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ICR Abstracts: 6.6
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Helena
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Jun 26, 2008 10:51 PDT
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ICR Abstracts (6.6: June 26, 2008)
1. DiNapoli, P. P. and J. B. Lewis. (2008). Understanding school-age
obesity: through participatory action research. MCN, _American Journal
of Maternal Child Nursing_, 33(2), 104-10.
PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess current levels of overweight
(obesity) and fitness among school students using objective data.
METHODS: School-based action research teams were recruited statewide by
the New Hampshire Healthy Schools Coalition, the state team of the
National Action for Healthy Kids Coalition. Action teams consisted of a
physical education teacher, a school nurse, and a school administrator.
Data were collected from 6,511 student participants aged 6 to 14 years,
which was a representative cross-section from New Hampshire school
districts. Key variables of interest in the study were body mass index,
and ability to pass five fitness tests using FITNESSGRAM. Pearson's
correlation was used to assess the relationships among body mass index,
age, gender, and the percent of students that passed FITNESSGRAM tests.
RESULTS: The ability of participants to pass the FITNESSGRAM tests
declined markedly with age and differed between boys and girls, although
the healthy fitness zones for any particular test was lower for girls.
Body mass index was significantly negatively correlated with performance
on all tests. Age was also statistically negatively correlated with
performance on all tests; the relationship between gender and
performance on the tests was less striking. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS:
Results reflected an increase in the prevalence of overweight school
children, even in New Hampshire, which is purported to be one of the
healthiest states in the nation. Results offered evidence that body mass
index is a valid proxy measure for fitness levels and that fitness
programs are necessary to effectively combat the obesity epidemic.
Evidence-based changes need to be implemented to address obesity-related
factors in schools, because children spend many of their waking hours in
that setting. Physical activity during recess and physical education
classes could help to increase energy expenditure and develop sound
minds and bodies. Schools should consider the development of
school-based wellness teams to advise and advocate improved school-based
wellness policies. School nurses can take an active part in these
initiatives.
2. English, K. C., J. Fairbanks, et al. (2008). A socioecological
approach to improving mammography rates in a tribal community. _Health
Education & Behavior_, 35(3), 396-409.
This article highlights the processes and intermediate outcomes of a
pilot project to increase mammography rates of women in an American
Indian tribe in New Mexico. Using a socioecological framework and
principles of community-based participatory research, a community
coalition was able to (a) bolster local infrastructure to increase
access to mammography services; (b) build public health knowledge and
skills among tribal health providers; (c) identify community-specific
knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs related to breast cancer; (d)
establish interdependent partnerships among community health programs
and between the tribe and outside organizations; and (e) adopt local
policy initiatives to bolster tribal cancer control. These findings
demonstrate the value of targeting a combination of individual,
community, and environmental factors, which affect community breast
cancer screening rates and incorporating cultural strengths and
resources into all facets of a tribal health promotion intervention.
3. Harper, G. W., O. B. Jamil, et al. (2007). Collaborative
community-based research as activism: Giving voice and hope to lesbian,
gay, and bisexual youth. _Journal of Gay & Lesbian Psychotherapy_,
11(3-4), 99-119.
Psychologists, psychiatrists, and other mental health professionals who
work with lesbian, gay, and/or bisexual (LGB) youth are in an ideal
position to engage in activism aimed at improving societal conditions
for LGB youth and to assist them in their quest for compassion,
understanding, and basic human rights. In this paper, the authors
discuss ways in which psychologists, psychiatrists, and other mental
health professionals can engage in LGB youth activism through
structural-level change efforts, with a specific focus on: (1) raising
awareness within the academy about the issues that confront LGB youth
and the need for activism, while also working to elevate the status of
LGB research within these academic institutions; (2) creating safe
settings in which LGB youth can be affirmed and validated when they
engage in self expression; and (3) improving the capacity of local
community organizations to advocate for LGB youth. The authors purport
that one way to affect structural-level factors is through the
development and execution of collaborative participatory research
projects that engage community members and community-based organizations
(CBOs) that serve LGB youth.
4. Harris, G. E. and D. Larsen. (2007). HIV peer counseling and the
development of hope: Perspectives from peer counselors and peer
counseling recipients. _AIDS Patient Care and STDs_, 21(11), 843-859.
Peer counseling is becoming an increasingly viable treatment option when
working with people living with HIV and AIDS, especially during the
diagnostic process. Unfortunately, little research has looked at the
perceived benefits of peer counseling from the perspectives of clients
receiving the services and those providing the services. In addition,
research suggests that hope can help people living with HIV to deal with
the HIV diagnosis and to improve their lifestyles; however, the authors
were unable to locate any research exploring the benefits of peer
counseling in fostering the hope of people living with HIV/AIDS. The
present paper, following a community-based research paradigm embedded
within a qualitative case study methodology explores the benefits of
peer support counseling from the perspective of 12 participants living
with HIV who have had experiences with peer counseling. Participants
identified several thematic benefits of peer support counseling,
including the role of peer counselors in the process of fostering hope.
Roles and benefits of peer counseling, in relation to the facilitation
of hope for people living with HIV/AIDS, suggest potentially interesting
implications for future research and practice in HIV/AIDS care.
5. Jones, K. M., A. H. Gray, et al. (2008). Community and Scholars
Unifying for Recovery. _Issues in Mental Health Nursing_, 29(5),
495-503.
The article provides information about the Community-Based Participatory
Research (CBPR) and Student Service-Learning which is designed to create
a project partnership among the Research Scholars and the Prosumer
Group. The approach of CBPR to research gives an opportunity to take
academia to the community. It eliminates the lag time between research
and community implementation. Study reveals that CBPR is beneficial to
students and community partners alike. It led to the establishment of
trust and partnership, mutual care and respect and enrichment of all
involved in the study. These are considered to be significant in
creating learning and service in academia and the community. The study
proves that Student Service-Learning with CBPR yields a better-equipped
and transformed nurse.
6. King, G., M. Currie, et al. (2008). A framework of operating models
for interdisciplinary research programs in clinical service
organizations. _Evaluation & Program Planning_, 31(2), 160-73.
A framework of operating models for interdisciplinary research programs
in clinical service organizations is presented, consisting of a
"clinician-researcher" skill development model, a program evaluation
model, a researcher-led knowledge generation model, and a knowledge
conduit model. Together, these models comprise a tailored, collaborative
approach to enhancing research-informed practice in community-based
clinical service organizations. The models place different degrees of
emphasis on the development of research-related skills in practitioners,
the generation of knowledge tailored to clinical practice, and knowledge
sharing. The nature, philosophical basis, roles of research staff
members, outputs and impacts, and strengths and limitations of each
model are described, in the context of a long-standing,
interdisciplinary research program in a children's rehabilitation
service organization. The use of the model framework as a tool for the
design of interdisciplinary, community-based research programs is
discussed.
7. Michael, Y. L., S. A. Farquhar, et al. (2008). Findings from a
community-based participatory prevention research intervention designed
to increase social capital in Latino and African American communities.
_Journal of Immigrant & Minority Health_, 10(3), 281-9.
A community-based participatory research intervention, Poder es
Salud/Power for Health, employed Community Health Workers who used
popular education to identify and address health disparities in Latino
and African American communities in a metropolitan area in the United
States. We assessed participants' social capital, self-rated health, and
depressive symptoms at baseline and the end of the intervention. Social
support and self-rated health improved while depressive symptoms
decreased. Public health interventions involving diverse communities
that are designed to build upon assets, such as existing levels of
social capital, may improve health in those communities.
8. Miller, M., Y. Liao, et al. (2008). Factors associated with the
prevalence and incidence of Trichomonas vaginalis infection among
African American women in New York City who use drugs. _Journal of
Infectious Diseases_, 197(4), 503-9.
BACKGROUND: Trichomoniasis vaginalis, the most prevalent nonviral
sexually transmitted infection, is associated with negative reproductive
outcomes and increased HIV transmission and may be overrepresented among
African Americans. METHODS: A total of 135 African American women who
used drugs were screened for Trichomonas vaginalis on > or =2 occasions
between March 2003 and August 2005. Women were administered a structured
questionnaire in a community-based research center, underwent
serological testing for human immunodeficiency virus and herpes simplex
virus type 2, and were screened for Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia
trachomatis. RESULTS: Fifty-one women (38%) screened positive for T.
vaginalis at baseline. Twenty-nine (31%) of 95 women with negative
results of baseline tests became infected, for an incidence of 35.1
cases per 100 person-years at risk (95% confidence interval [CI],
23.5-49.0). Prevalent infection was associated with drug use in the past
30 days, and incident infection was associated with sexual behavior in
the past 30 days, namely having >1 male sex partner. Women who reported
having >1 partner were 4 times as likely as women with fewer partners to
acquire T. vaginalis (hazard ratio, 4.3; 95% CI, 2.0-9.4). CONCLUSION:
T. vaginalis may be endemic in this community of African American women.
A control strategy that includes T. vaginalis screening in nonclinical
settings and rapid point-of-care testing could contribute to the
disruption of transmission of this pathogen.
9. Minkler, M., V. Breckwich Vasquez, et al. (2008). Promoting
environmental justice through community-based participatory research:
The role of community and partnership capacity. _Health Education &
Behavior_, 35(1), 119-137.
Community-based participatory research (CBPR) increasingly is being used
to study and address environmental justice. This article presents the
results of a cross-site case study of four CBPR partnerships in the
United States that researched environmental health problems and worked
to educate legislators and promote relevant public policy. The authors
focus on community and partnership capacity within and across sites,
using as a theoretical framework Goodman and his colleagues' dimensions
of community capacity, as these were tailored to environmental health by
Freudenberg, and as further modified to include partnership capacity
within a systems perspective. The four CBPR partnerships examined were
situated in New York, California, Oklahoma, and North Carolina and were
part of a larger national study. Case study contexts and
characteristics, policy-related outcomes, and findings related to
community and partnership capacity are presented, with implications
drawn for other CBPR partnerships with a policy focus.
10. Oneha, M. F., S. Beckham, et al. (2004). Re-examining community
based research protocols. _Pacific Health Dialog_, 11(1), 102-6.
The Waianae community is challenged with multiple medical, psychosocial,
geographic, and economic adversities, serving primarily indigenous
peoples. This is also a community with distinct cultural and political
strengths and a history of community activism. Much has been written
from the perspective of academia or professional organizations regarding
community-based research. The purpose of this article is to re-examine
research guidelines previously developed over ten years ago through the
Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, and to address issues which
continue to significantly impact on any research conducted in the
community of Waianae. The first issue this article will address pertains
to access to conduct research through this Center Next, the process for
submitting a research proposal, and key community elements essential in
research proposals will be described, followed by a discussion on
"ownership" of data. An examination of the challenges discovered through
research partnerships will conclude this article.
11. Oscos-Sanchez, M. A., J. Lesser, et al. (2008). Cultural competence:
a critical facilitator of success in community-based participatory
action research. _Issues in Mental Health Nursing_, 29(2), 197-200.
12. Parker, E. A., B. A. Israel, et al. (2008). Evaluation of community
action against asthma: A community health worker intervention to improve
children's asthma-related health by reducing household environmental
triggers for asthma. _Health Education & Behavior_, 35(3), 376-395.
This article describes the evaluation of a community-based participatory
research (CBPR) community health worker (CHW) intervention to improve
children's asthma-related health by reducing household environmental
triggers for asthma. After randomization to an intervention or control
group, 298 households in Detroit, Michigan, with a child, aged 7 to 11,
with persistent asthma symptoms participated. The intervention was
effective in increasing some of the measures of lung function (daily
nadir Forced Expiratory Volume at one second [p = .03] and daily nadir
Peak Flow [p = .02]), reducing the frequency of two symptoms ("cough
that won't go away," "coughing with exercise"), reducing the proportion
of children requiring unscheduled medical visits and reporting
inadequate use of asthma controller medication, reducing caregiver
report of depressive symptoms, reducing concentrations of dog allergen
in the dust, and increasing some behaviors related to reducing indoor
environmental triggers. The results suggest a CHW environmental
intervention can improve children's asthma-related health, although the
pathway for improvement is complex.
13. Petrucka, P., S. Bassendowski, et al. (2007). Seeking paths to
culturally competent health care: Lessons from two Saskatchewan
aboriginal communities. _CJNR: Canadian Journal of Nursing Research_,
39(2), 166-182.
The Southern Saskatchewan/Urban Aboriginal Health Coalition is an
interdisciplinary, intersectoral team of researchers and communities
dedicated to exploring culturally respectful care in Aboriginal
communities. Through a community-based research approach, the
communities and the Coalition used sharing circles to determine the key
elements that 2 Saskatchewan Aboriginal communities see as requisite for
culturally competent care. Through triangulation and thematic analysis,
9 initial themes and 4 broad thematic groupings were derived. The
lessons from this study could inform further research with these
communities and other culturally diverse groups with respect to cultural
competency in terms of both health-care providers and health services.
14. Reiner, M. and D. G. Petereit. (2008). Community-based Participatory
Research: Providers, Patient, and Community in Partnership to Improve
Health Disparities. _Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine_,
21(1), 78-9.
15. Scharff, D. P. and K. Mathews. (2008). Working With Communities to
Translate Research Into Practice. _Journal of Public Health Management &
Practice_, 14(2), 94-98.
The article stresses the importance of public health practitioners
partnering with the community to translate research findings into
practice. Strategies for such an approach include: the use of a
community-based participatory research and the application of
qualitative methods to improve participation. It is pointed out that the
use of community participation principles can lead to the provision of
community health services beyond those offered with individual grants.
16. Shannon, K., M. Rusch, et al. (2008). Mapping violence and policing
as an environmental-structural barrier to health service and syringe
availability among substance-using women in street-level sex work.
_International Journal of Drug Policy_, 19(2), 140-7.
BACKGROUND: Within street-based sex work and substance-using
populations, there is growing evidence to support the role of place,
both physical setting and social meanings attached to place, in
mediating the effectiveness and reach of health and harm reduction
services. METHODS: Social mapping was used to explore how health service
and syringe availability may be impacted at the geographic level by
avoidance of physical settings due to violence and policing among women
in street-level sex work. Through a community-based research partnership
and extensive peer-led outreach over a 6-month period, women were
invited to participate in interview-questionnaires and mapping of their
community, working conditions, and access to resources. Results were
compiled used ArcGIS software and GIS street maps. In secondary
analysis, logistic regression was used to model the geographic
association (using likelihood ratio and significance at p<0.05) and
stratified models were run to assess differential patterns of avoidance
based on age, ethnicity and drug use. RESULTS: The findings reveal a
significant geographic relationship between a heavily concentrated core
area of health and syringe availability and avoidance of physical
settings due to violence and policing by 198 women in street-level sex
work in Vancouver, Canada. Of particular concern, this correlation is
significantly elevated among younger and Aboriginal women, active
injection drug users, and daily crack cocaine smokers, suggesting
significant environmental-structural barriers to interventions among
these vulnerable populations. CONCLUSIONS: The resultant displacement of
sex work to primarily industrial settings and side streets pushes women
further from health and social supports and reduces access to safer
injection and drug use paraphernalia. This study offers important
evidence for environmental-structural level prevention and safer
environment interventions, supported by legal reforms, that facilitate
safer sex work environments, including spatial programming, peer-based
prevention, outreach and mobile resources, and peer-supervised safer sex
work settings.
17. Shattell, M. M., D. Hamilton, et al. (2008). Mental health service
needs of a Latino population: A community-based participatory research
project. _Issues in Mental Health Nursing_, 29(4), 351-370.
Community-based participatory research bridges the gap between academic
researchers and the real-life issues of communities and offers promise
for addressing racial and ethnic disparities in mental health care. The
purpose of this community-based participatory research was to identify
factors that affect access, use, and perception of mental health
services by a Latino population at individual, organizational, and
community levels. Individual level factors included health beliefs about
mental illness and care, suspicions of providers, financial concerns,
and culturally determined gender roles. Organizational factors included
problems with access to care related to cost, lack of bilingual
providers, and culturally competent care; and community level factors
included distance between resources and the need for services to be
provided in community sites. Immigration status and acculturation were
identified as factors at all levels.
18. Stanton, B., M. Cole, et al. (2007). "Prevention and risk reduction
among adolescents: A 16 year community-research partnership". _Focus on
adolescent behavior research_. T. C. Rhodes. Hauppauge, NY, NOVA Science
Publishers.
(from the chapter) Utilizing data sets from six community-based research
studies (two cross-sectional and four longitudinal covering a span of
nearly 15 years) among African American youth residing in low income
areas of urban, Baltimore, Maryland, we summarize findings regarding the
associations and longitudinal protective effects of parental monitoring
on adolescent risk behavior. We present an updated meta-analysis
regarding these relationships and new analyses of the effect of a
parental monitoring intervention on both adolescent perceptions of
parental monitoring and their risk and protective behaviors. In the
second portion of the chapter we attempt to describe the communities and
context in which the parents are negotiating the challenging task of
parenting through some of our experiences as researchers working with
and in these communities. We describe the rich lessons learned from
these events. We discuss the implications of our results and the
questions that remain to be addressed regarding the role of parents and
parental monitoring. We conclude that more efforts are needed to
integrate the lessons researchers learn from the quantitative and
qualitative data collected as part of the research paradigm and the
lessons learned from the human interactions experienced as part of
community-based research outside of the experimental paradigm.
19. Stoecker, R. (2008). Challenging institutional barriers to
community-based research. _Action Research_, 6(1), 49-67.
Those of us attempting to develop truly equal partnerships with
communities and community organizations, using the method of
community-based research, encounter many barriers. These barriers
revolve around who sets the schedule, who determines the labor pool, who
controls the product, and who gets the funding. In this article, a case
study shows how those barriers exert themselves, and evaluates the
success of strategies to challenge those barriers. It ends with a set of
recommendations for changing university overhead policies, developing
university quality control practices, refining the university IRB
process, institutionalizing a flash seminar structure, and training
community members to control the research relationship.
20. Thurston, I. B., J. Curley, et al. (2008). How nonclinical are
community samples? _Journal of Community Psychology_, 36(4), 411-420.
Mental health services are underutilized in our society by both adults
and children. This finding presents a potential problem for researchers
conducting community-based research. Previous studies have demonstrated
that community-based researchers frequently do not screen participants
for the presence of psychopathology nor do they ascertain whether
therapeutic services are currently utilized. The present study explored
the prevalence of psychopathology and treatment involvement in a sample
of families recruited from the community. Results indicated that a fifth
of the participants in this community-based sample met diagnostic
criteria for a psychiatric disorder or were in treatment for
psychological difficulties at the time of recruitment for this study.
Furthermore, mothers, fathers, and adolescents who met the criteria
according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,
Fourth Edition (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) for a
psychological disorder had higher symptomatology than those who did not
meet criteria. Methodological suggestions are provided.
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