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Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology

CSDE Seminar: Demographic Approaches to Studying Structural Oppression

CSDE invites you to a seminar with Patricia Homan on Friday, May 10th from 12:30-1:30 PM in 360 PAR and on Zoom (register here). This seminar is co-sponsored by the Population Health Initiative. Patricia (Trish) Homan is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Associate Director of the Public Health Program at Florida State University. She is also an associate of FSU’s Pepper Institute on Aging and Public Policy and the Center for Demography and Population Health. Her research focuses on developing theory and measurement for structural sexism, structural racism, and other forms of structural oppression, and examining how these forces shape health in the United States. Dr. Homan will be available for 1×1 meetings throughout the day (sign up here). 

Abstract: Emerging lines of research have begun to quantify various forms of structural oppression and examine their impacts on population health. In this talk, Dr. Homan will: 1) provide an overview of current conceptualization and measurement of structural sexism, structural racism, and other forms of structural oppression, 2) present new evidence on how structural sexism shapes life expectancy in the US (from analyses using hazard modeling and multistate lifetables), 3) illustrate how structural sexism and racism are associated with rates of inter-state migration, 4) discuss how demographers can build on this work in future research.

Simoni, Graham, and Colleagues Examine Product and Delivery Attributes Related to Acceptability and Feasibility of HIV Treatment in Kenya

CSDE Affiliates Jane M. Simoni (Psychology) and Susan M. Graham (Medicine and Global Health) released research with colleagues in BMC Infectious Diseases, entitled “Key informant views on potential acceptability and feasibility of long-acting antiretroviral treatment for HIV in Kenya“. In 2020, 14% of diagnosed persons living with HIV (PLWH) in Kenya were not taking antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 19% of those on ART had unsuppressed viral loads. Long-acting antiretroviral therapy (LA-ART) may increase viral suppression by promoting ART uptake and adherence. Authors conducted key informant (KI) interviews with HIV experts in Kenya to identify product and delivery attributes related to the acceptability and feasibility of providing LA-ART to PLWH in Kenya.

Low Birthweight and Maternal Education is the Subject of New Study by Martinson and Co-authors

CSDE Affiliate Melissa L. Martinson (Social Work) released an article with co-authors in SSM – Population Health, entitled “Gradients in low birthweight by maternal education: a comparative perspective“. Longstanding research has shown strong inequalities in low birthweight by household income. However, most such research has focused on Anglophone countries, while evidence emerging from other developed countries suggest a stronger role of education rather than incomes in creating inequalities at birth. This paper compares gradients in low birthweight by maternal education, as well as explores underlying mechanisms contributing to these gradients, in France, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Using decomposition analysis we found that while inequalities in low birth weight across maternal education groups were relatively similar in the United States, the United Kingdom and France, the individual-level mechanisms producing such inequalities varied substantially across the three countries, with income being most important in the US, pregnancy smoking being most evident in France, and the UK occupying an intermediate position. Essentially, maternal education appears to produce inequalities in low birth weight in the US through income differences, but this is not the case in the other countries examined.