Effectiveness of the Promotora (Community Health Worker) Model of Intervention for Improving Pesticide Safety in US/Mexico Border Homes

A variety of environmental health issues occur within homes along the US/Mexico border region. Individuals living in this region are often not aware that specific issues, including pesticide safety, occur in their homes and may not understand the potential adverse effects of pesticide use on their families’ health. The Environmental Health/Home Safety Education Project created by the Southern Area Health Education Center at New Mexico State University, utilizes promotoras (community health workers) to educate clients on pesticide safety issues. Data from 367 pre/post tests and home assessments were collected from 2002-2005. The data were analyzed to detect changes in clients’ knowledge or behavior as they related to protecting themselves and their families against unsafe pesticide use and storage. Statistically significant changes occurred with both knowledge and behavior in regards to safe pesticide use. Through this culturally appropriate intervention, the promotoras provide practical information allowing clients to make their homes safer

Awareness and knowledge of HIV/AIDS among female Indian university students in South India and as immigrants in the U.S.- Mexico border region

The prevention of HIV/AIDS is a major global public health goal. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) estimates that 33 million individuals are infected with HIV worldwide and over two million of these cases are from India. The main mode of transmission of HIV in India is heterosexual contact. In the past decades there has been a steady increase in immigration rates from India to the U.S. Education and marriage are the main reasons for immigration from India to the U.S. In general, the frequently risky sexual and substance use behaviors of college students in India and U.S. place them at risk for infection with HIV. India currently accounts for the highest number of foreign students attending U.S. Universities and at least 300 Indian students are enrolled per semester in the Paso del Norte border region universities in West Texas and Southern New Mexico. Prevention of HIV/AIDS is a major health concern in the U.S.-Mexico border and the factors affecting HIV vulnerability and risk must be understood with relevance to all sub-groups in the region in order to implement effective HIV prevention strategies. The large number of Indian college students in the region comprises one of these subgroups and, unique factors related to immigration may be affecting their HIV vulnerability, risk and resilience. Research shows that migration can affect perceptions about sexuality and sexual relations to reconstructs norms that can affect HIV risk behaviors. Acculturation and acculturative stress may also influence HIV risk in immigrant populations by modifying their HIV risk behaviors. Indian women in particular are seen to be at high risk for HIV due to traditional social norms and gender expectations. These norms may interact with factors in their receiving environment (U.S.) to affect their HIV vulnerability, risk and resilience and, may also cause certain individuals to exhibit positive deviance with respect to reducing their HIV risk. However, there is a dearth of studies comparing the factors in the sending and receiving environments affecting the HIV risk of immigrant populations, at the same point in time. The concomitant comparison of both environments is essential to the understanding of how migration can affect HIV risk through reconstructions of norms since both these environments are dynamic and evolving. Helping to close this research gap is the main goal of the present qualitative exploratory study which derives its multi-level theoretical framework from constructs the Health Belief Model, Social Learning Theory, Culture Theory, Theory of Social Proximity of HIV and AIDS, and John Berry’s Acculturation Model. The specific aims of this qualitative research are (1) to investigate the specific knowledge and attitudes regarding HIV/AIDS among female Indian University students in South India, and female Indian students as immigrants in the U.S.-Mexico border region; (2) to explore perceived individual and community risk of HIV infection among female Indian university students in relation to their initial acculturation process; and (3) to investigate the interaction between the sending and receiving environments, and the female Indian university students, and compare factors which affect their vulnerability, risk and resilience for HIV infection as students, immigrants, and women. The data collection in the U.S. involved individual in-depth interviews with 15 female Indian university students, two focus group interviews with 6 female and 5 male Indian university students, respectively, and in-depth interviews with 6 local border area key informants. In India, the data collection included individual in-depth interviews with 21 female university students, two focus group interviews consisting of 10 female and 10 male university students each, and 9 individual in-depth interviews with local key informants from a South Indian city. The study results indicated that personal HIV risk perception may not be related to having adequate knowledge of HIV/AIDS and awareness about HIV risk behaviors within immediate social networks. HIV risk behaviors prevalent in the social networks of the participants may be shaped by factors in both their sending and receiving environments such as structural and social norms. Structural inequalities may co-factor with socio-cultural and gender norms to magnify female Indian college students’ risk for HIV through heterosexual contact. Study findings also indicate the evidence of positive deviance with respect to HIV risk reduction in the study population. The current study findings shed light on the multiple migration-related contexts which may intersect to shape the vulnerability, risk and resilience of the South Indian female college students in the U.S. to HIV, and their implications for HIV/AIDS prevention research

A qualitative exploratory study on gender identity and the health risks and barriers to care for transgender women living in a U.S.–Mexico border city

© 2017 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. This exploratory, qualitative study examined the health risks and barriers to care for transgender women who live in a U.S.–Mexico border city. Individual in-depth interviews were conducted with 13 self-identified transgender women in El Paso, Texas, seven of whom identified as Latina. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded for analysis of emerging themes, using the qualitative analysis software Atlas.ti (v.7.0). The themes that emerged are (1) self-acceptance of transgender identity; (2) acceptance of transgender identity within social networks; and (3) health risks, including body modifications and barriers to health care. The findings reveal phases of self-acceptance of transgender identity, a high level of health risks, scarce health services resources, and low levels of acceptance from family, friends, and partners. This study provides an important contribution to the health disparities literature on gender identity and health risks and the needs of transgender women, particularly in a U.S.–Mexico border context

Partner Violence among Female Students Attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in Emerging Adulthood

© 2020 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Studies examining college dating violence to date have focused exclusively on university settings where White students are overrepresented and Black students are limited. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), which have traditionally matriculated Black American students, present a compelling case for study as empirical evidence has shown that Black females experience a higher rate of violence compared to their White counterparts. Using data from the Historically Black College and University Campus Sexual Assault (HBCU-CSA) Study, this study examined contextual and individual factors that were associated with partner violence victimization and perpetration among female undergraduate students attending HBCUs in their emerging adulthood. In sum, our study found a constellation of contextual factors (i.e., residence on campus, community engagement) and individual factors (i.e., depressive symptoms, adverse sexual experience, substance use, condom use, drug use before sex, ever been married) that were associated with partner violence among female undergraduate students attending HBCUs

Research participant recruitment in hispanic communities: Lessons learned

Hidden/special populations such as new immigrants are hard-to-reach due to issues such as stigma, discrimination, fear of immigration authorities, and cultural norms. Such factors can affect the recruitment of participants for behavioral research, especially research which addresses stigmatizing conditions such as HIV/AIDS. This research involved a qualitative approach and methods. The study identified contextual factors as well as attitudes, experiences and beliefs affecting HIV risk among recent Hispanic immigrants in New York. During the course of this research, challenges to participant recruitment were identified which were related to the environments, characteristics of the populations, and the sensitive nature of the topic to be studied. Strategies including exploratory fieldwork and sensitivity to participants\u27 fear of \u27\u27the system\u27\u27 were effective in recruiting individuals from this population. The authors discuss the strategies which facilitated recruitment of research subjects from these new Hispanic immigrant communities and the importance of behavioral research among these vulnerable communities. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

The Environmental Health/Home Safety Education Project: A Successful and Practical U.S.-Mexico Border Initiative

The Environmental Health/Home Safety Education Project (Proyecto de Salud Ambiental y Seguridad en el Hogar) has been developed in response to a wide array of severe and often preventable environmental health issues occurring in and around homes on the U.S.—Mexico border. Utilizing well-trained community members, called promotoras, homes are visited and assessed for potential environmental hazards, including home fire and food safety issues. Data analyzed from project years 2002 to 2005 shows a significant impact in knowledge levels and initial behavior change among targeted participants as it relates to fire and food safety issues. Since the initiation of the project in 1999, hundreds of participants have improved their quality of life by making their homes safer. The project has proven to be sustainable, replicable, flexible, and attractive to funders. © 2010, Society for Public Health Education. All rights reserved

Best practices for community gardening in a US-Mexico border community

© 2016 The Author. Minority communities such as those on the US-Mexico border are placed at disproportionate high risk for child and adult obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. A built environment characterized by an arid desert climate, lack of access to healthy foods, barriers to increasing physical activity, cultural and community norms which deter healthy eating and sustainable food production, shape obesityrelated health disparities in these communities. Three pilot community gardens (implemented by two local governmental organizations and one community-based organization) were funded through the local Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) initiative in El Paso, Texas, and Las Cruces and Anthony, New Mexico (US-MX border communities with high obesity rates) in order to encourage healthy lifestyles among families in the region. A mixed-methods evaluation (n = 223) examined the implementation process, immediate outcomes and best practices of implementing and sustaining community gardens in these minority binational communities. In addition to nutrition-related outcomes, the potential for psychosocial outcomes from participating in community and school garden projects were observed. The best practices in relation to (i) assessing community norms related to growing food, (ii) increasing access to land and water for community/school gardening and (iii) enhancing social support for gardening are discussed. The implications of these best practices for obesity prevention and implementing community gardens in a minority US-MX border community characterized by cultural, geographical and socioeconomic barriers are examined

Family- and community-related determinants of intimate partner violence among Mexican and Puerto Rican origin mothers in fragile families

© 2017 Elsevier Ltd Hispanics are frequently categorized under one homogeneous group in existing intimate partner violence research, presenting a challenge for practitioners and researchers interested in assessing potentially unique public health concerns of each subgroup. Using the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, this study examined the family- and community-related determinants of intimate partner violence experienced by mothers of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent. The respondents\u27 self-reported physical violence and power control are two key measures of IPV. Our study found statistical differences between the Mexican and Puerto Rican origin respondents\u27 experiences with IPV. Specifically, father infidelity and parenting concordance functioned as risk and protective factors, respectively, for the Mexican origin mothers\u27 experiences of relational violence. In the case of the Puerto Rican origin respondents, higher level of spousal support, collective efficacy, and social disorganization were linked to less violence, while increased emotional distance and higher level of baseline education were associated with more violence

Pain intensity and mental health quality of life in veterans with mental illnesses: the intermediary role of physical health and the ability to participate in activities

© 2020, Springer Nature Switzerland AG. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the intermediary role of physical health quality of life and ability to participate social roles and activities in the relationship between pain intensity and mental health quality of life in veterans with mental illnesses. Methods: This is a cross-sectional correlational design study. Our participants are 156 veterans with self-reported mental illness (Mage = 37.85; SDage = 10.74). Descriptive, correlation, and mediation analyses were conducted for the current study. Results: Pain intensity was negatively correlated with physical health QOL, ability to participate in social roles and activities, and mental health QOL. Physical health QOL and ability to participate in social roles and activities were positively associated with mental health QOL, respectively. Physical health QOL was positively correlated with a ability to participate in social roles and activities. Study results indicate that the effect of pain intensity on mental health QOL can be explained by physical health QOL and ability to participate. Conclusions: Specific recommendations for practitioners include implementing treatment goals that simultaneously focus on physical health and ability to participate in social roles and activities for clients who present with both physical pain and low mental health QOL