Low enrollment in U.S. biomedical research by non-White adults has historically been attributed to mistrust, but few studies have simultaneously examined dimensions of trust in three or more racial/ethnic groups. Leveraging the racial/ethnic diversity of New Jersey, we prospectively recruited 293 adults (72% women, 38% older than 54 years of age) between October 2020 and February 2022 to complete two anonymous surveys in English or one of the common languages (e.g., Spanish, Mandarin Chinese). The first consisted of 12 Likert-scale questions related to trust in biomedical researchers (according to safety, equity, transparency), and the second assessed willingness to consider participation in eight common research activities (health-related survey, blood collection, genetic analysis, medication study, etc). Participants self-reported as Hispanic (n = 102), Black (n = 49), Chinese (n = 48), other Asian (n = 53), or White (n = 41) race/ethnicity. Factor analysis showed three aspects related to trust in researchers: researchers as fiduciaries for research participants, racial/ethnic equity in research, and transparency. Importantly, we observed differences in the relationship between mistrust and willingness to participate. Whereas Chinese respondents’ low trust in researchers mediated their low interest in research involving more than health-related surveys, Hispanic respondents’ low trust in research equity did not deter high willingness to participate in research involving blood and genetic analysis. We caution that a generic association between trust and research participation should not be broadly assumed, and biomedical researchers should prospectively assess this relationship within each minoritized group to avoid hasty generalization.

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Since the start of COVID-19, reports of discrimination in the US against Asian Americans have increased approximately 150%. Prior research has demonstrated that victims of discrimination are more likely to experience physiological health concerns, possibly linked to sleep. The objective of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between disordered sleep and discrimination among Chinese older adults using data collected from the Population Study of ChINese Elderly (N=3124, 59% female). To assess, the experience of discrimination in nine settings (school, hiring, work, housing, medical, service, finance, public, and authority) and four indicators of sleep quality (duration, trouble falling asleep, insomnia, and self-reported sleep quality) were evaluated using logistic- and multinomial logistic regression. With an average age of 75 years, discrimination was experienced by 7.2% of participants. Experiencing any discrimination was associated with lower odds of longer sleep durations (>8 hours) compared to those sleeping 6-8 hours. Experiences of discrimination in housing (OR: 5.51 (95%CI:1.08-27.98)) and with authority figures (OR: 6.02 (95%CI:1.16-31.31)) were significantly associated with shorter sleep durations (<6 hours), compared to those sleeping 6-8 hours. Those who experienced discrimination in a school setting were less likely to have trouble falling asleep (OR: 0.28 (95%CI:0.09-0.88)), while discrimination in medical settings were more likely to experience insomnia (OR: 2.29 (95%CI:1.13-4.63)). All other relationships between discrimination and sleep measures were non-significant. Given mixed evidence and the increased relevancy of discrimination against Asian Americans, further research on how discrimination may impact health outcomes and sleep quality is warranted.

A westernized diet, characterized by intake of foods high in fat and sugar, has been associated with several chronic conditions. However, the dietary pattern of US Chinese older adults is not well understood. The primary objective of this study was to determine the relationship between years of US residence and other demographic factors and the intake of foods high in fats and sugar. As part of the Population Study of Chinese Elderly, participants were given a 48-item food frequency questionnaire, which were further placed into primary food groups. Each group was then categorized into whether they consumed the food group at least once a week. The total sample was 59% female with an average age of 75, with 49% consuming fatty foods and 85% consuming sweets in the past week. Using logistic regression (N=3053), each additional year of US residence (range of 0-93 years) was associated with a higher dietary intake of fats (OR: 1.01 (95%CI:1.01-1.02)) and sweets (OR: 1.01 (95%CI:1.00-1.02)). Additionally, higher education was associated with lower consumption of fats (OR: 0.98 (95%CI:0.96, 0.99)) and higher income was associated with higher consumption of fats (OR: 1.11 (95%CI: 1.04, 1.18)). For sweets, women compared to men were 54% less likely to consume sweets in the last week (OR: 0.46 (95%CI:0.36, 0.59)), and higher education was associated a greater likelihood of consuming sweets (OR: 1.07 (95%CI: 1.05, 1.10)). Study findings suggest that immigration related factors and demographic factors may influence consumption of a westernized diet high in fats and sugars.