Advance Care Planning for African American Caregivers of Relatives With Dementias: Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background And Objectives: African-American family caregivers may have insufficient knowledge to make informed end-of-life (EOL) decisions for relatives with dementias. Advance Care Treatment Plan (ACT-Plan) is a community-based education intervention to enhance knowledge of dementia and associated EOL medical treatments, self-efficacy, intentions, and behavior (written EOL care plan). This study evaluated efficacy of the intervention compared to attention control.

Illness Perceptions of African-Americans with Chronic Kidney Disease.

African-Americans have the highest rates of chronic kidney disease due to type 2 diabetes (T2DM-CKD) and of progression to end-stage renal disease. The purpose of this study was to describe African-American's perceptions of T2DM-CKD: specifically, perceptions of cause, risk, severity, self-management of T2DM-CKD before and after diagnosis, and overall effect on their lives. Informed by the Common Sense Model of Illness, a cross-sectional qualitative study using purposive sampling was conducted.

Women's Lifestyle Physical Activity Program for African American Women: Fidelity Plan and Outcomes.

Background: For interventions to be implemented effectively, fidelity must be documented. We evaluated fidelity delivery, receipt, and enactment of the 48-week Women's Lifestyle Physical Activity Program conducted to increase physical activity and maintain weight in African American women.

Methods: Three study conditions all received 6 group meetings; 1 also received 11 motivational interviewing personal calls (PCs), 1 received11 automated motivational message calls (ACs), and 1 received no calls.

Randomized Clinical Trial of the Women's Lifestyle Physical Activity Program for African-American Women: 24- and 48-Week Outcomes.

Purpose: To compare the effects of a physical activity (PA) intervention of group meetings versus group meetings supplemented by personal calls or automated calls on the adoption and maintenance of PA and on weight stability among African-American women.

Design: Randomized clinical trial with three conditions randomly assigned across six sites.

Setting: Health settings in predominately African-American communities.

Substance Use and Risky Sexual Behaviors Among Young Men Working at a Rural Roadside Market in Malawi.

Using an ecological model, we describe substance use and sexual risk behaviors of young male laborers at a roadside market in Malawi. Data included observations and interviews with 18 key market leaders and 15 laborers (ages 18-25 years). Alcohol, marijuana, and commercial sex workers (CSWs) were widely available.

College student engaging in cyberbullying victimization: cognitive appraisals, coping strategies, and psychological adjustments.

The study's purpose was to explore whether frequency of cyberbullying victimization, cognitive appraisals, and coping strategies were associated with psychological adjustments among college student cyberbullying victims. A convenience sample of 121 students completed questionnaires. Linear regression analyses found frequency of cyberbullying victimization, cognitive appraisals, and coping strategies respectively explained 30%, 30%, and 27% of the variance in depression, anxiety, and self-esteem.

The Impact of Neighborhood Environment, Social Support, and Avoidance Coping on Depressive Symptoms of Pregnant African-American Women.

Background: Although depressive symptoms during pregnancy have been related to negative maternal and child health outcomes such as preterm birth, low birth weight infants, postpartum depression, and maladaptive mother-infant interactions, studies on the impact of neighborhood environment on depressive symptoms in pregnant women are limited. Pregnant women residing in disadvantaged neighborhoods reported higher levels of depressive symptoms and lower levels of social support. No researchers have examined the relationship between neighborhood environment and avoidance coping in pregnant women.

Rationales for Support That African American Grandmothers Provide to Their Children Who Are Parenting Adolescents.

African American grandmothers are known to be a major source of support for their children who are parenting adolescents, but little is known about why they provide support. The purpose of this study was to describe the kinds of support provided by African American maternal and paternal grandmothers to their parenting adolescents and the reasons for giving support. In all, 10 maternal and 10 paternal grandmothers were recruited from one low-income African American community to participate in this cross-sectional, qualitative, descriptive study.

HIV Risk Reduction Intervention for Rural Adolescents in Malawi.

Malawian adolescents are at risk for HIV infection. Using a quasi-experimental two group research design, we determined the efficacy of (MMKA) in enhancing 13-19 year old Malawian males' and females' HIV knowledge, attitude about HIV, self-efficacy for condom use and for safer sex, and HIV risk reduction behaviors. The regression analyses revealed that compared to their cohorts in the control community, the adolescents in the MMKA community had significantly better scores on the outcome variables.

Advance care treatment plan (ACT-Plan) for African American family caregivers: a pilot study.

Research is limited on end-of-life treatment decisions made by African American family caregivers. In a pilot study, we examined the feasibility of implementing an advance care treatment plan (ACT-Plan), a group-based education intervention, with African American dementia caregivers. Theoretically based, the ACT-Plan included strategies to enhance knowledge, self-efficacy, and behavioral skills to make end-of-life treatment plans in advance.

Factors related to sexual practices and successful sexually transmitted infection/HIV intervention programs for Latino adolescents.

Objective: The purpose of this integrative literature review was to explore factors that are related to sexual practices among Latino adolescents and identify which of those factors are common across successful sexually transmitted infection (STI)/HIV intervention programs for Latino adolescents.

Design: An integrative literature review was conducted. Search terms included Latino, Hispanic, education, intervention/prevention programs, sex, sexuality, reproductive health, health risk behaviors, multiple sex partners, contraception, STI/HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, delay in initiation of sexual intercourse, consistent use of birth control, avoidance of STI/HIV infections, unintended pregnancy, cultural factors, and gender roles.

African American women's views of factors impacting preterm birth.

Purpose: To explore pregnant African American women's views of factors that may impact preterm birth.

Study Design And Methods: Qualitative descriptive exploratory cross-sectional design. A convenience sample of 22 low-risk pregnant African American women participated in focus group interviews.

Eating behaviors among early adolescent African American girls and their mothers.

African American (AA) girls aged 10-12 living in urban communities designated as food deserts have a significantly greater prevalence of overweight and obesity than girls that age in the general population. The purpose of our study was (a) to examine the agreement in nutritional intake between AA girls aged 10-12 and their mothers and (b) to determine if the girls' weight categories were associated with their or their mothers demographic characteristics, eating behaviors, nutritional intake, and health problem. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in predominantly low-income AA communities in Chicago.

Stressors, resources, and stress responses in pregnant African American women: a mixed-methods pilot study.

This research aimed to develop an initial understanding of the stressors, stress responses, and personal resources that impact African American women during pregnancy, potentially leading to preterm birth. Guided by the ecological model, a prospective, mixed-methods, complementarity design was used with 11 pregnant women and 8 of their significant others. Our integrated analysis of quantitative and qualitative data revealed 2 types of stress responses: high stress responses (7 women) and low stress responses (4 women).

The Eastland Prostate Cancer Survey: instrument development and psychometric testing.

African-American (AA) women could be instrumental in communicating positive prostate screening behavior to the significant males in their lives. However, little is known about AA women's prostate cancer attitudes, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, intentions, behaviors, and knowledge regarding prostate cancer screening. This study describes the development and psychometric testing of the Eastland Prostate Cancer Survey (EPCS).

Relationships among neighborhood environment, racial discrimination, psychological distress, and preterm birth in African American women.

Objectives: To (a) examine the relationships among objective and perceived indicators of neighborhood environment, racial discrimination, psychological distress, and gestational age at birth; (b) determine if neighborhood environment and racial discrimination predicted psychological distress; (c) determine if neighborhood environment, racial discrimination, and psychological distress predicted preterm birth; and (d) determine if psychological distress mediated the effects of neighborhood environment and racial discrimination on preterm birth.

Design: Descriptive correlational comparative.

Setting: Postpartum unit of a medical center in Chicago.

Parent-child relationships between Korean American adolescents and their parents.

This cross-sectional correlational study examined the association between Korean American adolescents' and their parents' reports of parent-child relationships. A total of 61 Korean American families completed a questionnaire assessing parental knowledge, parental/filial self-efficacy, parent-child communication, and parent-child conflicts. T tests, Pearson's correlations, a scatter diagram, and bivariate regression were used to analyze the data.

African American families' expectations and intentions for mental health services.

A cross-sectional qualitative descriptive design was used to examine the links among expectations about, experiences with, and intentions toward mental health services. Individual face-to-face interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 32 African American youth/mothers dyads. Content analysis revealed that positive expectations were linked to positive experiences and intentions, that negative expectations were not consistently linked to negative experiences or intentions, nor were ambivalent expectations linked to ambivalent experiences or intentions.

Relationship among Trust in Physicians, Demographics, and End-of-life Treatment Decisions Made by African American Dementia Caregivers.

Purpose: A pilot study was conducted in an urban African American community to explore the relationship between trust in physicians, demographics and end-of-life treatment decisions made by African American caregivers of family members with dementia: namely, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, mechanical ventilation and tube feeding.

Methods: In a cross-sectional design, standard measures were administered to a convenience sample of 68 African American caregivers of family members with dementia. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to explore associations among the variables.

Factors contributing to the development of an HIV ministry within an African American church.

Having an HIV ministry within a church depends on the religious culture of that church. However, little is known about how a church's religious culture influences an HIV ministry. This study's purpose was to examine how an African American church's religious culture supported the development, implementation, and maintenance of an HIV ministry within the church.

The experience of mental health service use for African American mothers and youth.

Little is known about African American families' experiences with mental health services. A purposive sample of 40 dyads of African American youth (aged 13 to 19) and their mothers participated in a cross-sectional qualitative research design using semi-structured interviews that elicited information about their past experiences and satisfaction with mental health services. Though rarely received, group and family therapy were perceived favorably.

The effect of an inpatient transition intervention on attendance at the first appointment postdischarge from a psychiatric hospitalization.

Background: Only 42% of initial appointments following psychiatric hospitalization are kept nationally. Missed appointments increase the likelihood of rehospitalization and increase costs of outpatient care.

Objective: This study explored the feasibility, outcomes, and cost of a transition intervention on attendance at the first postdischarge appointment.

African Americans' perception of risk for diabetes complications.

Purpose: The purpose of this exploratory, descriptive, correlational study was to describe the perceived risk for diabetes complications among urban African American adults (18-75 years old) with type 2 diabetes and to explore the interrelationships among illness perception, well-being, perceptions of risk for diabetes complications, and selected physiologic measures of diabetes risk: hemoglobin A1C, blood pressure, and microalbuminuria.

Methods: Urban African American adults with type 2 diabetes (N = 143) were recruited from 3 Chicago city public health clinics. They completed a demographic survey and 3 instruments: the Risk Perception Survey-Diabetes Mellitus, the 12-item Well-being Questionnaire, and the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire.

Outcomes of an HIV prevention peer group intervention for rural adults in Malawi.

This study used a quasi-experimental design to evaluate a six-session peer group intervention for HIV prevention among rural adults in Malawi. Two rural districts were randomly assigned to intervention and control conditions. Independent random samples of community adults compared the districts at baseline and at 6 and 18 months postintervention.