Publications by authors named "A K Lizarraga Lomeli"
Objective: Pet ownership among people experiencing homelessness (PEH) is common, but access to shelter, veterinary care, and flea-preventative products for PEH who own pets in the US is not well described. We sought to evaluate current knowledge of fleas and flea-borne diseases and characterize practices around pets and service animals among staff at homeless shelters and outreach organizations.
Methods: In-person surveys were administered to staff at homeless shelters and on outreach teams in 7 states from August 2022 to April 2023 to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and practices and to assess homeless shelter/organizational characteristics.
Article Synopsis
- The COVID-19 pandemic revealed health disparities in underserved Latino/a communities, particularly regarding testing access.
- The CO-CREATE project developed a community-driven, culturally-tailored COVID-19 testing program in San Ysidro in partnership with local health organizations.
- Over two years, the program provided 24,422 tests to a primarily Latino/a population, significantly enhancing testing rates and emphasizing the need for future public health strategies to improve access for underserved communities.
Background: Wearing a mask was a crucial component in slowing the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known about the intersectionality between mask usage, risk perception, and infection. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether risk perceptions and masking behaviors are associated with contracting SARS-CoV-2 and how contracting SARS-CoV-2 subsequently changes masking behaviors in specific situations.
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- Louse-borne Bartonella quintana and flea-borne murine typhus are serious diseases affecting people experiencing homelessness in the US, but service staff's awareness and prevention knowledge is limited.
- A survey of 333 staff from 89 shelters across seven states revealed that while most recognize the problem of body lice and fleas, only about half understand their disease transmission potential, and less than 25% can describe proper management protocols.
- There are significant gaps in understanding among staff regarding these diseases, highlighting the need for training to improve prevention efforts and ensure equitable service access for affected individuals.
Introduction: Meaningful engagement of partners in co-creating and refining health-related programs can increase the initial uptake, sustained implementation, broad reach, and effectiveness of these programs. This is especially important for underserved communities where resources are limited and need to be prioritized. Brainwriting premortem is a novel qualitative approach to partner engagement that combines the strengths of individual idea generation with the concept of premortem exercise that addresses failure points prior to the implementation of new programs.
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