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Introduction: As part of its mission to advance Transcultural Nursing worldwide, the Transcultural Nursing Society Scholars upholds the central role of the discipline and cultural competence in advocacy, empowerment, and transformation of the life conditions of disadvantaged populations. This White Paper affirms the Scholars' core belief in the value of Transcultural Nursing and culturally competent care in addressing social determinants to promote health equity. Methods: The Scholars Education Interest Group proposes recommendations for changes in education, practice, and research undergirding the discipline and expand cultural competence to directly address social structural and historical forces that perpetuate health vulnerability in diverse populations. Results: Collaborative leadership between the TCNS Scholars, Board of Trustess and members should develop initiatives to foster implementation of the recommendations and promote global dissemination of exemplars in education, research and practice. Discussion: Collaborative implementation of recommendations will generate evidence of health equity outcomes through TCN and culturally competent care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article informs about the call for papers for a special issue on Culturally Responsive Qualitative Health Research, aiming to address important contemporary issues in qualitative health research. Topics include the aim and purpose of the special edition, the methodology of culturally responsive qualitative research, and the significance of disrupting harmful research practices in health-related disciplines.

Objective: Publication science is the scholarly study of various aspects of the academic publishing process. Its applications to COVID-19 literature have been limited. Here, we describe COVID-19 submissions to, and resulting articles published by, the journal Public Health Reports (PHR), an important resource for US public health practice. Methods: We reviewed PHR 's COVID-19 submissions and articles published between March 27, 2020, and March 27, 2023. We coded each article for article type, author affiliation, the categories listed in PHR 's call for COVID-19 papers, and the public health emergency preparedness and response capabilities from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Results: During the study period, PHR received 1545 COVID-19 submissions and published 190 of those articles in a collection, COVID-19 Response. The COVID-19 Response collection included 102 research articles, 29 case study/practice articles, and 24 commentaries. The corresponding author of more than half (52.1%; n = 99) of the articles was affiliated with academia. By the categories listed in PHR 's call for COVID-19 papers, 51 articles addressed health disparities, 38 addressed public health surveillance, and 34 addressed COVID-19 vaccination. By the CDC public health emergency preparedness and response capabilities, 87 articles addressed public health surveillance and epidemiologic investigation, 38 addressed community preparedness, and 32 addressed community recovery. The percentage of articles focused on policy/law was higher early in the pandemic (2020-2021) than later (2022-2023) (9.5% vs <3.0%). During the latter period, articles largely focused on vaccination (12.8%) and contact tracing (10.6%). Conclusions: Articles published in PHR 's COVID-19 Response collection covered a broad range of topics and were authored by contributors from diverse organizations. Our characterization of the COVID-19 output of a representative US public health practice journal can help academic publishing better address informational needs of public health responders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on Joan Benach, a Professor of Sociology at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, highlighting his work in health inequalities, precarious employment, and health policy analysis. Topics include his leadership in the Spanish Black Report, co-chairing the EMCONET study for the World Health Organization, and coordinating the Spanish Commission on Precarious Employment and Mental Health.

Population Health Management – often abbreviated to PHM – is a relatively new approach for healthcare planning, requiring the application of analytical techniques to linked patient level data. Despite expectations for greater uptake of PHM, there is a deficit of available solutions to help health services embed it into routine use. This paper concerns the development, application and use of an interactive tool which can be linked to a healthcare system's data warehouse and employed to readily perform key PHM tasks such as population segmentation, risk stratification, and deriving various performance metrics and descriptive summaries. Developed through open-source code in a large healthcare system in South West England, and used by others around the country, this paper demonstrates the importance of a scalable, purpose-built solution for improving the uptake of PHM in health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Older people living with multimorbidity are projected to become the main recipients of palliative care in the coming decades, yet there is limited evidence regarding their expressed palliative care needs to inform person-centred care. Aim: To understand the palliative care needs of community-dwelling people aged ⩾60 living with multimorbidity in the last 2 years of life. Design: A scoping review following Arksey and O'Malley. Data sources: Three international electronic databases (CINAHL, Ovid Medline, PsycINFO) were searched from March 2018 to December 2021. Reference lists were hand searched. Eligible papers were those reporting empirical data on older people's needs. Results: From 985 potential papers, 28 studies were included, published between 2002 and 2020; sixteen quantitative, nine qualitative and three mixed methods. Data were extracted and presented under the holistic palliative care domains of need: physical, psychological, social, spiritual, and additionally practical needs. Different measurement tools (n = 29) were used, of which 20 were multidimensional. Primacy in reporting was given to physical needs, most commonly pain and function. Social and practical needs were often prioritised by older people themselves, including maintaining social connections and accessing and receiving individualised care. Conclusion: Identifying the palliative care needs that matter most to older people with multimorbidity requires the recognition of their concerns, as well as their symptoms, across a continuum of living and dying. Available evidence is superficial. Supporting end of life provision for this growing and underserved population necessitates a shift to tailored multidimensional tools and community focussed integrated care services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the author discusses articles in the issue on topics including mental health services in Colombia, the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in the Gulf countries and universal health care in the U.S.

Community Health Workers, promotores, and navigators (henceforth, CHWs) emerged as critical members of the public health workforce addressing social, economic, and health inequities worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. While there is increased appreciation for and utilization of CHW models, and recognition of the importance of tailoring and innovating these models during the pandemic, few studies have examined the processes of change by which CHW models operated during the COVID-19 pandemic and factors that facilitated or constrained CHW health equity efforts. This protocol paper describes and reflects on the research methodology used in our qualitative study focused on CHWs. The CATALYST study aims to examine the roles that CHWs served during the COVID-19 pandemic and facilitators and barriers related to CHW health equity strategies. This qualitative study incorporates the lived experiences of CHWs, low-income communities of color whom CHWs engaged, and institutional representatives and policymakers familiar with locally implemented CHW models during the pandemic. Through a community-based participatory research process, this study involves an abductive qualitative approach to data collection and analysis. We integrate community member expertise alongside CHW and health equity frameworks in designing the research questions and data collection process. Additionally, we use an analytic approach that combines inductive (drawn from qualitative data) and deductive codes (drawn from theoretical frameworks and practice-based evidence integrated through a participatory research process) and nimbly leverages flexible coding to address inductive themes and practice-based questions. Our collaborative process offers concrete strategies to develop qualitative research protocols with community partners, with evidence used to inform policy, programmatic, and relational changes to support and amplify CHW models to promote community health and health equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Racial microaggressions are subtle and everyday actions that communicate derogatory messages or assumptions based on an individual's race. These seemingly minor acts, often unintended, can accumulate to undermine patient well- being and contribute to healthcare disparities. They are the unnoticed comments, gestures, or attitudes that carry significant impact. Through a systematic analysis of the literature, we highlight the insidious nature of racial microaggressions and their impact on healthcare outcomes. The objectives of this paper are to: * Present real-life instances from research to showcase the tangible effects of racial microaggressions. * Identify the everyday scenarios within healthcare inter- actions where racial microaggressions often occur. * Emphasise the need for recognition and understanding of these biases for fostering better patient-provider relationships. Also, by analysing the fundamental elements underpinning racial microaggressions such as systems, interactions, vulnerabilities and consequences, we explore the implications it has on healthcare policy and management. Most importantly, we address the importance of identifying and tackling racial microaggressions in order to create a more inclusive healthcare environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unequal divisions of paid work and care among new parents contribute to increasing inequalities. One explanation for this is joint utility maximization and the benefits of partners (temporarily) specializing in paid work and care. This paper examines the (dis)advantages of specializing compared to dividing tasks more equally by studying whether differences in specialization between same-sex and different-sex couples lead to differences in household earnings after entering parenthood. Using register data from Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Sweden and examining first-time parents, we show that female couples have a more equal within-couple income development during the transition to parenthood than different-sex couples do. However, we find no differences in household income (including or excluding social transfers) between the two types of couples. Although a more equal task division may be preferred from an individual perspective, our results show no evidence of a "best strategy" when it comes to maximizing household income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines empathetic behavior in the United States, a strongly individualistic country, as contrasted with Hungary and Ethiopia, which are moderately individualistic and strongly collectivistic respectively. It suggests that empathy may have a wider than originally perceived application in diverse settings to combat factors of ethnic bias and discrimination that adversely impact health. Models that distinctly focus on the development of healthcare provider empathic care are needed to enable the needs of resource scarce regions of the world to be met, including pockets of the U.S. More investigation is warranted on how empathic behavior can positively impact health outcomes and disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic on the existing health inequalities disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations. It explores the impact of COVID-19 pandemic response measures to "curb the spread" on informal sector workers in Ghana. In Ghana, like many other developing countries, the informal sector was impacted by a higher risk of exposure to the COVID-19 infection and the slew of pandemic response measures, for example, lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, as well as guidelines around social distancing implemented by their governments. Given the high level of precarity that undergirds work in the informal sector and the intersectional forces that contribute to and maintain their marginality—class, race, ethnicity, gender, religion, and geographic location—this paper creates a space for dialogue about the unintended consequences of pandemic response measures on the livelihood security of informal sector workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aging is a challenging process for people with gender nonconformity. Indeed, the older transgender population faces several disparities in accessing and using health care and social support services. Furthermore, the clinical management of gender transition in later life is empirical since clear research evidence is lacking. This paper aimed to present the problems encountered by older transgender adults in their access to social support and health care and to propose insightful solutions to address them both from a social and medical/nursing perspective. Trans elders face profound disparities in health and social care due to factors associated with limited accessibility to health services, social restrictions, administrative failures, and physical vulnerabilities. The medical treatment of older transgender adults also needs a careful approach to achieve satisfying gender affirmation without clinically significant risks. The potential induction of hormone-sensitive malignancies and the provocation of major adverse vascular events are the main concerns. Gender transition in older adults without a prior history of following gender-affirming therapy is challenging due to biological factors related to advanced age. Caring for elderly trans people unfolds at multiple levels. International organizations and governmental bodies should address the underprivileged status of elderly transgender people by creating and implementing inclusive policies. Safe and respectful clinical and residential environments and the formation of clearer medical guidelines could meet the unique needs of older trans adults. Care providers must advocate for their patients and be equipped to provide safe and effective services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adverse maternal and infant health outcomes among African Americans are increasingly recognized as indicators of a critical public health crisis in the United States. Research has found that stress is related to structural racism and the social determinants of health (SDOH) that cause avoidable, unfair inequities in resources, education, power, and opportunities across ethnic groups. This paper describes the SDOH needs and experiences of pregnant Black women from the perspective of doulas and Birthing Beautiful Communities (BBC) clients. The design was a qualitative description, using data collected over time (2017–2018, 2020–2021, and 2023). This study took place in Cleveland and Akron, Ohio and the sample included 58 clients, 26 doulas, and 2 resource intake specialist assistants (RISAs). Qualitative data included individual client interviews, three doula focus groups, and one interview with two BBC RISAs. Three coders used content analysis to deductively identify SDOHs and calculate the number of interviews that contained information about specific SDOHs. Although the sample reported issues with all SDOH, particular ones caused a cascade of SDOH effects. Transportation issues, for example, impeded women from being able to make it to work, doctor's appointments, and to purchase essential baby items (e.g., food, infant supplies). An inability to work—whether because of transportation challenges or pregnancy-related health complications—led to unstable housing and an inability to deal with transportation challenges. Many clients mentioned that housing was a major issue, with many clients experiencing housing instability. Implications include ensuring SDOH information is collected from a trusted source who can advocate and ensure access to a wide range of local resources, ensuring policies protect pregnant women from experiencing a cascade of SDOH that may contribute to continuing health disparate infant and maternal health outcomes in African American women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This paper examines the health, work, and financial experiences of older adults with disabling conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also explores the role of county- and state-level conditions in these experiences. Methods: Using data from the 2020 Health and Retirement Study, we estimated regression models to assess differences in outcomes between those with and without disabling conditions and by race/ethnicity. We used multilevel modeling to assess whether and how county or state factors might be associated with the differences in these effects. Results: Older adults with disabilities were more likely to report experiencing financial hardships, delaying health care, and experiencing effects on work than those without disabilities; these differences are heighted between race and ethnicity. Older adults with disabilities were more likely to live in counties with greater social vulnerability. Discussion: This work underscores the importance of developing a robust, disability-inclusive public health response that protects older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An editorial is presented on a call for papers for a special issue of Clinical Nursing Research focusing on the intersection of social determinants of health (SDOH) and patient care strategies. It highlights the various domains of SDOH and their impact on health outcomes and disparities. The objective of the special issue is to raise awareness, provide strategies, and explore opportunities and challenges in incorporating SDOH considerations in clinical care.

The focus of this methodological paper is to discuss the challenges of conducting fieldwork, using reflections from our experiences of accessing a research site for ethnographic data collection. The research project aimed to explore nurses' social relations in their workplace and the inequities between and within these relations among nurses of diverse social positions. Due to the sensitive nature of this topic, access to the research site posed several challenges and was further complicated by the bureaucratic ethics process that governs clinical sites in Australia. Although this study was considered a low and negligible risk research, negotiating the ethics process was full of hitches and hindrances resulting in the refusal of access. This paper offers ethnographers a reflection on challenges in accessing clinical sites to conduct research and a discussion of strategies that may be useful to navigate and counter these challenges by managing social relations in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a need to understand how to improve palliative care provision for people impacted by social inequity. Social inequity, such as that related to socioeconomic circumstances, has profound impacts on experiences of death and dying, posing personal and professional challenges for frontline professionals tasked to ensure that everyone receives the best standard of care at the end of their lives. Recent research has highlighted an urgent need to find ways of supporting healthcare professionals to acknowledge and unpack some of the challenges experienced when trying to deliver equitable palliative care. For example, those involved in patient or person-centred activities within health settings often feel comfortable focusing on individual choice and responsibility. This can become ethically problematic when considering that inequities experienced towards the end of life are produced and constrained by socio-structural forces beyond one individual's control. Ideas and theories originating outside palliative care, including work on structural injustice, cultural safety and capabilities approach, offer an alternative lens through which to consider roles and responsibilities for attending to inequities experienced at the end of life. This paper draws upon these ideas to offer a new way of framing individual responsibility, agency and collective action that may help palliative care professionals to support patients nearing their end of life, and their families, in the context of socioeconomic disadvantage. In this paper, we argue that, ultimately, for action on inequity in palliative care to be effective, it must be coherent with how people understand the production of, and responsibility for, those inequities, something that there is limited understanding of within palliative care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a need in South Africa to understand the status of available care and support to strengthen responses to dementia. This study provides a situational analysis of the current provisions of health, care and support for older persons, people living with dementia and their families in South Africa. It is a first step towards describing the landscape of needs and services available, and provides an evidence base to inform priority-setting for strengthening responses to dementia in South Africa. This situational analysis was conducted in three phases: (1) a desk review guided by a comprehensive topic guide which includes the WHO's Global Dementia Observatory indicators; (2) multi-sectoral stakeholder interviews to verify the secondary sources used in the desk review, and to identify gaps and opportunities in policy and service provisions; and (3) a SWOT-analysis examining the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in current care and support provisions in South Africa. Our findings highlight the gaps and opportunities with current service provision and show how structural factors create barriers to diagnosis, support, and care. There is an urgent need for intersectoral policy responses to support and strengthen current health, social care, and long-term support systems so that people living with dementia and their families can live and age well. This paper forms part of a larger study on strengthening responses to dementia (The STRIDE project). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significance of mental health inequities globally is illustrated by higher rates of anxiety and depression amongst racial and ethnic minority populations as well as individuals of lower socioeconomic status. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated these pre-existing mental health inequities. With rising mental health concerns, arts engagement offers an accessible, equitable opportunity to combat mental health inequities and impact upstream determinants of health. As the field of public health continues to shift its focus toward social ecological strategies, the social ecological model of health offers an approach that prioritizes social and structural determinants of health. To capture the impacts of arts engagement, this paper creates an applied social ecological model of health while aiming to advocate that engaging in the arts is a protective and rehabilitative behavior for mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses three cultural narratives that threaten the health of people with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD) and which have become more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. These meta-narratives are the medical model of health/disability; the population health approach to health inequalities; and policies premised on the assumption of the importance of national economic growth as an incentive for reducing health inequalities. Evidence exists that health research is more likely to become policy if it fits within a medical model and addresses national economic growth. These two criteria are particularly problematic for people who have IDD. The paper also proposes a research model to facilitate the inclusion of IDD related issues in future policy regarding health inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An expansive and methodologically varied literature designed to investigate racial disparities in health now exists. Empirical evidence points to an overlapping, complex web of social conditions that accelerate the pace of aging and erodes long-term health outcomes among people of color, especially Black Americans. However, a social exposure—or lack thereof—that is rarely mentioned is time use. The current paper was specifically designed to address this shortcoming. First, we draw on extant research to illustrate how and why time is a critical source of racial disparities in health. Second, we employ fundamental causes theory to explain the specific mechanisms through which the differential distribution of time across race is likely to give rise to unequal health outcomes. Finally, we introduce a novel conceptual framework that identifies and distinguishes between four distinct forms of time use likely to play an outsized role in contributing to racial disparities in health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper presents a re-analysis of the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) data presented by Briggs et al. (2022). Methods: We review five components of that article: The aims, variables, analytic strategy, analysis, and conclusions. Results: We conclude that several of the NCANDS variables used are invalid at the national level, and that this is sufficient to call the research into question. We find concerning issues in analytic strategy and analysis as well, many stemming from a failure to account for the serious underreporting of services in NCANDS, and the wide variability in data quality and consistency across states. We also found what we consider to be issues with their statistical analysis. Discussion: The reanalysis presented in this article shows no pattern of disparate within Child Protective Services (CPS) outcomes by race and, therefore, no support for the Briggs et al. claim of pervasive anti-Black racism within the CPS system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Holistic nursing practice requires an understanding of the constraints of poverty as one of the social determinants of health. Future nurses need to be change agents for social justice. A descriptive, qualitative study was conducted to explore students' experience of the Missouri Association for Community Action Poverty Simulation© (CAPS) and its impact on empathy and social justice awareness among a purposive sample of 56 sophomore baccalaureate nursing students at a public university in the Northeastern United States. Inductive thematic analysis was applied to data collected from a postparticipation reflection paper. Five themes emerged: (a) emotions, (b) personal history of poverty, (c) empathy, (d) rising advocacy, and (e) lessons learned. The results support that the CAPS simulation provides an experiential opportunity which impacts empathy and foundational attitudes to be a change agent for social justice. Recommendations include structured education about social determinants of health prior to the CAPS simulation, continued education throughout nursing curricula, and experiential opportunities to apply social justice skills before graduation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The caste system is social stratification system that has been used over the last 3 millennia. This review aims to investigate caste-based inequity in health care utilization in South Asia, particularly focusing those at the bottom of the caste hierarchy, commonly known as Dalit communities. A systematic methodology was followed; key databases (including CINAHL, Medline, SocINDEX, PubMed, Nepjol, JSTOR, and ASSIA) were searched for relevant articles published before October 2019, using comprehensive search strategy in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. In total 15,109 papers were found, and from these, nine selected papers were included in the review. The papers focused on studies in both India (n = 7) and Nepal (n = 2) and utilized a range of methods including qualitative (n = 2), quantitative (n = 3), and mixed methods (n = 4) approaches. The review identified four main themes: stigma, poverty, cultures and beliefs, and health care. Caste-based inequity impacts upon all aspects of an individual's well-being including violence and everyday life risks. Caste also impacts upon individuals' opportunities to access education, employment, and health care. Dalits appear to experience this more significantly due to both poverty and their caste status, which increases their vulnerability to health risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This paper provides new estimates of disability prevalence for the archipelago and mainland-residing Puerto Rican populations ages 40 and above and compares disability by place of birth and place of residence to investigate drivers of middle and older age health. Methods: Large nationally representative samples from 2013 to 2017 American Community Survey and Puerto Rico Community Survey data are used to estimate age-specific disability prevalence for archipelago-born/archipelago-residing, archipelago-born/mainland-residing, mainland-born/mainland-residing Puerto Ricans. Results: Mainland-born/mainland-residing Puerto Ricans have the lowest age-adjusted disability rates and archipelago-born/archipelago-residing Puerto Ricans have the highest rates. Differences in education explain part of this disparity. Discussion: Similarities in disability prevalence are strongest based on where one was born as opposed to current residence, pointing to early life as a critical period in the disablement process for later-life health. Early life socio-economic disadvantage on the archipelago may have an enduring impact on later-life disability prevalence for archipelago-born Puerto Ricans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Partnerships between public health and faith-based organizations draw on the strengths of both sectors to achieve a shared interest in promoting health and reducing disparities. However, information about implementation of faith and public health partnerships-particularly those involving diverse racial-ethnic groups-is limited. This paper reports on findings from qualitative interviews conducted with 16 public health and congregational leaders around the country as part of the early phase of the development of a faith and public health partnership to address health disparities in Los Angeles, CA. We identified eight themes regarding the barriers and facilitators to building faith and public health partnerships and distilled these into 10 lessons for developing such approaches. These interviews identified that engaging religious organizations often requires building congregational capacity of the congregation to participate in health programs; and that trust is a critically important element of these relationships. Further, trust is closely related to how well each organization involved in the partnership understands their partners' belief structures, approaches to addressing health and well-being and capacities to contribute to the partnership. Tailoring congregational health programs to match the interests, needs and capacity of partners was identified as an important approach to ensuring that the partnership is successful. But, this is complicated by working across multiple faith traditions and the racial-ethnic backgrounds, thus requiring increased and diverse communication strategies on the part of the partnership leadership. These lessons provide important information for faith and public health leaders interested in developing partnered approaches to address health in diverse urban communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Self-rated physical health (SRPH) and self-rated mental health (SRMH) are both linked to excess morbidity and premature mortality and can vary across rural and urban contexts. This can be particularly problematic for rural residents who have less access to important health care infrastructure. In this paper, we assess the prevalence of and rural-urban disparities at the intersection of SRPH and SRMH, specifically self-rated physical/mental multimorbidity (SRPMM) overall and across rural-urban contexts. Methods: Using a cross-sectional demographically representative national dataset of over 4000 working age adults in the U.S., we expose rural-urban differences in the prevalence of SRPMM and explore individual-level factors that may explain this disparity. Results: Approximately 15 percent of working age adults reported SRPMM, but rural adults were at higher risk than their urban counterparts. However, this disadvantage disappeared for remote rural working-age adults and was attenuated for metro-adjacent rural working-age adults when we controlled for the fact that rural adults had lower household incomes. Conclusion: Findings reveal a higher risk of SRPMM among rural adults, in part because of lower incomes among this group. This work acts as the foundation for facilitating research on and addressing rural-urban disparities in SRPMM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Following the historic Canadian legislation on medical assistance in dying (MAiD) in 2016, many implementation challenges and ethical quandaries have formed the focus of further scholarly investigation and policy revisions. Of these, conscientious objections held by some healthcare institutions have involved relatively less scrutiny, despite indicating possible hurdles to the universal availability of MAiD services in Canada. Methods: In this paper, we contemplate potential accessibility concerns that pertain specifically to service access, with the hope to trigger further systematic research and policy analysis on this frequently overlooked aspect of MAiD implementation. We organize our discussion using two important health access frameworks: Levesque and colleagues' Conceptual Framework for Access to Health and the Provisional Framework for MAiD System Information Needs (Canadian Institute for Health Information). Results: Our discussion is organized along five framework dimensions through which institutional non-participation may generate or exacerbate inequities in MAiD utilization. Considerable overlaps are revealed across framework domains, indicating the complexity of the problem and the need for further investigation. Conclusion: Conscientious dissensions on the part of healthcare institutions form a likely barrier to ethical, equitable, and patient-oriented MAiD service provision. Comprehensive, systematic evidence is urgently needed to understand the nature and scope of resulting impacts. We urge Canadian healthcare professionals, policymakers, ethicists, and legislators to attend to this crucial issue in future research and in policy discussions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Native Americans (the preferred term of our partners/co-authors) experience high rates of sexual violence, which is rooted in colonization and multiple historical traumas. Sexual violence leads to numerous deleterious outcomes, underscoring the critical need for prevention early in life. Yet, most research to date on sexual violence has not focused on Native American populations, and we know little about the most effective strategies to recruit and retain Native American individuals in sexual violence prevention research. The purpose of the current study, grounded in principles of participatory action research, is to describe strategies that were used to recruit (e.g., traditional feeds, door knocking) and retain (e.g., monetary incentives, ongoing community engagement) Native American youth for a study that sought to assess, via surveys and qualitative interviews, the impacts of a youth-led sexual violence prevention initiative in a small city in the Great Plains. We also collected qualitative data from Native American caregivers regarding their perceptions of research. Overall, 67.9% (n = 545) of eligible Native American youth completed the survey, and school and door knocking were most effective methods of recruitment/enrollment followed by community and school events and texting. Over the course of 3 years of data collection, there were higher rates of attrition among Native American youth compared to white youth, and several factors (e.g., older age, sexual assault victimization) predicted attrition among Native American youth. Native American caregivers' responses reflected on reasons it is hard to engage youth and caregivers in research (e.g., lack of time, distrust) as well as strategies to enhance engagement (e.g., personal connection, providing community resources). Throughout the paper, Native American co-authors and project partners reflect on these findings. Implications for future sexual violence prevention research with Native American youth and their caregivers that uses decolonized, participatory action research methodologies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing social inequalities in health has been an important aim in the development of the Nordic welfare states. This Commentary presents the development of Norwegian policies in this area from 1987 to 2021. Social inequalities entered the political agenda in Norway in the 1980s, but were mostly defined as a problem for selected marginalised groups. The World Health Organization project led by Michael Marmot was an inspiration for Norwegian policy-makers and the concept of the social gradient was introduced. From 2005, levelling the social gradient in health became a central strategy in Norwegian policy-making and culminated in the Public Health Act 2012. This Act focuses on the structural determinants of health and the municipalities have a central role in its implementation. However, the municipalities are mostly responsible for services providing downstream measures and have little control over social determinants such as tax or labour market policies. The Public Health Act is important because it institutionalises social inequalities as a policy field within public health. Not only the municipalities, but all administrative levels have to contribute to meet the aim of reducing the social gradient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: We examined the development of research articles published in the Scandinavian Journal of Public Health and its predecessors Acta Socio-Medica Scandinavica and the Scandinavian Journal of Social Medicine from 1969 until 2020 to be able to identify the place of international comparisons of socioeconomic inequalities in health in the journal. Methods: Altogether 3237 research articles were screened to yield 126 comparative research articles. Examining full texts of the comparative articles led to 13 articles reporting comparisons of health inequalities. Results: The first one came out in 1972, but the rest only after the mid-1990s. The most common socioeconomic indicator was education, but also occupational class and income was used. The most common health indicator was self-rated health. The articles compared Nordic countries with each other, but also with non-Nordic countries. Although the number of comparative studies on health inequalities was relatively small, there were examples of well-designed studies using advanced methodology. We examined only published journal articles over the past five decades, not submitted but rejected papers. Conclusions: In the Scandinavian Journal of Public Health and its predecessors, comparisons of health inequalities were few and emerged relatively late, that is, during the past two decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban planning has struggled to establish a consensus on what "good" planning looks like and instead grapples with balancing competing planning priorities and perspectives. This paper proposes that planners and planning scholars look to health equity as a guiding "north star." We justify this proposal by reviewing scholarship at the intersection of planning and public health. Drawing from empirical and theoretical work linking urban planning, health, and social equity, we recommend planners adopt participatory and anti-racist practices; implement cross-sectoral strategies beyond the professional boundaries of urban planning or public health; and learn from diverse data sources, research methods, and geographic contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research note, we present a critical moment we had as a research team in our work preparing qualitative data for its analysis in which an unanticipated social justice issue was triggered. The moment was related to determining the best ways to anonymize the information—in particular, how to replace what were perceived as "male" and "female" gendered names, family relationships, and roles with the labels of "she/her/mother/daughter" or "he/his/father/son". The paper begins with a review of the main "do's and don'ts" of data preparation, followed by our reflections of the social justice issue. Through our differently positioned reflections, we complicate the task of data preparation by revealing the ways in which cis-dominance is upheld by cis-normativity, cis-genderism, and heteronormativity. We end with recommendations for practices that uphold the values and goals of social justice by resisting cis-dominance and challenging the erasures of peoples with fluid genders and identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social determinants of health (SDH), such as social isolation and loneliness, are often more frequently experienced in brain injury survivors. The paper explores the personal experiences of loneliness among brain injury survivors during lockdown to negate health inequalities and improve rehabilitation for this population in the future. Twenty-four brain injury survivors participated in semi-structured interviews and questionnaires relating to loneliness, resilience and wellbeing. Three themes (the experience of loneliness, loneliness during the pandemic and loneliness after the pandemic) explored survivors' experiences of loneliness generally post-brain injury, but also chronicle how these feelings developed in lockdown and survivors' feelings regarding society returning to 'normal'. Future interventions should focus on reframing survivors' beliefs regarding societal expectations and minimise the pressure they experience to keep up with their peers physically and emotionally. Additionally, we recommend creating accessible peer support options for all brain injury survivors as an important step for alleviating loneliness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our society faces an uncertain future and the field of public health will have an important role to play in shaping this future. This article introduces the special issue The Future of Health Education & Behavior which is focused on perspectives and research led by student authors. Our call for papers encouraged student perspectives that envisioned, challenged, and critiqued the future for health education and behavior. We summarize the articles included in this issue which cover topics such as gaps or future directions for public health training programs, perspectives on pressing issues facing our society, and empirical articles on critical public health topics. Many of the articles in the special issue point boldly to a future that more directly and critically confronts systems of oppression and moves away from a traditional emphasis on individual-level behaviors. These articles can help our field evolve and adapt to fully address the most pressing issues of our time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In an aging society with increasing old age life expectancy, it has become increasingly important to monitor the health development in the population. This paper combines information on mortality and disability and explores educational inequalities in disability-free life expectancy in the aging population in Sweden, and to what extent these inequalities have increased or decreased over time. Methods: A random sample of the Swedish population aged 77 years and above (n =2895) provided information about disability in the population in the years 2002, 2004, 2011 and 2014. The prevalence of disability was assessed by five items of personal activities of daily living and incorporated in period life tables for the corresponding years, using the Sullivan method. The analyses were stratified by sex and educational attainment. Estimates at ages 77 and 85 years are presented. Results: Disability-free life expectancy at age 77 years increased more than total life expectancy for all except men with lower education. Women with higher education had a 2.7-year increase and women with lower education a 1.6-year increase. The corresponding numbers for men were 2.0 and 0.8 years. The educational gap in disability-free life expectancy increased by 1.2 years at age 77 years for both men and women. Conclusions: While most of the increase in life expectancy was years free from disability, men with lower education had an increase of years with disability. The educational differences prevailed and increased over the period as the gains in disability-free life expectancy were smaller among those with lower education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In April 2022, Adtalem Global Education sponsored a virtual summit entitled Advancing Equity in Healthcare , in which several of the authors of this article and other prominent health-care professionals examined the need to diversify the health-care profession. Topics included educational justice and its impact on health care, the business case for transforming and advancing health equity, and addressing systemic inequities and improving health outcomes for historically marginalized persons. The summit inspired the authors to write this paper to advocate for authentic, sustainable partnerships led by Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as a means to diversify nursing leadership and to stem systemic and structural inequities in health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Then, I thought that I Current Sociology i monographs should be publishing papers put together and discussed by the panels in the various ISA Research Committees (RCs) and the integrative/open sessions organized at the World Congresses and Research Forums. In this way, I hoped that I Current Sociology i monographs would not only reflect the current discussions within the ISA but that the former would lead and influence ISA members and its RCs to debate new themes that I Current Sociology i monographs were publishing. I Current Sociology i monograph issues were introduced in 2001 with Julia Evetts as editor. [Extracted from the article]

Background. Sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY) experience health inequities compared with cisgender heterosexuals, and these inequities are heightened in areas with high structural stigma. Quantitative research shows school assets (e.g., adult support) are associated with better health for SGMY. Though some qualitative studies elucidated how school staff support SGMY, none have triangulated such strategies in a geographically and sociodemographically diverse sample of school staff and SGMY. This paper describes a multi-perspective qualitative study design and offers lessons learned from conducting such a study. Methods. Using a novel stratified sampling frame, we interviewed 60 SGMY and 29 school staff who attended/worked at high schools in U.S. states with low, medium, and high structural stigma. To ensure sociodemographic diversity, we constructed sampling quotas, and recruited SGMY using social media and staff using a multi-pronged approach. Results. The stratified sampling strategy met our goal of enrolling diverse SGMY and staff participants. SGMY participants attended schools in low (n = 20), medium (n = 22), and high (n = 18) structural stigma states. We enrolled 18 cisgender girls, 18 cisgender boys, and 24 gender minority youth. Fifty-three percent of SGMY were youth of color, and 45% attended schools in rural areas. School staff participants worked at schools in low (n = 11), medium (n = 11), and high (n = 7) structural stigma states. School staff participants were 55% heterosexual, 91% cisgender, and had diverse roles (e.g., teacher, principal, librarian, and nurse). Conclusions. This paper describes new methods for collecting qualitative data from diverse SGMY and school staff. Some lessons learned from this study include the importance of using trauma-informed interviewing methods, having a suicidality safety protocol, establishing a priori sampling quotas, and creating tailored social media advertisements. With these data we will explore the heterogeneity of SGMY and school staff experiences across varying structural stigma levels, yielding foundational information for future school-based interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Influenza (flu) and COVID-19 vaccination rates are subpar across the US, especially in racial and/or socioeconomic minority groups who are understudied in public health literature. Objective: The objective of this mixed-methods study was to elucidate attitudes of patients at the Turtle Creek Primary Care Center, a clinic that cares for ∼70% non-white patients, towards flu and COVID-19 vaccines, with the goal of establishing vaccine education gaps and increasing vaccine uptake in minority communities. Design/Patients: This study was conducted as a cross-sectional analysis. Authors completed 123 patient phone surveys of patients cared for at the Turtle Creek clinic inquiring about flu and COVID-19 infection status and vaccination uptake (August 26–October 10, 2021). Approach/Key Results: We found that rates of vaccination were subpar in the Turtle Creek community, with only 54% having received the COVID-19 vaccine and only 44% receiving the flu vaccine regularly. There was a strong association between COVID-19 and flu vaccine acceptance and a notable correlation between vaccine acceptance and age. When assessing how vaccine acceptance was influenced by trusted sources of information, those who cited trusting "medical professionals" and "word of mouth" had higher odds of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance but those who cited trusting "social media" had decreased odds of acceptance. Finally, we uncovered 14 common factors for either vaccine acceptance or refusal that clustered into four overarching themes of trust, need, safety, and availability. Conclusion: These data highlight the necessity of improved vaccine education and reveal targetable populations and approaches for disseminating vaccine information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This position paper explores the needs of rural families of children, adolescents, and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to COVID-19, literature portrays elevated stress in families of individuals with ASD and health and socioeconomic disparities for rural and underserved populations. These disparities were exacerbated due to COVID-19 and subsequent lockdowns and economic turmoil. Academic and adaptive skills training were particularly impacted due to school closures, with parents tasked with taking some responsibility for training these skills. Our goals for this article focus on special considerations for rural families regarding (a) neurobiological and developmental impacts of stressful experiences like COVID-19, (b) delineation of the impacts on individuals with ASD and other comorbid and related conditions, and (c) education and intervention needs during these times. Finally, we offer suggestions for future care during pandemic events, including recommendations for improving service delivery under such conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This paper highlights how the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has amplified economic instability and health risks for disconnected youth and young adults (YYA). We offer a brief review of governmental policy responses in four OECD countries and how they may impact the disconnect YYA within those countries. Methods: Literature was reviewed utilizing Cochrane Library, ERIC, PsychINFO, PubMed/MEDLINE and Web of Science to outline existing inequities among disconnected YYA and COVID-19 economic and health impacts. Government responses to COVID-19 from four OECD countries were reviewed. Using the social protection model, we highlighted significant policy changes and developments that influence the protection of vulnerable populations and evaluated the potential effect of long-term economic dislocations prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Disconnected YYA suffered significant financial and health burdens with no social protection floor in place. Lessons learned prior to and during the pandemic indicate that initiatives aimed at improving health and well-being among vulnerable YYA and their communities must be adequately funded, flexible, and comprehensive. Attempts to connect or reconnect YYA who were disconnected prior to the COVID-19 pandemic will require a re-envisioning of policy. Conclusions: Globally, governments must invest in social safety net programs that focus on supporting those most at-risk. A concentrated focus on job creation, education and training, and paid work experience, investments in early childhood care and education, housing, health and mental health care is necessary to not only offset the pandemic's effects but also support thriving in the future for YYA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors investigate how race and political partisanship affected variations in workplace and non-workplace mobility at three COVID-19 phases—lockdown (2020), reopening (2021), and endemic COVID (2022). They theorize that structural racism compelled relatively greater workplace mobility rates in Black communities during lockdown, and reduced Black workplace mobility during reopening and endemic COVID. By contrast, they posit elite-level anti-science skepticism and its amplification resulted in Trump-voting communities experiencing relatively higher workplace and non-workplace mobility rates than non-Trump-voting areas throughout the pandemic. Regressions primarily using county-level Google Mobility Reports data support the hypotheses, conditioning on state-level fixed effects and county-level urbanity, COVID job-type sorting, demographics, and socioeconomics. The county-level results are complemented by outcomes from novel individual-level COVID lockdown survey data, helping connect the proposed individual-level mechanisms to the county-level findings. The authors conclude that work mobility during COVID was racialized and politicized, offering empirical insights into how systematic disadvantages can lead to increased and unequal precarity during periods of acute economic or social crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to deepen understandings of the relations between health inequalities and migration, with a particular emphasis on health-selective migration. Papers in this journal have urged for a more nuanced consideration of connections between migration and health but these have not seen-through how to combine understandings of health and migration to better theorise their relations. A strong theoretical basis regarding the politics of mobilities can help say more of the structural factors shaping health-selective migration and therefore, changing health gradients in a population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Visual methods have been used extensively in social research to explore people's experiences of structural disadvantage. This indicates that they may provide a useful research approach to understanding equity-related concerns within palliative care. However, little has been published regarding the use of visual methods with people at the end of life. Purpose of the paper: In this article we draw on our experiences of using visual methods to illuminate the end of life experiences of people experiencing financial hardship and deprivation in Scotland's largest city. Evidence used to support the information presented: We present evidence from the published literature, as well as our own experiences of using visual methods to explore dying at home for people experiencing financial hardship and deprivation. Our analysis draws on two specific visual methods: photovoice and professional photography. Photovoice is a participatory visual method which involves enabling participants to take and discuss their own images and present them to different audiences to try to enact social change. We report our experiences as researchers, as well as those of our participants and recruitment partners. Key learning points: To successfully use visual methods, researchers need to invest significant time and resource in building a strong rapport with participants. There are also key ethical, practical and representational challenges to consider. A participatory framework should be adopted which ensures agency for participants in terms of image creation and public dissemination. Participants reported value in using visual methods in terms of legacy building and self-representation. Using photovoice (insider's view) and professional photography (outsider's view) together offered complementary perspectives, enabling a rich layering of stories and meaning. Our findings indicate visual methods can illuminate aspects of the end of life experience not captured by other research methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qualitative research amplifies the voices of marginalized communities and thus plays a critical role in shaping our understanding of health inequities and their social determinants. Traditional qualitative approaches, such as grounded theory or thematic analysis, require extensive training and are time- and labor-intensive; as such, they may not be adequately suited to address healthy equity issues that require a swift response. Rapid qualitative analysis (RQA) is an action-oriented approach to qualitative data analysis that may be used when findings are needed to quickly inform practice. RQA capitalizes on using a team to summarize key points from qualitative data into matrices to explore relevant themes efficiently and systematically. In this paper, we provide case examples from our work applying RQA to health equity research with Latino communities to address community needs, such as responses to public health emergencies and the development of service delivery and technology interventions for infectious and chronic diseases. We draw from our collective experiences to share lessons learned and provide the following specific recommendations ("EARS") to researchers interested in applying RQA for health equity research: (1) Employ RQA to address rapidly evolving, urgent, health equity challenges; (2) Assure quality and rigor throughout the RQA process; (3) Respond to barriers and problem-solve as needed; and (4) Strengthen community relationships before, during, and after using RQA. Overall, we advocate for the use of RQA to promote health equity due to its ability to integrate the vital perspectives of marginalized communities and efficiently respond to their needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prevalence of chronic illnesses, including type 2 diabetes (T2DM), is increasing disproportionately among Latinx adults in the United States. Health care inequities such as health care discrimination contribute to the disparities in this population. Academic and clinical nurses must address health care discrimination from a strong theoretical framework. In this article, we integrate the minority stress theory and ecosocial theory of disease distribution to offer a whole-person model that identifies the concepts most relevant to Latinx older adults who function at multiple levels of intersectionality. This paper uses T2DM as an exemplar of chronic illness. The integrated model depicts possible pathways of physiological and psychological embodiment of lived experiences of minoritized older persons managing chronic illness who are living in a society deeply embedded with structural racism and oppression. This model may guide future research aimed at elucidating the social and structural determinants that impact health-related outcomes among Latinx older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objective: Multiple factors affect healthcare disparities in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) with and without nasal polyps. These factors include access to care, economic burdens to treatment, and differences in air pollution and air quality. In this paper, we will discuss how socioeconomic status, race, and air pollution burden influence healthcare disparities in the diagnosis and treatment outcomes of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). Methods: A literature search was performed via PubMed for articles related to CRSwNP, healthcare disparities, race, socioeconomic status, and air pollution in September 2022. Original studies from 2016 to 2022, landmark articles, and systematic reviews were included. We summarized these articles to cohesively discuss factors contributing to healthcare disparities in CRSwNP. Results: Literary search produced 35 articles. Individual factors such as socioeconomic status, race, and air pollution influence CRSwNP severity and treatment outcomes. Correlations were noted with socioeconomic status, race, and air pollution exposure and CRS severity and post-surgical outcomes. Air pollution exposure was also associated with histopathologic changes in CRSwNP. Lack of access to care was a notable contributor to healthcare disparities in CRS. Conclusion: Healthcare disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of CRSwNP differentially affect racial minorities and individuals of lower socioeconomic status. Increased air pollution exposure in areas of lower socioeconomic status is a compounding factor. Clinician advocacy for greater healthcare access and reductions in environmental exposures for patients, among other societal changes, may help improve disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Socio-economic inequalities originate from several channels, one of which is family origins, with clear effects on people's health. This paper aims to evaluate the role played by social mobility in determining health inequalities, relying on Blau and Duncan's status attainment model and focusing specifically on two moments of social reproduction of inequalities: one inter-generational, based on the transmission of resources from the family of origin, the other intra-generational, related to the capitalisation of economic resources to maximise well-being. Methods: Multi-group models of structural equations were used to examine the direct and indirect effects of parental cultural background, education and economic conditions of respondents on self-perceived health in 28 countries, relying on the European Social Survey (N =38,879). Results: Overall, the results confirmed the presence of an inter-generational transmission of social and health status. Different models of transmission of health inequalities emerged among the countries considered. Countries characterised by a social democratic welfare regime showed higher social mobility and fewer health inequalities, although in correspondence with a prominent role of economic factors in determining health conditions. On the other hand, in countries where social mobility is lower, health inequalities are more pronounced, yet driven by factors others than economics, such as socio-cultural origins. Conclusions: The presence of a higher economic-health gradient in social democratic countries – notwithstanding their egalitarian and universal welfare policies – provides support for the existence of a Nordic paradox in relation to health inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]