Mi Cuerpo, Nuestra Responsabilidad: Using Photovoice to describe the assets and barriers to sexual and reproductive health among Latinos in North Carolina

Latinos in North Carolina experience disparities in sexual and reproductive health. To identify and explore assets for and barriers to sexual and reproductive health in the Latino community, an academic-community partnership engaged community health workers (CHW) in Photovoice, a participatory qualitative research methodology. Five sessions were completed in which CHW agreed on photo assignments and discussed the photos. Themes included the role of men, cultural taboos, and the effect of undocumented immigrant status on access to resources. Findings were presented at a community forum. Building on the strengths of CHW to reduce barriers to sexual and reproductive health is a viable strategy to address disparities

El Pueblo, Inc.: Strengthening El Pueblo's Sexual and Reproductive Health Program for Latino/a Youth in North Carolina

Background: Latinos/as in the United States face significant sexual and reproductive health (SRH) disparities; the rapidly growing Latino/a population in Wake County, North Carolina is no exception. El Pueblo, Inc. is a nonprofit agency that aims to bridge the gap between the needs of the Latino/a community and available resources in Wake County. One way in which El Pueblo achieves this is through a youth SRH education program called Nuestros Derechos sin Fronteras (DsF), or Our Rights Have No Borders. During the 2011-2012 academic year, a Capstone team from the Health Behavior Department at the UNC-Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health partnered with El Pueblo to complete a project aimed at strengthening the DsF program. Methods: The Capstone team conducted informal community engagement and formal assessment activities, including 15 in-depth interviews with El Pueblo staff and four focus groups with youth who have participated in DsF, and their parents. The Capstone team conducted a qualitative analysis of interview and focus group summary reports, the results of which were used to develop four major deliverables aimed at strengthening the DsF program. The Capstone team additionally conducted a literature review and resource scan to supplement engagement and assessment findings. Results: The results from community engagement emphasized the key factors of upmost importance to the Latino/a community and El Pueblo; these included cultural values, structural discrimination against immigrants, and bi-cultural and generational challenges for Latino/a youth. The results from assessment activities provided direct feedback regarding the DsF program; findings included an emphasis on funding and evaluation challenges, the importance of holistic SRH education for Latino/a youth, an increased need for synergy across El Pueblo programs, and an emphasis on male involvement. Sustainability findings place an emphasis on institutionalization of DsF within El Pueblo and capacity building for program continuation. These findings were all addressed through the four deliverables produced by the Capstone team. Discussion: The Capstone project's findings and subsequent deliverables add value to El Pueblo's SRH programming and provide significant benefits to Latino/a youth in North Carolina. These deliverables will lead to improved knowledge and skills among youth participants, and enhanced program sustainability, which will ultimately lead to improved SRH outcomes for Latino/a youth in North Carolina. Specific limitations and challenges are acknowledged, and are accompanied by recommendations regarding the use of project deliverables and next steps in order to ensure that maximum benefits are achieved.Master of Public Healt

Using the PRECEDE Planning Approach to Develop a Physical Activity Intervention for African American Men Who Visit Barbershops: Results From the FITShop Study

African American (AA) men have a higher prevalence of many chronic disease risk behaviors compared to Caucasian men, including physical inactivity. Innovative ways to reach AA men with interventions to increase physical activity (PA) and decrease other key risk factors are needed to reduce health disparities in this population. The barbershop is a natural but underutilized setting for reaching AA men. In the Fitness in the Shop (FITShop) study, shop owners, barbers, and customers were recruited from four local barbershops to complete structured interviews and customer focus groups. We assessed knowledge, perceived barriers, and interests/concerns about PA, as well as explored how to best intervene in the barbershop. Barbers and customers endorsed the idea of receiving health and PA information in the barbershop. These formative research results generated information and strategies for developing a multilevel barbershop-based health intervention to promote PA in the barbershop. This article describes the formative research results and how PRECEDE was used to develop a culturally and contextually appropriate, multilevel barbershop-based intervention designed to promote PA and to reduce chronic disease disparities among AA men

Parks: A vital community condition

Parks and green spaces serve as integral components of the fabric that comprises social determinants of health. These “green drug stores” are upstream factors that provide physical, mental and social, and environment-related health and well-being benefits. Yet, 100 million people in the United States lack access to a park within a 10-minute walk of their homes. These natural or semi-natural outdoor public spaces hold significant underexplored potential for the health of communities. Decisionmakers across the spectrum of community members, practitioners, researchers, and policymakers have the opportunity to leverage parks as a proactive tool for healthy, resilient, and more equitable places. This article aims to highlight the role of parks and green space in generating community health. It includes a brief review of benefits offered as described in the health literature, challenges experienced in elevating parks for health, potential innovative solutions, and three short case studies and lessons learned about parks and community well-being. The overarching conclusions emphasize (a) access, quality, and inclusion as core pillars in advancing the work, (b) placing community voice at the center, and (c) furthering cross-sectoral partnerships in the design of public spaces

Parks: A vital community condition

Parks and green spaces serve as integral components of the fabric that comprises social determinants of health. These “green drug stores” are upstream factors that provide physical, mental and social, and environment-related health and well-being benefits. Yet, 100 million people in the United States lack access to a park within a 10-minute walk of their homes. These natural or semi-natural outdoor public spaces hold significant underexplored potential for the health of communities. Decisionmakers across the spectrum of community members, practitioners, researchers, and policymakers have the opportunity to leverage parks as a proactive tool for healthy, resilient, and more equitable places. This article aims to highlight the role of parks and green space in generating community health. It includes a brief review of benefits offered as described in the health literature, challenges experienced in elevating parks for health, potential innovative solutions, and three short case studies and lessons learned about parks and community well-being. The overarching conclusions emphasize (a) access, quality, and inclusion as core pillars in advancing the work, (b) placing community voice at the center, and (c) furthering cross-sectoral partnerships in the design of public spaces

Family Planning in Substance Use Disorder Treatment Centers: Opportunities and Challenges

<p><i>Background</i>: Alcohol, tobacco, and drug use during pregnancy can cause a range of adverse birth outcomes. Promoting family planning among women with substance use disorders (SUD) can help reduce substance exposed pregnancies. <i>Objectives</i>: We conducted qualitative research to determine the acceptability and feasibility of offering family planning education and services SUD treatment centers. <i>Methods</i>: Focus groups and in-depth interviews were conducted with clients, staff and medical providers at three treatment centers. Interviews were transcribed and data was analyzed using a flexible coding scheme. <i>Results</i>: Clients reported being interested in family planning services while they were in treatment. Most preferred to receive these services onsite. Providers also felt that services should be received onsite, though cited several barriers to implementation, including time constraints and staff levels of comfort with the subject. <i>Conclusions/Importance</i>: Women in SUD treatment are open to the integration of family planning services into treatment. Treatment centers have the opportunity to serve as models of client-centered health homes that offer a variety of educational, preventive, and medical services for women in both treatment and recovery.</p