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Low-income women of color are disproportionately more likely to contract HIV, struggle with treatment adherence, and have compromised health as a result of HIV infections in comparison to White and more affluent women. The current study is a secondary analysis aimed at examining the association between stress, symptoms of depression, trauma exposure, healthcare engagement, and adherence self-efficacy, among low-income women of color with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Structural equation modeling is used to identify latent mental health symptoms that may influence one another, as well as outcomes involving treatment engagement. Participants contributing to this dataset (n = 134) were low income, women of color (primarily African American) living with HIV or AIDS, receiving care at a major medical center in the northeastern United States. Findings indicate significant indirect associations between perceived stress and the outcome of medical appointment attendance. Significant mediators of this indirect relationship include depressive symptoms, parenting stress, and adherence self-efficacy. Implications for health and behavioral health practice and policy interventions are drawn. Areas in need of future research are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Housing instability remains a persistent problem in the United States. While physical and gun violence negatively affect communities, little is known about whether and how they are associated with the risk of housing instability. This study uses structural equation modelling to explore these relationships and examine how they may be mediated by other neighbourhood social and physical factors. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a sample of mostly low-income urban women, we find that witnessing violence is positively associated with the risk of experiencing housing instability. Also, having a deadly gun shooting in proximity of the home was only indirectly associated with housing instability. These findings underlie links between neighbourhood violence and housing instability that were previously understudied. This exploratory study provides some potential new avenues of investigation regarding neighbourhood safety, urban housing policy, and social inequity reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older adults living in subsidized housing may be at increased risk of social isolation. Applied theater, a participatory art program, can facilitate social connections among older adults. A professionally-facilitated 12-week acting and improvisation course was held in two federally subsidized buildings in an urban setting. The mixed-method design included thematic analysis of interviews, participant observation, field notes, and statistical analysis of change over time in social isolation, community belonging, and social exclusion. Participants were motivated to meet other building residents, and the course included aspects that encouraged social bonding. Although recruitment of socially-isolated older adults presented challenges, this study presents lessons on what motivates residents of low-income senior housing to enroll in an acting program and how to design a theater course in this setting that promotes group bonding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study estimated the association between the 2014 Medicaid expansion and asthma-related prescription drug utilization and expenditures among low-income adult participants with asthma, including those with uncontrolled asthma, in the United States. In this national analysis, using a pooled dataset from 2007–2018 Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys (MEPS), regression discontinuity (D-RD) analyses estimated the association between Medicaid expansion and utilization of and expenditures for asthma-related prescription drugs among participants with asthma aged 26–64 with incomes below vs. at/above 138% of the federal poverty level (FPL). A sub-sample analysis was also conducted among participants with uncontrolled asthma. Utilization and expenditure outcomes were estimated using two-part models with logit as the first part and generalized linear models as the second part. Utilization of and total cost for asthma-related prescription drugs increased by 1.89 fills (p < 0.001) and $306.59 (p < 0.001) among participants with asthma with income below 138% FPL after Medicaid expansion. The utilization and total cost of both short-acting bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) increased after Medicaid expansion among participants with asthma with incomes below 138% FPL. Among participants with uncontrolled asthma with incomes below 138% FPL, utilization and expenditures increased after Medicaid expansion for all asthma-related prescription drugs and short-acting bronchodilators. Medicaid expansion was associated with increased utilization of and total expenditures for both quick-relief and preventive asthma medications among all low-income participants with asthma, but not with utilization of preventive medications among those with uncontrolled asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars have increasingly highlighted housing instability, often represented by negative forms of residential mobility, as a growing problem in the United States. However, little empirical evidence exists about the role of regional conditions in making low-income renter households more vulnerable to housing instability. This paper examines the regional determinants of housing instability by analyzing Panel Study of Income Dynamics data uniquely combined with several secondary data sources. This study confirms that a significant regional variation in the likelihood of experiencing housing instability exists across metropolitan areas, even when all measurable household-level characteristics are controlled. The results reveal that low-income renter households are likely to experience housing instability in metropolitan areas where the poverty rate and the degree of automobile dependency are high. Notably, low-income renter households are placed at a heightened risk of housing instability when they have no private vehicle and reside in highly automobile-dependent metropolitan areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem, research strategy, and findings: Of the three primary components of housing affordability measures—rent, transportation, and utilities—utility costs are the least understood yet are the one area where the cost burden can be reduced without household relocation. Existing data sources to estimate energy costs are limited to surveys with small samples and low spatial and temporal resolution, such as the American Housing Survey and the Residential Energy Consumption Survey. In this study, we present a new method for small-area estimates of household energy cost burdens (ECBs) that leverages actual building energy use data for approximately 13,000 multifamily properties across five U.S. cities and links energy costs to savings opportunities by analyzing 3,000 energy audit reports. We examine differentials in cost burdens across household demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and analyze spatial, regional, and building-level variations in energy use and expenditures. Our results show the average low-income household has an ECB of 7%, whereas higher income households have an average burden of 2%. Notably, even within defined income bands, minority households experience higher ECBs than non-Hispanic White households. For lower income households, low-cost energy improvements could reduce energy costs by as much as $1,500 per year. Takeaway for practice: In this study we attempt to shift the focus of energy efficiency investments to their impact on household cost burdens and overall housing affordability. Our analysis explores new and unique data generated from measurement-driven urban energy policies and shows low-income households disproportionately bear the burden of poor-quality and energy-inefficient housing. Cities can use these new data resources and methods to develop equity-based energy policies that treat energy efficiency and climate mitigation as issues of environmental justice and that apply data-driven, targeted policies to improve quality of life for the most vulnerable urban residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the prevalence of firearm ownership among low-income U.S. military veterans and associated sociodemographic, trauma, and clinical characteristics. Data were analyzed from a nationally representative study of low-income U.S. veterans conducted in 2021 (n = 1,004). Hierarchical logistic regression analyses identified characteristics associated with firearm ownership and mental health correlates of firearm ownership. The results revealed 41.7% of low-income U.S. veterans (95% confidence interval [CI] = 38.7–44.8%) reported owning firearms in their household. Controlling for other factors, firearms owners were significantly more likely to be male and living in their own house. There were no significant associations between trauma exposure (history of assault, unwanted social contact, death of close friend/family, homelessness) or mental health characteristics (history of bipolar disorder, suicide attempt, drug use problems) with firearm ownership. In conclusion, two of five low-income U.S. veterans own a firearm; the prevalence of firearm ownership is higher among men and homeowners. Targeted research on these key segments of the U.S. veteran population and ways to mitigate their firearm misuse may be needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historically, the racialization of minority groups' housing needs shaped policy decisions and provoked the unequal distribution of subsidized low-income housing across American neighborhoods and cities. This study extends beyond the Black-White dichotomy in the literature to examine variations in cities' availability of all federally subsidized low-income housing units (public housing, multifamily, and Housing Choice Voucher) according to which racial group (White, Black, Latinx, and Asian) constitutes the majority population. The results of quantile regression analyses indicated that majority-Black cities possess considerably more subsidized housing units than other cities whereas majority-Asian and majority-Latinx cities experienced reduced access to the housing units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tenant-based rental assistance has received much attention as a tool to ameliorate American poverty and income segregation. We examined whether a tenant-based voucher program improves long-term exposure to neighbourhood opportunity overall and across multiple domains—social/economic, educational, and health/environmental—among low-income families with children. We used data from the Moving to Opportunity (MTO) experiment (1994–2010) with a 10- to 15-year follow-up period and used an innovative and multidimensional measure of neighbourhood opportunities for children. Compared with controls in public housing, MTO voucher recipients experienced improvement in neighbourhood opportunity overall and across domains during the entire study period, with a larger treatment effect for families in the MTO voucher group who received supplementary housing counselling, than the Section 8 voucher group. Our results also suggests that effects of housing vouchers on neighbourhood opportunity may not be uniform across subgroups. Results from model-based recursive partitioning for neighbourhood opportunity identified several potential effect modifiers for housing vouchers, including study sites, health and developmental problems of household members, and having vehicle access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative research study explored the child care search and selection process from the perspectives of families living in low-income, urban neighbourhoods in the United States. Findings based on interviews with 40 mothers and grandmothers caring for African American preschool-age children showed that child care searches began with referrals from trusted sources followed by site visits. Caregivers' assessments of a settings' environments and activities informed decisions to enrol their children. Barriers related to availability, accessibility, and affordability in participants' neighbourhoods, however, greatly constrained options. Previous experience with other child care providers also informed searches. State-designated quality ratings had little to no influence on the decision-making process. The findings demonstrate the potential challenges and complexities families face when seeking and selecting child care in low-income, urban communities. This work underscores the need for greater access to high-quality care in underserved neighbourhoods and for increases in family and neighbourhood-level supports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child corporal punishment is a prevalent public health problem in the US. Although corporal punishment is sustained through parents' perceptions of social norms supporting this discipline behavior, little research has investigated where these normative perceptions come from. To fill this gap, we conducted 13 focus groups including 75 low-income Black, Latino, and White parents across five states in the US. Results revealed that one influential source of Black and White parents' perceived norms was their positive framing of corporal punishment experiences during childhood. Furthermore, Black parents formed normative perceptions based on identification with parents in their racial/ethnic group, while White parents did so with parents sharing the same generation. Results are interpreted in light of the false consensus effect and self-categorization theory. In contrast, Latino parents viewed their childhood experience of corporal punishment as negative and distanced their parenting practices from those practiced in their countries of origin, suggesting an influence of acculturation. Their perceived norms were likely transmitted through interpersonal communication within their social networks. These findings shed light on how social norms are formed and in turn guide parents' use of corporal punishment as a tool to discipline children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examined the extent to which low-income households in the United States recovered from the Great Recession. Using the 2008 Survey of Income and Program Participation Panel, this longitudinal study traced the footsteps of 7,755 low-income households between 2008 and 2013. This study also compared poor households with their near-poor counterparts with respect to economic resilience vis-à-vis the recession. Descriptive statistics showed that just 41 percent of the sample reached economic resilience in 2013, while multivariate logistic regression results indicated that poor households were 33 percent less resilient than near-poor households. This study holds major implications for policy and research. In fact, macro-level policy changes can have micro-level effects. Because stimulus packages are rare policy interventions, policymakers should ensure that such emergency-type of policy infusion works, including for those at the bottom of the economic pyramid. Meanwhile, by revealing how financial crises and recovery efforts impact disadvantaged populations, the findings in this study have implications for future research. Through their longitudinal focus on disaster relief and economic resilience among low-income households, these findings contribute to the existing literature. As the United States is recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic, this study can serve as a reference point for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed how household size, housing quality, housing cost burden, years at residence, receipt of housing assistance, and neighborhood disorder shifted together over a 6-year span in a sample of low-income families from three cities (N = 2,228). Most housing characteristics were stable over time, but housing problems and neighborhood disorder increased. Models comparing results for Hispanic and African American families identified greater receipt of housing assistance and lower housing cost burden among Hispanics. Results are discussed in terms of future research to support low-income families’ housing profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for adolescents in the United States, and suicide rates are increasing for ethnically diverse youth. Reasons for living (RFL) have been found to be a protective factor against suicidality, but few studies have assessed this amongst ethnically minoritized youth. The current study sought to examine the relationships between RFL and suicidal ideation (SI), suicide attempt (SA), and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in a clinical sample of low-income, ethnically minoritized youth (n = 191, Mage = 15.12 years). Results indicate that survival and coping beliefs may be important protective factors for SI and NSSI. Fear of social disapproval may be particularly salient but was not protective within this population. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

About half of all renter households and over three-quarters of very low-income households in the United States experience a housing cost burden, with higher rates among families with children. Public housing may be an important tool for reducing families' housing cost burdens. The current study uses nearly four decades of data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and its Assisted Housing Database to explore the relationship between public housing and housing cost burden among children in low-income families. Results from fixed effects models suggest that public housing is associated with a greatly reduced risk of experiencing housing cost burden when housing assistance receipt is measured a year before housing cost burden. These findings highlight the importance of public housing for reducing low-income families' housing cost burdens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors used three financial ratios to measure the financial security of low-income households: the liquidity, debt-to-income (DTI), and solvency ratios. The analytic sample included nonretired households with incomes no greater than three times the poverty threshold as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau. From the 2010 Survey of Consumer Finances data set, the authors found that households in the higher poverty threshold were more likely to meet the recommended guidelines for the DTI and solvency ratios. This study provides important insights for researchers and policymakers in the areas of poverty and household finance. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study presents findings of a mother-only coparenting intervention conducted in conjunction with fathers' participation in a fatherhood program. Specifically, this study sets out to determine whether there is an association between mothers' participation (N = 127) in the group-based intervention, Understanding Dads™, and changes in mothers' reports of the coparenting relationship and mothers' coparenting attitudes. The findings of this one group pretest/posttest/follow-up study showed that mothers reported fewer disagreements and less undermining of fathers following participation in the intervention. Mothers also indicated greater confidence in their ability to coparent cooperatively with the father after participation. Implications for fatherhood programs are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors examined the association of maternal mental health symptoms and symptom clusters with the sleeping behaviors of toddlers living in low-income homes. The sample is comprised of 174 racially diverse mother and toddler (15–19 months old) dyads who were participating in a longitudinal birth cohort study. Dyads were initially recruited from Women, Infant, and Children clinics in a Midwestern county of the United States. Maternal mental health symptoms were measured with self-reports of depression (Center for Epidemiological Studies–Depression), parenting stress (Parenting Stress Index Very Short Form), and parenting self-efficacy. Toddler sleeping behaviors were measured with an adaptation of the Tayside Children's Sleep Questionnaire that assessed toddler difficulties in initiating or maintaining sleep (DIMS). Maternal mental health symptom clusters were identified with latent profile analysis and toddler DIMS were regressed on maternal mental health symptoms. We found that 1 SD worse maternal depression, parenting stress, or parenting self-efficacy predicted 0.18–0.24 SD worse toddler DIMS (p <.05). Moreover, we found that the cluster of adverse maternal mental health symptoms predicted nearly 0.75 SD worse toddler DIMS as compared with the cluster of good maternal mental health symptoms (p <.05). These findings provide insight into how maternal mental health symptom clusters may be important in understanding sleep behaviors in early toddlerhood, a sensitive period of sleep development, and underscore the need to support mothers with co-occurring adverse mental health symptoms, as their children may be at higher risk for DIMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescence obesity is one of the public health concerns that contribute to health disparities in the United States. Low-income communities are disproportionately impacted due to socioeconomic, environmental, cultural, and behavioral factors. Motivating vulnerable populations is a crucial component in health and behavior change communication. This study seeks to understand adolescents’ motivation in the reduction of obesity and promoting healthier lifestyles in low-income communities. Data were gathered among adolescents in 6th to 8th grades (N = 410) with an age range of 11–15 years in three U.S. States – Kansas, Ohio, and South Dakota. There was a relationship between adolescents’ perceptions of support for physical activity in their communities and their motivation for health. Results also show an association between adolescents’ motivation for health and outcome expectancies, both of which significantly differed by state. Other identified predictors for motivation include their perceptions for physical activity and for peers’ motivation to stay healthy. Nutrition-related predictors include adolescents’ perceptions on food availability and self-efficacy for healthy food choice. Ethnicity contributed to the variance in adolescents’ attitudes toward physical activity, perceptions of healthy food availability, and in their motivation for health. This study suggests focusing culturally relevant communication efforts on available nutritional and physical activity support within the environment and on outcome expectations in motivating health and obesity reduction among adolescents. The role of peers as a crucial motivational factor in preventing adolescence obesity should further be explored. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Extant research associates language with essential social and emotional processes. Although the risk for depression among Latinx youth in the United States is well documented, the link between their language proficiency and depressive symptoms remains poorly understood. Further, research employing standardized language assessments with Latinx early adolescents is scarce and reciprocal associations between language proficiency and depressive symptoms have not been examined. This longitudinal study addressed these gaps by investigating the relation between language proficiency and depression in a sample of 218 dual language Latinx students of predominantly low-income backgrounds (Mage = 12.1, SD = 1.1; 49.1% female) recruited from seven public schools in a large city in the Midwest of the United States. Language proficiency in English and Spanish was assessed using the Woodcock-Muñoz Language Survey-Revised and depressive symptoms were assessed using the Children's Depression Inventory. Paired samples t-tests showed lower than expected growth in English vocabulary and higher than expected growth in the ability to reason using lexical knowledge in Spanish over a one-year period. Cross-lagged panel analyses (χ2 (99) = 211.19, p <.001, CFI =.93, TLI =.92, RMSEA =.07 (90% CI [.06,.09])) indicated that growth in English language proficiency is predictive of decreased depressive symptoms. Likewise, increases in depressive symptoms are predictive of decreased English language proficiency. Results have important implications for the design of appropriate psychological interventions and sensible educational policies for students of linguistic minority backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The costs for rent and utilities account for the largest share of living expenses, yet these two critical dimensions of material hardship have seldom been examined concurrently in population-based studies. This paper employs multivariate statistical analysis using American Community Survey data to demonstrate the relative risk ratio of low-income renter-occupied households with children experiencing ‘rent burden', ‘energy insecurity', or a ‘double burden’ as opposed to no burden. Findings suggest that low-income households are more likely to experience these economic hardships in general but that specific groups are disproportionately burdened in different ways. For instance, whereas immigrants are more likely to experience rental burden, they are less likely to experience energy insecurity and are also spared from the double burden. In contrast, native-born African Americans are more likely than all other groups to experience the double burden. These results may be driven by the housing stock available to certain groups due to racial residential segregation, decisions regarding the quality of housing low-income householders are able to afford, as well as home-country values, such as modest living and energy conservation practices, among immigrant families. This paper also points to important policy gaps in safety net benefits related to housing and energy targeting low-income households. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Barack Obama'sMy Brother's Keeperis designed to narrow persistent gaps that boys and young men of color confront often and to help all young people achieve their potential in college and career. An important part of this initiative is comprehensive mentoring that supports students in schools and in communities. Because ethnic-minority students have extremely low graduation rates in high school and college, an essential question is addressed: CanMy Brother's Keeperand similar initiatives with a mentoring component be effective in helping minority students to achieve success in elementary and secondary schools and in college? [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: Explore the effects of poverty simulation integrated into an upper level nutrition course as a preparation for working with low income individuals. Background: The number of poor people is increasing in United States. Nutrition students need to understand the constraints of living in poverty and its relationship to nutrition and health. Method: A total of 123 students in an upper level course underwent poverty simulation to be sensitize to the realities of living in a typical low-income family. A pre-and post-questionnaire were administered to measure the impact of the simulation on the student's sensitivity towards poverty. Data were analyzed by Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Results:Thirty two percent of the students strongly agreed that the community does not provide efficient services to help low income families after the simulation. Most of the students did not change their thinking about causes of poverty after the simulation. Conclusion: Poverty simulation did not significantly alter the students'sensitivity towards low-income individuals, but they identified that the community needs to provide a more effective and efficient services. Implication:Results suggests that incorporating experiential learning in a nutrition course can help student develop a more empathetic understanding of poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review focuses on answering the research question: What can we learn from studies of interventions to address the implementation of inclusive education of students with disabilities in low- and lower middle-income countries? A systematic literature review was conducted to identify studies focused on interventions aiming to improve inclusive education in low- and lower-middle-income countries. The searches returned 1,266 studies for a title and abstract review. Only 31 studies evaluated interventions and included 20 or more respondents. Published between 2000 and 2019, these studies estimate the impact of a number of approaches that can be used to increase support for students with disabilities in general education settings including teacher trainings, improving facilities and educational materials, and forming partnerships within the community. Covering 19 of 84 low- and lower-middle-income countries, this systematic review underscores the limited amount of work on this critical topic and the need for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem, research strategy, and findings: Housing policies of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) emphasize the spatial dispersal of housing assistance to promote fair housing objectives. The Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program, the nation's largest affordable housing subsidy program, is not administered by HUD and therefore is not closely monitored for compliance with dispersal objectives. Using spatial point pattern analyses, I identify the geographic extent of LIHTC property clustering, characterize the local clustering of individual properties and explore the determinants of local clustering within the nation's largest metropolitan areas. In most metropolitan areas, LIHTC properties are more highly clustered than multifamily housing units, although the extent of clustering differs by metropolitan area. Clustered LIHTC properties tend to be located in more densely developed central-city locations that have higher poverty rates and higher minority concentrations. Takeaway for practice: To encourage more affordable housing construction within areas that offer greater economic and social opportunities to LHTC residents, policymakers should 1) provide incentives to locate LIHTC properties within high-opportunity areas, 2) eliminate current incentives to cluster housing in areas with inherently higher poverty and minority concentrations (Qualified Census Tracts and Difficult Development Areas), and 3) enhance coordination between HUD and the Department of the Treasury to implement federal fair housing goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there is a substantive body of research on benefits conveyed via the human–animal bond (HAB), less is understood about disruptions to HAB and how to potentially prevent such. The construct of commitment can elucidate such scenarios and may also help inform related interventions; however, there are few empirical measures of commitment to a companion animal, and none specific to low-income owners. The Commitment to Pets measure was created to address this gap. The scale was included in a mixed methods study of food security administered to 392 low-income adults utilizing food pantries in a Northeastern city in the United States. Of this number, 258 (66%) owned pets. Data collection included a self-administered questionnaire about demographics, food security, health, and wellbeing, and for those with pets, animal attachment, commitment, and animal information. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 pet-owning individuals who completed the questionnaire and agreed to be contacted and interviewed over the phone about food security and their pets. Exploratory factor analyses found three underlying factors: financial costs/burdens; pet behaviors and problems; family problems. These subscales associated with attachment in that higher attachment was correlated with greater commitment. However, the value of the correlations suggests they are different constructs. Moreover, analysis of the qualitative interviews supported these underlying constructs and suggested that unexpected financial costs of veterinary care and food was a major factor in considering ongoing pet ownership, even when there was a deep level of attachment between humans and their animals. Commitment is a complex construct, and additional measurement studies are needed. Findings suggest community outreach models using cross–systems collaboration have potential to support low-income pet-owning families in their commitment to pets and may aid in prevention of surrenders and HAB disruptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volunteering is often considered an important component of productive and active aging. Although there is a rich body of literature on the predictors and outcomes of volunteering among the general older adults in the United States (U.S.), few studies have explored the unique volunteering experiences of culturally and linguistically diverse older adults. Given the growing number of diverse older adults and the importance of optimizing their contributions to society, this study investigates the challenges and benefits of volunteering among low-income diverse older adults. We conducted eight 90-minute focus groups in six languages (English, Nepali, Khmer, Somali, Russian, and Chinese) with 70 older volunteers attending a Senior Companions monthly training in a U.S. Midwestern metropolitan area. Data analysis followed the Rapid and Rigorous Qualitative Data Analysis (RADaR) technique and thematic analysis through an interactive team approach. Three overarching themes highlighted the challenges of volunteering: (1) transportation, (2) community emergencies and workload, and (3) family caregiving; and three themes reflected the benefits of volunteering: (1) stress-relief, (2) training and information, and (3) peer support and socialization. Study findings shed light on diverse older adults' unique volunteering experiences with implications for recruitment and retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Income instability characterizes the lives of many low-income families in America. Growing income inequality, wage stagnation, unstable jobs, and limited savings are only a few of the factors contributing to the chronic economic insecurity that many low-income families experience today. There has been a renewed interest in recent years in the idea of a basic income as a policy solution to address the problem of income instability. This brief provides an overview of the concept of basic income and discusses its strengths and limitations in promoting financial stability among vulnerable families in both the short- and long-term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), states have considerable flexibility in setting child care subsidy program rules including eligibility requirements, subsidy payment methods, and co-payment rates. This paper analyzes the effects of variations in child care subsidy on low-income mothers' hours of work. It hypothesizes that variations in the availability (guaranteed transitional child care subsidy) and in the generosity (eligibility levels and co-payment requirement) of child care subsidy have significant impacts on low-income mothers' hours of work. Using the Current Population Survey (CPS) of 2005, it found that the eligibility levels of subsidy did have an impact on annual hours of work. When mothers who resided in stringent states were compared, those living in states with moderate and generous eligibility levels worked 186.2 hours and 174.31 hours more annually, respectively. The study also found that the odds of the mothers who lived in generous states working full-time are 1.65 times higher than the odds of those who lived in stringent states working full-time. Findings of this study indicate that a state must be careful in deciding eligibility levels of the subsidy since it can encourage recipient mothers to work longer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examines the contributions of family context (e.g. life events, home environments) to low-income preschool children's self-regulation (behaviour regulation and executive function) in the United States and Turkey. Participants were 1139 low-income children (486 from the U.S. and 653 from Turkey) and their parents. Children's self-regulation was assessed via structured tasks and family related variables such as life events, home environments, and demographic information were assessed via parent-report. Results from regression analyses showed that child's age-predicted behaviour regulation and executive function in children both from the U.S. and Turkey. Child gender, favouring girls predicted behaviour regulation and executive function and parent–child verbal interaction was associated with behaviour regulation only in the U.S. Family structure (favouring living in a two-parent household) predicted executive function and economic change predicted behaviour regulation in Turkey. Contributions and future directions were also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The success of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its policy goal of increasing health insurance coverage across the United States, particularly for low income populations, rests in part on community-based outreach activities focused on consumer education and strategies to encourage sign–up. This paper draws on focus group data collected to evaluate and learn from one such community effort, located in a two-state region with significant political opposition to the ACA. Specifically, the research objectives were to better understand low income consumers’ experiences with ACA marketplaces during the initial sign–up period, both barriers and facilitators, and to learn what improvements they recommend for future outreach efforts. Focus group results show very limited knowledge of basic insurance concepts as well as the ACA. Participants reported numerous technological and related access barriers, which further complicated sign–up and caused them to lose confidence and become suspicious of the process. When asked how best to provide information and assistance to individuals such as themselves, participants pointed to several reasons conventional outreach might not be effective and suggested alternative strategies. Although public attention has focused on technical aspects of ACA sign–up, our findings suggest that future obstacles for those who remain uninsured are also likely to be related to perceptions and culturally–based understandings of “Obamacare” and how insurance works. This study underscores the importance of incorporating trusted, community relationships into efforts to expand coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this study was to understand recommendations of key stakeholders regarding cultural adaptation of an evidence-based nutrition and physical activity education curriculum for Spanish-speaking adults. Findings from focus groups with Spanish-speaking adults (n=43) and telephone interviews with experts in Spanish nutrition and health education (n=9) revealed: 1) emphasis of the heterogeneity of Spanish-speaking communities; 2) importance of including family in nutrition education; 3) importance of addressing cultural differences between Spanish-speaking and general United States culture; and 4) tips for engaging Spanish-speaking adults in health education. These findings were used to inform cultural adaptation of a nutrition education curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the WHO, people diagnosed with schizophrenia in developing countries recover more fully than people with the same diagnosis in developed countries. At a time when international organizations are attempting to scale up biomedical psychiatric interventions in India and other low-income countries, it is important to understand why a place like India is doing better in recovery from serious psychosis. Interviews of 20 people diagnosed with schizophrenia in Kerala, India were conducted to determine level of functioning and quality of worklife. Quantitative assessments of the relations between these factors were undertaken along with qualitative, ethnographic analysis of narratives of interviewees. Analysis of interviews shows that quality of worklife is correlated with higher functioning among this group, and service user narratives claim that work enabled their recovery. Comparisons to other research further indicates that people in India with this diagnosis are more often employed than people with the same diagnosis in the United States and Europe. Employment and the quality of worklife appear to be positively related to recovery in terms of increasing functionality among people diagnosed with schizophrenia in this part of India. Certain employment programs and sociocultural factors likely contribute to differences in outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Having a low-income presents a variety of problems for families and children, with access to health care being the most complex and prevalent. Although there are many challenges for low-income families to access adequate health care in the United States, the key barriers identified in this review of literature are a lack of education, complications with health insurance, and a distrust of health care providers. Each obstacle is influenced by a myriad of factors that affect vulnerable sub-groups of low-income families. Acknowledging the barriers that prevent access to health care for low-income families is the first step towards determining future sustainable solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the overall quality of parenting behaviours among low-income mothers in the USA and the extent to which they are influenced by risk factors within the family environment, maternal well-being and maternal risk characteristics associated with socio-economic status. Participants consisted of 1070 low-income mothers of three-year-old children who were enrolled in the Early Head Start (EHS) Research and Evaluation Project. Data were collected using structured interviews with the mothers and from videotaped mother-child interactions during play activities when children were age three. Findings indicated that less-positive parenting behaviours and fewer supports for language and learning were predicted by higher family conflict, higher parental distress and maternal social risk factors including younger age, less education and a history of public assistance. Fewer household resources also predicted fewer supports for language and learning, but not positive parenting. Negative parenting behaviours were not predicted by maternal well-being, although higher family conflict and maternal demographic risk factors (younger age, history of public assistance, not being married or living with partner) were statistically significant predictors. Findings from this study suggest that programmes to address the parenting abilities of low-income mothers are warranted, and that national programmes geared at helping mothers should be augmented by efforts to decrease the degree of stress they experience in their parenting role, as well as by effective strategies to increase available household resources and reduce family conflict. They also indicate that particular attention should be paid to enhance the parenting abilities of mothers who are younger, have lower levels of education, have a history of receiving public assistance and those who are not married or living with their partner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a critical analysis of recent US policy to promote low-income homeownership. It examines the ideology and assumptions buttressing this policy, evidence on the effects of low-income homeownership and the viability of homeownership as a strategy for low-income families. Evidence suggests that the prospect for sustained growth in low-income homeownership may be limited. Research does not provide uniform support for it as a tool for asset accumulation, neighbourhood economic development or other social and political goals. Alleged effects of homeownership may be artefacts of self-selection and the conflation of homeownership with unobserved characteristics coincident with buying homes. What homeownership does and why are not well understood because of difficulties disentangling what homeownership means. The elevation of low-income homeownership to its current status has deflected political attention away from alternative policies for affordable housing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mathematical knowledge at school entry predicts school achievement, and children from low-income families are at risk for low math achievement. The study purpose was to observe low-income parents' numeracy guidance in two contexts, a board game and a number concept assessment, and to compare preschoolers' independent and guided math performances. Eighteen four-year-olds enrolled in Head Start participated with one parent. Although parents employed guidance for a wider range of math activities during the number assessment activity as compared with the board game, the total guidance provided in each context did not differ. In both contexts, children performed at a higher level when guided by a parent as compared with independent math performance. Parental reports of home numeracy practices were positively correlated with children's math abilities but not with observed parent guidance. The findings provide further support for the importance of adult guidance in order to enhance children's opportunities to reinforce known skills and develop new mathematical understandings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article describes strategies of an evidence-based parenting programme, Families and Schools Together (FAST), which has a track record for retaining low-income families. FAST multi-family groups held after school are led by culturally representative teams of parents and professionals. Parents are coached to practise positive parenting, lead fun family activities, including one to one responsive play, and meet in parent groups. Families (n = 403) were recruited into 31 FAST groups: 253 families in the UK; 114 in Germany and 36 in Holland. Attendance was recorded. To graduate a family attended 6 or more of 8 weekly sessions. Results revealed high retention rates; 83% for the UK, 83% for Holland and 89% for Germany. The assumption is that the following strategies contributed to these high retention rates: respect for parents to co-produce the programme; flexibility while being “manualized”; providing positive emotion; “foot in the door” recruitment technique; crossing the social ecology to increase social capital; and systematically reinforcing attendance. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A third of Hispanic youth live below the poverty line, making them vulnerable for exposure to gangs, substances, and violence, all of which have been associated with substance use. The aim of the present study was to test the link between these variables, using a multiple mediation model. Results suggest that the relationship between gang exposure and adolescent substance use was mediated by both access to substances and exposure to violence. Findings provide insight into how gang exposure impacts outcomes for low-income youth. Implications for prevention and policy are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated acceptance of learning from other countries, especially for high-income countries to learn from low- and middle-income countries, a practice known as global learning. COVID-19’s rapid disease transmission underscored how connected the globe is as well as revealed stark health inequities which facilitated looking outside of one’s borders for solutions. The Global Learning for Health Equity (GL4HE) Network, supported by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, held a 3-part webinar series in December 2021 to understand the current state of global learning and explore how global learning can advance health equity in the post-COVID-19 era. This paper reflects on these cutting-edge discussions about the current state of global learning, drawing upon the highlights, perspectives, and conclusions that emerged from these webinars. The paper also comments on best practices for global learning, including adapting for context, addressing biases, funding considerations, ensuring bidirectional partnerships, community engagement, and adopting a multidisciplinary approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the potential of educational apps for mobile devices as a home-based learning tool to promote preliteracy and emergent math development among preschool-aged children. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 22 preschoolers from low-income families and their primary caregivers. Children demonstrated substantively significant gains in preliteracy and emergent math skills after 3 months of educational app use at home, compared with a control group who used wholesome entertainment apps over the same period. Parent-rated academic interest also significantly increased for the experimental group compared to the control group. The educational apps were well-received and used as directed. Apps were most often used with a parent or sibling. Given the prevalence of mobile devices – even in the lowest income communities – and the low cost of apps, educational apps may be a promising avenue of intervention to address early achievement gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To examine the influence of habit and theory of planned behavior (TPB) variables in predicting low-income older adults' fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption. Cross-sectional study. A city in the southeast United States. A total of 372 low-income older adults participated in this study. Participants completed a validated survey measuring TPB variables (attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and intention), F&V intake using the Block Dietary Fruit-Vegetable Screener, and self-reported habit index to measure F&V consumption. Perceived behavioral control was the largest factor influencing intention to consume F&V, followed by attitude and subjective norm. In addition, there was a significant interaction between habit strength and intention, such that intention influenced F&V consumption only among individuals with average or higher habit strength. Findings from this study suggest health promotion programs aimed at increasing F&V intake among low-income older adults should focus on establishing F&V intake as a habit so that an individual's intentions to consume F&V can be transformed into actual F&V intake. Also, emphasizing how to overcome potential barriers would improve low-income older adults' actual F&V intake by increasing their sense of control over consuming F&V. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergency food system (EFS) is a critical part of the United States' social safety net. Using 2015–2020 Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement data, we identified trends in EFS use among food insecure, low-income households by estimating the probability of EFS use adjusting for demographics using multivariable logistic regression. From 2015 to 2019, between 31.0% and 34.4% of households received emergency food, while 42.4% did in 2020. EFS use did not increase in 2020 compared to prior years for older adults and non-metropolitan households. Targeted outreach should be used to expand the reach of this resource to underserved and marginalized populations." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of globalization and dramatic demographic changes, American society is inexorably becoming more diverse. This transformation will present opportunities as well as exacerbating challenges. As Hurtado (2007) observed, the United States is a country where “economic, racial, and religious differences are prevalent and inevitable” and where “racial and economic inequalities [are] starkly evident” (p. 186). The seemingly intractable inequality in educational and economic attainment for citizens of different racial/ ethnic and socio-economic background is probably one of the thorny challenges with profound social implications (Smith, Altbach, & Lomotey, 2002; St. John, 2003). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Global health research partnerships, which promote the exchange of ideas, knowledge and expertise across countries, are considered key to addressing complex challenges facing health systems. Yet, many studies report inequalities in these partnerships, particularly in those between high and low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). Objective: This paper examines global research collaborations on community health worker (CHW) programmes, specifically analysing the structures of authorship teams and networks in publications reporting research on CHW programmes in low-income countries (LICs). Methods: A sub-set of 206 indexed journal articles reporting on CHW programmes in LICs was purposefully selected from a prior review of research authorship on CHW programmes in all LMICs over a five year period (2012–2016). Data on country and primary organisational affiliation and number of publications for all individual authors, programme area (e.g. maternal child health) and total citations per paper were extracted and coded in excel spreadsheets. Data were then exported and analysed in Stata/ICV.14 and Gephi. Results: The 206 papers were authored by 1045 authors from 299 institutions, based in 43 countries. Half (50.1%) the authors came from LIC-based institutions, 43.8% from high-income country (HIC) institutions, 2.9% from middle-income country (MIC) institutions and 3.2% had different first affiliations in different publications. Authors based in the USA (302) and UK (68) accounted for just over a third (35.4%) of all authors. Partnership patterns revealed a primary mode of North–South collaboration with authors from the US, and to a lesser extent the UK, playing central bridging roles between institutions. Strong network clusters of multiple-affiliated authors were evident in research on MCH and HIV/TB aspects of CHW programmes. Conclusion: Knowledge production on CHW programmes in LICs flows predominantly through a pool of connected HIC authors and North–South collaborations. There is a need for strategies harnessing more diverse, including South–South, forms of partnership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes the housing conditions of low-income families in the private, unassisted housing market in the United States. Description of housing and neighborhood quality; High costs of private, unassisted housing; Suggestion that those not receiving housing assistance face many obstacles to physically and financially adequate housing.

Although low-income women in the United States are at elevated risk for a range of mental health difficulties, they are less likely to access mental health services and more likely to drop out prematurely than higher income women. To explain this paradox, researchers tend to emphasize practical obstacles, but attend less to how low-income women themselves experience and value psychotherapy. The present study aimed to fill this gap using a qualitative descriptive methodology to explore 10 low-income women’s subjective experiences of outpatient psychotherapy. The data that emerged from the qualitative interviews can be distilled into eight clusters, grouped within three broad domains: within the domain of Awareness, participants found therapy to be meaningful and effective when the therapist: (1) was aware of the nature of poverty and poverty-related stressors, and (2) had some sort of direct exposure to poverty. Within the domain of Practices, participants described therapy as useful when the therapist: (3) demonstrated flexibility, (4) provided instrumental support, and (5) emphasized building strengths. Within the domain of Relational Quality, participants found therapy to be meaningful when the therapist: (6) really listened to the clients – without judgment, (7) attempted to share power, and (8) demonstrated authenticity. We discuss these findings in the context of current literature and feminist theory, and describe their implications for training and research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Context. U.S. poison centers decrease medical visits by providing telephone advice for home management of potential poisonings, but are underutilized by low-income African-American and Latino parents, and those with limited English proficiency, due to lack of knowledge and misconceptions about poison centers. Objectives. To assess the effectiveness of a poison prevention video module in improving knowledge, behavior, and behavioral intention concerning use of poison centers in a population of low-income, language-diverse adults attending parenting courses offered by a community organization. Methods. A randomized, blinded, controlled trial was conducted at 16 parenting course sites of a community organization and included 297 participants. The organization's instructors presented the video module (intervention) or the usual class curriculum (control). Participants completed questionnaires at baseline and a telephone interview 2-4 weeks later. Changes from baseline to follow-up were compared between the intervention and control groups using analysis of variance and Chi-square tests. Intervention group participants were stratified by English proficiency and compared to assess baseline and follow-up responses by language. Results. After the intervention, participants in the intervention group had a significantly greater increase in knowledge about the poison center, were more likely to have the correct poison center phone number at home, and had greater behavioral intention to use the poison center compared to control group participants. At baseline, Spanish-primary-language participants with limited English proficiency had less knowledge about the poison center, were less likely to have the poison center number at home, and had lower behavioral intention to use the poison center than English proficient participants, but significantly improved after the intervention. Conclusions. This video module, when presented by a community organization's instructors, was highly effective in improving knowledge, behavior, and behavioral intention concerning use of poison centers within a low-income, language-diverse population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debates about the causes of segregation continue to consider the role that own-race preferences have in understanding the persistence of racial residential segregation in American cities. In this paper, I offer an alternative to the own-race preference model. I argue that segregation of low-income Black households from Whites persists in Buffalo, New York, because the spatial rootedness of Blacks' survival strategies Leads households to choose housing in the central city, where their social networks and most Black households live. I illustrate this argument by exploring the multiple reasons for why a group of African American households, who were prompted to move through the settlement of a high-profile housing discrimination lawsuit, chose to relocate to neighborhoods in the central city in Buffalo. I adopt a context-sensitive perspective in making the argument and further argue that such approaches are ultimately useful in capturing the complex reasons that underlie the persistence of segregation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following environmental health disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf Oil Spill, U.S. Gulf residents expressed concern regarding air quality. Women with children make many decisions that mitigate household air quality risks; however, research examining culture’s influence in their risk perception and the influence which this has on their behaviour is limited. In this article we examine the cultural connection between low-income women with children along the U.S. Gulf concerning the local threat of air quality. We used cultural consensus analysis to examine the perceptions of low-income, first-time pregnant women. We undertook an interview survey of 112 women living in Southeast Louisiana, USA between May 2014 and March 2015. In this article we examine if there was a shared (cultural) understanding among these women on how to manage air quality threats, evaluate what determined cultural sharing in the group, and explore what role cultural beliefs played in their intended household strategies. We found that although air quality was rarely discussed by the women in our study, we were able to identify two multi-centric cultural models of how these women sought to make sense of air quality issues. In one model they relied on their immediate social network of family and friends while in the other model they were willing to make use of official sources of information. These two models helped explain what measures these women planned to take to address air quality issues in and around their household. Our findings show that cultural norms permeate the assessment of risk in a community and that programmes designed to improve public health need to take into account the cultural context of the population. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]