Using Implementation Mapping For the adoption and Implementation of Target:Bp in Community Health Centers

BACKGROUND: Despite the availability of multilevel evidence-based interventions for blood pressure management, poor hypertension control is common among community health center patient populations across the state of Texas and the United States. METHODS: We used Implementation Mapping (IM) to identify barriers and facilitators influencing the adoption and implementation of the RESULTS: As part of the needs and capacity assessment, we collected data through interviews with CHC staff, examining gaps in needs and services (e.g., what do clinics need to implement DISCUSSION: This paper provides an example of using Implementation Mapping to develop strategies to increase the adoption and implementation of evidence-based cardiovascular risk reduction interventions in Community Health Centers. The use of implementation strategies can increase the use o

Pilot Study to Assess the Effectiveness of the Sustainable Culturally adaptive Nutrition Program (Scan) to Improve adherence to the National Diabetes Prevention Program

PURPOSE: The Sustainable Culturally Adapted Nutrition Program (SCAN) is a novel adaptation to the National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) that aims to improve attendance and effectiveness. This paper presents its feasibility and impact through the initial 6-month outcomes. DESIGN: A pragmatic quasi-experimental pilot study with intervention (DPP plus SCAN) and control (DPP only) groups. SAMPLES AND INCLUSION CRITERIA: Sustainable Culturally Adapted Nutrition Program participants were recruited from federally qualified health center (FQHC) clinic patients enrolled in a NDPP in Houston, Texas. Participants needed to be (1) ≥18 years old, (2) body mass index \u3e25, (3) no prior diagnosis of diabetes, and (4) not pregnant. INTERVENTION: Sustainable Culturally Adapted Nutrition Program cooking classes were designed to teach skills to prepare fresh produce, and utilized Motivational Interviewing (MI) techniques to encourage participants to adapt these skills for foods that were culturally important to them. OUTCOME MEASURES: (1) National Diabetes Prevention Program attendance, (2) BMI and (3) percent weight loss. ANALYSIS: We used linear mixed models to test the association between weights and NDPP attendance. RESULTS: 22 intervention and 15 control participants completed the program to the 6-month point. Intervention participants had increased DPP attendance over controls (7.14 vs 6.87 session). Intervention participants also demonstrated on average, 1.5% weight loss for each additional SCAN class attended ( CONCLUSIONS: The SCAN adaptation shows promising results for effectively increasing both NDPP attendance and weight loss

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data