The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #64486

Mary K. Canales, PhD, Department of Nursing, The University of Vermont, Rowell Building Room 216, Burlington, VT 05405-0068, 802-656-2621, Mary.Canales@uvm.edu

One of the most difficult aspects of improving the well-being and health of communities is moving from research to implementation of designed interventions. On a national level, agencies such as the CDC and NIH are funding research efforts directed towards the development of community interventions. Even for those particular interventions that are proven effective, far too often the necessary resources (material, financial, political) are not provided to translate the research into practice on a realistic level. The purpose of this presentation is to explore the impact of research interventions on underrepresented populations, particularly in terms of health disparities. NINR funding has focused on intervention research, with demonstrated improvements in health outcomes within particular communities, for example reducing high blood pressure among young African American men. High blood pressure continues however, to be one disease that disproportionately affects African American men. Although intervention research is important, its impact becomes negligible when, for example, resources to fund needed multidisciplinary teams to accomplish desired outcomes are unavailable. Another example is intervention research designed to address "language barriers," which, in order to be successful, often require trained bilingual health workers, preferably of the same ethnicity as the target community. Considering the current administration's interpretation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the AMA's opposition to required translation services in general, is it likely that political will to fund such interventions will be harnessed? Populations already marginalized within the health care system are often pushed to the outer limits when intervention research meets political might.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the relationships between community intervention research and health disparities.
• Describe the relationship between the current polticial climate, community intervention research, and populations marginalized within US society.
• Identify the positive and negative consequences of intervention community research for populations marginalized within US society and strategies for addressing consequences that adversely affect these populations.

Keywords: Social Justice, Interventions

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.