Publications by authors named "Bryce Puesta Takenaka"

In the US, gay, bisexual, and other sexual minoritized men (GBSMM) remain disproportionately impacted by HIV, and continue to experience unmet needs for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). A growing body of literature has underscored the need to consider the geographic factors of HIV prevention, particularly beyond administrative boundaries and towards localized spaces that influence the accessibility and utilization of health-promoting resources. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the associations of driving times from activity spaces to PrEP offering facilities and individual PrEP uptake.

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Adolescents in the United States (US) continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV and STIs. We investigated the associations between sexual health and substance use behaviors with HIV and STI testing among high school students in the US. Cross-sectional weighted stepwise multivariate logistic regression models were conducted to determine the odds of lifetime HIV and STI testing among students, stratified by sex.

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Background: Sexual minority cisgender men and transgender (SMMT) individuals, particularly emerging adults (aged 18-34 years), often report hazardous drinking. Given that alcohol use increases the likelihood of HIV risk behaviors, and HIV disproportionately affects SMMT individuals, there is a need to test interventions that reduce hazardous alcohol use and subsequent HIV risk behaviors among this population. Ecological momentary interventions (EMIs), which use mobile phones to deliver risk reduction messages based on current location and behaviors, can help to address triggers that lead to drinking in real time.

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Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the shortcomings and neglected weaknesses of public health systems have risen to the surface, emphasizing the need for new approaches to designing and delivering public health training. Higher education institutions have a critical role in advocating for societal change and sufficiently prepare the next generations of public health. Therefore, this commentary shares the unique voices of current and recently completed graduate students from public health programs across the United States in identifying areas of improvement, so that proactive steps toward refining the current landscape of public health education and training may be taken.

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Technology has transformed the classroom and learning environments. From electronic whiteboards to tablet computers, educators now have access to a multitude of tools that enhance the learning experience. Educational technologies that rely on extended reality (XR) such as augmented and virtual reality are being used, or suggested for use, in various settings and often focus on technical fields such as medicine, dentistry, and aviation.

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