Underrepresented groups lack access to genetics services, heightening health disparities among those who benefit from advancements in precision medicine. An innovative approach to addressing this gap in care and increasing health equity in the context of genetic counseling is student-run free clinics (SRFCs). While only one recently established SRFC for genetic counseling is reported in the literature, SRFCs have a long-standing presence in other health professional schools, such as nursing, pharmacy and physical therapy, and research supports the benefits for patients and students.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To help inform decisions regarding the equitable implementation of obesity interventions, we examined whether interventions were equitably reaching the most vulnerable communities, identified communities that received fewer interventions than expected, and estimated the effect of 'dose' of interventions on obesity prevalence.
Methods: We created a database to identify and characterize obesity-related interventions implemented in Los Angeles County from 2005 to 2015 linked to community-level sociodemographic and obesity prevalence data. We ran generalized linear models with a Gamma distribution and log link to determine if interventions were directed toward vulnerable communities and to identify communities that received fewer interventions than expected.
Background: Persistent racial/ethnic disparities in breastfeeding practices in the United States are well documented but the underlying causes remain unclear. While racial/ethnic disparities are often intertwined with socioeconomic disparities in breastfeeding, studies suggest that lack of breastfeeding support from family, health care organizations and workplaces may contribute to racial/ethnic disparities in breastfeeding rates. No studies have investigated the extent to which racial/ethnic disparities in breastfeeding practices can be explained by breastfeeding support.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been associated with poor mental health outcomes in adulthood. Childhood maltreatment is related to both depressive and anxiety symptoms. Our objective was to investigate these associations among low-income, mostly Black and Latino men who have sex with men (MSM), as these may be a particularly vulnerable population group.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been shown to be associated with drug use in adulthood. The single ACE of household substance use history (part of the household dysfunction category) has frequently been associated with drug use. Resilience factors such as perceived social support appear to buffer the association between ACEs and drug use and may be particularly relevant for urban men who have sex with men (MSM).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo effectively respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, California had to quickly mobilize a substantial number of case investigators (CIs) and contact tracers (CTs). This workforce was comprised primarily of redirected civil servants with diverse educational and professional backgrounds. The purpose of this evaluation was to understand whether the weeklong, remote course developed to train California's CI/CT workforce (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The complex multifactorial nature of childhood obesity makes community interventions difficult to evaluate using traditional approaches; innovative methods are needed.
Objective: To evaluate the impact of various interventions targeting childhood obesity-related behaviours, and classified as using a micro-level (e.g.
Background: "Cest la Vie!" (CLV) is a serial drama that entertains, educates, and promotes positive health behaviors and social change for West African audiences. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if watching the CLV Season 2 series online had an impact on people's health knowledge, attitudes, and norms, focusing on populations in francophone West Africa.
Methods: Between July 2019 and October 2019, viewers of CLV and non-viewers were recruited from Facebook and YouTube.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Virtual Training Academy (VTA) was established to rapidly develop a contact-tracing workforce for California. Through June 2021, more than 10 000 trainees enrolled in a contact-tracing or case investigation course at the VTA. To evaluate program effectiveness, we analyzed trainee pre- and postassessment results using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCase investigation (CI) and contact tracing (CT) are key to containing the COVID-19 pandemic. Widespread community transmission necessitates a large, diverse workforce with specialized knowledge and skills. The University of California, San Francisco and Los Angeles partnered with the California Department of Public Health to rapidly mobilize and train a CI/CT workforce.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To understand the relationship between drug use, food insecurity (FI) and mental health among men who have sex with men (MSM).
Design: Cohort study (2014-2019) with at least one follow-up.
Setting: Visits at 6-month intervals included self-assessment for FI and depressive symptoms.
Background: Increasing the capacity of teachers to deliver physical education (PE) lessons that are high in moderate to vigorous physical activity (PA) is one strategy to increase the amount of exercise students receive during school. However, traditional research approaches have not directly engaged the school community as equitable partners in the intervention design process. The purpose of this article is to describe the process, outputs, and lessons learned from a school-engaged research study, which incorporates the unique needs of schools-in terms of structure, accountability measures, and array of stakeholders into the research process and design.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPublic Health Nutr
August 2021
Objective: While organisational change in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment has been extensively studied, there is no research describing facility-wide changes related to nutrition interventions. This study evaluates staff-perceived barriers to change before and after a wellness initiative.
Design: A pre-intervention questionnaire was administered to participating staff prior to facility-wide changes (n 40).
Background: Studies have observed that recent Latino immigrants tend to have a physical health advantage compared to immigrants who have been in the US for many years or Latinos who are born in the United States. An explanation of this phenomenon is that recent immigrants have positive health behaviors that protect them from chronic disease risk. This study aims to determine if trends in positive cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk behaviors extend to Latino immigrants in California according to citizenship and documentation status.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: MyPlate is the current dietary guidance icon meant to communicate healthy eating patterns. The purpose of this study is to evaluate knowledge of MyPlate nutrition education messages among middle school students and its association with dietary intake and perceived diet quality.
Design: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data.
Classification systems can be useful for evaluating and communicating the impact of interventions. We describe how a typology was created to inform the development of a community intervention dose index (CIDI) intended to measure the strength of impacts attributed to multiple childhood obesity intervention strategies implemented in a large, diverse urban jurisdiction in the United States during 2000-2016. The categorization system was constructed via a three-stage process: (Stage 1) identify relevant constructs for categorizing intervention strategies; (Stage 2) review peer-reviewed literature and program requests for proposals to identify and integrate common attributes of intervention strategies based on Stage 1 constructs; and (Stage 3) vet the results from prior stages to develop a final version of the typology, slated for research application and for use in program improvement.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Evolving norms and complex food environments may require new skill sets and mind-sets to maintain a healthy diet. Food literacy acknowledges the influence of external factors in shaping a person's development and application of the knowledge, skills, and behaviors required for healthy eating. Food literacy among college students is not well understood; however, higher education presents a unique opportunity for promoting food literacy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Federal nutrition campaigns are designed to make dietary recommendations accessible but have not been extensively evaluated. This paper explores whether knowledge of nutrition campaigns is associated with dietary behavior among young adolescents.
Methods: Cross-sectional survey data were collected from 4,773 middle school students in Southern California.
Background: Physical education (PE) can provide opportunities to engage in daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), but MVPA levels in many classes are low. This study examines MVPA during middle school PE lessons before and after receiving the SPARK (Sports, Play, and Active Recreation for Kids) program.
Methods: Sixteen schools were enrolled in the study.
: This study examines the effects of the middle school SPARK physical education (PE) curriculum on predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors for physical activity (PA) as well as self-reported PA in a predominantly low-income, Latinx student population in Los Angeles, CA. : Data were collected from 3763 students of seventh and eighth grades at 2 time points at the 16 middle schools enrolled in the study. Hierarchical logistic regression models were used to assess intervention effects on PA attitudes, PE enjoyment, FitnessGram passing, daily PA, and muscle-strengthening PA, controlling for demographic variables.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThere is growing evidence that prenatal participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) reduces the risk of adverse birth outcomes. With recent changes in health care, rising health care costs, and increasing rates of prematurity in the U.S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite high rates of housing-cost burden in the United States, little is known regarding its impact on childhood obesity. In this article, we determine whether low-income 2-5-year-olds living in housing-cost burdened households are more likely to be obese and examine the potential moderators and behavioral and psychosocial mediators of this relationship. We used data from a triennial survey (2011, 2014) of a random sample of Los Angeles County participants of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (n = 2307).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe goal of this project was to enhance the capacity of local health departments to translate and implement evidence-based programs in emergency preparedness by using the Getting To Outcomes approach. Our evaluation determined that local health department staff reported improved capacities. A "Getting To Outcomes Guide for Community Emergency Preparedness" guidebook was produced and is available online.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhysical education (PE) is a frequent site of public health intervention to promote physical activity (PA); however, intervention research frequently overlooks the perspective of PE teachers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore teachers' experiences with and perceptions of a PA curriculum intervention. Six findings within three categories were identified and described in detail.
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