Intervention to Reduce Stigma and Improve Knowledge of HPV and Cervical Cancer in Nigeria: A Community-Based Assessment.

We compared the effectiveness of an educational intervention at reducing stigma and improving knowledge of human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer among Nigerian men and women. We used a pre-/posttest design to deliver 2 educational interventions to 266 adults. Low knowledge was observed at baseline, which improved significantly post-intervention with no difference between groups.

Increasing Human Papillomavirus Vaccination and Cervical Cancer Screening in Nigeria: An Assessment of Community-Based Educational Interventions.

We explored the impact of two community-based educational interventions on Nigerian adults' knowledge and intention to take or encourage human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and cervical screenings. Face-to-face presentation and printed pamphlet intervention were delivered to 266 men and women aged 18 to 65 years in 12 locations in urban setting. At baseline, the majority (80%) had poor knowledge of HPV, and less than 12% had ever received or have a family member who had received HPV vaccine or cervical screening.

Maternal social support and neighborhood income inequality as predictors of low birth weight and preterm birth outcome disparities: analysis of South Carolina Pregnancy Risk Assessment and Monitoring System survey, 2000-2003.

Effects of income inequality on health and other social systems have been a subject of considerable debate, but only a few studies have used multilevel models to evaluate these relationships. The main objectives of the study were to (1) Evaluate the relationships among neighborhood income inequality, social support and birth outcomes (low birth weight, and preterm delivery) and (2) Assess variations in racial disparities in birth outcomes across neighborhood contexts of income distribution and maternal social support. We evaluated these relationships by using South Carolina Pregnancy Risk Assessment and Monitoring System (PRAMS) survey for 2000-2003 geocoded to 2000 US Census data for South Carolina.

Effects of maternal stress on low birth weight and preterm birth outcomes across neighborhoods of South Carolina, 2000-2003.

Objective: Studies evaluating the effect of maternal stress on preterm birth (PTB) or low birth weight (LBW) and variations across neighborhood contexts have been inconclusive. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationships among neighborhood contexts, prenatal stress, and birth outcomes, and to further explore the modifying effects of neighborhood contexts.

Methods: We evaluated this objective by using South Carolina Pregnancy Risk Assessment and Monitoring System (PRAMS), 2000-2003 data linked to the 2000 U.

Medical homes for children with special health care needs: a program evaluation.

Purpose: The purpose of the current study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a pilot project providing a medical home to children with special health care needs (CSHCN). This study differs from previous work in that it monitors a cohort of CSHCN one year prior to and two years after participation in a medical home intervention utilizing a quasi-experimental design.

Results: The groups being compared demonstrated descriptive differences in emergency room (ER) and preventive visits.

Adherence to recommendations for follow-up to abnormal Pap tests.

Objective: To evaluate whether timely adherence rates differ by race among women with abnormal Pap tests participating in a cost-free or reduced-cost program.

Methods: Eligible subjects included women aged 47-64 years who received a referral for follow-up care after an abnormal Pap test from 1999 to 2002 in South Carolina (n=330). Adherence was measured as days to receipt of follow-up care after an abnormal Pap test.

Understanding barriers for adherence to follow-up care for abnormal pap tests.

Objective: Approximately 4000 women annually will die from preventable and treatable cervical cancer. Failure to adhere to follow-up recommendations after an abnormal Pap test can lead to development of cervical cancer. This paper summarizes the body of literature on adherence to follow-up after an abnormal Pap test in order to facilitate development of interventions to decrease morbidity and mortality due to cervical cancer.

What predicts adherence to follow-up recommendations for abnormal Pap tests among older women?

Objective: To address socio-demographic factors associated with adherence to follow-up recommendations in a high-risk population of women referred for follow-up care after an abnormal Pap test.

Methods: 486 women aged 46-64 served by BCCEDP in two southeastern states between 1999-2002 and referred for follow-up care after an abnormal Pap test were the sampling frame for this cross-sectional study; 204 women completed a phone-based interview in 2004. Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to determine the association of various risk factors with time to adherence.

Factors influencing help-seeking from informal networks among African American victims of intimate partner violence.

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the challenges African-American women in abusive relationships face when they consider seeking-help from their informal networks. Data are reported from interviews with 15 African-American women who were self-identified as having survived physical intimate partner violence. A 13-item, semi-structured interview guide was developed in order to elicit information from participants.

Short birth intervals and the risk of school unreadiness among a Medicaid population in South Carolina.

Background: Communities across the United States have become more involved in enhancing school readiness. Many of the predictors of school readiness relate to conditions prior to and following the birth of the child, including a child's birthweight. Shortened birth intervals are related to a variety of health and social consequences that affect child development, yet no formal research has examined the association between birth intervals and school readiness.

Psychosocial stress and cervical neoplasia risk.

Objective: We assessed the association between psychosocial stress and preinvasive cervical neoplasia development controlling for HR-HPV infection.

Methods: This case-control study enrolled low-income women receiving family planning services at health department clinics. There were 59 cases with biopsy confirmed HSIL and 163 with low-grade SIL and 160 controls with normal cervical cytology.

Barriers to the use of preventive health care services for children.

This article describes findings from interviews of parents targeted for outreach efforts that encouraged them to use Medicaid's Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment(EPSDT) Program. Begun in the 1970s, the EPSDT program held out the promise of ensuring that needy children would receive comprehensive preventive care. With only one-third of eligible children in the United States receiving EPSDT checkups, the program has yet to fulfill its promise.

Use of maternity services by pregnant women in a small Nigerian community.

Pregnancy is a time when women's health is placed at risk by a host of factors; however, professionals providing antenatal care can reduce that risk by monitoring women's health regularly and offering preventive services. Hygienic delivery services by a qualified attendant also help to reduce risks associated with childbearing. We explored these considerations in a rural Nigerian town by following 60 Yoruba women through pregnancy to childbirth.

Development and validation of the Parent Health Locus of Control scales.

We describe the development and validation of the Parent Health Locus of Control (PHLOC) scales. Using factor analytic and item analytic methods, 30 items comprising six scales were extracted from a pool of 84 items. The individual scales correspond to beliefs in Child, Divine, Fate, Media, Parental, and Professional Influence over child health.

Increasing participation by private physicians in the EPSDT Program in rural North Carolina.

This study evaluated a method to increase physicians' participation in Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT), a preventive health care program for Medicaid eligible children. Use of EPSDT can improve children's health status and reduce health care costs. Although the potential benefits of EPSDT are clear, the program is underused; low rates of participation by private physicians contribute to underuse.