[Quality of life in persons with Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection in Mexico].

Background: The evaluation of quality of life related to health (HRQOL) has become an important prognostic indicator in HIV/AIDS. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of socio-demographic, clinical and psychological factors in HRQOL in a group of subjects with HIV/AIDS in northwestern Mexico and determine which variables best predict HRQOL.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study with a sample of 87% of patients receiving care at a clinic for HIV/AIDS in northwestern Mexico between November 2010 to June 2011, we measure the HRQOL using the Tool Medical Outcomes Study HIV Health Survey (MOS-HIV).

Listening in on difficult conversations: an observational, multi-center investigation of real-time conversations in medical oncology.

Background: The quality of communication in medical care has been shown to influence health outcomes. Cancer patients, a highly diverse population, communicate with their clinical care team in diverse ways over the course of their care trajectory. Whether that communication happens and how effective it is may relate to a variety of factors including the type of cancer and the patient's position on the cancer care continuum.

Acculturation, parent-child acculturation differential, and chronic disease risk factors in a Mexican-American population.

Acculturation is typically defined in terms of individual responses to a dominant culture. In the present study, we examined the effects of different levels of acculturation among family members. Specifically, we looked at the health and risk behavior in Mexican-American children as related to a variety of psychosocial predictors, especially the differences in orientation toward Mexican- and Anglo-American cultures between them and their parents.

A prenatal intervention study to improve timeliness of immunization initiation in Latino infants.

This was a prospective randomized cohort study to assess the effectiveness of an educational immunization intervention with pregnant Latinas on timely initiation of infant immunization. Study participants were recruited from two community clinics in north San Diego County. A total of three hundred and fifty-two Latinas in the third trimester of pregnancy were recruited and randomly assigned to intervention or control groups.

Assessing an intensive school-based assistance program to enroll uninsured children.

Children eligible but not enrolled in subsidized health insurance programs, such as Medicaid and S-CHIP, received considerable outreach activity in recent years. Schools in low-income and middle-income communities often are cited as excellent places to find and reach parents. This study assessed the cost and effectiveness of contacting parents through schools, educating them about health insurance programs and preventive care, and assisting them with insurance applications.