Whose Stress is Making Me Sick? Network-stress and Emotional Distress in African-American Women

Research on stress-related health outcomes in African-American women often neglects "network-stress": stress related to events that occur to family, friends, or loved ones. Data from the African-American Women's Well-Being Study were analyzed to examine self-stress and network-stress for occurrence, perceived stressfulness, and association with symptoms of psychological distress. Women reported a higher number of network-stress events compared with self-stress events. Occurrences of network-stress were perceived as undesirable and bothersome as self-stress. Both types of stress were significantly associated with psychological distress symptoms. Including network-stress may provide a more complete picture of the stress experiences of African-American women

Using Black Feminist Theory and Methods to Uncover Best Practices in Health Promotion Programming

This study was created to uncover the social determinants of Black American women’s success in health promotion programs. We used the Superwoman Schema to understand the complexities of Black womanhood and uncover best practices in the promotion of their health. The sample consisted of women ages 18–25 who attend a large southern HBCU. We collected data using qualitative focus groups. Participants reported the greatest health-related concerns Black American women facing are mental health, obesity, and relationships with Black men. When it comes to health promotion programs, respondents reported a desire for classes that are fun, interactive, informative, educational, and include group interaction, accessible, and incentivize participation. Uncovering the social determinants of Black American women’s health and program success is central in decreasing extant health disparities. Future health scholars are urged to incorporate Black feminist theory and methods into their work to create health promotion interventions tailored for Black women

A multi-component, community-engaged intervention to reduce cardiovascular disease risk in perimenopausal Latinas: pilot study protocol

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk increases substantially during perimenopause. Latinas have a significantly worse CVD risk factor profile than non-Hispanic White women, potentially due to multiple sociocultural and environmental factors. To date, interdisciplinary interventions have not focused on improving nutrition, physical activity, stress management, and biologic CVD risk in perimenopausal Latinas. The purpose of this study is to examine the feasibility and initial efficacy of a multi-component intervention to reduce CVD risk in perimenopausal Latinas. Methods: This is a two-group, repeated measures experimental study. Eighty perimenopausal Latinas (age 40–55 years) from two community groups will be randomized: one group will complete the intervention; the other will be a wait-list control. The intervention consists of 12-weekly sessions (education, physical activity, stress management, coping skills training), followed by 3 months of continued support, and 6 months of skill maintenance on their own. The primary outcomes include arterial stiffness, blood pressure, lipids, and blood glucose. Secondary outcomes are health behaviors (nutrition, physical activity, sleep, coping strategies), self-efficacy, and other biological factors related to CVD risk (adiposity, C-reactive protein, hair cortisol, vasomotor symptoms). We will assess changes in outcomes from Time 1 (baseline) to Time 2 (6 months) and Time 3 (12 months) using general linear mixed models to test the hypotheses. We will also evaluate the feasibility of the intervention by assessing enrollment and retention rates, barriers, and facilitators to enrollment, intervention fidelity, the suitability of study procedures, and participant satisfaction with the intervention and study protocol. We hypothesize the intervention group will decrease biologic CVD risk and improve health behaviors and self-efficacy significantly more than the wait-list control. Discussion: Results from this study will contribute to knowledge on the feasibility of behavioral interventions, including stress management and coping skills training, which could reduce CVD burden among perimenopausal Latinas. Because Hispanic/Latinos are the largest ethnic minority in the United States (US), progress regarding CVD risk among perimenopausal Latinas may lead to significant improvement in the overall CVD burden in the US. Trial registration: Prospectively registered, NCT04313751 (03/19/2020), Protocol version 1.

Mind-Body Interventions to Reduce Risk for Health Disparities Related to Stress and Strength Among African American Women: The Potential of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Loving-Kindness, and the NTU Therapeutic Framework

Abstract available at publisher's website