Opioid overdose deaths are dramatically increasing in the United States and disproportionately affecting minority communities, with the increasing presence of fentanyl exacerbating this crisis. Developing community coalitions is a long-standing strategy used to address public health issues. However, there is a limited understanding of how…

Racial discrimination jeopardizes a wide range of health behaviors for African Americans. Numerous studies demonstrate significant negative associations between racial discrimination and problematic alcohol use among African Americans. Culturally specific contexts (e.g., organized religious involvement) often function protectively against racial…

Background: Patient navigation programs have shown promise for improving health but are not widely used in obstetric care. Our objective was to understand obstetric provider perspectives on how to implement patient navigation to optimize care during the postpartum period for low-income patients. Method: Focus groups were conducted with obstetric…

Closing the gap between research and practice requires that organizations can consistently incorporate new ideas and best practices. The Department of the Air Force (DAF) Integrated Resilience Directorate is leading a coordinated effort to increase the adoption of evidence-based violence prevention and resilience promotion programs across the…

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer for Chinese Americans. Family history (FH) plays an important role in clinical practice for CRC prevention. Nevertheless, Chinese Americans' FH of CRC communication with primary care physicians (PCPs) are still unknown. Aims: This study examined Chinese Americans' behavior and the…

Although human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancers are preventable and treatable at early stages, health disparities in HPV-associated cancer outcomes continue to exist among Hispanic populations. Hispanics residing along the U.S.-Mexico border face barriers distinct from other geographically dispersed populations within the United States. The…

Formerly incarcerated women face diverse challenges to re-entry, which include recovering from health illnesses and trauma to navigating various systems of stigma and surveillance. It is these multilevel challenges to reintegration that also make formerly incarcerated women vulnerable participants in research. As such, this qualitative study…

Health education and promotion researchers and practitioners are committed to eliminating health disparities, and the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) has continuously supported this effort through its journals, professional development, annual conferences, and advocacy. The COVID-19 pandemic elucidated inequities directly caused by…

Background: Due to the increasing availability of medical-grade cannabis for treatment of chronic conditions, we examined how prospective users navigate the process of researching, procuring, and using cannabis. Given the barriers prospective users experience, self-efficacy may be a factor for those who incorporate cannabis into treatment. Aims:…

Despite declines in overall cigarette smoking in the United States, menthol cigarette smoking prevalence has increased among young adults (18-25 years) and remains constant among older adults (26 years and older). Disparities in menthol cigarette use exist, with higher prevalence among younger adult smokers and among racial/ethnic minority…

There is growing evidence in the theoretical literature regarding the importance of religion and religiosity in people's lives, particularly concerning their health and well-being. Spirituality, a related but different concept, has been less well studied, especially empirically, but shows promise as a mechanism for coping with deleterious social…

The reciprocal relationship between health and education has garnered increased attention among public health professionals. The evidence is clear that the level of an individual's education is related to health outcomes in adulthood and that healthier children are more likely to be academically successful than those with health issues. Unpacking…

Background: Behavioral interventions to prevent pediatric obesity have shown inconsistent results across the field. Studying what happens within the "black box" of these interventions and how differences in implementation lead to different outcomes will help researchers develop more effective interventions. Aim: To compare the…

Broad changes in normative health behavior are critical to overcoming many of the contemporary challenges to public health. Reduction in tobacco use during the last third of the 20th century--one of the greatest improvements in public health--illustrates such change. The culture change from accommodation to intolerance of smoking is irrefutable.…

Chronic pain is an increasing public health concern, with an associated poor quality of life. Social media platforms play an increasing role in health communication issues, but visual platforms such as Pinterest are understudied. This study analyzed 502 Pinterest posts for chronic pain--related variables, including health belief model constructs,…