (1500-2499 g) rate of 13.9% compared to 10.3% for women aged 20-24 years; risk difference (95% confidence interval [CI])=3.5 (2.2-4.6). In contrast, extremely impoverished women aged 30-34 years had a moderately low birth weight rate of 19.8% compared to 11.8% for women aged 20-24 years; risk difference (95% CI)=7.7 (6.1-9.3). This trend persisted among women who received early prenatal care and were primagravids or of low parity. Neighborhood poverty did not modify the association of advancing maternal age and the risk of very low birth weight (<1500 g). Neighborhood poverty accelerates the rise in moderately low birth weight but not very low birth weight; rates were associated with advancing maternal age among urban African Americans.

Understanding the Subjective Experience of Medication Adherence for Older Urban African Americans With Type 2 Diabetes and a History of Illicit Drug Addiction.

PubMed

Wallace, Brandy Harris; Reese, Ashante M; Chard, Sarah; Roth, Erin G; Quinn, Charlene; Eckert, J Kevin

2017-04-01

African Americans experience high rates of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). Self-management strategies, such as medication adherence, are key to mitigating negative T2D outcomes. This article addresses a gap in the literature by examining the intersections of drug abuse histories and medication adherence among urban, older African Americans with T2D. In-depth interview data were collected as part of a larger ethnographic study examining the subjective experience of T2D among urban older adults. Two representative focal cases were selected and thematic analysis performed to illustrate how former illicit drug addicts perceive prescription medication usage. Narratives reveal that participants are displeased about having to take prescription drugs and are making lifestyle changes to reduce medication usage and maintain sobriety. Previous drug abuse not only complicates medication adherence but is also a significant part of how older African Americans who are former drug users frame their understanding of T2D more broadly.

The CLUVA project: Climate-change scenarios and their impact on urban areas in Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Di Ruocco, Angela; Weets, Guy; Gasparini, Paolo; Jørgensen, Gertrud; Lindley, Sarah; Pauleit, Stephan; Vahed, Anwar; Schiano, Pasquale; Kabisch, Sigrun; Vedeld, Trond; Coly, Adrien; Tonye, Emmanuel; Touré, Hamidou; Kombe, Wilbard; Yeshitela, Kumelachew

2013-04-01

CLUVA (CLimate change and Urban Vulnerability in Africa; http://www.cluva.eu/) is a 3 years project, funded by the European Commission in 2010. Its main objective is the estimate of the impacts of climate changes in the next 40 years at urban scale in Africa. The mission of CLUVA is to develop methods and knowledge to assess risks cascading from climate-changes. It downscales IPCC climate projections to evaluate threats to selected African test cities; mainly floods, sea-level rise, droughts, heat waves and desertification. The project evaluates and links: social vulnerability; vulnerability of in-town ecosystems and urban-rural interfaces; vulnerability of urban built environment and lifelines; and related institutional and governance dimensions of adaptation. A multi-scale and multi-disciplinary quantitative, probabilistic, modelling is applied. CLUVA brings together climate experts, risk management experts, urban planners and social scientists with their African counterparts in an integrated research effort focusing on the improvement of the capacity of scientific institutions, local councils and civil society to cope with climate change. The CLUVA approach was set-up in the first year of the project and developed as follows: an ensemble of eight global projections of climate changes is produced for east and west Africa until 2050 considering the new IPCC (International Panel on Climate Changes; http://www.ipcc.ch/) scenarios. These are then downscaled to urban level, where territorial modeling is required to compute hazard effects on the vulnerable physical system (urban ecosystems, informal settlements, lifelines such as transportation and sewer networks) as well as on the social context, in defined time frames, and risk analysis is then employed to assess expected consequences. An investigation of the existing urban planning and governance systems and its interface with climate risks is performed. With the aid of the African partners, the developed approach

Exposure to violence and parenting as mediators between poverty and psychological symptoms in urban African American adolescents.

PubMed

Grant, Kathryn E; McCormick, Anthony; Poindexter, LaShaunda; Simpkins, Tandra; Janda, Cassandra M; Thomas, Kina J; Campbell, Amanda; Carleton, Russell; Taylor, Jeremy

2005-08-01

The present study builds on past research that has found support for a conceptual model in which poverty is linked with adolescent psychological symptoms through economic stressors and impaired parenting. The present study examined this model in a sample of urban African American mothers and their adolescent children. In addition, an alternative hypothesis was examined: that exposure to community violence mediates the relation between poverty and psychological symptoms in urban youth. Limited support was found for a model in which poverty is linked with internalizing symptoms through exposure to community violence and with externalizing symptoms through economic stressors and inconsistent discipline. Interpretations, limitations, and directions for future research are outlined.

"Now the African reigns supreme": the rise of African boxing on the Witwatersrand, 1924-1959.

PubMed

Fleming, Tyler

2011-01-01

This essay explores the growth of boxing among the African populations on the Witwatersrand region of South Africa between 1924 and 1959. It details how the sport's jump in popularity with Africans paralleled migration to Johannesburg. Africans increasingly saw boxing as an activity and skill conducive with survival in this new environment, and thus the sport grew in popularity, stature, and skill-level amongst this emergent urban population. The essay further explores the various ways that the sport was disseminated and popularized during the era, thus detailing how the sport reached both the African masses and petit-bourgeois educated elite. As their presence in Johannesburg became more and more permanent, boxing came to encompass various meanings and ideals, such as notions of discipline, independence and civility, to these urban populations.

Does living in an urban environment confer advantages for childhood nutritional status? Analysis of disparities in nutritional status by wealth and residence in Angola, Central African Republic and Senegal.

PubMed

Kennedy, Gina; Nantel, Guy; Brouwer, Inge D; Kok, Frans J

2006-04-01

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between childhood undernutrition and poverty in urban and rural areas. Anthropometric and socio-economic data from Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys in Angola-Secured Territory (Angola ST), Central African Republic and Senegal were used in this analysis. The population considered in this study is children 0-59 months, whose records include complete anthropometric data on height, weight, age, gender, socio-economic level and urban or rural area of residence. In addition to simple urban/rural comparisons, the population was stratified using a wealth index based on living conditions and asset ownership to compare the prevalence, mean Z-score and odds ratios for stunting and wasting. In all cases, when using a simple urban/rural comparison, the prevalence of stunting was significantly higher in rural areas. However, when the urban and rural populations were stratified using a measure of wealth, the differences in prevalence of stunting and underweight in urban and rural areas of Angola ST, Central African Republic and Senegal disappeared. Poor children in these urban areas were just as likely to be stunted or underweight as poor children living in rural areas. The odds ratio of stunting in the poorest compared with the richest quintile was 3.4, 3.2 and 1.5 in Angola ST, Senegal and Central African Republic, respectively. This paper demonstrates that simple urban/rural comparisons mask wide disparities in subgroups according to wealth. There is a strong relationship between poverty and chronic undernutrition in both urban and rural areas; this relationship does not change simply by living in an urban environment. However, urban and rural living conditions and lifestyles differ, and it is important to consider these differences when designing programmes and policies to address undernutrition.

Dietary Intakes of Urban, High Body Mass Index, African American Children: Family and Child Dietary Attributes Predict Child Intakes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ritchie, Lorrene D.; Raman, Aarthi; Sharma, Sushma; Fitch, Mark D.; Fleming, Sharon E.

2011-01-01

Objective: To identify family and child nutrition and dietary attributes related to children's dietary intakes. Design: African American children (ages 8-11 years, n = 156), body mass index greater than 85th percentile, from urban, low-income neighborhoods. Baseline, cross-sectional data collected as part of an ongoing diabetes prevention…

The Roles of Stress and Coping in Explaining Gender Differences in Risk for Psychopathology among African American Urban Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carlson, Ginger Apling; Grant, Kathryn E.

2008-01-01

This study used self-report symptom inventories administered in school classrooms to examine relations among gender, psychological symptoms, stress, and coping in 1,200 low-income African American urban early adolescents. Girls reported more symptoms than boys, accounted for by higher internalizing symptoms. Boys reported more stress than girls,…

Exposure to Community Violence and Protective and Risky Contexts among Low Income Urban African American Adolescents: A Prospective Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldner, Jonathan; Peters, Tracy L.; Richards, Maryse H.; Pearce, Steven

2011-01-01

This study examined protective and risky companionship and locations for exposure to community violence among African American young adolescents living in high crime, urban areas. The Experience Sampling Method (ESM), an in vivo data collection method, was employed to gather information from 233 students (62% female) over 3 years, beginning in the…

Ethnic Identity, Neighborhood Risk, and Adolescent Drug and Sex Attitudes and Refusal Efficacy: The Urban African American Girls' Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corneille, Maya A.; Belgrave, Faye Z.

2007-01-01

This study examined the impact of ethnic identity and neighborhood risk on drug and sex attitudes and refusal efficacy among early adolescent urban African American females (n = 175). The model also predicted a moderating relationship of ethnic identity on neighborhood risk for drug and sex attitudes and refusal efficacy. Data were collected as…

"I Have to Be Three Steps Ahead": Academically Gifted African American Male Students in an Urban High School on the Tension between an Ethnic and Academic Identity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graham, Anthony; Anderson, Kenneth A.

2008-01-01

This case study investigation of three Academically Gifted African American male high school seniors in a predominantly African American urban high school examines the interplay between their ethnic and academic identity. Using an embedded micro-ethnographic approach, we explore the extent to which these students value educational attainment, the…

Individual and community determinants of calling 911 for stroke among African Americans in an urban community

PubMed Central

Skolarus, Lesli E.; Murphy, Jillian B.; Zimmerman, Marc A.; Bailey, Sarah; Fowlkes, Sophronia; Brown, Devin L.; Lisabeth, Lynda D.; Greenberg, Emily; Morgenstern, Lewis B.

2013-01-01

Background African Americans receive acute stroke treatment less often than non-Hispanic Whites. Interventions to increase stroke preparedness (recognizing stroke warning signs and calling 911) may decrease the devastating effects of stroke by allowing more patients to be candidates for acute stroke therapy. In preparation for such an intervention, we used a community-based participatory research approach to conduct a qualitative study exploring perceptions of emergency medical care and stroke among urban African American youth and adults. Methods and Results Community partners, church health teams, and church leaders identified and recruited focus group participants from 3 African American churches in Flint, Michigan. We conducted 5 youth (11-16 years) and 4 adult focus groups from November 2011 to March 2012. A content analysis approach was taken for analysis. Thirty nine youth and 38 adults participated. Women comprised 64% of youth and 90% of adult focus group participants. All participants were African American. Three themes emerged from the adult and youth data: 1) recognition that stroke is a medical emergency; 2) perceptions of difficulties within the medical system in an under resourced community and; 3) need for greater stroke education in the community. Conclusions African American adults and youth have a strong interest in stroke preparedness. Designing behavioral interventions to increase stroke preparedness should be sensitive to both individual and community factors contributing to the likelihood of seeking emergency care for stroke. PMID:23674311

Challenges to Masculine Transformation Among Urban Low-Income African American Males

PubMed Central

Aronson, Robert E.; Whitehead, Tony L.; Baber, Willie L.

2003-01-01

In this article we describe and analyze the challenges faced by an intervention program that addresses the fatherhood needs of low-income urban African American males. We used life history as the primary research strategy for a qualitative evaluation of a program we refer to as the Healthy Men in Healthy Families Program to better understand the circumstances and trajectory of men’s lives, including how involvement in the program might have benefited them in the pursuit of their fatherhood goals. A model of masculine transformation, developed by Whitehead, was used to interpret changes in manhood/fatherhood attitudes and behaviors that might be associated with the intervention. We combined Whitehead’s model with a social ecology framework to further interpret challenges at intrapersonal, interpersonal, community, and broader societal levels. PMID:12721134

Urban African American Parents’ Messages about Violence: A Mixed Methods Study

PubMed Central

Lindstrom Johnson, Sarah; Finigan, Nadine; Bradshaw, Catherine; Haynie, Denise; Cheng, Tina L.

2015-01-01

Family socialization, which includes parental control and support, plays an important role in reducing the likelihood of adolescent involvement in conflict. This study examined the strategies that urban parents living in neighborhoods with high crime rates suggest to help their adolescent children avoid or deescalate conflict. Data come from 48 African American parent/adolescent dyads recruited through the youths’ middle school. Dyads responded to three video-taped scenarios depicting youth in potential conflict situations. Qualitative methods were used to identify 11 strategies parents suggested to help youth avoid or deescalate conflict. Although the majority of parents advocated for non-violent solutions, these same parents described situations in which their child may need to use violence. These findings have important implications for family-focused violence prevention programs. PMID:26726283

The Motivators That Contribute to the Migration of African American Educators from Suburban School Districts to Urban School Districts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGary, Ostrova Dewayne

2012-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the perceived motivators contributing African American educators' decision to migrate from a suburban school district to an urban school district. The case study approach was used in an effort to capture the participants' voices and the motivators contributing to their decision to migrate to an…

Genetic evidence of African slavery at the beginning of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

PubMed

Martiniano, Rui; Coelho, Catarina; Ferreira, Maria Teresa; Neves, Maria João; Pinhasi, Ron; Bradley, Daniel G

2014-08-08

An archaeological excavation in Valle da Gafaria (Lagos, Portugal), revealed two contiguous burial places outside the medieval city walls, dating from the 15(th)-17(th) centuries AD: one was interpreted as a Leprosarium cemetery and the second as an urban discard deposit, where signs of violent, unceremonious burials suggested that these remains may belong to slaves captured in Africa by the Portuguese. We obtained random short autosomal sequence reads from seven individuals: two from the latter site and five from the Leprosarium and used these to call SNP identities and estimate ancestral affinities with modern reference data. The Leprosarium site samples were less preserved but gave some probability of both African and European ancestry. The two discard deposit burials each gave African affinity signals, which were further refined toward modern West African or Bantu genotyped samples. These data from distressed burials illustrate an African contribution to a low status stratum of Lagos society at a time when this port became a hub of the European trade in African slaves which formed a precursor to the transatlantic transfer of millions.

Genetic Evidence of African Slavery at the Beginning of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

PubMed Central

Martiniano, Rui; Coelho, Catarina; Ferreira, Maria Teresa; Neves, Maria João; Pinhasi, Ron; Bradley, Daniel G.

2014-01-01

An archaeological excavation in Valle da Gafaria (Lagos, Portugal), revealed two contiguous burial places outside the medieval city walls, dating from the 15th–17th centuries AD: one was interpreted as a Leprosarium cemetery and the second as an urban discard deposit, where signs of violent, unceremonious burials suggested that these remains may belong to slaves captured in Africa by the Portuguese. We obtained random short autosomal sequence reads from seven individuals: two from the latter site and five from the Leprosarium and used these to call SNP identities and estimate ancestral affinities with modern reference data. The Leprosarium site samples were less preserved but gave some probability of both African and European ancestry. The two discard deposit burials each gave African affinity signals, which were further refined toward modern West African or Bantu genotyped samples. These data from distressed burials illustrate an African contribution to a low status stratum of Lagos society at a time when this port became a hub of the European trade in African slaves which formed a precursor to the transatlantic transfer of millions. PMID:25104065

Examining the Role of Culture-Specific Coping as a Predictor of Resilient Outcomes in African Americans from High-Risk Urban Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Utsey, Shawn O.; Bolden, Mark A.; Lanier, Yzette; Williams, Otis, III

2007-01-01

This investigation examined the role of culture-specific coping in relation to resilient outcomes in African Americans from high-risk urban communities. Participants (N = 385) were administered a survey questionnaire packet containing measures of culture-specific coping, traditional resilience factors (cognitive ability, social support, and…

Racial comparisons of health care and glycemic control for African American and white diabetic adults in an urban managed care organization.

PubMed

Gary, Tiffany L; McGuire, Maura; McCauley, Jeanne; Brancati, Frederick L

2004-01-01

The excess risk of diabetic complications in African Americans may be due to poor glycemic control arising from suboptimal use and/or quality of diabetes-related health care. However, little is known about racial differences in these factors, particularly in urban populations. We conducted a cross-sectional study using medical claims and encounter data on 1,106 adults with diabetes aged > or =30 years who were members of an urban managed care organization in capitated health plans. We examined health care and routine hemoglobin A(1c) (HbA(1c)) testing in a biracial cohort for 12 months. We then followed individuals for an additional 12 months, using a retrospective cohort design, to determine how this health care predicted subsequent emergency room visits. On average, compared with their white counterparts, African Americans had fewer primary care visits (85% vs. 91% with four or more visits) and fewer HbA(1c) tests (56% vs. 68% with two or more HbA(1c) tests) (all P < 0.05). Likewise, in the subset who underwent one or more HbA(1c) measurement (n = 855), African Americans displayed poorer glycemic control (HbA(1c) 9.1 +/- 2.9%) than whites (8.5 +/- 2.2%; P = 0.001). In multivariate analyses, racial differences in visit frequency and HbA(1c) testing were attenuated by adjustment for age, sex, and type of capitated plan and did not remain statistically significant. The relationship of health care to subsequent emergency room visits differed by race; in African Americans, fewer primary care visits and HbA(1c) tests predicted greater risk of emergency room visits. Even in a capitated, managed care setting, urban African Americans with diabetes are less likely than their white counterparts to undergo routine primary care visits and laboratory testing and are more likely to have suboptimal glycemic control. Differences in age, sex, and insurance type seemed to explain some of the disparities. Future research should determine the individual contributions of physician

I Know Who I Am, Do You?: Identity and Academic Achievement of Successful African American Male Adolescents in an Urban Pilot High School in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Brian L.

2011-01-01

This study explores racial-ethnic identity and academic achievement of five young African American men in 11th and 12th grade in an urban pilot high school. Data gathered through individual and group interviews and a questionnaire were analyzed to understand how academically successful African American male adolescents interpret their social and…

Voices of Identity and Responsibility: A Description of the Development of Identity, Using Cross' Theory of Nigrescence, and the Manifestation of Responsibility among African-American Urban School Principals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byrd, Clavon, Sr.

2009-01-01

This research described the retrospective formation of identity and manifestation of responsibility of four African-American female leaders who served as urban school principals. Cross (1971, 1991) determined that African-Americans undergo a four step process of identity development that he coined Nigrescence. Within these four stages of identity…

Discordant Voices in the Urban Community College.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weis, Lois

1992-01-01

Describes a one-year ethnographic study of the cultural conflicts evident at an urban community college, providing quotes from interviews that explain tensions between African-American and white students, between African-American students and African-American faculty, and between African-American men and women. (DMM)

Correlates of the sex trade among African-American youth living in urban public housing: assessing the role of parental incarceration and parental substance use.

PubMed

Nebbitt, Von; Tirmazi, Taqi M; Lombe, Margaret; Cryer-Coupet, Qiana; French, Shelby

2014-04-01

African-American youth are disproportionately affected by parental incarceration and the consequences of parental substance use. Many adapt to the loss of their parents to prison or drug addiction by engaging in sex-risk behavior, particularly the sex trade. These youth may engage in this risky behavior for a number of reasons. Although previous research has examined this issue, most of these studies have focused on runaway or street youth or youth in international settings. Empirical evidence on correlates of trading sex for money among urban African-American youth is practically missing. Using a sample of 192 African-American youth living in urban public housing, this paper attempts to rectify this gap in knowledge by assessing how individual and parental factors are related to the likelihood of a youth trading sex for money. The sample for this study reported a mean age of 19; 28 % reported having traded sex for money; 30 % had a father currently in prison; and 7 % reported having a mother currently in prison. Maternal incarceration and paternal substance use were associated with a higher likelihood of trading sex for money. Given the potential health risks associated with trading sex for money, understanding correlates of this behavior has important implications for the health of this vulnerable population of youth and urban health in general.

Concepts of healthy diet among urban, low-income, African Americans.

PubMed

Lucan, Sean C; Barg, Frances K; Karasz, Alison; Palmer, Christina S; Long, Judith A

2012-08-01

We sought to explore concepts of healthy diet and to elicit recommendations to support healthier eating among urban, low-income, African Americans. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 33 self-identified African American adults (18-81 years of age, 15 male participants) from a low-income neighborhood in west Philadelphia, PA, during summer and fall 2008. Our qualitative approach was continuous, iterative and thematic considering gender, age category, and participants' "mentions" of fast-food and fruit-and-vegetable intake from the preceding day. We found that participants shared concepts about broad nutritional principles consistent with national dietary recommendations, but disagreed about the healthfulness of specific foods-e.g. meat. On average-with little variation-participants reported eating >2 "mentions" more of fast foods the preceding day than fruits and vegetables (P < 0.001). Suggested strategies to help promote eating more produce included increasing exposure, advertising, affordability, and local availability (vice versa to limit fast-food consumption), and more education on the health effects of diet and how to find and prepare healthy foods. Women's ideas reflected their roles in food shopping and food preparation; otherwise, participants' ideas did not differ appreciably by gender or age. Overall, participants generally expressed sufficient understanding of nutritional principles to eat healthfully, but disagreed about the healthfulness of specific foods and described largely unhealthy dietary consumption from the preceding day. If poor dietary intake results from barriers to recognizing, purchasing, and preparing healthy foods, then participants' suggestions to increase education and modify the environment may lead to improved diets and better health in the community.

Birth outcomes among urban African-American women: a multilevel analysis of the role of racial residential segregation.

PubMed

Bell, Janice F; Zimmerman, Frederick J; Almgren, Gunnar R; Mayer, Jonathan D; Huebner, Colleen E

2006-12-01

Residential segregation is a common aspect of the urban experiences of African-Americans in the United States (US), yet few studies have considered how segregation might influence perinatal health. Here, we develop a conceptual model of relationships between segregation and birth outcomes and test the implications of the model in a sample of 434,376 singleton births to African-American women living in 225 US Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs). Data from the National Center for Health Statistics 2002 birth files were linked to data from the 2000 US Census and two distinct measures of segregation: an index of isolation (the probability that an African-American resident will encounter another African-American resident in any random neighborhood encounter) and an index of clustering (the extent to which African-Americans live in contiguous neighborhoods). Using multilevel regression models, controlling for individual- and MSA-level socioeconomic status and other covariates, we found higher isolation was associated with lower birthweight, higher rates of prematurity and higher rates of fetal growth restriction. In contrast, higher clustering was associated with more optimal outcomes. We propose that isolation reflects factors associated with segregation that are deleterious to health including poor neighborhood quality, persistent discrimination and the intra-group diffusion of harmful health behaviors. Associations with clustering may reflect factors associated with segregation that are health-promoting such as African-American political power empowerment, social support and cohesion. Declines in isolation could represent positive steps toward improving birth outcomes among African-American infants while aspects of racial contiguity appear to be mitigating or indeed beneficial. Segregation is a complex multidimensional construct with both deleterious and protective influences on birth outcomes, depending on the dimensions under consideration. Further research to

African Americans and the Industrial Revolution.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trotter, Joe William, Jr.

2000-01-01

Briefly outlines the ways race and technology shaped: (1) the early enslavement of African Americans; (2) the work of bondsmen and women during the antebellum era; and (3) the increasing urbanization of the African American population during the industrial age. (CMK)

Asthma Self-Management Goals, Beliefs and Behaviors of Urban African American Adolescents Prior to Transitioning to Adult Health Care.

PubMed

Gibson-Scipio, Wanda; Gourdin, Dustin; Krouse, Helene J

2015-01-01

Adolescence is a unique time of development incorporating a transition from child centered to adult centered health care. This transition period can be particularly challenging for individuals with a chronic disease such as asthma. Inadequate transition planning during adolescence may place an already vulnerable population such as African American adolescents with known health disparities in asthma prevalence, morbidity and mortality at risk for a continuation of poor health outcomes across the lifespan. Central to transition planning for these youth is the core element of developing and prioritizing goals. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the asthma self-management goals, beliefs and behaviors of urban African American adolescents prior to transitioning from pediatric to adult health care. A focus group composed of 13 African American adolescents with asthma ages 14-18 years from an urban population was conducted. Responses from transcripts and field notes were reviewed using an iterative process to best characterize asthma self-management goals and beliefs that emerged. Four core themes were identified: 1) medication self-management, 2) social support, 3) independence vs. interdependence, and 4) self-advocacy. Medication self-management included subthemes of rescue medications, controller medications and medication avoidance. The social support theme included three subthemes: peer support, caregiver support and healthcare provider support. Findings suggest that adolescents with asthma form both short term and long term goals. Their goals indicated a need for guided support to facilitate a successful health care transition. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Culture and biomedical care in Africa: the influence of culture on biomedical care in a traditional African society, Nigeria, West Africa.

PubMed

Chukwuneke, F N; Ezeonu, C T; Onyire, B N; Ezeonu, P O

2012-01-01

Biomedical Care in Africa and the influence of culture on the health-seeking behaviour of Africans can not be underestimated; many African cultures have different understanding of the causes of disease which more often affect our public health system, policy, planning and implementations. The traditional African healer unlike a doctor trained in western biomedicine, looks for the cause of the patient's ailments as misfortune in relationship between the patient and the social, natural and spiritual environments. The complexity of African society with different cultural and religious practices also reflects on the people's attitude and understanding of their health matters. This paper is an overview of the cultural influence on biomedical care in a traditional African society, Nigeria, West Africa. A research on the patients' health seeking behaviour and Primary Health Care service organization in 10 health centres in the five eastern states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was carried out using a multistage cross-sectional study. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to the health care providers and patients while an in-depth semi- structured interview was also conducted. We observed there is underutilization of health care services at the primary level because most people do not accept the model of health care system provided for them. Most people believe diseases are caused by supernatural beings, the handiwork of neighbours or vengeance from an offended god as a result of transgressions committed in the past by an individual or parents. This group of people therefore prefers seeking traditional medicine to seeking orthodox medicine and often ends up in the hands of witch doctors who claim to have cure to almost all the diseases. Biomedical care in Africa is influence by culture because of different understanding of what ailment is and also due to limited knowledge of health matters, poverty and ignorance. There is a need therefore to focus on health

Neighborhood characteristics and mental health among African Americans and whites living in a racially integrated urban community.

PubMed

Gary, Tiffany L; Stark, Sarah A; LaVeist, Thomas A

2007-06-01

Aspects of the environment in which one lives are increasingly being recognized as major contributors to health, yet few empirical studies have focused on mental health. Therefore, we sought to determine if neighborhood characteristics were associated with mental health outcomes among 1408 African-American (59.3%) and white (40.7%) adults living in a socio-economically homogeneous, racially integrated, urban community in Baltimore, MD. Among African Americans and whites, the perception of severe problems in the community was associated with higher levels of stress (approximately 1.8 units higher), anxiety (approximately 1.8 units higher), and depression (OR= approximately 2.0) compared to those who perceived no or few problems (all p<0.05). Community cohesion, the perception that people generally work together, was associated with better mental health among whites only. These findings give further insight into the complex environment of inner-city communities.

Norms governing urban African American adolescents’ sexual and substance-using behavior

PubMed Central

Dolcini, M. Margaret; Catania, Joseph A.; Harper, Gary W.; Watson, Susan E.; Ellen, Jonathan M.; Towner, Senna L.

2013-01-01

Using a probability-based neighborhood sample of urban African American youth and a sample of their close friends (N = 202), we conducted a one-year longitudinal study to examine key questions regarding sexual and drug using norms. The results provide validation of social norms governing sexual behavior, condom use, and substance use among friendship groups. These norms had strong to moderate homogeneity; and both normative strength and homogeneity were relatively stable over a one-year period independent of changes in group membership. The data further suggest that sex and substance using norms may operate as a normative set. Similar to studies of adults, we identified three distinct “norm-based” social strata in our sample. Together, our findings suggest that the norms investigated are valid targets for health promotion efforts, and such efforts may benefit from tailoring programs to the normative sets that make up the different social strata in a given adolescent community. PMID:23072891

An Analysis of Associations between Residential and School Mobility and Educational Outcomes in South African Urban Children: The Birth to Twenty Cohort

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ginsburg, Carren; Richter, Linda M.; Fleisch, Brahm; Norris, Shane A.

2011-01-01

Using data from Birth to Twenty, a cohort of South African urban children, the current paper investigates the relationships between residential and school mobility and a set of educational outcomes. The findings provide some evidence of a positive association between changes in residence and numeracy and literacy scores, and school mobility was…

The Role of Stigma in Parental Help-Seeking for Perceived Child Behavior Problems in Urban, Low-Income African American Parents.

PubMed

Dempster, Robert; Davis, Deborah Winders; Faye Jones, V; Keating, Adam; Wildman, Beth

2015-12-01

Significant numbers of children have diagnosable mental health problems, but only a small proportion of them receive appropriate services. Stigma has been associated with help-seeking for adult mental health problems and for Caucasian parents. The current study aims to understand factors, including stigma, associated with African American parents' help-seeking behavior related to perceived child behavior problems. Participants were a community sample of African American parents and/or legal guardians of children ages 3-8 years recruited from an urban primary care setting (N = 101). Variables included child behavior, stigma (self, friends/family, and public), object of stigma (parent or child), obstacles for engagement, intention to attend parenting classes, and demographics. Self-stigma was the strongest predictor of help-seeking among African American parents. The impact of self-stigma on parents' ratings of the likelihood of attending parenting classes increased when parents considered a situation in which their child's behavior was concerning to them. Findings support the need to consider parent stigma in the design of care models to ensure that children receive needed preventative and treatment services for behavioral/mental health problems in African American families.

Civil society organizations: capacity to address the needs of the urban poor in Nairobi.

PubMed

Ekirapa, Akaco; Mgomella, George S; Kyobutungi, Catherine

2012-11-01

We conducted a needs assessment that describes the landscape of civil society organizations (CSOs) in three informal settlements around Nairobi, Kenya. The numbers of CSOs have rapidly increased in areas underserved by governments including poor urban neighbourhoods but little is known about CSOs capacity to meet the priority health needs of the urban poor. It is also unclear why, despite a proliferation of CSOs, residents still experience unimproved health outcomes. We collected data on core activities, financial management, and governance structures. Of the 952 CSOs assessed, 47 per cent reported HIV/AIDS counselling, prevention, and treatment as their core activity. Most CSOs reported good financial management systems and governance structures but responses were not validated. Representation in district health stakeholder fora was low; most CSOs did not have the capacity to effectively deliver services that would have impact. For CSOs to realize the desired goal to improve the well-being of low-income populations, programmes to build their management capacity are essential.

The Cardiovascular Health of Urban African-Americans: Dietary Results from the Genes, Nutrition, Exercise, Wellness and Spiritual Growth (GoodNEWS) Trial

PubMed Central

Carson, Jo Ann S.; Michalsky, Linda; Latson, Bernadette; Banks, Kamakki; Tong, Liyue; Gimpel, Nora; Lee, Jenny J.; DeHaven, Mark J.

2012-01-01

African-Americans have a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than Americans in general and are thus prime targets for efforts to reduce CVD risk. Dietary intake data were obtained from African-Americans participating in the GoodNEWS trial. The 286 females and 71 males had a mean age of 49 years; 53% had hypertension, 65% had dyslipidemia and 51% met criteria for metabolic syndrome. Their dietary intakes were compared to American Heart Association and National Heart Lung and Blood Institute nutritional parameters to identify areas for improvement to reduce CVD risk in this group of urban church members in Dallas, Texas. Results from administration of the Dietary History Questionnaire (DHQ) indicated median daily intakes of 33.6 % of energy from total fat, 10.3% of energy from saturated fat, 171 mg cholesterol, 16.3 g dietary fiber, and 2453 mg sodium. A beneficial median intake of 2.9 cups of fruits and vegetable/day was coupled with only 2.7 oz fish/week and an excessive intake of 13 tsp added sugar/day. These data indicate several changes needed to bring the diets of these individuals, and likely many other urban African-Americans, in line with national recommendations: reduction of saturated fat, sodium and sugar intake, while increasing intake of fatty fish and whole grains. The frequent inclusion of vegetables should be encouraged in ways that promote achievement of recommended intakes of energy, fat, fiber and sodium. PMID:22995059

Adding to the Education Debt: Depressive Symptoms Mediate the Association between Racial Discrimination and Academic Performance in African Americans.

PubMed

English, Devin; Lambert, Sharon F; Ialongo, Nicholas S

2016-08-01

Although the United States faces a seemingly intractable divide between white and African American academic performance, there remains a dearth of longitudinal research investigating factors that work to maintain this gap. The present study examined whether racial discrimination predicted the academic performance of African American students through its effect on depressive symptoms. Participants were a community sample of African American adolescents (N=495) attending urban public schools from grade 7 to grade 9 (Mage=12.5). Structural equation modeling revealed that experienced racial discrimination predicted increases in depressive symptoms 1year later, which, in turn, predicted decreases in academic performance the following year. These results suggest that racial discrimination continues to play a critical role in the academic performance of African American students and, as such, contributes to the maintenance of the race-based academic achievement gap in the United States. Copyright © 2016 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Urban Primary School. Education in an Urbanised Society

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maguire, Meg; Wooldridge, Tim; Pratt-Adams, Simon

2006-01-01

This book offers an in-depth understanding of the unique challenges and contributions of urban primary schools. The authors set urban education in the wider social context of structural disadvantage, poverty, oppression and exclusion, and reassert some critical urban educational concerns. Recognizing that practice needs to be informed by theory,…

Internet and mobile technology use among urban African American parents: survey study of a clinical population.

PubMed

Mitchell, Stephanie J; Godoy, Leandra; Shabazz, Kanya; Horn, Ivor B

2014-01-13

There is considerable potential for mobile technologies to empower pediatric patients and families by improving their communication with health professionals. National surveys suggest minority parents frequently communicate via mobile technology, but it is uncertain how amenable they are to receiving health care information in this format. Although the low cost and far reach characteristics of mobile health (mHealth) technology makes it advantageous for communication with minority parents, data on acceptance are needed. The objective of the study was to determine utilization of mobile and Internet technology by African American parents in an urban, underserved population, and to assess their interest in receiving health information via text messaging or other technologies (eg, social media and the Internet). A survey was administered to parents of children aged 1-12 years covered by public insurance receiving care at 3 pediatric primary care centers in Washington, DC. The African American sample (N=302) was composed of primarily single (75.8%, 229/302) mothers. Almost half had more than a high school education (47.7%, 144/302) and incomes above US $25,000 per year (43.0%, 130/302). Most (97.0%, 293/302) reported owning a cell phone, of which 91.1% (275/302) used it to text and 78.5% (237/302) used it to access the Internet. Most had service plans with unlimited text and data, but 26.5% (80/302) experienced service interruptions in the previous year. Home Internet access was more prevalent among those with higher income (86.2%, 112/130), but it was still relatively pervasive among lower income families (66.9%, 83/124). In adjusted logistic regression models, African American mothers with income greater than US $25,000 annually were 4 times as likely to own a tablet computer than their lower income counterparts. Of the participants, 80.8% (244/302) used social networking, primarily Facebook, and 74.2% (224/302) were interested in joining a social networking group

Research on Migration in Africa: Past, Present, and Future, African Rural Employment Paper No. 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byerlee, Derek

African nations have been experiencing rapid rates of urbanization accompanied by serious problems of urban unemployment due to the rate of rural-urban migration and the lack of an adequate understanding of the migration process for economic policy formulation. The aim of this paper was to review the present knowledge of African rural-urban…

Experiences of racial discrimination and relation to sexual risk for HIV among a sample of urban black and African American men.

PubMed

Reed, E; Santana, M C; Bowleg, L; Welles, S L; Horsburgh, C R; Raj, A

2013-04-01

This study aimed to examine racial discrimination and relation to sexual risk for HIV among a sample of urban black and African American men. Participants of this cross-sectional study were black and African American men (N = 703) between the ages of 18 and 65 years, recruited from four urban clinical sites in the northeast. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the relation of reported racial discrimination to the following: (1) sex trade involvement, (2) recent unprotected sex, and (3) reporting a number of sex partners in the past 12 months greater than the sample average. The majority of the sample (96%) reported racial discrimination. In adjusted analyses, men reporting high levels of discrimination were significantly more likely to report recent sex trade involvement (buying and/or selling) (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) range = 1.7-2.3), having recent unprotected vaginal sex with a female partner (AOR = 1.4, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.1-2.0), and reporting more than four sex partners in the past year (AOR = 1.4, 95% CI, 1.1-1.9). Findings highlight the link between experiences of racial discrimination and men's sexual risk for HIV.

Disentangling association patterns in fission-fusion societies using African buffalo as an example

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cross, P.C.; Lloyd-Smith, James O.; Getz, W.M.

2005-01-01

A description of the social network of a population aids us in understanding dispersal, the spread of disease, and genetic structure in that population. Many animal populations can be classified as fission–fusion societies, whereby groups form and separate over time. Examples discussed in the literature include ungulates, primates and cetaceans (Lott and Minta, 1983, Whitehead et al., 1991, Henzi et al., 1997, Christal et al., 1998 and Chilvers and Corkeron, 2002). In this study, we use a heuristic simulation model to illustrate potential problems in applying traditional techniques of association analysis to fission–fusion societies and propose a new index of association: the fission decision index (FDI). We compare the conclusions resulting from traditional methods with those of the FDI using data from African buffalo, Syncerus caffer, in the Kruger National Park. The traditional approach suggested that the buffalo population was spatially and temporally structured into four different ‘herds’ with adult males only peripherally associated with mixed herds. Our FDI method indicated that association decisions of adult males appeared random, but those of other sex and age categories were nonrandom, particularly when we included the fission events associated with adult males. Furthermore, the amount of time that individuals spent together was only weakly correlated with their propensity to remain together during fission events. We conclude with a discussion of the applicability of the FDI to other studies.

Recent and intended drug trafficking among male and female urban African-American early adolescents.

PubMed

Li, X; Feigelman, S

1994-06-01

To investigate associations between recent and intended involvement in drug trafficking and perceptions of the social environment among high-risk urban African-American youths. A multicomponent risk assessment survey was conducted among a convenience sample of 351 African-American youths 9 through 15 years of age residing in low-income communities. Both univariate analysis and logistic regression were performed to examine the association of youths' perceived social environment with recent and intended involvement in drug trafficking. Drug selling or delivering in the previous 6 months was reported by 6% of the youths; 12% expected to engage in these activities in the next 6 months. There was a strong association between drug trafficking and other high-risk behaviors, including drug use. Among both genders, perceptions that neighbors, friends, or family members were involved in drug trafficking were correlated with recent or intended drug trafficking. For boys, personal economic needs had a strong association with drug trafficking. For girls, personal feelings were more important correlates of intended involvement. Efforts aimed at both drug-trafficking prevention and intervention need to be community-based and multifaceted. Programs should address the youths' perceived social environments and consider gender differences regarding correlates of drug-trafficking involvement.

Patient- and Family-Centered Care as an approach to reducing disparities in asthma outcomes in urban African American children: A review of the literature.

PubMed

Harper, Felicity W K; Eggly, Susan; Crider, Beverly; Kobayashi, Hitomi; Kathleen, R N; Meert, L; Ball, Allison; Penner, Louis A; Gray, Herman; Albrecht, Terrance L

2015-06-01

We thank Cathy Eames (Director, Library Services, Detroit Medical Center) for valuable input and assistance with the search strategy. Funding for this research was supported by a grant from Children's Hospital of Michigan Research Foundation (Principal Investigator: Terrance L. Albrecht, Ph.D.). Patient- and family-centered care (PFCC) has the potential to address disparities in access and quality of healthcare for African American pediatric asthma patients by accommodating and responding to the individual needs of patients and families. To identify and evaluate research on the impact of family-provider interventions that reflect elements of PFCC on reducing disparities in the provision, access, quality, and use of healthcare services for African American pediatric asthma patients. Electronic searches were conducted using PubMed, CINAHL, and Psyclnfo databases. Inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed, English-language articles on family-provider interventions that (a) reflected one or more elements of PFCC and (b) addressed healthcare disparities in urban African American pediatric asthma patients (≤18years). Thirteen interventions or programs were identified and reviewed. Designs included randomized clinical trials, controlled clinical trials, pre- and post-interventions, and program evaluations. Few interventions were identified as explicitly providing PFCC in a pediatric asthma context, possibly because of a lack of consensus on what constitutes PFCC in practice. Some studies have demonstrated that PFCC improves satisfaction and communication during clinical interactions. More empirical research is needed to understand whether PFCC interventions reduce care disparities and improve the provision, access, and quality of asthma healthcare for urban African American children. PubMed, CINAHL, and Psyclnfo AA-African American: CCT-Controlled clinical trial; ED-Emergency Department; ETS-Environmental tobacco smoke; FCC- Family Centered Care; PFCC-Patient and Family

The Power of Place: Social Network Characteristics, Perceived Neighborhood Features, and Psychological Distress Among African Americans in the Historic Hill District in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

PubMed

Flórez, Karen R; Ghosh-Dastidar, Madhumita Bonnie; Beckman, Robin; de la Haye, Kayla; Duru, Obidiugwu Kenrik; Abraído-Lanza, Ana F; Dubowitz, Tamara

2016-09-01

African American neighborhoods have been historically targeted for urban renewal projects, which impact social composition and resident's health. The Hill District in Pittsburgh, PA is such a neighborhood. This research sought to investigate the extent to which social networks and perceived neighborhood social cohesion and safety were associated with psychological distress among residents in an African American neighborhood undergoing urban renewal, before the implementation of major neighborhood changes. Findings revealed a modest, significant inverse association between social network size and psychological distress (β = -0.006, p < .01), even after controlling for age, employment, education, and income. Perceived neighborhood safety predicted decreased psychological distress (β = -1.438, p < .01), but not social cohesion, which is consistent with past research. Findings suggest that social networks protect against psychological distress, but neighborhood perceptions are also paramount. © Society for Community Research and Action 2016.

“I just start crying for no reason”: The experience of stress and depression in pregnant urban African American adolescents and their perception of yoga as a management strategy

PubMed Central

Kinser, Patricia; Masho, Saba

2015-01-01

Purpose Perinatal health disparities are of particular concern with pregnant urban African American adolescents who have high rates of stress and depression during pregnancy, higher rates of adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes, and many barriers to effective treatment. The purpose of this study was to explore pregnant urban African American teenagers’ experience of stress and depression and examine their perceptions of adjunctive non-pharmacologic management strategies, such as yoga. Methods This community-based qualitative study utilized non-therapeutic focus groups to allow for exploration of attitudes, concerns, beliefs and values regarding stress and depression in pregnancy and non-pharmacologic management approaches, such as mind-body therapies and other prenatal activities. Findings The sample consisted of pregnant African-American low-income adolescents (n=17) who resided in a large urban area in the United States. The themes that arose in the focus group discussions were: (1) stress and depression symptoms are pervasive in daily life; (2) participants felt a generalized sense of isolation; (3) stress/depression-management techniques should be group-based, interactive, and focused on the specific needs of teenagers; (4) yoga is an appealing stress-management technique to this population. Conclusions The findings from this study suggest that pregnant urban adolescents are highly stressed, they interpret depression-like symptoms to be signs of stress, they desire group-based, interactive activities, and they are interested in yoga classes for stress/depression management and relationship-building. It is imperative that healthcare providers and researchers focus on these needs, particularly when designing prevention and intervention strategies. PMID:25648492

Effects of cumulative trauma load on perceptions of health, blood pressure, and resting heart rate in urban African American youth.

PubMed

Conner-Warren, Rhonda

2014-04-01

This study examined relationships between cumulative trauma (CT) and urban African American (AA) adolescents' blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), and perceptions of health. A correlational design using secondary data analysis studied effects of CT, health outcomes, and perceptions of health. Participants were 175 urban AA youth (11-16 years) who completed structured surveys and physiological measures of HR and BP before and after exercise. AA youth were experiencing high levels of CT. Negative correlations were obtained between AA females' perceptions of their health and systolic BP with levels of trauma. No gender differences were found in HR or BP. AA females with high CT may perceive themselves as less healthy and can be at risk for health problems. © 2014, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Who Will Teach African American Youth?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gill, Wali

Disparities between Whites and African Americans exist in many areas in U.S. society. These disparities are exacerbated by social ills, including the Persian Gulf conflict. Positive change on the part of African American educators is required to combat these problems. The following four postulates for teaching African American youth are provided:…

16 Extraordinary African Americans.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lobb, Nancy

This collection for children tells the stories of 16 African Americans who helped make America what it is today. African Americans can take pride in the heritage of these contributors to society. Biographies are given for the following: (1) Sojourner Truth, preacher and abolitionist; (2) Frederick Douglass, abolitionist; (3) Harriet Tubman, leader…

Internet and Mobile Technology Use Among Urban African American Parents: Survey Study of a Clinical Population

PubMed Central

Godoy, Leandra; Shabazz, Kanya

2014-01-01

Background There is considerable potential for mobile technologies to empower pediatric patients and families by improving their communication with health professionals. National surveys suggest minority parents frequently communicate via mobile technology, but it is uncertain how amenable they are to receiving health care information in this format. Although the low cost and far reach characteristics of mobile health (mHealth) technology makes it advantageous for communication with minority parents, data on acceptance are needed. Objective The objective of the study was to determine utilization of mobile and Internet technology by African American parents in an urban, underserved population, and to assess their interest in receiving health information via text messaging or other technologies (eg, social media and the Internet). Methods A survey was administered to parents of children aged 1-12 years covered by public insurance receiving care at 3 pediatric primary care centers in Washington, DC. Results The African American sample (N=302) was composed of primarily single (75.8%, 229/302) mothers. Almost half had more than a high school education (47.7%, 144/302) and incomes above US $25,000 per year (43.0%, 130/302). Most (97.0%, 293/302) reported owning a cell phone, of which 91.1% (275/302) used it to text and 78.5% (237/302) used it to access the Internet. Most had service plans with unlimited text and data, but 26.5% (80/302) experienced service interruptions in the previous year. Home Internet access was more prevalent among those with higher income (86.2%, 112/130), but it was still relatively pervasive among lower income families (66.9%, 83/124). In adjusted logistic regression models, African American mothers with income greater than US $25,000 annually were 4 times as likely to own a tablet computer than their lower income counterparts. Of the participants, 80.8% (244/302) used social networking, primarily Facebook, and 74.2% (224/302) were interested in

Lessons Learned: Research within an Urban, African American District

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Kimberly Ann

2012-01-01

For an African American female researcher whose race, class, and gender work as oppressive intersecting units shaping my contextualized experiences, meaning-making, and self-definition, the implications of my work with African American communities are complicated. In this article, I draw on culturally sensitive research practices, critical race…

Oral Health Inequalities between Rural and Urban Populations of the African and Middle East Region.

PubMed

Ogunbodede, E O; Kida, I A; Madjapa, H S; Amedari, M; Ehizele, A; Mutave, R; Sodipo, B; Temilola, S; Okoye, L

2015-07-01

Although there have been major improvements in oral health, with remarkable advances in the prevention and management of oral diseases, globally, inequalities persist between urban and rural communities. These inequalities exist in the distribution of oral health services, accessibility, utilization, treatment outcomes, oral health knowledge and practices, health insurance coverage, oral health-related quality of life, and prevalence of oral diseases, among others. People living in rural areas are likely to be poorer, be less health literate, have more caries, have fewer teeth, have no health insurance coverage, and have less money to spend on dental care than persons living in urban areas. Rural areas are often associated with lower education levels, which in turn have been found to be related to lower levels of health literacy and poor use of health care services. These factors have an impact on oral health care, service delivery, and research. Hence, unmet dental care remains one of the most urgent health care needs in these communities. We highlight some of the conceptual issues relating to urban-rural inequalities in oral health, especially in the African and Middle East Region (AMER). Actions to reduce oral health inequalities and ameliorate rural-urban disparity are necessary both within the health sector and the wider policy environment. Recommended actions include population-specific oral health promotion programs, measures aimed at increasing access to oral health services in rural areas, integration of oral health into existing primary health care services, and support for research aimed at informing policy on the social determinants of health. Concerted efforts must be made by all stakeholders (governments, health care workforce, organizations, and communities) to reduce disparities and improve oral health outcomes in underserved populations. © International & American Associations for Dental Research 2015.

Sleeping Beauty Redefined: African American Girls in Transition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kusimo, Patricia S.

This paper examines the interests, perceptions, and participation of 16 African American girls in a program designed to improve girls' persistence in science, mathematics, and technology (SMT). The girls are among 33 African American and 73 total original participants in "Rural and Urban Images: Voices of Girls in Science, Mathematics, and…

The role of young adult social bonds, substance problems, and sexual risk in pathways between adolescent substance use and midlife risky sexual behavior among urban African Americans.

PubMed

Zebrak, Katarzyna A; Green, Kerry M

2017-11-01

African Americans are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections relative to other racial groups. Although substance use has been linked to risky sexual behavior, the understanding of how these associations develop over the life course remains limited, particularly the role of social bonds. This study uses structural equation modeling to examine pathways from adolescent substance use to young adult sexual risk, substance problems, and social bonds and then to midlife risky sexual behavior among African American men and women, controlling for childhood confounders. Data come from 4 assessments, 1 per developmental period, of a community-based urban African American cohort (N = 1,242) followed prospectively from ages 6 to 42 years. We found that greater adolescent substance use predicts greater young adult substance problems and increased risky sexual behavior, both of which in turn predict greater midlife sexual risk. Although greater adolescent substance use predicts fewer young adult social bonds for both genders, less young adult social bonding is unexpectedly associated with decreased midlife risky sexual behavior among women and not related for men. Substance use interventions among urban African American adolescents may have both immediate and long-term effects on decreasing sexual risk behaviors. Given the association between young adult social bonding and midlife risky sex among females, number of social bonds should not be used as a criterion for determining whom to screen for sexual risk among African American women. Future studies should explore other aspects of social bonding in linking substance use and risky sexual behavior over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Environment, energy, and society

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Humphrey, C.R.; Buttel, F.R.

1986-01-01

This book delineates the major ways in which human society and the environment affect each other. To study the structure of societies, it employs three conceptual models, or sociological paradigms, conservative, liberal, and radical. The book explains the courses in environmental sociology, international development, natural resources, agriculture, and urban or regional planning.

Sex-specific suicide mortality in the South African urban context: the role of age, race, and geographical location.

PubMed

Burrows, Stephanie; Vaez, Marjan; Laflamme, Lucie

2007-01-01

This study investigates the importance of sociodemographic and geographical characteristics for suicide risks in the South African urban context. Suicide epidemiology is under-researched in low- and middle-income countries, and such knowledge is important not only for local and national policy, but also for a global understanding of the phenomenon. Sex-specific crude and adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for suicide by age, race, and city are assessed using logistic regression. Cases aged 45+ years, classified as "Coloured" (a category denoting mixed racial origin), and living in Cape Town are used as reference groups. Additionally, the proportion of leading suicide methods within groups was estimated (95% confidence intervals). For males, compared with each reference group, the odds of suicide are significantly higher during middle adulthood, among Asians and particularly among Whites, and among residents of all but one city. Patterns for women differ in magnitude and distribution. Suicide odds are significantly higher in all age groups, particularly 15-24 years, among Whites, and among residents of all other cities, particularly Nelson Mandela or Buffalo City. Males living in Tshwane and Black females have lower odds of suicide. The distribution of methods across age, race, and city groups varies little for males but substantially for females. Age, race, and city play independent roles in sex-specific suicide rates. As for high-income settings, age, race, method and city are important in sex-specific suicide in the urban South African context. Possible underlying mechanisms deserve greater attention for context-relevant preventive efforts.

Listening to their voices: Exploring mathematics-science identity development of African American males in an urban school community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, Kimi Leemar

experiences impact mathematics-science identity development. The goal of the study seeks to inform educational, psychological and sociological theory about how urban adolescent African American males understand, develop and make use of their mathematics and science knowledge. Finally, this work seeks to inform mathematics and science educational research to include identity theory, beyond a personal or individual identity perspective, but also to include relational, collective, and material identity components to understand how the culture of mathematics and science within and outside of K-12 public schooling impacts African American males in an endeavor to become learners of mathematics and science.

Pre-experience perceptions about telemedicine among African Americans and Latinos in South Central Los Angeles.

PubMed

George, Sheba M; Hamilton, Alison; Baker, Richard

2009-01-01

This study explores perceptions about telemedicine among urban underserved African American and Latino populations. Telemedicine has been advanced as a vehicle to increase access to specialty care among the urban underserved, yet little is known about its acceptability among these populations. We conducted 10 focus groups with African American and Latino participants (n = 87) in urban Los Angeles in order to explore perceptions about this novel type of care. We found that concerns about telemedicine varied between the two racial/ethnic groups. These findings have implications for important issues such as adoption of telemedicine, patient satisfaction, and doctor-patient interaction. It will be critical to consider perceptions of this healthcare innovation in the development of strategies to market and implement telemedicine among urban, underserved African American and Latino populations.

The Black Man in American Society.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Framingham Public Schools, MA.

GRADE OR AGES: Junior high school. SUBJECT MATTER: The black man in American society. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: There are four major parts each with an overview. The four parts concern a) the African heritage of the black man, b) the American exploitation of the black man, c) the black man's contribution to American society, d) the…

Prevalence of fetal alcohol syndrome in a South African city with a predominantly Black African population.

PubMed

Urban, Michael F; Olivier, Leana; Viljoen, Denis; Lombard, Chanelle; Louw, Jacobus G; Drotsky, Lian-Marie; Temmerman, Marleen; Chersich, Matthew F

2015-06-01

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) are common in some South African populations, notably those of mixed ancestry descent in rural areas and small towns. Little is known about FAS/FASD prevalence in the majority of South Africans: city dwellers of Black African ethnicity. This study describes the prevalence of FAS in a South African city, comparing 2 suburbs with predominantly mixed ancestry (Roodepan) and Black African (Galeshewe) populations that house over 60% of the city population. We conducted a tiered, active case ascertainment study for the prevalence of FAS and also detected some less clinically specific FASD cases. All first-grade learners in the 2 suburbs were eligible for anthropometric screening, and screen-positive learners were assessed for dysmorphic features of FAS. Those with suggestive clinical features received neurocognitive assessment, and maternal or collateral interview. Final diagnosis was made following a case conference. Complete ascertainment of FAS status was made in 1,503 (94.7%) of 1,587 eligible learners (435 in Roodepan and 1,152 in Galeshewe). Overall, FAS was diagnosed in 83 (5.5%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.4 to 6.8) learners and FASD in 96 (6.4%, 95% CI = 5.2 to 7.7). Levels of FAS were high in both areas: 26 (6.3%, 95% CI = 4.2 to 9.2) learners from Roodepan, compared to 57 (5.2%, 95% CI = 4.0 to 6.7) from Galeshewe (p = 0.39). No cases were previously diagnosed. The mortality rate for mothers of FASD children from Galeshewe was 19 of 65 (29%), compared to 3 of 31 (9.7%; p = 0.03) for Roodepan. Interviewed mothers in Galeshewe were older and had higher body mass index. Prevalence of FAS is high in both Galeshewe and Roodepan, and the lack of prior diagnoses indicates that awareness remains low. The maternal mortality rate was especially high in Galeshewe. The unexpectedly high burden of FAS in an urban area with predominantly Black African population mandates extension of

Dietary Intake of the Urban Black Population of Cape Town: The Cardiovascular Risk in Black South Africans (CRIBSA) Study

PubMed Central

Steyn, Nelia P.; Jaffer, Nasreen; Nel, Johanna; Levitt, Naomi; Steyn, Krisela; Lombard, Carl; Peer, Nasheeta

2016-01-01

Introduction: To determine dietary intake of 19 to 64 years old urban Africans in Cape Town in 2009 and examine the changes between 1990 and 2009. Methods: A representative cross-sectional sample (n = 544), stratified by gender and age was randomly selected in 2009 from the same areas sampled in 1990. Socio-demographic data and a 24-h dietary recall were obtained by trained field workers. The associations of dietary data with an asset index and degree of urbanization were assessed. Results: Fat intakes were higher in 19–44-year-old men (32% energy (E)) and women (33.4%E) in 2009 compared with 1990 (men: 25.9%E, women: 27.0%E) while carbohydrate intakes were lower in 2009 (men 53.2%E, women: 55.5%E) than in 1990 (men: 61.3%E; women: 62%E) while sugar intake increased significantly (p < 0.01) in women. There were significant positive correlations between urbanization and total fat (p = 0.016), saturated fat (p = 0.001), monounsaturated fat (p = 0.002) and fat as a %E intake (p = 0.046). Urbanization was inversely associated with intake of carbohydrate %E (p < 0.001). Overall micronutrient intakes improved significantly compared with 1990. It should also be noted that energy and macronutrient intakes were all significant in a linear regression model using mean adequacy ratio (MAR) as a measure of dietary quality in 2009, as was duration of urbanization. Discussion: The higher fat and lower carbohydrate %E intakes in this population demonstrate a transition to a more urbanized diet over last two decades. These dietary changes reflect the nutrition transitions that typically occur as a longer time is spent in urban centers. PMID:27187459

Social and Cultural Factors Influence African American Men's Medical Help Seeking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffith, Derek M.; Allen, Julie Ober; Gunter, Katie

2011-01-01

Objective: To examine the factors that influenced African American men's medical help seeking. Method: Thematic analysis of 14 focus groups with 105 older, urban African American men. Results: African American men described normative expectations that they did not go to the doctor and that they were afraid to go, with little explanation. When they…

Urbanisation and coronary heart disease mortality among African Americans in the US South.

PubMed Central

Barnett, E; Strogatz, D; Armstrong, D; Wing, S

1996-01-01

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Despite significant declines since the late 1960s, coronary mortality remains the leading cause of death for African Americans. African Americans in the US South suffer higher rates of cardiovascular disease than African Americans in other regions; yet the mortality experiences of rural-dwelling African Americans, most of whom live in the South, have not been described in detail. This study examined urban-rural differentials in coronary mortality trends among African Americans for the period 1968-86. SETTING: The United States South, comprising 16 states and the District of Columbia. STUDY POPULATION: African American men and women aged 35-74 years. DESIGN: Analysis of urban-rural differentials in temporal trends in coronary mortality for a 19 year study period. All counties in the US South were grouped into five categories: greater metropolitan, lesser metropolitan, adjacent to metropolitan, semirural, and isolated rural. Annual age adjusted mortality rates were calculated for each urban status group. In 1968, observed excesses in coronary mortality were 29% for men and 45% for women, compared with isolated rural areas. Metropolitan areas experienced greater declines in mortality than rural areas, so by 1986 the urban-rural differentials in coronary mortality were 3% for men and 11% for women. CONCLUSIONS: Harsh living conditions in rural areas of the South precluded important coronary risk factors and contributed to lower mortality rates compared with urban areas during the 1960s. The dramatic transformation from an agriculturally based economy to manufacturing and services employment over the course of the study period contributed to improved living conditions which promoted coronary mortality declines in all areas of the South; however, the most favourable economic and mortality trends occurred in metropolitan areas. Images PMID:8935454

Linking Endotoxins, African Dust PM10 and Asthma in an Urban and Rural Environment of Puerto Rico

PubMed Central

Ortiz-Martínez, Mario G.; Rodríguez-Cotto, Rosa I.; Ortiz-Rivera, Mónica A.; Pluguez-Turull, Cedric W.; Jiménez-Vélez, Braulio D.

2015-01-01

African Dust Events (ADE) are a seasonal phenomenon that has been suggested to exacerbate respiratory and proinflammatory diseases in Puerto Rico (PR). Increases in PM10 concentration and the effects of biological endotoxins (ENX) are critical factors to consider during these storms. ENX promote proinflammatory responses in lungs of susceptible individuals through activation of the Toll-like receptors (TLR2/4) signaling pathways. The objective of the study was to evaluate the toxicological and proinflammatory responses stimulated by ADE PM10 ENX reaching PR using human bronchial epithelial cells. PM10 organic extracts from a rural and urban site in PR (March 2004) were obtained from ADE and non-ADE and compared. A retrospective data analysis (PM10 concentration, aerosol images, and pediatric asthma claims) was performed from 2000 to 2012 with particular emphasis in 2004 to classify PM samples. Urban extracts were highly toxic, proinflammatory (IL-6/IL-8 secretion), and induced higher TLR4 expression and NF-κB activation compared to rural extracts. ENX were found to contribute to cytotoxicity and inflammatory responses provoked by urban ADE PM10 exposure suggesting a synergistic potency of local and natural ENX incoming from ADE. The contribution of ADE PM10 ENX is valuable in order to understand interactions and action mechanisms of airborne pollutants as asthma triggers in PR. PMID:26681839

Comparing the Effectiveness of Two Models of College Summit Programs in an Urban School Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Wanda

2013-01-01

The inclusion of college preparation programs promote and forecast academic success in postsecondary studies among individual at-risk, African American urban high school students. Past research has shown ongoing, college acceptance, performance, and graduation gaps between at-risk, African American urban high school students when compared to…

I am AmeriBritSouthAfrican-Zambian: Multidimensional remote acculturation and well-being among urban Zambian adolescents.

PubMed

Ferguson, Yuna L; Ferguson, Kim T; Ferguson, Gail M

2017-02-01

One impact of globalisation is that adolescents today are frequently exposed to the values, attitudes and norms of other nations without leaving their own backyards. This may lead to remote acculturation-cultural and psychological changes experienced by non-migrant individuals having indirect and/or intermittent contact with a geographically separate culture. Using quantitative and qualitative data, we examined multidimensional remote acculturation among 83 urban Zambian adolescents who are routinely exposed to U.S., U.K. and South African cultures through traditional and social media and materials/goods. Cluster analyses showed 2 distinct groups of adolescents. "Traditional Zambians, TZs" (55.4%) were significantly more oriented towards Zambian culture and reported a higher level of obligation to their families and greater interdependent self-construal compared with "Westernised Multicultural Zambians, WMZs" (44.6%), who were more oriented towards U.S., U.K. and South African cultures. Furthermore, remote acculturation predicted somewhat lower life satisfaction among WMZs. These results demonstrate that individuals' behaviours, values and identity may be influenced by multiple geographically distant cultures simultaneously and may be associated with psychological costs. © 2015 International Union of Psychological Science.

Successful Aging Among African American Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes.

PubMed

Chard, Sarah; Harris-Wallace, Brandy; Roth, Erin G; Girling, Laura M; Rubinstein, Robert; Reese, Ashanté M; Quinn, Charlene C; Eckert, J Kevin

2017-03-01

Rowe and Kahn's concept of successful aging remains an important model of well-being; additional research is needed, however, to identify how economically and socially disadvantaged older adults experience well-being, including the role of life events. The findings presented here help address this gap by examining the subjective construction of well-being among urban African American adults (age ≥ 50) with Type 2 diabetes. As part of the National Institute on Aging-funded Subjective Experience of Diabetes among Urban Older Adults study, ethnographers interviewed African American older adults with diabetes (n = 41) using an adaptation of the McGill Illness Narrative Interview. Data were coded using an inductively derived codebook. Codes related to aging, disease prognosis, and "worldview" were thematically analyzed to identify constructions of well-being. Participants evaluate their well-being through comparisons to the past and to the illnesses of friends and family. Diabetes self-care motivates social engagement and care of others. At times, distrust of medical institutions means well-being also is established through nonadherence to suggested biomedical treatment. Hardship and illness in participants' lives frame their diabetes experience and notions of well-being. Providers need to be aware of the social, economic, and political lenses shaping diabetes self-management and subjective well-being. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

PUBLISHING SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOLARSHIP IN THE GLOBAL ACADEMIC COMMUNITY.

PubMed

Le Roux, Elizabeth

2015-09-20

South Africa's academic publishing history has been profoundly influenced by its colonial heritage. This is reflected in the publication of Transactions of the South African Philosophical Society (later, the Royal Society of South Africa) from 1878. Although the Society and journal sought to promote original research about South Africa, it was modelled after the Royal Society in London and formed part of an imperial scientific community. As the local higher education institutions grew more independent and research-focused, local scholarly publishing developed as well, with university presses playing an increasingly important role. The University of South Africa (Unisa) Press started publishing departmental journals in the 1950s, with a focus on journals that 'speak to the student', and it is today the only South African university press with an active journals publishing programme. As external funding declined and the country became intellectually isolated in the high apartheid period, the Press managed to attract journals that could no longer be subsidized by learned societies and other universities. More recently, new co-publishing arrangements have brought South African journals back into an international intellectual community. Although some argue that this constitutes a re-colonization of South African knowledge production, it is also an innovative strategy for positioning local research in a global context.

Publishing South African scholarship in the global academic community

PubMed Central

le Roux, Elizabeth

2015-01-01

South Africa's academic publishing history has been profoundly influenced by its colonial heritage. This is reflected in the publication of Transactions of the South African Philosophical Society (later, the Royal Society of South Africa) from 1878. Although the Society and journal sought to promote original research about South Africa, it was modelled after the Royal Society in London and formed part of an imperial scientific community. As the local higher education institutions grew more independent and research-focused, local scholarly publishing developed as well, with university presses playing an increasingly important role. The University of South Africa (Unisa) Press started publishing departmental journals in the 1950s, with a focus on journals that ‘speak to the student’, and it is today the only South African university press with an active journals publishing programme. As external funding declined and the country became intellectually isolated in the high apartheid period, the Press managed to attract journals that could no longer be subsidized by learned societies and other universities. More recently, new co-publishing arrangements have brought South African journals back into an international intellectual community. Although some argue that this constitutes a re-colonization of South African knowledge production, it is also an innovative strategy for positioning local research in a global context. PMID:26495579

Lead in Urban Soils: A Real or Perceived Concern for Urban Agriculture?

PubMed

Brown, Sally L; Chaney, Rufus L; Hettiarachchi, Ganga M

2016-01-01

Urban agriculture is growing in cities across the United States. It has the potential to provide multiple benefits, including increased food security. Concerns about soil contamination in urban areas can be an impediment to urban agriculture. Lead is the most common contaminant in urban areas. In this paper, direct (soil ingestion via outdoor and indoor exposure) and indirect (consumption of food grown in Pb-contaminated soils) exposure pathways are reviewed. It is highly unlikely that urban agriculture will increase incidences of elevated blood Pb for children in urban areas. This is due to the high likelihood that agriculture will improve soils in urban areas, resulting in reduced bioavailability of soil Pb and reduced fugitive dust. Plant uptake of Pb is also typically very low. The exceptions are low-growing leafy crops where soil-splash particle contamination is more likely and expanded hypocotyl root vegetables (e.g., carrot). However, even with higher bioaccumulation factors, it is not clear that the Pb in root vegetables or any other crops will be absorbed after eating. Studies have shown limited absorption of Pb when ingested with food. Best management practices to assure minimal potential for exposure are also common practices in urban gardens. These include the use of residuals-based composts and soil amendments and attention to keeping soil out of homes. This review suggests that benefits associated with urban agriculture far outweigh any risks posed by elevated soil Pb. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

"Women...mourn and men carry on": African women storying mourning practices: a South African example.

PubMed

Kotzé, Elmarie; Els, Lishje; Rajuili-Masilo, Ntsiki

2012-09-01

African mourning of loss of lives in South Africa has been shaped by discursive practices of both traditional African cultures and the sociopolitical developments under apartheid and in post-apartheid South Africa. This article reports on changes in mourning practices on the basis of a literature review and uses a collection of examples to highlight the navigation of some cultural and gendered issues relating to mourning, against the backdrop of the everyday experiences of loss of life in South Africa due to violence and HIV/AIDS. The article draws on African womanist and feminist scholarship and focuses on the intersections between cultural and gender practices of bereavement in the lives of professional urban African women. The authors argue for the use of positioning theory and witnessing practices to honor and story the ongoing struggle of African women as these women take different agentic positions by accepting, questioning, resisting, and/or changing cultural mourning practices while they compassionately witness the self and others in the narratives they live.

Help-Seeking Behaviors and Depression among African American Adolescent Boys

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindsey, Michael A.; Korr, Wynne S.; Broitman, Marina; Bone, Lee; Green, Alan; Leaf, Philip J.

2006-01-01

This study examined the help-seeking behaviors of depressed, African American adolescents. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 18 urban, African American boys, ages 14 to 18, who were recruited from community-based mental health centers and after-school programs for youths. Interviews covered sociodemographic information, questions…

The Classroom and the Community: African American Youth Speak Out.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clardy, Pauline; Cole-Robinson, Cynthia; Jones, Terrence O'C.; Michie, Gregory

In studying urban schools, researchers have identified several critical curriculum issues related to the miseducation and alienation of African American students. This paper looks at three such issues: the disconnection between the school curriculum and African American students' cultural backgrounds and environments (e.g., black dialect versus…

"Adging up" to "Beef on Sight": A Qualitative Study of the Perceived Causes of Interpersonal Conflict and Violence among African-American Girls in an Urban High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cameron, Mark; Taggar, Carolyn E.

2005-01-01

This qualitative study examined perceptions of the causes and nature of conflicts and violence among African-American girls in an urban high school. In-depth, iterative interviewing was used to explore the perceptions of these girls, male students, teachers, and other school personnel. Ethnographic observation was also used. Conflicts and violence…

Successful Teaching Strategies for Urban African American High School Males

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blue, Adonis

2017-01-01

The continued dismal performance of African American students calls for the establishment of better strategies and techniques. The available studies reveal very little regarding the initiatives pursued by middle and elementary school teacher in addressing the academic needs of African American students, however, this literature has not yet defined…

Psychosocial Correlates of Smoking Trajectories Among Urban African American Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fergus, Stevenson; Zimmerman, Marc A.; Caldwell, Cleopatra H.

2005-01-01

Little is known of smoking trajectories or of the correlates of smoking trajectories among African American youth. Ninth-grade African American adolescents (n = 566) were interviewed in Year 1 and then were subsequently interviewed annually for 3 additional years. Five trajectories of cigarette smokers were identified: abstainers,…

Removal of Ozone by Urban and Peri-Urban Forests: Evidence from Laboratory, Field, and Modeling Approaches.

PubMed

Calfapietra, Carlo; Morani, Arianna; Sgrigna, Gregorio; Di Giovanni, Sara; Muzzini, Valerio; Pallozzi, Emanuele; Guidolotti, Gabriele; Nowak, David; Fares, Silvano

2016-01-01

A crucial issue in urban environments is the interaction between urban trees and atmospheric pollution, particularly ozone (O). Ozone represents one of the most harmful pollutants in urban and peri-urban environments, especially in warm climates. Besides the large interest in reducing anthropogenic and biogenic precursors of O emissions, there is growing scientific activity aimed at understanding O removal by vegetation, particularly trees. The intent of this paper is to provide the state of the art and suggestions to improve future studies of O fluxes and to discuss implications of O flux studies to maximize environmental services through the planning and management of urban forests. To evaluate and quantify the potential of O removal in urban and peri-urban forests, we describe experimental approaches to measure O fluxes, distinguishing laboratory experiments, field measurements, and model estimates, including recent case studies. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches and conclude that the combination of the three levels of investigation is essential for estimating O removal by urban trees. We also comment on the implications of these findings for planning and management of urban forests, suggesting some key issues that should be considered to maximize O removal by urban and peri-urban forests. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

"Something good can grow here": chicago urban agriculture food projects.

PubMed

Hatchett, Lena; Brown, Loretta; Hopkins, Joan; Larsen, Kelly; Fournier, Eliza

2015-01-01

Food security is a challenge facing many African-American low-income communities nationally. Community and university partners have established urban agriculture programs to improve access to high quality affordable fruits and vegetables by growing, distributing, and selling food in urban neighborhoods. While the challenge of food security is within communities of color, few studies have described these urban agriculture programs and documented their impact on the crew members who work in the programs and live in the low-income communities. More information is needed on the program impact for crew and community health promotion. Using a survey and focus group discussion from the crew and staff we describe the program and activities of four Chicago Urban Agriculture programs. We summarized the impact these programs have on crew members' perception of urban agriculture, health habits, community engagement, and community health promotion in low-income African-American neighborhoods.

African Urbanism: Preparation for Multi-Ethnic Schools' Counselors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Makinde, Olu

1987-01-01

Focuses on cross-cultural perspectives of urbanization and urbanism by comparing the Yoruba cities of western Nigeria with cities of Europe and North America. Concludes that cross-cultural counselors working with Yoruba clients must understand Yoruba city clients and their home life, physical environment, family structure, parent attitudes, and…

African American Males in School and Society: Practices and Policies for Effective Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Polite, Vernon C., Ed.; Davis, James Earl, Ed.

This collection provides many insights into the condition of African American males, emphasizing educational attainment and achievement, and offers methodologies for documenting how the social and educational worlds of African American males intersect. The essays are: (1) "Teaching Black Males: Lessons from the Experts" (Michele Foster…

The Growing Political Influence of the South African Military.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-03-01

rise of Afrikaner nationalism and its coinciding impact on the military is traced. The white South African society has become more militarized with the... AFRIKANER NATIONALISM ............. 4 IV DEVELOPMENT OF INDEPENDENT POLICY .............. 7 V TOTAL ONSLAUGHT/TOTAL STRATEGY DEFINED ...... 9 VI EXTERNAL...hegemony in the area. The militarization of South African society was a result of many influences. Among them were the consoli- dation of Afrikaner

Associations of physical strength with facial shape in an African pastoralist society, the Maasai of Northern Tanzania.

PubMed

Butovskaya, Marina L; Windhager, Sonja; Karelin, Dimitri; Mezentseva, Anna; Schaefer, Katrin; Fink, Bernhard

2018-01-01

Previous research has documented associations of physical strength and facial morphology predominantly in men of Western societies. Faces of strong men tend to be more robust, are rounder and have a prominent jawline compared with faces of weak men. Here, we investigate whether the morphometric patterns of strength-face relationships reported for members of industrialized societies can also be found in members of an African pastoralist society, the Maasai of Northern Tanzania. Handgrip strength (HGS) measures and facial photographs were collected from a sample of 185 men and 120 women of the Maasai in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. In young-adults (20-29 years; n = 95) and mid-adults (30-50 years; n = 114), we digitized 71 somatometric landmarks and semilandmarks to capture variation in facial morphology and performed shape regressions of landmark coordinates upon HGS. Results were visualized in the form of thin-plate plate spline deformation grids and geometric morphometric morphs. Individuals with higher HGS tended to have wider faces with a lower and broader forehead, a wider distance between the medial canthi of the eyes, a wider nose, fuller lips, and a larger, squarer lower facial outline compared with weaker individuals of the same age-sex group. In mid-adult men, these associations were weaker than in the other age-sex groups. We conclude that the patterns of HGS relationships with face shape in the Maasai are similar to those reported from related investigations in samples of industrialized societies. We discuss differences between the present and related studies with regard to knowledge about the causes for age- and sex-related facial shape variation and physical strength associations.

Urbanization in Africa since independence.

PubMed

Tarver, J D

1994-01-01

Over 185 million inhabitants were added to the urban areas of Africa between 1950 and 1990. Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Swaziland is the most highly urbanized, with 55% in 1990; while less than a quarter of Eastern Africa's population is living in urban centers. By the year 2015 more than half of Africa's population will be living in urban areas. Many parts of Africa have suffered prolonged droughts, overgrazing, locust infestations, and desertification. Millions have become refugees from natural disasters, political oppression, and rural poverty. The large exodus from Africa's rural areas has gone to cities but the large cities have attracted disproportionately large numbers of destitute migrants. Alexandria (1 million), Cairo (2.4 million) and the Witwatersrand in South Africa were the only African urban agglomerations with at least one million inhabitants in 1950. By 1990 the two Egyptian cities together had 12.7 million inhabitants and the Witwatersrand some 5 million, whereas the other 25 urban agglomerations with a million inhabitants each in 1990 had a total population of about 51 million. Lagos, Kinshasa, and Algiers ranged from 3 to 7.7 million. The capitals are the largest cities in at least 54 of the 59 countries and territories. Lagos, Nairobi, and Dar es Salaam are disproportionately larger than the next most populous cities in their countries. The 28 urban agglomerations with at least one million inhabitants had a total population of 70 million in 1990, and are projected to reach 100 million in the year 2000. Overall, Africa's urban population is projected to increase by approximately 135 million in the 1990-2000 decade (from 217 million to 352 million). About 105 million of the growth probably will occur in the smaller urban centers. The total African urban population is likely to reach one billion inhabitants within the next 50 years. It stood at 32 million in 1950. Presently, the United Nations projects 912 million urban residents

[African mobilization against AIDS. After the Kinshasa Conference].

PubMed

Poissonnier, A

The AIDS epidemic in Africa has become too massive to ignore. A sign of increasing awareness of the AIDS threat was the attendance of some 1200 participants at the 5th international conference on AIDS in Africa held in Kinshasa, Zaire, in October 1990. An African society to combat AIDS has been formed and is based in Nairobi. The new association will be responsible for organization of coming conferences to be held in Africa rather than in Europe. Sub-Saharan Africa contains less than 10% of the world's population but 2/3 of adult AIDS cases and almost 90% of maternal and child cases. The epidemic is even more worrisome because it has brought with it a recrudescence of other illnesses such as tuberculosis. The World Health Organization estimates that 5 million Africans were seropositive in 1990 vs 2.5 million in 1987. Predictions are necessary and allow planning to begin for the care of the 10 million orphans who will be found in Africa by the year 2000 and for other serious problems created by the disease. But the situation is already very dire. There has been a certain stabilization in the number of cases in countries such as that Congo, Zaire, or the Central African Republic. As yet the stabilization cannot be explained. The pessimistic view is that the pause results from a purely statistical phenomenon due to increased mortality. The optimistic view is that sexual behavior is responding to health information campaigns. Although the experts had expected the AIDS epidemic to be limited to urban zones in Africa, rural rates already approach urban rates in several countries such as the Ivory Coast, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda. Mother-infant contamination is the greatest worry of health officials. The number of infants infected during pregnancy or birth is expected to double to 1 million by 1992 and reach nearly 10 million in 2000. Some 20-25 million Africans will be seropositive by 2000. A cure for AIDS is unlikely in the near future. Products delaying the onset of

African American Male Adolescents' Hostile Responses to Perceived Racial Discrimination.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wakefield, William D.; Hudley, Cynthia

This study examined the hostile responses of adolescent African American males to acts of racial discrimination as a function of audience presence, noting attributions of personal control. Participants were 250 male African American students in grades 9-12 in an urban multiethnic high school who completed the Discrimination Response Index (DRI).…

Teaching and Learning African Music and Jaques-Dalcroze's Eurhythmics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phuthego, Mothusi

2005-01-01

This article looks at the indigenous music of Botswana as an African musical idiom, to illustrate common aspects between approaches to teaching and learning music in African societies and the Jaques-Dalcroze approach. The author argues that a strong foundation exists in African musical practices upon which the Dalcroze approach can build. That…

How African American and Hispanic High School Students in an Urban Charter High School May Benefit from the Early College High School Model of Receiving College Credits?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pitchford-Nicholas, Gloria Jean

2015-01-01

The preparedness of students to enter college is an ongoing issue of national concern. The purpose of the study was to conduct a mixed method descriptive case study to answer the question: "How African-American and Hispanic High School Students in an Urban Charter High School may benefit from the Early College High School Model of receiving…

Individual and community determinants of calling 911 for stroke among African Americans in an urban community.

PubMed

Skolarus, Lesli E; Murphy, Jillian B; Zimmerman, Marc A; Bailey, Sarah; Fowlkes, Sophronia; Brown, Devin L; Lisabeth, Lynda D; Greenberg, Emily; Morgenstern, Lewis B

2013-05-01

African Americans receive acute stroke treatment less often than non-Hispanic whites. Interventions to increase stroke preparedness (recognizing stroke warning signs and calling 911) may decrease the devastating effects of stroke by allowing more patients to be candidates for acute stroke therapy. In preparation for such an intervention, we used a community-based participatory research approach to conduct a qualitative study exploring perceptions of emergency medical care and stroke among urban African American youth and adults. Community partners, church health teams, and church leaders identified and recruited focus group participants from 3 black churches in Flint, MI. We conducted 5 youth (11-16 years) and 4 adult focus groups from November 2011 to March 2012. A content analysis approach was taken for analysis. Thirty-nine youth and 38 adults participated. Women comprised 64% of youth and 90% of adult focus group participants. All participants were black. Three themes emerged from the adult and youth data: (1) recognition that stroke is a medical emergency; (2) perceptions of difficulties within the medical system in an under-resourced community, and; (3) need for greater stroke education in the community. Black adults and youth have a strong interest in stroke preparedness. Designs of behavioral interventions to increase stroke preparedness should be sensitive to both individual and community factors contributing to the likelihood of seeking emergency care for stroke.

African Women in the Visual Arts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aronson, Lisa

1991-01-01

Explores recent studies in anthropology, art history, and archeology on African women's art from a feminist theoretical perspective. Relates women's arts to several sociological and economic factors and suggests new avenues of exploration, especially in the face of urbanization and modernization. (CJS)

Urban poverty and infant-health disparities among African Americans and whites in Milwaukee.

PubMed

Sims, Mario; Rainge, Yolanda

2002-06-01

This study examined neighborhood and infant health disparities between African-American and white mothers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Census-block data were used for 1990 and Vital Statistics data were used for 1992 through 1994. African-American mothers lived in less desirable, more segregated neighborhoods than white mothers did in 1990. African-American infant and neonatal mortality rates were twice those of whites (2.3 and 2.0, respectively), while African-American postneonatal mortality rates were three times that of whites (3.0). African-American low and very low birth weight rates were more than twice those of whites (2.5 and 2.6, respectively). All African-American mothers were nearly eight times as likely as all white mothers to have inadequate prenatal care, whereas poor African-American mothers were three times as likely to have inadequate prenatal care as were poor white mothers. Public health experts and practitioners may want to consider the communities of minority patients to devise interventions suitable for addressing health disparities.

Violence in America: How Is the Problem of Urban Youth Violence Defined in the Psychological Literature?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sparks, Elizabeth; Gonsalves, Lisa

The involvement of African American youth in urban violence (nondomestic violence in an urban setting) was studied through a review of literature in the field of psychology. Articles that dealt with African American children and adolescents who have been exposed to or who have experienced this type of violence were selected from journals published…

Africans and the myth of rural retirement in South Africa, ca 1900-1950.

PubMed

MacKinnon, Aran S

2008-06-01

The South African mining industry relied upon a massive African migrant workforce from the rural areas. Rural transformations in this migrant labor system form an important part of the story of developing capitalism in industrializing South Africa. Yet, recent historical studies on southern African migrant and rural wage labor have paid little attention to life adjustments made by the elderly and those 'burned out' by the mines and forced to leave formal wage employment in the urban areas. The South African segregationist state's rhetoric implied that 'retired' Africans could find economic security in their designated rural reserves. Indeed, legislation sought to prohibit Africans who were not employed from remaining in the 'white' urban areas. By the 1930s, however, the reserves were rapidly deteriorating. Many elderly Africans could not retire and were forced to seek wage labor. This raises significant questions about how retirement came to be defined and experienced by Africans in South Africa during a critical period of dramatic economic decline in the 1930s and 40s, and what the underlying material circumstances of African South Africans were with regard to adaptations to employment and ageing-related life changes. In many cases, elderly Africans were forced to forgo retirement, and find wage labor, usually in the most poorly paid, least sought-after or dangerous fields of employment. This article thus seeks to illuminate critical generational dimensions of the impact of segregation and racism in South Africa prior to the formal articulation of Apartheid.

Creating a segregated medical profession: African American physicians and organized medicine, 1846-1910.

PubMed

Baker, Robert B; Washington, Harriet A; Olakanmi, Ololade; Savitt, Todd L; Jacobs, Elizabeth A; Hoover, Eddie; Wynia, Matthew K; Blanchard, Janice; Boulware, L Ebony; Braddock, Clarence; Corbie-Smith, Giselle; Crawley, LaVera; LaVeist, Thomas A; Maxey, Randall; Mills, Charles; Moseley, Kathryn L; Williams, David R

2009-06-01

An independent panel of experts, convened by the American Medical Association (AMA) Institute for Ethics, analyzed the roots of the racial divide within American medical organizations. In this, the first of a 2-part report, we describe 2 watershed moments that helped institutionalize the racial divide. The first occurred in the 1870s, when 2 medical societies from Washington, DC, sent rival delegations to the AMA's national meetings: an all-white delegation from a medical society that the US courts and Congress had formally censured for discriminating against black physicians; and an integrated delegation from a medical society led by physicians from Howard University. Through parliamentary maneuvers and variable enforcement of credentialing standards, the integrated delegation was twice excluded from the AMA's meetings, while the all-white society's delegations were admitted. AMA leaders then voted to devolve the power to select delegates to state societies, thereby accepting segregation in constituent societies and forcing African American physicians to create their own, separate organizations. A second watershed involved AMA-promoted educational reforms, including the 1910 Flexner report. Straightforwardly applied, the report's population-based criterion for determining the need for phySicians would have recommended increased training of African American physicians to serve the approximately 9 million African Americans in the segregated south. Instead, the report recommended closing all but 2 African American medical schools, helping to cement in place an African American educational system that was separate, unequal, and destined to be insufficient to the needs of African Americans nationwide.

Streetwise Urban Fiction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, David

2006-01-01

One of the hottest literary phenomena of recent years has been the explosion of what has been variously termed hip-hop, street, or urban fiction. Especially popular with younger African Americans, books in this genre are reaching an increasingly broad readership through ties to hip-hop music and culture. These crime stories generally revolve…

Men Do Matter: Ethnographic Insights on the Socially Supportive Role of the African American Uncle in the Lives of Inner-City African American Male Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richardson, Joseph B., Jr.

2009-01-01

This article examines the role of the African American uncle as a vital yet overlooked form of social support and social capital in the lives of adolescent African American male sons living in single-female-headed households. Research rarely examines the affective roles and functions of men in Black families; moreover, poor urban Black male youth…

The Notion of Ubuntu and Communalism in African Educational Discourse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Venter, Elza

2004-01-01

The notion of "ubuntu" and "communalism" is of great importance in an African educational discourse, as well as in African Philosophy of Education and in African philosophical discourse. "Ubuntu" is a philosophy that promotes the common good of society and includes humanness as an essential element of human growth. In…

Plasma clot lysis time and its association with cardiovascular risk factors in black Africans.

PubMed

de Lange, Zelda; Pieters, Marlien; Jerling, Johann C; Kruger, Annamarie; Rijken, Dingeman C

2012-01-01

Studies in populations of European descent show longer plasma clot lysis times (CLT) in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) than in controls. No data are available on the association between CVD risk factors and fibrinolytic potential in black Africans, a group undergoing rapid urbanisation with increased CVD prevalence. We investigated associations between known CVD risk factors and CLT in black Africans and whether CLTs differ between rural and urban participants in light of differences in CVD risk.Data from 1000 rural and 1000 urban apparently healthy black South Africans (35-60 years) were cross-sectionally analysed.Increased PAI-1(act), BMI, HbA1c, triglycerides, the metabolic syndrome, fibrinogen concentration, CRP, female sex and positive HIV status were associated with increased CLTs, while habitual alcohol consumption associated with decreased CLT. No differences in CLT were found between age and smoking categories, contraceptive use or hyper- and normotensive participants. Urban women had longer CLT than rural women while no differences were observed for men.CLT was associated with many known CVD risk factors in black Africans. Differences were however observed, compared to data from populations of European descent available in the literature, suggesting possible ethnic differences. The effect of urbanisation on CLT is influenced by traditional CVD risk factors and their prevalence in urban and rural communities.

Plasma Clot Lysis Time and Its Association with Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Black Africans

PubMed Central

Jerling, Johann C.; Kruger, Annamarie; Rijken, Dingeman C.

2012-01-01

Studies in populations of European descent show longer plasma clot lysis times (CLT) in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) than in controls. No data are available on the association between CVD risk factors and fibrinolytic potential in black Africans, a group undergoing rapid urbanisation with increased CVD prevalence. We investigated associations between known CVD risk factors and CLT in black Africans and whether CLTs differ between rural and urban participants in light of differences in CVD risk. Data from 1000 rural and 1000 urban apparently healthy black South Africans (35–60 years) were cross-sectionally analysed. Increased PAI-1act, BMI, HbA1c, triglycerides, the metabolic syndrome, fibrinogen concentration, CRP, female sex and positive HIV status were associated with increased CLTs, while habitual alcohol consumption associated with decreased CLT. No differences in CLT were found between age and smoking categories, contraceptive use or hyper- and normotensive participants. Urban women had longer CLT than rural women while no differences were observed for men. CLT was associated with many known CVD risk factors in black Africans. Differences were however observed, compared to data from populations of European descent available in the literature, suggesting possible ethnic differences. The effect of urbanisation on CLT is influenced by traditional CVD risk factors and their prevalence in urban and rural communities. PMID:23145007

Report on the 6th African Society of Human Genetics (AfSHG) Meeting, March 12-15, 2009, Yaounde, Cameroon.

PubMed

Sirugo, Giorgio; Williams, Scott M; Royal, Charmaine D M; Newport, Melanie J; Hennig, Branwen J; Mariani-Costantini, Renato; Buonaguro, Franco M; Velez Edwards, Digna R; Ibrahim, Muntaser; Soodyall, Himla; Wonkam, Ambroise; Ramesar, Raj; Rotimi, Charles N

2010-08-01

The African Society of Human Genetics (AfSHG), founded in 2003 with its inaugural meeting in Accra, Ghana,1 has the stated missions of (1) disseminating information about human genetics research in Africa, (2) establishing a mentorship network providing educational resources, including the development of appropriate technology transfer, (3) providing advocacy for human genetic research in Africa, and (4) encouraging collaborative research. Despite its young age, the AfSHG has developed a strong cadre of active researchers, both within and outside of Africa, with more than 400 members (from 16 countries across Africa as well as 8 other countries), and has held six successful meetings, five in Africa and one in the United States.

Physico-chemical characterization of African urban aerosols (Bamako in Mali and Dakar in Senegal) and their toxic effects in human bronchial epithelial cells: description of a worrying situation.

PubMed

Val, Stéphanie; Liousse, Cathy; Doumbia, El Hadji Thierno; Galy-Lacaux, Corinne; Cachier, Hélène; Marchand, Nicolas; Badel, Anne; Gardrat, Eric; Sylvestre, Alexandre; Baeza-Squiban, Armelle

2013-04-02

The involvement of particulate matter (PM) in cardiorespiratory diseases is now established in developed countries whereas in developing areas such as Africa with a high level of specific pollution, PM pollution and its effects are poorly studied. Our objective was to characterize the biological reactivity of urban African aerosols on human bronchial epithelial cells in relation to PM physico-chemical properties to identify toxic sources. Size-speciated aerosol chemical composition was analyzed in Bamako (BK, Mali, 2 samples with one having desert dust event BK1) and Dakar (DK; Senegal) for Ultrafine UF, Fine F and Coarse C PM. PM reactivity was studied in human bronchial epithelial cells investigating six biomarkers (oxidative stress responsive genes and pro-inflammatory cytokines). PM mass concentrations were mainly distributed in coarse mode (60%) and were impressive in BK1 due to the desert dust event. BK2 and DK samples showed a high content of total carbon characteristic of urban areas. The DK sample had huge PAH quantities in bulk aerosol compared with BK that had more water soluble organic carbon and metals. Whatever the site, UF and F PM triggered the mRNA expression of the different biomarkers whereas coarse PM had little or no effect. The GM-CSF biomarker was the most discriminating and showed the strongest pro-inflammatory effect of BK2 PM. The analysis of gene expression signature and of their correlation with main PM compounds revealed that PM-induced responses are mainly related to organic compounds. The toxicity of African aerosols is carried by the finest PM as with Parisian aerosols, but when considering PM mass concentrations, the African population is more highly exposed to toxic particulate pollution than French population. Regarding the prevailing sources in each site, aerosol biological impacts are higher for incomplete combustion sources resulting from two-wheel vehicles and domestic fires than from diesel vehicles (Dakar). Desert dust

African-American College Student Attitudes toward Physics and Their Effect on Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drake, Carl Timothy

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors affecting the attitudes that African-American college students have towards introductory college physics. The population targeted for this study consisted of African-American males and females enrolled in introductory college physics classes at an urban public historical black college or…

Why wait so long for child care? An analysis of waits, queues and work in a South African urban health centre.

PubMed

Bachmann, M O; Barron, P

1997-01-01

Long waits at large urban clinics obstruct primary care delivery, imposing time costs on patients, deterring appropriate utilization and causing patient dissatisfaction. This paper reports on an innovative attempt by staff in a large South African urban health centre to analyse a system of queues and preventive and curative services for pre-school children, and thereafter to evaluate changes. The study had a cross-sectional work study design, with repeated measurement of waiting times after 13 months. At baseline the preventive clinic was found to have several inessential processes and waits; these were eliminated or overlapped, and clinic sessions per week were increased. A year later median waiting times had decreased substantially in the preventive clinic, but had increased in the curative clinic. Simple research can explain long waits, inform and measure changes, and provide evidence to justify primary care integration and would be useful in health centres and hospital outpatient departments in developing countries.

South African-ness Among Adolescents: The Emergence of a Collective Identity within the Birth to Twenty Cohort Study

PubMed Central

Norris, Shane A; Roeser, Robert W.; Richter, Linda M; Lewin, Nina; Ginsburg, Carren; Fleetwood, Stella A; Taole, Elizabeth; van der Wolf, Kees

2009-01-01

We assessed the emergence of a South African identity among Black, Colored (mixed ancestral origin), White (predominantly English speaking), and Indian adolescents participating in a birth cohort study called “Birth to Twenty” in Johannesburg, South Africa. We examined young people's certainty of their self-categorization as South African, the centrality of their personal, racial and linguistic, and South African identities in their self-definition, and their perceptions of South African life and society today. These results reflect a historical opportunity for full citizenship and national enfranchisement that the end of Apartheid heralded for Black and Colored individuals. Black and Colored youth tend to be more certain about their South African-ness, have a more collective identity, and have a more positive perception around South Africa. In contrast, White and Indian youth are less certain about their South African-ness, have a more individualistic identity, and have a less positive perception about South Africa today. PMID:19461896

Health Behaviors and Breast Cancer: Experiences of Urban African American Women

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stolley, Melinda R.; Sharp, Lisa K.; Wells, Anita M.; Simon, Nolanna; Schiffer, Linda

2006-01-01

Breast-cancer survival rates are lower among African American women compared to White women. Obesity may contribute to this disparity. More than 77% of African American women are overweight or obese. Adopting health behaviors that promote a healthy weight status may be beneficial because obesity increases risk for recurrence. Studies among White…

Unheard and Unseen: How Housing Insecure African American Adolescents Experience the Education System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellis, Addie Lucille; Geller, Kathy D.

2016-01-01

This narrative study is based on stories told by African American adolescents experiencing homelessness. It offers insights into their lived experiences and describes the challenges faced in negotiating the urban education system. African American youth are disproportionately represented in the adolescent homeless demographic. "Unheard and…

Physical Activity Energy Expenditure and Sarcopenia in Black South African Urban Women.

PubMed

Kruger, Herculina S; Havemann-Nel, Lize; Ravyse, Chrisna; Moss, Sarah J; Tieland, Michael

2016-03-01

Black women are believed to be genetically less predisposed to age-related sarcopenia. The objective of this study was to investigate lifestyle factors associated with sarcopenia in black South African (SA) urban women. In a cross-sectional study, 247 women (mean age 57 y) were randomly selected. Anthropometric and sociodemographic variables, dietary intakes, and physical activity were measured. Activity was also measured by combined accelerometery/heart rate monitoring (ActiHeart), and HIV status was tested. Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry was used to measure appendicular skeletal mass (ASM). Sarcopenia was defined according to a recently derived SA cutpoint of ASM index (ASM/height squared) < 4.94 kg/m(2). In total, 8.9% of the women were sarcopenic, decreasing to 8.1% after exclusion of participants who were HIV positive. In multiple regressions with ASM index, grip strength, and gait speed, respectively, as dependent variables, only activity energy expenditure (β = .27) was significantly associated with ASM index. Age (β = -.50) and activity energy expenditure (β = .17) were significantly associated with gait speed. Age (β = -.11) and lean mass (β = .21) were significantly associated with handgrip strength. Sarcopenia was prevalent among these SA women and was associated with low physical activity energy expenditure.

Treatment of early-stage prostate cancer among rural and urban patients.

PubMed

Baldwin, Laura-Mae; Andrilla, C Holly A; Porter, Michael P; Rosenblatt, Roger A; Patel, Shilpen; Doescher, Mark P

2013-08-15

Geographic barriers and limited availability of cancer specialists may influence early prostate cancer treatment options for rural men. This study compares receipt of different early prostate cancer treatments between rural and urban patients. Using 2004-2006 SEER Limited-Use Data, 51,982 early prostate cancer patients were identified (T1c, T2a, T2b, T2c, T2NOS; no metastases) who were most likely to benefit from definitive treatment (< 75 years old, Gleason score < 8, PSA ≤ 20). Definitive treatment included radical prostatectomy, daily external beam radiation for 5 to 8 weeks, brachytherapy, or combination external beam radiation/brachytherapy. Adjusted definitive treatment rates were calculated by rural-urban residence overall, and for different sociodemographic and cancer characteristics, and different states based on logistic regression analyses, using general estimating equation methods to account for clustering by county. Adjusted definitive treatment rates were lower for rural (83.7%) than urban (87.1%) patients with early-stage prostate cancer (P ≤ .01). Rural men were more likely than urban men to receive non-definitive surgical treatment and no initial treatment. The lowest definitive treatment rates were among rural subgroups: 70 to 74 years (73.9%), African Americans (75.6%), American Indians/Alaska Natives (77.8%), single/separated/divorced (76.8%), living in New Mexico (69.3%), and living in counties with persistent poverty (79.6%). Between 2004 and 2006, this adjusted analysis found that men who were living in rural areas were less likely to receive definitive treatment for their early-stage prostate cancer than those living in urban areas. Certain rural patient groups with prostate cancer need particular attention to ensure their access to appropriate treatment. Rural providers, rural health care systems, and cancer advocacy and support organizations should ensure resources are in place so that the most vulnerable rural groups (men

A qualitative exploration of the role of social networks in educating urban African American adolescents about sex.

PubMed

George, Anne E; Abatemarco, Diane J; Terry, Martha Ann; Yonas, Michael; Butler, James; Akers, Aletha Y

2013-01-01

To explore social network members' role in educating African American adolescents about sexual health issues. We conducted 21 focus groups with urban African American mothers (n=51), fathers (n=18), sons (n=20), and daughters (n=36) from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, between December 2007 and March 2008. At least one biological parent (or legal guardian) and one adolescent aged 15-17 years from each family participated. Group conversations were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using directive content analysis and the constant comparison method. Two coders independently read each transcript to identify emergent themes. A broad range of people were reportedly involved in the education process. Older siblings, extended family, and peers were most commonly cited. However, unrelated adults were also described as playing important roles. Unrelated adults included the friends of an adolescent's parents and the parents of an adolescent's friends or romantic partners. Social network members were said to address three main issues: the facts about sex and sexuality, the social aspects of sexuality (e.g., appropriate dating behaviors, choosing dating partners), and promotion of family values. When educating adolescents about sex, social network members were described as playing eight functional roles, including that of a teacher, guide, challenger, confidant, shelterer, supervisor-chaperone, role model, and provider of access to reproductive health services. These roles were not mutually exclusive, meaning that social network members often assumed different roles depending on the situation. The influence of individuals who were not an adolescent's parent was highly dependent on adolescents' relationship with their parents or on their parents' comfort dealing with sexual issues. African American adolescents' social networks were described by parents and adolescents as dense, complex, and routinely involved in educating adolescents about sex.

Exploring Artistic Practice in Global Communities of the African Diaspora

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellis, Auburn E.

2014-01-01

In 2012 an African Centered single case study was conducted in the United States. The problem is as follows: K-12 practitioners in urban areas are faced with unique circumstances while serving marginalized students in urban areas. As a response to this issue, the purpose of this study was to identify and describe curricula used in three African…

Caregiver Asthma in Urban Families: Implications for School Absenteeism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Everhart, Robin S.; Miller, Sarah; Leibach, Gillian G.; Dahl, Alexandra L.; Koinis-Mitchell, Daphne

2018-01-01

Asthma is a significant contributor to missed school days, especially for children living in urban settings. This preliminary study examined the impact of caregiver asthma on school absenteeism in a sample of 102 urban children with asthma from African American, Latino, and non-Latino White backgrounds. Caregivers and children participated in a…

EDUCATING THE URBAN STUDENT FOR THE URBAN WAY OF LIFE.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

WILLIE, CHARLES V.

THE AUTHOR DEALS WITH THE ROLE OF THE UNIVERSITY IN EDUCATING STUDENTS TO BE CITIZENS AND LEADERS IN OUR URBANIZED SOCIETY. HE SEES URBANIZATION AS BEING DIFFERENT FROM, THOUGH RELATED TO, INDUSTRIALIZATION, AND HE SEES DISTINCT DIFFERENCES IN THE SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL RESPONSES NEEDED TO DEAL WITH THEM. WHILE INDUSTRIALIZATION, THE MAIN FOCUS OF…

Indigenous Systems within the African-American Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marbley, Aretha Faye; Rouson, Leon

2011-01-01

For the African-American family, life ain't been no crystal stair. The African-American family has trotted for over 400 years through a wilderness of racism, poverty, discrimination of all kinds, crossing seas of monsters and forests of demons. Yet, despite the numerous obstacles and attacks that society has mounted against it since slavery, the…

Body fat percentage of urban South African children: implications for health and fitness.

PubMed

Goon, D T; Toriola, A L; Shaw, B S; Amusa, L O; Khoza, L B; Shaw, I

2013-09-01

To explore gender and racial profiling of percentage body fat of 1136 urban South African children attending public schools in Pretoria Central. This is a cross-sectional survey of 1136 randomly selected children (548 boys and 588 girls) aged 9-13 years in urban (Pretoria Central) South Africa. Body mass, stature, skinfolds (subscapular and triceps) were measured. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations). Differences in the mean body fat percentage were examined for boys and girls according to their age group/race, using independent t-test samples. Girls had a significantly (p = 0.001) higher percentage body fat (22.7 ± 5.7%, 95% CI = 22.3, 23.2) compared to boys (16.1 ± 7.7%, 95% CI = 15.5, 16.8). Percentage body fat fluctuated with age in both boys and girls. Additionally, girls had significantly (p = 0.001) higher percentage body fat measurements at all ages compared to boys. Viewed racially, black children (20.1 ± 7.5) were significantly (p = 0.010) fatter than white children (19.0 ± 7.4) with a mean difference of 4.0. Black children were fatter than white children at ages 9, 10, 12 and 13 years, with a significant difference (p = 0.009) observed at age 12 years. There was a considerably higher level of excessive percentage body fat among school children in Central Pretoria, South Africa, with girls having significantly higher percentage body fat compared to boys. Racially, black children were fatter than white children. The excessive percentage body fat observed among the children in this study has implications for their health and fitness. Therefore, an intervention programme must be instituted in schools to prevent and control possible excessive percentage body fat in this age group.

Teachers Closing the Discipline Gap in an Urban Middle School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monroe, Carla R.

2009-01-01

This study focuses on student discipline as related to the perceptions, work, and backgrounds of effective Black and White teachers. The article expands current knowledge by reporting findings from a case study of 4 teachers (2 African Americans and 2 Whites) employed in an urban, predominately African American middle school. Interviews, field…

Population Genomics of Sub-Saharan Drosophila melanogaster: African Diversity and Non-African Admixture

PubMed Central

Pool, John E.; Corbett-Detig, Russell B.; Sugino, Ryuichi P.; Stevens, Kristian A.; Cardeno, Charis M.; Crepeau, Marc W.; Duchen, Pablo; Emerson, J. J.; Saelao, Perot; Begun, David J.; Langley, Charles H.

2012-01-01

Drosophila melanogaster has played a pivotal role in the development of modern population genetics. However, many basic questions regarding the demographic and adaptive history of this species remain unresolved. We report the genome sequencing of 139 wild-derived strains of D. melanogaster, representing 22 population samples from the sub-Saharan ancestral range of this species, along with one European population. Most genomes were sequenced above 25X depth from haploid embryos. Results indicated a pervasive influence of non-African admixture in many African populations, motivating the development and application of a novel admixture detection method. Admixture proportions varied among populations, with greater admixture in urban locations. Admixture levels also varied across the genome, with localized peaks and valleys suggestive of a non-neutral introgression process. Genomes from the same location differed starkly in ancestry, suggesting that isolation mechanisms may exist within African populations. After removing putatively admixed genomic segments, the greatest genetic diversity was observed in southern Africa (e.g. Zambia), while diversity in other populations was largely consistent with a geographic expansion from this potentially ancestral region. The European population showed different levels of diversity reduction on each chromosome arm, and some African populations displayed chromosome arm-specific diversity reductions. Inversions in the European sample were associated with strong elevations in diversity across chromosome arms. Genomic scans were conducted to identify loci that may represent targets of positive selection within an African population, between African populations, and between European and African populations. A disproportionate number of candidate selective sweep regions were located near genes with varied roles in gene regulation. Outliers for Europe-Africa FST were found to be enriched in genomic regions of locally elevated cosmopolitan

Life Styles of African Women [And] A Swimming Pool for Mansa Musa's Wife [And] A Yoruba Naming Ceremony [And] Metropolis: African and American Style. Mini-Modules.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

African-American Inst., New York, NY. School Services Div.

Four modules dealing with African culture are combined in this document. The first module discusses various life-styles of African women, including warrior, queen, ruler, and matriarch. A lesson plan uses a question-and-answer format to encourage discussion of the effects of tradition, society, and nation upon African women. Questions asked…

Strategic Planning for Recruitment and Retention of Older African Americans in Health Promotion Research Programs.

PubMed

Dreer, Laura E; Weston, June; Owsley, Cynthia

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to 1) describe a strategic plan for recruitment and retention used in conducting eye health education research with African-Americans living in urban and rural areas of Alabama and 2) characterize recruitment and retention patterns for this community-based project. We evaluated an eye health education program tailored specifically to older African Americans. InCHARGE© was designed to promote eye disease prevention by conveying the personal benefits of annual, dilated, comprehensive eye care and teaching strategies to minimize barriers to regular eye care. The InCHARGE© program or a social contact control program was delivered at 20 senior centers in predominately African American urban and rural communities. From pooled data across three studies, 380 African Americans completed a questionnaire about knowledge and attitudes/beliefs about eye disease and eye care before the program and by telephone at either 3 or 6 months after the presentation. The project consisted of 4 phases and a total of 10 strategic objectives for recruitment as well as retention of older African Americans that were implemented in a systematic fashion. Overall, retention rates for follow-up at either 3 or 6 months were 75% and 66% respectively. African Americans from rural areas were more likely to be lost to follow-up compared to those from urban areas. We discuss the benefits of utilizing a strategic plan that serves to address problems with underrepresentation of minorities in clinical research.

Fibrinogen concentration and its role in CVD risk in black South Africans--effect of urbanisation.

PubMed

Pieters, Marlien; de Maat, Moniek P M; Jerling, Johann C; Hoekstra, Tiny; Kruger, Annamarie

2011-09-01

The aim of this study was to investigate correlates of fibrinogen concentration in black South Africans, as well as its association with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and whether urbanisation influences this association. A total of 1,006 rural and 1,004 urban black South Africans from the PURE study were cross-sectionally analysed. The association of fibrinogen with CVD risk was determined by investigating the association of fibrinogen with other CVD risk markers as well as with predicted CVD risk using the Reynolds Risk score. The rural group had a significantly higher fibrinogen concentration than the urban group, despite higher levels of risk factors and increased predicted CVD risk in the urban group. Increased levels of CVD risk factors were, however, still associated with increased fibrinogen concentration. Fibrinogen correlated significantly, but weakly, with overall predicted CVD risk. This correlation was stronger in the urban than in the rural group. Multiple regression analysis showed that a smaller percentage of the variance in fibrinogen is explained by the traditional CVD risk factors in the rural than in the urban group. In conclusion, fibrinogen is weakly associated with CVD risk (predicted overall risk as well with individual risk factors) in black South Africans, and is related to the degree of urbanisation. Increased fibrinogen concentration, in black South Africans, especially in rural areas, is largely unexplained, and likely not strongly correlated with traditional CVD-related lifestyle and pathophysiological processes. This does, however, not exclude the possibility that once increased, the fibrinogen concentration contributes to future development of CVD.

African American Families on Autism Diagnosis and Treatment: The Influence of Culture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burkett, Karen; Morris, Edith; Manning-Courtney, Patricia; Anthony, Jean; Shambley-Ebron, Donna

2015-01-01

Cultural factors such as health care access and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptom interpretations have been proposed as impacting delayed diagnosis and treatment for African American children with ASD. A qualitative study of urban African American families caring for their child with autism was conducted with 24 family members and 28 ASD…

Political fragmentation and widening disparities in African-American and white mortality, 1972-1988.

PubMed

Kim, Yonsu; Bruckner, Tim A

2016-12-01

During the 1970s and 1980s in the U.S., population movement, urban sprawl and urban governance reform led to a proliferation of local, autonomous jurisdictions. Prior literature examines how this creation of local governments, also referred to as political fragmentation, contributes to economic growth and social inequality. We examine the impact of political fragmentation on health equity by testing the hypothesis that the mortality disparity between whites and African-Americans varies positively with political fragmentation. We retrieved mortality data from the multiple cause-of-death file and calculated total number of local governments per 1000 residents in a county to measure the degree of political fragmentation. We focused on 226 U.S. counties with population size greater than 200,000 and restricted the analysis to four distinct periods with overlapping government and mortality data (1972-73, 1977-78, 1982-83, and 1987-88). We applied generalized estimating equation methods that permit analysis of clustered data over time. Methods also controlled for the age structure of the population, reductions in mortality over time, and confounding by county-level sociodemographic variables. Adjusted coefficients of fragmentation are positive and statistically significant for both whites (coef: 2.60, SE: 0.60, p <0.001) and African-Americans (coef: 5.31, SE: 1.56, p <0.001). The two-fold larger positive coefficient for African-Americans than for whites indicates a greater racial disparity in mortality among more politically fragmented urban counties and/or time periods. From 1972 to 1988, political fragmentation in large urban counties moves positively with the racial/ethnic gap in mortality between whites and African-Americans. We discuss intervening mechanisms through which political fragmentation may disproportionately affect mortality among African-Americans.

Cancer statistics for African Americans, 2013.

PubMed

DeSantis, Carol; Naishadham, Deepa; Jemal, Ahmedin

2013-05-01

In this article, the American Cancer Society estimates the number of new cancer cases and deaths for African Americans and compiles the most recent data on cancer incidence, mortality, survival, and screening prevalence based upon incidence data from the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries and mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics. It is estimated that 176,620 new cases of cancer and 64,880 deaths will occur among African Americans in 2013. From 2000 to 2009, the overall cancer death rate among males declined faster among African Americans than whites (2.4% vs 1.7% per year), but among females, the rate of decline was similar (1.5% vs 1.4% per year, respectively). The decrease in cancer death rates among African American males was the largest of any racial or ethnic group. The reduction in overall cancer death rates since 1990 in men and 1991 in women translates to the avoidance of nearly 200,000 deaths from cancer among African Americans. Five-year relative survival is lower for African Americans than whites for most cancers at each stage of diagnosis. The extent to which these disparities reflect unequal access to health care versus other factors remains an active area of research. Overall, progress in reducing cancer death rates has been made, although more can and should be done to accelerate this progress through ensuring equitable access to cancer prevention, early detection, and state-of-the-art treatments. Copyright © 2013 American Cancer Society, Inc.

Subsistence strategies in traditional societies distinguish gut microbiomes

PubMed Central

Obregon-Tito, Alexandra J.; Tito, Raul Y.; Metcalf, Jessica; Sankaranarayanan, Krithivasan; Clemente, Jose C.; Ursell, Luke K.; Zech Xu, Zhenjiang; Van Treuren, Will; Knight, Rob; Gaffney, Patrick M.; Spicer, Paul; Lawson, Paul; Marin-Reyes, Luis; Trujillo-Villarroel, Omar; Foster, Morris; Guija-Poma, Emilio; Troncoso-Corzo, Luzmila; Warinner, Christina; Ozga, Andrew T.; Lewis, Cecil M.

2015-01-01

Recent studies suggest that gut microbiomes of urban-industrialized societies are different from those of traditional peoples. Here we examine the relationship between lifeways and gut microbiota through taxonomic and functional potential characterization of faecal samples from hunter-gatherer and traditional agriculturalist communities in Peru and an urban-industrialized community from the US. We find that in addition to taxonomic and metabolic differences between urban and traditional lifestyles, hunter-gatherers form a distinct sub-group among traditional peoples. As observed in previous studies, we find that Treponema are characteristic of traditional gut microbiomes. Moreover, through genome reconstruction (2.2–2.5 MB, coverage depth × 26–513) and functional potential characterization, we discover these Treponema are diverse, fall outside of pathogenic clades and are similar to Treponema succinifaciens, a known carbohydrate metabolizer in swine. Gut Treponema are found in non-human primates and all traditional peoples studied to date, suggesting they are symbionts lost in urban-industrialized societies. PMID:25807110

Better survival for African and Hispanic/Latino Americans after infrainguinal revascularization in the Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Quality Initiative.

PubMed

Brothers, Thomas E; Zhang, Jingwen; Mauldin, Patrick D; Tonnessen, Britt H; Robison, Jacob G; Vallabhaneni, Raghuveer; Hallett, John W; Sidawy, Anton N

2017-04-01

Inferior survival outcomes have historically been reported for African Americans with cardiovascular disease, and poorer outcomes have been presumed for peripheral arterial disease (PAD) as well. The current study evaluates the effect of race and ethnicity on survival of patients undergoing open or endovascular interventions for lower extremity PAD. Data of patients from the Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Quality Initiative database were obtained for patients undergoing open infrainguinal (INFRA) or suprainguinal (SUPRA) bypass, peripheral vascular intervention (PVI), and amputation (AMP). Patients were further stratified as suprainguinal (SupraPVI) if any of the first three interventions listed included the aorta or iliac vessels or infrainguinal (InfraPVI) if not. The primary outcome was the patient's death (overall mortality) as recorded in the database or determined by cross-reference with the Social Security Death Index (SSDI). The secondary outcome consisted of perioperative mortality during the index hospitalization. Generalized linear modeling provided multivariate analysis, with entry of variables dependent on results of univariate analysis. From January 2003 through September 2015, a total of 24,241 INFRA bypass, 8028 SUPRA bypass, 48,048 InfraPVI, 21,196 SupraPVI, and 3423 AMP patients met criteria for analysis, with a median follow-up of 18 (interquartile range, 8-33) months. Combining all procedures, overall mortality was lower among African Americans than among white Americans (12.4% vs 14.2%; P < .0001) but not death in the periprocedural period (1.1% vs 1.2%; P = .26). To account for differences in length of follow-up, Cox proportional hazards analysis confirmed that the African American race was independently associated with a significantly lower occurrence of overall mortality after INFRA bypass (hazard ratio [HR], 0.78; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.70-0.88; P < .0009), InfraPVI (HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.67-0.78; P < .0001), and Supra

Infant feeding practices among middle income urban Africans and Indians in Kenya.

PubMed

Lakhani, S A; Jansen, A A

1987-02-01

A longitudinal study conducted in Nairobi focused on 70 Africans, 35 Indian vegetarians, and 20 Indian non-vegetarians revealed significant differences between these 3 groups in terms of the choice of milk, breastfeeding duration, age of introduction of other foods to the infant's diet, and the choice of weaning foods. African mothers tended to exclusively breastfeed their infants for longer durations than either of the 2 groups of Indian mothers. At 6 weeks, 42% of African mothers, 19% of Indian vegetarian mothers, and no Indian nonvegetarian mothers were exclusively breastfeeding. Bottle feeding was widespread in all 3 groups; however, African mothers showed a pattern of mixed feeding (at 12 weeks, 68% of African infants were being fed both breast and formula milk), while Indian mothers tended to replace breastfeeding with bottle feeding (at 12 weeks, 10% of the vegetarian mothers and 19% of the non-vegetarian mothers were following this regimen). Indian nonvegetarian mothers made extensive use of formula, while their vegetarian counterparts relied more on cow's milk. All 3 groups introduced foods earlier than the recommended 4-6 months. By 18 weeks, 98% of African infants, 86% of Indian vegetarian infants, and 89% of Indian nonvegetarian infants were receiving semi-solid or solid foods in addition to milk. In all 3 groups, cereals were the most commonly introduced 1st food, followed by fruits and pureed vegetables. The use of commercial cereals was extensive, with 97% of African mothers, 90% of Indian vegetarian mothers, and 82% of Indian nonvegetarian mothers feeding such preparations to their 6-week-old infants. As the children grew older, use of commercial cereals decreased. Despite the differences in feeding practices, the pattern of weight gain was parallel for infants from all 3 study groups. Moreover, the mean energy and protein intakes of all 3 groups were 80% or more of recommended allowances.

Urban climate archipelagos: a new framework for urban impacts on climate

Treesearch

J. Marshall Shepherd; T. Andersen; Chris Strother; A. Horst; L. Bounoua; C. Mitra

2013-01-01

Earth is increasingly an “urbanized” planet. The “World Population Clock” registered a Population of 7,175,309,538 at 8:30 pm (LST) on Oct. 6, 2013. Current and future trends suggest that this population will increasingly reside in cities. Currently, 52 percent of the world population is urban, which means we are a majority “urbanized” society. Figure 1 indicates...

African American and Latina(o) Community College Students' Social Capital and Student Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandoval-Lucero, Elena; Maes, Johanna B.; Klingsmith, Libby

2014-01-01

Using a framework of social and cultural capital, this study examined successful African American and Latina/o community college students. Based on focus group interviews with twenty two African American and Latina/o undergraduates at an urban community college, the authors reveal how social and cultural capital gained from students' relationships…

Why different countries manage death differently: a comparative analysis of modern urban societies.

PubMed

Walter, Tony

2012-03-01

The sociology of death, dying and bereavement tends to take as its implicit frame either the nation state or a homogenous modernity. Between-nation differences in the management of death and dying are either ignored or untheorized. This article seeks to identify the factors that can explain both similarities and differences in the management of death between different modern western nations. Structural factors which affect all modern nations include urbanization and the division of labour leading to the dominance of professionals, migration, rationality and bureaucracy, information technology and the risk society. How these sociologically familiar structural features are responded to, however, depends on national histories, institutions and cultures. Historically, key transitional periods to modernity, different in different nations, necessitated particular institutional responses in the management of dying and dead bodies. Culturally, key factors include individualism versus collectivism, religion, secularization, boundary regulation, and expressivism. Global flows of death practices depend significantly on subjugated nations' perceptions of colonialism, neo-colonialism and modernity, which can lead to a dominant power's death practices being either imitated or rejected. © London School of Economics and Political Science 2012.

Migrants and innovation in African societies: definition of a research field.

PubMed

Mabogunje, A L

1975-01-01

Discussion focuses on the position, role, and importance of migrants in African societies. Specifically, it directs attention to the role of migrants both as innovators and as agents for the spatial diffusion of innovations. In this respect it seeks to identify those factors predisposing migrants to innovate and those that induce both their host community and their home community to be receptive to their innovativeness. The 4 sections of the discussion cover the following: a conceptual framework to explain the migrant's predisposition to innovate and the nature of the innovation carried out; empirical evidence, largely from West Africa, of some innovative activities of migrants; research implications of this phenomenon; and the significance of this type of study for current attempts at economic development in Africa. All forms of migrations need not have innovative implications. A simple change of residence from 1 city to another need not encourage innovativeness. It is not so much the distance factor as the intensity of contrast which predisposes to innovativeness. In Africa such intensity of contrasts is found between the social organizations, the behavior and activity patterns, and the norms and thought habits of various ethnic groups. A 2nd element is deprivation of essentials, as referred to by Barnett who regards essentials as an entirely relative term having significance only for a particular group. Migration often creates a sense of deprivation and stimulates innovative cultural readjustments if a people are to survive. Adjustments, at the very least, must be made to accommodate for the absence of essentials that were relied upon in the old habitat. The 3rd dimension is the home area of the migrants, an area to which they can return whenever they like if their migration has been free and voluntary. In this situation their innovative impact can be considerable. Usually, the fact of their having migrated enhances their social. Return migrants can come to be

Neighborhoods, Social Support, and African American Adolescents' Mental Health Outcomes: A Multilevel Path Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hurd, Noelle M.; Stoddard, Sarah A.; Zimmerman, Marc A.

2013-01-01

This study explored how neighborhood characteristics may relate to African American adolescents' internalizing symptoms via adolescents' social support and perceptions of neighborhood cohesion. Participants included 571 urban, African American adolescents (52% female; "M" age = 17.8). A multilevel path analysis testing both direct and…

Racial Identity Attitudes, Self-Esteem, and Academic Achievement among African American Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bonvillain, Jocelyn Freeman; Honora, Detris

2004-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to explore the extent to which racial identity attitudes and self-esteem could predict academic performance for African American middle school students. A total of 175 African American adolescents in 7th grade attending one of two urban schools participated in the study. The Multi-Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM)…

From reproduction to reinvention. Women's roles in African cities.

PubMed

Simone, A

1995-01-01

African governments are expressing a new awareness that interventions focused on women's health, education, political participation, and human rights are essential to the control of population growth. Lacking, however, are formal models of innovative techniques for mobilizing endogenous resource bases and maximizing popular participation. Marginalized from social and economic development, African urban women have been able to elaborate new forms of social economies and reciprocal interaction that merit attention. In the shift from the household production and reproduction characteristic of parochial rural economies to the cross-circuitry of urban trade, women have facilitated the formation of interhousehold alliances and the sharing of opportunities and resources essential to urban survival. Because women tend to operate in informal contexts outside the realm of bureaucratic control, they have been able to improvise new forms of solidarity, information exchange, and income generation. Moreover, through their ability to link disparate households, compounds, and neighborhoods, women are evolving new processes of institutional reform that cut across territory, class position, and other forms of stratification.

Development of a theater-based nutrition and physical activity intervention for low-income, urban, African American adolescents.

PubMed

Jackson, Caree J; Mullis, Rebecca M; Hughes, Marilyn

2010-01-01

Childhood overweight is disproportionately worse in minority and low-income populations. Theater is a promising and effective tool for delivering health education to these underserved populations, but no known studies have examined the use of theater to promote both nutrition and physical activity to minority youth. To develop an interactive, theater-based intervention that conveys health messages to low-income, urban, African Americans and engages them in learning ways to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Community partners worked to develop a theater-based nutrition and physical activity intervention. A focus group provided urban adolescents' thoughts about their desires for the intervention. Based on input from all community partners, the group created a theater-based intervention. Researchers used a quasi-experimental (pre-/posttest) design with a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach. Participants learned health messages through theater, dance, and music and gave feedback on the program sessions and materials. The program ended with a dinner theater performance showcasing information that students learned during the intervention. Participants received six theater-based health lessons. Learning objectives for each health education session were achieved. Each participant contributed to and performed in the final performance. All program participants were highly satisfied with the theater-based method of learning health messages. A community-academic partnership succeeded in developing a theater-based nutrition and physical activity intervention that satisfied participating adolescents.

Perceptions of Parenting Practices as Predictors of Aggression in a Low-Income, Urban, Predominately African American Middle School Sample.

PubMed

Murray, Kantahyanee W; Haynie, Denise L; Howard, Donna E; Cheng, Tina L; Simons-Morton, Bruce

This research examined the relation between early adolescent aggression and parenting practices in an urban, predominately African American sample. Sixth graders (N = 209) completed questionnaires about their overt and relational aggressive behaviors and perceptions of caregivers' parenting practices. Findings indicated that moderate levels of parental expectations for peaceful solutions at Time 1 were associated with a lower likelihood of overt aggression at Time 2. Furthermore, findings suggest that when caregivers' support and knowledge of adolescents' whereabouts were relatively low or when caregivers' exerted high psychological control, moderate levels of parental expectations for peaceful solutions protected early adolescents against engagement in both overt and relational aggression. The implications of the findings for schools and other youth violence prevention settings are discussed.

Stereotype or reality: another look at alcohol and drug use among African American children.

PubMed Central

Bass, L E; Kane-Williams, E

1993-01-01

The Center for Substance Abuse Prevention's Division of Communications Programs launched its Urban Youth Public Education Campaign in late 1990 to target African American youth in 14 cities with prevention messages about alcohol and other drugs. During the market research phase of the campaign, the Center sought to determine the extent inner city African American children are impacted by alcohol and other drugs and how widespread the use of these substances is among younger children. Is it rampant and universal, as some press accounts have it, or are the images portrayed by the news media, by popular movies, and by other communication outlets fueling harmful stereotypes? The campaign's market research consisted of in-depth reviews of the literature, of personal communications, conference proceedings, grant and contract reports, monographs, newspaper and magazine articles, and of national survey results, and the analysis of findings from focus groups conducted with 143 African American children living in several urban environments. Although information and conclusions gleaned from the market research revealed a longstanding trend of comparatively lower rates of alcohol and drug use by African American youth, also disclosed was a need for an expanded framework to address the problems of substance abuse within the African American community. An expanded framework acknowledges the dimension of substance use and abuse but also addresses three other dimensions--involvement, exposure, and victimization--that unfold as having major significance for this population of youth who live in urban, high-risk environments. PMID:8210277

Improving Urban Schools: Leadership and Collaboration. Education in an Urbanised Society

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ainscow, Mel; West, Mel

2006-01-01

Drawing on research evidence, this book addresses the question of how primary and secondary urban schools can be improved in a more inclusive way. The authors argue that urban schools and their communities have within them expertise that tends to be overlooked, and latent creativity that should be mobilised to move thinking and progress forward.…

Comparison of asthma prevalence among African American teenage youth attending public high schools in rural Georgia and urban Detroit.

PubMed

Ownby, Dennis R; Tingen, Martha S; Havstad, Suzanne; Waller, Jennifer L; Johnson, Christine C; Joseph, Christine L M

2015-09-01

The high prevalence of asthma among urban African American (AA) populations has attracted research attention, whereas the prevalence among rural AA populations is poorly documented. We sought to compare the prevalence of asthma among AA youth in rural Georgia and urban Detroit, Michigan. The prevalence of asthma was compared in population-based samples of 7297 youth attending Detroit public high schools and in 2523 youth attending public high schools in rural Georgia. Current asthma was defined as a physician diagnosis and symptoms in the previous 12 months. Undiagnosed asthma was defined as multiple respiratory symptoms in the previous 12 months without a physician diagnosis. In Detroit, 6994 (95.8%) youth were AA compared with 1514 (60.0%) in Georgia. Average population density in high school postal codes was 5628 people/mile(2) in Detroit and 45.1 people/mile(2) in Georgia. The percentages of poverty and of students qualifying for free or reduced lunches were similar in both areas. The prevalence of current diagnosed asthma among AA youth in Detroit and Georgia was similar: 15.0% (95% CI, 14.1-15.8) and 13.7% (95% CI, 12.0-17.1) (P = .22), respectively. The prevalence of undiagnosed asthma in AA youth was 8.0% in Detroit and 7.5% in Georgia (P = .56). Asthma symptoms were reported more frequently among those with diagnosed asthma in Detroit, whereas those with undiagnosed asthma in Georgia reported more symptoms. Among AA youth living in similar socioeconomic circumstances, asthma prevalence is as high in rural Georgia as it is in urban Detroit, suggesting that urban residence is not an asthma risk factor. Copyright © 2015 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Can Disaster Risk Education Reduce the Impacts of Recurring Disasters on Developing Societies?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baytiyeh, Hoda

2018-01-01

The impacts of recurring disasters on vulnerable urban societies have been tragic in terms of destruction and fatalities. However, disaster risk education that promotes risk mitigation and disaster preparedness has been shown to be effective in minimizing the impacts of recurring disasters on urban societies. Although the recent integration of…

Exploring cultural beliefs about "that sickness": grandmothers' explanations of HIV in an urban South African context.

PubMed

Penn, Claire; Watermeyer, Jennifer

2014-01-01

The role of culture in community beliefs about HIV is important to understand, given poor adherence to treatment and the failure of prevention programs in some contexts. An exploration of such models may yield important insight into barriers to care, treatment-seeking paths, and intergenerational differences in cultural beliefs and practices. Our study aimed to understand South African grandmothers' traditional beliefs about HIV. Three focus groups were conducted with 15 grandmothers from different cultural backgrounds in an urban community. Results indicated a variety of cultural explanations for causes, treatments, and prevention strategies. The lack of coherence and fluidity in opinions in this group suggests ways in which grandmothers may have a bridging role in the clinic that may help to validate and alleviate uncertainty, harmonize the voices of medicine and the lifeworld, and provide greater insight into people's ideas about health and treatment seeking, also known as the healthworld. Copyright © 2014 Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Social distance and stigma toward individuals with schizophrenia: findings in an urban, African-American community sample.

PubMed

Broussard, Beth; Goulding, Sandra M; Talley, Colin L; Compton, Michael T

2012-11-01

Because schizophrenia is arguably among the most stigmatized health conditions, research assessing correlates of stigma is essential. This study examined factors associated with stigma in predominantly Protestant, low-income, urban African Americans in the Southeastern United States. A survey was distributed to 282 patrons of an inner-city food court/farmers' market. Associations were assessed between two measures of stigma--an adapted version of the Social Distance Scale (SDS) and a Semantic Differential Measure (SDM) of attributes such as dangerousness, dirtiness, and worthlessness--and several key variables addressing sociodemographic characteristics and exposure to/familiarity with mental illnesses. Independent predictors of scores on the two measures were identified using linear regression modeling. Higher stigma (as measured by the SDM) was predicted by a family history of psychiatric treatment, whereas lower stigma (as indicated by the SDS) was predicted by personal psychiatric treatment history and higher annual income. The results suggest special considerations when working with disenfranchised populations, especially family members of individuals with mental illnesses, in treatment settings.

The Criminal Justice Experience of African American Cocaine Users in Arkansas.

PubMed

Zaller, Nickolas; Cheney, Ann M; Curran, Geoffrey M; Booth, Brenda M; Borders, Tyrone F

2016-10-14

African Americans are incarcerated at rates much higher than other racial and ethnic groups in the United States. We sought to qualitatively explore the relationships between ongoing involvement in the criminal justice system and continued drug use in a population of urban and rural African American cocaine users in a southern state. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted among African American cocaine users in Arkansas between 2010 and 2012. Participants resided in both rural (two counties located in the eastern Arkansas Mississippi delta region) and urban (the county including the capital city of Little Rock) areas. Numerous important themes emerged from participants' narratives, including chronic involvement with the criminal justice system (being a "career criminal"), continued access to drugs while incarcerated, relapse, and reincarceration and lack of access to effective drug treatment. Conclusion/Importance: The themes which emerged from our data speak to the collective experience that many substance using populations in the United States face in dealing with the criminal justice system. Our findings highlight the need to better, more holistic ways of engaging African American substance users in community based substance use treatment and supportive services.

The Criminal Justice Experience of African American Cocaine Users in Arkansas

PubMed Central

Zaller, Nickolas; Cheney, Ann M.; Curran, Geoffrey M.; Booth, Brenda M.; Borders, Tyrone F.

2018-01-01

Background African Americans are incarcerated at rates much higher than other racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Objectives We sought to qualitatively explore the relationships between ongoing involvement in the criminal justice system and continued drug use in a population of urban and rural African American cocaine users in a southern state. Methods Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted among African American cocaine users in Arkansas between 2010 and 2012. Participants resided in both rural (two counties located in the eastern Arkansas Mississippi delta region) and urban (the county including the capital city of Little Rock) areas. Results Numerous important themes emerged from participants’ narratives, including chronic involvement with the criminal justice system (being a “career criminal”), continued access to drugs while incarcerated, relapse, and reincarceration and lack of access to effective drug treatment. Conclusion/Importance The themes which emerged from our data speak to the collective experience that many substance using populations in the United States face in dealing with the criminal justice system. Our findings highlight the need to better, more holistic ways of engaging African American substance users in community based substance use treatment and supportive services. PMID:27486889

Male Gender Role Strain as a Barrier to African American Men's Physical Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffith, Derek M.; Gunter, Katie; Allen, Julie Ober

2011-01-01

Despite the potential health consequences, African American men tend to treat their roles as providers, fathers, spouses, and community members as more important than engaging in health behaviors such as physical activity. We conducted 14 exploratory focus groups with 105 urban, middle-aged African American men from the Midwest to examine factors…

The present state of urbanisation in the South African homelands: rethinking the concepts and predicting the future.

PubMed

Graaff, J F

1987-02-01

Trends in urbanization in the South African homelands are analyzed. The need to reconsider the definition of an urban area is first established. Consideration is given to the likely impact of the abolition of migration controls on urbanization trends in South Africa as a whole, particularly as this affects migration to urban areas in South Africa outside the homelands.

Park resources as an essential to urban societies

Treesearch

Kristin Dion; Doug Stefancik; Serena Hawkins; Robert Bristow

2002-01-01

Open recreation space is a necessity to urban environments. People who reside in a crowded living condition need to have a place where they can go to escape everyday pressures and stress. Many have realized the importance of recreation space as a place to recuperate both physically and mentally. Overtime, parks have evolved to become an array of different types of...

Rural Industry Clustering Towards Transitional Rural-Urban Interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nugroho, P.

2018-05-01

Rural industrialization seems to be attractive for policymakers looking for counter-urbanization efforts – and nowadays peri-urbanization forces – in line with growing decentralized autonomy of local Indonesian authorities. To promote better rural development, an extended growth pole strategy has been introduced as well as an agropolitan approach and its derivatives. In fact, there is little evidence for their success; rural autonomy remains elusive instead. However, institutional capacity of rural authorities and organizations still fails to deliver rural development initiatives properly. This research was aimed at examining this issue by looking at rural industry clustering in the Greater Solo Region, Indonesia as a response against extended urbanization in peripheral regions. The study focused on batik industry clustering in the rural periphery of Solo City, which provides a transitional rural-urban interface necessary to drive rural independence. Having inherited the batik tradition underpinned by an agriculture-led peasant society, the rural batik industrialization has reinforced the socio-economic transition from a purely agrarian society to a mixed rural-urban society. This study employed an explanatory sequential mixed-method approach, where a quantitative spatial analysis was used to identify the expansion of urbanized areas in villages, and a qualitative case study analysis to figure out the socio-economic shift in rural livelihoods. The results showed that physical spatial changes in these villages do not conform to the socio-economic change into an urban industrial society in a substantial way. Rather, the local villagers preserve an informal economy to support the existence of a mixed rural-urban livelihood.

Diseases that turn African hair silky.

PubMed

Ajose, Frances O A

2012-11-01

African hair in its natural state poses tenacious grooming challenges; consequently a large portion of the African cosmetic industry is focused on means to relax the tight curls of African hair to make the hair more manageable. In malnourished and hypoproteinemic states, African hair straightens in an uncomplimentary manner. Recently, we observed that in certain diseases African hair changes to a desirable silky wavy texture. To identify the diseases that turn African hair silky and their parameters we examined 5612 dermatology patients at a tertiary hospital in Nigeria. We then studied the clinical and basic laboratory parameters of those patients whose diseases were accompanied by the silky hair change. Silky hair change similar to the hair of the African neonatal child was observed in five diseases, namely AIDS, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, pulmonary tuberculosis with cachexia, and Behçet's disease. Our study identified retrogression of African hair to the neonatal structure in five diseases. Anemia of chronic illness, high erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and mild hypocalcemia were significant laboratory parameters. This is an important observation, which should excite and advance research into the nature and structure of African hair. The causes of structural hair changes should include these five diseases. © 2012 The International Society of Dermatology.

Urban African American Pre-Adolescent Social Problem Solving Skills: Family Influences and Association with Exposure to Situations of Sexual Possibility

PubMed Central

Traube, Dorian E.; Chasse, Kelly Taber; McKay, Mary M.; Bhorade, Anjali M.; Paikoff, Roberta; Young, Stacie D.

2010-01-01

SUMMARY The results of two studies focusing on the social problem solving skills of African American preadolescent youth are detailed. In the first study data from a sample of 150 African American children, ages 9 to 11 years, was used to examine the association between type of youth social problem solving approaches applied to hypothetical risk situations and time spent in unsupervised peer situations of sexual possibility. Findings revealed that children with more exposure to sexual possibility situations generated a wider range of social problem solving strategies, but these approaches tended to be unrealistic and ambiguous. Further, there was a positive association between the amount of time spent unsupervised and youth difficulty formulating a definitive response to hypothetical peer pressure situations. Children with less exposure to sexual possibility situations tended to be more aggressive when approaching situations of peer pressure. In the second study, data from a non-overlapping sample of 164 urban, African American adult caregivers and their 9 to 11 year old children was examined in order to explore the associations between child gender, family-level factors including family communication frequency and intensity, time spent in situations of sexual possibility, and youth social problem solving approaches. Results revealed that children were frequently using constructive problem solving and help seeking behaviors when confronted by difficult social situations and that there was a significant relationship between the frequency and intensity of parent child communication and youth help seeking social problem solving approaches. Implications for research and family-based interventions are highlighted. PMID:20871790

Iron metabolism in African American women in the second and third trimesters of high-risk pregnancies

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Objective: To examine iron metabolism during the second and third trimesters in African American women with high-risk pregnancies. Design: Longitudinal pilot study. Setting: Large, university-based, urban Midwestern U.S. medical center. Participants: Convenience sample of 32 African American wome...

Self-Care Behaviors of African Americans Living with Heart Failure.

PubMed

Woda, Aimee; Haglund, Kristin; Belknap, Ruth Ann; Sebern, Margaret

2015-01-01

African Americans have a higher risk of developing heart failure (HF) than persons from other ethnic groups. Once diagnosed, they have lower rates of HF self-care and poorer health outcomes. Promoting engagement in HF self-care is amenable to change and represents an important way to improve the health of African Americans with HF. This study used a community-based participatory action research methodology called photovoice to explore the practice of HF self-care among low-income, urban, community dwelling African Americans. Using the photovoice methodology, themes emerged regarding self-care management and self-care maintenance.

Global distribution and evolvement of urbanization and PM2.5 (1998-2015)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Dongyang; Ye, Chao; Wang, Xiaomin; Lu, Debin; Xu, Jianhua; Yang, Haiqing

2018-06-01

PM2.5 concentrations increased and have been one of the major social issues along with rapid urbanization in many regions of the world in recent decades. The development of urbanization differed among regions, PM2.5 pollution also presented discrepant distribution across the world. Thus, this paper aimed to grasp the profile of global distribution of urbanization and PM2.5 and their evolutionary relationships. Based on global data for the proportion of the urban population and PM2.5 concentrations in 1998-2015, this paper investigated the spatial distribution, temporal variation, and evolutionary relationships of global urbanization and PM2.5. The results showed PM2.5 presented an increasing trend along with urbanization during the study period, but there was a variety of evolutionary relationships in different countries and regions. Most countries in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and some African countries developed with the rapid increase in both urbanization and PM2.5. Under the impact of other socioeconomic factors, such as industry and economic growth, the development of urbanization increased PM2.5 concentrations in most Asian countries and some African countries, but decreased PM2.5 concentrations in most European and American countries. The findings of this study revealed the spatial distributions of global urbanization and PM2.5 pollution and provided an interpretation on the evolution of urbanization-PM2.5 relationships, which can contribute to urbanization policies making aimed at successful PM2.5 pollution control and abatement.

Aggressive and prosocial behavior: community violence, cognitive, and behavioral predictors among urban African American youth.

PubMed

McMahon, Susan D; Todd, Nathan R; Martinez, Andrew; Coker, Crystal; Sheu, Ching-Fan; Washburn, Jason; Shah, Seema

2013-06-01

We use longitudinal multilevel modeling to test how exposure to community violence and cognitive and behavioral factors contribute to the development of aggressive and prosocial behaviors. Specifically, we examine predictors of self-, peer-, and teacher-reported aggressive and prosocial behavior among 266 urban, African American early adolescents. We examine lagged, within-person, between-person, and protective effects across 2 years. In general, results suggest that higher levels of violence exposure and aggressive beliefs are associated with more aggressive and less prosocial peer-reported behavior, whereas greater self-efficacy to resolve conflict peacefully is associated with less aggression across reporters and more teacher-reported prosocial behavior. Greater knowledge and violence prevention skills are associated with fewer aggressive and more prosocial teacher-reported behaviors. Results also suggest that greater self-efficacy and lower impulsivity have protective effects for youth reporting higher levels of exposure to community violence, in terms of teacher-reported aggressive behavior and peer-reported prosocial behavior. Differences among reporters and models are discussed, as well as implications for intervention.

Evaluation of an HIV/STD Sexual Risk-Reduction Intervention for Pregnant African American Adolescents Attending a Prenatal Clinic in an Urban Public Hospital: Preliminary Evidence of Efficacy

PubMed Central

Diclemente, R.J.; Wingood, G. M.; Rose, E.; Sales, J. M.; Crosby, R.A.

2009-01-01

Study Objective To evaluate an intervention to reduce HIV/STD-associated behaviors and enhance psychosocial mediators for pregnant African-American adolescents. Design A randomized controlled trial. Participants completed baseline and follow-up assessments. Setting An urban public hospital in the Southeastern U.S. Participants Pregnant African-American adolescents (N=170), 14-20 years of age, attending a prenatal clinic. Intervention Intervention participants received two 4-hour group sessions enhancing self-concept and self-worth, HIV/STD prevention skills, and safer sex practices. Participants in the comparison condition received a 2-hour session on healthy nutrition. Main Outcome Measures Consistent condom use. Results Intervention participants reported greater condom use at last intercourse (AOR = 3.9, P = .05) and consistent condom use (AOR = 7.9, P = .05), higher sexual communication frequency, enhanced ethnic pride, higher self-efficacy to refuse risky sex, and were less likely to fear abandonment as a result of negotiating safer sex. Conclusion Interventions for pregnant African-American adolescents can enhance condom use and psychosocial mediators. PMID:19643646

Reaching African-American Youth Who Live in High-Risk Environments. Technical Assistance Bulletin.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (DHHS/PHS), Rockville, MD. Center for Substance Abuse Prevention.

To support community efforts to reach out to African American youth confronted with high-risk environments in the cities, the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention has launched the Urban Youth Public Education Campaign. This campaign targets 9- to 13-year-old African American youth in high-risk inner-city environments. The campaign is designed to…

Parental encouragement of initiative-taking and adjustment in Chinese children from rural, urban, and urbanized families.

PubMed

Chen, Xinyin; Li, Dan

2012-12-01

Due to the requirements of the competitive, market-oriented urban society, parents in urban and urbanized families are more likely than parents in rural families to encourage initiative-taking in child rearing in China. The socialization experiences of children from different types of families may be related to their adjustment. This study examined parental socialization attitudes, social and school adjustment, and their relations in Chinese children from rural, urban, and urbanized families. Participants were elementary school students (N = 1,033; M age = 11 years) and their parents in China. Data were obtained from parental reports, peer evaluations, teacher ratings, and school records. A multivariate analysis of variance revealed that parents in urban and urbanized families had higher scores than parents in rural families on encouragement of initiative-taking. Urban children, particularly girls, were more sociable, obtained higher social status, and had fewer school problems than their rural counterparts. Children from urbanized families were different from rural children and similar to urban children in social and school adjustment. Moreover, multigroup invariance tests showed that parental encouragement of initiative-taking was associated more strongly with children's sociable-assertive behavior and social standing in the urban and urbanized groups than in the rural group. The results indicate that particular socialization attitudes may vary in their adaptive value in child development as a function of specific social and cultural requirements in changing societies. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

When the African-Centered Paradigm Is Not Enough: Lessons from an Urban Charter School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarkson, Lesa M. Covington; Johnstone, Jerika R.

2011-01-01

This article reflects on processes and characteristics that had a positive impact on improving mathematics achievement at an African-centered charter school. In doing so, an exploratory look into organizational culture provides the basis for a discussion on African-centered school culture. African-centered education played a major role in…

Blood pressure, prevalence of hypertension and hypertension related complications in Nigerian Africans: A review

PubMed Central

Ogah, Okechukwu S; Okpechi, Ikechi; Chukwuonye, Innocent I; Akinyemi, Joshua O; Onwubere, Basden JC; Falase, Ayodele O; Stewart, Simon; Sliwa, Karen

2012-01-01

To review studies on hypertension in Nigeria over the past five decades in terms of prevalence, awareness and treatment and complications. Following our search on Pubmed, African Journals Online and the World Health Organization Global cardiovascular infobase, 1060 related references were identified out of which 43 were found to be relevant for this review. The overall prevalence of hypertension in Nigeria ranges from 8%-46.4% depending on the study target population, type of measurement and cut-off value used for defining hypertension. The prevalence is similar in men and women (7.9%-50.2% vs 3.5%-68.8%, respectively) and in the urban (8.1%-42.0%) and rural setting (13.5%-46.4%).The pooled prevalence increased from 8.6% from the only study during the period from 1970-1979 to 22.5% (2000-2011). Awareness, treatment and control of hypertension were generally low with attendant high burden of hypertension related complications. In order to improve outcomes of cardiovascular disease in Africans, public health education to improve awareness of hypertension is required. Further epidemiological studies on hypertension are required to adequately understand and characterize the impact of hypertension in society. PMID:23272273

The Status of African American Physicists within the DOE Laboratories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, Keith

2005-03-01

In May 2002 there was a backpage article published in American Physical Society Newsletter by the President of the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP). This article showed that of the 3372 professional physicists employed at the DOE national labs, only 11 are African American, which on a percentage basis is 4 times less than the total availability of Ph.D. African American physicists in the labor force. NSBP want to provide an update of the interaction between National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP) and the department of Energy in particular the Office of Science on the issue of employment of African American Physicists in scientific and technical. You might ask the following question: Why should the current generation of African American Physicists be concerned about their underepresentation on the scientific staffs of the DOE National Laboratories? The answer to this question may vary from person to person, but I would like to propose the following: The National Laboratories are the largest providers of career opportunities in Physics in the United States. There is a general view in the community; African Americans are not getting a return on their national investment in the DOE National Labs. Failure to engage with HBCU’s through their user facilities causes a training or skills deficit when it comes to preparing students to participate at the forefront of physics research. By rebuffing interactions with HBCU¹s, as many the laboratories have done, the national laboratories are in effect refusing to transfer scientific knowledge to the stakeholders in the African American community. The update will contain some additional information about NSBP proposals to solve the problem of underepresentation of African American and Hispanic physicists within the National Laboratories and how the Office of Science has response these proposals.

African American's Perceptions of Psychotherapy and Psychotherapists.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Vetta L. Sanders; Akbar, Maysa D.; Bazile, Anita

The attitudes and beliefs about utilization of mental health services of 201 African Americans, 18 years and older, are explored. One hundred and thirty-four females and 66 males participated in mixed sex focus groups conducted in an urban, Midwestern city. Discussion probes addressed participant perceptions of psychotherapists and psychotherapy,…

Portraits by African-American Male University Students: A Retrospective Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fissori, Lauren

2010-01-01

African-American male students are systematically forced to confine themselves to the social construct that European-American society has developed for them. Actions, behaviors, and words that communicate this message spread both interracially and intraracially within schools and affect African-American males tremendously in terms of their…

Sexual protective strategies and condom use in middle-age African American women: A qualitative study

PubMed Central

Smith, Tanyka K.

2015-01-01

The heterosexual transmission of HIV has affected middle-age African American women at alarming rates; yet there is a paucity of research and interventions focused on this population. This study used a qualitative approach to understand middle-age urban African American women’s experiences with HIV-related sexual risk behaviors and to identify the sexual protective strategies they employed to reduce their risk for HIV infection. Ten African American women, ages 45 to 56, were recruited from low-income neighborhoods in New York City. Data were collected using in-depth interviews and analyzed using content analysis. Investigator triangulation and member checking were used to ensure rigor. Five salient themes emerged that highlighted the individual, gender/relationship power factors, and the sociocultural elements that influenced sexual protection or risk-taking behavior. Findings provide new insight into the complexities of HIV sexual risk behavior and can guide future HIV prevention interventions for middle-age, African American, urban women. PMID:26194973

Sexual victimization and family violence among urban African American adolescent women: do violence cluster profiles predict partner violence victimization and sex trade exposure?

PubMed

Kennedy, Angie C; Bybee, Deborah; Kulkarni, Shanti J; Archer, Gretchen

2012-11-01

Guided by an intersectional feminist perspective, we examined sexual victimization, witnessing intimate partner violence (IPV) in the family, and familial physical abuse among a sample of 180 urban African American adolescent women. We used cluster analysis to better understand the profiles of cumulative victimization, and the relationships between profiles and IPV victimization and personal exposure to the sex trade. Just under one third of the sample reported sexual victimization, with cooccurrence with both forms of family violence common. The cluster profile with high levels of severe family violence was associated with the highest rate of IPV victimization and sex trade exposure.

A Dietary Intervention in Urban African Americans: Results of the "Five Plus Nuts and Beans" Randomized Trial.

PubMed

Miller, Edgar R; Cooper, Lisa A; Carson, Kathryn A; Wang, Nae-Yuh; Appel, Lawrence J; Gayles, Debra; Charleston, Jeanne; White, Karen; You, Na; Weng, Yingjie; Martin-Daniels, Michelle; Bates-Hopkins, Barbara; Robb, Inez; Franz, Whitney K; Brown, Emily L; Halbert, Jennifer P; Albert, Michael C; Dalcin, Arlene T; Yeh, Hsin-Chieh

2016-01-01

Unhealthy diets, often low in potassium, likely contribute to racial disparities in blood pressure. We tested the effectiveness of providing weekly dietary advice, assistance with selection of higher potassium grocery items, and a $30 per week food allowance on blood pressure and other outcomes in African American adults with hypertension. We conducted an 8-week RCT with two parallel arms between May 2012 and November 2013. We randomized 123 African Americans with controlled hypertension from an urban primary care clinic in Baltimore, Maryland, and implemented the trial in partnership with a community supermarket and the Baltimore City Health Department. Mean (SD) age was 58.6 (9.5) years; 71% were female; blood pressure was 131.3 (14.7)/77.2 (10.5) mmHg; BMI was 34.5 (8.2); and 28% had diabetes. Participants randomized to the active intervention group (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension [DASH]-Plus) received coach-directed dietary advice and assistance with weekly online ordering and purchasing of high-potassium foods ($30/week) delivered by a community supermarket to a neighborhood library. Participants in the control group received a printed DASH diet brochure along with a debit account of equivalent value to that of the DASH-Plus group. The primary outcome was blood pressure change. Analyses were conducted in January to October 2014. Compared with the control group, the DASH-Plus group increased self-reported consumption of fruits and vegetables (mean=1.4, 95% CI=0.7, 2.1 servings/day); estimated intake of potassium (mean=0.4, 95% CI=0.1, 0.7 grams/day); and urine potassium excretion (mean=19%, 95% CI=1%, 38%). There was no significant effect on blood pressure. A program providing dietary advice, assistance with grocery ordering, and $30/week of high-potassium foods in African American patients with controlled hypertension in a community-based clinic did not reduce BP. However, the intervention increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, and urinary

Using the theory of planned behavior to predict aggression and weapons carrying in urban African American early adolescent youth.

PubMed

Finigan-Carr, Nadine M; Cheng, Tina L; Gielen, Andrea; Haynie, Denise L; Simons-Morton, Bruce

2015-04-01

Aggressive and weapons carrying behaviors are indicative of youth violence. The theory of planned behavior is used in the current analysis to improve our understanding of violence-related behaviors. We examine the influence of perceived behavioral control (self-control and decision making) as a part of the overall framework for understanding the risk and protective factors for aggressive behaviors and weapons carrying. As the baseline assessment of an intervention trial, survey data were collected on 452 sixth-grade students (50% girls; 96.6% African American; mean age 12.0 years) from urban middle schools. A total of 18.4% carried a weapon in the prior 12 months, with boys more likely to carry a weapon than girls (22.5% vs. 14.2%, p = .02). Of the youth, 78.4% reported aggressive behaviors with no significant differences found between girls (81.3%) and boys (75.5%). In logistic regression models, having peers who engage in problem behaviors was found to be a significant risk factor. Youth with peers who engaged in numerous problem behaviors were five times more likely to be aggressive than those who reported little or no peer problem behaviors. Teens who reported that their parents opposed aggression (odds ratio [OR] = 0.76; confidence interval [CI] = 0.66, 0.88) and who used self-control strategies (OR = 0.59; CI = 0.39, 0.87) were found to report less aggressive behaviors. For weapons carrying, being a girl (OR = 0.56; CI = 0.32, 0.97) and self-control (OR = 0.52; CI = 0.29, 0.92) were protective factors. This study demonstrated that the theory of planned behavior may provide a useful framework for the development of violence prevention programs. Practitioners should consider integrating strategies for developing healthy relationships and improving self-control. © 2014 Society for Public Health Education.

Health decision-making preferences among African American men recruited from urban barbershops.

PubMed

Hart, Alton; Smith, Wally R; Tademy, Raymond H; McClish, Donna K; McCreary, Micah

2009-07-01

To examine general health decision-making roles among African American men ages 40 to 70 recruited in barbershops in the Richmond, Virginia, metropolitan area. We adapted the 1-item Control Preference scale to study the associations between health decision-making role preferences and demographic variables. Forty African-American men were recruited from barbershops to complete a self-administered survey. After performing descriptive statistics, we dichotomized our outcome into active vs nonactive (collaborative or passive) decision makers. Data were then analyzed using chi2, Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney rank sum, and multiple logistic regression. Fifteen subjects responded that they engaged in active decision making, 20 in collaborative, and 5 in passive decision making. Almost all (86.7%) active decision makers were home owners, vs 41.7% of nonactive decision makers. Among active decision makers, 46.7% had incomes of more than $70000, vs 12.5% of nonactive decision makers. The active group reported health status that was good to excellent, while 20.8% of those in the nonactive group reported poor/fair health. African American male barbershop clients preferred an active or collaborative health decision-making role with their physician, rather than a passive role. The relationship among home ownership, income, and decision style may best be understood by considering the historical and cultural influences on gender role socialization among African American males. More comprehensive assessment of decision styles is necessary to better understand health decision making among African American male patients.

No One Rises to Low Expectations: Citizenship Education in an "Urban" Charter School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hinton, Harvey, III.

2010-01-01

This dissertation examines how middle level teachers at HOPE Academy, an urban charter school with a majority African American student population, understand citizenship education and what it means to teach African American students to be good citizens. Specifically, the study: (a) investigated how teachers' personal histories and pedagogical…

A Preliminary Investigation of Academic Disidentification, Racial Identity, and Academic Achievement among African American Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cokley, Kevin; McClain, Shannon; Jones, Martinique; Johnson, Samoan

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine academic disidentification along with demographic and psychological factors related to the academic achievement of African American adolescents. Participants included 96 African American students (41 males, 55 females) in an urban high school setting located in the Southwest. Consistent with previous…

Food systems: New-Ruralism versus New-Urbanism.

PubMed

Azadi, Hossein; Van Acker, Veronique; Zarafshani, Kiumars; Witlox, Frank

2012-08-30

There is a growing debate on whether agricultural land in urban fringes should be maintained or converted to other uses. While 'pro-ruralists' believe agricultural land conversion can threaten food security and cause rural-urban migration, 'pro-urbanists' find it a necessary change for transition from a primitive agricultural-based community to an advanced industrial-based society which has the capacity to create mass productions. New-Ruralists follow an agricultural-based development approach that promotes small-medium farming and acknowledges rural lifestyle while New-Urbanists give a priority to large industrial-based sectors and encourage urban lifestyle. Given the unlike concerns of different societies, the paper concludes that the approaches might have different priorities in the less developed, developing, and developed world. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry.

Women and the social construction of gender in African development.

PubMed

Kalu, A C

1996-01-01

Because a footnote of Marxism teaches that capitalism must first destroy primitive cultures that lack a dynamic social change mechanism and then rejuvenate them as modern industrialized states, the economic and cultural bases of social relationships in developing countries have been deemed irrelevant. In a similar way, Western feminist paradigms fail to acknowledge epistemological differences from those of African women. This article explores these contradictions and analyzes social change mechanisms within the Igbo culture in Africa that were stunted by colonialism. The first topic considered is the relationship of African literature (using Toni Morrison's "Beloved" as a point of reference) with sustainable African development and African women. The remainder of the article is devoted to an examination of the role of women in light of precolonial and colonial literary traditions. It is noted that continued use of Western feudal and capitalist terms for self-identification alienates Africans from Africa's problems. Traditional African thought assigned women the power to feed the family and to serve as protectors of children and society, and ancestral wisdom directed how societies responded to threats, took charge of their world, and resolved conflict. Problems faced by contemporary African researchers are shown to center on the dilemma faced by those who wish to design a program that analyzes the content of African development and provides contemporary solutions without completely deriving the program completely from contemporary thought. It is, thus, concluded that redefinition of the African development agenda must involve recognition of the essential role of African women as a change agent and a rearticulation of the male role within traditional thought.

African American Leadership in Urban Institutions of Higher Education: A Case Narrative of the Social, Cultural, and Institutional Impact of an Individual Leader at a Historically White Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Robin L.

2013-01-01

Leadership remains an important topic across various disciples. The continuous demonstration of effective leadership and its impact on institutions and society fuels the inquiry into the various ways, behaviors, traits, and situations in which leaders and leadership are successful (Kezar & Lester, 2011). As more African Americans advance in…

Examining health literacy among urban African-American adolescents with asthma.

PubMed

Valerio, Melissa A; Peterson, Edward L; Wittich, Angelina R; Joseph, Christine L M

2016-12-01

This exploratory study assessed health literacy among urban African-American high school students to improve understanding of the association between adolescent health literacy and asthma. We conducted a secondary data analysis of the control group (n = 181) of the Puff City randomized controlled trial (2006-2010), a web-based intervention to promote asthma management among students, grades 9 through 12. A validated self-report 3-item health literacy screening instrument was completed at final online follow-up survey. Logistic regression was used to explore the association between health literacy, demographic characteristics, quality of life, asthma management, and health care utilization. Multivariate analysis revealed that an overall inadequate health literacy score was associated with students who were more likely to be younger (OR 0.61; 95% CI 0.44-0.84), not on Medicaid (OR 0.36; 95% CI 0.17-0.76), have at least one hospitalization (OR 1.29; 95% CI 1.07-1.56); and a lower overall quality of life (OR 0.75; 95% CI 0.59-0.95). Those lacking confidence in filling out medical forms, needing help reading hospital materials, and having difficulty understanding written information were more likely to not have a rescue inhaler (OR 0.49; 95% CI 0.25-0.94), have one or more emergency visits (OR 1.21 95% CI 1.02-1.43), and one or more hospitalizations (OR 1.19; 95% CI 1.01-1.41), respectively. The findings indicate a significant association between inadequate health literary and suboptimal asthma management. It is important to advance understanding of adolescent health literacy, especially those at-risk, as they assume asthma self-management tasks and move toward independent adult self-care.

Dust Concentrations and Composition During African Dust Incursions in the Caribbean Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayol-Bracero, O. L.; Santos-Figueroa, G.; Morales-Garcia, F.

2016-12-01

The World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that exposure to PM10 concentrations higher than 50 µg/m³ 24-hour mean in both developed and developing countries could have an adverse impact on public health. Recent studies showed that in the Caribbean region the PM10 concentrations often exceed the WHO guidelines for PM10. These exceedances are largely driven by the presence of African Dust particles that reach the Caribbean region every year during the summer months. These dust particles also influence the Earth's radiative budget directly by scattering solar radiation in the atmosphere and indirectly by affecting cloud formation and, thus, cloud albedo. In order to have a better understanding of the impacts of African Dust on public health and climate, we determine the concentration of dust particles, the carbonaceous fraction (total, elemental and organic carbon: TC, EC, and OC) and water-soluble ions (e.g., Na+, Cl-, Ca+2, NH4+, SO4-2) of aerosol samples in the presence and absence of African Dust. Samples were collected using a Hi-Vol and Stacked-Filter Units for the sampling of total suspended particles (TSP) at two stations in Puerto Rico: a marine site located at Cabezas de San Juan (CSJ) Nature Reserve, in Fajardo, and an urban site located at the University of Puerto Rico, in San Juan. The presence of African Dust was supported with Saharan Air Layer (SAL) imagery and with the results from the air mass backward trajectories calculated with the NOAA Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory Model (HYSPLIT). Preliminary results showed that the total mass concentration of aerosols obtained at the urban site is about two times that at the marine site for SFU samples during African Dust incursions. The average dust concentration obtained at CSJ for Hi Vol samples was 22 µg/m³ during the summer 2015. African Dust concentrations, TC, EC, OC, and ionic speciation results for the marine and urban sites will be presented at the conference.

Superstar or Scholar? African American Male Youths' Perceptions of Opportunity in a Time of Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conchas, Gilberto Q.; Lin, Alex R.; Oseguera, Leticia; Drake, Sean J.

2015-01-01

Through a Multiple Marginality Framework, this exploratory case study highlights how African American male youth in an urban high school setting perceive the opportunity structure during the historic election of the first African American President. Youth optimism generated by Obama's election gives students a sense of hope despite the persistent…

Differences in late-stage diagnosis, treatment, and colorectal cancer-related death between rural and urban African Americans and whites in Georgia.

PubMed

Hines, Robert B; Markossian, Talar W

2012-01-01

Disparities in health outcomes due to a diagnosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) have been reported for a number of demographic groups. This study was conducted to examine the outcomes of late-stage diagnosis, treatment, and cancer-related death according to race and geographic residency status (rural vs urban). This study utilized cross-sectional and follow-up data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program for all incident colon and rectal tumors diagnosed for the Atlanta and Rural Georgia Cancer Registries for the years 1992-2007. Compared to whites, African Americans had a 40% increased odds (OR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.30-1.51) of late-stage diagnosis, a 50% decreased odds (OR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.37-0.68) of having surgery for colon cancer, and a 67% decreased odds (OR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.25-0.44) of receiving surgery for rectal cancer. Rural residence was not associated with late stage at diagnosis or receipt of treatment. African Americans had a slightly increased risk of death from colon cancer (HR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.00-1.24) and a larger increased risk of death due to rectal cancer (HR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.14-1.35). Rural residents experienced a 15% increased risk of death (HR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.01-1.32) due to colon cancer. Further investigations should target African Americans and rural residents to gain insight into the etiologic mechanisms responsible for the poorer CRC outcomes experienced by these 2 segments of the population. © 2011 National Rural Health Association.

Equity, sustainability and governance in urban settings.

PubMed

Rice, Marilyn; Hancock, Trevor

2016-03-01

In this commentary the urban setting is explored from the perspective of ecological sustainability and social equity. Urban-related issues are highlighted related to social inequality, deficits in urban infrastructures, behavior-related illnesses and risks, global ecological changes, and urban sprawl. Approaches to addressing these issues are described from the perspective of urban governance, urban planning and design, social determinants of health, health promotion, and personal and community empowerment. Examples of successful strategies are provided from Latin America, including using participatory instruments (assessments, evaluation, participatory budgeting, etc.), establishing intersectoral committees, increasing participation of civil society organizations, and developing virtual forums and networks to channel participatory and collaborative processes. A way forward is proposed, using the urban setting to show the imperative of creating intersectoral policies and programs that produce environments that are both healthy and sustainable. It will be important to include new forms of social participation and use social media to facilitate citizen decision-making and active participation of all sectors of society, especially excluded groups. © The Author(s) 2015.

In Their Own Words: Perceived Barriers to Achievement by African American and Latino High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vega, Desireé; Moore, James L., III; Miranda, Antoinette H.

2015-01-01

Drawing on a larger study, this qualitative investigation explored the factors that African American and Latino high school students perceived as barriers to positive educational opportunities. Eighteen African American and Latino urban high school students comprised the sample. The findings indicated that perceived barriers to positive…

Research into Factors Contributing to Discipline Use and Disproportionality in Major Urban Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mcloughlin, Caven S.; Noltemeyer, Amity L.

2010-01-01

Compared to other school typologies, major urban high poverty schools more frequently use exclusionary discipline and apply these techniques disproportionately to African American students. We explored school demographic variables predicting these two outcomes using data from 440 major urban, high poverty schools. Results suggest a different set…

The Sustainable Expression of Ecological Concept in the Urban Landscape Environment Design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Junyan; Zhou, Tiejun; Xin, Lisen; Tan, Yuetong; Wang, Zhigang

2018-02-01

Urbanization is an inevitable trend of development of human society, also the inevitable outcome of economic development and scientific and technological progress, while urbanization process in promoting the development of human civilization, also no doubt, urban landscape has been a corresponding impact. Urban environment has suffered unprecedented damage, the urban population density, traffic congestion, shortage of resources, environmental pollution, ecological degradation, has become the focus of human society. In order to create an environment of ecological and harmonious, beautiful, sustainable development in the urban landscape, This paper discusses the concept of ecological design combined with the urban landscape design and sustainable development of urban landscape design.

Musicking in the City: Reconceptualizing Urban Music Education as Cultural Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaztambide-Fernandez, Ruben A.

2011-01-01

Descriptions of the urban contemporary format remain strongly grounded on the assumption that it is based on musical styles associated with African Americans, such as R&B, soul, hip hop, rap, and reggae. Even for the most progressive educators, to speak of urban music is to refer to a narrow set of musical genres associated with the umbrella term…

Geoconservation - a southern African and African perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reimold, Wolf Uwe

1999-10-01

In contrast to Europe, where geoconservation is actively pursued in most countries and where two international symposia on this subject have been staged in 1991 and 1996, geoconservation in Africa has indeed a very poor record. Considering the wealth of outstanding geological sites and the importance African stratigraphy has within the global geological record, pro-active geoconservation on this continent has not featured very prominently to date. In the interest of science, education and tourism, unique and typical geosites need to be identified, catalogued, and prioritised with the aim being their protection. Most African countries do not have vibrant non-governmental organisations such as a strong geological society, which could drive projects like geoconservation, or strong support from the private sector for environmental work. Here, a case is made for the role that established National Geological Surveys, some of which are already involved with retroactive environmental geological work, could play in the forefront of pro-active geoconservation and site protection.

[Urban youth in Africa: constants and departures].

PubMed

Mukakayumba, E

1994-12-01

Over the past decade, growing interest has been shown in African youth, but the abundant literature has dealt almost exclusively with the minority that attend school. Less advantaged youth are of interest primarily when involved in violent incidents. Exploratory studies of street youth were conducted in Kigali in August 1991 and in Bamako in October and November, 1993. Africa is a young continent, with half the population under 25 in most countries. Young people constitute the majority of the population everywhere, and are even more numerous among those leaving the countryside for the cities. But urban destinations are themselves in crisis, offering poor employment prospects, high prices and inflation, and growing gaps between the rich and poor. The great changes in African socioeconomic life have particularly affected the young. The entry of Africa into world socioeconomic systems has disordered traditional systems in which children were a source of labor and of old age support. The increasing numbers of unwanted pregnancies result from several factors, including breakdowns in traditional mores, extensive poverty, and slow spread of family planning. The increasing number of children and young people who break all ties with their families and live in the streets is a related phenomenon. Young people living completely in the streets and often associated with gangs should not be confused with young people who work in the streets for parts of each day but still live with their families. The scarcity of studies of street children partially explains the difficulty of estimating how many such children exist in African cities. The increase in street children results from the imbalance between population and essential resources, and the failure of traditional structures of economic, social, cultural, and political organization. The family and other elements of traditional solidarity that, until recently, were able to manage economic crises have grown less able to do so

"Give a Brotha a Break!": The Experiences and Dilemmas of Middle-Class African American Male Students in White Suburban Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gordon, Beverly M.

2012-01-01

Background/Context: Today, in the era of the first African American president, approximately one third of all African Americans live in suburban communities, and their children are attending suburban schools. Although most research on the education of African American students, particularly males, focuses on their plight in urban schooling, what…

World pandemic of obesity: the situation in Southern African populations.

PubMed

Walker, A R; Adam, F; Walker, B F

2001-11-01

Among sub-Saharan Africans in general, a generation or so ago, there was very little gain in weight, or in blood pressure, with age. Even at present, in most populations, especially in the indigent masses, obesity prevalence remains very low, at 1-5%. However, in South Africa and some neighbouring countries, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe, with rise in socio-economic status, urbanization, and diminishing physical activity, the proportion affected has increased. Rises, as noted in Cape Town, have been only slight in men, to 8%; but in women much more so, to 34%, ie to a level similar to that of African-American women. Dietarily, energy intake has increased slightly, that from fat from 15-20% to 25-30%. However, there have been falls in dietary fibre intake, to 20-25 g and 15-20 g daily, in rural and urban areas, respectively. Evidence suggests that the health disadvantage of obesity in African women is less than that in white women, and would seem to have little influence on their proneness to hypertension, coronary heart disease and breast cancer. Traditionally, and even currently, sociologically, the disorder carries little opprobrium. As to the future, the prevalence in women may well increase still further. Regarding treatment, unfortunately among African women desirous of losing weight, sustained reducing measures are near impossible; moreover, pharmacological treatment is too costly to implement.

Repairing the Breach. Key Ways To Support Family Life, Reclaim Our Streets, and Rebuild Civil Society in America's Communities. Report of the National Task Force on African-American Men and Boys.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Austin, Bobby William, Ed.

This report of the National Task Force on African-American Men and Boys is the beginning of an approach to repair society's breaches and restore the streets to safety. The Task Force, headed by Andrew J. Young and established in 1994, conceived its mission as one of reclamation. The Task Force made 61 specific recommendations, and three general…

Nonabusive physical punishment and child behavior among African-American children: a systematic review.

PubMed Central

Horn, Ivor Braden; Joseph, Jill G.; Cheng, Tina L.

2004-01-01

BACKGROUND: The use of nonabusive physical punishment as a form of discipline has been greatly debated in the scientific and popular literature. Impact on child behavioral outcomes has frequently been found; however, the effects of its use are not clear, particularly for African-American children. This systematic review of the literature examined the impact of exposure to nonabusive physical punishment on the behavior of African-American children. METHODS: A search was conducted of PubMed and Psyclnfo from 1970 to 2000 using the key terms: corporal punishment, physical punishment, disciplinary practices, and discipline and parenting. Studies that described ethnicity of the population and included a majority of a well-described African-American population were included. Each study was required to include measurable data on child behavioral outcomes and at least one measure of discipline that assessed use of nonabusive physical punishment in children 0-14 years of age. RESULTS: All seven included studies used lower socioeconomic status (SES) and/or urban African-American populations. Study design and rural versus urban populations differentiated beneficial and detrimental outcomes. In all longitudinal studies, African-American children had beneficial or neutral outcomes. DISCUSSION: This review suggests that it is possible that there are benefits to nonabusive physical punishment for African-American children. However, needed are further longitudinal studies that better assess the multiple confounders that impact the use of discipline, such as SES, parental education level, and exposure to community or domestic violence. PMID:15481744

Rural African women and development.

PubMed

Kabadaki, K

1994-01-01

70-90% of Africans still live in rural areas, and 25-30% of rural households are headed by women. Standards of living in rural areas are lower than in urban areas. Rural African women's involvement in development is in its initial stages, and social development for women is likely to be slow. Increasing women's opportunities for education is a means of promoting social justice and fairness. Schools should offer courses of practical value for those not planning on higher education and special programs and career counseling for gifted girls. Women's organizations, African leaders, and other influential parties should aggressively create awareness about the oppressive aspects of traditional attitudes, beliefs, and views about women. Laws on ownership of property, inheritance, access to credit, and employment must be equitable and enforced. Consciousness-raising among rural women is an effective means of encouraging rural women to seek and assume new roles and for questioning unreasonable expectations and norms. Women's professional associations serve important functions and fulfill the need for role models. The quality of rural women's life is effectively improved through formulation of policies relevant to women's needs and problems and improve rural conditions. Women should have fair representation at local and national levels of government. Women's role in agriculture is likely to be enhanced through improved transportation systems, electricity supply, and introduction of intermediate technology. This assessment of rural African women's contributions to economic growth emphasizes women's involvement in farming and the informal sector and their lack of equal remuneration or low wages. Illiteracy places women in a disadvantaged position when competing for employment in the formal sector. Lack of access to credit and limits on credit are other obstacles in the informal sector. The reduced participation of rural women in the formal and informal sector is due to lack of

Current practice of epidemiology in Africa: highlights of the 3rd conference of the African epidemiological association and 1st conference of the Cameroon society of epidemiology, Yaoundé, Cameroon, 2014

PubMed Central

Nkwescheu, Armand Seraphin; Fokam, Joseph; Tchendjou, Patrice; Nji, Akindeh; Ngouakam, Hermann; Andre, Bita Fouda; Joelle, Sobngwi; Uzochukwu, Benjamin; Akinroye, Kingsley; Mbacham, Wilfred; Colizzi, Vittorio; Leke, Rose; Victora, Cesar

2015-01-01

As the study of disease occurrence and health indicators in human populations, Epidemiology is a dynamic field that evolves with time and geographical context. In order to update African health workers on current epidemiological practices and to draw awareness of early career epidemiologists on concepts and opportunities in the field, the 3rd African Epidemiology Association and the 1st Cameroon Society of Epidemiology Conference was organized in June 2-6, 2014 at the Yaoundé Mont Febe Hotel, in Cameroon. Under the theme«Practice of Epidemiology in Africa: Stakes, Challenges and Perspectives», the conference attracted close to five hundred guest and participants from all continents. The two main programs were the pre-conference course for capacity building of African Early Career epidemiologists, and the conference itself, providing a forum for scientific exchanges on recent epidemiological concepts, encouraging the use of epidemiological methods in studying large disease burden and neglected tropical diseases; and highlighting existing opportunities. PMID:26523191

Current practice of epidemiology in Africa: highlights of the 3rd conference of the African epidemiological association and 1st conference of the Cameroon society of epidemiology, Yaoundé, Cameroon, 2014.

PubMed

Nkwescheu, Armand Seraphin; Fokam, Joseph; Tchendjou, Patrice; Nji, Akindeh; Ngouakam, Hermann; Andre, Bita Fouda; Joelle, Sobngwi; Uzochukwu, Benjamin; Akinroye, Kingsley; Mbacham, Wilfred; Colizzi, Vittorio; Leke, Rose; Victora, Cesar

2015-01-01

As the study of disease occurrence and health indicators in human populations, Epidemiology is a dynamic field that evolves with time and geographical context. In order to update African health workers on current epidemiological practices and to draw awareness of early career epidemiologists on concepts and opportunities in the field, the 3(rd) African Epidemiology Association and the 1st Cameroon Society of Epidemiology Conference was organized in June 2-6, 2014 at the Yaoundé Mont Febe Hotel, in Cameroon. Under the theme«Practice of Epidemiology in Africa: Stakes, Challenges and Perspectives», the conference attracted close to five hundred guest and participants from all continents. The two main programs were the pre-conference course for capacity building of African Early Career epidemiologists, and the conference itself, providing a forum for scientific exchanges on recent epidemiological concepts, encouraging the use of epidemiological methods in studying large disease burden and neglected tropical diseases; and highlighting existing opportunities.

An Examination of the Influence of Self Efficacy, Locus of Control, and Perceptions of Parent Involvement on Academic Achievement of Urban High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Myree, Claudia

2011-01-01

Current research indicates that there is an on-going concern for the graduation rate of African American students in urban settings. This particular study sought to investigate the impact of students' self-efficacy, locus of control, and parental involvement on academic achievement via a targeted sample of urban African American high school…

Clinical utility of the Rorschach with African Americans.

PubMed

Presley, G; Smith, C; Hilsenroth, M; Exner, J

2001-12-01

In this study we sought to identify Rorschach differences between African Americans and White Americans and to understand these differences within a social and cultural framework. Data from the Exner (1993) Comprehensive System normative sample (N = 700) was used to form a group of 44 African Americans and 44 White Americans matched for age, sex, education, and socioeconomic status. Twenty-three Rorschach variables were chosen a priori and group differences were analyzed. The only clinically significant difference found was that African Americans offered significantly less cooperative movement. This lower frequency of cooperative movement may suggest African Americans do not anticipate cooperative interactions with others as a routine event. This may reflect a shared feeling among African Americans that most members of our society are less likely to be sensitive to or responsive to their needs relative to others. However, the study demonstrates a striking similarity between the groups, supporting the clinical use of the Rorschach with African Americans.

In Black South Africans from Rural and Urban Communities, the 4G/5G PAI-1 Polymorphism Influences PAI-1 Activity, but Not Plasma Clot Lysis Time

PubMed Central

de Lange, Zelda; Rijken, Dingeman C.; Hoekstra, Tiny; Conradie, Karin R.; Jerling, Johann C.; Pieters, Marlien

2013-01-01

Data on genetic and environmental factors influencing PAI-1 levels and their consequent effect on clot lysis in black African populations are limited. We identified polymorphisms in the promoter area of the PAI-1 gene and determined their influence on PAI-1act levels and plasma clot lysis time (CLT). We also describe gene-environment interactions and the effect of urbanisation. Data from 2010 apparently healthy urban and rural black participants from the South African arm of the PURE study were cross-sectionally analysed. The 5G allele frequency of the 4G/5G polymorphism was 0.85. PAI-1act increased across genotypes in the urban subgroup (p = 0.009) but not significantly in the rural subgroup, while CLT did not differ across genotypes. Significant interaction terms were found between the 4G/5G polymorphism and BMI, waist circumference and triglycerides in determining PAI-1act, and between the 4G/5G polymorphism and fibrinogen and fibrinogen gamma prime in determining CLT. The C428T and G429A polymorphisms did not show direct relationships with PAI-1act or CLT but they did influence the association of other environmental factors with PAI-1act and CLT. Several of these interactions differed significantly between rural and urban subgroups, particularly in individuals harbouring the mutant alleles. In conclusion, although the 4G/5G polymorphism significantly affected PAI-1act, it contributed less than 1% to the PAI-1act variance. (Central) obesity was the biggest contributor to PAI-1act variance (12.5%). Urbanisation significantly influenced the effect of the 4G/5G polymorphism on PAI-1act as well as gene-environment interactions for the C428T and G429A genotypes in determining PAI-1act and CLT. PMID:24386152

In black South Africans from rural and urban communities, the 4G/5G PAI-1 polymorphism influences PAI-1 activity, but not plasma clot lysis time.

PubMed

de Lange, Zelda; Rijken, Dingeman C; Hoekstra, Tiny; Conradie, Karin R; Jerling, Johann C; Pieters, Marlien

2013-01-01

Data on genetic and environmental factors influencing PAI-1 levels and their consequent effect on clot lysis in black African populations are limited. We identified polymorphisms in the promoter area of the PAI-1 gene and determined their influence on PAI-1act levels and plasma clot lysis time (CLT). We also describe gene-environment interactions and the effect of urbanisation. Data from 2010 apparently healthy urban and rural black participants from the South African arm of the PURE study were cross-sectionally analysed. The 5G allele frequency of the 4G/5G polymorphism was 0.85. PAI-1act increased across genotypes in the urban subgroup (p = 0.009) but not significantly in the rural subgroup, while CLT did not differ across genotypes. Significant interaction terms were found between the 4G/5G polymorphism and BMI, waist circumference and triglycerides in determining PAI-1act, and between the 4G/5G polymorphism and fibrinogen and fibrinogen gamma prime in determining CLT. The C428T and G429A polymorphisms did not show direct relationships with PAI-1act or CLT but they did influence the association of other environmental factors with PAI-1act and CLT. Several of these interactions differed significantly between rural and urban subgroups, particularly in individuals harbouring the mutant alleles. In conclusion, although the 4G/5G polymorphism significantly affected PAI-1act, it contributed less than 1% to the PAI-1act variance. (Central) obesity was the biggest contributor to PAI-1act variance (12.5%). Urbanisation significantly influenced the effect of the 4G/5G polymorphism on PAI-1act as well as gene-environment interactions for the C428T and G429A genotypes in determining PAI-1act and CLT.

Environmental challenges threatening the growth of urban agriculture in the United States.

PubMed

Wortman, Sam E; Lovell, Sarah Taylor

2013-09-01

Urban agriculture, though often difficult to define, is an emerging sector of local food economies in the United States. Although urban and agricultural landscapes are often integrated in countries around the world, the establishment of mid- to large-scale food production in the U.S. urban ecosystem is a relatively new development. Many of the urban agricultural projects in the United States have emerged from social movements and nonprofit organizations focused on urban renewal, education, job training, community development, and sustainability initiatives. Although these social initiatives have traction, critical knowledge gaps exist regarding the science of food production in urban ecosystems. Developing a science-based approach to urban agriculture is essential to the economic and environmental sustainability of the movement. This paper reviews abiotic environmental factors influencing urban cropping systems, including soil contamination and remediation; atmospheric pollutants and altered climatic conditions; and water management, sources, and safety. This review paper seeks to characterize the limited state of the science on urban agricultural systems and identify future research questions most relevant to urban farmers, land-use planners, and environmental consultants. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Food selection criteria for disaster response planning in urban societies.

PubMed

Wien, Michelle; Sabaté, Joan

2015-05-12

Nutrition professionals that have menu planning and disaster management responsibilities should consider factors that have transcended from ancient to current times, in addition to recognizing societal trends that have led to our current increased vulnerability in the event of a disaster. Hence, we proceeded to develop a set of "Disaster Response Diets" (DRDs) for use in urban societies inclusive of the aforementioned considerations. A three-phase multidimensional approach was used to identify food groups suitable for creating a set of DRDs. Phase One consisted of calculating the percent daily nutrient intake and Drewnowski's naturally nutrient rich (NNR) score for an individual or mean composite for one serving of food from 11 specific food groups. In Phase Two, in addition to nutrient density, the 11 food groups were evaluated and scored based on the following DRD planning criteria: storage and handling properties, preparation ease and, cultural acceptance/individual tolerance. During Phase Three, three DRDs were developed based upon the data retrieved from Phases one and two. In Phase One, the NNR scores ranged from 2.1 for fresh fruits to 28.1 for dry cereals, a higher score indicating a higher nutrient density. During Phase Two, a maximum score of 12 was possible based on appropriateness for a disaster situation. Five plant-based food groups (dry cereals, nuts, dried fruits, grains and legumes) achieved a score ranging between 7 and 12, whereas the five fresh food groups were deemed ineligible due to sanitation and perishability concerns. During Phase Three, three DRDs (milk-inclusive, milk-free and Grab-and-Go) were developed as benchmarks for disaster response planning. Plant-based DRDs are universally acceptable and tolerated across cultures and religions. Therefore, we suggest nutrition professionals consider using a plant-based approach for creating DRDs for public health institutions and organizations.

Psychological Aspects of European Cosmology in American Society: African and European Cultures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baldwin, Joseph A.

1985-01-01

Discusses the Eurocentric nature of the United States social reality, and investigates psychological and mental health implications for the African-American community. Outlines the basic themes, emphases and criteria of Euro-American cosmology and describes how it can come to dominate the Afro-American's self-consciousness. Suggests ways to…

Urban-Water Harmony model to evaluate the urban water management.

PubMed

Ding, Yifan; Tang, Deshan; Wei, Yuhang; Yin, Sun

2014-01-01

Water resources in many urban areas are under enormous stress due to large-scale urban expansion and population explosion. The decision-makers are often faced with the dilemma of either maintaining high economic growth or protecting water resources and the environment. Simple criteria of water supply and drainage do not reflect the requirement of integrated urban water management. The Urban-Water Harmony (UWH) model is based on the concept of harmony and offers a more integrated approach to urban water management. This model calculates four dimensions, namely urban development, urban water services, water-society coordination, and water environment coordination. And the Analytic Hierarchy Process has been used to determine the indices weights. We applied the UWH model to Beijing, China for an 11-year assessment. Our findings show that, despite the severe stress inherent in rapid development and water shortage, the urban water relationship of Beijing is generally evolving in a positive way. The social-economic factors such as the water recycling technologies contribute a lot to this change. The UWH evaluation can provide a reasonable analysis approach to combine various urban and water indices to produce an integrated and comparable evaluation index. This, in turn, enables more effective water management in decision-making processes.

From Tribe to Town: Problems of Adjustment. Through African Eyes: Cultures in Change, Unit II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Leon E., Ed.

This book, second in a series of six dealing with African culture and intended for secondary level students, deals with the processes of industrialization and urbanization that are transforming the traditional way of life in Africa. Almost all of the selections in this volume were written by Africans, and they come from a variety of sources…

Differentiation of African components of ancestry to stratify groups in a case-control study of a Brazilian urban population.

PubMed

Silbiger, Vivian N; Hirata, Mario H; Luchessi, Andre D; Genvigir, Fabiana D V; Cerda, Alvaro; Rodrigues, Alice C; Willrich, Maria A V; Arazi, Simone S; Dorea, Egidio L; Bernik, Marcia M S; Faludi, Andre A; Bertolami, Marcelo C; Santos, Carla; Carracedo, Angel; Salas, Antonio; Freire, Ana; Lareu, Maria Victoria; Phillips, Christopher; Porras-Hurtado, Liliana; Fondevila, Manuel; Hirata, Rosario D C

2012-06-01

Balancing the subject composition of case and control groups to create homogenous ancestries between each group is essential for medical association studies. We explored the applicability of single-tube 34-plex ancestry informative markers (AIM) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to estimate the African Component of Ancestry (ACA) to design a future case-control association study of a Brazilian urban sample. One hundred eighty individuals (107 case group; 73 control group) self-described as white, brown-intermediate or black were selected. The proportions of the relative contribution of a variable number of ancestral population components were similar between case and control groups. Moreover, the case and control groups demonstrated similar distributions for ACA <0.25 and >0.50 categories. Notably a high number of outlier values (23 samples) were observed among individuals with ACA <0.25. These individuals presented a high probability of Native American and East Asian ancestral components; however, no individuals originally giving these self-described ancestries were observed in this study. The strategy proposed for the assessment of ancestry and adjustment of case and control groups for an association study is an important step for the proper construction of the study, particularly when subjects are taken from a complex urban population. This can be achieved using a straight forward multiplexed AIM-SNPs assay of highly discriminatory ancestry markers.

Improving Geography Learning in the Schools: Efforts by the National Geographic Society.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dulli, Robert E.

1994-01-01

Contends that the National Geographic Society's Geography Education Program continues to work on improving geography instruction and learning. Outlines future activities of the National Geographic Society including urban outreach and technology training. (CFR)

Contributions to Global Augmented Compound Urban Heat Extreme (ACUTE) from Climate Change and the Urban Heat Island Effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, K.

2017-12-01

Over the next decades, climate change is projected to increase the intensity and frequency of extreme heat events (EHEs). The severity and periodicity of these hazards are likely to be further compounded by stronger urban heat island (UHI) effects as the world continues to urbanize. However, there is little known about how greenhouse gases (GHG) induced changes in EHE will interact with UHI, and what this will mean for the exposure of urban populations to high temperature. This work aims to fill this knowledge gap by combining a mesoscale meteorological model (Weather Research Forecasting, WRF) with a global urban expansion forecast, to generate spatially explicit projections of compound urban temperature extremes through 2050. These global projections include all the urban areas in developing world. The respective contributions from GHG-induced climate change, the UHI effect, and their interaction vary across different types of urban areas. The resulting compound heat extremes will be more intense and frequent in emerging Asian and African mega urban regions, located in tropical/subtropical climates, due to their unprecedented sizes and the significantly reduced evaporation. Previous studies neglecting the interaction between global climate change and regional UHI effect have underestimated exposure to heat extremes in urban areas.

The Effects of a Nurse Case Manager and a Community Health Worker Team on Diabetic Control, Emergency Department Visits, and Hospitalizations Among Urban African Americans With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

PubMed Central

Gary, Tiffany L.; Batts-Turner, Marian; Yeh, Hsin-Chieh; Hill-Briggs, Felicia; Bone, Lee R.; Wang, Nae-Yuh; Levine, David M.; Powe, Neil R.; Saudek, Christopher D.; Hill, Martha N.; McGuire, Maura; Brancati, Frederick L.

2017-01-01

Background Although African American adults bear a disproportionate burden from diabetes mellitus (DM), few randomized controlled trials have tested culturally appropriate interventions to improve DM care. Methods We randomly assigned 542 African Americans with type 2 DM enrolled in an urban managed care organization to either an intensive or minimal intervention group. The intensive intervention group consisted of all components of the minimal intervention plus individualized, culturally tailored care provided by a nurse case manager (NCM) and a community health worker (CHW), using evidence-based clinical algorithms with feedback to primary care providers (eg, physicians, nurse practitioners, or physician assistants). The minimal intervention consisted of mailings and telephone calls every 6 months to remind participants about preventive screenings. Data on diabetic control were collected at baseline and at 24 months by blind observers; data emergency department (ER) visits and hospitalizations were assessed using administrative data. Results At baseline, participants had a mean age of 58 years, 73% were women, and 50% were living in poverty. At 24 months, compared with the minimal intervention group, those in the intensive intervention group were 23% less likely to have ER visits (rate difference [RD], −14.5; adjusted rate ratio [RR], 0.77; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59-1.00). In on-treatment analyses, the rate reduction was strongest for patients who received the most NCM and CHW visits (RD, −31.0; adjusted RR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.43–1.00; rate reduction ↓ 34%). Conclusion These data suggest that a culturally tailored intervention conducted by an NCM/CHW team reduced ER visits in urban African Americans with type 2 DM. PMID:19858437

Urban versus Suburban Public Schools: Resolving the Issue of Racial Inequality in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Batts, Pamela L.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study is to address a possible solution to the racial inequality in urban versus suburban public schools. It also addresses the stereotyping and racial bias associated with this issue. Students enrolled in the urban school districts are predominantly African American and are found to be at an educational disadvantage compared…

Health and urban living.

PubMed

Dye, Christopher

2008-02-08

The majority of people now live in urban areas and will do so for the foreseeable future. As a force in the demographic and health transition, urbanization is associated with falling birth and death rates and with the shift in burden of illness from acute childhood infections to chronic, noncommunicable diseases of adults. Urban inhabitants enjoy better health on average than their rural counterparts, but the benefits are usually greater for the rich than for the poor, thus magnifying the differences between them. Subject to better evidence, I suggest that the main obstacles to improving urban health are not technical or even financial, but rather are related to governance and the organization of civil society.

Health anthropology and urban health research.

PubMed

Obrist, Brigit; VAN Eeuwijk, Peter; Weiss, Mitchell G

2003-12-01

We live in a rapidly urbanising world. According to the 2001 statistics of the United Nations,a the proportion of urban dwellers rose from 30% in 1950 to 47% in 2000 and will probably attain 60% in 2030. Almost 70% of these urban dwellers live in cities of developing regions. At the current rates of urbanisation, the number of city dwellers in the world will equal that of their rural counterparts by 2007. In the late 1980s, researchers became increasingly concerned about the combined impact of rapid urban growth and economic recession on the health of a majority of people in African and Asian cities. Several books established urban health research with a focus on developing countries as a multidisciplinary field of inquiry (Harpham et al., 1988; Salem &Jeannée, 1989). It is now widely recognised that urbanisation per se is not necessarily bad for health, but it becomes so if urban governments fail to establish and support necessary infrastructure and services to protect citizens from environmental hazards and from social, economic and political insecurity.

Towards an African Literature: The Emergence of Literary Form in Xhosa.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jordan, A. C.

This collection of essays, originally published in the 1950's, discusses South African literature from a perspective which emphasizes writers who resisted the society of the colonizers. All of the essays were written by a native black South African scholar. The essays deal with (1) the people and their languages; (2) traditional poetry; (3) the…

African perceptions of female attractiveness.

PubMed

Coetzee, Vinet; Faerber, Stella J; Greeff, Jaco M; Lefevre, Carmen E; Re, Daniel E; Perrett, David I

2012-01-01

Little is known about mate choice preferences outside Western, educated, industrialised, rich and democratic societies, even though these Western populations may be particularly unrepresentative of human populations. To our knowledge, this is the first study to test which facial cues contribute to African perceptions of African female attractiveness and also the first study to test the combined role of facial adiposity, skin colour (lightness, yellowness and redness), skin homogeneity and youthfulness in the facial attractiveness preferences of any population. Results show that youthfulness, skin colour, skin homogeneity and facial adiposity significantly and independently predict attractiveness in female African faces. Younger, thinner women with a lighter, yellower skin colour and a more homogenous skin tone are considered more attractive. These findings provide a more global perspective on human mate choice and point to a universal role for these four facial cues in female facial attractiveness.

Unsightly urban menaces and the rescaling of residential segregation in the United States.

PubMed

Hanlon, James

2011-01-01

In this article, the author uses a slum clearance project in Lexington, Kentucky, as a lens through which to examine the spatial dynamics of racial residential segregation during the first half of the twentieth century. At the time, urban migration and upward socioeconomic mobility on the part of African Americans destabilized extant residential segregation patterns. Amid this instability, various spatial practices were employed in the interest of maintaining white social and economic supremacy. The author argues that such practices were indicative of a thoroughgoing reinvention of urban socio-spatial order that in turn precipitated the vastly expanded scale of residential segregation still found in U.S. cities today. Evidence of this reinvented ordering of urban space lies in the rendering of some long-standing African American neighborhoods as “out of place” within it and the use of slum clearance to remove the “menace” such neighborhoods posed to it.

Integrating Infrastructure and Institutions for Water Security in Large Urban Areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Padowski, J.; Jawitz, J. W.; Carrera, L.

2015-12-01

Urban growth has forced cities to procure more freshwater to meet demands; however the relationship between urban water security, water availability and water management is not well understood. This work quantifies the urban water security of 108 large cities in the United States (n=50) and Africa (n=58) based on their hydrologic, hydraulic and institutional settings. Using publicly available data, urban water availability was estimated as the volume of water available from local water resources and those captured via hydraulic infrastructure (e.g. reservoirs, wellfields, aqueducts) while urban water institutions were assessed according to their ability to deliver, supply and regulate water resources to cities. When assessing availability, cities relying on local water resources comprised a minority (37%) of those assessed. The majority of cities (55%) instead rely on captured water to meet urban demands, with African cities reaching farther and accessing a greater number and variety of sources for water supply than US cities. Cities using captured water generally had poorer access to local water resources and maintained significantly more complex strategies for water delivery, supply and regulatory management. Eight cities, all African, are identified in this work as having water insecurity issues. These cities lack sufficient infrastructure and institutional complexity to capture and deliver adequate amounts of water for urban use. Together, these findings highlight the important interconnection between infrastructure investments and management techniques for urban areas with a limited or dwindling natural abundance of water. Addressing water security challenges in the future will require that more attention be placed not only on increasing water availability, but on developing the institutional support to manage captured water supplies.

Hidden linkages between urbanization and food systems.

PubMed

Seto, Karen C; Ramankutty, Navin

2016-05-20

Global societies are becoming increasingly urban. This shift toward urban living is changing our relationship with food, including how we shop and what we buy, as well as ideas about sanitation and freshness. Achieving food security in an era of rapid urbanization will require considerably more understanding about how urban and food systems are intertwined. Here we discuss some potential understudied linkages that are ripe for further examination. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Joint Urban Operations Joint Integrating Concept

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-07-23

24 7. Potential Risks of Adopting this Concept...stresses that urban combat operations are conducted only when required and that built-up areas are isolated and bypassed rather than risking a...Development, Applications (New York: George Braziller , 1968). 7 media, etc., institutions that typify urban society.15 The processes include all

Report of the International Society of Hypertension Teaching Seminar organized by the International Society of Hypertension Africa Regional Advisory Group: Maputo, Mozambique, 2016.

PubMed

Onwubere, Basden; Coca, Antonio; Damasceno, Albertino; Kadiri, Solomon; Kruger, Ruan; Lemogoum, Daniel; M'Buyamba-Kabangu, Jene-Rene; Okpechi, Ikechi; Poulter, Neil; Rayner, Brian; Seedat, Yakoob K; Schutte, Aletta E; Touyz, Rhian M

2016-10-01

The International Society of Hypertension (ISH), in fulfilment of its mission of promoting hypertension control and prevention and also of advancing knowledge globally, organizes hypertension teaching seminars or 'summer schools' worldwide through the ISH Regional Advisory Groups. In Africa, seven of such seminars have been organized. This is a report of the eighth seminar held in Maputo, Mozambique, April, 2016. The seminar was attended by over 65 participants from 11 African countries. The Faculty consisted of 11 international hypertension experts. The eighth African hypertension seminar was a great success as confirmed by a pre- and post-test questionnaire.

African American Children's Affective Attributions and Consequences Regarding Sociomoral Events

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Humphries, Marisha L.

2013-01-01

Research Findings: This study examined 56 young (prekindergarten through 2nd grade) urban-dwelling African American children's understanding of the affective attributions and consequences of 3 types of sociomoral rule systems: prosocial, active, and inhibitive morality. It also tested the relationship of affective attributions and consequences to…

Prevention-Related Research Targeting African American Alternative Education Program Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carswell, Steven B.; Hanlon, Thomas E.; Watts, Amy M.; O'Grady, Kevin E.

2014-01-01

This article reports on a program of research that examined the background, planning, implementation, and evaluation of an after-school preventive intervention program within an ongoing urban alternative education program targeting African American students referred to the school because of their problematic behavior in regular schools. The…

Risk Factors for Adolescent Pregnancy Reports among African American Males

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller-Johnson, Shari; C. Winn, Donna-Marie; Coie, John D.; Malone, Patrick S.; Lochman, John

2004-01-01

This study examined childhood and adolescent risk factors for males' reports of getting someone pregnant during adolescence. These questions were examined in an urban sample of 335 African American males involved in a prospective, longitudinal study. Childhood aggression significantly predicted reported pregnancies during adolescence. Boys who…

Urban-rural differences in excess mortality among high-poverty populations: evidence from the Harlem Household Survey and the Pitt County, North Carolina Study of African American Health.

PubMed

Geronimus, Arline T; Colen, Cynthia G; Shochet, Tara; Ingber, Lori Barer; James, Sherman A

2006-08-01

Black youth residing in high-poverty areas have dramatically lower probabilities of surviving to age 65 if they are urban than if they are rural. Chronic disease deaths contribute heavily. We begin to probe the reasons using the Harlem Household Survey (HHS) and the Pitt County, North Carolina Study of African American Health (PCS). We compare HHS and PCS respondents on chronic disease rates, health behaviors, social support, employment, indicators of health care access, and health insurance. Chronic disease profiles do not favor Pitt County. Smoking uptake is similar across samples, but PCS respondents are more likely to quit. Indicators of access to health care and private health insurance are more favorable in Pitt County. Findings suggest rural mortality is averted through secondary or tertiary prevention, not primary. Macroeconomic and health system changes of the past 20 years may have left poor urban Blacks as medically underserved as poor rural Blacks.

Factors in African Americans Pursuing Higher Education after Age 30 Years

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henderson, Davetta A.

2011-01-01

Many African Americans are leaving high school prior to graduation and are entering college for the first time beyond the age of 30 years, a phenomenon that has an effect on school systems, the community, and society as a whole. The research problem addressed was the need to understand the experience of an increasing number of African Americans…

Range and Frequency of Africanized Honey Bees in California (USA)

PubMed Central

Kono, Yoshiaki; Kohn, Joshua R.

2015-01-01

Africanized honey bees entered California in 1994 but few accounts of their northward expansion or their frequency relative to European honey bees have been published. We used mitochondrial markers and morphometric analyses to determine the prevalence of Africanized honeybees in San Diego County and their current northward progress in California west of the Sierra Nevada crest. The northernmost African mitotypes detected were approximately 40 km south of Sacramento in California’s central valley. In San Diego County, 65% of foraging honey bee workers carry African mitochondria and the estimated percentage of Africanized workers using morphological measurements is similar (61%). There was no correlation between mitotype and morphology in San Diego County suggesting Africanized bees result from bidirectional hybridization. Seventy percent of feral hives, but only 13% of managed hives, sampled in San Diego County carried the African mitotype indicating that a large fraction of foraging workers in both urban and rural San Diego County are feral. We also found a single nucleotide polymorphism at the DNA barcode locus COI that distinguishes European and African mitotypes. The utility of this marker was confirmed using 401 georeferenced honey bee sequences from the worldwide Barcode of Life Database. Future censuses can determine whether the current range of the Africanized form is stable, patterns of introgression at nuclear loci, and the environmental factors that may limit the northern range of the Africanized honey bee. PMID:26361047

Narcolepsy in African Americans.

PubMed

Kawai, Makoto; O'Hara, Ruth; Einen, Mali; Lin, Ling; Mignot, Emmanuel

2015-11-01

Although narcolepsy affects 0.02-0.05% of individuals in various ethnic groups, clinical presentation in different ethnicities has never been fully characterized. Our goal was to study phenotypic expression across ethnicities in the United States. Cases of narcolepsy from 1992 to 2013 were identified from searches of the Stanford Center for Narcolepsy Research database. International Classification of Sleep Disorders, Third Edition diagnosis criteria for type 1 and type 2 narcolepsy were used for inclusion, but subjects were separated as with and without cataplexy for the purpose of data presentation. Information extracted included demographics, ethnicity and clinical data, HLA-DQB1*06:02, polysomnography (PSG), multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) data, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) hypocretin-1 level. 182 African-Americans, 839 Caucasians, 35 Asians, and 41 Latinos with narcolepsy. Sex ratio, PSG, and MSLT findings did not differ across ethnicities. Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score was higher and age of onset of sleepiness earlier in African Americans compared with other ethnicities. HLA-DQB1*06:02 positivity was higher in African Americans (91.0%) versus others (76.6% in Caucasians, 80.0% in Asians, and 65.0% in Latinos). CSF hypocretin-1 level, obtained in 222 patients, was more frequently low (≤ 110 pg/ml) in African Americans (93.9%) versus Caucasians (61.5%), Asians (85.7%) and Latinos (75.0%). In subjects with low CSF hypocretin-1, African Americans (28.3%) were 4.5 fold more likely to be without cataplexy when compared with Caucasians (8.1%). Narcolepsy in African Americans is characterized by earlier symptom onset, higher Epworth Sleepiness Scale score, higher HLA-DQB1*06:02 positivity, and low cerebrospinal fluid hypocretin-1 level in the absence of cataplexy. In African Americans, more subjects without cataplexy have type 1 narcolepsy. © 2015 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Predicting Intra-Urban Population Densities in Africa using SAR and Optical Remote Sensing Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Linard, C.; Steele, J.; Forget, Y.; Lopez, J.; Shimoni, M.

2017-12-01

The population of Africa is predicted to double over the next 40 years, driving profound social, environmental and epidemiological changes within rapidly growing cities. Estimations of within-city variations in population density must be improved in order to take urban heterogeneities into account and better help urban research and decision making, especially for vulnerability and health assessments. Satellite remote sensing offers an effective solution for mapping settlements and monitoring urbanization at different spatial and temporal scales. In Africa, the urban landscape is covered by slums and small houses, where the heterogeneity is high and where the man-made materials are natural. Innovative methods that combine optical and SAR data are therefore necessary for improving settlement mapping and population density predictions. An automatic method was developed to estimate built-up densities using recent and archived optical and SAR data and a multi-temporal database of built-up densities was produced for 48 African cities. Geo-statistical methods were then used to study the relationships between census-derived population densities and satellite-derived built-up attributes. Best predictors were combined in a Random Forest framework in order to predict intra-urban variations in population density in any large African city. Models show significant improvement of our spatial understanding of urbanization and urban population distribution in Africa in comparison to the state of the art.

Tracking the Demographics of (Urban) Language Shift--An Analysis of South African Census Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deumert, Ana

2010-01-01

This paper provides an analysis of language shift from African languages to English (and Afrikaans) in South Africa, using home language data from the South African population census (1996 and 2001). Although census data have been criticised for its "essentialist" construction of language, they nevertheless provide sociolinguists with a…

"There Are Other Ways To Get Happy": African American Urban Folklore. Working Papers #2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGregory, Jerrilyn

"There are other ways to get happy," the slogan signifying "Say no to drugs!" is gaining attention within the African American community in the Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) area. "There are other ways to get happy" comes from learning about and understanding traditional elements of African American folklore. For those…

Predictors of Academic Achievement for African American Males at a Predominantly White Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Jarvis M.

2013-01-01

African American male college students are graduating at rates lower than their White male college counterparts. This epidemic is a result of the historical implications of institutional racism within American society. Despite these barriers, there are African American males that achieve academically and graduate college. This phenomenological…

"Nobody ever asked me before": understanding life experiences of African American elders.

PubMed

Shellman, Juliette

2004-10-01

With the unprecedented growth in the African American elderly population, there exists an urgent need to prepare nurses to deliver culturally competent care. The purpose of this study was to increase the knowledge available about the cultural heritage, worldviews, and life experiences of African American elders. Reminiscence interviews were conducted with African American elders living in a medium-sized northeast urban community. Data were analyzed using Spiegelberg's phenomenological Method. The following themes emerged: (a) nobody ever asked me before, (b) stories of discrimination, (c) coping with discrimination, (d) the hurt of discrimination, and (e) self-discoveries. Nurses, through the use of reminiscence, can gain insight into the cultural heritage, worldviews, and life experiences of African American elders and improve their ability to deliver culturally competent care to this population.

Factors influencing the migration of West African health professionals

PubMed Central

Lowe, Mat; Chen, Duan-Rung

2016-01-01

Introduction The West African health sector is characterized by a human resource base lacking in numbers and specialized skills. Among the contributory factors to this lack of human resource for health workforce include but not limited to the migration of health professionals. Methods This cross-sectional survey targeted 118 young professionals who have participated in the Young Professional Internship Program (YPIP) of the West African Health Organization (WAHO), from (2005-2013). It inquired about their socio-demographic characteristics associated with migration and reasons for going to their preferred or most likely destinations through online survey. Results Of the 118 young professionals, 100 responded to the online survey, of which (28%) have migrated and (72%) did not migrate. Migration was more common among males and those (age≤31 years old), single with high dependency level and no previous work experience. Having a medical profession and being posted to urban or semi-urban area was also associated with their emigration. Their most important reasons for going to preferred or most likely destinations were to have fair level of workload, job promotion and limited occupational risks. Conclusion This finding suggests that the migration of health professionals is situation dependent, mediated by basic socio-demographic variables and work related conditions. These issues have implications for curbing the brain drain potential of health professionals in the West African health sector. PMID:27800092

Urbanization of black South African women may increase risk of low bone mass due to low vitamin D status, low calcium intake, and high bone turnover.

PubMed

Kruger, Marlena C; Kruger, Iolanthé M; Wentzel-Viljoen, Edelweiss; Kruger, Annamarie

2011-10-01

Globally, rural to urban migration is accompanied by changes in dietary patterns and lifestyle that have serious health implications, including development of low bone mass. We hypothesized that serum 25 (OH) vitamin D3 (25[OH]D3) levels will be lower, bone turnover higher, and nutrition inadequate in urban postmenopausal black women, increasing risk for low bone mass. We aimed to assess the prevalence of risk factors for low bone mass in 1261 black women from rural and urban areas in the North West Province of South Africa (Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology-South Africa project). Fasting blood samples were taken; and participants were interviewed to complete questionnaires on self-reported diseases, fractures, and dietary intakes. Bone health markers were assessed in a subgroup of 658 women older than 45 years. Specific lifestyle risk factors identified were inactivity, smoking, injectable progestin contraception use, and high alcohol consumption. Dietary risk factors identified were low calcium and high animal protein, phosphorous, and sodium intakes. The 25(OH)D3 and C-terminal telopeptide (CTX) levels were significantly higher in the rural vs the urban women older than 50 years. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels increased with age in both groups. The 25(OH)D levels were inversely correlated with CTX and PTH in rural women. In urban women, PTH and CTX were correlated while dietary calcium was inversely correlated with CTX and PTH with 25(OH)D3. The combination of low dietary calcium (<230 mg/d), marginally insufficient 25(OH)D3 status, and raised PTH may result in increased bone resorption. Further research is required to assess bone health and fracture risk in black African women. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Urbanization, cities, and health: The challenges to Nigeria - A review.

PubMed

Aliyu, Alhaji A; Amadu, Lawal

2017-01-01

The Nigerian society is rapidly becoming urban as a result of a multitude of push and pull factors. This has generated urban health crises among city dwellers notably the urban poor. A systematic search of published literature in English was conducted between 1960 and 2015. Published peer review journals, abstracts, Gray literature (technical reports, government documents, reports, etc.), inaugural lectures, and internet articles were reviewed. Manual search of reference lists of selected articles were checked for further relevant studies. The review showed that the pace of urbanization is unprecedented with cities such as Lagos having annual urban growth rate of 5.8%. Urbanization in Nigeria is mainly demographically driven without commensurate socioeconomic dividends and benefits to the urban environment. This has created urban health crises of inadequate water safe supply, squalor and shanty settlements, sanitation, solid waste management, double burden of diseases and inefficient, congested, and risky transport system. In conclusion, when managed carefully, urbanization could reduce hardship and human suffering; on the other hand, it could also increase poverty and squalor. Some laws need to be amended to change the status of poor urban settlements. Urban health development requires intersectoral approach with political will and urban renewal program to make our urban societies sustainable that promote healthy living.

The Structure and Correlates of Perfectionism in African American Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCreary, Beth T.; Joiner, Thomas E.; Schmidt, Norman B.; Ialongo, Nicholas S.

2004-01-01

This study examined the structure and symptom correlates of perfectionism in a sample of 6th-grade, urban, African American children using the Child and Adolescent Perfectionism Scale (CAPS; Flett, Hewitt, Boucher, Davidson, & Munro, 2000). Confirmatory factor analysis showed inadequate fit of the original subscales. Exploratory factor analysis…

Rurality and African American Perspectives on Children's Mental Health Services

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mukolo, Abraham; Heflinger, Craig Anne

2011-01-01

The combined effect of race and place of residence on caregivers' perceptions of children's mental health services is underresearched. Differences in caregiver strain, barriers-to-care endorsement, and provider satisfaction are examined among 175 rural and urban African American caregivers from one Southern state whose children received Medicaid…

A Motivational Intervention for African American Boys Labeled as Aggressive

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graham, Sandra; Taylor, April; Hudley, Cynthia

2015-01-01

A 12-week, 32-lesson afterschool intervention was conducted with third-to fifth-grade urban African American boys classified as aggressive. Grounded in attribution theory and organized around the construct of perceived responsibility in self and others, the intervention focused on increasing both social skills and academic motivation. Participants…

Contextual Stress and Health Risk Behaviors among African American Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Copeland-Linder, Nikeea; Lambert, Sharon F.; Chen, Yi-Fu; Ialongo, Nicholas S.

2011-01-01

This study examined the longitudinal association between contextual stress and health risk behaviors and the role of protective factors in a community epidemiologically-defined sample of urban African American adolescents (N = 500; 46.4% female). Structural equation modeling was used to create a latent variable measuring contextual stress…

African-American Male Student Perceptions about Factors Related to Why Black Boys Drop out of Secondary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Anntwanique DeVonne

2012-01-01

African-American males are overwhelmingly represented in the nation's dropout rates. Dropping out of school has serious social and economic consequences for our society. The dropout rate is overwhelmingly represented by African-American male students, but limited attention is given to student voice. This study examines African-American male…

Biochemical and clinical deficiency is uncommon in African immigrants despite a high prevalence of low vitamin D: the Africans in America study.

PubMed

Thoreson, Caroline K; Chung, Stephanie T; Ricks, Madia; Reynolds, James C; Remaley, Alan T; Periwal, Vipul; Li, Yanjun; Sumner, Anne E

2015-11-01

African ancestry is associated with low vitamin D levels but high bone density. Fifty percent of African immigrants had low vitamin D levels, but <10 % had evidence of deficiency. The value of providing vitamin D supplementation to African immigrants without evidence of deficiency needs to be determined. The Endocrine Society and Institute of Medicine (IOM) have concluded from studies in largely white populations that 25(OH)D is necessary for bone health. However, their definition of vitamin D insufficiency differs. The Endocrine Society recommends a 25(OH)D threshold of <30 ng/mL. The IOM uses a lower threshold of 25(OH)D of <20 ng/mL. As African ancestry is associated with decreased 25(OH)D but increased bone mineral density (BMD), the applicability of these thresholds to Africans is unknown. Therefore, we examined in African immigrants the relationship of 25(OH)D to parathyroid hormone (PTH) and BMD. One hundred eighty-six African immigrants(69 % male, age 38 ± 10 (mean ± SD), range 20-64 years) living in metropolitan Washington, DC, were enrolled. BMD was determined from whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans. Decreased BMD required T-scores ≤-1.0. The threshold for low 25(OH)D was the concentration of 25(OH)D at which PTH became suppressed. This is known as the inflection point. Biochemical deficiency required low 25(OH)D and PTH of >65 pg/mL. Clinical deficiency required low 25(OH)D and T-scores ≤-1.0. 25(OH)D <30 and <20 ng/mL occurred in 83 and 46 % of African immigrants, respectively. PTH inversely correlated with 25(OH)D (r = -0.31, P = 0.002). The inflection point occurred at a 25(OH)D concentration of 20 ng/mL. Biochemical and clinical deficiency occurred in only 8 and 3 % of immigrants, respectively. As PTH became suppressed at 25(OH)D of 20 ng/mL, the 25(OH)D <20 ng/mL threshold for insufficiency may apply to African immigrants. However, ~50 % of African immigrants have 25(OH)D <20 ng/mL, but only <10 % had

Pre-Columbian urbanism, anthropogenic landscapes, and the future of the Amazon.

PubMed

Heckenberger, Michael J; Russell, J Christian; Fausto, Carlos; Toney, Joshua R; Schmidt, Morgan J; Pereira, Edithe; Franchetto, Bruna; Kuikuro, Afukaka

2008-08-29

The archaeology of pre-Columbian polities in the Amazon River basin forces a reconsideration of early urbanism and long-term change in tropical forest landscapes. We describe settlement and land-use patterns of complex societies on the eve of European contact (after 1492) in the Upper Xingu region of the Brazilian Amazon. These societies were organized in articulated clusters, representing small independent polities, within a regional peer polity. These patterns constitute a "galactic" form of prehistoric urbanism, sharing features with small-scale urban polities in other areas. Understanding long-term change in coupled human-environment systems relating to these societies has implications for conservation and sustainable development, notably to control ecological degradation and maintain regional biodiversity.

Comparison of systemic health conditions between African American and Caucasian complete denture patients.

PubMed

Szylkowska, Ewelina; Kaste, Linda M; Schreiner, Joseph; Gordon, Sara C; Lee, Damian J

2014-07-01

To compare prevalence of systemic health conditions (SHC) between African American and Caucasian edentulous patients presenting for complete dentures (CD) at an urban dental school. The study included patients presenting for CD 1/1-12/31/2010, ages 20 to 64 years, and either African American or Caucasian. Covariates included: age group, gender, employment status, Medicaid status, smoking history, and alcohol consumption. SHC included at least one of the following: arthritis, asthma, cancer, diabetes, emphysema, heart attack, heart murmur, heart surgery, hypertension, or stroke. The group (n = 88) was 44.3% African American, 65.9% ≥50, 45.5% male, 22.7% employed, and 67.0% with at least one SHC. African Americans were older (p = 0.001) and more likely to have one or more SHC (p = 0.011). Patients with at least one SHC were older (p = 0.018) and more likely female (p = 0.012). The total sample logistic regression model assessing SHC yielded only gender as statistically significant (males < OR 0.32, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.92). Caucasian males were less likely to have SHC (OR 0.17, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.77), and Caucasians ≥50 were more likely (OR 5.36, 95% CI 1.19 to 24.08). African Americans yielded no significant associations. Among selected completely edentulous denture patients at an urban dental school, two out of three patients had at least one SHC. This exploratory study suggests there may be health status differences between African American and Caucasian patients in this setting, calling for further study. © 2014 by the American College of Prosthodontists.

Stress mitigation to promote development of prosocial values and school engagement of inner-city urban African American and Latino youth.

PubMed

Tolan, Patrick; Lovegrove, Peter; Clark, Eren

2013-01-01

Studies of predictors of development of young men of color have been primarily focused on factors that impede positive development rather than factors that promote it. There are also few examples of longitudinal studies of positive development of this population and few that consider multiple protective factors simultaneously. Little is also known about how such positive outcomes might relate to prediction of problematic functioning. This study tests a developmental-ecological framework of positive and risky development among a sample of young men of color growing up in high-risk urban environments. African American and Latino adolescent males (148 African American, 193 Latino) were followed from early to late adolescence. Stress in early adolescence was related to school engagement and prosocial values as well as depressive symptoms and problems assessed 2 years later. The role of family and individual protective factors as direct effects and as mitigating the stress-outcome relation were also tested. Stress predicted problem outcomes but not positive functioning. Early engagement in prosocial activities and coping skills did predict positive outcomes. In contrast, problem outcomes were predicted directly by stress, with some indication of interaction with some protective factors for both such outcomes. Overall results suggest value in focusing on positive outcomes along with negative outcomes, as they are not the antithesis and have some shared but some different predictors. Implications for supporting positive development are presented. © 2013 American Orthopsychiatric Association.

Oral Societies and Colonial Experiences: Sub-Saharan Africa and the "de-facto" Power of the Written Word

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abdi, Ali A.

2007-01-01

Pre-colonial traditional societies in Sub-Saharan Africa were mostly oral societies whose languages were not written. In the African context, especially, it was clear that the mostly oral traditions of these societies' languages were neither being appreciated nor promoted as media of communication, or means of education by the invading Europeans.…

Urban-rural and geographic differences in overweight and obesity in four sub-Saharan African adult populations: a multi-country cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Ajayi, IkeOluwapo O; Adebamowo, Clement; Adami, Hans-Olov; Dalal, Shona; Diamond, Megan B; Bajunirwe, Francis; Guwatudde, David; Njelekela, Marina; Nankya-Mutyoba, Joan; Chiwanga, Faraja S; Volmink, Jimmy; Kalyesubula, Robert; Laurence, Carien; Reid, Todd G; Dockery, Douglas; Hemenway, David; Spiegelman, Donna; Holmes, Michelle D

2016-10-28

��= 2.56; 95 % CI: 1.45, 4.53], SA [AOR = 4.97; 95 % CI: 3.18, 7.78], and Tanzania [AOR = 2.68; 95 % CI: 1.60, 4.49] were more likely to have BMI > =25 kg/m 2 compared with the rural and peri-urban sites. The high prevalence of overweight and obesity in these sub-Saharan African countries and the differentials in prevalence and risk factors further highlights the need for urgent focused intervention to stem this trend, especially among women, professionals and urban dwellers.

Changing Urban Work Ethic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pagano, Helen P.

1974-01-01

In an urbanized society, work and leisure include an orientation toward control, achievement, and the mobilization of energy to specific ends. Workers' attitudes, both white and blue collar, are becoming increasingly permissive and exploratory. (Author)

Child-Centered Group Play Therapy with African American Boys at the Elementary School Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baggerly, Jennifer; Parker, Max

2005-01-01

African American boys face numerous challenges in society within the United States, including prejudice, discrimination, racism, economic hardship, limited access to support services, educational biases, and community violence. According to Pierce (1988), the psychic assault of subtle racism against African American boys erode their…

From lesser-known to super vegetables: the growing profile of African traditional leafy vegetables in promoting food security and wellness.

PubMed

Aworh, Ogugua C

2018-08-01

There are hundreds of traditional leafy vegetables and wild food plants of horticultural and nutritional significance in Africa. These lesser-known crops and wild food plants that are highly adapted to harsh growing conditions thrive with little care and are available when other sources of food fail or are out of season. They are rich in micronutrients and are often the cheapest sources of many essential vitamins and minerals in many localities. Many of them are very important functional foods in African traditional diets and are rich in nutraceuticals, including polyphenols, tannins, flavonoids and flavonols, that exert demonstrable antioxidant, free radical scavenging and enzyme inhibition activities and have antimicrobial properties that provide scientific justification and possible mechanisms for their use in the management of a wide range of ailments, including diet-related, non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. African traditional leafy vegetables are invaluable in promoting food security and wellness in Africa on account of their availability and affordability, their great nutritional value, chemotherapeutic and health-promoting properties and other unique qualities. Long recognised by the rural populace as quality food items, they are becoming more popular even with the more affluent urban elites. There is the need to develop improved management practices for these super vegetables to promote their cultivation and boost their exploitation for food security and wellness in Africa. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Characterizing the learning styles and testing the science-related attitudes of African American middle school students: Implications for the underrepresentation of African Americans in the sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perine, Donald Ray

African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans and women are underrepresented among the population of scientists and science teachers in the United States. Specifically, the shortage of African Americans teaching math and science at all levels of the educational process and going into the many science-related fields is manifested throughout the entire educational and career structure of our society. This shortage exists when compared to the total population of African Americans in this country, the population of African American students, and to society's demand for more math and science teachers and professionals of all races. One suggestion to address this problem is to update curricular and instructional programs to accommodate the learning styles of African Americans from elementary to graduate school. There is little in the published literature to help us understand the learning styles of African American middle school students and how they compare to African American adults who pursue science careers. There is also little published data to help inform us about the relationship between learning styles of African American middle school students and their attitudes toward science. The author used a learning styles inventory instrument to identify the learning style preferences of the African American students and adults. The preferences identified describe how African American students and African American adult science professionals prefer to function, learn, concentrate, and perform in their educational and work activities in the areas of: (a) immediate environment, (b) emotionality, (c) sociological needs, and (d) physical needs. The learning style preferences for the students and adults were not significantly different in key areas of preference. A Test of Science-Related Attitudes (TOSRA) was used to measure seven distinct science-related attitudes of the middle school students. A comparison of the profile of the mean scores for the students in this study

[Imitative urbanisation and the outward growth of African cities].

PubMed

Badibanga, A

1985-01-01

The city with its modern infrastructure and surrounding squatter settlements is exogenous to Africa because of its organization, location, and original functions. Cities were founded in the colonial era and still are not often situated in the center of national territories but rather near a port, a border, or a source of raw materials. A primary purpose of cities was the exogenous 1 of providing a link between land and sea, raw materials and distant markets. The city of the natives was haphazardly constructed at the periphery of the European city. The barrier it once provided between African and colonist now serves to separate mass and elite. Shanty towns, 1 of the worst urban plagues and the most perfect reflection of the absolute poverty of some parts of African cities, seem to surge spontaneously in the immediate outskirts of cities. Neither their size nor their rapid growth was foreseen by urban planners. Urban overpopulation due to rapid natural increase and immigration resulting from the excessive openness to the exterior is the major problem of African urbanization in the late 20th century. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the population of cities with 5000 or more inhabitants increased from 23 million in 1960 to 75 million in 1980. Urbanization is increasing in Africa at the rate of 10%/year. Among the many causes of this dizzying urban growth, the rural exodus is 1 of the most important and itself is caused by a multitude of economic, social, and political factors. The principal economic cause is the difficulty of earning cash in the countryside and the presumed availability of employment in cities. Natural and geographic factors such as alternating rainy and dry seasons and serious droughts also favor abandonment of the countryside, at least temporarily. Famine resulting from food deficits caused by the disturbed equilibrium between population and resources and the diversion of arable lands to cash crops also favors massive

Exploration of African-American Males and the Influence of Race, Gender and Teacher Beliefs about Their Academic Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamlet, Conrad E.

2012-01-01

There has been no shortage of calls to improve teaching. Even the federal law, the No Child Left Behind Act, has mandated high quality teaching in the nation's public schools. But the question still remains "What makes an effective teacher, particularly of African-American males in an urban environment?" African-American males in…

Deconstructing Teacher Quality in Urban Early Childhood Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Jemimah L.; Butler, Bettie Ray; Dolzhenko, Inna N.; Ardrey, Tameka N.

2018-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to deconstruct the extant scholarship on quality in early childhood education and to emphasize the importance of extending the literature to explore the potential influence that a teachers' educational background may have on kindergarten readiness for African American children in urban early learning settings.…

Metals in Past Societies: A Global Perspective on Indigenous African Metallurgy Shadreck Chirikure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Devanathan, Ram

This slim book (166 pages) shines a spotlight on pre-industrial African metallurgy, its global connections, and anthropological implications. It integrates seemingly disparate disciplines, such as history, geology, ethnography, archeology, and metallurgy, to illustrate the diversity and innovation in metallurgy across Africa and the role of metals in the rise of socio-economic inequalities and political power. The book has 7 chapters and the focus on metals as enablers of human needs and wants is evident in each chapter. The first chapter presents the context of the work and data sources. The second chapter focuses on the origin and development of miningmore » and metallurgy in pre-industrial Africa. Chapter 3 is dedicated to the interaction of nature and culture in the process of mining. Chapter 4 deals with the transformation of the ore into metal by smelting and the sociocultural aspects of this process. Chapter 5 explores the social and cultural roles acquired by metals as a result of fabrication into objects. Chapter 6 examines the social role of metals, trade in metals, cultural contact, proto-globalization, and technology transfer. Finally, Chapter 7 draws lessons for global anthropology from the African experience. The sources of information are adequately cited and the long list of references at the end of each chapter will be a boon to researchers in this field. The author highlights the cultural aspects and social context of the adoption of metallurgy in Africa while drawing parallels between practices in pre-industrial Africa and those in other parts of the world. The book is peppered with delightful vignettes that offer insights into the process of transforming nature into culturally significant objects. For instance, African miners, like their counterparts in Nepal and Latin America, called upon deities, spirits and ancestors to mediate between nature and humans. Women had distinct roles in this process, but there were variations in these roles and

Early Academic Experiences of Recently Incarcerated African American Males

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jeffers, Adam R.

2010-01-01

This project examines the early educational experiences of 6 young African American males (ages 18-25) who attended urban schools in San Diego, California. All 6 men were incarcerated for at least 1-year before participating in a pre-release program. The participants were part of a pre-release program in San Diego, California, which was selected…

(De)Constructing the #FeesMustFall Campaign in South African Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

CMoloi, Kholeka; Makgoba, Malegapuru W.; Ogutu Miruka, Collins

2017-01-01

South Africans live in one of the most unequal societies in the world where squalor and abject poverty live side by side with abundant wealth. The challenge of inequality is captured eloquently in the National Development Plan (NDP), the government's roadmap of South African economic future. It has become obvious that the new generation of student…

Soil in the City: Sustainably Improving Urban Soils.

PubMed

Kumar, Kuldip; Hundal, Lakhwinder S

2016-01-01

Large tracts of abandoned urban land, resulting from the deindustrialization of metropolitan areas, are generating a renewed interest among city planners and community organizations envisioning the productive use of this land not only to produce fresh food but to effectively manage stormwater and mitigate the impact of urban heat islands. Healthy and productive soils are paramount to meet these objectives. However, these urban lands are often severely degraded due to anthropogenic activities and are generally contaminated with priority pollutants, especially heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Characterizing these degraded and contaminated soils and making them productive again to restore the required ecosystem services was the theme of the "Soil in the City- 2014" conference organized by W-2170 Committee (USDA's Sponsored Multi-State Research Project: Soil-Based Use of Residuals, Wastewater, & Reclaimed Water). This special section of comprises 12 targeted papers authored by conference participants to make available much needed information about the characteristics of urban soils. Innovative ways to mitigate the risks from pollutants and to improve the soil quality using local resources are discussed. Such practices include the use of composts and biosolids to grow healthy foods, reclaim brownfields, manage stormwater, and improve the overall ecosystem functioning of urban soils. These papers provide a needed resource for educating policymakers, practitioners, and the general public about using locally available resources to restore fertility, productivity, and ecosystem functioning of degraded urban land to revitalize metropolitan areas for improving the overall quality of life for a large segment of a rapidly growing urban population. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Working with Twice-Exceptional African American Students: Information for School Counselors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mayes, Renae D.; Hines, Erik M.; Harris, Paul C.

2014-01-01

This qualitative study examined the perceptions, attitudes, and experiences of eight twice-exceptional African American gifted students who attended the same K-12 urban school district in the Midwest. Four major themes emerged--academic supports, personal and social challenges, career worries, and experience with school counselors. Findings…

Overcoming Adversity: High-Achieving African American Youth's Perspectives on Educational Resilience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Joseph M.; Bryan, Julia

2013-01-01

This qualitative multicase research study identified the home, school, and community factors and processes that contributed to the academic success of 8 urban, African American high school graduates from low-income, single-parent families. Ten main themes emerged: school-related parenting practices, personal stories of hardship, positive…

Religion, Ritual, and Healing among Urban Black South Africans.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

du Toit, Brian M.

1980-01-01

Research carried out among urban residents in a satellite city in South Africa shows that while nearly all the subjects were members of Christian churches and attended church services, traditional supernatural beliefs and ritual practices were common. (Author/GC)

Family Matters: Familial Support and Science Identity Formation for African American Female STEM Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parker, Ashley Dawn

2013-01-01

This research seeks to understand the experiences of African American female undergraduates in STEM. It investigates how familial factors and science identity formation characteristics influence persistence in STEM while considering the duality of African American women's status in society. This phenomenological study was designed using critical…

African Cultural Concept of Death and the Idea of Advance Care Directives

PubMed Central

Ekore, Rabi Ilemona; Lanre-Abass, Bolatito

2016-01-01

An advance care directive is a person's oral or written instructions about his or her future medical care, if he or she becomes unable to communicate. It may be in written or oral form. Africans ordinarily do not encourage the contemplation of death or any discussion about their own or their loved ones’ death. According to the African belief system, life does not end with death, but continues in another realm. Becoming an ancestor after death is a desirable goal of every individual, a feat which cannot be achieved if an individual asks for an unnatural death by attempting to utilize advance care directives. Advance care directives are considered to be too individualistic for communitarian societies such as Africa. Coupled with the communitarian nature of African societies are issues such as lack of awareness of advance directives, fear of death and grief, and the African cultural belief system, which are potential barriers to the utilization of advance care directives in the African setting. Hence, the need for culture sensitivity which makes it imperative that patient's family and loved ones are carried along as far as possible, without compromising the autonomy of the patient in question when utilizing advance care directives. PMID:27803556

African Cultural Concept of Death and the Idea of Advance Care Directives.

PubMed

Ekore, Rabi Ilemona; Lanre-Abass, Bolatito

2016-01-01

An advance care directive is a person's oral or written instructions about his or her future medical care, if he or she becomes unable to communicate. It may be in written or oral form. Africans ordinarily do not encourage the contemplation of death or any discussion about their own or their loved ones' death. According to the African belief system, life does not end with death, but continues in another realm. Becoming an ancestor after death is a desirable goal of every individual, a feat which cannot be achieved if an individual asks for an unnatural death by attempting to utilize advance care directives. Advance care directives are considered to be too individualistic for communitarian societies such as Africa. Coupled with the communitarian nature of African societies are issues such as lack of awareness of advance directives, fear of death and grief, and the African cultural belief system, which are potential barriers to the utilization of advance care directives in the African setting. Hence, the need for culture sensitivity which makes it imperative that patient's family and loved ones are carried along as far as possible, without compromising the autonomy of the patient in question when utilizing advance care directives.

Barriers and Motivators to Reducing Secondhand Smoke Exposure in African American Families of Head Start Children: A Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoehn, Jessica L.; Riekert, Kristin A.; Borrelli, Belinda; Rand, Cynthia S.; Eakin, Michelle N.

2016-01-01

Objective: To identify barriers and motivators for reducing secondhand smoke exposure (SHSe) for families of African-American, low-income, urban children. Method: Audiotaped intervention sessions of 52 African-American caregivers of Head Start children who reported being a smoker and/or had at least one smoker in the home were randomly sampled…

Urbanization, Cities, and Health: The Challenges to Nigeria – A Review

PubMed Central

Aliyu, Alhaji A.; Amadu, Lawal

2017-01-01

The Nigerian society is rapidly becoming urban as a result of a multitude of push and pull factors. This has generated urban health crises among city dwellers notably the urban poor. A systematic search of published literature in English was conducted between 1960 and 2015. Published peer review journals, abstracts, Gray literature (technical reports, government documents, reports, etc.), inaugural lectures, and internet articles were reviewed. Manual search of reference lists of selected articles were checked for further relevant studies. The review showed that the pace of urbanization is unprecedented with cities such as Lagos having annual urban growth rate of 5.8%. Urbanization in Nigeria is mainly demographically driven without commensurate socioeconomic dividends and benefits to the urban environment. This has created urban health crises of inadequate water safe supply, squalor and shanty settlements, sanitation, solid waste management, double burden of diseases and inefficient, congested, and risky transport system. In conclusion, when managed carefully, urbanization could reduce hardship and human suffering; on the other hand, it could also increase poverty and squalor. Some laws need to be amended to change the status of poor urban settlements. Urban health development requires intersectoral approach with political will and urban renewal program to make our urban societies sustainable that promote healthy living. PMID:29063897

Teaching Democracy before "Brown": Civic Education in Georgia's African American Schools, 1930-1954

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Preston-Grimes, Patrice

2007-01-01

Research on the history of civic education in United States has rarely reflected the perspectives of African American teachers and students. Through analysis of archival data, I document how African American educators in one Southern state reported teaching civic values to students in a racially segregated society before the modern Civil Rights…

Racial Respect and Racial Socialization as Protective Factors for African American Male Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeGruy, Joy; Kjellstrand, Jean M.; Briggs, Harold E.; Brennan, Eileen M.

2012-01-01

African American adolescents must negotiate the transition to adulthood in a society that makes the achievement of positive cultural identity and self-respect difficult. Frequently, young men turn to violence in an attempt to achieve respect in their communities. This article explores factors that predict the use of violence among African American…

African American Preschool Children's Physical Activity Levels in Head Start

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shen, Bo; Reinhart-Lee, Tamara; Janisse, Heather; Brogan, Kathryn; Danford, Cynthia; Jen, K-L. C.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to describe the physical activity levels of urban inner city preschoolers while attending Head Start, the federally funded preschool program for children from low-income families. Participants were 158 African American children. Their physical activity during Head Start days was measured using programmed RT-3…

Reflections of Academic Experiences from Formerly Incarcerated African American Males

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jeffers, Adam R.

2017-01-01

This research examines academic experiences of African American males (ages 18-25) who attended urban schools in southern California. The participants were incarcerated for at least one year prior to being housed in a pre-release program where they reflected on their academic experiences and perceptions of the school environment. The participants'…

Familism Beliefs and Psychological Distress among African American Women Caregivers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rozario, Philip A.; DeRienzis, Daniel

2008-01-01

Purpose: Drawing from stress and coping models, we examined heterogeneity in the expression of familism (i.e., beliefs about the caregiving role) and its impact on psychological distress among African American women caregivers. Design and Methods: We relied on data from the Black Rural and Urban Caregivers Mental Health and Functioning study, a…

Our Voices: A Descriptive Account of African American Parental Involvement in an Urban Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sudduth, Charletta D.

2011-01-01

Parent involvement may have implications for student achievement (Epstein, 1986; Hoover-Dempsey, Bassler, & Brisse, 1987; Lopez, Scribner, & Mahitivanichcha, 2001). Today African-American parents are frequently criticized for not being involved enough in their students' education (Dearing, Kreider, Simpkins, & Weiss, 2006). African-American parent…

Myths in African Concept of Reality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jaja, Jones M.

2014-01-01

Myths are accounts of the origin of societies and institutions not subject to rationalization but often used by historians and philosophers in their quest to study African history; for it is only thus that we can comprehend the various aspects of the continent's history and culture. This paper examines the critical understanding of African…

The African Americanization of menthol cigarette use in the United States.

PubMed

Gardiner, Phillip S

2004-02-01

Today, over 70% of African American smokers prefer menthol cigarettes, compared with 30% of White smokers. This unique social phenomenon was principally occasioned by the tobacco industry's masterful manipulation of the burgeoning Black, urban, segregated, consumer market in the 1960s. Through the use of television and other advertising media, coupled with culturally tailored images and messages, the tobacco industry "African Americanized" menthol cigarettes. The tobacco industry successfully positioned mentholated products, especially Kool, as young, hip, new, and healthy. During the time that menthols were gaining a large market share in the African American community, the tobacco industry donated funds to African American organizations hoping to blunt the attack on their products. Many of the findings in this article are drawn from the tobacco industry documents disclosed following the Master Settlement Agreement in 1998. After a short review of the origins and growth of menthols, this article examines some key social factors that, when considered together, led to disproportionate use of mentholated cigarettes by African Americans compared with other Americans. Unfortunately, the long-term impact of the industry's practice in this community may be partly responsible for the disproportionately high tobacco-related disease and mortality among African Americans generally and African American males particularly.

Assessing the moderating effects of anxiety sensitivity on antisocial behavior among urban African American youth.

PubMed

Nebbitt, Von Eugene; Lombe, Margaret; Williams, James Herbert

2008-02-01

African American adolescents are a vulnerable population, overrepresented in the juvenile justice system and underserved by mental health providers. Consequently, a disproportionate number of African American youth in the juvenile justice system have diagnosable mental health problems. This study investigates whether, among African American adolescents, the effects of attitude towards deviance, self-efficacy, and exposure to delinquent peers on antisocial behavior are moderated by anxiety sensitivity. A sample of 238 African American adolescents ages 13-19 from 3 public housing developments participated in this study. Results indicated that 40% of the adolescents reported no involvement in antisocial behaviors. Gender, anxiety sensitivity, and attitudes towards deviance were significant correlates of antisocial behavior. Interaction effects indicate that the relative impact of attitudes towards deviance and exposure to delinquent peers on antisocial behaviors is contingent upon adolescents' level of anxiety sensitivity. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Create Success! Unlocking the Potential of Urban Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rajagopal, Kadhir

2011-01-01

Inspired by his ability to teach algebra to low-income and mostly African American and Latino urban students--and have them outscore the state averages for high-income and Caucasian students on standardized tests--Kadhir "Raja" Rajagopal, the 2011 California Teacher of the Year, provides you with a model for teaching that unleashes the…

Mammal diversity and metacommunity dynamics in urban green spaces: implications for urban wildlife conservation.

PubMed

Gallo, Travis; Fidino, Mason; Lehrer, Elizabeth W; Magle, Seth B

2017-12-01

As urban growth expands and natural environments fragment, it is essential to understand the ecological roles fulfilled by urban green spaces. To evaluate how urban green spaces function as wildlife habitat, we estimated mammal diversity and metacommunity dynamics in city parks, cemeteries, golf courses, and natural areas throughout the greater Chicago, Illinois, USA region. We found similar α-diversity (with the exception of city parks), but remarkably dissimilar communities in different urban green spaces. Additionally, the type of urban green space greatly influenced species colonization and persistence rates. For example, coyotes (Canis latrans) had the highest, but white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) the lowest probability of persistence in golf courses compared to other green space types. Further, most species had a difficult time colonizing city parks even when sites were seemingly available. Our results indicate that urban green spaces contribute different, but collectively important, habitats for maintaining and conserving biodiversity in cities. © 2017 by the Ecological Society of America.

Ontogeny of prosocial behavior across diverse societies.

PubMed

House, Bailey R; Silk, Joan B; Henrich, Joseph; Barrett, H Clark; Scelza, Brooke A; Boyette, Adam H; Hewlett, Barry S; McElreath, Richard; Laurence, Stephen

2013-09-03

Humans are an exceptionally cooperative species, but there is substantial variation in the extent of cooperation across societies. Understanding the sources of this variability may provide insights about the forces that sustain cooperation. We examined the ontogeny of prosocial behavior by studying 326 children 3-14 y of age and 120 adults from six societies (age distributions varied across societies). These six societies span a wide range of extant human variation in culture, geography, and subsistence strategies, including foragers, herders, horticulturalists, and urban dwellers across the Americas, Oceania, and Africa. When delivering benefits to others was personally costly, rates of prosocial behavior dropped across all six societies as children approached middle childhood and then rates of prosociality diverged as children tracked toward the behavior of adults in their own societies. When prosocial acts did not require personal sacrifice, prosocial responses increased steadily as children matured with little variation in behavior across societies. Our results are consistent with theories emphasizing the importance of acquired cultural norms in shaping costly forms of cooperation and creating cross-cultural diversity.

Ontogeny of prosocial behavior across diverse societies

PubMed Central

House, Bailey R.; Silk, Joan B.; Henrich, Joseph; Barrett, H. Clark; Scelza, Brooke A.; Boyette, Adam H.; Hewlett, Barry S.; McElreath, Richard; Laurence, Stephen

2013-01-01

Humans are an exceptionally cooperative species, but there is substantial variation in the extent of cooperation across societies. Understanding the sources of this variability may provide insights about the forces that sustain cooperation. We examined the ontogeny of prosocial behavior by studying 326 children 3–14 y of age and 120 adults from six societies (age distributions varied across societies). These six societies span a wide range of extant human variation in culture, geography, and subsistence strategies, including foragers, herders, horticulturalists, and urban dwellers across the Americas, Oceania, and Africa. When delivering benefits to others was personally costly, rates of prosocial behavior dropped across all six societies as children approached middle childhood and then rates of prosociality diverged as children tracked toward the behavior of adults in their own societies. When prosocial acts did not require personal sacrifice, prosocial responses increased steadily as children matured with little variation in behavior across societies. Our results are consistent with theories emphasizing the importance of acquired cultural norms in shaping costly forms of cooperation and creating cross-cultural diversity. PMID:23959869

Computer and internet use among urban African Americans with type 2 diabetes.

PubMed

Jackson, Chandra L; Batts-Turner, Marian L; Falb, Matthew D; Yeh, Hsin-Chieh; Brancati, Frederick L; Gary, Tiffany L

2005-12-01

Previous studies have identified a "digital divide" between African Americans and whites, with African Americans having substantially lower rates of Internet use. However, use of the Internet to access health information has not been sufficiently evaluated in this population. Therefore, we conducted a telephone survey to determine the prevalence of computer and Internet use among 457 African American adults with type 2 diabetes. Participants were 78% female, with a mean age of 57 +/- 11 years, and about one-third had a yearly income % $7,500. Forty percent of the participants reported having a computer at home and 46% reported knowing how to use a computer. Most participants (58%) reported that they had, at some point, used a computer, and of those, 40% reported that they used the computer to find health information. In a stratified analysis, participants with lower education levels (African Americans.

The Teaching of African Traditional Religion in Primary Schools in Zimbabwe: Challenges and Opportunities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marashe, Joel; Ndamba, Gamuchirai Tsitsiozashe; Chireshe, Excellent

2009-01-01

Zimbabwe's Education Ministry recommended the teaching of African Traditional Religion in recognition of its multi-religious society. This study sought to establish the extent to which African Traditional Religion is taught in primary schools, the challenges faced by teachers, and opportunities for promoting its teaching. A descriptive survey…

Does Geographic Setting Alter the Roles of Academically Supportive Factors? African American Adolescents' Friendships, Math Self-Concept, and Math Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Martin H.; Irvin, Matthew J.; Kibe, Grace W.

2012-01-01

The study is one of few to examine how living in rural, suburban, or urban settings may alter factors supporting African Americans adolescents' math performance. The study examines the relationship of math self-concept and perceptions of friends' academic behaviors to African American students' math performance. Participants (N = 1,049) are…

African American Teacher Candidates' Experiences in Teaching Secondary Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sato, Takahiro; Hodge, Samuel Russell

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to describe and explain the teaching experiences of African American physical education teacher candidates in secondary physical education programs at urban schools. The research design was explanatory multiple-case study situated in positioning theory (Harré & van Langenhove, 1999). The participants were seven…

Early life risk exposure and stunting in urban South African 2-year old children.

PubMed

Slemming, W; Kagura, J; Saloojee, H; Richter, L M

2017-06-01

Stunting is a measure of overall nutritional status and is a major public health concern because of its association with child mortality and morbidity and later adult performance. This study examined the effects of pregnancy events, birth characteristics and infant risk exposure on stunting at age 2 years. The study, established in 1990 in Soweto, an urban South African township, included 1098 mother-infant pairs enroled in the Birth to Twenty Plus longitudinal birth cohort study. In total, 22% of children were stunted at age 2 years, with males at greater risk than females [24.8 v. 19.4%, odds ratio (OR)=1.38; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03, 1.83]. In unadjusted analysis, male sex, household socio-economic status (SES), overcrowding, maternal age, maternal education, single motherhood, ethnicity, birth weight, gestational age and duration of infant breastfeeding were all significantly associated with stunting. In multivariable analysis, higher birth weight was protective against stunting for both sexes. Higher maternal education was protective for females only (adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=0.35; 95% CI: 0.14, 0.87), whereas wealthier household SES protected males (AOR for richest SES group=0.39; 95% CI: 0.16, 0.92). In this and other similar settings, current stunting prevention efforts focussing on primarily providing targeted proximal interventions, such as food supplements, risk undermining the critical importance of addressing key distal determinants of stunting such as SES and maternal education.

Predictors of Parenting among African American Single Mothers: Personal and Contextual Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kotchick, Beth A.; Dorsey, Shannon; Heller, Laurie

2005-01-01

Guided by family stress theory, relations among neighborhood stress, maternal psychological functioning, and parenting were examined among 123 low-income, urban-dwelling, African American single mothers. Using a longitudinal design, structural equation modeling was employed to test the hypothesis that neighborhood stress results in poorer…

Urbanisation and the nutrition transition: a comparison of diet and weight status of South African and Kenyan women.

PubMed

Steyn, Nelia P; Nel, Johanna H; Parker, W; Ayah, Rosemary; Mbithe, Dorcus

2012-05-01

To determine and compare the extent of the nutrition transition between Kenyan and South African women. A nationally representative sample of women aged ≥15 years (n=1008) was assessed in Kenya. Weight, height, and waist and hip circumferences were measured. A 24-hour dietary recall was conducted with each participant. This data was compared with data of the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) of women in South Africa (n=4481). Dietary intake of South African women was based on secondary data analysis of dietary studies using the 24-hour recall method (n=1726). In South Africa, 27.4% women had a BMI ≥30 kg/m(2) compared with 14.2% of Kenyan women. In both countries there were large urban-rural differences in BMI, with the highest prevalence in women in urban areas. BMI increased with age, as did abdominal obesity which was equally prolific in both countries with more than 45% of women in the older groups having a waist/hip ratio ≥0.85. The nutrient mean adequacy ratio (MAR) of the South African rural diet was lower than those of the Kenyans diet (55.9; 57.3%, respectively). Dietary diversity score (DDS) and food variety score (FVS) were significantly lower in South African rural women (3.3; 4.9) compared with Kenyans (4.5; 6.8). Urban-rural differences in diet and weight status indicates that the nutrition transition was similar in both countries despite large sociodemographic differences; however, rural Kenyan women had a better MAR, DDS, and FVS than South African women, most probably due to 60% having access to land.

The History of the Soil Science Society of Nigeria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okechukwu Chude, Victor

2013-04-01

The Soil Science Society of Nigeria (SSSN) founded in 1968, is a registered member of the African Soil Science Association, International Union of Soil Science and the Global Soil Partnership. The Society aims at promoting and fostering better understanding of basic and applied Soil Science in Nigeria. The society also strives to enhance the dissemination of knowledge in all aspects of Soil science and shares ideas with National and International Societies through conferences, symposium, lectures, seminars and journal publications. The numerical strength of the society is 600 members (student, ordinary ,life and corporate). The soil science society of Nigeria has provided invaluable services in the formulation of agricultural land and fertilizer use strategies and policies of the country. The existing reconnaissance soil map of Nigeria typifies one of the major professional services rendered to the country by the society and its members. Despite the numerous contributions the society has made to the advancement of soil science in the country, the larger society is not aware of the its existence. This is largely because of our limited soil extension activities to land users due to lack of funds. If the society can attract donor funds, this will go a long way in enhancing the capacity and capability of the society.

Examining a Dual-Process Model of Desensitization and Hypersensitization to Community Violence in African American Male Adolescents.

PubMed

Gaylord-Harden, Noni K; Bai, Grace J; Simic, Dusan

2017-10-01

The purpose of the current study was to examine a dual-process model of reactivity to community violence exposure in African American male adolescents from urban communities. The model focused on desensitization and hypersensitization effects as well as desensitization and hypersensitization as predictors of aggressive behavior. Participants were 133 African American male high school students, mean age = 15.17 years, SD = 0.96. Participants completed measures of exposure to community violence, depressive symptoms, hyperarousal symptoms, aggressive beliefs, and aggressive behaviors at two time points. Community violence exposure predicted changes in aggression, β = .25, p = .004, and physiological arousal, β = .22, p = .010, over time, but not aggressive beliefs. The curvilinear association between community violence exposure and changes in depression over time was not significant, β = .42, p = .083, but there was a significant linear association between the exposure to community violence (ECV) and changes in levels of depression over time, β = .21, p = .014. Results indicated a significant mediation effect for hyperarousal on the association between community violence exposure and aggressive behavior, B = 0.20, 95% CI = [0.04, 0.54]. Results showed support for physiological hypersensitization, with hypersensitization increasing the risk for aggressive behavior. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

[A new urban typology applicable to Black Africa: the case of towns in the Ivory Coast].

PubMed

Saint-vil, J

1981-12-01

A new typology of African urban areas is presented using the example of the Ivory Coast. The impact of demographic factors on education in the towns is considered, with attention to the number of inhabitants per secondary school class, the median age of urban residents, the percentage aged 10 to 20 and 15 to 20, and the sex ratio of the school-age population. The importance of education-related migration to urban centers is noted.

Urban food self-reliance: significance and prospects.

PubMed

Mougeot, L J

1993-10-01

This news account provides coverage of the satisfaction of urban food needs when retail costs are prohibitively high in developing countries. This account reports that 50-80% of average income is spent on food in nearly 50% of developing country's largest cities. Surveys conducted during the late 1980s confirm a range of 60-80% of income for expenditures on food. Surveys reveal that urban food costs are 10-30% higher than costs for rural dwellers. Urban household food production is a practice that has been around since the times of the Aztecs, the Incas, and Mayan cities. Reports survive of the Javanese and city dwellers along the Tigris and Euphrates producing their own food. Asian policy makers promote urban food production as critical to urban survival. Other factors influence urban food production. These factors include rapid urbanization, ineffective agricultural policies, inadequate food distribution systems, withdrawal of subsidies, reduction of wages, inflation, unemployment, lax urban regulations, civil strife, and drought. Government agencies are sometimes obstacles in outlawing the practice. Recent support for urban agriculture includes ten Asian, six African, and six Latin American countries. The number of urban farm workers is reported as 200 million worldwide. 700 million receive the benefits of urban agriculture. 25% of urban households in the US were engaged in urban food production during the 1980s. Better information, such as in comparative and longitudinal studies, is needed on urban poverty and the links between nutrition, income, employment, waste, and environmental issues. If cost-benefit analysis research finds a positive impact, then urban planners may need to incorporate city farming into conventional land use. The value of city farming needs to be assessed. Street food vending is an important source of income, particularly for women. Urban farming requires efficiency of space and knowledge of advances in technology and planning.

Long-term consequences of adolescent parenthood among African-American urban youth: a propensity score matching approach.

PubMed

Assini-Meytin, Luciana C; Green, Kerry M

2015-05-01

The aim of this study was to improve understanding of long-term socioeconomic consequences of teen parenting for men and women. Analysis is based on the Woodlawn Study, a longitudinal study of an African-American cohort from a socially disadvantaged community in Chicago; data were collected at childhood (N = 1,242), adolescence (N = 705), young adulthood (age 32 years, N = 952), and midlife (age 42 years, N = 833). This analysis focused on the 1,050 individuals with data on teen parenting. We used propensity score matching to account for differences in background characteristics between teenage parents and their peers and used multiple imputation to account for differential attrition. The regression models after propensity score matching showed that at the age of 32 years, in comparison to nonteen mothers, teenage mothers were more likely to be unemployed, live in poverty, depend on welfare, and have earned a GED or completed high school compared to finishing college. At the age of 32 years, teen fathers were more likely to be without a job than nonteen fathers. At the age of 42 years, the effect of teen parenting for women remained statistically significant for education and income. There were no significant associations between teen parenting and outcomes for men at the age of 42 years. Socioeconomic consequences of teenage parenting among African-Americans from disadvantaged background seem to be primarily concentrated in women and persist throughout adulthood. In addition to promoting the delay of parenting after the teenage years, it is critical to provide programs at early stages in the life course to mitigate the negative socioeconomic consequences of teenage motherhood as effects for women are broad. Copyright © 2015 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A New Approach to Reach Latino Populations in Rural and Urban Settings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morris, P.; Garcia, A.; Galindo, C.; Obot, V.; Allen, J.; Reiff, P.; Sumners, C.; Garcia, J.; Garza, O.

2004-12-01

Current statistics indicate that Latino populations have lower high school and college graduation rates than Anglos or African Americans. If Latinos do not pursue baccalaureate and higher degrees, then this group will be left behind as technological advances increasingly drive our society. The drop out rate affects not only the individuals, families, communities, and society from many different aspects, including financial independence, but also loss of potential contributing members of society in science, engineering, etc. Houston, an urban area, with a Latino population of 39% and Brownsville, a rural area represented by 84% Latinos, are two Texas areas where universities, schools, museums, and NASA are reaching out to increase science skills and graduation rates. Many Houston families have the opportunity to be introduced to different options, but Brownsville families do not have the same opportunities as the area lacks a strong industrial and technological base. We have developed programs to improve the space and Earth science knowledge base by providing summer science enrichment programs for K-12 students, family events, exposing high school students to college opportunities, and training high school and college students to serve as mentors to their peers. The peer mentors lead many of the outreach venues, interacting with the public with demonstrations and interactive science activities. In addition, we have developed a series of teacher workshops and modules on integrated science and mathematics. The teacher workshops are designed to provide the teachers with a wealth of integrated examples for classroom use.

School Leadership: Lessons from the Lived Experiences of Urban Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bridwell, Sandra D.

2012-01-01

The detrimental effects of high-stakes testing and accountability mandates are experienced disproportionately in high-poverty urban schools, which African American and Hispanic students are more likely to attend. However, the literature does not fully address how teachers experience the inequitable working and learning conditions in these…

Barriers to prostate cancer prevention and community recommended health education strategies in an urban African American community in Jackson, Mississippi.

PubMed

Ekúndayò, Olúgbémiga T; Tataw, David B

2013-01-01

This article describes the use of survey research in collaboration with the African American urban community of Georgetown, Jackson, Mississippi to identify and understand prostate cancer knowledge, resource utilization, and health education strategies considered most effective in reaching the community with prostate cancer prevention messages. The study revealed profound needs in disease identification and resources awareness and utilization. Barriers to utilization were identified by participants to include lack of self-efficacy, low self-esteem, lack of trust in the health care system, limited knowledge of prostate pathology, and limited ability to pay. Participants' recommended strategies for reaching the community with prostate cancer education include traditional and nontraditional strategies. The list of recommendations exclude modern-day outlets such as handheld devices, Twitter, Facebook, blogs, wikis, and other Internet-based outlets. The findings provide a road map for program development and an intervention research agenda custom-tailored to the Georgetown community of Jackson, Mississippi.

African American Grandchildren Raised in Grandparent-Headed Families: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelch-Oliver, Karia

2011-01-01

There has been an increase in grandparents raising their grandchildren due to parental absence. This family structure has affected urban, single, low-income African Americans at a higher rate than any other racial group. Research on grandchildren reared in grandparent-headed families (GHF) states these children are at risk of significant…

The Impact of the Great Migration on Mortality of African Americans: Evidence from the Deep South

PubMed Central

Black, Dan A.; Sanders, Seth G.; Taylor, Evan J.

2015-01-01

The Great Migration—the massive migration of African Americans out of the rural South to largely urban locations in the North, Midwest, and West—was a landmark event in U.S. history. Our paper shows that this migration increased mortality of African Americans born in the early twentieth century South. This inference comes from an analysis that uses proximity of birthplace to railroad lines as an instrument for migration. PMID:26345146

World Sounds through Universal Fellowship: Linking African Sounds through Collaborative Networking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klopper, Christopher

2005-01-01

The Pan African Society of Musical Arts Education (PASMAE) initiated the concept of Music Action Research Teams (MAT cells) at the grass-roots level for the collaborative sharing and learning of educators throughout Africa. The current number of 27 cells in Africa is a modest realization of the society's aims. However, it is strongly felt that if…

Transactional Process of African American Adolescents’ Family Conflict and Violent Behavior

PubMed Central

Choe, Daniel Ewon; Zimmerman, Marc A.

2014-01-01

This is the first longitudinal study of urban African American adolescents that has examined bidirectional effects between their family conflict and violent behavior across all of high school. Structured interviews were administered to 681 students each year in high school at ages 15, 16 17, and 18 years. We used structural equation modeling to test a transactional model and found bidirectional effects between family conflict and violent behavior across the middle years of high school, while accounting for sex and socioeconomic status. Findings suggest a reciprocal process involving interpersonal conflict in African American families and adolescent engagement in youth violence. PMID:25400490

Transactional Process of African American Adolescents' Family Conflict and Violent Behavior.

PubMed

Choe, Daniel Ewon; Zimmerman, Marc A

2014-12-01

This is the first longitudinal study of urban African American adolescents that has examined bidirectional effects between their family conflict and violent behavior across all of high school. Structured interviews were administered to 681 students each year in high school at ages 15, 16 17, and 18 years. We used structural equation modeling to test a transactional model and found bidirectional effects between family conflict and violent behavior across the middle years of high school, while accounting for sex and socioeconomic status. Findings suggest a reciprocal process involving interpersonal conflict in African American families and adolescent engagement in youth violence.

African rainforests: past, present and future

PubMed Central

Malhi, Yadvinder; Adu-Bredu, Stephen; Asare, Rebecca A.; Lewis, Simon L.; Mayaux, Philippe

2013-01-01

The rainforests are the great green heart of Africa, and present a unique combination of ecological, climatic and human interactions. In this synthesis paper, we review the past and present state processes of change in African rainforests, and explore the challenges and opportunities for maintaining a viable future for these biomes. We draw in particular on the insights and new analyses emerging from the Theme Issue on ‘African rainforests: past, present and future’ of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. A combination of features characterize the African rainforest biome, including a history of climate variation; forest expansion and retreat; a long history of human interaction with the biome; a relatively low plant species diversity but large tree biomass; a historically exceptionally high animal biomass that is now being severely hunted down; the dominance of selective logging; small-scale farming and bushmeat hunting as the major forms of direct human pressure; and, in Central Africa, the particular context of mineral- and oil-driven economies that have resulted in unusually low rates of deforestation and agricultural activity. We conclude by discussing how this combination of factors influences the prospects for African forests in the twenty-first century. PMID:23878339

Urban-rural differentials in child malnutrition: trends and socioeconomic correlates in sub-Saharan Africa.

PubMed

Fotso, Jean-Christophe

2007-03-01

This paper examines levels and trends of urban-rural differentials in child malnutrition, and investigates whether residual differences exist between urban and rural areas, given comparable measures of socioeconomic status (SES) of households and communities. Using data from Demographic and Health Surveys of 15 sub-Saharan African countries, and multilevel modelling, it shows that urban-rural differentials are considerable in all countries, that they have narrowed in most countries due primarily to an increase in urban malnutrition, and have widened in few countries as a result of sharp decline in urban malnutrition. These urban-rural gaps are abolished in almost all countries when SES is controlled. These results suggest that policies and programs contributing to the attainment of the MDGs should pay particular attention to the urban poor.

Neighborhood Environment and Adherence to a Walking Intervention in African American Women

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zenk, Shannon N.; Wilbur, JoEllen; Wang, Edward; McDevitt, Judith; Oh, April; Block, Richard; McNeil, Sue; Savar, Nina

2009-01-01

This secondary analysis examined relationships between the environment and adherence to a walking intervention among 252 urban and suburban, midlife African American women. Participants received an enhanced or minimal behavioral intervention. Walking adherence was measured as the percentage of prescribed walks completed. Objective measures of the…

Context Matters: Links between Neighborhood Discrimination, Neighborhood Cohesion and African American Adolescents' Adjustment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riina, Elizabeth M.; Martin, Anne; Gardner, Margo; Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne

2013-01-01

Racial discrimination has serious negative consequences for the adjustment of African American adolescents. Taking an ecological approach, this study examined the linkages between perceived racial discrimination within and outside of the neighborhood and urban adolescents' externalizing and internalizing behaviors, and tested whether neighborhood…

Using Book Clubs to Enhance Social-Emotional and Academic Learning with Urban Adolescent Females of Color

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Polleck, Jody N.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this article is to elucidate how book clubs can be used as a forum to enhance students' social-emotional and academic learning. The author conducted a study in a small urban high school with 2 different book clubs: The younger group consisted of 2 African American 9th graders, 2 Latina 9th graders, and 1 African American 10th…

The Association Between Forms of Aggression, Leadership, and Social Status Among Urban Youth

PubMed Central

Baker, Courtney N.; Paskewich, Brooke S.; Leff, Stephen S.

2014-01-01

While much prior research has documented the negative associations between aggression, peer relationships, and social skills, other research has begun to examine whether forms of aggression also may be associated with prosocial skills and increased social status. However, few studies have examined these associations within diverse samples of elementary aged youth. The current study examined the associations between aggression, popularity, social preference, and leadership among 227 urban, ethnic minority (74 % African American, 9 % bi-racial including African American, 12 % other ethnic minorities, and 5 % European American) elementary school youth (average age 9.5 years, 48.5 % female). Results indicated that in an urban, high risk environment, displaying aggressive behaviors was associated with increased perceived popularity, decreased social preference, and, in some cases, increased perceived leadership. The results also suggested gender differences in the association between the forms of aggression (i.e. relational and overt) and popularity. The current study underscores the importance of examining youth leadership along with forms of aggression and social status among urban minority youth. Implications for future research and aggression prevention programming are highlighted. PMID:23086015

The association between forms of aggression, leadership, and social status among urban youth.

PubMed

Waasdorp, Tracy Evian; Baker, Courtney N; Paskewich, Brooke S; Leff, Stephen S

2013-02-01

While much prior research has documented the negative associations between aggression, peer relationships, and social skills, other research has begun to examine whether forms of aggression also may be associated with prosocial skills and increased social status. However, few studies have examined these associations within diverse samples of elementary aged youth. The current study examined the associations between aggression, popularity, social preference, and leadership among 227 urban, ethnic minority (74 % African American, 9 % bi-racial including African American, 12 % other ethnic minorities, and 5 % European American) elementary school youth (average age 9.5 years, 48.5 % female). Results indicated that in an urban, high risk environment, displaying aggressive behaviors was associated with increased perceived popularity, decreased social preference, and, in some cases, increased perceived leadership. The results also suggested gender differences in the association between the forms of aggression (i.e. relational and overt) and popularity. The current study underscores the importance of examining youth leadership along with forms of aggression and social status among urban minority youth. Implications for future research and aggression prevention programming are highlighted.

Urbanization, malaria transmission and disease burden in Africa

PubMed Central

Hay, Simon I.; Guerra, Carlos A.; Tatem, Andrew J.; Atkinson, Peter M.; Snow, Robert W.

2011-01-01

Many attempts have been made to quantify Africa’s malaria burden but none has addressed how urbanization will affect disease transmission and outcome, and therefore mortality and morbidity estimates. In 2003, 39% of Africa’s 850 million people lived in urban settings; by 2030, 54% of Africans are expected to do so. We present the results of a series of entomological, parasitological and behavioural meta-analyses of studies that have investigated the effect of urbanization on malaria in Africa. We describe the effect of urbanization on both the impact of malaria transmission and the concomitant improvements in access to preventative and curative measures. Using these data, we have recalculated estimates of populations at risk of malaria and the resulting mortality. We find there were 1,068,505 malaria deaths in Africa in 2000 — a modest 6.7% reduction over previous iterations. The public-health implications of these findings and revised estimates are discussed. PMID:15608702

The effects of a nurse case manager and a community health worker team on diabetic control, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations among urban African Americans with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Gary, Tiffany L; Batts-Turner, Marian; Yeh, Hsin-Chieh; Hill-Briggs, Felicia; Bone, Lee R; Wang, Nae-Yuh; Levine, David M; Powe, Neil R; Saudek, Christopher D; Hill, Martha N; McGuire, Maura; Brancati, Frederick L

2009-10-26

Although African American adults bear a disproportionate burden from diabetes mellitus (DM), few randomized controlled trials have tested culturally appropriate interventions to improve DM care. We randomly assigned 542 African Americans with type 2 DM enrolled in an urban managed care organization to either an intensive or minimal intervention group. The intensive intervention group consisted of all components of the minimal intervention plus individualized, culturally tailored care provided by a nurse case manager (NCM) and a community health worker (CHW), using evidence-based clinical algorithms with feedback to primary care providers (eg, physicians, nurse practitioners, or physician assistants). The minimal intervention consisted of mailings and telephone calls every 6 months to remind participants about preventive screenings. Data on diabetic control were collected at baseline and at 24 months by blind observers; data emergency department (ER) visits and hospitalizations were assessed using administrative data. At baseline, participants had a mean age of 58 years, 73% were women, and 50% were living in poverty. At 24 months, compared with the minimal intervention group, those in the intensive intervention group were 23% less likely to have ER visits (rate difference [RD], -14.5; adjusted rate ratio [RR], 0.77; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59-1.00). In on-treatment analyses, the rate reduction was strongest for patients who received the most NCM and CHW visits (RD, -31.0; adjusted RR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.43-1.00; rate reduction downward arrow 34%). These data suggest that a culturally tailored intervention conducted by an NCM/CHW team reduced ER visits in urban African Americans with type 2 DM. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00022750.

Project SisterCircle: Risk, Intersectionality, and Intervening in Urban Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Wendi; Karlin, Thomas; Wallace, Deidre

2012-01-01

Adolescent Black/African descent and Latina girls in urban environments are at heightened risk for the negative consequences of sexual risk. Intervention programming that accounts for the intersection of adolescent girls' racial/ethnic cultural experiences and gender are likely to be most effective in minimizing their vulnerability for sexual…

A Persistence Model for African American Male Urban Community College Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mason, Harold P.

1998-01-01

Studies Kennedy-King College's low level of persistence among African-American "nontraditional" male students, and the resulting high rate of departure before completing specified goals. Proposes a model of persistence to develop modes of action, program enhancements, and activities within the college to increase persistence level. (24…

Drug Trafficking and Drug Use among Urban African American Early Adolescents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Xiaoming; And Others

1994-01-01

Examined relationships between drug trafficking (selling and delivering), cigarette and alcohol use, and illicit drug use among African-American adolescents. Found that drug trafficking is equally likely to occur with or without cigarette and alcohol use or illicit drug involvement, suggesting that intervention should extend to drug trafficking in…

Mother Tongue Education: The West African Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bamgbose, Ayo, Ed.

In the rapidly changing political, economic, and social life of West Africa, there is a renewed interest in cultural identity. This book describes the developments and the difficulties experienced by different West African countries in the use of mother tongues in multi-lingual society. The book was commissioned to give scholars, educators, and…

Future Time Perspective, Hope, and Ethnic Identity among African American Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adelabu, Detris Honora

2008-01-01

This study examines the relationship of academic achievement to future time perspective (FTP), hope, and ethnic identity among low-income, rural and urban African American adolescents ( N = 661). Findings indicate that adolescents who are oriented toward the future, determined to reach their goals (hope), and interested in and have a strong sense…

Changes in immunological profile as a function of urbanization and lifestyle

PubMed Central

Mbow, Moustapha; de Jong, Sanne E; Meurs, Lynn; Mboup, Souleymane; Dieye, Tandakha Ndiaye; Polman, Katja; Yazdanbakhsh, Maria

2014-01-01

Differences in lifestyle and break with natural environment appear to be associated with changes in the immune system resulting in various adverse health effects. Although genetics can have a major impact on the immune system and disease susceptibility, the contribution of environmental factors is thought to be substantial. Here, we investigated the immunological profile of healthy volunteers living in a rural and an urban area of a developing African country (Senegal), and in a European country (the Netherlands). Using flow cytometry, we investigated T helper type 1 (Th1), Th2, Th17, Th22 and regulatory T cells, as well as CD4+ T-cell and B-cell activation markers, and subsets of memory T and B cells in the peripheral blood. Rural Senegalese had significantly higher frequencies of Th1, Th2 and Th22 cells, memory CD4+ T and B cells, as well as activated CD4+ T and B cells compared with urban Senegalese and urban Dutch people. Within the Senegalese population, rural paritcipants displayed significantly higher frequencies of Th2 and Th22 cells, as well as higher pro-inflammatory and T-cell activation and memory profiles compared with the urban population. The greater magnitude of immune activation and the enlarged memory pool, together with Th2 polarization, seen in rural participants from Africa, followed by urban Africans and Europeans suggest that environmental changes may define immunological footprints, which could have consequences for disease patterns in general and vaccine responses in particular. PMID:24924958

African and Non-African Admixture Components in African Americans and An African Caribbean Population

PubMed Central

Murray, Tanda; Beaty, Terri H.; Mathias, Rasika A.; Rafaels, Nicholas; Grant, Audrey Virginia; Faruque, Mezbah U.; Watson, Harold R.; Ruczinski, Ingo; Dunston, Georgia M.; Barnes, Kathleen C.

2013-01-01

Admixture is a potential source of confounding in genetic association studies, so it becomes important to detect and estimate admixture in a sample of unrelated individuals. Populations of African descent in the US and the Caribbean share similar historical backgrounds but the distributions of African admixture may differ. We selected 416 ancestry informative markers (AIMs) to estimate and compare admixture proportions using STRUCTURE in 906 unrelated African Americans (AAs) and 294 Barbadians (ACs) from a study of asthma. This analysis showed AAs on average were 72.5% African, 19.6% European and 8% Asian, while ACs were 77.4% African, 15.9% European, and 6.7% Asian which were significantly different. A principal components analysis based on these AIMs yielded one primary eigenvector that explained 54.04% of the variation and captured a gradient from West African to European admixture. This principal component was highly correlated with African vs. European ancestry as estimated by STRUCTURE (r2 = 0.992, r2 = 0.912, respectively). To investigate other African contributions to African American and Barbadian admixture, we performed PCA on ~14,000 (14k) genome-wide SNPs in AAs, ACs, Yorubans, Luhya and Maasai African groups, and estimated genetic distances (FST). We found AAs and ACs were closest genetically (FST = 0.008), and both were closer to the Yorubans than the other East African populations. In our sample of individuals of African descent, ~400 well-defined AIMs were just as good for detecting substructure as ~14,000 random SNPs drawn from a genome-wide panel of markers. PMID:20717976

Predicting Parental Home and School Involvement in High School African American Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayes, DeMarquis

2011-01-01

Predictors of parental home and school involvement for high school adolescents were examined within two groups of urban African American parents from various socioeconomic levels. Home involvement was defined as parent-adolescent communication about school and learning, while school involvement was defined in terms of parent attendance and…

Time Perspective and School Membership as Correlates to Academic Achievement among African American Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adelabu, Detris Honora

2007-01-01

This study examined the relationship of academic achievement to time perspective (future, present) and school membership (belonging, acceptance, rejection) among 232 low-income, urban African American adolescents. Findings indicated positive, significant relationships among academic achievement, future time perspective, school belonging, and…

The African American Female Elite: The Early History of African American Women in the Seven Sister Colleges, 1880-1960.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perkins, Linda M.

1997-01-01

Examination of the experiences of over 500 African American women who attended Seven Sisters Colleges shows that some colleges admitted them readily, some only under great pressure. Reflecting the larger society, issues of discrimination in admissions, housing, and financial aid were influenced by and had an effect on the overall struggle for…

Racial Differences in Suicidality in an Older Urban Population

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen, Carl I.; Colemon, Yolonda; Yaffee, Robert; Casimir, Georges J.

2008-01-01

Purpose: This study used epidemiological data of older African Americans and Caucasians living in an urban community to compare those factors associated with active or passive suicidal ideation in each racial group. Design and Methods: Using 1990 census data for Brooklyn, New York, we attempted to interview all cognitively intact adults aged 55 or…

No Parent Left Behind: Strengthening Ties between Educators and African American Parents/Guardians.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Gail L.

2003-01-01

Used regression analyses to identify variables predicting the six most frequently cited problems that concerned African American parents and guardians of children enrolled in urban schools. Data from parent/guardian surveys highlighted six problems: school district racial climate; math problems; suspension; writing problems; reading comprehension…

Prenatal care of African American women in selected USA urban and rural cultural contexts.

PubMed

Morgan, M

1996-01-01

The purpose of this ethnonursing research was to systematically discover, describe, and analyze the beliefs, practices, and values of African American women related to prenatal care. The domain of inquiry was prenatal care of African American women within their familiar cultural contexts. The study was conceptualized within Leininger's Theory of Culture Care Diversity and Universality which enabled the researcher to study professional and generic care as influenced by the worldview, social structural factors, cultural values and beliefs, ethnohistory, and environmental context. The goal of the study was to discover knowledge that could be used by health professionals to provide culturally congruent prenatal care that would increase the health and well being of the people. The rationale for the study was based on studies that showed the lack of prenatal care in the African American cultural group leads to low birth weights and high infant mortality rates. Four major themes that focused on the domain of inquiry were identified: 1) Cultural care meant protection, presence, and sharing; 2) social structural factors that greatly influenced the health and well being were spirituality, kinship, and economics; 3) professional prenatal care was seen by the women as necessary and essential but there was distrust of noncaring professionals, and barriers to such care; and 4) folk health beliefs, practices, and indigenous health care providers were widely used by women in the African American community.

Taking up the cudgels against gay rights? Trends and trajectories in African Christian theologies on homosexuality.

PubMed

van Klinken, Adriaan S; Gunda, Masiiwa Ragies

2012-01-01

Against the background of the HIV epidemic and the intense public controversy on homosexuality in African societies, this article investigates the discourses of academic African Christian theologians on homosexuality. Distinguishing some major strands in African theology, that is, inculturation, liberation, women's and reconstruction theology, the article examines how the central concepts of culture, liberation, justice, and human rights function in these discourses. On the basis of a qualitative analysis of a large number of publications, the article shows that stances of African theologians are varying from silence and rejection to acceptance. Although many African theologians have taken up the cudgels against gay rights, some "dissident voices" break the taboo and develop more inclusive concepts of African identity and African Christianity.

The Social Contract and the African American Elderly.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Madison, Anna

1992-01-01

Explores whether or not vulnerable African-American elderly have a basic right to protection under the social contract that binds members of society as equal partners in a compact guaranteeing all members basic rights. A social justice perspective places these citizens among those who qualify for public support. (SLD)

The cosmopolitan contradictions of planetary urbanization.

PubMed

Millington, Gareth

2016-09-01

This paper explores the empirical, conceptual and theoretical gains that can be made using cosmopolitan social theory to think through the urban transformations that scholars have in recent years termed planetary urbanization. Recognizing the global spread of urbanization makes the need for a cosmopolitan urban sociology more pressing than ever. Here, it is suggested that critical urban sociology can be invigorated by focusing upon the disconnect that Henri Lefebvre posits between the planetarization of the urban - which he views as economically and technologically driven - and his dis-alienated notion of a global urban society. The first aim of this paper is to highlight the benefits of using 'cosmopolitan' social theory to understand Lefebvre's urban problematic (and to establish why this is also a cosmopolitan problematic); the second is to identify the core cosmopolitan contradictions of planetary urbanization, tensions that are both actually existing and reproduced in scholarly accounts. The article begins by examining the challenges presented to urban sociology by planetary urbanization, before considering how cosmopolitan sociological theory helps provide an analytical 'grip' on the deep lying social realities of contemporary urbanization, especially in relation to questions about difference, culture and history. These insights are used to identify three cosmopolitan contradictions that exist within urbanized (and urbanizing) space; tensions that provide a basis for a thoroughgoing cosmopolitan investigation of planetary urbanization. © London School of Economics and Political Science 2016.