Examining Sexual Health Organizational Networks in Urban African American Communities Using Social Network Theory.

Purpose: Collaboration among organizations offering sexual health and youth development services has the potential to provide youth with effective sexual health support. However, formally structured efforts (eg, coalition formation) may be impractical or unsuitable for low-income communities where resources are often already limited. Social network theories provide an alternative approach for building collaborative organizational networks.

Probiotic Supplementation for Promotion of Growth in Undernourished Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objectives: Probiotic supplementation has been proposed as a therapeutic intervention to improve growth outcomes in children with undernutrition. The objective of this review is to synthesize the current evidence on probiotic supplementation for promotion of growth in undernourished children.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Cochrane CENTRAL, CINAHL, Embase, LILACS, and Scopus for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that administered probiotics or eligible comparators to undernourished children below 5 years of age.

The Effect of Consumption of Animal Milk Compared to Infant Formula for Non-Breastfed/Mixed-Fed Infants 6-11 Months of Age: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Many infants do not receive breastmilk for the recommended 2-year duration. Instead, alternative milk beverages are often used, including infant formula and raw animal milk products. The purpose of this systematic review was to summarize the effect of animal milk consumption, compared to infant formula, on health outcomes in non-breastfed or mixed-fed infants aged 6-11 months.

Probiotic Supplementation for Promotion of Growth in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Probiotics are commonly prescribed to promote a healthy gut microbiome in children. Our objective was to investigate the effects of probiotic supplementation on growth outcomes in children 0-59 months of age. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis which included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that administered probiotics to children aged 0-59 months, with growth outcomes as a result.

Implementation problems and adaptations among organizations delivering school-based dental sealant programs.

Objectives: Although research supports the effectiveness of school-based dental sealant programs (SBDSPs) in increasing access to dental care and reducing dental caries, there is limited information on the implementation processes that impact success at the population level. This study assessed SBDSP program implementation in terms of problems (and adaptations) encountered during school and client (students) recruitment, client attendance, and workforce capacity. These four factors are necessary for reaching eligible youth.

National-Level Disparities in Internet Access Among Low-Income and Black and Hispanic Youth: Current Population Survey.

Background: Internet access is increasingly critical for adolescents with regard to obtaining health information and resources, participating in web-based health promotion, and communicating with health practitioners. However, past work demonstrates that access is not uniform among youth in the United States, with lower access found among groups with higher health-related needs. Population-level data yield important insights about access and internet use in the United States.

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Dissemination: Adapting Diffusion Theory to Examine PrEP Adoption.

PrEP adoption among African-American men-who-have-sex-with-men (AAMSM) remains low. We applied Diffusion-of-Innovations (DOI) theory to understand PrEP adoption processes among young HIV-negative/status unknown AAMSM (AAYMSM; N = 181; 17-24 years). Quantitative and qualitative analyses were used to examine predictors of PrEP diffusion stages.

Effect of consumption of animal milk compared to infant formula for non-breastfed/mixed-fed infants 6-11 months of age: a systematic review (protocol).

Introduction: Prevalence rates of breastfeeding remain low even though the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend exclusive breast feeding for the first 6 months of life in combination with appropriate complementary feeding beyond six 6 months of age. There have been several studies that address the implication of drinking animal milk and/or infant formula on children's health and development when breast feeding is not offered during the first year of life. Vast improvements have been made in infant formula design, which may increase its benefits compared with animal's milk.

Shifting Coronavirus Disease 2019 Testing Policy and Research to Include the Full Translation Pipeline.

The current severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 testing policy and practice limits testing as a prevention tool. Radical shifts are required to increase the scale of rapid testing strategies and improve dissemination and implementation of venue-based and self-testing approaches. Attention to the full translation pipeline is required to reach high-risk segments of the population.

Overcoming cultural barriers to implementing oral HIV self-testing with high fidelity among Tanzanian youth.

Tanzanian youth have high levels of HIV risk and poor access to HIV-testing. Oral self-implemented testing (Oral-SIT) provides an alternative that reduces barriers to HIV-testing. We examined adaptations to Oral-SIT training components in a randomized experiment to evaluate a "train-the-trainer" strategy for improving comprehension of graphic training materials.

Use of effective training and quality assurance strategies is associated with high-fidelity EBI implementation in practice settings: a case analysis.

High-quality implementation of evidence-based interventions is important for program effectiveness and is influenced by training and quality assurance (QA). However, gaps in the literature contribute to a lack of guidance on training and supervision in practice settings, particularly when significant adaptations in programs occur. We examine training and QA in relationship to program fidelity among organizations delivering a widely disseminated HIV counseling and testing EBI in which significant adaptations occurred due to new testing technology.

Oral HIV Self-Implemented Testing: Performance Fidelity Among African American MSM.

Oral-Self Implemented HIV Testing (Oral-SIT) offers a low-cost way to extend the reach of HIV testing systems. It is unclear, however, if high risk populations are able to perform the test with high fidelity. Using a simulation-based research design, we administered desensitized Oral-SIT kits to African American MSM (AAMSM; 17-24 years, N = 178).

"You've Gotta be Careful": Familial Messages Regarding Sexual Behavior and Sexual Relationships among African American Adolescents.

Background: Research on the sexual behaviors of African American youth has primarily focused on associated risks, with a dearth of studies examining a fuller representation of African American adolescents' sexual lives. This study explored the range of messages African American adolescents receive from family members regarding sexual behavior and sexual relationships.

Methods: Participants were 52 sexually experienced African American youth (male = 32, female = 20) between the ages of 15 and 17 recruited from community-based organizations in the United States.

Immunology beliefs as a factor in vaccine opposition among complementary and alternative medical providers.

Objectives: Parental pediatric vaccine decisions are influenced by parents' health provider networks. Complementary and alternative medical providers may be key influences in the networks of those parents who do not vaccinate their children.

Methods: From March to July 2013, we conducted semi-structured interviews of Oregon complementary and alternative medical providers ( = 36) in five disciplines likely to treat parents or children, or both, and whose practitioners are known to express opinions about vaccines and vaccination.

Impact of Human Resources on Implementing an Evidence-Based HIV Prevention Intervention.

Evidence-based interventions (EBIs) often require competent staff, or human resources (HR), for implementation. The empirical evidence characterizing the influence of HR fluctuations on EBI delivery is limited and conflicting. Using the Interactive Systems Framework, we explored staff fluctuation and the subsequent influence on RESPECT, an HIV prevention EBI.

HIV Self-Testing: a Review of Current Implementation and Fidelity.

Oral HIV self-testing is an innovative and potentially high-impact means to increase HIV-case identification globally. As a screening test, oral HIV self-testing offers the potential for increased adoption through greater convenience and privacy, and the potential to increase the proportion of the population who test regularly. Research on how best to translate the innovation of oral self-testing to high-risk populations is underway.

Self-implemented HIV testing: perspectives on improving dissemination among urban African American youths.

We examined the potential for increasing the reach of HIV testing to African American youths through the dissemination of oral-HIV testing. From 2012 through 2013 we examined the perceptions of alternatives to pharmacy dissemination of SITs in African American youths (5 focus groups) and service providers (4 focus groups), and conducted an ethnographic study of pharmacies (n = 10). Participants perceived significant advantages to delivering SITs through community health and services for adolescents (e.

Nonprobability and probability-based sampling strategies in sexual science.

With few exceptions, much of sexual science builds upon data from opportunistic nonprobability samples of limited generalizability. Although probability-based studies are considered the gold standard in terms of generalizability, they are costly to apply to many of the hard-to-reach populations of interest to sexologists. The present article discusses recent conclusions by sampling experts that have relevance to sexual science that advocates for nonprobability methods.

Implementing a brief evidence-based HIV intervention: a mixed methods examination of compliance fidelity.

Dissemination of HIV behavioral prevention programs has increased the reach of evidence-based interventions, but there is a paucity of data on implementation and diffusion. The present mixed methods study focused on RESPECT, a brief counseling and testing intervention, examining compliance fidelity and the extent to which Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) policies and training have diffused to practice settings. Using client exit surveys (N = 830) and counselor interviews (N = 64), we examined implementation in 26 community-based agencies (CBOs) and public health departments (DPHs) in the USA.

ADAPTATIONS TO AN HIV COUNSELING AND TESTING INTERVENTION FROM A COUNSELOR PERSPECTIVE.

Understanding the balance between fidelity and adaptation for evidence-based interventions has the potential to improve their translation from research to practice. The Translation into Practice study explores variation in program implementation within organizations utilizing the RESPECT program, an HIV counseling and testing intervention. Counselors (N = 70) were interviewed using a semistructured interview guide to examine both the influential factors on, and the subsequent adaptations to, RESPECT.

Fiscal loss and program fidelity: impact of the economic downturn on HIV/STI prevention program fidelity.

The economic downturn of 2007 created significant fiscal losses for public and private agencies conducting behavioral prevention. Such macro-economic changes may influence program implementation and sustainability. We examined how public and private agencies conducting RESPECT, a brief HIV/STI (sexually transmitted infection) counseling and testing intervention, adapted to fiscal loss and how these adaptations impacted program fidelity.

Vaccine perceptions among Oregon health care providers.

Health care providers exert a significant influence on parental pediatric vaccination decisions. We conducted hour-long interviews with traditional and alternative health care providers in which we explored a range of associations between vaccination perceptions and practice. A key finding was that the Health Belief Model constructs of perceived susceptibility to and severity of either an illness or an adverse vaccine event partially explained health care provider (HCP) beliefs about the risks or benefits of vaccination, especially among alternative care providers.

Norms governing urban African American adolescents' sexual and substance-using behavior.

Using a probability-based neighborhood sample of urban African American youth and a sample of their close friends (N = 202), we conducted a one-year longitudinal study to examine key questions regarding sexual and drug using norms. The results provide validation of social norms governing sexual behavior, condom use, and substance use among friendship groups. These norms had strong to moderate homogeneity; and both normative strength and homogeneity were relatively stable over a one-year period independent of changes in group membership.