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Telomeres are repetitive nucleotide sequences located at the ends of chromosomes that protect genetic material. We use data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to analyze the relationship between exposure to spatially concentrated disadvantage and telomere length for white and black mothers. We find that neighborhood disadvantage is associated with shorter telomere length for mothers of both races. This finding highlights a potential mechanism through which the unique spatially concentrated disadvantage faced by African Americans contributes to racial health disparities. We conclude that equalizing the health and socioeconomic status of black and white Americans will be very difficult without reducing levels of residential segregation in the United States.

Black Americans have been disproportionately affected by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19) pandemic. Since the pandemic's start, we have observed compounded health, social, and economic impacts for communities of color, fueled in part by profound residential segregation in the United States that, for centuries prior to the pandemic, created differences in access to opportunity and resources. Based on a longitudinal cohort of Black residents living in two racially isolated Pittsburgh neighborhoods, we sought to: 1) describe the experiences of behavioral responses to COVID-19 conditions (e.g., closures of businesses, schools, government offices) and illness experiences reported by residents within these disinvested, urban areas and 2) determine if these experiences were associated with perceptions of risk, negative mental health outcomes, and food insecurity; and 3) examine whether any of the associations were explained by social isolation or modified by neighborhood walkability. We found direct associations between residents' experience with COVID-19-related closures and with the illness, with perceived risk, and change in psychological distress, sleep quality, and food insecurity from pre-COVID-19 levels. Social isolation was a statistically significant mediator of all of these associations, most strongly mediating the pathway to psychological distress. We found neighborhood walkability to be a significant moderator of the association between closure experiences and sleep quality. The results suggest that experiences of COVID-19 closures and illness were associated with serious threats to public health in Black, disinvested, urban neighborhoods, beyond those caused directly by the virus. Outcomes of the pandemic appear very much dependent on the extent to which social and physical resources are available to meet the demands of stress.

Background: Racial/ethnic residential segregation has been studied extensively, but few studies have focused on the growing population of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIANs). An examination of the group's residential patterns will contribute to an understanding of the social position of AIANs and the overall pattern of racial/ethnic residential segregation in the United States. Objective: What is the average level of residential segregation in 2010 across metropolitan and micropolitan areas with a substantial AIAN presence? What are the most and least segregated areas for this group? What are the causes and correlates of residential segregation for this group? Methods: I use the index of dissimilarity to measure the residential segregation of single-race and multiracial AIANs from non-Hispanic whites in 264 metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas, using data from the 2010 census. I also use data from the 2010 census and the 2006-2010 American Community Survey to estimate OLS regression models examining the possible causes and correlates of segregation levels across metropolitan and micropolitan areas. Results: The index of dissimilarity for single-race AIANs is 31.8, while for multiracial AIANs it is 23.6. For both single-race and multiracial AIANs, higher segregation levels are found in metropolitan areas with larger populations, a higher proportion of AIANs, more female-headed households, and a lower relative education level for AIANs. Conclusions: Relative to other racial/ethnic groups, AIANs - especially multiracial AIANs - experience low levels of residential segregation from non-Hispanic whites. Contribution: This is the first study that reports and examines residential segregation levels for AIANs using 2010 census data.