Do you live in a Home where there is a smoker and a non-smoker? The University of Minnesota wants to know!
Ms. Marcquilla Allen and Dr. Janet Thomas from the University of Minnesota are doing a study about “smoking in the home.” They both have been kind enough to share information about their study and want people from all walks of life to participate. After you read the information below, please contact Marquilla Allen at (612) 626-3899 to set up an appointment. All qualified participants are compensated for their time.
1. What is the purpose of area of research?
We all know that cigarette smoking is an addiction and that exposure to tobacco smoke is harmful to the smoker and to non-smokers in the home and public environment.
We also know that certain groups are targeted by the tobacco companies to start smoking and to continue smoking once they start.
What we know less about, and what I want to learn in my research, is the messages that really speak to smokers that make them want to eliminate exposing tobacco smoke to others in their environment and motivate them to want to quit.
Specifically, I want to learn how a non-smoker who lives with a smoker might support their smoker to make their home smoke free. Our study is designed to develop and test whether biomarker feedback documenting home exposure to environmental toxins might increase home smoking restrictions and motivate the smoker to make a quit attempt.
This program of research addresses the unfair share of the burden of tobacco-related health problems among underserved communities including high rates of childhood asthma and adult cardiovascular diseases.
Further, our program of study builds upon the important role of the family in health behavior change.
Dr. Thomas has recently received funding from the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association for research to increase the adoption of smoking bans in family homes. The study is designed to develop and test whether biomarker feedback documenting home exposure to environmental toxins might increase home smoking restrictions and motivate the smoker to make a quit attempt.
2. Main outcomes of research?
We hope to move all families towards having a home that promotes the best start and best health possible for children in the home. By learning what messages promote private policies/bans against smoking in the home and car and motivate smokers to quit, we will be better able to help all families.
3. Who is the Principal Investigator of this research?
Janet Thomas, PhD, joined the Program in Health Disparities Research in August 2006. Thomas, a University of Minnesota Department of Medicine Assistant Professor, gained an interest in health disparities from her graduate work in Clinical Psychology at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. There she developed an appreciation for the persistent sense of optimism and faith among those dealing with a plethora of major life stressors including poverty, violence, child mortality, and chronic illness, and a curiosity to understand the psychological mechanisms behind this “audacity of hope” She brings to the Program a strong research background in smoking cessation and weight management among African American communities. She is particularly interested in investigating the role of social support as a tool to motivate health behavior change.
*Dr. Thomas has recently received funding from the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association for research to increase the adoption of smoking bans in homes. The study is designed to develop and test whether biomarker feedback documenting home exposure to environmental toxins might increase home smoking restrictions and motivate the smoker to make a quit attempt.
Says Dr. Thomas, “It is vital that we identify innovative ways to eliminate exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). ETS is a recognized cause of heart, lung, vascular disease, and cancer in adults and respiratory diseases including asthma in children.” African Americans have twice the rate of premature death due to heart and vascular disease, the highest overall cancer death rates of all racial groups, and African American children have the highest rates of asthma, sudden infant death syndrome, and low birth weights. She hopes her research may help to address these health disparities.
4. What is the UMN, Program in Health Disparities Research?
The Program in Health Disparities Research is housed within the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Center for Clinical Research. Established in 2006, the Program is dedicated to eliminating health disparities among minority and other underserved populations through interdisciplinary research, education, and community partnership. Dr. Kolawole S. Okuyemi is Director of the Program, and has a strong research background in smoking cessation in African American and other underserved populations. The Program fosters multidisciplinary research in collaboration with community members and academic partners. Program researchers have and continue to receive funding from the American Medical Association, National Institutes of Health, American Cancer Society, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Science Foundation, Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation, among many others.
For more information, call Marquilla at (612) 626-3899
Minneapolis Urban Laegue Presents “Prostate Cancer Awareness and Education Day” Friday, June 20, 2008
Join the Minneapolis Urban League for an evening of information about Prostate Cancer Awareness and Education, featuring Mr. Robert Samuels, the first African American Vice President of a Major Bank in the United States and Prostate Cancer Survivor, Advocate and Educator. June 20, 2008 from 4:30-6 p.m. in the lower level of the Minneapolis Urban League located at 2100 Plymouth Avenue North.
The following article is By Tom Valeo, Special to the Times
Published February 26, 2008 in the St. Petersburg Times.
Screenings designed to save men’s lives
A retired banker sets up free annual tests for prostate cancer and other diseases.
TAMPA - As a banking executive and then into retirement, Robert Samuels received a first-class physical every year.
Yet, in 1994, just four months after a thorough workup, he discovered he had prostate cancer. He was unsure if he had received a prostate cancer screening.
“I was 56 at the time, and I had no symptoms,” Samuels said. “A colleague mentioned that he had just been screened for prostate cancer, and I called my doctor back and asked, ‘Did you test me?’ ”
He went in for the prostate-specific antigen test and found that his level was 47. Normal is between 0 and 4.
Samuels was successfully treated, but he has become an advocate for prostate cancer screening, especially for African-American men. According to the American Cancer Society, the prostate cancer death rate for African-American men is more than twice that of white men.
To encourage men to get tested, Samuels created the Florida Prostate Cancer Network.
“The first year, 750 men showed up,” Samuels said. “In the seven years we’ve been doing this, 10,000 men have been screened.”
And since access to medical care is a big reason why many people don’t get screened for the disease, the forum also provides “safety nets,” as Samuels calls them.
“We invite the VA Veterans Affairs to participate, and people from Medicare and the county’s indigent health care program,” Samuels said.
In addition, the hospitals that conduct the screenings - St. Joseph’s, Tampa General and Moffitt - will help people find a way to get medical care no matter what their financial status.
Brian Rivers, executive director of the FPCN, has conducted research aimed at determining what prevents men from undergoing prostate cancer screening and seeking treatment.
“I think the biggest factor is lack of awareness and knowledge,” Rivers said. “One of the principle barriers to screening is that men just aren’t aware of their risk. There also are policy barriers, such as lack of insurance and lack of access to health care.”
The unpleasantness of getting tested, however, does not seem to be a big deterrent.
“Those who have been through it may talk about the discomfort of a digital rectal exam,” Rivers said, “but men are willing to endure one or two minutes of discomfort. Education is the key. Education is what generates increased awareness and empowers individuals to make informed decisions about their health.”
“1st Annual Minneapolis Urban League’s Prostate Cancer Awareness and Education Day”
On June 20, 2008 at the Minneapolis Urban League, the MUL Social Wellness Cluster and MUL President Mr. Clarence Hightower welcome world renowned Prostate Cancer National Spokesperson Mr. Robert Samuels to the Minneapolis Urban League for the “1st Annual Minneapolis Urban League’s Prostate Cancer Awareness and Education Day.” This event will take place in the lower level of the Minneapolis Urban League from 4:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.
The event will be a light variety of food and beverages catered by the Twin Cities #1 healthy catering company - “Lisa Anderson catering”, www.lacateringmpls.com.
We encourage all men in the Twin Cities to come out and hear what Mr. Samuels has to say, the life his saves with important information could be yours. For more information contact the Minneapolis Urban League at (612) 986-0010.
Make Extra Money From Work…Don’t Get Caught!
Free coffee, infrequently clean bathrooms, faux friendships—working a cubicle job has several obvious benefits. But in addition to the mysterious rashes, your employer has unknowingly given you everything you’ll need to make some money on the side. Supplement your salary with one of these five day jobs.
The exciting thing about these “extra” jobs is that they are easy to set up and will help you earn extra income!
Virtual Juror
Web sites like ejury.com and onlineverdict.com collect feedback on court cases from virtual jurors, then hawk it to real-life shysters. Cases take between 20 minutes and an hour to read and rate. “It’s an easy way to make money,” says ejury.com founder Chris Bagby, “and people learn to enjoy it because the cases can be intriguing.” Objection, your electronic honor!
Risk: Low (tell your boss you’re doing research)
Pay: $5–$60/case
E-Commerce Jockey
Brilliant T-shirt idea? Download a free trial of Photoshop, use your office scanner to create a design, and enlist cafepress.com or zazzle.com to print the goods. TakePride cofounder Patrick Gray started a line of clothing while working full-time at a corporate law firm. “We launched the business from our desks,” he says.
Risk: High (especially if you ship from work)
Pay: Pennies to gold bullion
Audio Transcriber
As you mindlessly transcribe speeches and interviews, your employer thinks you’re writing up reports while listening to iTunes. Sites like productiontranscripts.com and tigerfish.com prefer speedy typers, but contractedwork.com welcomes average keyboardists. Fingers, ho!
Risk: Low (unless office music is frowned upon)
Pay: $8–$40/hour
Personal Assistant
Making reservations, checking movie times, booking flights—you already run virtual errands for your girlfriend, so why not get paid? With Google, a phone line, and some local knowledge, you can be an at-your-service online assistant. “The pay’s competitive and goes up if you know golf or wine,” says red butler.com concierge specialist Chris Sterling.
Risk: High (use screen-minimizing shortcuts)
Pay: $12–$35/hour
Quality Assurance Specialist
Does the phrase “This call may be recorded for quality assurance” make you hot and bothered? Apply online at voicelog.com to verify calls and analyze customer service for telephone companies and other service industries in shifts of two or more hours. Want to know more? Please hold for the next operator.
Risk: Moderate (you’ll always be on the phone)
Pay: $8.50 and up/hour
Good luck, don’t get caught!
The Minneapolis Urban League Young Professionals “Thank You”
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!
Minneapolis, MN- The Minneapolis Urban League Young Professionals would like to thank all those who came out in support of our 5th Annual National Day of Service! ʻItʼs Payback Timeʼ hosted Saturday May 10th at the Minneapolis Urban League was wildly successful as junior & high school students came out in record numbers-nearly triple our attendance over last year-to learn timely information on creating personal budgets, understanding credit reports and credit scores.
This event held nationwide was sponsored nationally by Fannie Mae Corporation and The Financial Literacy Foundation. We would like to thank our YP members who taught the information: Leah Stone, Derrick Banks, George Ellis, Nneka Morgan & Christina Robinson. As well all of our volunteers and committee members.
We would also like to thank our local partners: McDonaldsʼ Corporation in association with Tim & Doris Baylor; Angela Taylor & Andrew Frisque of the MN Lynx; Our media partners, One Nation News, Insight News and KMOJ Radio & Twin City Business with special thanks to Don Allen. In addition, Wells Fargo Checkpoint, Alpha Phi Alpha Graduate chapter, Sabathani Community Center and Simply Fabulous Sista Friends networking group. And last but not least, Dj Candy of Jamminʼ Djʼs. The success of our event is proof positive that it indeed ʻtakes a village to raise a childʼ…to become SUCCESSFUL!
FOR MORE INFORMATION on The Minneapolis Urban Leagueʼs Young Professionals (MULYP) please
visit us online at www.mul-yp.org.
Mr. Bob Samuels - Founding Chairman of the National Prostate Cancer Coalition
Join Twin City Business for upcoming events with Mr. Samuels in June!
When Bob Samuels was diagnosed with prostate cancer at age 56 — in the prime of life — the cancer had advanced dangerously far. Samuels was shocked to discover that as an African American, he was at high risk for the disease. He was also surprised that since he had an annual physical examination every year his physician had never discussed his risk for prostate cancer. Samuels had been a banker for 31 years in New York and he became one of the first Black Vice President’s of a major bank in the nation. He has an industry award named after him and his former colleagues had a wax figure of him placed in the Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore.
Today, with his cancer in remission, this retired banking executive has channeled the energy that made him so successful in his career into a new role as one of prostate cancer’s most aggressive advocates. As Founding Chairman of the National Prostate Cancer Coalition, Samuels moved prostate cancer into the national spotlight. Samuels went on to lead advocacy efforts in Florida, and is founder and chairman of the Florida Prostate Cancer Network (FPCN), one of the most active state coalitions in the nation.
Prostate cancer is the No. 1 diagnosed cancer (non-skin) and the No. 3 cause of cancer deaths in Florida. Samuels works relentlessly to educate Floridians about the disease. FPCN is a model state coalition. Its programs include a speakers’ bureau; counseling referral program and peer counselor network; educational forums and health fairs; support groups; an outreach newsletter; and aggressive volunteer and fundraising efforts.
Samuels’ devotion to the cause seems boundless. He has served as a member of the National Cancer Institute’s Prostate Cancer Progress Review Group, the U.S. Army’s Prostate Cancer Research Program’s Integration Panel, and the Florida Prostate Cancer Task Force.
He serves on the board of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, among many others, and is a member of the University of South Florida’s Business School’s Dean’s Circle. For prostate cancer advocates everywhere, Bob Samuels and the Florida Prostate Cancer Network are shining examples of powerful advocacy in action. Check out the National Prostate Cancer Coalition website at www.fightprostatecancer.org for more information
