After reading the article by Thomas et al., comment on where your research, or your research interests, fit into the generational framework for health disparities research. If your work is 1rst or 2nd generation, comment on how your work could lead in the future to 3rd or 4th generation work. If your work is 3rd or 4th generation, comment on what 1rst and 2nd generation work was necessary as a foundation for your current work (or current interests).
The work that I am doing now is 2nd generation. We know there are health disparities in black and brown communities and we would like to know how these disparities manifest in the body and affect the person as a whole. More specifically, we are looking at biological markers for stress and premature aging like cortisol and telomere length, respectively. We would like to understand how these biomarkers are influenced by the environment and the experiences we go through. Also, we are investigating how these biomarkers can lead us to understand more about the impact they have on the human body. I think our work can lead to a 3rd and 4th generation work level. Our work can be used to engage black and brown communities to better understand how social determinants of health can affect our bodies and how we can work together to implement intervention methods. By disseminating our research knowledge, to institutions, communities and community organizations, we can organize to find solutions to the health problems we are suffering from. If we know more on how social factors such as racism and discrimination affect cortisol levels and/or telomere length, this can potentially lead to screenings and awareness of the potential risks that are involved.
The barbershop hypertension intervention, while essentially a clinical services intervention operating at either the fence or safety-net level as described by Jones, has some engagement with the social determinants of health. What aspects of this program might be generalizable to other areas of health? How might this apply to your area of research?
One aspect in which the barbershop hypertension program can be generalized to other areas of health is in diabetes. I have been part of a diabetes support group in the mission with Clinica Martin Baro where patients would go on Saturday mornings for the support group. Many of them would go not to see a doctor but to learn and teach others about diabetes. This support group got popular among the patients and their families of the clinic since they felt they were provided with the space to talk about diabetes and the issues it involved. Patients would see it as a place to cope with the many every-day challenges that diabetes gave them. Also, patients felt they had the support from the doctors and the students involved. These patients taught themselves how to check their glucose level with a glucometer, what types of food they should be eating and where they can purchase these items cheaper. Overall they felt that the support group helped them attain a better quality of life. I am hoping that the research we do in the health equity lab can lead to these types of support groups where patients have the knowledge to empower themselves.