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PloS One 2014American Indians and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations experience significant health disparities compared to non-Hispanic white populations. Cardiovascular disease and... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
American Indians and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations experience significant health disparities compared to non-Hispanic white populations. Cardiovascular disease and related risk factors are increasingly recognized as growing indicators of global health disparities. However, comparative reports on disparities among this constellation of diseases for AI/AN populations have not been systematically reviewed.
OBJECTIVES
We performed a literature review on the prevalence of diabetes, metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia, obesity, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease; and associated morbidity and mortality among AI/AN.
DATA SOURCES
A total of 203 articles were reviewed, of which 31 met study criteria for inclusion. Searches were performed on PUBMED, MEDLINE, the CDC MMWR, and the Indian Health Services.
STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Published literature that were published within the last fifteen years and provided direct comparisons between AI/AN to non-AI/AN populations were included.
STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS
We abstracted data on study design, data source, AI/AN population, comparison group, and. outcome measures. A descriptive synthesis of primary findings is included.
RESULTS
Rates of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome are clearly higher for AI/AN populations. Hypertension and hyperlipidemia differences are more equivocal. Our analysis also revealed that there are likely regional and gender differences in the degree of disparities observed.
LIMITATIONS
Studies using BRFSS telephone surveys administered in English may underestimate disparities. Many AI/AN do not have telephones and/or speak English. Regional variability makes national surveys difficult to interpret. Finally, studies using self-reported data may not be accurate.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS OF KEY FINDINGS
Profound health disparities in cardiovascular diseases and associated risk factors for AI/AN populations persist, perhaps due to low socioeconomic status and access to quality healthcare. Successful programs will address social determinants and increase healthcare access. Community-based outreach to bring health services to the most vulnerable may also be very helpful in this effort.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER
N/A.
Topics: Alaska; Cardiovascular Diseases; Health Status; Humans; Indians, North American; Inuit; Social Justice
PubMed: 24454685
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0080973 -
American Journal of Public Health Feb 2014To assess the experienced or perceived barriers and facilitators to health research participation for major US racial/ethnic minority populations, we conducted a... (Review)
Review
To assess the experienced or perceived barriers and facilitators to health research participation for major US racial/ethnic minority populations, we conducted a systematic review of qualitative and quantitative studies from a search on PubMed and Web of Science from January 2000 to December 2011. With 44 articles included in the review, we found distinct and shared barriers and facilitators. Despite different expressions of mistrust, all groups represented in these studies were willing to participate for altruistic reasons embedded in cultural and community priorities. Greater comparative understanding of barriers and facilitators to racial/ethnic minorities' research participation can improve population-specific recruitment and retention strategies and could better inform future large-scale prospective quantitative and in-depth ethnographic studies.
Topics: Age Factors; Altruism; Community-Based Participatory Research; Cooperative Behavior; Cultural Characteristics; Cultural Competency; Ethnicity; Health Services Accessibility; Humans; Patient Selection; Racial Groups; Racism; Research Design; Research Subjects; Sex Factors; Social Stigma; Social Support; Socioeconomic Factors; Trust
PubMed: 24328648
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301706 -
International Journal of Environmental... Nov 2021Economic inequality, political instability and globalization have contributed to the constant growth of the migration phenomenon in recent years. In particular, a total... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Economic inequality, political instability and globalization have contributed to the constant growth of the migration phenomenon in recent years. In particular, a total of 4.2 million people migrated to Europe during 2019 and most of them settled in Germany, France and Italy.
OBJECTIVES
The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review of studies analyzing the oral health condition among migrants from middle- and low-income countries to Europe and assessing the eventual association between their sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics and oral health status.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A systematic review was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus and Science Direct databases. After titles, abstracts and full-text examination, only 27 articles were selected on the basis of inclusion criteria and consequently included for quality assessments and data extraction.
RESULTS
Most of the studies reported a higher prevalence of caries experience, a poorer periodontal health and more difficulties in accessing dentalcare services among migrant groups compared with the non-migrant population. Inequalities were mostly associated with ethnic background, economic condition and social grade.
CONCLUSION
Our review demonstrates the lack of dental health among migrants, underlining that their cultural beliefs and their social and economic living conditions could influence their oral health.
Topics: Ethnicity; Europe; Humans; Oral Health; Poverty; Transients and Migrants
PubMed: 34831957
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182212203 -
International Journal of Environmental... Apr 2021Time-use of older adults can be different than in earlier life, especially during the transition from pre- to post-retirement or after experiencing major life events,... (Review)
Review
Time-use of older adults can be different than in earlier life, especially during the transition from pre- to post-retirement or after experiencing major life events, and the changes could affect their mental health. However, the extent and nature of such research in gerontology have not been examined to date. Therefore, this scoping review sought to map the literature on time-use and mental health in the older population to examine the extent and nature of those research activities. A scoping review was conducted using four databases-PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and EMBASE according to PRISMA guidelines. Data were extracted using a pretested tool to develop a descriptive analysis and thematic summary. A total of 11 articles met the eligibility criteria. Seven out of 11 studies involved cross-sectional design, while the remainder were longitudinal studies. The longitudinal studies mainly were secondary data analysis. Time-use data were mainly collected using daily diaries, and the most common mental health outcome included was depression. Only two studies did not evaluate the direct relationship between time-use and mental health. Our review has revealed studies evaluating time-use and mental health in older adults. Limitations of review and recommendations for future studies are discussed.
Topics: Aged; Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; Mental Health; Population Groups
PubMed: 33922295
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18094459 -
Journal of Public Health Management and...Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake remains suboptimal in the United States. Public education is considered an important aspect of increasing vaccination rates.
CONTEXT
Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake remains suboptimal in the United States. Public education is considered an important aspect of increasing vaccination rates.
OBJECTIVES
We systematically reviewed the literature on the impact of public education on HPV vaccine uptake.
DESIGN
PubMed was searched to identify studies published between January 1, 2007, and April 30, 2018, meeting the following inclusion criteria: the study was conducted in the US, education was directed toward the public, and the research included HPV vaccine uptake and/or completion as outcomes.
RESULTS
A total of 3764 studies were screened, and 30 published studies were included in the review. Among those, 13 focused on parent/guardian education, 8 on young adults, 6 on parent/daughter dyads, 1 focused only on adolescents, and 2 studies recruited a mixed-age population. Studies that included parents and young adults and were delivered by experts led to increased uptake of HPV vaccination (n = 14). A majority of the studies included female and Non-Hispanic White population (n = 20). Less than a third of studies included minority groups: Hispanic (n = 4), African American (n = 1), Cambodian American (n = 1), Indian American (n = 1), Korean American (n = 1), and combined Haitian and African American (n = 1) population. Minority group interventions that provided individually tailored messages, addressed misconceptions, removed barriers to vaccination, and engaged parents and community members improved HPV vaccine acceptance (n = 5).
CONCLUSION
Interventions that delivered HPV-related education by authoritative sources and included parents improved HPV vaccination rates among adolescents and young adults. Community engagement played an important role in vaccine uptake among minority populations. Future studies should focus on male participants and minority populations to reduce disparities in HPV-related cancer incidence and HPV vaccine coverage.
Topics: Adolescent; Female; Haiti; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Hispanic or Latino; Humans; Male; Papillomavirus Infections; Papillomavirus Vaccines; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; United States; Vaccination; Young Adult
PubMed: 33208719
DOI: 10.1097/PHH.0000000000001253 -
Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology Apr 2012Ophthalmic population-based studies have been used to establish the frequency of eye disease and the associated environmental and genetic factors that cause vision... (Review)
Review
Ophthalmic population-based studies have been used to establish the frequency of eye disease and the associated environmental and genetic factors that cause vision impairment and blindness. Most of these studies have concentrated on the diseases of ageing: cataract, age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. Other studies have identified eye diseases in children but few studies of young adult eye disease exist. We conducted a systematic review of the ophthalmic literature to identify potential population-based eye studies and then note the age of participants in the studies. We then summarized the disease specific to young adults to show there is a need for further research to identify eye disease in this important and often-neglected group in the community. Eighty-four large population-based studies have been conducted worldwide: 9 in North America, 2 in South America, 17 in Africa, 35 in Asia, 11 in Australia and the Pacific, 6 in Europe, 4 in the Middle East and 1 that covered 3 continents. No studies specifically examined young adults. Twenty-six per cent of studies included young adults as part of all ages examined but none of these examined a large number of young adults.
Topics: Age Factors; Blindness; Epidemiologic Studies; Eye Diseases; Humans; Incidence; Prevalence; Racial Groups; Vision, Low; Visually Impaired Persons; Young Adult
PubMed: 21668774
DOI: 10.1111/j.1442-9071.2011.02626.x -
Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine Nov 2017Age estimation from dental developmental stages is considered comparatively more accurate, reliable and precise than other methods used in forensic sciences. Willems... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Age estimation from dental developmental stages is considered comparatively more accurate, reliable and precise than other methods used in forensic sciences. Willems method is the revised version of Demirjian method, based on modified dental maturity scores to estimate age of children in years for both the sexes.
AIMS
To test the applicability and accuracy level of Willems method of dental age estimation in diverse population samples by quantifying the variations between the chronological and estimated ages of an individual.
METHODOLOGY
A systematic search of online databases (Pubmed, Scopus, Embase, Medline, Trip and Web of Science) was performed for identifying the articles utilizing Willems dental maturity scaling method for age estimation in children. All the research articles published in peer-reviewed English language journals between 2001 and January 2017 were included for present systematic review and meta-analysis.
RESULTS
Out of the total 973 selected articles; thirty one studies were recruited for qualitative analysis and out of them, 15 studies were selected/identified for quantitative and meta-analysis. It was found that Willems method overestimates the age of children to a comparatively lesser extent (-0.04 and -0.02 years) than the Demirjian method (around six months).
CONCLUSION
Willems method of dental age estimation gives comparatively lesser overestimations of age than other methods reported in the available literature and is thus, accurate and reliable enough to be utilized for forensic purposes.
Topics: Age Determination by Teeth; Child; Ethnicity; Humans; Models, Statistical; Racial Groups; Radiography, Panoramic; Sex Characteristics
PubMed: 28918371
DOI: 10.1016/j.jflm.2017.08.017 -
Neuropsychology Feb 2021The extent that executive function performance varies between racial/ethnic groups in the United States is unclear, limiting future studies on the problems underlying... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
OBJECTIVE
The extent that executive function performance varies between racial/ethnic groups in the United States is unclear, limiting future studies on the problems underlying these differences. The aim of this meta-analysis was to test two competing hypotheses: The cultural differences hypothesis asserts large differences between Whites and racial/ethnic minorities in the U.S., and small differences between- (e.g., African Americans, Latinos) and within- (e.g., Latinos: Mexican Americans, Cuban Americans) minority groups. The cultural similarities hypothesis posits small differences between Whites and minorities, and these differences are equal or smaller in magnitude than differences between- and within-minorities on executive function performance. We also tested moderators of these differences.
METHOD
We focused on overall executive functioning performance and its three core components: inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility.. A systematic search on PsycINFO, Web of Science, ERIC, PubMed, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global identified 46 records (17% unpublished; 38 independent samples) with 56,067 total participants (M = 44.48 years; range = 3.05-80.45; 52% female; 39.5% racial/ethnic minority).
RESULTS
Absolute differences between Whites and minorities (d = 0.85, 95% CI [0.65, 1.05]) were larger in magnitude compared to between-minorities (d = 0.44, 95% CI [0.28, 0.60]) and within-minorities (d = 0.09, 95% CI [0.03, 0.15]). White-minority differences were moderated by type of executive function measure and year of data collection. Post hoc analyses revealed large relative differences between some groups but not others.
CONCLUSIONS
Findings support the cultural differences hypothesis for executive function performance. This meta-analysis underscores the need to address social inequalities in the U.S. that drive performance differences. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Topics: Ethnicity; Executive Function; Health Status Disparities; Humans; Racial Groups; United States
PubMed: 33764108
DOI: 10.1037/neu0000715 -
The Lancet. Oncology Dec 2011Ethnic minority is associated with higher cancer incidence and poorer survival than is being in the majority group. We did a systematic review and meta-analysis to... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Ethnic minority is associated with higher cancer incidence and poorer survival than is being in the majority group. We did a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess whether psychological morbidity and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) were affected by minority status.
METHODS
We searched Medline, AMED, PsycINFO, Embase, CENTRAL, CINAHL, PubMed, Sociological Abstracts, and Web of Science for English-language articles published between Jan 1, 1995, and October, 2009. Articles were eligible if they reported original data on anxiety, depression, distress (for psychological morbidity), or HRQoL in minority and majority cancer patients or survivors. Minority status was defined as being an immigrant or having an ethnic, linguistic, or religious background different to the majority of the population in the country where the research was done. We excluded African Americans and indigenous groups. Eligible articles were rated for quality of reporting, external validity, internal validity, sample size, and power. Each quality criterion was rated independently by two reviewers until inter-rater reliability was achieved. In a meta-analysis we compared mean scores adjusted for socioeconomic status and other sociodemographic and clinical variables, where available. Effect sizes greater than 0·5 and 95% CI that included 0·5 or -0·5 were deemed clinically important, with negative values indicating worse outcomes in minority patients. We assessed publication bias by estimating the number of potential unpublished studies and the number of non-signficant studies with p=0·05 required to produce a non-significant overall result.
FINDINGS
We identified 21 eligible articles that included 18 datasets collected in the USA and one in each of Canada, Romania, and the UK. Ethnic minority groups were Hispanic, Asian or Pacific Islander, or Hungarian (one dataset). Overall, we found minority versus majority groups to have significantly worse distress (mean difference -0·37, 95% CI -0·46 to -0·28; p<0·0001), depression (-0·23, -0·36 to -0·11; p=0·0003), and overall HRQoL (-0·33, -0·58 to -0·07; p=0·013). Further analyses found disparities to be specific to Hispanic patients in the USA, in whom poorer outcomes were consistent with potentially clinically important differences for distress (effect size -0·37, 95% CI -0·54 to -0·20; p<0·0001), social HRQoL (-0·45, -0·87 to -0·03; p=0·035), and overall HRQoL (-0·49, -0·78 to -0.20; p=0·0008). Results were significantly heterogeneous for overall HRQoL and all domains. Tests for interaction, for adjusted versus unadjusted and comparisons of high-quality, medium-quality, and low-quality articles, were generally non-significant, which suggests no bias. We found no evidence of any substantive publication bias.
INTERPRETATION
Hispanic cancer patients in the USA, but not other ethnic minority groups, report significantly worse distress, depression, social HRQoL, and overall HRQoL than do majority patients, of which all but depression might be clinically important. Heterogeneous results might, however, have limited the interpretation. Data for other minority groups and for anxiety are scarce. More studies are needed from outside the USA. Future reports should more clearly describe their minority group samples and analyses should control for clinical and sociodemographic variables known to predict outcomes. Understanding of why outcomes are poor in US Hispanic patients is needed to inform the targeting of interventions.
FUNDING
Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, Australia.
Topics: Depression; Ethnicity; Europe; Health Status Disparities; Hispanic or Latino; Humans; Minority Groups; Neoplasms; Prognosis; Quality of Life; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; Socioeconomic Factors; United States
PubMed: 21996168
DOI: 10.1016/S1470-2045(11)70212-1 -
Canadian Journal of Public Health =... Jan 2014Regular HIV testing and early detection leads to timely treatment. Appropriate treatment and care can prevent disease progression in the individual and prevent onwards... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
Regular HIV testing and early detection leads to timely treatment. Appropriate treatment and care can prevent disease progression in the individual and prevent onwards transmission within the community. This review describes HIV testing coverage in populations disproportionately affected by HIV and in the general population in Canada.
METHODS
A search of published and grey literature on HIV testing uptake in Canada was conducted. Studies reporting quantitative data on testing practices (ever tested, recent testing, and regular testing), published in either English or French from 2008-2012, were included. Studies that involved testing for immigration or prenatal purposes, and post-intervention studies, were excluded. Included studies were assessed using a modified version of the Public Health Agency of Canada's Descriptive Study Critical Appraisal Tool. Pooled prevalence for percent ever tested was calculated for subpopulations and heterogeneity was estimated using the I2 statistic.
SYNTHESIS
A total of 26 studies were included in the review. The highest rates of ever having been tested were among people who inject drugs (90.6%) and inmates (90.4%); followed by men who have sex with men (83.0%); Aboriginal peoples (55.5%); and the general population (32.8%). Limited information was available on regular and recent testing.
CONCLUSION
HIV testing can reduce the number of undiagnosed cases in Canada. Future research should focus on testing coverage in certain populations, and on the extent to which populations engage in regular testing.
Topics: Canada; HIV Infections; Humans; Mass Screening; Population Groups
PubMed: 24735698
DOI: 10.17269/cjph.105.4128