A Community Case Study on Geographic, Environmental, and Social Health Disparities in COVID-19 Disease: Yakima, Washington

Yakima County, Washington, a rural county with an urban core suffered disproportionately under the conditions presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and summer wildfires of 2020. With an infection rate of over 700 per 100,000 population at the height of the pandemic, the county concurrently experienced 14 consecutive days of an air quality index in the unhealthy to hazardous range in August 2020. This paper examines the contributing socioeconomic, geographic, and environmental vulnerabilities that make Yakima County particularly susceptible to the continuum of expected COVID-19 disease and related outcomes and suggests comprehensive areas of investigation to mitigate its impact on special populations, including Hispanic-Latino communities, agricultural, food production, and other essential workers.

Cross Cultural Exploration of the Perceived Health Competence Scale

The eight-item Perceived Health Competence Scale (PHCS) is a measure of self-efficacy in general health management that is used to predict health outcomes and behaviors. The PHCS has been shown to be a reliable and valid instrument but has been used in primarily white European Americans. The PHCS is positively correlated to health status and coping abilities. Younger, healthier populations score higher on the PHCS compared to elderly who are managing chronic illness. This study examined the PHCS in three Midwestern samples: African American elders which revealed two separate factors in PHCS;Native Americans who evaluated the PHCS as a single construct;and a Spanish speaking sample. In the latter sample, findings suggest health competence may be a multi-dimensional construct. Further evaluation of the Spanish version of the PHCS and population characteristics are needed to measure health competence beliefs.

Risk factors for liver disease among adults of Mexican descent in the United States and Mexico

AIM To compare the prevalence of chronic liver disease(CLD) risk factors in a representative sample of MexicanAmericans born in the United States(US) or Mexico, to a sample of adults in Mexico.METHODS Data for Mexican-Americans in the US were obtained from the 1999-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey(NHANES), which includes persons of Mexican origin living in the US(n = 4274). The NHANES sample was restricted to Mexican-American participants who were 20 years and older, born in the US or Mexico, not pregnant or breastfeeding, and with medical insurance.The data in Mexico were obtained from the 2004-2013 Health Worker Cohort Study in Cuernavaca, Mexico(n =9485). The following known risk factors for liver disease/cancer were evaluated: elevated aminotransferase levels(elevated alanine aminotransferase was defined as > 40 IU/L for males and females; elevated aspartate aminotransferase was defined as > 40 IU/L for males and females), infection with hepatitis B or hepatitis C,metabolic syndrome, high total cholesterol, diabetes,obesity, abdominal obesity, and heavy alcohol use. The main independent variables for this study classified individuals by country of residence(i.e., Mexico vs the US) and place of birth(i.e., US-born vs Mexico-born).Regression analyses were used to investigate CLD risk factors.RESULTS After adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics,Mexican-American males were more likely to be obese,diabetic, heavy/binge drinkers or have abdominal obesity than males in Mexico. The adjusted multivariate results for females also indicate that Mexican-American females were significantly more likely to be obese, diabetic, be heavy/binge drinkers or have abdominal obesity than Mexican females. The prevalence ratios and prevalence differences mirror the multivariate analysis findings for the aforementioned risk factors, showing a greater risk among US-born as compared to Mexico-born MexicanAmericans. CONCLUSION In this study, Mexican-Americans in the US had more risk factors for CLD than their counterparts in Mexico.These findings can be used to design and implement more effective health promotion policies and programs to address the specific factors that put Mexicans at higher risk of developing CLD in both countries.

Latina mothers feeding their children: A focus group pilot study

The purpose of this study was to better understand current knowledge of health and nutrition, barriers to improving eating habits, and preferences for school-based interventions among low-income Latina mothers. Qualitative research methods and analysis were employed. Eighteen mothers of preschool-aged children participated in a focus group interview. Findings indicate that mothers have an understanding of healthy eating, but identified issues with connecting food with weight and in understanding definitions of “obese”. Further, respondents identified barriers to incorporating healthier foods and cooking methods into daily life, due to family food preferences, cultural practices, and schedules. Mother’s concerns about the future weight and the health of their children appeared to motivate interest in improving feeding behaviors. Desired interventions of mothers highlight the importance of culturally relative solutions to behavior change towards healthy eating.