Virgin Islands Export Center for Health Disparities

说明（由申请人提供）：本申请是为了在美国维尔京群岛建立加勒比卫生差异研究和教育出口中心。拟议的中心将开发扩大教育和保健研究能力所需的资源和基础设施，支持跨学科项目，以缩小美属维尔京群岛（圣托马斯、圣克罗伊和圣约翰）健康状况不平等人口的健康状况不平等。该中心将设在维尔京群岛大学护理系内。维尔京群岛大学是美国大陆以外唯一的HBCU，其护理学士学位课程是该地区唯一培养卫生专业人员的课程。很少有文献表明，美属维尔京群岛的居民心脏病、糖尿病、艾滋病毒感染、婴儿死亡率和其他健康差异的比例很高。然而，除了纳入国家报告的粗略流行率数据外，很少有研究描述可能与报告的流行率有关的因素。美属维尔京群岛的人口高度多样化，非洲裔美国人、非洲裔加勒比人和西班牙裔占人口的80%。获得保健、缺乏医疗保险、教育有限和贫穷可能是健康促进和预防活动的重大障碍，这些活动最终可能减少我们岛屿内的健康差距。然而，我们需要提高教师和社区代表进行差异研究的能力，包括集中研究岛屿历史、背景、文化、准入和其他导致岛屿内这些差异的因素。本申请书中描述的领导、能力建设和其他发展活动反映了大学和我们的合作伙伴的基本承诺，即提高我们更有效地解决美属维尔京群岛健康差距的能力。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application is to develop the Caribbean Export Center for Research and Education in Health Disparities in the Virgin Islands of the United States. The proposed Center will develop resources and the infrastructure needed to expand research capacity in education and health that will support interdisciplinary projects to reduce disparities in health status for health disparity populations in the U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John). The Center will be located at the University of the Virgin Islands within the Division of Nursing. The University of the Virgin Islands is the only HBCU outside the continental U.S. Its baccalaureate nursing program is the only program in the territories preparing health professionals. A very sparse literature suggests that residents of the U.S. Virgin Islands have significant rates of heart disease, diabetes, HIV infection, infant mortality and other health disparities. However, beyond sketchy prevalence data incorporated in national reports, few studies have described factors that might be associated with reported prevalence rates. The population of the U.S. Virgin Islands is highly diverse with African American, African Carribean and Hispanics comprising 80% of the population. Access to care, lack of health insurance, limited education and poverty may represent significant barriers to health promotion and prevention activities that could ultimately reduce health disparities within our islands. Yet we will need to increase the capacity of faculty and community representatives to conduct disparity research that includes focused studies that incorporate island history, context, culture, access and other factors contributing to these disparities within the islands. The leadership, capacity building and other developmental activities described in this application reflect the underlying commitment of the University and our collaborating partners to improve our ability to address health disparities in the U.S. Virgin Islands more effectively.