Cordeiro Presents New Paper, Leads Student Researchers at American Public Health Association Conference
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Lorraine Cordeiro, professor in the Department of Nutrition and director of the Center for Research on Families (CRF), presented a key paper on food security as mediator of the impact of racial discrimination at the American Public Health Association Conference in Minneapolis on Oct 29.
Cordeiro also led a contingent of students from the School of Public Health and Health Sciences (SPHHS) Experiential Learning team to the conference, including community health education doctoral student Fiona Almeida and undergraduates Yejun “Peter” Na, a nutrition major, and Amara Cheng, a political science major in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Cordeiro’s research found that women reporting greater impacts of racial discrimination on their daily lives had significantly greater food insecurity, which in turn was related to poorer health ratings. A similar pattern of results emerged for worry about experiencing racial discrimination in various domains, with higher endorsements related to greater food insecurity and subsequent poorer health. The study highlights the significant role of racial discrimination in exacerbating food insecurity, which in turn is associated with poorer self-perceived health. The findings have important implications for public health interventions, Cordeiro says.
The SPHHS Experiential Learning program, which is led by Cordeiro, aims to bridge the gap between academic theory and real-world application. The program has hired, trained and supervised both graduate and undergraduate students in key areas such as community-based participatory research (CBPR), transcription and community-engaged research analysis.
More information about Cordeiro’s presentation can be found on the conference website.