The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) has awarded a $3.8 million R01 grant to a collaborative team from Emory University's Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing and Rollins School of Public Health to mitigate health disparities and reduce cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality among Latina agricultural laborers.
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Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in U.S. women, according to the American Heart Association. Grant Multi-Principal Investigator (MPI) Assistant Professor Erin Ferranti, PhD, MPH, RN, FAHA, says that Latina farmworkers – a rapidly growing segment of the U.S. agricultural workforce – experience higher rates of cardiovascular disease-related morbidity and mortality driven by social determinants of health such as limited access to health care, poverty, and social isolation, all of which are compounded by cumulative interpersonal trauma.
"Our goal with this grant is to bring evidence-based, culturally tailored interventions to Latina farmworkers and address the adverse social determinants of health that compound cardiovascular risk factors among this underserved and understudied population of women," she adds.
Named Hermanas de Corazón, the intervention will leverage a 31-year community partnership with the Farm Worker Family Health Program in southwest Georgia to evaluate how peer support – in combination with efforts to address unmet social needs – can reduce stress, social isolation and psychological distress while improving access to essential resources.
The five-year, multidisciplinary study will integrate assessments of social determinants of health and lifetime trauma experiences into cardiovascular disease prevention interventions to address the root causes of health disparities and improve the cardiometabolic health of Latina agricultural laborers.
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The research will be led by MPIs Ferranti and School of Nursing Associate Professor Ursula Kelly, PhD, APRN, ANP-BC, PMHNP-BC. Co-investigators include Professor Melinda K. Higgins, PhD, from the School of Nursing and Assistant Professors Andrea López-Cepero, PhD, and Elizabeth Rhodes, PhD, from the Rollins School of Public Health.
"The Hermanas de Corazón initiative is poised to not only improve the heart health of Latina farmworkers, but also to create a replicable model for community-driven interventions that are aimed at reducing health disparities in marginalized communities," Kelly explains.
This research is supported by the NINR of the National Institutes of Health under award number R01NR021664. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
About the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
As one of the nation's top nursing schools, the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University is committed to educating visionary nurse leaders and scholars. Home to the No. 1 master's, No. 1 BSN and No. 6 DNP programs nationwide, the school offers undergraduate, master's, doctoral and non-degree programs, bringing together cutting-edge resources, distinguished faculty, top clinical experiences and access to leading health care partners to shape the future of nursing and impact the world's health and well-being. Learn more at the School of Nursing website.
