scholarly journals Sleep as a Mediator in the Pathway Linking Environmental Factors to Hypertension: A Review of the Literature

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oluwaseun A. Akinseye ◽  
Stephen K. Williams ◽  
Azizi Seixas ◽  
Seithikurippu R. Pandi-Perumal ◽  
Julian Vallon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Noise Exposure ◽  
Outcome Variable ◽  
African American Community ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Main Outcome Variable ◽  
The Impact

Environmental factors, such as noise exposure and air pollution, are associated with hypertension. These environmental factors also affect sleep quality. Given the growing evidence linking sleep quality with hypertension, the purpose of this review is to investigate the role of sleep as a key mediator in the association between hypertension and environmental factors. Through this narrative review of the extant literature, we highlight that poor sleep quality mediates the relationship between environmental factors and hypertension. The conceptual model proposed in this review offers opportunities to address healthcare disparities in hypertension among African Americans by highlighting the disparate impact that the predictors (environmental factors) and mediator (sleep) have on the African-American community. Understanding the impact of these factors is crucial since the main outcome variable (hypertension) severely burdens the African-American community.

Public Opinion toward Equal Opportunity Issues: The Role of Attitudinal and Demographic Forces among African Americans

1992 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 705-720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terri Susan Fine
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Equal Opportunity ◽  
Opinion Dynamics ◽  
Policy Support ◽  
African American Community ◽  
Social Changes ◽  
Disadvantaged Populations ◽  
The Impact

This paper explores African American opinion toward equal opportunity issues using a demographic-attitudinal focus. Previous explorations have focused on black-white opinion comparisons. In this analysis, attitudinal forces, particularly core values, are identified as playing an influential role in policy support. Further, these patterns of values tend to reflect those expressed by whites on similar questions: the more individualistic and conservative one is, the less likely one is to support government intervention on African Americans behalf. In responding to questions concerning governmental responsibility, higher SES African Americans express stronger support than do their lower SES counterparts. This finding suggests that those who are experiencing “glass ceilings” are concerned about government guarantees of equal opportunity, despite their individualistic beliefs. This is inconsistent with previous explorations that analyze these beliefs among disadvantaged populations. The implications of social changes in the African American community and the impact of these changes on opinion dynamics are discussed.

scholarly journals Examining the Impact of Employment Status on Sleep Quality During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Two Low-Income Neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, PA

SLEEP ◽  
2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew D Baird ◽  
Tamara Dubowitz ◽  
Jonathan Cantor ◽  
Wendy M Troxel
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Employment Status ◽  
Financial Strain ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Poor Sleep Quality ◽  
African American Adults ◽  
American Adult ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Study Objectives African Americans have faced disproportionate socioeconomic and health consequences associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The current study examines employment and its association with sleep quality during the initial months of the pandemic in a low-income, predominantly African American adult sample. Methods In the early months of COVID-19 (March to May 2020), we administered a survey to an ongoing, longitudinal cohort of older adults to assess the impact of COVID-related changes in employment on self-reported sleep quality (N=460; 93.9% African American). Participants had prior sleep quality assessed in 2018 and a subset also had sleep quality assessed in 2013 and 2016. Primary analyses focused on the prevalence of poor sleep quality and changes in sleep quality between 2018 and 2020, according to employment status. Financial strain and prior income were assessed as moderators of the association between employment status and sleep quality. We plotted trend lines showing sleep quality from 2013 to 2020 in a subset (n=339) with all four waves of sleep data available. Results All participants experienced increases in poor sleep quality between 2018 and 2020, with no statistical differences between the employment groups. However, we found some evidence of moderation by financial strain and income. The trend analysis demonstrated increases in poor sleep quality primarily between 2018 and 2020. Conclusions Sleep quality worsened during the pandemic among low-income African American adults. Policies to support the financially vulnerable and marginalized populations could benefit sleep quality.

Cognitive Health Counseling 40+

2013 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Eschen ◽  
Franzisca Zehnder ◽  
Mike Martin
Keyword(s):  
Outcome Variable ◽  
Pilot Phase ◽  
Subjective Memory ◽  
Cognitive Health ◽  
Health Counseling ◽  
Agents Of Change ◽  
Main Outcome Variable ◽  
Further Development

This article introduces Cognitive Health Counseling 40+ (CH.CO40+), an individualized intervention that is conceptually based on the orchestration model of quality-of-life management ( Martin & Kliegel, 2010 ) and aims at improving satisfaction with cognitive health in adults aged 40 years and older. We describe the theoretically deduced characteristics of CH.CO40+, its target group, its multifactorial nature, its individualization, the application of subjective and objective measures, the role of participants as agents of change, and the rationale for choosing participants’ satisfaction with their cognitive health as main outcome variable. A pilot phase with 15 middle-aged and six older adults suggests that CH.CO40+ attracts, and may be particularly suitable for, subjective memory complainers. Implications of the pilot data for the further development of the intervention are discussed.

scholarly journals Left superior temporal sulcus morphometry mediates the impact of anxiety and depressive symptoms on sleep quality in healthy adults

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanlin Wang ◽  
Ping Jiang ◽  
Shi Tang ◽  
Lu Lu ◽  
Xuan Bu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Sleep Problems ◽  
Superior Temporal Sulcus ◽  
Healthy Adults ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Emotional Symptoms ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Poor Sleep Quality ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Anxiety and depressive symptoms may predispose individuals to sleep disturbance. Understanding how these emotional symptoms affect sleep quality, especially the underlying neural basis, could support the development of effective treatment. The aims of the present study were therefore to investigate potential changes in brain morphometry associated with poor sleep quality and whether this structure played a mediating role between the emotional symptoms and sleep quality. One hundred and forty-one healthy adults (69 women, mean age = 26.06 years, SD = 6.36 years) were recruited. A structural magnetic resonance imaging investigation was performed, and self-reported measures of anxiety, depressive symptoms and sleep quality were obtained for each participant. Whole-brain regression analysis revealed that worse sleep quality was associated with thinner cortex in left superior temporal sulcus (STS). Furthermore, the thickness of left STS mediated the association between the emotional symptoms and sleep quality. A subsequent commonality analysis showed that physiological component of the depressive symptoms had the greatest influence on sleep quality. In conclusion, thinner cortex in left STS may represent a neural substrate for the association between anxiety and depressive symptoms and poor sleep quality and may thus serve as a potential target for neuromodulatory treatment of sleep problems.

scholarly journals 1142 Comprehensive Phenotyping Of Ambulatory Sleep Patterns In Multiple Sclerosis

SLEEP ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A435-A435
Author(s):  
T J Braley ◽  
A L Kratz ◽  
D Whibley ◽  
C Goldstein
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Extreme Values ◽  
Sleep Onset ◽  
External Support ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Sleep Patterns ◽  
Poor Sleep Quality ◽  
Historical Cohort ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Introduction The majority of sleep research in persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) has been siloed, restricted to evaluation of one or a few sleep measures in isolation. To fully characterize the impact of sleep disturbances in MS, multifaceted phenotyping of sleep is required. The objective of this study was to more comprehensively quantify sleep in PwMS, using a recently developed multi-domain framework of duration, continuity, regularity, sleepiness/alertness, and quality. Methods Data were derived from a parent study that examined associations between actigraphy and polysomnography-based measures of sleep and cognitive function in MS. Actigraphy was recorded in n=55 PwMS for 7-12 days (Actiwatch2®, Philips Respironics). Sleep metrics included: duration=mean total sleep time (TST, minutes); continuity=mean wake time after sleep onset (minutes), and regularity=stddev wake-up time (hours). ‘Extreme’ values for continuity/regularity were defined as the most extreme third of the distributions. ‘Extreme’ TST values were defined as the lowest or highest sixth of the distributions. Sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale score) and sleep quality [Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) sleep quality item] were dichotomized by accepted cutoffs (>10 and >1, respectively). Results Sleep was recorded for a mean of 8.2 days (stddev=0.95). Median (1st, 3rd quartile) values were as follows: duration 459.79 (430.75, 490.60), continuity 37.00 (23.44, 52.57), regularity 1.02 (0.75, 1.32), sleepiness/alertness 8 (4, 12), and sleep quality 1.00 (1.00, 2.00). Extreme values based on data distributions were: short sleep <=426.25 minutes (18%), long sleep >515.5 minutes (16%), poor sleep continuity ≥45 minutes (33%), and poor sleep regularity ≥1.17 hours (33%). Sleepiness and poor sleep quality were present in 36% and 40% respectively. For comparison, in a historical cohort of non-MS patients, the extreme third of sleep regularity was a stddev of 0.75 hours, 13% had ESS of >10, and 16% had poor sleep quality. Conclusion In this study of ambulatory sleep patterns in PwMS, we found greater irregularity of sleep-wake timing, and higher prevalence of sleepiness and poor sleep quality than published normative data. Efforts should be made to include these measures in the assessment of sleep-related contributions to MS outcomes. Support The authors received no external support for this work.

SHIFTING POWER

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (02) ◽  
pp. 417-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brianna Remster ◽  
Rory Kramer
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
African American ◽  
Racial Differences ◽  
Mass Incarceration ◽  
Racial Inequalities ◽  
Rural Districts ◽  
Contemporary United States ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Legislative Districts

AbstractWhile prisoners cannot vote, they are counted as residents of the often rural legislative districts where they are incarcerated rather than their home districts. We examine the extent to which incarceration shifts the balance of a representative democracy by considering its impact on legislative apportionment. Drawing on data from the Census, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, and Pennsylvania Redistricting Commission, we develop a counterfactual framework to examine whether removing and returning prisoners to their home districts affects equal representation. Because prisoners are disproportionately African American, we also employ this counterfactual to assess racial differences in the impact of prison gerrymandering. Findings indicate that incarceration shifts political power from urban districts to suburban and rural districts through legislative apportionment. Moreover, non-White communities suffer the most. We conclude by considering how our findings fit a growing literature on the role of mass incarceration in [re]producing racial inequalities in the contemporary United States.

scholarly journals Stronger Association between Nucleus Accumbens Density and Body Mass Index in Low-Income and African American Children

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. p107
Author(s):  
Shervin Assari
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
African American ◽  
Nucleus Accumbens ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
Predictor Variable ◽  
Outcome Variable ◽  
Ses Differences

Background: The nucleus accumbens’ (NAc) size, function, and density influence individuals’ body mass index (BMI). However, little is known about racial and socioeconomic status (SES) differences in the role of NAc density as a predictor of childhood BMI. Objectives: We used the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) data to investigate racial and SES differences in the effect of NAc density on childhood BMI. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 9497 children between ages 9 and 10. Mixed-effects regression models were used to analyze the data. The predictor variable was NAc density measured using diffusion MRI (dMRI). The outcome variable was BMI, operationalized as a continuous variable. Covariates included sex, age, ethnicity, family structure, and parental education. Race (White, African American, Asian, and Other/mixed) and household income (< 50k, 50-100 k, and 100+ k) were the moderators. Results: High NAc diffusion tension (density) was predictive of higher BMI, net of covariates. However, the positive association between NAc density and BMI was stronger in African Americans than in White, and in low-income than in high-income children. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that although high NAc has implications for children’s BMI, this effect varies across racial and SES groups. More research should be performed on the role of obesogenic environments in altering the effect of NAc on childhood BMI.

The Effect of Shift Fluctuations on Sleep Quality among Nurses Working in the Emergency Room in Amman, Jordan

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-17
Author(s):  
Khaled Suleiman ◽  
Tarek Al-Khaleeb ◽  
Mahmoud Al-Kaladeh ◽  
Loai Abu Sharour
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Emergency Room ◽  
Work Performance ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Emergency Rooms ◽  
Poor Sleep Quality ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Work Related ◽  
The Impact

Introduction: Sleep Quality disturbances are common among nurses especially those working in stressful situations such as emergency room. Additionally, sleep quality disturbances were found to interfere with nurses’ quality of life and work performance. No studies have found the effect of fluctuated shifts on sleep quality among nurses. Objectives: To examine the impact of shift fluctuations on sleep quality among nurses working in the emergency room. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive design was employed. Five emergency rooms were selected from public and private hospitals located in Amman, Jordan. The selected hospitals were also referral sites with capacity of more than 200 beds. A convenient sample of nurses who had a minimum of six months experience in the emergency room and working on rotating shifts were eligible for participation. Nurses with known chronic respiratory problems and sleep apnea were excluded. A self-administered questionnaire including a demographic and work-related questions, and the Arabic version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were provided. Shift fluctuations were clustered based on interchanging between morning, evening and night shifts. Results: A total of 179 emergency nurses working in rotating shifts participated in the study. The majority of the nurses were poor sleepers. The study found no significant differences between different shifts interchange and sleep quality. However, interchange between morning and evening shift reported the highest sleep disturbance. Sleep quality was positively correlated with the length of experience, while negatively correlated with the age and the number of monthly shifts. Nurses who declared higher satisfaction and ability to work under pressure revealed better sleep quality. Conclusion: Emergency room nurses showed poor sleep quality. While there was no specific shift interchange cluster inducing poor sleep quality, some demographical and work-related characteristics indicated their influence on sleep quality.

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