Using Reflective Practice to Study the Impact of Community Engagement

Research was conducted in order to determine the impact of the study of community engagement on students who participated in undergraduate community engagement coursework

Culture Connect: Diversity Resource Toolkit

Culture Connect: Diversity Resource Toolkit Globally, refugees are displaced at high rates and must integrate into a society where they are an ethnic minority. Since 2016, the International Rescue Committee has resettled over 300 refugees in Missoula; about 20% of which are school-aged children. Therefore, it is important that schools facilitate refugee inclusivity and intercultural competence within student peer groups. To aid in solving this global problem, we developed a project using the three steps of Human-Centered Design that aimed to enhance teacher competence, knowledge and increase the access to resources needed to address this global problem in the classroom setting. For the inspiration phase, we reviewed relevant literature and interviewed experts. During ideation, we integrated ideas and insights collected to develop and design our project, which includes a print and online diversity resource educational toolkit for use by pre-service and in-service teachers in elementary classrooms. The implementation intended to involve piloting the toolkit for six weeks in Missoula elementary classrooms with potential adaptation for school settings with similar characteristics beyond the Missoula community. Our five objectives that guide the development of the toolkit components are to 1) reduce prejudice in schools with daily exposure and practice; 2) enhance multicultural education and widen cultural representation in classrooms; 3) supplement existing language acquisition support for refugee students/parents and teachers; 4) enhance classroom introductory period for refugee students by including diverse representation in the classroom and inspiring students to be welcoming of refugee children; 5) streamline access to educational resources for teachers. As part of the implementation, we conducted pre/post-surveys to assess attitude change among students and teachers. In addition, we obtained feedback from teachers globally on toolkit improvements for its sustainable implementation. The expected learning outcomes are to decrease prejudice and enhance intercultural competence necessary for welcoming communities for refugees in a diverse society

Perancangan Permainan Perjalanan Keselamatan Bersama Yesus Untuk Anak-anak Usia 6 (Enam) Sampai 12 (Dua Belas) Tahun Di Surabaya

Pada jaman modern ini, teknologi sudah berkembang, terutama internet.Internet sangat mudah diakses terutama anak-anak sehingga seks dan kejahatan mudah sekali untuk diakses oleh anak-anak.Dengan menggunakan metode kualitatif dekstriptif sehingga ditemukanlah solusi yang tepat bagi anak-anak.Melalui wawancara dan studi lapangan telah ditarik sebuah permasalahan bahwa anak-anak tidak bisa fokus ketika pengajaran rohani disampaikan sehingga dibutuhan solusi yang tepat yakni permainan yang mendidik serta berisi tentang ilmu berhitung dan ajaran kristiani seperti mukjizat-mukjizat Yesus.Maka dirancanglah sebuah permainan papan “Perjalanan Keselamatan Bersama Yesus untuk Anak-Anak Usia 6 (enam) sampai 12 (dua belas) Tahun di Surabaya”

Universal cannabis outcomes from the Climate and Preventure (CAP) study : a cluster randomised controlled trial

Background: The Climate and Preventure (CAP) study was the first trial to assess and demonstrate the effectiveness of a combined universal and selective approach for preventing alcohol use and related harms among adolescents. The current paper reports universal effects from the CAP study on cannabis-related outcomes over three years. Methods: A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted with 2190 students from twenty-six Australian high schools (mean age: 13.3 yrs., SD 0.48). Participants were randomised to one of four conditions; universal prevention for all students (Climate); selective prevention for high-risk students (Preventure); combined universal and selective prevention (Climate and Preventure; CAP); or health education as usual (Control). Participants were assessed at baseline, post intervention (6–9 months post baseline), and at 12-, 24- and 36-months, on measures of cannabis use, knowledge and related harms. This paper compares cannabis-related knowledge, harms and cannabis use in the Control, Climate and CAP groups as specified in the protocol, using multilevel mixed linear models to assess outcomes. Results: Compared to Control, the Climate and CAP groups showed significantly greater increases in cannabis-related knowledge initially (p < 0.001), and had higher knowledge at the 6, 12 and 24-month follow-ups. There was no significant difference between the Climate and CAP groups. While no differences were detected between Control and the CAP and Climate groups on cannabis use or cannabis-related harms, the prevalence of these outcomes was lower than anticipated, possibly limiting power to detect intervention effects. Additional Bayesian analyses exploring confidence in accepting the null hypothesis showed there was insufficient evidence to conclude that the interventions had no effect, or to conclude that they had a meaningfully large effect. Conclusions: Both the universal Climate and the combined CAP programs were effective in increasing cannabisrelated knowledge for up to 2 years. The evidence was inconclusive regarding whether the interventions reduced cannabis use and cannabis-related harms. A longer-term follow-up will ascertain whether the interventions become effective in reducing these outcomes as adolescents transition into early adulthood

The validity of the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS) among Australian adolescents

Aims: This study investigated the validity of a brief personality screening measure for substance use in adolescents, the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS), among Australian adolescents. Design and participants: A total of 527 adolescents (mean age: 13.38 years, SD=0.43) from seven Australian schools were assessed at two time points 24 months apart. The concurrent and predictive validity of the SURPS was determined using a series of linear and logistic regressions, and was compared to the results in a United Kingdom (UK) sample. SURPS subscale scores for the Australian population were also reported and compared to those in the UK. Findings: Overall, the SURPS subscale scores for Australian adolescents were similar to those for adolescents from the UK. Tests of concurrent and predictive validity in the Australian sample demonstrated that the all four personality profiles - Hopelessness (H), Anxiety Sensitivity (AS), Impulsivity (IMP), and Sensation Seeking (SS) - were related to measures of substance use and other behavioural and emotional characteristics. In addition, all the predicted specific prospective relationships between the personality profiles and particular substance use and other behavioural problems were confirmed except that H was not associated with illicit drug use. Overall, the results were similar between the Australian and UK samples. Conclusions: The SURPS is a valid and useful measure for identifying Australian adolescents at high-risk for substance use and other emotional and behavioural problems. Implications for prevention are discussed

OPPERA Study Identifies an Association Between the Use of Hormonal Contraceptives and Orofacial Pain and Headaches

Introduction: • Hormone therapy has been described as a risk factor for chronic pain conditions such as low back pain and temporomandibular disorders (TMD)• Hormonal contraception (HC) may affect pain by altering the function of the endogenous opioid system and augmenting serotonin metabolism • HC has been shown to increase experimental heat and ischemic pain sensitivity in women with TMD and migraine headaches • Women using HC also demonstrate decreased pressure pain and tactile thresholds of the temporalis and masseter muscles compared to healthy women not using HC • An association between the use of HC and painful conditions such as migraine headaches and TMD has been described in previous studies although the nature of this association remains unclear • This analysis sought to determine the relationship between HC use and painful symptoms (particularly headaches and orofacial pain

Higher predation risk for insect prey at low latitudes and elevations

Biotic interactions underlie ecosystem structure and function, but predicting interaction outcomes is difficult. We tested the hypothesis that biotic interaction strength increases toward the equator, using a global experiment with model caterpillars to measure predation risk. Across an 11,660-kilometer latitudinal gradient spanning six continents, we found increasing predation toward the equator, with a parallel pattern of increasing predation toward lower elevations. Patterns across both latitude and elevation were driven by arthropod predators, with no systematic trend in attack rates by birds or mammals. These matching gradients at global and regional scales suggest consistent drivers of biotic interaction strength, a finding that needs to be integrated into general theories of herbivory, community organization, and life-history evolution

Putative Risk Factors for Dysmenorrhea from the OPPERA Study

Introduction: Dysmenorrhea is the most common gynecological problem among menstruating women, affecting up to 90% of females during their reproductive years 1,2 • Risk factors for dysmenorrhea are not well described, however it has been associated with young age, early menarche (<12 years) and nulliparity3 • The aims of this investigation are to identify putative risk factors for dysmenorrhea and investigate differences in the severity of menstrual pain among different demographic group

Association Between Gynecological Characteristics and Temporomandibular Disorders: Insights from the OPPERA Study

• Several chronic pain conditions, such as temporomandibular disorders (TMD), are more common in women than in men although the biological mechanisms responsible for this gender disparity are poorly understood • Observational studies suggest that TMD pain is greatest during the late luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and during menses when estrogen levels quickly decline • Also, women with TMD who use hormonal contraception report greater levels of daily pain compared to women not taking hormonal contraception • The aim of this study is to evaluate gynecological characteristics that are putative risk factors for TMD: parity, use of hormonal contraception, and self-reported pain levels and psychological symptoms over the course of the menstrual cycl

Using technology for improving population health: comparing classroom vs. online training for peer community health advisors in African American churches

Technology is increasingly used in health promotion interventions. Project HEAL (Health Through Early Awareness and Learning) compared two methods of training lay community health advisors (CHAs): 1) the traditional/classroom approach vs. 2) a new online training system.https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-10-S1-A6