LITTLE ROCK — Reducing children's exposure to tobacco smoke and preventing HIV among black inmates are the focus of a $7 million federal grant awarded to the Arkansas Center for Health Disparities at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
The center is one of 12 nationwide that conducts multidisciplinary research, training and community activities to improve health and reduce health disparities of members of minority groups. The grant, awarded by the National Institutes of Health, will support studies to help faculty compete for larger grants and train researchers.
The grant will permit the center to implement two new research projects. One will concentrate on the Arkansas Delta to reduce tobacco smoke exposure among children and their caregivers and help African-American women quit smoking. The other project will look at HIV prevention and risk among incarcerated African-Americans.