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Osteoporosis remains a major health issue worldwide. Although it has been associated with Caucasian women in the United States, attention is being drawn to other ethnicities. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) are concerned that people perceive osteoporosis to only affect Caucasian women, given that African-American (AA) women have higher bone mineral density and lower postmenopausal bone loss. This perception ignores observations that AA women are at significant risk of developing osteoporosis. As such, there is considerable delay in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis among AA women. This cross-sectional study's design primary purpose was to describe postmenopausal AA women's knowledge, beliefs and behaviors concerning osteoporosis. Secondary to this purpose, was exploration of correlations between the Health Belief Model (HBM) theoretical constructs with osteoporosis preventive behavior, especially calcium intake and physical exercise. One hundred and fifty three postmenopausal AA women completed a questionnaire containing 1) the Osteoporosis Knowledge Test (OKT), 2) the Osteoporosis Health Belief Scale (OHBS), 3) the Osteoporosis Self-Efficacy Scale (OSES), 4) the Osteoporosis Attitude Knowledge Test (OAKT) and 5) the Osteoporosis Preventing Behaviors Survey (OPBS). The data were analyzed in SPSS version 21.0. The results of the study varied. Women in the study had greater knowledge about osteoporosis overall; they had less knowledge about preventing osteoporosis with exercise. They regularly used diet to prevent osteoporosis and reported recurrent physical activity. Participants had a general knowledge of osteoporosis but they experienced a moderate number of barriers that limited exercise. Few barriers for calcium intake were reported. Correlational analysis between age, number of months post-menopause, and education and the dependent variables (osteoporosis knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and barriers to engaging in bone health promotion activities) revealed significant correlations. Age and number of years post menopause were significantly negatively correlated with use of physical activity to prevent osteoporosis. As women aged, they engaged in less osteoporosis prevention using exercise and as the number of months post menopause increased, the exercise behaviors associated with osteoporosis prevention decreased. This is an indication that women at this age have to be educated on the importance of exercising at this stage in their life.

In breast cancer patients, symptoms of depression decrease quality of life and may have other serious consequences, such as increasing mortality. Few studies have focused on psychosocial issues and their relation to breast cancer in African-American women. Thus, only limited information has been published on the breast cancer experience of African American women. A grounded theory approach was used to explicate the social psychological and social structural processes of African American women with breast cancer experiencing depressive symptoms. The sample included nine African American women with breast cancer who experienced depressive symptoms. Unstructured interviews were conducted with each participant.Data were analyzed using the constant comparison method. The data indicated that African American women used the basic social process of Transcending the now to manage the basic social problem of having breast cancer and experiencing depressive symptoms. The five phases of the basic social psychological (BSP) process Transcending the Now that emerged during data analysis were Relying on Faith, Being Strong, Seeking Support, Dealing with Life Too, and Enduring Breast Cancer. The findings of this study provide nurses with new knowledge regarding the experience of depressive symptoms in African American women with breast cancer and provide a theory of transcending that can be used in building a research-based practice.

In March 2012, President Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum creating an interagency Federal Working Group to explore the intersection of HIV/AIDS, violence against women and girls, and gender-related health disparities. Intimate partner violence (IPV) and HIV constitute major public health issues for women, particularly African American women who are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. In 2012, the rate of HIV for African American women was four to 20 times higher than rates for females of other races. This study explores the complex relationship between IPV and STI/HIV risk in African American females. In an attempt to examine the intersection of IPV and STI/HIV risk this study used cross-sectional survey data to quantitatively examine the differences between women who had experienced IPV in the previous 12 months (cases) and women who had not experienced IPV in the previous 12 months (controls) in: 1) previous STI diagnosis, 2) accessing HIV testing and 3) mean scores of fear of condom negotiation due to physical violence. Chi-square analyses were completed to determine if the populations were statistically significant in terms of previous STI diagnosis and accessing HIV testing. An independent-samples t-test was conducted to compare the fear of condom negotiation scores for cases and controls. In addition, qualitative analysis was conducted to further elucidate the mechanisms from experiencing IPV to an increased risk of HIV infection. The quantitative analysis suggests a significant difference between fear of condom negotiation due to fear of physical violence. The qualitative analysis suggests that women who experience IPV are often forced to have sex with their partners, experience physical violence in response to condom negotiation and use drugs and/or alcohol to cope with the abuse. HIV prevention interventions need to address IPV as a possible risk factor. In addition, an enhancement of IPV screening in healthcare settings is needed. Future prospective studies are critical to address the issues of temporality and causality.

Background: Premenopausal black women have a 2-3 fold greater rate of coronary heart disease (CHD) than premenopausal white women. The purpose of this study was to provide insight into the reasons for this difference. Methods and Results: We compared CHD risk factors in 100 black and 100 white, healthy premenopausal women age 18-45 years and of relatively advantaged socioeconomic status. Black women consumed diets higher in saturated fat and cholesterol (12% of kcal as saturated fat and 360 mg of cholesterol per day) than did white women (10% of kcal and 290 mg/day) (p=0.008). Black women also had a higher body mass index (BMI) (32.0±9.2 vs. 29.0±9.4 kg/m², p=0.021), and higher systolic (124±17 vs. 115±14 mmHg, p<0.0001), and diastolic (79±14 vs. 75±11 mmHg, p=0.048) blood pressures. The mean plasma Lp(a) concentration was higher in the black women (40.2±31.3 mg/dl) than in the white women (19.2±23.7 mg/dl)(p<0.0001). The black women, however, had lower plasma triglyceride levels (0.91±0.46 vs. 1.22±0.60 mmol/L, p<0.0001), and a trend toward higher HDL cholesterol levels (1.37±0.34 vs. 1.29±0.31 mmol/L, p=0.064) than the white women. Plasma total and LDL cholesterol levels were similar. Rates of cigarette smoking and alcohol intake were low and similar between the races. Black women additionally had higher levels of plasma total homocysteine (8.80 vs. 7.81 μmol/L, p=0.013), lower plasma folates (3.52 vs. 5.23 ng/ml, p<0.0001), and higher vitamin B₁₂ levels (522 vs. 417 pg/ml, p<0.0001) than white women. More white women than black women took a multivitamin supplement (42.4% vs. 24.7%, p=0.019). When adjusted for multivitamin use, homocysteine levels did not differ, but plasma folate remained significantly lower in black women. Sixty-eight percent of black women carried the wild-type methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase genotype, 32.0% were heterozygotes, and none were homozygotes. Of the white women, 47.4% were wild-type, 40.3% heterozygotes, and 12.3% homozygotes (p=0.013). Conclusions: Premenopausal black women consumed more saturated fat and cholesterol and had a higher mean body mass index, blood pressure, Lp(a), and plasma total homocysteine levels than white women. These differences in coronary risk factors may explain the higher incidence of CHD in premenopausal black compared to white women. / Graduation date: 1998

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 289-301). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Tufts University, 2003. / Adviser: Keith Maddox. Submitted to the Dept. of Psychology. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-117). Access restricted to members of the Tufts University community. Also available via the World Wide Web;

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Georgia Southern University, 2007. / "A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Georgia Southern University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Education." Curriculum Studies, under the direction of Advis Dell Wilkerson. ETD. Electronic version approved: December 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 139-150) and appendices.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Ashland Theological Seminary, 1993. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 258-262).