Volume 1: January 2005 Edition In this volume: Welcome to the Morgan-Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions In October 2002, researchers from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and Morgan State University received a $6 million grant through Project EXPORT, a funding program used to establish Centers of Excellence in Partnerships for Community Outreach, Research on Health Disparities, and Training. The newly-appointed center was named the Center for Health Disparities Solutions (CHDS) and was designated as a national Comprehensive Center of Excellence in Health Disparities by the National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health. The CHDS is dedicated to the elimination of disparities in health and health care among racial and ethnic populations, socioeconomic groups, and geopolitical categories, such as urban, suburban, and rural populations. The CHDS conducts multidisciplinary basic and translational research with the goals of advancing knowledge on the causes of health disparities and developing interventions to eliminate health disparities. One unique aspect of the CHDS is that it brings together the health-research and program development resources of the two Baltimore-based universities to demonstrate the efficacy of public health, social science, and medical science in impacting health disparities. Inter-institutional efforts in research, training, and community outreach are used to achieve this interdisciplinary approach to improve the health statuses of minority and underserved populations. Return to Top Southwest Baltimore Community Health Project With funding from Pfizer Inc., the Center for Health Disparities Solutions (CHDS) initiated the South West Baltimore Community Health (SWB) Project during the summer of 2003. A team of interviewers from Johns Hopkins University, Morgan State University, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and the southwest Baltimore community gathered information on health behavior, psychosocial factors, health care access and utilization from community residents. Information was also collected on housing and community conditions. What makes SWB a unique environment for studying health disparities are the racial integration and economic homogeneity of the population. The particular census tract chosen for this study contains 3555 people with approximately equal numbers of whites and blacks who have comparable economic statuses and live under the same environmental stressors. At the end of the field period of the study, information was collected from approximately 1500 residents (about 40% of the census tract). Focus groups were conducted at the Wilkens Avenue Mennonite Church, a community institution, which also served as the field study headquarters. The CHDS hopes to continue its association with the community and to conduct future studies and interventions specific to its needs. Return to Top College Health and Wellness Study The overweight and obesity epidemic in the United States disproportionately affects minority populations, particularly African Americans and Latino/Hispanic Americans. These health conditions can produce serious illnesses that can otherwise be avoided. Being in an overweight or obese state increases the risk of the development of avoidable chronic conditions, such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, respiratory problems, and some types of cancer. Furthermore, obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States. The Center for Health Disparities Solutions conducted the College Health and Wellness Study, a cross-sectional survey among students graduating from a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the Mid-Atlantic Region to assess the prevalence of obesity and associated risk and protective factors in this subset of the minority population. Self-administered questionnaires assessing weight, weight management activities, weight history, and health status indicators were collected from 392 seniors graduating in the spring of 2003. Greater than 90% of the sample identified themselves as African American or Black and approximately 69% were female. The average age of participants was 24.5 years of age. According to the NIH guidelines for obesity, about 30% of males and 28% of females were considered overweight, 12% of males and 7% of females were considered obese, and 7% of males and females were considered extremely obese. Although this predominantly African-American study sample of young adults faired better than the national average for non-Hispanic Blacks aged 20-39, the prevalence of being overweight in this population is still a significant problem. The data from College Health and Wellness Study can be useful in the development of weight loss interventions aimed at similar populations. Return to Top Community Partnerships: The Men’s Center The Men’s Center was founded in 1995 to deliver afro-centric services to males of all ages in the historic east Baltimore neighborhood. The goal of the center is to improve families through the systematic examination of the strengths of the African American family. This unique program tries to improve the quality of children’s lives through intervention services that increase effective parenting skills in those in male parents. The Men’s Center believes that they cannot accomplish these goals if the health of men is poor. Therefore, they have instituted a health component that runs programs which include Dee’s place, free health screenings, and strategies to raise awareness and promote prevention. Dee’s place is a 12 hour Narcotics Anonymous session that operates seven days a week from the hours of 9:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. The free health screenings are available on a walk-in basis on Thursday evenings. Counseling and referrals that assist with housing, employment, and literacy assistance are also available. The Men’s Center currently has eight full time staff members and is working to expand the range and scope of their programs. Return to Top Speaker Series Dr. Fatimah LC Jackson – Dr. Jackson, a professor of applied biological anthropology at the University of Maryland, College Park, was the featured speaker for the Center for Health Disparities Solutions (CHDS) October 2003 seminar. Her lecture entitled “Beyond Race: New Perspectives on Human Biodiversity and Health Disparities” addressed the uniqueness of the human genome and the variety that not only exists between races but within any one particular race. Dr. Jackson also work involves ethnogenetic layering. Dr. Vence Bonham – Dr. Bonham presented “Understanding the Relationship Between Race and Genetics: Why We All Must Be Engaged” in the CHDS December 2003 seminar. He has several academic appointments at various colleges and centers at Michigan State University and was appointed as a Senior Consultant to the Director on Health Disparities for the National Institute of Health's National Human Genome Research Institute. Dr. Bonham's work involves engaging minority communities of various socioeconomic statuses in dialogues relating to genome research and its resulting technology, and from these dialogues developing recommendations for policies regarding the use and application of genome research and technology. Dr. Keith Whitfield - Dr. Whitfield is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biobehavioral Health at Penn State University. At the CHDS December 2004 seminar, he presented “The Role of Genes in Health Disparities: Twin Studies and Beyond.” Dr. Whitfield’s work involves the study of individual differences in cognitive aging, health, and well-being among older African American adults. Return to Top | 
