HAMPTON UNIVERSITY HEALTH DISPARITIES REDUCTION PROJECT

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Hampton University Health Disparities Reduction Project Hampton University seeks to develop a program for Health Disparities Reduction. Given the broad nature of health disparity issue, this proposal will focus on access to health care. One of the most firmly established and frequently reported patterns in the distribution of quality of life indicators in the United States is the disparate health status of ethnic minority populations and the economically disadvantaged. Currently one in four million Americans is a member of a racial or ethnic minority group. Of that number, 29% live in economically challenging circumstances. Evidence of shorter life expectancies, higher rates of chronic and acute physical and mental disorders, and the disproportionate burden of disease within these populations abound when compared to the general population. Despite decades of research, our understanding of the factors responsible for racial differences in health is still limited. Data suggest that differential incidences of disease and health outcomes result from the complex interactions of a plethora of factors. Comprehensive multilevel approaches are urgently needed to reduce health disparities that exist between different ethnic/racial and socioeconomic groups in our country. Hampton University is uniquely poised to successfully address the problem of minority health disparities. To address this important issue, this proposal represents an interdisciplinary approach from two of the four recently inaugurated, doctoral degree-granting schools in the university, Nursing and Pharmacy. The program will integrate research, training, and outreach to establish a scientific base for eliminating health disparities and improving the health and well being of ethnic minority populations. Hampton University will establish linkages with the University of Michigan to enhance the health disparity research capacity. The proposed program for Health Disparity Reduction will do the following: 1. Promote research to reduce health disparities through a pilot/feasibility funding mechanism. 2. Foster the generation and testing of culturally specific, health related theories and interventions from a multidisciplinary perspective. 3. Establish a means for enhancing community involvement as research is conducted and disseminated. 4. Expand the number of minority researchers involved in minority health issues.