BACKGROUND:NC Latino immigrants experience health disparities, contributing to higher rates of chronic disease. A community health clinic partnered with a university to develop a low-cost, physical activity and nutrition intervention for Latino immigrants managing chronic disease. PURPOSE:To assess changes in clinical, anthropometric, and behavioral outcomes at baseline, 6 months, and one year after intervention. METHODS:A mixed methods approach was used; data from EMR, Anthropometry, functional measures, and survey instruments were compared across time to examine mental wellbeing and cardiovascular risk. Focus groups were conducted to gain additional insight into participant experiences; qualitative data were analyzed using a grounded theoretical approach. RESULTS:There were (n = 243) participants. Significant changes were found in HbA1c, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, BMI, % body fat, weight, and waist circumference, functional capacity, and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Focus group data showed participants perceive social support as a motivator towards healthy lifestyle changes. DISCUSSION:Findings suggest a culturally responsive intervention at a community clinic may support improvements in health outcomes in Latino immigrants. Findings inform lifestyle interventions that can be tailored to specific minority populations to support reductions in health disparities.
OBJECTIVES:Addressing structural racism remains a critical challenge in population health and social sciences, as traditional quantitative approaches often fail to disrupt long-standing racialized health hierarchies. This study critically interrogates the process of a multidisciplinary scientific collaboration attempting to operationalize and measure life course structural racism while enacting an anti-racist praxis. DESIGN:Utilizing a collaborative analytic autoethnography framework grounded in social cognitive theory and anti-racist praxis, our team - comprising biostatisticians, nurse scientists, epidemiologists, gerontologists, social scientists, and a nephrologist across racialized groups, career stages, and institutions - treated our team process as a socio-analytical field site. We examined the tension between individualistic paradigms and systemic measurement, gathering qualitative field data from team deliberations, and a dedicated focus group. RESULTS:Three primary autoethnographic themes emerged: operationalizing and understanding structural racism, constructing methodological infrastructure, and navigating accountability and the pursuit of a multidimensional measure. While qualitative life-course history interviews, expert panels, public podcasts, and a national survey advanced conceptual and data infrastructure, significant methodological barriers - including historical address recall, geocoding missingness, and geographic mismatch - prevented immediate measure validation. Autoethnographic reflection revealed how institutional incentives, capitalistic academic pressures, and funding mechanisms complicate collective equity work. CONCLUSION:By interrogating our collaborative process, we demonstrate that doing 'different science' requires prioritizing reflexive, collective team dynamics and infrastructure over rapid measure production. Embedding anti-racist praxis and community accountability into scientific collaborations offers a transformative pathway for advancing structural racism research and dismantling systemic health inequities.
