12 research outputs found

    Social Determinants of Late Stage HIV Diagnosis and its Distributions among African Americans and Latinos: A critical literature review

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    ABSTRACT This critical literature review was conducted to identify both individual- and environmental-level social determinants of health using an ecological framework as a way to contextualize risk for, and distributions of, late HIV diagnosis among African Americans and Latinos in the United States. Background: Late diagnosis, defined as a diagnosis of AIDS simultaneously with or within one year of an initial HIV diagnosis,1 disproportionately affects African American and Latino communities;2,3 disparities in this health problem thus represent a preventable inequity. Such disparities affect not only late diagnosed individuals but also population levels of HIV incidence, as transmission is unhindered before diagnosis.4,5 Methods: A total of 26 unduplicated studies in 26 peer-reviewed articles were analyzed within a social ecological conceptual framework. Both quantitative and qualitative studies of factors influencing HIV testing were reviewed. To be included, studies had to have been conducted in the United States, published in English within the past 11 years, and to have focused on Latino or African American populations and/or on racial disparities between these and other populations. Findings: The majority of studies on racial disparities in HIV testing and diagnosis have been either cross-sectional1,2,6–11 or focused on one racial or ethnic group, often in one geographic location.12–18 In all studies that compared racial and ethnic groups (n=17), Latinos and African Americans were more likely to receive a late diagnosis3,19 than non-Hispanic Whites or Asian Americans. 95.8% (n= 23) of the reviewed studies focused on individual level risk factors or investigated structural barriers via measurements at the individual level. Next Steps: Both more quantitative and qualitative studies are needed that will enhance understanding of the social determinants of HIV testing behavior among at-risk groups by measuring variables at the appropriate rung of the ecological model, and not solely on the individual level. Studies that investigate barriers to and facilitators of HIV testing in partnership with communities will help further interventions that can reduce racial/ethnic disparities in late diagnosed HIV/AIDS

    Comparative Analysis of Self-Reported Wellness Levels of International Students within a University in India

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    This study explored the self-reported wellness of postgraduate students studying in an International University located in South Eastern India. From a large university population, with three distinct hostel arrangements, the one hostel with a co-educational population was purposively sampled. A questionnaire based on five dimensions of wellness was administered to predominantly postgraduate students (N=50) with an equal number of males (n=25) and females (n=25) and ages ranging from 30 to 45 years. The participants represented a diverse range of nationalities, including the majority from Nepal (n=16); Ethiopia (n=15); Afghanistan (n=7); Iran (n=5); Guyana (n=3); and 1 each from Botwana, Brazil, Rawana and South Africa (n=4). Results from the self-reported height and weight indicated the cohort was predominantly in the normal Body Mass Index range (n=32); some overweight (n=14); few underweight (n=3) and one person obese. All five individual dimensions of emotional, intellectual, physical, social and spiritual were skewed towards 'high' or 'good' levels of wellness. The amalgamated scores provided a comprehensive wellness score with 'highest level' (n=29) and 'good' (n=21). Implications of this study includes informing future programs to support the wellness and wellbeing of multicultural postgraduate students in international contexts

    School climate and physical adolescent relationship abuse: differences by sex, socioeconomic status, and bullying

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    by S. Jain, A. K. Cohen, T. Paglisotti, Malavika Subramanyam, A. Chopel and E. Mille

    Caveat Emptor: The Dalai Lama’s Proviso and the Burden of (Scientific) Proof

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    A more complete understanding of the Dalai Lama’s intellectual milieu and mental framework serves to contextualize and appraise his contributions to the discourse on Buddhism and Science in general, and the so-called Mind and Life Dialogues in particular. In addition to providing indispensable background information, a fuller expression of his foundational views and motives sheds light upon the idiosyncratic way the Dalai Lama engages new fields of knowledge. Thanks to the Dialogues’ format and the transparency of the Dalai Lama’s scholastic mentality, the way in which Mind and Life participants meet various challenges in practice offers enough traction to retrieve and critically appraise real-time patterns of engagement and innovation. This should prove to be instrumental in determining the Dialogues’ measure of success, at least by its own standards and stated purpose. Following this approach, the Dalai Lama’s long-time use of a proviso derived from Tsongkhapa’s reading of Middle Way philosophy as a methodological distinction that delineates the scope of Science warrants specific attention
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