Social Network Based Substance Abuse Prevention via Network Modification (A Preliminary Study)

Substance use and abuse is a significant public health problem in the United States. Group-based intervention programs offer a promising means of preventing and reducing substance abuse. While effective, unfortunately, inappropriate intervention groups can result in an increase in deviant behaviors among participants, a process known as deviancy training. This paper investigates the problem of optimizing the social influence related to the deviant behavior via careful construction of the intervention groups. We propose a Mixed Integer Optimization formulation that decides on the intervention groups, captures the impact of the groups on the structure of the social network, and models the impact of these changes on behavior propagation. In addition, we propose a scalable hybrid meta-heuristic algorithm that combines Mixed Integer Programming and Large Neighborhood Search to find near-optimal network partitions. Our algorithm is packaged in the form of GUIDE, an AI-based decision aid that recommends intervention groups. Being the first quantitative decision aid of this kind, GUIDE is able to assist practitioners, in particular social workers, in three key areas: (a) GUIDE proposes near-optimal solutions that are shown, via extensive simulations, to significantly improve over the traditional qualitative practices for forming intervention groups; (b) GUIDE is able to identify circumstances when an intervention will lead to deviancy training, thus saving time, money, and effort; (c) GUIDE can evaluate current strategies of group formation and discard strategies that will lead to deviancy training. In developing GUIDE, we are primarily interested in substance use interventions among homeless youth as a high risk and vulnerable population. GUIDE is developed in collaboration with Urban Peak, a homeless-youth serving organization in Denver, CO, and is under preparation for deployment

Internet and Social Media Use as a Resource Among Homeless Youth *

Little is known about internet and social media use among homeless youth. Consistent with typologies prevalent among housed youth, we found that homeless youth were using internet and social media for entertainment, sociability, and instrumental purposes. Using Haythornwaite's (2001

Vermicomposting: A Step towards Sustainability

Agricultural production depends on so many things. Proper nutrient management is one of them. It becomes a trend to apply excess amount of fertilizer for enhancing productivity without considering its effect on soil health. Vermicomposting is a process of scientifically decomposing agricultural, municipality, and industrial wastes into nutrient enriched compost by earthworms. Vermicompost not only balance underground soil environment and makes is a suitable habitat for soil micro biota but also improves above ground environment. Microbes are the fundamental element of ecosystem. Use of vermicompost increases growth and proliferation of microbes that amplify environment’s betterment. Vermicomposting is also affordable for resource poor small and marginal farmers. Therefore, vermicompost use is more economical than synthetic organic fertilizer. So, economic viability, environmental stability, and enhancing livelihood quality are the major causes for its worldwide adoption in food production

Crop Diversification an Effective Strategy for Sustainable Agriculture Development

Sustainable agricultural practices involve a variety of approaches. The most important approached for sustainable agriculture development is crop diversification. It allowing the farmers to employ biological cycles to minimize inputs, conserve the resource base, maximize yields and also reduce the risk due to ecological and environmental factors. It serves as an important opportunity to augment income and employment generation for rural communities. Crop diversification promotes the interaction of beneficial soil bacteria, interrupts the disease cycle, and reduces the quantity of weeds. Crop diversification boosts land-use efficiency and crop output by improving the physical and chemical qualities of soil. Crop diversification shows a lot of scope to alleviating the problems such as resurgence of insects-pests and weeds, soil degradation, environmental pollution, soil salinity, decline farm profit and climate change. Crop diversification through crop intensification system enhanced the net returns, B:C ratio, and overall system productivity of a farm. In order to achieve the benefits of crop diversification farmers are shifting from low value low yielding crops to high value high yielding crops. Thus, crop diversification has the sound capacity for achieving the goal of nutritional security, income growth, food security, employment generation and sustainable agriculture development

Relationships Between Parenting and Dangerous Substance Use Behaviors Among Youth Experiencing Homelessness

Objective: Understanding patterns of dangerous and illicit substance use among young parents who are homeless may provide insight into how best to support this highly vulnerable group and their children. This study examines the relationship between having a biological child and drug use among youth experiencing homelessness. Method: We used 4 waves of cross-sectional data from 1,010 youths ages 14&ndash;26 at 3 drop-in agencies serving youth experiencing homeless in Los Angeles, CA. Among participants, 23.8% of males and 28.9% of females had a biological child. We conducted multivariate logistic regression models for males and females on 4 substance use behaviors in the past month: binge drinking, using hard/illicit drugs, prescription drug misuse, and injection drug use. Results: Fathers had greater odds of hard drug use, prescription drug misuse, and injection drug use than males without children. There was no significant relationship between having a child and any of the four substance use behaviors for females. Conclusions: Findings suggest that having a child is not associated with higher risk of dangerous or illicit substance use for females. Results highlight the need to proactively engage young males in pregnancy prevention, parenting programs, and substance use treatment and prevention. </div

Social Network Correlates of Methamphetamine, Heroin, and Cocaine Use in a Sociometric Network of Homeless Youth

Objective: Peer influence is one the most consistent correlates of drug use among youth. However, beyond the dyadic level, there is the possibility that peer influence alsofunctions at a more macro or group level, which calls for a better understanding of how positioning within larger social networks affects youth behaviors. Yet, whereas extant research among homeless youth indicates that having substance-using peers is associated with youth\u27s own substance use, the issue of how peer influence operates in conjunction with network structure and position especially with regards to substance use is relatively unexplored. Method: Using Freeman\u27s Event Based Approach, a sociometric network of 136 homeless youth (39.6% female; 38.1% African American; mean age 20.81 years) were recruited in 2008 at 1 drop-in agency in Los Angeles. Self-administered questionnaires and interviewer-administered social network interviews captured individual and network alters\u27 risk behaviors. Network structure and position was assessed with UCINET and visualized with NetDraw. Logistic regressions assessed associations among substance use, adjacent peer substance use, and network position. Results: Youths\u27 connections to specific substance-using peers and their overall position in the network exposed them to behaviors supportive of specific drugs. These results supported the general proposition that both peer and positional attributes affect substance use among homeless youth. Youth\u27s position in the network exposed them to norms supportive of specific illicit drugs. Conclusions: These results underscore the importance of tailoring interventions to reduce drug use at the network level and of recognizing drug use as not only an individual problem but also a social problem. Limitations of this study include its small sample size, the lack of generalizability, and its focus on a finite set of variables

Prevalence and Covariates of Food Insecurity Among Residents of Single-room Occupancy Housing in Chicago, IL, USA

Objective Emerging evidence suggests that food insecurity is a significant public health concern among people who are homeless or marginally housed. The present study assessed prevalence of food insecurity and its covariates among a group of marginally housed individuals living in single-room occupancy (SRO) dwellings, a population for which there is little extant health or nutrition research. Design Cross-sectional survey incorporating the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale. Setting Ten private SRO residences in the Uptown neighbourhood of Chicago, IL, USA, 2013. Subjects SRO residents over 18 years of age who were able to communicate verbally in English (n 153). Results Food insecurity was widespread among SRO residents, with 75 % of the sample considered food insecure and 52 % meeting criteria for severe food insecurity. Bivariate analyses indicated that female gender, eating most meals at a soup kitchen, having a mental health condition, problem drinking, having at least one chronic health condition, and diabetes were all significantly associated with food insecurity. In the multivariate ordered logistic regression model, eating most meals at a soup kitchen remained as the only significant correlate of food insecurity (OR=10·13). Conclusions SRO residents and other marginally housed populations face unique food access challenges. Although targeted assistance in the form of food stamps and congregate meal programmes remains critical, efforts to prevent and address food insecurity among homeless and marginally housed individuals should include policy interventions that recognize poverty as the root cause of food insecurity and aim to increase overall income and improve housing conditions

The Digital Lives of Youth Who are Homeless: Implications for Intervention, Policy, and Services

Each year, 1.5 million to 3 million youth in the United States experience homelessness1 (Toro, Lesperance, & Braciszewski, 2011). They are considered to be one of the most marginalized groups in the country. Among the many challenges they face are acquiring health care, employment, and stable housing. It is becoming increasingly important to consider how to use information and communication technologies (ICT) to increase service engagement and outreach and improve health outcomes and quality of life among youth who are homeless. ICT encompasses a range of interactive tools and platforms; these include social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, where people create profiles and share them with network contacts; content-sharing sites such as YouTube and Flickr, which are used to share, rate, and discuss videos and photographs (Adewuyi & Adefemi, 2016); and mobile phones and mobile phone–based applications, which have become a popular alternative to traditional websites for delivering information. This chapter discusses recent research on ICT use among youth who are homeless. It also describes interventions in the United States that have used these technologies to engage this population, and explains how what we have learned can be translated into service and policy initiatives that reduce disparities in accessing information and other resources in this vulnerable group

Social Support and Pregnancy Attitudes among Youth Experiencing Homelessness

Youth experiencing homelessness demonstrate high rates of pregnancy and pregnancy involvement. Many homeless youth view pregnancies positively; some extant research has depicted this group’s pro-pregnancy attitudes as a function of youth being in desperate need of resources, such as money, food, clothing, housing, and healthcare. Several studies report that female homeless youth, in particular, feel trapped by their need for monetary resources. Their lack of economic capital may thus cause some of them to go to great lengths, including becoming pregnant, merely to maintain access to supports, especially when pregnancy is perceived as desired by a partner who provides such benefits. However, knowledge of the association between youths’ receipt of specific sources and types of social support and their pregnancy attitudes is limited. Social network data were collected from 1003 homeless youth (ages 13–25). Logistic regressions assessed whether specific forms of social support (informational, instrumental, emotional), provided by youths’ social network members (street-based peers, home-based peers, family members, service providers, serious partners), are associated with youths’ pro-pregnancy attitude endorsements. Multivariate results demonstrated that youth who reported receipt of instrumental support (e.g., monetary resources) from a serious partner were significantly more likely to endorse pro-pregnancy attitudes compared to their peers who did not receive such form of support. Findings suggest a need for creating dyadic communication and prevention activities that facilitate homeless youths’ conversations about their economic resource needs, as part of discussions about their pregnancy motivations and relationship goals, in ways that foster informed, self-determined reproductive health decision-making