Emerging adulthood (ages 18-25 years old) is a critical period for the onset of problematic drinking, especially within underserved populations, such as Latine emerging adults. This protocol outlines the adaptation of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention (MBI) incorporating Contingency Management (CM) to address alcohol misuse in Latine young adults, a demographic with limited treatment access and increased vulnerability to substance use disorders. Grounded in Community-Engaged Research (CEnR) principles, this study employs a structured formative development approach to culturally and developmentally adapt a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBehav Sci (Basel)
August 2024
In the United States, Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) affects approximately 1 in 7 adults. Despite its significant impact, CKD awareness, education, and screening are often lacking among underserved Latine populations, leading to poorer health outcomes and higher mortality rates. Various studies highlight the crucial role of Community Health Workers (CHWs) in improving health outcomes within minority communities both domestically and globally.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGuided Self-Change (GSC) is a Motivational Interviewing (MI)-based early intervention program, infused with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), for individuals with substance use problems. In this study, we implemented a 4-session GSC program with the innovative addition of mindfulness-based techniques at a minority-serving institution to reduce substance use and negative consequences among self-referred university students. We investigated processes that may be associated with behavior change, including perceived risk of use and self-efficacy ratings among university students who reported their primary substance of choice was cannabis ( = 18) or alcohol ( = 18).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnsuring equitable chronic kidney disease (CKD) education for Latine patients with low health literacy and low English proficiency stands as a critical challenge, and the "Caridad Awareness and Education" (CARE) initiative represents our ongoing effort to address this imperative issue. In collaboration with twenty-three patients living with CKD, diabetes and/or hypertension and twelve trained Community Health Workers (CHWs) from diverse Latine subgroups, we conducted a research initiative funded by the National Kidney Foundation. Our primary objective was to co-design and test culturally tailored patient education materials (PEMs) for underserved Latine adults at risk for or diagnosed with CKD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: This study used secondary data from a randomized controlled trial of a Brief Motivational Intervention (BMI) to examine whether Non-White participants had different treatment results compared to White participants.
Methods: The outcome variables of this study were divided into primary outcomes (heavy drinking and consequences associated with alcohol use) and secondary outcomes (cognitive variables such as motivation to change alcohol use, and behavioral variables, including protective behavioral strategies). Linear regression analyses were conducted with the PROCESS macro for SPSS, to test if race or ethnicity moderated the relationship between BMI and each treatment outcome.
The age cohort referred to as emerging adults (ages 18-29 years old) demonstrates the most hazardous alcohol use in the United States (U.S.) Approximately one-third of emerging adults regularly engage in heavy episodic drinking (4/5 drinks in two hours females/males).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHealth Equity
March 2023
Racial and ethnic health disparities are more conspicuous in the United States since the start of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. While the urgency of these disparities was already alarming, the pandemic has exacerbated longstanding issues in health equity, disproportionate impacts, and social determinants of health. Vaccine hesitancy was a crucial factor during the U.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study explored barriers, motivators, and trusted sources of information regarding COVID-19 vaccination among Hispanic/Latine individuals. Hispanic/Latine is a broad social construct that encompasses people from heterogeneous countries and cultures. In the U.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLatinx youth with mental health disorders have worse outcomes when compared to their White (non-Hispanic) counterparts. Latinx youth also have less access to and lower utilization of mental health services. Emerging research supports the psychological and physical benefits of engaging in yoga and yoga may function as a complimentary treatment option for patients with mental health challenges.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlcohol and other drug (AOD) use problems among college students continue to represent a public health epidemic. In 2019, historically high rates of binge-drinking and marijuana use were reported among college-age adults, and the detrimental effects of excessive AOD use in college, such as poorer academic performance, sexual assault, injury or overdoses, and a range of other negative consequences, have been well-documented. Thus, there is a continued need for effective implementation of evidence-based, cost-effective interventions aimed at reducing risks associated with collegiate AOD use.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBy the spring of 2021, most of the adult U.S. population became eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic remains a public health priority, and vaccination is important for ending the pandemic. Racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionally affected by COVID-19 yet report high levels of vaccination hesitancy.
Objective: We conducted virtual town halls to address vaccine hesitancy among racial and ethnic minorities in South Florida.
Background: The Hispanic/Latinx population constitutes the fastest growing ethnic/racial minority group in the United States (U.S.).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNative American (NA) youth report higher rates of alcohol, marijuana, and drug use than U.S. adolescents from any other racial/ethnic group.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
November 2020
The NIH-funded Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) program is currently funding 18 academic institutions to strengthen the research environment and contribution to health disparities research. The purpose of this multiphase mixed-methods study was to establish a uniform evaluation framework for demonstrating the collective success of this research consortium. Methods included discussions of aims and logic models at the RCMI Evaluators' Workshop, a literature review to inform an evaluation conceptual framework, and a case study survey to obtain evaluation-related information and metrics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHispanic/Latinx youth in the U.S. are disproportionately affected by HIV, and are in need of culturally, linguistically, and developmentally tailored HIV prevention programs focused on expanding routine screening and environmental prevention efforts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Yoga is recognized as an effective approach to improving overall physical and mental health; however, there may be perceived barriers to yoga participation, particularly among populations most at risk for mental health issues. We conducted qualitative formative research to help inform recruitment practices for a future study and to specifically understand the barriers and facilitators to engagement in yoga practice among racial/ethnic minority adolescents, as well as adolescents in outpatient mental health treatment.
Methods: Qualitative data were collected at a community health clinic that serves low income families in southeastern Florida.
This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Introduction The move towards value-based care and population health has highlighted the prominent role of social and behavioral factors in determining health outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Studies have shown that parents have a significant influence on emerging adult college students' drinking during the first year of college. Limited research has been conducted to address the question of whether parenting later in college continues to matter in a similar manner. The current study utilized a prospective design to identify associations between parental permissiveness toward alcohol use and monitoring behaviors and student drinking outcomes during the first and fourth years of college.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: College student alcohol use remains a considerable concern. While many colleges provide universal interventions surrounding matriculation, trends indicate alcohol use increases over the college years. This study utilized a person-centered approach to examine changes in drinking across college and predictors (expectancies, attitudes, norms, and gender) of increases in risky drinking.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHispanic young adults in the United States are disproportionately affected by HIV and should be considered a priority for prevention efforts. The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions and beliefs of English-speaking students (aged 18-24 years) at a Hispanic-serving university about HIV/sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and prevention to increase acceptance and adoption of services. Four major themes emerged from four qualitative focus groups (n = 30 students) and were corroborated by an optional anonymous survey (n = 24 surveys): (a) preferences for HIV/STI testing services, (b) essential HIV/STI testing information, (c) preferred delivery method of HIV/STI testing information, and (d) culturally appropriate message design with Hispanic young adults.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: There is growing evidence that text messaging-"short message service" (SMS)-is useful for health promotion and behavior change. SMS has become a preferred channel of communication among adolescents. Despite burgeoning interest, there remains a critical need for formative research regarding developmentally and culturally appropriate SMS-based health promotion with teenagers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe examined whether discrimination experienced by Hispanic/Latino adolescents is associated (a) directly with adolescent alcohol use or (b) indirectly with adolescent alcohol use via mediation by ethnic identity and/or peer associations. Data were drawn from an NIAAA-funded randomized controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of a Guided-Self Change intervention for Hispanic/Latino youth with alcohol and interpersonal violence problems (R01 AA12180; see Wagner et al., 2014).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPsychosocial factors may directly impact HIV health measures such as viral load (VL) whether or not patients are taking antiretroviral treatment (ART) consistently. Structural equation modeling plus Baron and Kenny's (1986) four-step approach were used to test a mediated model predicting VL among 246 HIV-infected adults who were on ART. Exogenous variables were social support, barriers to adherence, and stress.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeurocognitive (NC) impairment remains prevalent among people living with HIV (PLWH) and may be exacerbated by alcohol and drug use. This cross-sectional study assesses the degree to which alcohol and other drug use, time from HIV diagnosis to treatment, and years living with HIV affect three areas of NC functioning among HIV-seropositive adults. NC functioning in 370 PLWH living in Miami, FL was assessed using the Auditory Verbal Learning Test, the Short Category Test, Booklet Format, and the Color Trails Test 2 (CTT2).
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