scholarly journals Perceptions of Community Resources and Insights for Program Development from Southern, Rural Hypertensive Women

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Cassandra D. Ford ◽  
Alice L. March

Background. Hypertension affects millions of Americans each year and is a significant contributor to the development of cardiovascular disease. African Americans, especially those living in rural locations, experience greater disparities in the incidence and prevalence rates of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Methods. This study utilizes qualitative descriptive methodology. Focus groups involving African American women reporting hypertension were conducted in a rural community in Alabama. Results. The mean age was 60.3 years of age (SD = 10.3). Most were married and half were college educated. The majority reported an overweight or obese status. Most were aware that they had hypertension for more than five years, all were nonsmokers, and the majority had a family history of heart disease, hypertension, and/or heart attack or stroke. Key themes emerging from the focus groups included strengths of the community, support for the community, support for a healthy lifestyle, and intervention development. Conclusion. Hypertension is a treatable and preventable disease that not only causes disability, but also significantly decreases the quality of life in affected individuals. Findings from this study provide insight into the unique needs and perceptions of African American women residing in rural Alabama as they relate to community resources.

Author(s):  
Obiora E Egbuche ◽  
Meldra Hall ◽  
Folake Ojutalayo ◽  
Ernest Alemah-Mensah ◽  
Brenda Lankford ◽  
...  

Objective: To identify predictors that allow for early detection of cardiovascular disease in African American women Background: Cardiovascular (CV) mortality is high in African Americans in the United States. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death in African American females. We hypothesize that certain cardiovascular risk factors are predictors of abnormal peripheral vascular compliance. We aim to identify determinants of abnormal vascular compliance by assessing the association between known CVD risk factors and the extent of vascular compliance Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized survey responses and results from a noninvasive screening tool. The study included only African American women. Traditional CV risk factors were independent variables (history of hypertension, high serum lipids, family or personal history of CVD). The instrument employed biomarkers that detect blood vessel elasticity. Outcome measures included small and large vessel compliance. Both survey responses and screening results were obtained from 70 consecutive participants. We conducted a univariate and bivariate descriptive analysis. A Chi-square or Fishers exact test was used to determine the significance as appropriate. We adjusted for potential confounders in our multivariable analysis. SAS 9.4 software was used for all the data analyses Results: Our study indicates that personal history of cardiovascular disease is strongly associated with abnormal small vessel compliance (Pvalue - 0.01). Family history of cardiovascular disease is strongly associated with abnormal large artery compliance (Pvalue - 0.02). History of cardiovascular disease in both parents is associated with abnormal large artery compliance (Pvalue - 0.04). Interestingly, Living Situation (Living alone) was associated with abnormal large artery compliance (Pvalue - 0.03) Conclusion: Family and personal history of CVD, and living alone have strong associations with abnormal vascular compliance. Cardiovascular mortality is high in Black and African American females. Identifying predictors of abnormal vascular compliance can allow for early disease detection and intervention.


2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Queen Henry-Okafor ◽  
Patricia A. Cowan ◽  
Mona N. Wicks ◽  
Muriel Rice ◽  
Donna S. Husch ◽  
...  

Obesity is a growing health care concern with implications for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Obesity and CVD morbidity and mortality are highly prevalent among African American women. This pilot study examined the association between obesity and the traditional and emerging CVD risk factors in a sample of African American women. Participants comprised 48 women (27 obese, 21 normal weight) aged 18–45. with no known history of CVD. The women completed demographic and 7-day physical activity recall questionnaires. Height and weight were used to determine body mass index (BMI). Hypertension risk was assessed using the average of two resting blood pressure (BP) measurements. Lipid profile, blood glucose, fibrinogen, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), and E-selectin (eSel) levels were assessed using fasting blood samples. Laboratory findings were interpreted using the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and Adult Treatment Panel (ATP) III reference guidelines as well as manufacturers’ reference ranges for the novel CVD risk factors. The most common traditional risk factors were physical inactivity (72.9%), positive family history of CVD (58.3%), and obesity (56.3%). Obese individuals had elevated systolic BP ( p = .0002), diastolic BP ( p = .0007) and HDL-cholesterol ( p = .01), triglyceride ( p = .02), hs-CRP ( p = .002), and fibrinogen ( p = .01), when compared with normal-weight women. The findings suggest an association between obesity and higher prevalence of both traditional and emerging CVD risk factors in young African American women.


2012 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 525-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
LYNDSEY M. HORNBUCKLE ◽  
PEI-YANG LIU ◽  
JASMINKA Z. ILICH ◽  
JEONG-SU KIM ◽  
BAHRAM H. ARJMANDI ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Jelani M. Favors

This chapter examines the fascinating history of Bennett College – one of only two single sex colleges dedicated to educating African American women. Although Bennett would not make that transition until 1926, the institution played a vital role in educating African American women in Greensboro, North Carolina from the betrayal of the Nadir to the promises of a New Negro Era. The latter period witnessed Bennett, under the leadership of David Dallas Jones, mold scores of young girls into politically conscious race women who were encouraged to resist Jim Crow policies and reject the false principals of white supremacy. Their politicization led to a massive boycott of a theatre in downtown Greensboro and helped to set the tone for Greensboro’s evolution into a critical launching point for the modern civil rights movement.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 353-376
Author(s):  
Shannon Sales ◽  
Monica Galloway Burke ◽  
Colin Cannonier

Purpose This paper aims to examine women leaders from diverse career backgrounds and ethnicities to discover their perspectives of their leadership roles and empowerment to determine similarities and differences among them, focusing on the perspectives of African American women. Design/methodology/approach The review process began with a comprehensive review of African American women in history in the context of leadership and empowerment. Next, a Q-sort methodology was used as a semi-qualitative approach for women leaders to rank words of empowerment and facilitate discussions among these women. The Q methodology is known for exploring issues that are correlated with individuals who are influenced with personal feelings and opinions. Findings The paper concludes that perceptions of leadership roles differ among the African American women leaders when compared to other ethnicities. The results support the idea that women from diverse ethnic backgrounds have different experiences in the workplace, and these experiences influence how they identify factors they perceive as beneficial to them in terms of their perspectives on leadership and empowerment. Several themes emerged for African American women leaders including being overlooked, marginalized, undervalued and unappreciated in their professions as leaders due to their dual minority status. As it is now as it was in the past, such barriers can deter or stop progression for African American women leaders. Originality/value The history of African American women in leadership roles is scantily recognized or not recognized at all. This paper highlights leadership roles and barriers for African American women currently in leadership roles in contrast to other women. The issues they face are still similar to those faced by African American women in earlier decades in spite of increased career mobility. A relatively understudied topic in leadership and management history in general, this paper provides a unique lens from which to build awareness about the leadership roles and empowerment of African American women and to effect needed change.


Author(s):  
Jianxia Du

In technology education, African American women are normally in the minority. Contributing factors include the continuation of discrimination based on race and/or gender in American society, together with African American women’s own self-perception, which is itself influenced by their history of discrimination. These factors in turn affect their access to technology and technology education.


Collections ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-381
Author(s):  
Julie L. Holcomb

Working-class and rural white women and free and enslaved African American women left few material traces, making it difficult for scholars to document their experience of the Civil War. This three-part article uses the story of the Timothy O. Webster Papers, which is part of the Pearce Civil War Collection at Navarro College in Corsi-cana, Texas, to examine the possibilities and limitations of recovering women's experience of the war from military collections. The first part examines the practice of collecting Civil War documents, the history of the Pearce Civil War Collection, and the collection and preservation of the Webster letters. In the second part, I begin to reconstruct Harriet's story using letters from the Webster Papers. The final part returns to the archive to consider how archivists might aid scholars in recovering the story of Civil War-era women from military collections.


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