The Center For Health Equity Research PPOWER2 project was the subject of two 2019 news articles, one a Long Beach Press-Telegram article by writer Emily Rasmussen, entitled "Cal State Long Beach researchers are studying ways to reduce cannabis, tobacco use in young, African American gay men." Follow this link to read the original article on the LB Press-Telegram site.
CHER's research was also featured in Q Voice News, in an article by Phillip Zonkel titled "Reducing health disparities in gay African-American men, tobacco-related cancers." Read the article in its entirety on the Q Voice News site here.
The goals of the PPOWER2 project are detailed in brief, touching on the intervention model in smoking-related health risks as part of the $1.1 million grant from California’s Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program.
CHER Director Dr. Laura D’Anna explains the urgent need for research into this topic, with this specific target population: “It’s a population that experiences a number of health disparities,” Dr. D’Anna said. “And what we see is later in life, for African American men, disparities with smoking-related diseases – cancer, heart disease and higher mortality rates. So if we can intervene at a younger age, we’re hoping to prevent some of this from happening. We need to have a better understanding of the circumstances and contexts within which young people initiate and use combustible or vape forms of tobacco and marijuana.”
For more information about PPOWER2, check out the main project page here.