COVID-19 Related Facilitators and Barriers to In-Person Learning for Children With Intellectual and Development Disabilities: A Follow-Up.

Background: Students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and the staff who support them were largely in-person during the 2021-2022 school year, despite their continued vulnerability to infection with SARS-CoV-2. This qualitative study aimed to understand continued perceptions of weekly SARS-CoV-2 screening testing of students and staff amidst increased availability of vaccinations.

Methods: Twenty-three focus groups were held with school staff and parents of children with IDD to examine the perceptions of COVID-19 during the 2021-2022 school year.

COVID-19-Related Facilitators and Barriers to In-Person Learning for Children With Intellectual and Development Disabilities.

Background: Schools provide essential functions for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), but their vulnerability to infection with SARS-CoV-2 are a barrier to in-person learning. This qualitative study aimed to understand how weekly SARS-CoV-2 screening testing of students and staff could best facilitate in-school learning during the pandemic.

Methods: Thirty-one focus groups were held with school staff and parents of children with IDD to examine the perceptions of COVID-19 during the 2020-2021 school year.

The impact of responsible fatherhood programs on parenting, psychological well-being, and financial outcomes: A randomized controlled trial.

The objective of this study was to examine differences in parenting, psychological well-being, and economic outcomes between fathers receiving two different programs offered by Fathers & Families Support Center for economically disadvantaged fathers: (a) Family Formation (FF), a 6-week/240-h program focused on economic stability/mobility, responsible fatherhood, and healthy relationships, with case management and legal services; (b) Economic Stability (ES), a 4-week/80-h program focused only on economic stability with limited case management and legal services. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) was used to compare fathers in FF (n = 350) vs. ES (n = 342).

Building a National Framework to Pair Scientists and Schools During a Global Pandemic.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic forced the suspension of in-person education in schools serving students in kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) across the United States. As time passed, teachers, students, and parents struggled with remote education. With limited guidance at the federal level, physicians and school leaders across the country collaborated to develop local solutions for schools.

Public health program capacity for sustainability: a new framework.

Background: Public health programs can only deliver benefits if they are able to sustain activities over time. There is a broad literature on program sustainability in public health, but it is fragmented and there is a lack of consensus on core constructs. The purpose of this paper is to present a new conceptual framework for program sustainability in public health.

Referrals among cancer services organizations serving underserved cancer patients in an urban area.

Significant racial, socioeconomic, and geographic disparities exist nationwide in cancer screenings, treatments, and outcomes. Differences in health and social service provision and utilization may contribute to or exacerbate these disparities. We evaluated the composition and structure of a referral network of organizations providing services to underserved cancer patients in an urban area in 2007.

Systems analysis of collaboration in 5 national tobacco control networks.

Objectives: We studied 5 members of the National Network Consortium on Tobacco Control in Priority Populations. These networks, which consist of governmental and nongovernmental organizations, targeted lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons; Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders; American Indians and Alaska Natives; African Americans; and persons with low socioeconomic status, respectively.

Methods: We used statistical network analysis modeling to examine collaboration among these national networks in 2007.

Evaluating the strength of school tobacco policies: the development of a practical rating system.

Background: School tobacco control policies vary widely in their strength, extensiveness, and enforcement. Currently, no standardized method exists to assess the comprehensiveness of school tobacco policies. The purpose of this study was to develop a new practical rating system for school tobacco policies, assess its reliability, and present preliminary validation data.

Seeing the forest and the trees: using network analysis to develop an organizational blueprint of state tobacco control systems.

In the United States, tobacco control activities are organized primarily in state tobacco control programs. These programs are comprised of public and private agencies working together to reduce tobacco use. The human, financial, and informational resources that go into state tobacco control programs are documented, and the outcomes of these programs have been studied in terms of health and health behavior.

Getting the word out: multiple methods for disseminating evaluation findings.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of different strategies for disseminating evaluation results to program stakeholders.

Methods: The results from a process evaluation of eight states' tobacco control programs were disseminated to the state programs that were assigned to one of four dissemination conditions: print reports only, reports and web site, reports and workshop, or all three dissemination modes. Key measures included levels of usefulness of the evaluation results and satisfaction of participation by study participants.

Successfully maintaining program funding during trying times: lessons from tobacco control programs in five states.

Despite negative financial conditions in recent years, several states were able to successfully maintain funding for tobacco prevention and control, which provided an opportunity to understand the factors associated with success. One explanation may be the level of long-term program sustainability in some states. According to a model developed by Saint Louis University researchers, the five elements critical to tobacco control sustainability are state political and financial climate; community awareness and capacity; program structure and administration; funding stability and planning; and surveillance and evaluation.

The best practices: use of the guidelines by ten state tobacco control programs.

Background: The Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention was the first national resource to define the nine required components of a comprehensive state tobacco control program. This evaluation examined how states used the guidelines in their program planning, and identifies strengths and weaknesses of the guidelines.

Methods: During 2002-2003, data were collected and analyzed from ten state tobacco control programs on familiarity, funding, and use of the guidelines.