Researchers have identified higher incidence rates and mortality rates among African American men (AAM) diagnosed with prostate cancer than they have among urban African American men. This quantitative descriptive study was conducted to measure the association between advanced stage and grade of prostate cancer, demographic location, and prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels over a 5-year period in AAM and European American men (EAM) in rural versus urban communities. This study addressed 4 research questions concerning cancer grade, cancer stage, age, geographic location, PSA level, and the impact that each of these variables had on prostate cancer diagnosis in AAM in the United States. Social cognitive theory was used as a conceptual framework, which was to focus on AAM, and their behavior with prostate cancer diagnosis, in rural versus urban communities. The sample was derived from data collected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) database. The population sample size was greater than 20,000. These data were categorically analyzed using a Chi-square test and a t test. Overall, the results of the study showed that there was a statistical difference in rural versus urban populations between AAM and EAM diagnosed with prostate cancer over a 5-year period, and when comparing AAM with EAM in urban versus rural communities over a 5 year period, there was a significant difference in men diagnosed with prostate cancers as well as a significant change among men annually diagnosed with advanced stage prostate cancer. Information provided may have implications for positive social change affecting both rural and urban AAM in reducing fear and promoting prostate cancer awareness. This awareness may reduce advanced stage or grade diagnosis in AAM in both rural and urban communities.

Little is known about Black Americans' experience with and attitudes toward the police. For Black Americans and the police to improve their relationship, police need to understand the factors that influence Black Americans' perceptions. Asante's concept of Afrocentric theory assisted with exploring the attitudes of Black Americans about police misconduct in a Southeastern United States urban area. The purpose of the qualitative ethnographic study was to understand the attitudes of Black Americans towards the police and the factors that influence those perceptions. This study precisely addresses three main questions: (1) how has media coverage impacted Black Americans' perceptions of officer behavior in the urban area; (2) how has the community environment impacted Black American perceptions of officer behavior in the urban area; and (3) how have officers' informal and formal behaviors impacted Black Americans' perception of police conduct in the urban area. A purposive sampling strategy was used to recruit 30 Black Americans for the semi-structured interviews who discussed their thoughts and opinions about factors that are associated with the Black American community. The data were coded resulting in 12 themes. Results from this study indicated that the majority of Black Americans had overall negative views about the police. The findings suggest that social change can only happen when the police and Black Americans work together to understand each other and address issues that come with a lack of understanding. Promoting good relationships through media, the community environment, and improving police encounters with the Black American community is critical to enhancing community relations.

Researchers have found that African American men are one of the most marginalized, targeted, and disenfranchised groups of people. In the past, African American men were less likely to attend psychotherapy compared to other ethnicities. Barriers to treatment includes the following: distrust in the mental health system, self-reliant behaviors, religious ideologies, cultural stigmas, and the ideology of what it means to be a man and an African American man in America. This study addressed the lack of qualitative studies on the experiences of African American men who attend psychotherapy by exploring the lived experiences of 10 African American men who voluntary attended psychotherapy 2 or more times in their adult lives. Sites of resilience, a theoretical framework for this study, provided an understanding of African American men's resilience and a clinical model for engaging African American men in mental health services. Handcoding was used to organize data by developing categories and later establishing common themes expressed during semistructured interviewing. Five themes emerged from the data: (a) stigmatization, (b) self-awareness, (c) self-realization, (d) emotions, and (e) transition between prepsychotherapy and postpsychotherapy experiences. The understanding of experiences of African American men who have chosen psychotherapy contributes to positive social change by identifying appropriate therapeutic strategies, including emotional regulation and distress tolerance skills. Furthermore, the lived experiences provided by this study's participants can provide direction for additional research to improve the experiences of African American men and mental health services.

The United States economy has an accelerating demand for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-related degrees and programs that makes it essential for members of minority populations to achieve degrees in these fields. African American women are underrepresented in STEM fields, suggesting a need to better understand their development and needs while attending community college. This hermeneutical, phenomenological research study investigated the lived experiences and perspectives of African American women enrolled in STEM majors at community colleges. The conceptual framework used to interpret data for this study was derived from Maslow, Erikson, and Rogers's humanist theories of social learning, and from Tinto, Lerner, Gilligan, and Noddings's action theories of selection, optimization, and compensation. Seven African American women from 2 different community colleges in the southern region of the United States were interviewed. Each described her lived experiences and educational encounters and how these led to persistence, transfer, or degree completion. Data were analyzed by identifying and comparing emergent themes. Three themes emerged: faculty involvement was vital to their wellbeing and productivity, mentors were integral for their support, and college partnerships with 4-year institutions helped these women meet their goals. This study's findings are designed to provide local and state community college administrators with information related to investment in and the importance of institutional encouragement, faculty involvement, and student mentorship to increase and sustain participation in STEM-related fields, as well as to better prepare underrepresented students for STEM careers.

Children may become overweight or obese for different reasons, and childhood obesity may have health consequences such as Type 2 diabetes and asthma. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to describe the perceptions of African American parents of elementary-age children with obesity living in Broward County, Florida about the causes and consequences of childhood obesity. The health belief model (HBM) guided this study. Interview data were gathered from 9 participants who met the criteria of being African American parents of elementary-age children with obesity living in Broward County, Florida. Moustakas- steps to analyze the data collected led to the following themes: how parents became aware of the disease, parents- reaction to the diagnosis, whether the condition was related to genetics or lifestyle behavior, what the obese children eat daily, the importance of regular workout, consequences of obesity, actions taken, and type of help needed. Results demonstrated that most of the participants perceived childhood obesity as having 2 primary causes: food consumption and insufficient physical activities. Data also showed that many of the participants regarded childhood obesity as having negative consequences, not only for the children but also for their parents and other stakeholders. Positive social change can be achieved by parental acknowledgment that obesity has adverse health consequences to be considered seriously. Denial may have severe consequences and the commitment of policymakers and others who can affect lives of the overweight or obese children is needed.

Black students in the United States continue to struggle academically as they matriculate into postsecondary education, placing them at risk for missing opportunities for work and social success. Research has identified the dimensions of Black racial identity, as well as other social factors, that may contribute to academic success. What is missing, however, is research grounded in a theory of Black identity that examines how identity and other factors combine to influence academic success. This quantitative online survey research tested 5 hypotheses to ascertain their relative strength in predicting academic success among Black college students: (a) demographics (age, gender, socioeconomic status, parents' level of education, and number of semesters in school), (b) Black racial identity, (c) academic support, (d) self-efficacy, and (e) religious/spiritual support. A sample of 87 Black American students (at least 18 years of age, currently enrolled as a matriculating student in postsecondary undergraduate education) completed the Cross Racial Identity Scale, the Daily Spiritual Experience Scale, the Self-Efficacy Scale, the Academic Support Scale, and a demographics form that included self-reported overall GPA, as of most recently completed term. Four regression analyses were conducted, but only self-efficacy significantly predicted academic performance. The lack of significant results on key predictors was ascribed to the relative homogeneity on these measures and to an academically high-performing sample. Nevertheless, these results expand the literature on the importance of self-efficacy as a correlate of academic performance. The results also suggest that high school and college counselors and educators can gain insights into Black students by understanding racial identity, parents' education, and academic support.

Type 2 diabetes has more than doubled in the past decade among Black Americans. Researchers have suggested that Black Seventh-day Adventists, who follow a plant-based diet, are concerned about preventing the complications from this disease. The purpose of this qualitative ethnographic study was to explore the chance and perceptions of complications from type 2 diabetes among 10 purposefully sampled Black Seventh-day Adventists. The health belief model (HBM) served as the conceptual framework. Two constructs, education and income, were chosen for this study. Education was chosen to increase understanding about the chronic nature of the disease, and income was chosen because it is not inexpensive to maintain a plant-based diet as someone with type 2 diabetes. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews which were inductively coded and then categorized around emerging themes. The key finding of this study revealed that these 10 participants relied on the Adventist lifestyle as an antidote to the complications of type 2 diabetes. The implications for positive social change include increased awareness and education of complications, and decreased risk for chances of complications among informants in this study.

Childhood obesity is a prevalent chronic condition affecting millions of children and adolescents in the United States and is rising in record-breaking numbers among African Americans in low-income communities. Guided by the social cognitive theory, the purpose of this evidence-based project was to understand the impact of an educational intervention on parents' perceptions of childhood obesity risk factors, weight status, and prevention strategies in a rural South Carolina community. A convenience sample of parents who attended a church-based community health promotion service in a low-income area (n = 10), aged 28 to 54, completed The Childhood Obesity Perceptions survey before and after the completion of the educational program. The pretest and posttest responses were analyzed with paired sample t tests and frequency tables. There were several responses with a statistically significance change (p < .05), including the impact of obesity on the development of diabetes, stroke, cancer, and bone or joint problems. Survey participants strongly agreed (90%) that they could help their children live a healthier lifestyle by initiating preventive strategies which include providing healthy snacks and increasing exercise. Findings suggest that African American parents in low-income communities would benefit from regularly occurring education on the prevention of childhood obesity, including information on healthy diet choices, exercise, and the risk factors for childhood obesity. By educating parents, healthcare providers and community leaders can begin forming community health and childhood obesity prevention programs that support positive social change and help low-income families to achieve healthy lifestyles.

African American women leaders positively influence the college experiences of students at predominately White institutions (PWI), but the retention of those women leaders remains an issue. At the time of this study, limited research informed race and gender issues that intersect the career advancement of African American women serving in midlevel leadership positions at PWIs. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the intercultural and career advancement experiences of these women. Critical race theory, critical race feminist theory, and intercultural communications theory were used as a framework to understand the participants' intercultural and career advancement experiences, perceived influences, and mentorship experiences. A snowball sampling approach with members of a national African American women's organization in higher education led to 9 participants who met the criteria. They were each interviewed twice to generate data to understand their experiences. Results from an inductive exploratory process of data analysis indicated that race and gender influenced their perception of career advancement potential and relationship building in the PWI workplace. Themes that emerged from their experiences were limited advancement opportunities, the effects of intersectionality, intercultural relationship challenges, and the benefits of locating and having a mentor. Support and guidance were paramount to their job satisfaction and retention. This study contributes to social change by providing insight to personnel at PWIs about the experiences of African American women leaders on those campuses and the needed improvement in the environment for retaining current and future women of color.

Using data from the 2006 Health and Retirement Study (HRS), this study examines what types of assets and levels of savings are held by Black near-retirees, while comparing how types of assets and levels of savings of Black near-retirees differ from those of White near-retirees. Through the use of multivariate analyses, this study further investigates the effects of being Black on the levels of savings, the likelihood of holding IRAs, and the likelihood of being financially prepared for retirement. The study sample includes 4,077 individuals between the ages of 51 and 64, and the subsamples consist of 680 Black and 3,397 White near-retirees. Descriptive findings suggest that Black near-retirees hold lower levels of financial assets (i.e., checking accounts, CDs, stocks, bonds, and other savings) and non-financial assets (i.e., business, real estate, vehicles, and residential home) compared to their White counterparts. The descriptive results further indicate that overall, the level of net worth, holding IRAs, and the investment assets-to-net worth ratio for Black near-retirees are lower than that for White near-retirees. The results from both the ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and the logistic regression analyses indicate that with all else being equal, being Black is a significant factor in predicting the levels of savings, the likelihood of holding retirement accounts, and the likelihood of being financially prepared for retirement among near-retirees aged 51-64. This study also explores how human capital factors and socioeconomic factors are associated with the levels of savings among Black Americans aged 51-64. The OLS results suggest that Blacks with higher education and longer job tenure, and who are married hold higher levels of net worth than other Blacks. The logit results indicate that Black near-retirees with a college education are more likely to hold IRAs; those with longer job tenure are more likely to hold IRAs; and those in the top income quartile are more likely to hold IRAs. The findings of the logit results also indicate that Black near-retirees with some college education, longer job tenure, and those in the higher income groups are more likely to be financially prepared for retirement.