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The research team developed a community-based, intergenerational intervention, the Spanish-language Healthy Buddy Program to alleviate transportation barriers experienced by Latinx older adults. College students were paired with Latinx older adults and helped them identify transportation- and health-related resources in their communities. During COVID-19, the program was implemented in Hillsborough County, Florida, and Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and San Antonio, Texas. This paper reports the study process and outcomes using quantitative and qualitative data collected in Texas (n = 25). Individual interviews indicated older adult participants were receptive to the program model and appreciated the roles student buddies played to help improve their mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores culturally-related concerns that arose during a multi-year study of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) along the U.S.-Mexico border and describes adaptations made to better connect the research process to study participants. The purpose of this exploration is two-fold: (1) to offer suggestions for culturally sensitive borderland mental health research; and (2) to enhance dialog focused on culture, mental health research and the U.S.-Mexico border. Systematic coding of the written record of weekly research team meetings identified six recurring cultural concerns: emotionally charged and poorly understood terminology; differing meanings of ethnicity and acculturation; quality of life—regional variation and uncertainty; overlap of research and care; hopeful but hesitant; and fatalism. We conclude that diligence in the initial planning phase of a study is only part of the challenge in doing culturally sensitive research. Equally important is an ongoing process of evaluation to make explicit cultural concerns that arise during research, as well as a readiness to implement culturally sensitive research adaptations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive cancer centers are an important community resource for cancer prevention education in their catchment areas. Colorectal cancer remains one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the United States, making prevention a priority. Colorectal cancer prevention targets include lifestyle modifications that are influenced by cultural norms, such as diet change, physical activity and screening behavior. Cancer centers must tailor prevention efforts to multiethnic catchment areas. This paper describes the development and feasibility of a comprehensive cancer center’s approach to community-based colorectal cancer prevention in Houston, Texas, specifically targeting Hispanic and Asian populations. Sites were recruited through a city-wide network of partnerships between the community relations department in the hospital and community organizations. The program consisted of three workshop-style classes per community site. Each class had a similar overall structure, but cultural and site-specific adaptations were made for each group. A total of 33 classes were taught at nine distinct community sites to 1054 participants over 9 months. This program structure may be adapted for the future dissemination of other cancer prevention tools to communities in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines relationships between body weight, religion, and gender while controlling for relevant covariates and body mass index (BMI), a measure of physical/biological body type. Using data from the 2004 Survey of Texas Adults ( n = 1,504), we present results of ordered logistic regression models which indicate that religious factors work distinctly for men and women when controlling for BMI. While church attendance is associated with lower odds of overweight perceptions among women, it is religious salience that is associated with lower odds of self-reported excess weight in men. Implications for research which associates religious and physiological factors are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a scalable “climate health justice” model for assessing and projecting incidence, treatment costs, and sociospatial disparities for diseases with well-documented climate change linkages. The model is designed to employ low-cost secondary data, and it is rooted in a perspective that merges normative environmental justice concerns with theoretical grounding in health inequalities. Since the model employs International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) disease codes, it is transferable to other contexts, appropriate for use across spatial scales, and suitable for comparative analyses. We demonstrate the utility of the model through analysis of 2008–2010 hospitalization discharge data at state and county levels in Texas (USA). We identified several disease categories (i.e., cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, heat-related, and respiratory) associated with climate change, and then selected corresponding ICD-9 codes with the highest hospitalization counts for further analyses. Selected diseases include ischemic heart disease, diarrhea, heat exhaustion/cramps/stroke/syncope, and asthma. Cardiovascular disease ranked first among the general categories of diseases for age-adjusted hospital admission rate (5286.37 per 100,000). In terms of specific selected diseases (per 100,000 population), asthma ranked first (517.51), followed by ischemic heart disease (195.20), diarrhea (75.35), and heat exhaustion/cramps/stroke/syncope (7.81). Charges associated with the selected diseases over the 3-year period amounted to US$5.6 billion. Blacks were disproportionately burdened by the selected diseases in comparison to non-Hispanic whites, while Hispanics were not. Spatial distributions of the selected disease rates revealed geographic zones of disproportionate risk. Based upon a downscaled regional climate-change projection model, we estimate a >5% increase in the incidence and treatment costs of asthma attributable to climate change between the baseline and 2040–2050 in Texas. Additionally, the inequalities described here will be accentuated, with blacks facing amplified health disparities in the future. These predicted trends raise both intergenerational and distributional climate health justice concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, five female scholars of color utilize the method oftestimonio(testimony) to document their individual lived experiences as members of a three-year long research and writing collective. This collective served as a space of liberation from the dominant discourses and practices the women were experiencing in the academy. Eachtestimoniopresents themes related to: shared struggles, friendship, trust and vulnerability, a sense of give and take, and their commitment to each other and the group. It is hoped these reflectivetestimonios(testimonies) contribute to the existing literature citing the benefits of such collaborations among female scholars and also encourages and guides other female academicians to develop their own research and writing collectives. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper examines student and teacher talk in a first grade classroom in a two-way immersion school in Central Texas. Drawing on audio and video data from a year-long study in a first grade two-way classroom and using a methodology that fuses ethnography and discourse analysis, the authors explore how pluralist discourses are constructed and lived in by bilingual students and teachers. These findings have implications for understanding the ways in which teachers and students are influenced by language policy, as well as how they might either support or undermine that policy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This is a qualitative exploration of the impact of newly emerging gang structures on the correctional setting. A purposive sample of detention and classification officers was obtained from four large urban jails in Texas. In-depth interviews were conducted about gang population characteristics and the facility management issues that they pose. Officers report recent, significant changes in Latino gang structures primarily, attributing the shifts to intergenerational conflict. At each of the four sites, this development has exacerbated many of the typical correctional challenges identified in the literature on jails and gangs. Despite the changing norms among occurring throughout Latino gang hierarchies statewide, with few exceptions, the jail management responses reported here have remained relatively stagnant over the past several decades. The paper addresses the evolving nature of jail-based gang activity as a neglected issue in correctional management policy and proposes a framework for continued investigation of the issues. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose – The Hispanic community is the fastest growing ethnic group in the USA and is currently the largest minority group with tremendous buying power. This trend has seen a significant growth with respect to the Spanish-language media in recent years. Along with the media's ability to entertain, comes the responsibility to educate and warn its audiences of eminent threats and disasters. The aim of this paper is to look at the Spanish-language media's efforts to warn and prepare its listeners for local and national emergencies. Design/methodology/approach – Using descriptive and explanatory methods the author looks at the failures of the Spanish language media to communicate emergency warnings in both the Saragosa, Texas tornado and in the case of hurricane Katrina. Findings – Research indicated that pressure from constituents, however, forced a change on the Spanish language industry. Research limitations/implications – The research was limited by not having first hand contact with the Spanish language media. Practical implications – The practical implication of this research which has social overtones is that providing disaster warnings to the non-English speaking population in the USA is achievable. Emergency managers and first responders need to be aware of issues regarding non-English speakers. Social implications – The implications for this research is that all individuals will be notified of emergencies even non-English speakers. Originality/value – The issues on non-English speakers in emergency situations have come up before. Nevertheless, this work identifies a practical solution by involving the Spanish language media in emergency alerts. It is essential that this tremendous resource be involved in emergency alerts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes HIV testing behaviors among undocumented Central American immigrant women living in Houston, Texas, USA. Respondent driven sampling was used to recruit participants for an HIV behavioral survey. HIV testing items included lifetime history of testing, date and location of the most recent test, and reason for testing. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the demographic, behavioral, and structural characteristics associated with testing. The lifetime prevalence of HIV testing was 67%. Half of those who tested did so within the past 2 years and almost 80% received their most recent test in a healthcare setting. The primary reason for testing was pregnancy. Lifetime testing was associated with being from Honduras, having over a sixth grade education, having a regular healthcare provider, and having knowledge of available healthcare resources. Our results suggest that expanding access to healthcare services may increase the prevalence of HIV testing in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Applying the concept of microlending to housing is gaining momentum as a practical alternative for those who are on the margin of mainstream financial services. Microlending has been widely researched in the context of developing countries, but less is known about how – and if – it works on marginalized groups in developed countries, specifically in relation to housing. Using the case of South Texas colonias, this paper explores a microlending program for home improvements and its capacity to impact the local economy. Basic data comes from the Nuestra Casa lending program database (609 clients) and from face to face interviews with a randomly selected sample of 138 clients. Our findings show that this program targets and serves clients from the unbanked population, who do not have access to other lending alternatives; further, 70% of the current clients are living below the poverty threshold; defaults rates are found to be low, indicating a capacity to pay loans based on income-to-debt instead of loan-to-debt ratios; and finally, it positively impacts the local economy, since labor and materials necessary to implement the improvements, are purchased locally. These findings should give us policy guidelines to evaluate lending programs that attached to local economies and are suited to serve the target populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper contributes to the environmental justice literature by analyzing contextually relevant and racial/ethnic group-specific variables in relation to air toxics cancer risks in a US–Mexico border metropolis at the census block group-level. Results indicate that Hispanics'' ethnic status interacts with class, gender and age status to amplify disproportionate risk. In contrast, results indicate that non-Hispanic whiteness attenuates cancer risk disparities associated with class, gender and age status. Findings suggest that a system of white-Anglo privilege shapes the way in which race/ethnicity articulates with other dimensions of inequality to create unequal cancer risks from air toxics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

To systematically study and document regional variations in descriptions of nervios, we undertook a multisite comparative study of the illness among Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Mexican Americans, and Guatemalans. We also conducted a parallel study on susto (Weller et al. 2002, Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry 26(4): 449-472), which allows for a systematic comparison of these illnesses across sites. The focus of this paper is inter- and intracultural variations in descriptions in four Latino populations of the causes, symptoms, and treatments of nervios, as well as similarities and differences between nervios and susto in these same communities. We found agreement among all four samples on a core description of nervios, as well as some overlap in aspects of nervios and susto. However, nervios is a much broader illness, related more to continual stresses. In contrast, susto seems to be related to a single stressful event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Latinos are fast becoming the largest ethnic minority group, they remain an under-researched population. In this paper we contribute to the nascent field of Latino violence research by conducting an examination of Latino homicides in two U.S. cities. Methods. Direct access to homicide investigations unit files on over 1,800 homicide cases in two predominantly Latino cities (El Paso, Texas, and Miami, Florida) allowed us to collect a unique data set for our analysis of Latino homicide victim and event characteristics. Results. Similarities and differences in homicide patterns relevant to important policy and theoretical debates are discussed. For example, in both cities, homicides were overwhelmingly intragroup, and males comprised the majority of victims in four out of five types of homicide (intimate homicide victims were almost exclusively Latina). Despite similar employment, poverty, and family-structure characteristics for Latinos in both cities, important differences emerged (e.g., Miami's homicide rate was almost three times that of El Paso). Conclusions. The intraethnic variations in patterns of homicide we report challenge existing theories of criminal violence and demonstrate the value of using group-disaggregated data to examine both cultural and structural forces affecting violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: Hispanic women in Texas have among the highest rates of cervical cancer incidence and mortality in the country. Increasing regular Papanicolaou test screening and HPV vaccination are crucial to reduce the burden of cervical cancer among Hispanics. This paper presents lessons learned from community-based cervical cancer control programs for Hispanics and highlights effective intervention programs, methods and strategies. Methods: We reviewed and summarized cervical cancer control efforts targeting Hispanic women, focusing on interventions developed by researchers at the University of Texas, School of Public Health. We identified commonalities across programs, highlighted effective methods, and summarized lessons learned to help guide future intervention efforts. Results: Community–academic partnerships were fundamental in all steps of program development and implementation. Programs reviewed addressed psychosocial, cultural, and access barriers to cervical cancer control among low-income Hispanic women. Intervention approaches included lay health worker (LHW) and navigation models and used print media, interactive tailored media, photonovellas, client reminders, one-on-one and group education sessions. Conclusions: Small media materials combined with LHW and navigation approaches were effective in delivering Pap test screening and HPV vaccination messages and in linking women to services. Common theoretical methods included in these approaches were modeling, verbal persuasion, and facilitating access. Adaptation of programs to an urban environment revealed that intensive navigation was needed to link women with multiple access barriers to health services. Collectively, this review reveals 1) the importance of using a systematic approach for planning and adapting cervical cancer control programs; 2) advantages of collaborative academic–community partnerships to develop feasible interventions with broad reach; 3) the use of small media and LHW approaches and the need for tailored phone navigation in urban settings; and 4) coordination and technical assistance of community-based efforts as a way to maximize resources. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]