Multi-level Predictors of Structural Racism and Discrimination and Associations With Health and Well-being Across the Life Course in Diverse Families

Multi-level Predictors of Structural Racism and Discrimination and Associations With Health and Well-being Across the Life Course in Diverse Families

Minoritized populations face mutually reinforcing levels of structural disadvantage that contribute to poor health. Despite recognition that social and economic stratification, environmental conditions, and policy are critical determinants of health disparities, there has been limited effort in expanding interventions beyond the individual level to disrupt systemic causes of health. This is in part due to the challenges of describing how racism and discrimination have become systematized over time and across place.68 Studies that do examine SRD and health and well-being, focus on one level of SRD at a time, rather than examining multiple levels simultaneously. Also, the measurement of SRD at all levels has not been very detailed and more research is needed on the nuances of these experiences (e.g., frequency, timeframe, intensity). Finally, there is a need for more prospective longitudinal studies, as most research to date has been cross-sectional. In addition to comprehensively examining the four SRD levels, the current study will examine these multi- level predictors of SRD simultaneously, longitudinally, and across two sites to identify targets for multi-level interventions that will be more likely to be effective and sustainable.

Inclusion Criteria:

• willingness to provide informed consent (parent/guardian), parental consent (parent/guardian) and assent (minor participants) and the ability for participants to comply with study requirements
• They are the child's primary caregiver, i.e., they are the adult who spends the largest proportion of time caring for the child (e.g., cleaning, feeding, etc.) or they spent an exactly equal proportion to another caregiver (e.g., parents each with 50% of childcare responsibilities).
• They reside in Athens-Clarke County or surrounding counties (i.e., Barrow, Jackson, Madison, Oglethorpe, and Oconee) served by the Piedmont Healthcare Coalition region
• Have access to a smartphone or other internet-connected device (e.g., iPad; home computer; laptop)
• Are able to read either English or Spanish

UMN site:

• participation in the original Family Matters Ecological Momentary Assessment sub-study
• did not withdraw from the Family Matters study
• ability to participate in an in-person visit (e.g., within driving distance to make an in-person visit)
• The original Family Matters study enrolled vulnerable populations including children, pregnant women, disadvantaged persons, and non-English speakers.

UGA site:

• Child has a racial/ethnic identity reported by the parent as Black, Hispanic, or White Reside in Athens-Clarke County or surrounding counties (i.e., Barrow, Jackson, Madison, Oglethorpe, and Oconee) served by the Piedmont Healthcare Coalition region
• Have access to a smartphone or other internet-connected device (e.g., iPad; home computer; laptop)
• Are able to read either English or Spanish
• Aged 8 to 18 years old

Exclusion Criteria:

• Medically necessary dietary restrictions (e.g., feeding tubes)
• BMI < 5%ile
• A diagnosis of a serious and persistent mental illness
• The child's parent/caregiver believes that the child is not developmentally able to participate in study components (e.g., severe autism)
• The family already has one parent or one child enrolled in the study
• There are no more availabilities in the family's census tract (limited to 10 households per tract). UGA also is interested in recruiting families from a range of census tracts in the Athens, GA area. If UGA finds that many families are coming from a few census tracts, they may restrict enrollment of new participants who are from those already-represented census tracts.