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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Brian K. Gibbs, PhD¹, Genita Johnson¹, Junenette Peters, ScD², Deborah Prothrow-Stith, MD³, Eileen McNeely, PhD², Nancy Krieger, PhD⁴, and Howard Hu, MD ScD². (1) Division of Health Practice, Harvard School of Public Health, 841 Parker Street, Boston, MA 02120, 617 495-7777, bkgibbs@hsph.harvard.edu, (2) Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Channing Laboratory, 181 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, (3) Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard University, 841 Parker Street, Boston, MA 02120, (4) Dept of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Kresge 717, Boston, MA 02115

Recent evidence has provided tantalizing evidence that a combination of lead exposure and stress caused by racism and limited job latitude—risk factors that are known to be disproportionately high in African Americans—may be playing a major etiologic role in the excessively high rates of hypertension that affect African Americans. If true, efforts at prevention would likely change significantly, making this a critical hypothesis to address using careful research. Some of this research would ideally involve epidemiologic investigations in potentially affected communities, but what is the best approach for soliciting the interest and cooperation of communities that have many reasons for being suspicious of community-based research? In this presentation, we will share the experience of the Boston research component of Project CHOICE (the Center for Healthy Options and Innovative Community Empowerment), an NIH-NCMHD Project EXPORT initiative, which is being conducted in the inner-city urban community of Roxbury. The presentation will examine the broad and specific roles and issues associated with blending a team of researchers, outreach staff and community volunteers when engaged in research and outreach activities involving African American and Hispanic/Latino residents in urban neighborhoods. Strategies that were both failures and successes in terms of social marketing and outreach will be discussed along with experiences that highlight key principles for integrating health disparities research into sustainable, mutually beneficial public health practice and community based participatory research.

Learning Objectives: By the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to

(
• describe the evidence linking lead exposure and stress with disparities in hypertension in African-Americans; (
• identify the essential components of experimental research, social marketing and outreach strategies designed to examine social and environmental determinants of Hypertension in African-Americans; (
• identify key principles for integrating health disparities research into sustainable, mutually beneficial public health practice and community based participatory research.

Keywords: Environmental Health,

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No