Greetings,
We are reaching out to you or your organization to invite participation in our interviews and focus groups on the non-medical and medical factors that influence the health and well-being of marginalized populations in New Mexico. If after reading this, you are able to help please contact Dr. Lauri Andress at landress@salud.unm.edu or 713-553-8192.
BACKGROUND
Research from the last 25 years in the U.S. demonstrates that health is no longer created simply by access to healthcare and individual behavior. We now know that health is created by the places and experiences where you live, learn, work and play. More and more research link the well-being and health of minoritized groups to upstream historical factors including racial capitalism, traumatic racialized experiences such as over policing, intentionally harmful built and natural environmental policies, and inequitable access to opportunities and resources. In fact, over 100 statements declaring racism to be a public health crisis were issued during the COVID 19 pandemic and in the wake of police violence against racialized and minoritized groups in the U.S.
WHAT WILL PARTICIPANTS BE ASKED TO DO?
Participants will be contacted and given a time and date to participate in a one-to-one interview or a focus group. This meeting will be online using a web-based platform such as zoom. In one-to-one interviews or small groups questions will be asked about community well-being, housing, jobs, community safety, food security, causes for good and bad health, and the social, economic and health changes that can be implemented to improve community well-being. You are not required to answer questions that make you feel uncomfortable and may decline to answer them.
In some cases, participants may be asked to take symbolic photos and write short narratives of 4 to 5 sentences explaining why that photo was taken. Your photos may be used in an exhibition to illustrate ideas, topics, and issues related to racial and /or ethnic identity in New Mexico. NOTE: your photos should only portray places, lived experiences, and events. For example, a neighborhood where everyone wants to live in comparison to a neighborhood where most of your peers live. These photos should not involve recognizable facial features. Photos of people should be in a crowd or facial profiles and must not single out individuals in a recognizable way.
WHY PARTICIPATE?
Community benefits are that information gained from this study will contribute to knowledge about how to empower community groups to make sociopolitical changes that help to achieve well-being and good health by acting upon a range of factors including behavior and socioeconomic issues. While supplies last, aside from a merchandise card, participants will not get any personal benefit from taking part in this study.
WHERE IS THE STUDY GOING TO TAKE PLACE AND HOW LONG WILL IT LAST?
The focus group and interviews will be conducted online using a web-based platform. Participants will need to have access to the internet, a smart phone, computer, tablet, or laptop during the time of the interview. Each of those encounters will take about 60 to 90 minutes. The total amount of time asked to volunteer for this study is 90 minutes.
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?
The participants in the study should fit the following criteria:
- Older than 18 years of age
- Identify as one of the following: LGBTQ+ African American, Latinx, Spanish speaking, an immigrant, Native American, or Asian.
- Lived in New Mexico for three years or more
- English speaking
- Not a current substance user
- Access to the internet, a smart phone, laptop or computer
- An informed community member who attends local meetings and contributes to civic decision-making.
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DO OR DO NOT PARTICIPATE?
If participants elect to join us (or not) it will not affect:
- Employment
- Current or future healthcare at the University of New Mexico;
- Current or future payments to the University of New Mexico;
- Ability to enroll in any health plans (if applicable); or
- Eligibility for benefits (if applicable).
Please do not hesitate to contact us with questions!
Lauri Andress
UNM HSC IRB Study #24-349
Principal Investigator: Lauri Andress landress@salud.unm.edu 713-553-8192