From left: Assistant Professor Rachel Purvis, Research Assistant Brett Rowland, Assistant Professor Rachelle Narcisse, Assistant Professor Britni Ayers (sitting), Associate Professor Holly Felix, Senior Research Director Chris Long and Research Associate Aaron Scott. Not pictured: Peter Kohler and Pearl McElfish.
The UAMS Office of Community Health and Research recently submitted its 100th scientific journal article for publication, reaching a landmark achievement in the office’s five-year history.
The Office of Community Health and Research was established in 2014 under the direction of UAMS Northwest Vice Chancellor Pearl McElfish. The office was founded to reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes for communities across northwest Arkansas.
The 100th article addresses barriers to prenatal care among Marshallese women in Arkansas by identifying barriers from Marshallese mothers’ and maternal health care providers’ perspectives.
“Understanding the perspectives from both lenses is an important step toward addressing the barriers to prenatal care among Marshallese women,” said Assistant Professor Britni Ayers, Ph.D., who led the team writing this article. “Understanding how Marshallese mothers’ and maternal health care providers’ perceived barriers to prenatal care provides a stronger foundation to design culturally appropriate interventions and effectively implement policy changes. “
Over the last five years, Office of Community Health and Research staff have published studies examining a wide range of health issues and topics, including the benefits of including family members in diabetes management; strategies to improve school nutrition; associations between sleep quality and mental and physical health; differences in E-cigarettes’ impact across races and ethnicities; barriers to health care among different U.S. communities; approaches to improving healthy food access in food pantries; and more.
The Office of Community Health and Research oversees several projects that address maternal/child health, nutrition, physical activity and prevention and management of chronic diseases, such as diabetes. While many of its projects address disparities in Benton, Carroll, Madison and Washington counties, office staff work with various organizations throughout Arkansas and surrounding states, including food banks, faith-based organizations, schools, farmers markets, employers and health care organizations to create a better state of health for all.
The Community Health and Research team at UAMS Northwest will continue to work toward identifying and understanding health needs through research and programs, and work to create an environment where every person has access to their best health. For more information about the Office of Community Health and its projects, visit northwestcampus.uams.edu/chr, and like its Facebook pages at facebook.com/UAMS.Northwest.CHR and facebook.com/uams.healthystart.