American journal of public health
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In the United States a growing proportion of cases of heterosexually acquired HIV infections occur in women and in persons of color. We analyzed the association between race/ethnicity, whether diagnoses of HIV infection and AIDS were made concurrently, and the survival after diagnosis of heterosexually acquired AIDS. ⋯ To decrease the incidence of heterosexually acquired HIV infections, prevention and education programs should target all persons at risk, especially women, non-Hispanic Blacks, and Hispanics.
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We sought to determine the association between maternal body mass index and risk of preterm delivery. ⋯ Obese nulliparous women are at increased risk of elective preterm deliveries. This in turn leads to an increased risk of perinatal mortality and is likely to lead to increased risks of long-term disability among surviving offspring.
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Comparative Study
Racial/ethnic disparities in report of physician-provided smoking cessation advice: analysis of the 2000 National Health Interview Survey.
We explored racial/ethnic disparities in reports of smoking cessation advice among smokers who had visited a physician in the previous year. Also, we examined the likelihood of receipt of such advice across Hispanic subgroups and levels of English proficiency. ⋯ Some 16 million smokers in the United States could not recall receiving advice to quit smoking from their physician in the preceding year. These missed opportunities, compounded by racial/ethnic disparities such as those observed between Hispanics and other groups and between Hispanic subgroups, suggest that considerably greater effort is needed to diminish the toll stemming from smoking and smoking-related diseases.
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Community-based participatory research (CBPR) addresses the social justice dimensions of health disparities by engaging marginalized communities, building capacity for action, and encouraging more egalitarian relationships between researchers and communities. CBPR may challenge institutionalized academic practices and the understandings that inform institutional review board deliberations and, indirectly, prioritize particular kinds of research. ⋯ CBPR requires expanding ethical discourse beyond the procedural, principle-based approaches common in biomedical research settings. The current ethics culture of academia may sometimes serve to protect institutional power at the expense of community empowerment.