Publications by authors named "L Savas"
Background: All for Them is a theory-based and evidence-informed multilevel, multicomponent program delivered through schools to increase HPV vaccination among medically underserved youth across Texas. Given the potential logistical challenges of program implementation, understanding how to best support the implementation and sustainment of the program is critical. The overall goals of this study are twofold: 1) develop a multifaceted implementation strategy, Implementing All for Them (IM-AFT); and 2) evaluate the impact of IM-AFT on implementation outcomes for schools and healthcare providers to successfully implement All for Them in their respective settings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Depression is a common and serious problem in older adults, but few have access to psychological treatments. Internet-delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (ICBT) has the potential to improve access and has been found to be effective in adults with depression. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of tailored ICBT for depression in older adults aged 65 years or older.
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- - The study developed VaxBot-HPV, a chatbot designed to increase health literacy and boost HPV vaccination rates by providing helpful information and responses related to the HPV vaccine.
- - VaxBot-HPV was trained using a knowledge base of 451 documents and 202 question-answer pairs, and assessed alongside other models, GPT-3.5 and GPT-4, focusing on answer relevancy and faithfulness.
- - Results showed VaxBot-HPV excelled in providing relevant and accurate answers, highlighting the potential for chatbots in enhancing healthcare communication and medical education.
Background: There is an urgent need to increase colorectal cancer screening (CRCS) uptake in Texas federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), which serve a predominantly vulnerable population with high demands. Empirical support exists for evidence-based interventions (EBIs) that are proven to increase CRCS; however, as with screening, their use remains low in FQHCs. This study aimed to identify barriers to and facilitators of implementing colorectal cancer screening (CRCS) evidence-based interventions (EBIs) in federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR).
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- - The study examines changes in HPV vaccine-related articles shared on Facebook from 2019 to 2021, particularly focusing on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and parents' reliance on social media for health information.
- - Analysis of 138 articles revealed an increase in positive messaging about the HPV vaccine from 44% in 2019/2020 to 72% in 2021, while misinformation decreased from 50% to 24% over the same period.
- - The findings highlight the evolving communication around HPV vaccine and suggest that, although there’s more positivity in messaging, misinformation still persists and can guide future parent-targeted health communication strategies.