Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine
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Our objective was to determine whether Child Opportunity Index (COI), a measure of neighborhood socioeconomic and built environment specific to children, mediated the relationship of census tract Black or Hispanic predominance with increased rates of census tract violence-related mortality. The hypothesis was that COI would partially mediate the relationship. This cross-sectional study combined data from the American Community Survey 5-year estimates, the COI 2.0, and the Illinois Violent Death Reporting System 2015-2019 for the City of Chicago. ⋯ Approximately 64.9% (95% CI 60.2-80.0%) of the effect of census tract Black predominance and 67.9% (95% CI 61.2-200%) of the effect of census tract Hispanic predominance on violence-related mortality was indirect via COI. COI partially mediated the effect of census tract Black and Hispanic predominance on census tract violence-related mortality. Interventions that target neighborhood social and economic factors should be considered to reduce violence-related mortality among children and adolescents.
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As part of a program evaluation of the New York City Test & Trace program (T2)-one of the largest such programs in the USA-we conducted a study to assess how implementing organizations (NYC Health + Hospitals, government agencies, CBOs) communicated information about the T2 program on Twitter. Study aims were as follows: (1) quantify user engagement of posts ("tweets") about T2 by NYC organizations on Twitter and (2) examine the emotional tone of social media users' T2-related tweets in our sample of 1987 T2-related tweets. Celebrities and CBOs generated more user engagement (0.26% and 0.07%, respectively) compared to government agencies (e.g., Mayor's Office, 0.0019%), reinforcing the value of collaborating with celebrities and CBOs in social media public health campaigns. Sentiment analysis revealed that positive tweets (46.5%) had higher user engagement than negative tweets (number of likes: R2 = .095, p < .01), underscoring the importance of positively framing messages for effective public health campaigns.
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The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of addressing social needs in a crisis context. Some US jurisdictions integrated a social service component into case investigation and contact tracing (CI/CT) programs, including the New York City (NYC) Test & Trace (T2) Program; the Take Care initiative referred NYC residents who tested positive or were exposed to COVID-19 to services to support isolation and quarantine and meet basic needs. More research is needed to determine effective implementation strategies for integrating social needs provision into CI/CT programs. ⋯ Barriers identified included external management of the software system, challenges reaching and engaging the public, administrative complications due to shifting collaborations, and management of CBO partners' structure and hiring. Based on our findings, we provide recommendations to support effective planning and implementation of social needs service provision in a crisis context. Future research should focus on testing promising implementation strategies highlighted in this study and applying them to varied contexts and crisis situations.
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During infectious disease epidemics, accurate diagnostic testing is key to rapidly identify and treat cases, and mitigate transmission. When a novel pathogen is involved, building testing capacity and scaling testing services at the local level can present major challenges to healthcare systems, public health agencies, and laboratories. This mixed methods study examined lessons learned from the scale-up of SARS-CoV-2 testing services in New York City (NYC), as a core part of NYC's Test & Trace program. ⋯ NYC residents were, on average, less than 25 min away from free SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic testing services by public transport, and services were successfully directed to most neighborhoods with the highest transmission rates, with only one notable exception. A key feature was to direct mobile testing vans and rapid antigen testing services to areas based on real-time neighborhood transmission data. Municipal leaders should prioritize fortifying supply chains, establish cross-sectoral partnerships to support and extend testing services, plan for continuous testing and validation of assays, ensure open communication feedback loops with CBO partners, and maintain infrastructure to support mobile services during infectious disease emergencies.
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Racially restrictive covenants in housing deeds, commonplace in Minnesota for houses built from the 1910s to the 1950s, provided a foundation for the myriad of policies that made it difficult for people of color to obtain housing. Though covenants were ruled illegal in 1968, their legacy continues to shape neighborhoods. The Mapping Prejudice Project's efforts in Hennepin County, Minnesota, produced the first systematic documentation of racially restrictive covenants. ⋯ Additionally, previously covenanted neighborhoods have less upward mobility for children from poorer households, and there are larger gaps in upward mobility between white and Black children. These findings contribute to a growing literature that shows racist policies, even decades after they are legally enforceable, leave an imprint on neighborhoods. Using the novel data from the Mapping Prejudice Project, we provide statistical analysis that confirms qualitative and anecdotal evidence on the role of racial covenants in shaping neighborhoods.