Ishtar Govia
Biographic Data
| ID | 5144878 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ishtar Govia |
| GIVEN NAMES | Ishtar |
| FAMILY NAME | Govia |
| SIGNATURE | GOVIA I |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of the West Indies |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-6852-102X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 26 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 15 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2007 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Social support and ideal cardiovascular health in urban Jamaica
Recent studies have suggested that high levels of social support can encourage better health behaviours and result in improved cardiovascular health. In this study we evaluated the association between social support and ideal cardiovascular health among urban Jamaicans. We conducted a cross-sectional study among urban residents in Jamaica’s south-east health region. Socio-demographic data and information on cigarette smoking, physical activity, d…
Community stressors (violence, victimization, and neighborhood disorder) with cardiometabolic outcomes in urban Jamaica
Background Despite limited data on neighborhood factors and health risk in Caribbean populations, previous analyses from Jamaica have shown that neighborhood and home disorder were associated with lower physical activity and higher cumulative biological risk among women, while poorer neighborhood infrastructure was associated with higher overweight/obesity among men. Design Cross-sectional survey design. Objectives In this study, we explored whet…
The shifting baseline syndrome as a connective concept for more informed and just responses to global environmental change
The concept of the ‘shifting baseline syndrome’ has assisted researchers in understanding how expectations for the health of the environment deteriorate, despite known, often widespread, and significant impacts from human activities. The concept has been used to demonstrate that more accurate assessment of historical ecosystem decline can be achieved by balancing contemporary perceptions with other sorts of evidence, and is now widely referred to…
Situating commercial determinants of health in their historical context
BACKGROUND: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of mortality across the Caribbean and similar regions. Structural determinants include a marked increase in the dependency on food imports, and the proliferation of processed foods, including sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). We focused on Jamaica as a case study and the health challenge of SSBs, and situated contemporary actions, experiences and policies within their historical c…
Socioeconomic and gendered inequities in travel behaviour in Africa
Analysis of Cameroon’s Sectoral Policies on Physical Activity for Noncommunicable Disease Prevention
Physical inactivity is increasing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), urbanisation and sedentary living are rapidly growing in tandem. Increasing active living requires the participation of multiple sectors, yet it is unclear whether physical activity (PA)-relevant sectors in LMICs are prioritising PA. We investigated to what extent sectors that influence PA explicitly integrate it in their policies…
Intersectoral Action for Addressing NCDs through the Food Environment
Noncommunicable diseases contribute the greatest to global mortality. Unhealthy diet-a prominent risk factor-is intricately linked to urban built and food environments and requires intersectoral efforts to address. Framings of the noncommunicable disease problem and proposed solutions within global and African regional diet-related policy documents can reveal how amenable the policy landscape is for supporting intersectoral action for health in l…
Migration and the Health of Non-migrant Family
Research on the association between migration and health among nonmigrant family in Jamaica is limited. Data from the 2012 Jamaica Return(ed) Migrants Study (N = 621) and weighted regression models were used to investigate the association between migration and health among left-behind women (n = 323) and men (n = 298) in Jamaica. Compared to women whose children lived in Jamaica, women who had a child abroad reported lower odds of good mental hea…
The global diet and activity research (GDAR) network
Profiles of sleep and depression risk among Caribbean Blacks
Objectives: Sleep problems are associated with a host of psychiatric disorders and have been attributed to race disparities in health and wellness. Studies of sleep and mental health do not typically consider within-group differences among Blacks. Thus, our understanding of how the sleep-mental health relationship among Caribbean Blacks is limited. This study identified sleep profiles among Caribbean-born Blacks who reside in the United States. D…
Kinship Support in Jamaican Families in the USA and Jamaica
Maternal Social Disadvantage and Newborn Telomere Length in Archived Dried Blood Spots from the Michigan Neonatal Biobank
Telomeres are the protective caps at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes. Short telomere length is associated with morbidity and mortality among adults and may mark the biological impact of social experiences. Using archived dried blood spots from the Michigan Neonatal Biobank, this study examined markers of maternal social disadvantage (educational attainment, receipt of public assistance, marital status, and race/ethnicity) from linked birth cer…
Substance Abuse Among Blacks Across the Diaspora
The study highlights the need for further examination of how substance abuse disparities between US-based and Caribbean-based populations may become manifested
Substance Use, Mental Disorders and Physical Health of Caribbeans at-Home Compared to Those Residing in the United States
This study compares the health conditions of domestic Caribbeans with those living in the United States to explore how national context and migration experiences might influence substance use (i.e., alcohol or drug) and other mental and physical health conditions. The study is based upon probability samples of non-institutionalized Caribbeans living in the United States (1621), Jamaica (1216) and Guyana (2068) 18 years of age and over. Employing …
Age Cohort, Ancestry, and Immigrant Generation Influences in Family Relations and Psychological Well‐Being among Black Caribbean Family Members
Immigration is contributing to the U.S. population becoming increasingly ethnically diverse. This article examines the role of family relations and well‐being among different generations of Black Caribbean immigrants. Family disruptions, such as migration, can have complex effects on the support networks and emotional well‐being of family members. Data from a recently completed national study of American Blacks in the United States, however, reve…
Age Cohort, Ancestry, and Immigrant Generation Influences in Family Relations and Psychological Well‐Being among Black Caribbean Family Members
Immigration is contributing to the U.S. population becoming increasingly ethnically diverse. This article examines the role of family relations and well‐being among different generations of Black Caribbean immigrants. Family disruptions, such as migration, can have complex effects on the support networks and emotional well‐being of family members. Data from a recently completed national study of American Blacks in the United States, however, reve…
Substance Abuse Among Blacks Across the Diaspora
The study highlights the need for further examination of how substance abuse disparities between US-based and Caribbean-based populations may become manifested
Kinship Support in Jamaican Families in the USA and Jamaica
Maternal Social Disadvantage and Newborn Telomere Length in Archived Dried Blood Spots from the Michigan Neonatal Biobank
Telomeres are the protective caps at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes. Short telomere length is associated with morbidity and mortality among adults and may mark the biological impact of social experiences. Using archived dried blood spots from the Michigan Neonatal Biobank, this study examined markers of maternal social disadvantage (educational attainment, receipt of public assistance, marital status, and race/ethnicity) from linked birth cer…
Profiles of sleep and depression risk among Caribbean Blacks
Objectives: Sleep problems are associated with a host of psychiatric disorders and have been attributed to race disparities in health and wellness. Studies of sleep and mental health do not typically consider within-group differences among Blacks. Thus, our understanding of how the sleep-mental health relationship among Caribbean Blacks is limited. This study identified sleep profiles among Caribbean-born Blacks who reside in the United States. D…
Age Cohort, Ancestry, and Immigrant Generation Influences in Family Relations and Psychological Well‐Being among Black Caribbean Family Members
Immigration is contributing to the U.S. population becoming increasingly ethnically diverse. This article examines the role of family relations and well‐being among different generations of Black Caribbean immigrants. Family disruptions, such as migration, can have complex effects on the support networks and emotional well‐being of family members. Data from a recently completed national study of American Blacks in the United States, however, reve…
Substance Use, Mental Disorders and Physical Health of Caribbeans at-Home Compared to Those Residing in the United States
This study compares the health conditions of domestic Caribbeans with those living in the United States to explore how national context and migration experiences might influence substance use (i.e., alcohol or drug) and other mental and physical health conditions. The study is based upon probability samples of non-institutionalized Caribbeans living in the United States (1621), Jamaica (1216) and Guyana (2068) 18 years of age and over. Employing …
Substance Abuse Among Blacks Across the Diaspora
The study highlights the need for further examination of how substance abuse disparities between US-based and Caribbean-based populations may become manifested
Kinship Support in Jamaican Families in the USA and Jamaica
Maternal Social Disadvantage and Newborn Telomere Length in Archived Dried Blood Spots from the Michigan Neonatal Biobank
Telomeres are the protective caps at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes. Short telomere length is associated with morbidity and mortality among adults and may mark the biological impact of social experiences. Using archived dried blood spots from the Michigan Neonatal Biobank, this study examined markers of maternal social disadvantage (educational attainment, receipt of public assistance, marital status, and race/ethnicity) from linked birth cer…
Profiles of sleep and depression risk among Caribbean Blacks
Objectives: Sleep problems are associated with a host of psychiatric disorders and have been attributed to race disparities in health and wellness. Studies of sleep and mental health do not typically consider within-group differences among Blacks. Thus, our understanding of how the sleep-mental health relationship among Caribbean Blacks is limited. This study identified sleep profiles among Caribbean-born Blacks who reside in the United States. D…
The global diet and activity research (GDAR) network
Analysis of Cameroon’s Sectoral Policies on Physical Activity for Noncommunicable Disease Prevention
Physical inactivity is increasing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), urbanisation and sedentary living are rapidly growing in tandem. Increasing active living requires the participation of multiple sectors, yet it is unclear whether physical activity (PA)-relevant sectors in LMICs are prioritising PA. We investigated to what extent sectors that influence PA explicitly integrate it in their policies…
Intersectoral Action for Addressing NCDs through the Food Environment
Noncommunicable diseases contribute the greatest to global mortality. Unhealthy diet-a prominent risk factor-is intricately linked to urban built and food environments and requires intersectoral efforts to address. Framings of the noncommunicable disease problem and proposed solutions within global and African regional diet-related policy documents can reveal how amenable the policy landscape is for supporting intersectoral action for health in l…
Migration and the Health of Non-migrant Family
Research on the association between migration and health among nonmigrant family in Jamaica is limited. Data from the 2012 Jamaica Return(ed) Migrants Study (N = 621) and weighted regression models were used to investigate the association between migration and health among left-behind women (n = 323) and men (n = 298) in Jamaica. Compared to women whose children lived in Jamaica, women who had a child abroad reported lower odds of good mental hea…
Socioeconomic and gendered inequities in travel behaviour in Africa
Community stressors (violence, victimization, and neighborhood disorder) with cardiometabolic outcomes in urban Jamaica
Background Despite limited data on neighborhood factors and health risk in Caribbean populations, previous analyses from Jamaica have shown that neighborhood and home disorder were associated with lower physical activity and higher cumulative biological risk among women, while poorer neighborhood infrastructure was associated with higher overweight/obesity among men. Design Cross-sectional survey design. Objectives In this study, we explored whet…
The shifting baseline syndrome as a connective concept for more informed and just responses to global environmental change
The concept of the ‘shifting baseline syndrome’ has assisted researchers in understanding how expectations for the health of the environment deteriorate, despite known, often widespread, and significant impacts from human activities. The concept has been used to demonstrate that more accurate assessment of historical ecosystem decline can be achieved by balancing contemporary perceptions with other sorts of evidence, and is now widely referred to…
Situating commercial determinants of health in their historical context
BACKGROUND: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of mortality across the Caribbean and similar regions. Structural determinants include a marked increase in the dependency on food imports, and the proliferation of processed foods, including sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). We focused on Jamaica as a case study and the health challenge of SSBs, and situated contemporary actions, experiences and policies within their historical c…
Social support and ideal cardiovascular health in urban Jamaica
Recent studies have suggested that high levels of social support can encourage better health behaviours and result in improved cardiovascular health. In this study we evaluated the association between social support and ideal cardiovascular health among urban Jamaicans. We conducted a cross-sectional study among urban residents in Jamaica’s south-east health region. Socio-demographic data and information on cigarette smoking, physical activity, d…
Medicine (11 works) · Psychology (9 works) · Environmental health (8 works) · Political science (8 works) · Demography (7 works) · Population (7 works) · Sociology (7 works) · Demography (6 works) · Geography (6 works) · Gerontology (6 works)