Technology access, use, socioeconomic status, and healthcare disparities among African Americans in the US

Frontiers in Public Health · 2025-05-28 · 3 citations

Background Healthcare disparities remain a significant challenge in addressing equitable healthcare access and outcomes for minority populations, including African Americans. Rooted in systemic racism and historical exclusion, these inequities persist as part of broader structural violence. Leveraging health technology holds promise in addressing these disparities by enhancing access to care, improving its quality, and reducing inequities. However, the association between health technology access, use, socioeconomic status (SES), and healthcare disparities among African Americans remains underexplored. This study aims to explore the potential role of technology in mitigating healthcare disparities by investigating the associations between technology access, healthcare technology use, socioeconomic status (SES), and health disparities among African Americans. Methods Using data from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) Wave 6 dataset, a sample of 815 African Americans was analyzed using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings The results of the study showed that technology access had a significant positive effect on healthcare technology use ( β = 0.260, p < 0.000). Technology access ( β = −0.086, p = 0.034) and healthcare technology use ( β = −0.180, p < 0.001) demonstrated a significant negative effect on healthcare disparity, respectively. Results also revealed SES had a significant positive effect on technology access ( β = 0.424, p < 0.001). Additionally, SES was found to significantly moderate the relationship between technology access and healthcare disparities, indicating variability in the impact of technology access based on SES levels among African Americans. Conclusion These findings highlight the potential of technology in mitigating healthcare disparities among African Americans. By promoting enhanced health technology access and utilization, particularly in lower SES populations, the healthcare outcomes for vulnerable communities can be significantly improved. Policymakers, healthcare providers, and technology developers are encouraged to collaborate in providing conducive conditions for the adoption and use of technology to advance healthcare equity.

Effect of social capital, social support and social network formation on the quality of life of American adults during COVID-19

Scientific Reports · 2024-02-01 · 27 citations

This study aims to evaluate the effect of social capital (SC), social support (SS), and social network formation (SNF) on the quality of life of American adults during COVID-19. Using a probability sample of American adults aged 49+, 2370 respondents were selected from the National Social Life Health and Aging Project (NSHAP) dataset for analysis using an integrated partial least squares based on structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM)-K-fold cross-validation approach. The analysis showed that social capital assessed using civic engagement, social cohesion, socioeconomic status (SES), social support, and social network formation were significantly and positively associated with American adults' quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the results showed that using the PLS-SEM and K-fold cross-validation approach produced a medium predictive power of the overall model, confirming the importance of SC, SS, and SNF in predicting quality of life-outcomes. These findings suggest that efforts to promote the well-being of American adults, especially older adults, during the pandemic should focus on strengthening social capital, social support and social network formation.

An Examination of User Preferences and Creativity in Engineering Education

Schools · 2024-09-01

Increasing diversity and broadening participation in engineering programs has been a persistent challenge due to various factors. Despite efforts to enhance engineering education, we have not seen a significant increase in matriculation, retention, and graduation rates in certain engineering fields. For decades, academic institutions have received financial resources to broaden participation in these programs. However, these funded recruitment and retention efforts have resulted in minimal improvement in the participation of women, students of color, individuals with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups. One hypothesis for this discrepancy is the lack of accessibility in engineering curricula for women and students of color. Access involves having diverse representations of curricula, such as word problems, equations, simulations, and graphics. In this research, we shift the focus from analyzing teacher interactions and student test scores to examining engineering curricula. We gathered information from catalogs, course content, and syllabi to develop a typology of engineering curriculum content. Whereas most instructors tend to use text and equations with some images, our results indicate that student learners have more diverse preferences in how they would prefer curricula. The findings suggest that we should consider these diverse preferences involving different representations of curricula when planning and developing engineering education programs to meet the needs of all students.

Righting the historical record: Highlighting the significant contributions of Black psychologists in American schools.

American Psychologist · 2023-05-01 · 4 citations

The field of educational psychology, while closely aligned with several adjacent branches of psychology, focuses on teaching and learning processes in support of the development of students within K-16 environments and beyond. Similar to other fields, educational psychology has been historically dominated by theories and empirical studies developed and carried out by White scholars who presented racially and culturally biased ideologies that lacked Black perspectives. Couched within an Afrocentric and Critical Race Theory framework, the present article sets out to right the historical record by uplifting the voices of four prominent Black psychologists who played an important role in American schools and who have been largely ignored in the field of educational psychology. We review the works of Inez B. Prosser (1897-1934), A. Wade Boykin (1947-present), Barbara J. Robinson Shade (1933-present), and Asa Hilliard III-Baffour Amankwatia II (1933-2007). Each scholar has made significant impacts on American schools, ranging from pursuing innovative research topics and methodologies, providing expert testimony in landmark civil rights legislation, and leading college and university initiatives with generation-wide impacts on Black learners and communities. Based on the impact of the scholars highlighted in this article, we offer recommendations for the next steps in advancing the field toward a position of eradicating anti-Black racism and toward uplifting and centering the voices of Black learners. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Resistance and restoration: Healing research methodologies for the global majority.

Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology · 2021-07-22 · 32 citations

We offer recommendations to guide future diversity science healing research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

#Indigenous: tracking the connective actions of Native American advocates on Twitter

2017-01-01 · 4 citations

Contributors

Elsevier eBooks · 2016-01-01

Foreword

Elsevier eBooks · 2016-01-01

Foreword

Elsevier eBooks · 2016-01-01

Preface

Elsevier eBooks · 2016-01-01