Social scientist Karen Lincoln, PhD, professor of environmental and occupational health at the UCI Program in Public Health, was awarded a nearly $200,000 one-year grant from the California Health Care Foundation to generate invaluable new data, which will be used to increase the reliability and validity of future interventions aimed at addressing social determinants of health and improve quality of life for older Black Californians.
Many countries, including the U.S., are experiencing a significant demographic shift toward an aging population. Due to longer life expectancy and birth rates decline, a larger portion of the population is composed of older adults (65 and over) who face complex and unique health challenges, including chronic diseases, cognitive decline, and mobility issues. For aging Black Americans, they face additional health impediments as a result of racism and mistrust in the healthcare system. These conditions, called social determinants of health (SDOH), are the environments where people are born, live, work, and age, and how the quality of that environment can affect a wide range of health and quality of life outcomes and risks.
Our data will only better inform our understanding of true lived experiences of Black Californians and solidify the importance of academia listening to and addressing the needs of the community.”
– Karen Lincoln, PhD
Lincoln and team will be conducting new analysis to increase the reliability and strength of the Listening to Black Californians data to ensure that the sample of over 2000 middle-aged and older Black participants accurately represent Black Californians. In addition, Lincoln’s project will “increase the shelf life” of that data – that is, instead of limiting the data to the one previously funded project, her work will allow for the data to be shared more widely by more researchers who can disseminate findings from the data and produce results that can impact practice and policy. The data set holds crucial findings of Black Californian’s experience with (dis)satisfaction with healthcare systems, complex healthcare needs, and patient empowerment. The study team will take a deeper dive into the role of racism in health care and ultimately how it impacts how middle-aged and older Black Californians navigate the healthcare system. Data shows that many are often forced to go without care or take matters into their own hands to maintain their health. Findings from the study will be disseminated through an education and awareness plan into communities as well as distributed as issue briefs to academic and community organization partners and policy makers.
“This grant signals a true investment from one of the largest funders in California prioritizing the principle that every individual, regardless of age, race, or background, deserves equal access to dignified healthcare,” says Lincoln. “Our data will only better inform our understanding of true lived experiences of Black Californians and solidify the importance of academia listening to and addressing the needs of the community.”
