The Power of Community: The Role of Community-Based Organizations in Mitigating COVID-19-Related Impacts on Well-Being Among South Florida's Minoritized Populations

The rapid closure of schools and businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact in South Florida, highlighting diverse challenges to community well-being. Community-based organizations (CBOs) have served as a source of support for community members, particularly in stressful times. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, and in collaboration with Breakthrough Miami, a CBO committed to addressing the educational opportunity gap in Miami-Dade County, we conducted a study to assess challenges to the well-being of systematically minoritized families during the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study included longitudinal survey data collected via ecological momentary assessment and in-depth interviews with Breakthrough Miami families to gather richer and nuanced data regarding indicators of well-being and CBO engagement. Quantitative results indicated that as perceived stress increased over time, so too did emotional and informational support. Follow-up qualitative interviews indicated that 100% of families identified Breakthrough Miami as a source of academic support during the pandemic. Additionally, families cited the important role Breakthrough Miami played beyond their standard academic programs and services in coping with the most significant sources of stress reported through the pandemic: meeting basic needs and threats to socioemotional well-being. Implications for CBOs are addressed

The Power of Community: The Role of Community-Based Organizations in Mitigating COVID-19-Related Impacts on Well-Being Among South Florida's Minoritized Populations

The rapid closure of schools and businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact in South Florida, highlighting diverse challenges to community well-being. Community-based organizations (CBOs) have served as a source of support for community members, particularly in stressful times. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, and in collaboration with Breakthrough Miami, a CBO committed to addressing the educational opportunity gap in Miami-Dade County, we conducted a study to assess challenges to the well-being of systematically minoritized families during the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study included longitudinal survey data collected via ecological momentary assessment and in-depth interviews with Breakthrough Miami families to gather richer and nuanced data regarding indicators of well-being and CBO engagement. Quantitative results indicated that as perceived stress increased over time, so too did emotional and informational support. Follow-up qualitative interviews indicated that 100% of families identified Breakthrough Miami as a source of academic support during the pandemic. Additionally, families cited the important role Breakthrough Miami played beyond their standard academic programs and services in coping with the most significant sources of stress reported through the pandemic: meeting basic needs and threats to socioemotional well-being. Implications for CBOs are addressed

Abstract 2876: Loss of the stem cell and basal lineage regulator LBH delays onset of basal-like triple negative breast cancer

Abstract There is increasing evidence that basal-like triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) originates from luminal mammary epithelial cells. Specific gene signatures have already been experimentally proven to serve as genetic lineage switches that, when overexpressed, transform pre-malignant luminal cells to oncogenic cells with basal, stem-like characteristics. Conversely, depletion of these genes in oncogenic cells with basal, stem-like characteristics leads to luminal differentiation. These studies suggest that during the earliest steps of neoplastic transformation, specific gene sets can alter cell fate decisions and differentiation status in mammary epithelial cells, which ultimately contributes to the heterogeneity of breast tumors. Our lab has identified a novel Wnt/β-Catenin target gene, Limb bud and heart (LBH) that is majorly overexpressed in TNBC. LBH is a regulator of the basal mammary stem cell lineage and repressor of luminal differentiation via induction of ΔNp63 and repression of estrogen receptor alpha. LBH is required for the self-renewal and maintenance of adult basal mammary stem cells, which tend to be enriched in TNBC. Knockout studies in mice have shown that genetic ablation of LBH does not impair embryogenesis or normal adult organ function, making it a possible therapeutic target. Using crosses between MMTV-Wnt-1 transgenic mice and K14Cre LBHloxP knockout mice, we are studying the effect of LBH ablation in the basal cells of the mammary epithelium downstream of ectopic Wnt expression in the mammary gland. We postulated that LBH may be an effector of Wnt-driven TNBC, therefore its inhibition would lead to decreased Wnt-induced mammary gland hyperplasia and tumor formation. In our model, LBH ablation in the basal mammary epithelium of female Wnt transgenic mice reduces mammary gland hyperplasia and delays tumor onset. MMTV-Wnt-1 driven, LBH-null tumors also exhibit histopathological differences indicative of a luminal to basal conversion. There is an urgent need to elucidate mechanisms underlying TNBC development and progression and find reliable avenues for treatment. Our data indicates a role for Lbh as a novel effector for Wnt-driven TNBC and further studies may prove antagonism of Lbh to be a novel method to control TNBC progression. Citation Format: Kilan C. Ashad-Bishop, Karoline Briegel. Loss of the stem cell and basal lineage regulator LBH delays onset of basal-like triple negative breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2876. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-2876</jats:p

Intersectional disparities in climate vulnerability and cancer risk

Despite significant progress in the early detection, treatment, and survivorship of cancer in recent decades, cancer disparities continue to plague segments of the US population. Many of these cancer disparities, especially those among historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups and those with lower socioeconomic resources, are caused and perpetuated by social and structural barriers to health. These social and structural barriers, which operate beyond the framework of cancer control, also systematically increase vulnerability to and decrease adaptive capacity for the deleterious effects of anthropogenic climate change. The established and emerging overlap between climate vulnerability and cancer risk presents complex challenges to cancer control, specifically among populations who suffer compounding hazards and intersectional vulnerabilities. By embracing these intersections, we may be able to conceptualize promising new research frameworks and programmatic opportunities that decrease vulnerability to a wide range of climate and health threats to advance health equity

Abstract C083: Exploring relationships between neighborhood social vulnerability and cancer screening in Miami-Dade County

Abstract Purpose: Social and structural contributors to social vulnerability have been associated with cancer disparities across the continuum. This study aimed to explore relationships between indicators of neighborhood social vulnerability and participation in breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening in Miami-Dade County. Methods: Data were obtained at the census tract level from the United States Census Bureau American Community Survey (2014-2018), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Social Vulnerability Index (2018), and the CDC PLACES dataset (2018). This analysis was restricted to Miami-Dade census tracts for which PLACES data was available on mammography (n=135), cervical cancer screening (n=115), and colorectal screening (n=136) participation. Census tracts were stratified into tertiles based on screening participation, then social vulnerability indicators were assessed among the tertiles. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to identify characteristics responsible for most variability in breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening. Results: Mammography participation was 51.76%, 58.80%, and 65.65% in the lower, middle, and upper tertiles, respectively. Among these tracts, per capita income (p<.001), earning an income below poverty (p<.001), educational attainment below earning an HS diploma (p<.001), the proportion of non-Hispanic White residents (p<.001), unemployed residents (p<.001), residents with a disability (p<.001), and people with no computer or limited access to the internet (p<.001) were significantly different between the tertiles. Cervical cancer screening participation was 79.60%, 84.36%, and 87.80% in the lower, middle, and upper tertiles, respectively. Among these tracts, per capita income (p<.001), earning an income below poverty (p<.001), educational attainment below earning an HS diploma (p<.001), and proportion of single-parent households with children under age 17 (p<.001), non-Hispanic White residents (p<.001), unemployed residents (p<.001), residents with a disability (p<.001), and people with no computer or limited access to the internet (p<.001) were significantly different between the screening tertiles. Colorectal cancer screening participation was 79.26%, 81.06%, and 85.26% in the lower, middle, and upper tertiles, respectively. Among these tracts, per capita income (p<.01), earning an income below poverty (p<.004), educational attainment below earning an HS diploma (p<.001), the proportion of residents with a disability (p<.001), and people with no computer or limited access to the internet (p<.001) were significantly different between the screening tertiles. Conclusions: These data suggest that social vulnerability is associated with cancer screening uptake, namely mammography, cervical cancer screening, and colorectal cancer screening. Further investigation of the social and structural factors contributing to disparities in cancer screening will help appropriately allocate resources and craft effective interventions to reduce the burden of cancer among those most vulnerable. Citation Format: Kilan C. Ashad-Bishop, Jordan A. Baeker-Bispo, Zinzi D. Bailey, Erin K. Kobetz. Exploring relationships between neighborhood social vulnerability and cancer screening in Miami-Dade County [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 15th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2022 Sep 16-19; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr C083

Hyperlocal disparities in breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening: An ecological study of social vulnerability in Miami-Dade county

Neighborhoods have been identified as important determinants of health-related outcomes, but limited research has assessed the influence of neighborhood context along the cancer continuum. This study used census tract-level data from the United States Census Bureau and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to characterize Miami-Dade County census tracts (n = 492) into social vulnerability clusters and assess their associated breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening participation rates. We identified disparities by social vulnerability cluster in cancer screening participation rates. Further investigation of geographic disparities in social vulnerability and cancer screening participation could inform equity-focused cancer control efforts