Historically, the physical and chemical environment has been widely studied as key contributors to health and wellbeing. However, there is a greater need to understand the contribution of upstream social and environmental factors as key determinants of health and health disparities. Using a lifecourse approach, this presentation will provide results from investigating the impact of environmental (e.g., fetal overnutrition), social (e.g., childhood trauma), and modifiable behavioral risk factors (e.g., sleep) on perinatal, childhood, and later life cardiometabolic health outcomes. It will also present a call to action to examine how ‘food/health deserts’ and health illiteracy may contribute to racial/ethnic disparities in cardiometabolic outcomes in African-American communities.

Ketrell L. McWhorter, PhD, MBA, ACE-CPT

Assistant Professor
Public Health Program Coordinator
School of Science, Health & Mathematics
Asbury University

Dr. McWhorter is an Assistant Professor in Public Health at Asbury University in Wilmore, KY. She is also the Public Health Program Coordinator of two Bachelor of Science programs, Public Health and Health Promotions and Wellness.  She completed her post-doctoral fellowship in the Epidemiology Branch at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in North Carolina and is an American Council on Exercise (ACE)-certified personal trainer and ACE-fitness nutrition specialist.