Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Training (MHRT) Program at the University of Hawaii

The objective of the Minority Health Research Training (MHRT) program at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM) is to encourage students from underrepresented (including minority) backgrounds to pursue careers in science; and expose students to biomedical, clinical, and behavioral health research and global health issues that relate to health disparities. The program also aims to enable collaborations between colleges/universities and out-of-state research programs. Funded by the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), the UHM MHRT program is in its ninth year. The MHRT program is a short-term research training opportunity offered to undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, and pre-doctoral students from under-represented backgrounds. MHRT students are from various academic disciplines at UH and have diverse ethnic backgrounds. To date, the MHRT program has trained eight (8) cohorts of students totaling 85 students. Selected students learn to conduct research during the spring semester and spend 8-9 weeks during the summer at their international training sites under the guidance of their assigned in-country mentor and their UH mentor. In addition to life-changing research and cultural experiences, program benefits include up to10 credits of directed research courses in the spring and summer semesters, and while abroad students are provided with a stipend, travel, and living expenses.NIMHD/NIH-T37MD008636-0

Using appreciative inquiry methodology to develop a weight management program for obese children in New Zealand

Abstract Objectives: Paediatric obesity predicts adult obesity, and alarming new data in New Zealand reveals that obesity among the young continues to rise. In this study, we used a novel solution‐focused paradigm, or appreciative inquiry perspective, to explore the factors that influence not just obese but non‐obese states (that is, healthy weight as well as obesity), in Pacific adolescents (aged 13–17) living in socioeconomically deprived neighbourhoods. Methods: Sixty‐eight parents and adolescents from 30 families were recruited and interviewed, resulting in 15 obese and 15 healthy weight adolescents participating in the study. Results: Our findings showed that, despite living in low socioeconomic circumstances, parents were able to alter their micro‐environments to prevent obesity in their children. Parents with healthy weight adolescents had food rules in the home and monitored their children's eating and television viewing time. Conclusions: An appreciative inquiry approach to obesity research can uncover resiliency factors within families that can be applied to obesity prevention and treatment programs. Implications for public health: Appreciative inquiry methodology is a promising alternative qualitative research strategy for developing health interventions for low‐income ethnic minority communities

MHIRT 2020 Abstract Book

The Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Training (MHRT) program allows U.S. institutions to offer short-term international and domestic research training opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students from under-represented backgrounds. Funded by the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the MHRT program is associated with the Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology and Pharmacology at the John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa. The specific objectives of the program are to encourage students from under-represented backgrounds to pursue careers in science and biomedical, clinical, and behavioral health research and also to expose students to global health issues that relate to health disparities. The program also aims to enable collaborations between colleges/universities and international research programs. Currently, the program offers international research sites in Thailand, India, Liberia, and domestic sites in Arkansas, Utah, Washington and Guam. This year due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, students conducted their research in Hawaii. UH has partnered with leading scientists and universities in these locations to serve as research mentors for MHRT students. Selected students spend 8-9 weeks during the summer at their International training sites under the guidance of their assigned in-country mentor and their UH mentor. Students engage in a variety of international and domestic health projects in community health and tropical medicine and infectious diseases. Additionally, the MHRT program provides the opportunity to share experiences with other trainees upon returning to Hawaii and provides supporting opportunities for students to publish their research and/or present their research findings at local and national conferences. While conducting their summer research abroad, previous MHRT students also selected a cultural project to describe their experiences while living in a different country. This year, MHRT students conducted their research while sheltering in place in their own communities. To describe and document their unique experiences conducting summer research amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions, students carried out “Photovoice and COVID-19 Projects”. Photovoice is an inquiry method used in community health and action research to document through photographs, people’s experiences on an issue, describe and reflect on the issue, and propose solutions. Tonight’s presentation includes MHRT students’ photovoice projects describing their lived experiences and impressions about COVID-19 related topics while conducting their summer research projects in their own communities while proposing solutions.5T37MD008636-07 National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities, NI

Associations between Cultural Identity, Household Membership and Diet Quality among Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Filipino Infants in Hawaiʻi

Public health efforts to reduce diet-related health disparities experienced by indigenous peoples could be enhanced by efforts to improve complementary infant feeding practices. The latter is possible through interventions informed by cultural determinants. This cross-sectional secondary analysis explored possible determinants of the complementary feeding practices of Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and/or Filipino infants (NHPIF) in Hawaiʻi, ages 3–12 months. The objective was to determine the association between caregiver cultural identity and infant household membership with indicators of infant diet healthfulness. The cultural identities, infant household memberships, early infant feeding practices and additional demographic information (infant age and sex, household income) were assessed via an online questionnaire. Surrogate reporting of the infants’ diets over four days was evaluated using an image-based mobile food record (mFR). Data collected by the mFR were evaluated to derive the World Health Organization’s minimum dietary diversity (MDD) indicator and food group consumption. Data were summarized by descriptive statistics and analyzed using multivariate linear and logistic regressions. Seventy infant participants, ages 3–12 months, and their primary caregivers completed the study. Of these, there were 56 infant participants between the age of 6–12 months. Approximately 10% of infants, ages 6–12 months, met MDD for all four days. Meeting MDD and the number of food groups consumed were significantly associated with age. Caregiver cultural identity, infant household membership and infant sex had non-significant associations with indicators of infant diet quality. Findings inform the influences shaping dietary patterns of Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and Filipino infants in Hawaiʻi

Translating diabetes prevention into native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities: the PILI 'Ohana Pilot project.

BACKGROUND: Native Hawaiians (NH) and Other Pacific Islanders (OPI) bear an excess burden of diabetes health disparities. Translation of empirically tested interventions such as the Diabetes Prevention Program Lifestyle Intervention (DPP-LI) offers the potential for reversing these trends. Yet, little is known about how best to translate efficacious interventions into public health practice, particularly among racial/ethnic minority populations. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is an approach that engages the community in the research process and has recently been proposed as a means to improve the translation of research into community practice. OBJECTIVES: To address diabetes health disparities in NHOPIs, CBPR approaches were used to: (1) culturally adapt the DPP-LI for NHOPI communities; and (2) implement and examine the effectiveness of the culturally-adapted program to promote weight loss in 5 NHOPI communities. METHODS: Informant interviews (n=15) and focus groups (n=15, with 112 NHOPI participants) were completed to inform the cultural adaptation of the DPP-LI program. A team of 5 community investigators and 1 academic research team collaboratively developed and implemented the 12-week pilot study to assess the effectiveness of the culturally adapted program. RESULTS: A total of 127 NHOPIs participated in focus groups and informant interviews that resulted in the creation of a significantly modified version of the DPP-LI, entitled the PILI 'Ohana Lifestyle Intervention (POLI). In the pilot study, 239 NHOPIs were enrolled and after 12 weeks (post-program), mean weight loss was -1.5 kg (95%CI -2.0, -1.0) with 26% of participants losing > or = 3% of their baseline weight. Mean weight loss among participants who completed all 8 lessons at 12 weeks was significantly higher (-1.8 kg, 95%CI -2.3, -1.3) than participants who completed less than 8 lessons (-0.70 kg, 95%CI -1.1, -0.29). CONCLUSION: A fully engaged CBPR approach was successful in translating an evidence based diabetes prevention program into a culturally relevant intervention for NHOPI communities. This pilot study demonstrates that weight loss in high risk minority populations can be achieved over a short period of time using CBPR approaches