IMPORTANCEAs public health emergencies become more prevalent, it is crucial to identify adverse physical and mental health conditions that may be triggered by natural disasters. There is a lack of data on whether Hurricane Maria in 2017 influenced the disease burden of adults in Puerto Rico.OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalence of chronic diseases and their associated risk factors among adults living in Puerto Rico before and after Hurricane Maria in 2017. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTSThis cross-sectional study used data from 2 previous cross-sectional studies, including the pre-Hurricane Maria Puerto Rico Assessment on Diet, Lifestyles

Heavy metal music has constantly been under scrutiny due to its perceived negative effects on its listeners. Quantitative research has focused on heavy metal music as a risk factor for mental health problems and antisocial behaviour. This research agenda has neglected to explore and quantitatively document how the music can foster positive outcomes among its listeners, in particular a strong sense of community. Fans and producers of heavy metal music constantly reference community as an important aspect of the sonic experience. Still, few studies have addressed the communal experience in heavy metal music from a quantitative perspective. Therefore, the specific aims of this study were to (1) document levels of sense of community among members of the Local Metal Scene (LMS) in Puerto Rico, (2) explore differences on sense of community among core scene members and those at its periphery, and (3) explore predictive variables that can explain sense of community among its members. We present data from a larger study of the metal scene in Puerto Rico, which used a mixed methods approach including ethnographic observations, qualitative interviews and surveys with members of Puerto Rico’s metal scene. Results evidence high levels of sense of community, with existing differences among members of the same scene. Furthermore, our results identify six predictive variables of importance for sense of community among the LMS in Puerto Rico.

HIV/AIDS related stigma remains a major global health issue with detrimental consequences for the treatment and health of people with HIV/AIDS (PWHA), especially when manifested by health professionals. Research on HIV/AIDS stigma has successfully documented negative attitudes towards PWHA among health professionals. However, fewer studies have examined how stigma is manifested behaviorally by health professionals during clinical interactions. Therefore, this study aimed to: (1) examine the behavioral manifestations of HIV/AIDS stigma among physicians in training during clinical interactions, and (2) document the interrelation between HIV/AIDS stigma attitudes and behaviors. We implemented an experimental design using Standardized Patient (SP) simulations, observational techniques, and quantitative questionnaires. The sample consisted of 66 physicians in training in Puerto Rico who engaged in SP encounters with two scenarios: (1) PWHA infected via illegal drug use (experimental condition), and (2) a person with a common cold (control condition). Results evidenced statistically significant differences between both simulations (p = .047), with a higher number of stigma behaviors manifested in the experimental condition. HIV/AIDS stigma attitudes were not correlated with stigma behaviors. Negative emotions associated with drug use were positively associated with drug-related stigmatizing behaviors.

The Puerto Rico Observational Study of Psychosocial, Environmental, and Chronic Disease Trends (PROSPECT) is a prospective cohort study in Puerto Rico (PR) aiming to identify trends and longitudinal associations in risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). In 2019, PROSPECT started recruiting a sample of 2,000 adults, ages 30-75 years, in PR using a multi-stage probabilistic sampling of households and community approaches. Culturally-sensitive trained research assistants assess participants, at baseline and at 2-year follow-up, in private rooms in a network of partner clinics. The study collects comprehensive data on demographics, socioeconomic and environmental factors, medical history, health conditions, lifestyle behaviors, psychosocial status, and biomarkers of CVD and stress. PROSPECT will estimate the prevalence and incidence of psychosocial, lifestyle, and biological CVD risk factors, describe variations in risk factors by urban versus rural area and after natural disasters, and determine predictors of longitudinal changes in CVD risk factors. The study has four coordinated operational strategies: (1) research productivity (including synergy with existing epidemiological cohorts of Hispanics/Latinos for comparison); (2) research infrastructure (biorepository, ancillary studies, and clinical research network); (3) capacity-building, education, and training; and (4) community outreach, dissemination, and policy. PROSPECT will inform public health priorities to help reduce CVD in PR.

Metal music is a global phenomenon, and research addressing its development throughout the world should focus on the local and regional factors that help shape it. The Dominican Republic saw the emergence of a local metal scene in the early 1980s. Unlike other scenes in the Caribbean region, the local media outlets (i.e. newspapers, tv shows, radio shows) have played a crucial role in its development. This article aims to examine the role that media has played in the development and hindrance of the local scene and its interrelation to shifts in the racial/class composition of its members. We carried out ethnographic observations and in-depth qualitative interviews (n=10) with local fans and musicians. All data were analysed and categorized using NVIVO software. In this short article, we discuss how the media played a dual role in the development of the local metal scene. Initially, media representations of metal music contributed to hinder and stigmatize local metal fans. Later, those same media outlets were used by metal fans to counteract stigmatizing representations of metal and expand the scene. Such was the case of the Avanzada Metallica, a local radio show that organized local concerts and informed the metal scene for 20 years. We will discuss how it became a platform to promote local metal bands in the Dominican Republic and Latin America through its organized activities, while simultaneously expanding the scene in terms of its racial and social class composition.