Randomised controlled trial of real-time feedback and brief coaching to reduce indoor smoking.

Background: Previous secondhand smoke (SHS) reduction interventions have provided only feedback on reported smoking behaviour, such as coaching, or presenting results from child cotinine assays or air particle counters.

Design: This SHS reduction trial assigned families at random to brief coaching and continuous real-time feedback (intervention) or measurement-only (control) groups.

Participants: We enrolled 298 families with a resident tobacco smoker and a child under age 14.

Lessons learned from two interventions designed to increase adherence to LTBI treatment in Latino youth.

Unlabelled: Effort is required to meet the Healthy People 2020 goal of tuberculosis (TB) disease reduction to 1 new case per 100,000 in the United States (US) and reduce burden among those disparately affected. Preventing new cases by reducing conversion from latent TB infection (LTBI) to infectious disease is one approach to reducing disease burden. This paper describes the outcome of a trial designed to determine if LTBI-positive youth prescribed daily Isoniazid with peer counseling would achieve higher adherence than attention control participants.

The Role of Parenting in Alcohol and Tobacco Use Among Latino Adolescents.

Parents can impact adolescent substance use, but it is unclear which substances are most affected. This study compared associations between parenting behaviors and alcohol and tobacco use to see if parenting was equally related to both behaviors. Alcohol and tobacco use data were collected from 252 Latino adolescents living along the San Diego-Tijuana border.

Latino parenting practices: a comparison of parent and child reports of parenting practices and the association with gateway drug use.

Parent and adolescent self-reports are the most common sources for measuring parenting practices. This study's purpose was to compare how parent and adolescent reports of parenting behaviors differentially predict adolescent gateway drug use. The sample consisted of 252 Latino adolescent-parent dyads.

Engaging community businesses in human immunodeficiency virus prevention: a feasibility study.

Purpose: To explore the feasibility of engaging community businesses in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention.

Design: Randomly selected business owners/managers were asked to display discreetly wrapped condoms and brochures, both of which were provided free-of-charge for 3 months. Assessments were conducted at baseline, mid-program, and post-program.

Determinants and prevalence of late HIV testing in Tijuana, Mexico.

Timely diagnosis of HIV is essential to improve survival rates and reduce transmission of the virus. Insufficient progress has been made in effecting earlier HIV diagnoses. The Mexican border city of Tijuana has one of the highest AIDS incidence and mortality rates in all of Mexico.

The reliability and practicality of the Arkansas method assay of isoniazid adherence.

The Arkansas method (AM) for isoniazid (INH) metabolite detection is a relatively inexpensive, simple, objective measure of adherence. The purpose of the study was to explore whether variations in urine sample handling and storage will produce accurate assay outcomes. Participants were a convenience sample of 28 adults and adolescents prescribed INH for latent tuberculosis infection.

Engaging local businesses in HIV prevention efforts: the consumer perspective.

Participation of different community sectors, including the private business sector, is necessary to fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Local businesses may be reluctant to participate in HIV prevention because of fear of negative customer reactions and loss of revenue. This study examines the extent to which residents of two communities in San Diego, California, would support HIV prevention initiatives in local businesses.

Does proximity to retailers influence alcohol and tobacco use among Latino adolescents?

Despite decades of research surrounding determinants of alcohol and tobacco (A&T) use among adolescents, built environment influences have only recently been explored. This study used ordinal regression on 205 Latino adolescents to explore the influence of the built environment (proximity to A&T retailers) on A&T use, while controlling for recognized social predictors. The sample was 45% foreign-born.

Predictors of weapon carrying in youth attending drop-in centers.

Objective: To test and compare 2 predictive models of weapon carrying in youth (n = 308) recruited from 4 drop-in centers in San Diego and Imperial counties.

Methods: Both models were based on the Behavioral Ecological Model (BEM).

Results: The first and second models significantly explained 39% and 53% of the variance in weapon carrying, respectively, and both full models shared the significant predictors of being black(-), being Hispanic (-), peer modeling of weapon carrying/jail time (+), and school suspensions (+).

Feasibility and use of school-based condom availability programs in Tijuana, Mexico.

Condom availability programs (CAPs) may increase access to condoms and contribute to increased condom use among youth. This study describes the characteristics, degree of satisfaction, and gender differences among users of a CAP implemented in two high schools in Tijuana (Baja California, Mexico). A kiosk distributing free male condoms was set up in two high schools in Tijuana.

Predictors of substance use among homeless youth in San Diego.

This study examined the frequency of substance use among 14- to 24-year-old homeless youth (N=113) recruited from two community drop-in centers and explored the relationship between substance use and hypothesized psychosocial predictors. Audio-computer-assisted self-interviewing (A-CASI) was used for assessment. Including alcohol and tobacco, the mean number of different drugs used was 3.

Self-report INH adherence measures were reliable and valid in Latino adolescents with latent tuberculosis infection.

Background And Objective: To test the reliability and validity of 8-day and 30-day self-report measures of adherence to daily isoniazid (INH) for treatment of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI).

Methods: Participants were 286 Latino adolescents (ages 13-18, 55.6% male) with LTBI recruited from 10 public middle and high schools in San Diego County.

Evaluation of two school-based HIV prevention interventions in the border city of Tijuana, Mexico.

This research project examined the individual and combined effectiveness of an HIV prevention workshop and a free condom distribution program in four high schools in Tijuana, Mexico. Adolescents (N = 320) completed baseline measures on sexual practices and theoretical correlates and participated in a two-part study. In Study 1, students were randomly assigned to an HIV prevention workshop or a control condition, with a 3-month follow-up assessment.

Gender differences in condom-related behaviors and attitudes among Mexican adolescents living on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Adolescents are at increasing risk for HIV infection in Mexico. Research on gender differences in risk behaviors and determinants is needed to develop effective HIV prevention interventions targeting Mexican adolescents. This study examined gender differences in the likelihood of unprotected sex and theoretical correlates among high school students in the border city of Tijuana.

Increasing Latino adolescents' adherence to treatment for latent tuberculosis infection: a controlled trial.

Objectives: We sought to determine the efficacy of coaching Latino adolescents with latent tuberculosis infection to adhere to isoniazid treatment.

Methods: Participants (n = 286) were randomly assigned to adherence coaching, attention control, or usual care groups. Adherence was measured via interviews and validated with urine assays.