The Healthy Communities Research Institute (HCRI) was launched as part of Kent State University's strategic roadmap. HCRI promotes transdisciplinary research and endeavors to build connections between researchers at Kent State University and beyond to tackle some of today's most pressing health issues. The Healthy Communities Research Institute Collection highlights research that has been conducted by HCRI members.
Browse the Healthy Communities Research Institute (HCRI) scholarly publications Collections
They Don't Respect Black Women: Narrating a Young Black Woman's Harrowing Birthing Experience
05/09/2025Black women tend to feel underserved due to the lack of culturally competent care and support from healthcare systems. In particular, the combination effects of racial discrimination, inadequate prenatal care, and pregnancy complications contribute to the increased risks of stress and trauma among Black pregnant women. Though the literature has documented the challenges that Black women face in the healthcare system, in-depth narratives of birthing experiences may provide a better understanding of these issues. In this paper, we used a qualitative approach to describe the case study of a 30-year-old Black American woman who had a harrowing birthing experience. We conducted an individual interview with the participant upon her request. Six key themes were derived from her narrative that summarized her birthing experience: healthcare provider miscommunication, lack of control, trauma experience, interpersonal racism, systemic racism, and internalized racism. The participant had a birthing experience that she felt could not go untold. The discomfort and disrespect she experienced appear not to be uncommon in a considerable number of Black women of reproductive age. There is a need for healthcare providers to be trained to provide culturally appropriate care to Black women. In addition, healthcare providers need to treat Black women absent of prior stereotypes or biases to contribute to more effective care. Employing such treatment may improve Black women's reproductive health-seeking behavior as well as maternal and child health.
Impact of Physical Activity Levels on Parkinson's Disease Motor and Nonmotor Symptoms and Quality of Life in Older Adults With Parkinson's Disease
05/07/2025Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) affects motor and nonmotor functions, impacting PD-related quality of life. The role of physical activity (PA) in the management of PD symptoms is increasingly recognized. Purpose: To examine the effects of PA levels on PD motor and nonmotor symptoms, and health-related quality of life, using the Fox Insight study’s data set. It also examines PA’s moderating effects on the age–PD motor function relationship. Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study, 1,288 participants with PD (55.8% men, age: 64.54 ± 9.99) from the Fox Insight study were divided into four groups (N = 322 each) based on their PA level as measured by the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE). PD motor and nonmotor symptoms were assessed using the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale-2 (UPDRS-2), Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire-8 (PDQ-8), Geriatric Depression Scale–Short Form, Penn Parkinson’s Daily Activities Questionnaire-15, and EuroQol-Visual Analog Scale. Statistical analyses included Kruskal–Wallis, Pearson’s correlation, and multiple linear regression, with alpha set at .05. Results: Higher PASE correlated with better UPDRS-2, Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire-8, Geriatric Depression Scale–Short Form, Penn Parkinson’s Daily Activities Questionnaire-15, and EuroQol-Visual Analog Scale. The study found significant influences of PASE on UPDRS-2, age, Geriatric Depression Scale–Short Form, body mass index, and EQ-VAS (R2adj = .174, F = 53.998, p < .001). Notably, PASE moderated the relationship between age and UPDRS-2, suggesting a pivoting role in slowing PD-related symptom progression with age (R2adj = .145, F = 73.47, p < .001). Conclusion: Increased PA levels are associated with better outcomes in PD motor and nonmotor symptoms, improved PD-related quality of life, and a slowed progression of PD symptoms. Implications: Promoting higher levels of PA in older adults with PD effectively manages motor and nonmotor symptoms of PD. In addition, early and consistent PA is the key to moderating the progression of PD symptoms.
The Role of Masculinity and Weight Stigma in Men's Body Dissatisfaction
05/05/2025Weight- and body-related issues are underrecognized and undertreated for men. An emerging literature suggests that weight stigma is associated with men's body dissatisfaction. Across separate studies, masculine norms and beliefs about manhood are also associated with body dissatisfaction in men. Both constructs (masculinity, weight stigma) are likely important for men's body image, but the relative contribution of each has never been examined in concert. This study examines relationships among masculinity, weight stigma, and body dissatisfaction in men and whether these relationships differ among heterosexual and sexual minority men. In a U.S. census-matched sample of cisgender men (N = 1,032), participants completed measures assessing conformity to masculine norms, precarious manhood beliefs, experienced weight stigma, internalized weight bias, and body dissatisfaction. Internalized weight bias and men's dissatisfaction with body fat were highly correlated, suggesting strong overlap. Masculinity and weight stigma were associated with men's dissatisfaction with body fat and muscularity. Masculinity was also associated with dissatisfaction with body fat and muscularity among all men, but weight stigma was only associated with body dissatisfaction among heterosexual men, not among sexual minority men. Findings suggest that both masculinity and weight stigma are important for men's body dissatisfaction and underscore the need to include men in further weight stigma research. Intersectional work examining masculinity, weight stigma, and body dissatisfaction is also warranted to further understand these relationships as a function of sexual orientation.
Housing wealth, bequests, risk aversion, and the elderly
05/2025We find plausibly exogenous wealth shocks lead to an increase in the expected likelihood of leaving a large bequest for elderly households with lower baseline wealth, health, and risk aversion, and in increased likelihood of estate planning.
Questionable utility of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in detecting cognitive impairment in individuals with comorbid PTSD and SUD
05/2025Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is frequently comorbid with substance use disorder (SUD) in individuals seeking treatment for substance use. Further, SUD and PTSD are individually associated with cognitive impairment (CI) and poor treatment outcomes. Despite the frequent use of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) as a screening tool for CI, the validity of the MoCA has not been established in individuals with comorbid SUD-PTSD. We assessed the criterion validity of the MoCA in 128 participants seeking inpatient medically-assisted detoxification using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) as a reference for CI. The correlation between the RBANS and MoCA was weaker in those with SUD-PTSD (r =.32) relative to SUD alone (r =.56). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves demonstrated that the MoCA had moderate-to-high ability to discriminate CI in individuals with SUD alone, with an area under the ROC curve of.82 (95% CI.69–.92) and optimal cutoff score of ≤23. However, in individuals with comorbid SUD-PTSD, the ROC analysis was not significant. Results suggest that PTSD, when comorbid with SUD, reduces the criterion-related validity of the MoCA. We recommend exercising caution when classifying CI in individuals with SUD-PTSD using the MoCA and suggest reducing the cutoff score to ≤23 in order to limit the rate of false-positive CI diagnoses in SUD-PTSD populations
