The current paper presents a lifespan model of ethnic-racial identity (ERI) from infancy into adulthood. We conceptualize that ethnic-racial priming during infancy prompts nascent awareness of ethnicity/race that becomes differentiated across childhood and through adulthood. We propose that the components of ERI that have been tested to date fall within five dimensions across the lifespan: ethnic-racial awareness, affiliation, attitudes, behaviors, and knowledge. Further, ERI evolves in a bidirectional process informed by an interplay of influencers (i.e., contextual, individual, and developmental factors, as well as meaning-making and identity-relevant experiences). It is our goal that the lifespan model of ERI will provide important future direction to theory, research, and interventions. Ethnic-racial identity (ERI) encompasses the process and content that defines an individual's sense of self related to ethnic heritage and racial background. It includes labels individuals use to define themselves according to ethnicity/race; awareness, beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge they have about their ethnic-racial background; enactment of their identity; and processes by which each of these dimensions evolve (Umaña-Taylor et al., 2014). ERI is recognized as an important developmental competency (Williams et al., 2012) that can promote positive adjustment in the face of risk or adversity (Neblett et al., 2012). Scholars emphasize that ERI development is dynamic and evolves throughout the lifespan (Syed et al., 2007). However, most conceptual models of ERI have focused independently on distinct developmental periods, such as childhood (e.g., Bernal et al., 1990) or adolescence (see Umaña-Taylor et al., 2014 for review), without an explicit lifespan perspective. This relatively piecemeal approach makes it difficult to chart continuity across developmental periods when identity components are defined specific to a single developmental period, with little effort tracing either the origin or maturation of components beyond a single developmental period. The resulting scholarship gives the impression of disjointed development of ethnic-racial identity. To piece together disparate scholarship in the field's conceptual understanding of ERI, [Adriana Umaña-Taylor and Esther Calzada] assembled a work group funded by the National Science Foundation. The goal of our work group was to develop an integrated model of ERI development that would describe when components of ERI first emerge, how they unfold from one developmental period to another, which components have 2 WILLIAMS ET AL.

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American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) youth are characterized by high rates of pregnancy and risky sexual behavior. Reaching these youth with culturally appropriate interventions is difficult due to geographic dispersion and cultural isolation. Online interventions can provide opportunities for reaching and engaging AIAN youth. However, electronic interventions are also impersonal and this can be culturally incongruous for AIANs and other populations for whom traditional ceremonies, practices and patterns of interpersonal communication are central. This paper describes the application of community based participatory research methods to: (1) identify concerns about the exclusive use of an online sexual health program; (2) address community concerns by developing supplemental class lessons, and (3) evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the new hybrid intervention. Data derives from qualitative and quantitative sources. During the formative phase of the project, qualitative data from partner interactions was analyzed with participatory inquiry to inform intervention development. To evaluate the intervention, qualitative data (e.g., interviews, surveys) were used to understand and explain quantitative measures such as implementation fidelity and attendance. Implementers were enthusiastic about the hybrid intervention. The lessons were easy to teach and provided opportunities for meaningful discussions, adaptations, and community involvement. The use of online videos was an effective method for providing training. Working with community partners, we resolved cultural concerns arising from the exclusive use of the Internet by creating a hybrid intervention. The additional burden for staff to deliver the class lessons was considered minimal in comparison to the educational and programmatic benefits of the hybrid intervention. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT01698073.

We assessed the hypothesis that community affluence modifies the association between individual socioeconomic status (SES) and 6 cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors: diabetes, hypertension, physical inactivity, obesity, smoking, and poor nutrition. We stratified data from the Colorado Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System for 2007 and 2008 by individual SES and 3 categories of community affluence (median household income of county). People who had a low SES seemed to benefit from residing in high-affluence communities. Living in high-affluence communities may mitigate the effect of poverty on CVD risk factors; our findings support the value of interventions that address social determinants of health.