Creating a bridge between data collection and program planning: a technical assistance model to maximize the use of HIV/AIDS surveillance and service utilization data for planning purposes.

Over time, improvements in HIV/AIDS surveillance and service utilization data have increased their usefulness for planning programs, targeting resources, and otherwise informing HIV/AIDS policy. However, community planning groups, service providers, and health department staff often have difficulty in interpreting and applying the wide array of data now available. We describe the development of the Bridging Model, a technical assistance model for overcoming barriers to the use of data for program planning.

Disparities in prenatal HIV testing: evidence for improving implementation of CDC screening guidelines.

Objectives: We investigated the within-group and between-group variation in prenatal HIV testing in a sample of low-income pregnant and recently postpartum women.

Methods: Multivariable linear regression was used to estimate proportional differences in prenatal HIV testing for the total sample and stratified by race.

Results: In bivariate analyses, race and site of care jointly affected the probability of being tested.

Improving the use of data for HIV prevention decision making: lessons learned.

HIV prevention community planning was developed to promote identification of local prevention priorities through a process that was evidence-based and provided community input. There are a variety of barriers to effective use of data in community planning which include characteristics of data (availability, timeliness, relevance to planning tasks), characteristics of planning group members and providers of data (e.g.

HIV prevention community planning: enhancing data-informed decision-making.

The primary purpose of this study was to test the impact of the first year of a 3-year intervention designed to enhance the use of behavioral data in the Massachusetts HIV Prevention Community Planning Group (MPPG). A one-group, pretest-posttest, nonequivalent independent variables, quasi-experimental design was used to assess changes before and after the first year of implementing strategies to enhance the use of behavioral data in decision-making. Over 90% of the CPG members completed surveys at baseline and at the end of the first year of the intervention.

Bridging data and decision making: development of techniques for improving the HIV prevention community planning process.

Assessments of community planning in Massachusetts and Texas were used to develop tools for increasing the use of data by HIV prevention community planning groups (CPGs) and prevention providers while also increasing participation of CPG members. Barriers to data use included organizational problems in CPGs (e.g.

Smoking behaviours and attitudes among male restaurant workers in Boston's Chinatown: a pilot study.

Objective: Asian American immigrants experience high rates of cigarette smoking. A community based survey was conducted to understand the smoking behaviours, knowledge, and attitudes of restaurant workers in Boston's Chinatown.

Design: Cross sectional survey in Chinese of a convenience sample of 54 restaurant workers recruited through extensive outreach activities.