Monday, Mar 11, 2019
Dr. Jennifer Warren discusses the topic on Health 411, a radio show presented by Rider's Health Studies Institute
It has been known for years that the average lifespan of a resident in Trenton, N.J., is 67 years whereas the average in Princeton, N.J., is 82 years. This 15-year difference in life expectancy occurs over only a 10-mile distance. The contrast illustrates why some of have said that the biggest determinant for your health is your zip code.
This phenomenon was brought to wide attention in the PBS program Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making us Sick? This video was released more than 10 years ago yet little progress has been made to address the complex factors leading to health disparity, particularly in the African-American community.
Dr. Jennifer Warren has a plan to address these health disparities. The former Rutgers University professor recently founded the Center for African American Health Disparities Education and Research in Trenton. She appeared on "Health 411," a radio program presented by Rider University's Health Studies Institute, on March 3, 2019, to discuss health disparities, their causes and potential solutions.
Interview highlights:
On the mission of the Center for African American Health Disparities Education and Research:
We are about community-based education in health program development. We hope to become a hub for research on health disparities in Trenton and also have a wellness center — particularly for mental health counseling free to the community members.
On seniors in public housing:
Our studies show that seniors with disabilities have hypertension (which causes heart disease). Diabetes had a low prevalence which was surprising. Social isolation of seniors in public housing is also a problem. This is particularly important when they get sick. No one to go food shopping. No doctor visits. Health care workers used to check up on folks. Now security guards often won’t let help in. They say, No, I’m not going to help you. No services or interventions are in place.
On the organization's current action to address health disparities in Trenton:
We are writing a CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) grant to increase access to nutrition and exercise in Trenton. We are also developing pop-up-clinics for community health assessment. There are also Community Development Block Grants where we are looking at African American female teenagers for summer enrichment about cardiovascular health. Then we will translate these findings into an ethno-drama and the play will be performed for politicians and the community. We are also looking to create web-based applications to help individuals quit smoking. The ‘hood’ is a platform to disseminate health information. This could then be used to communicate about cardiovascular and diabetes health.
"Health 411," hosted by Dr. Jonathan Karp of Rider's Department of Biology, Behavioral Neuroscience, and Health Sciences, airs every Sunday at 11 a.m. on 107.7 The Bronc. All episodes are also available as podcasts.