Latinos are the fastest growing aging population in the U.S. However, there has been limited attention to conceptualizing successful aging among Latinos, especially those residing in rural ...communities. Latinos are the largest racial or ethnic group residing in rural underserved communities and rural Latinos experience significant structural barriers to access the conditions they need to age well. The goal of this study is to make unique contributions to the successful aging literature by describing what successful aging means for middle-aged Latinas residing in a rural community.
This qualitative paper used inductive thematic content analysis to examine definitions of successful aging among Latina women (n = 40) residing in an underserved agricultural community and entering mid-life (mean = 49 years old; age range 40-64).
With regards to definitions of successful aging, four themes emerged: 1) Having good health; 2) maintaining an active lifestyle; 3) the wellbeing of one's children; and 4) being independent.
Participants' definitions of successful aging aligned to some extent with existing frameworks, specifically related to health and independence. However, middle-aged Latina participants' unique definitions of successful aging also diverged from existing frameworks, especially around the wellbeing of their children and the importance of work as a way of maintaining an active lifestyle. More research is needed to understand the unique social context and circumstances of middle-aged Latinos residing in rural communities and how they influence their aging journeys. This can provide important information for the development of culturally sensitive services, interventions, and policies to help Latinos age well.
Abstract Objective Individuals and families from racial and ethnic groups experience social and economic disadvantage making them vulnerable to the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. ...This study sought to capture the impacts of Shelter in Place (SIP) across key life domains including family life, education, work, mental health, and coping strategies among a sample of Mexican-origin mothers who were currently engaged in agricultural work, or whose spouses were engaged in agricultural work, and young adults who had a parent working in agriculture. Method During the summer of 2020, while California was under SIP orders, we conducted three virtual focus groups using Zoom(r). We recruited focus group participants from the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS), an ongoing, 20-year, longitudinal cohort study of Mexican-origin families in a predominantly agricultural area of California. Three focus groups were conducted with mothers ( n = 9), mean age = 48 years, young adult women ( n = 8) and young adult men ( n = 5), mean age = 18 years, respectively. Results Mothers reported high levels of stress stemming from fear of Covid-19 infection, work instability and financial concerns, children’s schooling, anxiety about an uncertain future, and the demands of caretaking for dependents. Adverse mental health impacts were particularly pronounced among participants experiencing multiple adversities pre-dating the pandemic, including unemployment, single motherhood, and having undocumented family members. For young adults, work instability and varying work hours were also a source of stress because they made it difficult to make decisions about the future, such as whether to attend college or how many classes to take. Families used coping strategies including expressing gratitude, focusing on what’s under one’s control, familismo, and community engagement to manage mental health challenges during SIP. Conclusion In the event of future pandemics or disasters, particular attention is needed to those who experience unemployment, are undocumented and/or have undocumented family members, and/or are single parents facing economic adversity. During public health emergencies, action at the local, state, and national level is needed to support farmworkers and other vulnerable groups’ secondary major stressors stemming from inequities in access to affordable housing, childcare, living wages, healthcare, and other benefits.
Abstract Objectives The Latino population is one of the largest, most diverse, and fastest-growing demographic groups in the United States. Although Latinos enjoy longer life spans and reduced ...mortality risk relative to non-Hispanic Whites, they have higher rates of chronic health conditions such as diabetes and dementia and live more of their older years with poor health and disability. Such inequities point to the need for this research focused on examining resiliency strategies and barriers to successful aging among various U.S. Latino subgroups. Methods This qualitative study used thematic content analysis to examine resiliency strategies and barriers to successful aging among Mexican immigrant women (n = 40) residing in an underserved agricultural community and entering mid-life (mean = 49 years old). Results With regards to barriers to successful aging, 3 themes emerged: (1) stressful lifestyle in the United States compared to the participants’ home countries; (2) stress from expectations at home; and (3) stress due to work and the various components around work. The following 4 resiliency strategies emerged: (1) family as a motivation for moving forward in life and focusing on the success of children; (2) having a positive mindset; (3) praying to God for strength to overcome obstacles; and (4) self-care. Discussion Despite experiencing barriers to successful aging, participants practice various resiliency strategies to age successfully. Because many of the barriers identified are related to poverty-related stressors, systemic solutions addressing the social determinants of health are needed.
This dissertation provides insight into Local Health Department (LHD) and county practice to engage in a health equity practice. The persistent health inequities pattered by race, class, and gender ...in the US call for a paradigm shift in public health practice with renewed approaches and skills. The more than 3,000 LHDs nationwide can play a central role in reducing health inequities by engaging in an intentional health equity practice that addresses the social, economic, and historical drivers of health inequities.In the first paper, Transforming LHD Practice to Address Health Inequities: A Systematic Review, I characterize the practices that comprise a LHD health equity practice to help LHDs gain a better understanding of LHD approaches to more effectively address health inequities. This paper identifies six practices that comprise a LHD health equity practice including (1) authentically engage communities and build their power, (2) address the social determinants of health (SDOH) through collaboration across sectors, (3) assess and influence the policy context, (4) build organizational and staff capacity, (5) demonstrate leadership, and (6) change the narrative.In the second paper, One LHD’s Journey Towards Health Equity, I critically analyze how one suburban LHD with large areas of rural farmland, the Monterey County Health Department (MCHD), is engaging in a health equity practice and the challenges they face. The MCHD is building community power through its Leadership and Civic Engagement Academy (EnLACE), building Staff capacity through its Health Equity Scholars Academy (HESA) and Government Alliance for Racial Equity (GARE) trainings, and collaborating across multiple sectors to address social determinants of health (SDOH) through its Health in All Policies (HiAP) initiative. However, the MCHD experiences barriers to implementing a health equity practice including funding cuts and inflexible funding, conflicting agendas and interests, a lack of a systemic approach to addressing inequities, and an intentional focus on vulnerable and highest need groups and places in MC.Finally, in the third paper, Monterey County’s COVID-19 Response Through a Health Equity Lens, I focus on analyzing the context in which the MCHD operates by examining Monterey County’s COVID-19 response through a health equity lens. This study found that MC is addressing the immediate crisis and aims to implement a long-term approach to addressing inequities in the SDOH. However, it is imperative that MC shares decision making power with the communities most impacted by inequities.
In this work, a begomovirus isolated from a bean plant coinfected with the potyviruses bean common mosaic virus and bean common mosaic necrosis virus was characterized. The three viruses were ...detected by high-throughput sequencing and assembly of total small RNAs, but the begomovirus-related contigs did not allow precise identification. Molecular analysis based on standard DNA amplification techniques revealed the presence of a single bipartite virus, which is a novel begomovirus according to the current taxonomic criteria. Infectious clones were generated and agroinoculated into
Phaseolus vulgaris
and
Nicotiana benthamiana
plants. In all cases, viral DNA-A and DNA-B were detected in new growths, but no symptoms were observed, thus indicating that this virus produces asymptomatic infections in both host species.
Objective: Although substance use (SU) is elevated in ADHD and both are associated with disrupted emotional functioning, little is known about how emotions and SU interact in ADHD. We used a mixed ...qualitative–quantitative approach to explore this relationship. Method: Narrative comments were coded for 67 persistent (50 ADHD, 17 local normative comparison group LNCG) and 25 desistent (20 ADHD, 5 LNCG) substance users from the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD (MTA) adult follow-up (21.7-26.7 years-old). Results: SU persisters perceived SU positively affects emotional states and positive emotional effects outweigh negative effects. No ADHD group effects emerged. Qualitative analysis identified perceptions that cannabis enhanced positive mood for ADHD and LNCG SU persisters, and improved negative mood and ADHD for ADHD SU persisters. Conclusion: Perceptions about SU broadly and mood do not differentiate ADHD and non-ADHD SU persisters. However, perceptions that cannabis is therapeutic may inform ADHD-related risk for cannabis use.
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Use of antioxidants can reduce the development of fatigue and reverse the decline of force induced by ROS. It have been reported that N‐2‐mercaptopropionyl glycine (MPG), a potent cell ...permeable ROS scavenger, prevents ischemic damage in heart during exercise; a process analogous in skeletal muscle fatigue, which also involves triggering of several signaling pathways, among those found the production of ROS. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the effect of MPG during fatigue. Anterior Latissimus Dorsi muscle of chicks was dissected and mounted on an experimental recording chamber by placing the distal end of the muscle to the hook of a mechanic‐electric transducer (Grass FT03), which through an amplifier and a analog‐digital interface (Digidata 1322A) allowed to acquire the muscle tension generated in a computer and a software of data acquisition (AXOTAPE, pCLAMP 9.2). We performed a fatigue protocol by twitches (100 V, 300 ms , 0.5 Hz). Once force decreased by 60 %, MPG was applied for 6 min (500 uM, 1 mM and 1.5 mM). The mayor effect observed by administration of MPG was at 1 mM on single twitch post‐fatigue tension. The post‐fatigue tension increased to 20.18 ± 5.92 % in peak tension (p=0.034), while in total tension was 39.95 ± 14.56 % (p= 0.046) compared to fatigued condition. Results suggest that the removal of certain amount of ROS can improve force, but it is also necessary a quantity of ROS for its normal function.