Positive Racial Identity of Black Brazilian and Colombian Adolescents Amidst Systems of Educational Oppression: Dismantling Systems of Racism and Oppression during Adolescence

Contrary to popular discourse on racial harmony in Latin America, research links educational inequality to physical appearance, particularly in countries with national ideologies emphasizing multiculturalism, such as Brazil and Colombia (Marteleto et al., Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 2012, 30, 352; Telles, Pigmentocracies: Ethnicity, Race, and Color in Latin America, 2014, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC). This study used PVEST to explore how social processes influence adolescent self-identities and perceptions of educational access. Mixed methods research conducted among 737 high school seniors in Salvador, Brazil and Cartagena, Colombia, revealed that socioeconomic status significantly related to race and skin tone, and Black and darker skinned Brazilian participants reported the highest rates of perceived discrimination; however, perceptions of socioeconomic mobility varied by the type of school students attended (i.e., public vs. private) rather than by their race or skin tone.

Built environment in programs to promote physical activity among Latino children and youth living in the United States and in Latin America

To prevent obesity among Latino youth in the United States and Latin America, it is necessary to understand the specific context and interplay of physical activity (PA) and the built environment (BE). This paper aims to advance the research agenda of BE and PA for obesity prevention in Latin America and among Latino youth in the United States by (1) identifying environmental indicators to inform the design of interventions and policy, (2) identifying interdisciplinary methodological approaches for the study of the complex association between BE and PA, and (3) presenting case studies of PA-promoting BE programs. A group of U.S. and Latin American scientists collaboratively worked to propose innovative indicators of the BE, methodological approaches for the study of the complex association between BE and PA, and review case studies of PA-promoting BE programs in both regions. The results identified gaps in knowledge, proposed environmental indicators (e.g., landscape, street design, mobility patterns, and crime and safety), reviewed methodological approaches (social network analysis, citizen science methods), and case studies illustrating PA-promoting BE programs (i.e., play streets, active school transport, and school setting interventions). The obesity prevention among Latino and Latin American youth requires advanced research on BE and PA addressing context-specific priorities and exchanging lessons learned.