Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Intensity of Care at the End of Life for Patients With Lung Cancer: A 13-Year Population-Based Study.

PURPOSE: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Disparities in lung cancer mortality among racial and ethnic minorities are well documented. Less is known as to whether racial and ethnic minority patients with lung cancer experience higher rates of intensity of care at the end of life (EOL) compared with non-Hispanic White (NHW) patients. METHODS: We conducted a population-based analysis of patients 18 years and older with a lung cancer diagnosis who died between 2005 and 2018 using the California Cancer Registry linked to patient discharge data abstracts. Our primary outcome was intensity of care in the last 14 days before death (defined as any hospital admission or emergency department [ED] visit, intensive care unit [ICU] admission, intubation, cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR], hemodialysis, and death in an acute care setting). We used multivariable logistic regression models to evaluate associations between race and ethnicity and intensity of EOL care. RESULTS: Among 207,429 patients with lung cancer who died from 2005 to 2018, the median age was 74 years (range, 18-107) and 106,821 (51%) were male, 146,872 (70.8%) were NHW, 1,045 (0.5%) were American Indian, 21,697 (10.5%) were Asian Pacific Islander (API), 15,490 (7.5%) were Black, and 22,325 (10.8%) were Hispanic. Compared with NHW patients, in the last 14 days before death, API, Black, and Hispanic patients had greater odds of a hospital admission, an ICU admission, intubation, CPR, and hemodialysis and greater odds of a hospital or ED death. CONCLUSION: Compared with NHW patients, API, Black, and Hispanic patients who died with lung cancer experienced higher intensity of EOL care. Future studies should develop approaches to eliminate such racial and ethnic disparities in care delivery at the EOL.

Vascular health years after a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy: The EPOCH study.

BACKGROUND: Preeclampsia is associated with a two-fold increase in a woman's lifetime risk of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), but the reasons for this association are uncertain. The objective of this study was to examine the associations between vascular health and a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy among women ≥ 2 years postpartum. METHODS: Pre-menopausal women with a history of either a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (cases: preeclampsia or gestational hypertension) or a normotensive pregnancy (controls) were enrolled. Participants were assessed for standard ASCVD risk factors and underwent vascular testing, including measurements of blood pressure, endothelial function, and carotid artery ultrasound. The primary outcomes were blood pressure, ASCVD risk, reactive hyperemia index measured by EndoPAT and carotid intima-medial thickness. The secondary outcomes were augmentation index normalized to 75 beats per minute and pulse wave amplitude measured by EndoPAT, and carotid elastic modulus and carotid beta-stiffness measured by carotid ultrasound. RESULTS: Participants had a mean age of 40.7 years and were 5.7 years since their last pregnancy. In bivariate analyses, cases (N = 68) were more likely than controls (N = 71) to have hypertension (18% vs 4%, P = .034), higher calculated ASCVD risk (0.6 vs 0.4, P = .02), higher blood pressures (systolic: 118.5 vs 111.6 mm Hg, P = .0004; diastolic: 75.2 vs 69.8 mm Hg, P = .0004), and higher augmentation index values (7.7 vs 2.3, P = .03). They did not, however, differ significantly in carotid intima-media thickness (0.5 vs 0.5, P = .29) or reactive hyperemia index (2.1 vs 2.1, P = .93), nor in pulse wave amplitude (416 vs 326, P = .11), carotid elastic modulus (445 vs 426, P = .36), or carotid beta stiffness (2.8 vs 2.8, P = .86). CONCLUSION: Women with a prior hypertensive disorder of pregnancy had higher ASCVD risk and blood pressures several years postpartum, but did not have more endothelial dysfunction or subclinical atherosclerosis.

What matters for weight loss in behavioral trials in the Latinx community: Learnings from three randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Nearly half of Latinx adults in the US are obese, making effective weight loss interventions crucial to prevent associated chronic conditions. OBJECTIVE: To identify factors associated with increased session attendance and clinically significant weight loss among Latinx adults. PARTICIPANTS: Latinx participants from the Vivamos Activos (n = 207), Vida Sana (n = 191), and HOMBRE (n = 424 Latinx men) randomized clinical trials. DESIGN: Post-hoc analysis of randomized controlled trial data. INTERVENTION: Culturally-adapted behavioral weight loss interventions based on the Diabetes Prevention Program among Latinx adults over 12 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Demographic, clinical, and psychosocial predictors of session attendance and 5% weight loss at 12-months. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS PERFORMED: Bi-variable associations between baseline characteristics and outcomes were tested with chi-square and t-tests. Those with p-value< 0.15 were then included in stepwise logistic regressions. RESULTS: Participants (N = 822) were middle age with diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Older age in the Vivamos Activos and Vida Sana trials, and lower acculturation in the HOMBRE trial were significant predictors of increased session attendance. Factors associated with 5% weight loss varied by trials. These included younger age (OR 0.96 95% CI 0.92, 0.99) in Vivamos Activos, higher acculturation (OR 1.88 95% CI 1.05, 3.37) in Vida Sana, and higher education (OR 3.20 95% CI 1.3, 7.03) and greater body image dissatisfaction (OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.04, 1.6), and lower acculturation (0.69 95% CI 0.5, 0.96) in HOMBRE. CONCLUSIONS: Few and conflicting baseline characteristics were associated with session attendance and clinically significant weight loss, suggesting that alternative approaches to optimizing interventions are needed.

Community Engagement in Behavioral Medicine: A Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: Behavioral medicine has made key contributions toward improving health outcomes. Engaging community partners in research is critical to addressing persistent health inequities. The aim of this scoping review was to explore how researchers engaged community partners within the field of behavioral medicine research from 2005 to 2023. METHOD: Publication databases and gray literature were searched for research that engaged community partners to address questions relevant to behavioral medicine. Articles were screened by title and abstract, and then by full text. Articles meeting the inclusion criteria were coded using the framework provided by the Engagement Navigator to identify engagement approaches, methods, and tools and when they were used during the research. RESULTS: Of 1486 articles initially identified, 58 met the inclusion criteria. Most articles used well-known approaches (e.g., community-based participatory research; 67%), methods (e.g., advisory committees; 59%), and tools (e.g., interviews; 41%), and engaged with healthcare service providers (62%) and/or patients (53%). Community partners were most often included in research planning and design (79%), and less often in dissemination (45%). CONCLUSION: Community engagement has considerable potential to address health inequities. Our assessment of the approaches, methods, and tools used by behavioral medicine researchers to engage with a diverse range of community partners points toward promising strategies for enhancing the impact of community engagement. Researchers should incorporate explicit descriptions of community engagement strategies in publications, an outcome that could be facilitated by clear publishing guidelines, structured reporting tools, and clear messaging from funders about the value of community engagement in behavioral medicine research.

Community of Practice of Promotoras de Salud to address health inequities during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Using principles of Community-Based Participatory Research, we describe a community of practice for community health workers and promotoras (CHW/Ps) to address COVID-19 inequities in the Latinx community. We offer a concrete example of how programs can engage CHW/Ps as full partners in the research process, and how programs can support CHW/Ps' capacity and workforce development during implementation. We conducted four focus groups with CHW/Ps (n = 31) to understand needs and invited 15 participants to the community of practice to work on issues identified by the group. We examined impact according to number of community members reached, types of outreach activities, surveys, and online views of educational materials. Process evaluation involved two focus groups with seven organizations and a Ripple Effects Mapping session with the CHW/Ps. Our community of practice has built CHW/Ps' capacity via 31 workshop and co-created culturally and linguistically relevant COVID-19 materials that have reached over 40,000 community members and over 3 million people online. The community of practice proved effective in supporting CHW/Ps to address COVID-19 inequities in the Latinx community. Our evaluations demonstrated benefits for community-academic partnerships, for CHW/Ps, and for the community. This model represents an innovative workforce training model to address health inequities and can be applied to other health topics.

Mediating Effects of Neural Targets on Depression, Weight, and Anxiety Outcomes of an Integrated Collaborative Care Intervention: The ENGAGE-2 Mechanistic Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: Integrated treatments for comorbid depression (often with anxiety) and obesity are lacking; mechanisms are poorly investigated. Methods: In a mechanistic pilot trial, adults with body mass index ≥30 and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores ≥10 were randomized to usual care (n = 35) or an integrated behavioral intervention (n = 71). Changes at 6 months in body mass index and Depression Symptom Checklist-20 scores were co-primary outcomes, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 score was a secondary outcome. Changes at 2 months in the activation and functional connectivity of regions of interest in the negative affect circuit were primary neural targets, and secondary targets were in the cognitive control, default mode, and positive affect circuits. Results: Participants were 47.0 years (SD = 11.9 years), 76% women, 55% Black, and 20% Latino. Depression Symptom Checklist-20 (between-group difference, -0.3 [95% CI: -0.6 to -0.1]) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (-2.9 [-4.7 to -1.1]) scores, but not body mass index, decreased significantly at 6 months in the intervention versus usual care groups. Only Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 score changes at 6 months significantly correlated with neural target changes at 2 months in the negative affect (anterior insula, subgenual/pregenual anterior cingulate cortex, amygdala) and cognitive control circuits (dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex). Effects were medium to large (0.41-1.18 SDs). Neural target changes at 2 months in the cognitive control circuit only differed by treatment group. Effects were medium (0.58-0.79 SDs). Conclusions: Compared with usual care, the study intervention led to significantly improved depression but not weight loss, and the results on neural targets were null for both outcomes. The significant intervention effect on anxiety might be mediated through changes in the cognitive control circuit, but this warrants replication.

Greater Improvement in Obesity Among Children With Prediabetes in a Clinical Weight Management Program.

Background: There is a range of responses among individuals seen for medical management of their obesity. This retrospective analysis of longitudinal data considers the relationship between identified prediabetes and subsequent weight change among children (8-17 years) in a weight management clinic. Methods: Analysis included 733 patients (2687 visits in 2008-2016) with overweight and obesity (but not diabetes) whose referral laboratories included a hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) within 90 days. Mixed-effects modeling examined the association between baseline prediabetes (serum HbA1c 5.7%-6.4%) and growth curve of percentage of the 95th percentile for BMI (%BMIp95). Random effects (individual growth curves) and fixed effects (prediabetes status, starting age and %BMIp95, sex, race/ethnicity, and linear slope and quadratic term of months since the initial visit) were modeled. Interactions between prediabetes and elapsed time estimated the influence of a recent prediabetic-range HbA1c on weight during the subsequent 12 months. Results: Mean %BMIp95 was 125.5% (SD 22.5), corresponding to severe obesity, and 35% had prediabetes. Adjusted monthly decrease in %BMIp95 was stronger for children with prediabetes compared with the peers in this clinic (slope: -0.62, standard error 0.10, p < 0.001). Conclusion: There was greater weight improvement among children with prediabetes compared with their peers with normal HbA1c.

Engaging diverse midlife and older adults in a multilevel participatory physical activity intervention: evaluating impacts using Ripple Effects Mapping.

Multilevel interventions are increasingly recommended to increase physical activity (PA) but can present evaluation challenges. Participatory qualitative evaluation methods can complement standard quantitative methods by identifying participant-centered outcomes and potential mechanisms of individual and community-level change. We assessed the feasibility and utility of Ripple Effects Mapping (REM), a novel qualitative method, within the context of a multi-level cluster randomized trial, Steps for Change. Housing sites with ethnically diverse, low-income aging adults were randomized to a PA behavioral intervention alone or in combination with a citizen science-based intervention (Our Voice) for promoting PA-supportive neighborhoods. Four REM sessions were conducted after 12 months of intervention and involved six housing sites (n = 35 participants) stratified by intervention arm. Interviews (n = 5) were also conducted with housing site staff. Sessions leaders engaged participants in visually mapping intended and unintended outcomes of intervention participation and participant-driven solutions to reported challenges. Maps were analyzed using Excel and Xmind 8 Pro and data were classified according to the socio-ecological model. Eight themes were identified for outcomes, challenges, and solutions. Most themes (6/8) were similar across intervention arms, including increasing PA and PA tracking, improving health outcomes, and increasing social connectedness. Groups (n = 2) engaged in Our Voice additionally identified increased community knowledge and activities directly impacting local environmental change (e.g., pedestrian infrastructure changes). Housing staff interviews revealed additional information to enhance future intervention recruitment, sustainability, and implementation. Such qualitative methodologies can aid in evaluating multi-level, multi-component interventions and inform future intervention optimization, implementation, and dissemination.

Improving lifestyle behaviors is a complex task. Interventions to support such change often have multiple components, making their evaluation difficult. Within the context of an intervention trial delivered at senior public housing sites and designed to increase physical activity among ethno-racially diverse aging adults, we assessed the utility of a novel method, called Ripple Effects Mapping (REM), in identifying useful information for additional refinement of the interventions being studied. We facilitated REM sessions across 6 study sites. Using this method, we were able to uncover useful information, including expected and unexpected outcomes of the interventions from the perspective of the participants themselves. We also learned about participants' own challenges and solutions to problems they encountered during the intervention period, and how these kinds of interventions can be further revised to be most helpful in other settings and with similar populations. Thus, these types of participant-centered methods are feasible and can complement more traditional, investigator-driven evaluation efforts, particularly for complex interventions or those with multiple components. They can also inform scientists about the outcomes most valued by participants, how those outcomes came about, and how future interventions can enhance and sustain healthy behavior change over time.

Addressing food insecurity and chronic conditions in community health centres: protocol of a quasi-experimental evaluation of Recipe4Health.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic conditions, such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease and depression, are highly prevalent and frequently co-occur with food insecurity in communities served by community health centres in the USA. Community health centres are increasingly implementing 'Food as Medicine' programmes to address the dual challenge of chronic conditions and food insecurity, yet they have been infrequently evaluated. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The goal of this quasi-experimental study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Recipe4Health, a 'Food as Medicine' programme. Recipe4Health includes two components: (1) a 'Food Farmacy' that includes 16 weekly deliveries of produce and (2) a 'Behavioural Pharmacy' which is a group medical visit. We will use mixed models to compare pre/post changes among participants who receive the Food Farmacy alone (n=250) and those who receive the Food Farmacy and Behavioural Pharmacy (n=140). The primary outcome, fruit and vegetable consumption, and secondary outcomes (eg, food security status, physical activity, depressive symptoms) will be collected via survey. We will also use electronic health record (EHR) data on laboratory values, prescriptions and healthcare usage. Propensity score matching will be used to compare Recipe4Health participants to a control group of patients in clinics where Recipe4Health has not been implemented for EHR-derived outcomes. Data from surveys, EHR, group visit attendance and produce delivery is linked with a common identifier (medical record number) and then deidentified for analysis with use of an assigned unique study ID. This study will provide important preliminary evidence on the effectiveness of primary care-based strategies to address food insecurity and chronic conditions. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study was approved by the Stanford University Institutional Review Board (reference protocol ID 57239). Appropriate study result dissemination will be determined in partnership with the Community Advisory Board.

"My Body, My Rhythm, My Voice": a community dance pilot intervention engaging breast cancer survivors in physical activity in a middle-income country.

BACKGROUND: Interventions to promote physical activity among women breast cancer survivors (BCS) in low- to middle-income countries are limited. We assessed the acceptability and preliminary effectiveness of a theory-driven, group-based dance intervention for BCS delivered in Bogotá, Colombia. METHODS: We conducted a quasi-experimental study employing a mixed-methods approach to assess the 8-week, 3 times/week group dance intervention. The effect of the intervention on participants' physical activity levels (measured by accelerometry), motivation to engage in physical activity, and quality of life were evaluated using generalized estimating equation analysis. The qualitative method included semi-structured interviews thematically analyzed to evaluate program acceptability. RESULTS: Sixty-four BCS were allocated to the intervention (n = 31) or the control groups (n = 33). In the intervention arm, 84% attended ≥ 60% of sessions. We found increases on average minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day (intervention: +8.99 vs control: -3.7 min), and in ratings of motivation (intervention change score = 0.45, vs. control change score= -0.05). BCS reported improvements in perceived behavioral capabilities to be active, captured through the interviews. CONCLUSIONS: The high attendance, behavioral changes, and successful delivery indicate the potential effectiveness, feasibility, and scalability of the intervention for BCS in Colombia. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrial.gov NCT05252780, registered on Dec 7th, 2021-retrospectively registered unique protocol ID: P20CA217199-9492018.

Pandemic Through the Lens of Black Barbershops: COVID-19's Impact and Barbers' Potential Role as Public Health Extenders.

We examined the impact of COVID-19 on Black barbershops and their potential role as public health extenders. A 30-item survey was distributed to predominantly Black barbershop owners and barbers across 40 different states/territories in the US between June and October 2020. The survey addressed the impact of COVID-19 on Black barbershops, and barbers' interest in engaging in health outreach programs. The majority reported that stay-at-home orders had significant to severe impact on their business; few were prepared for the financial impact and less than half thought they qualified for government assistance. The majority were already providing health education and outreach to the Black community and showed interest in continuing to provide such services, like information on COVID-19. Barbers in Black-serving barbershops, a well-documented effective place for public health outreach to the Black community, show promise as public health extenders in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Exploring cancer care needs for Latinx adults: a qualitative evaluation.

PURPOSE: Latinx adults with cancer, as compared with non-Latinx White adults, are diagnosed with more advanced stages and experience worse quality of life. Identifying barriers in cancer care among low-income Latinx adults is crucial to designing and implementing culturally appropriate interventions. The objective of this study was to explore the specific barriers encountered by Latinx adults after a cancer diagnosis and perspectives on the use of community health workers (CHWs) to address these barriers. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with low-income Latinx adults with a past or current history of cancer and/or their caregivers in a community oncology clinic located in an agricultural community in California. Analysis was based in grounded theory and performed using the constant comparative method. RESULTS: Sixteen interviews were conducted with patients alone (n = 11), a caregiver alone (n = 1), and patient-caregiver pairs (n = 4 patients; n = 4 caregivers). Four major themes emerged: (1) low cancer health literacy including cancer diagnosis and treatment, cancer fatalism, navigating next steps after diagnosis, advance directives, and precision medicine; (2) challenges in communicating and receiving supportive services due to language barriers; (3) stress and anxiety regarding financial hardships related to job loss, insurance barriers, and the COVID-19 pandemic; (4) the need for supportive, bilingual, and bicultural personnel to assist in overcoming these challenges. CONCLUSIONS: Low-income Latinx adults with cancer and their caregivers experience health literacy, communication, and financial barriers that impede quality cancer care delivery. Embedding CHWs in the care team could be one way to address these barriers to culturally concordant, accessible care.

Community engagement education in academic health centers, colleges, and universities.

Community engagement (CE) is critical for advancing health equity and a key approach for promoting inclusive clinical and translational science. However, it requires a workforce trained to effectively design, implement, and evaluate health promotion and improvement strategies through meaningful collaboration with community members. This paper presents an approach for designing CE curricula for research, education, clinical care, and public health learners. A general pedagogical framework is presented to support curriculum development with the inclusion of community members as facilitators or faculty. The overall goal of the curriculum is envisioned as enabling learners to effectively demonstrate the principles of CE in working with community members on issues of concern to communities to promote health and well-being. We highlight transformations needed for the commonly used critical service-learning model and the importance of faculty well-versed in CE. Courses may include didactics and practicums with well-defined objectives and evaluation components. Because of the importance of building and maintaining relationships in CE, a preparatory phase is recommended prior to experiential learning, which should be guided and designed to include debriefing and reflective learning. Depending on the scope of the course, evaluation should include community perspectives on the experience.

Corrigendum: COVID-19 preventive measures in Northern California jails: Perceived deficiencies, barriers, and unintended harms.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.854343.].

Community health workers and precision medicine: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Precision cancer care has reduced cancer-related mortality. However, minorities remain less likely to receive precision medicine than White populations with cancer due to language and system-level barriers. Precision medicine knowledge increases involvement in treatment decisions and receipt of such treatment. Few interventions exist that seek to improve precision medicine knowledge among low-income and racial and ethnic minorities with cancer. METHODS: We designed a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a community health worker (CHW)-delivered intervention on patients' knowledge of precision medicine in partnership with a community oncology clinic in Monterey County, California. Eligibility includes adults with newly diagnosed, progression or recurrence of cancer, low-income, or racial and ethnic minorities, or uninsured, insured by Medicaid or by a local agricultural employer. We will randomize 110 patients with cancer to the intervention or usual cancer care. The intervention group will be assigned to a CHW who will deliver culturally tailored and personalized education on precision medicine and advance care planning, screen for social determinants of health barriers and connect patients to community resources. The primary outcome is precision medicine knowledge measured by a 6-item survey adapted from Davies at baseline, 3-, 6- and 12-months post-enrollment. Exploratory outcomes include patient satisfaction with decision, activation, health care utilization, and receipt of evidence-based precision medicine care. CONCLUSION: This trial will assess whether the CHW-led intervention can increase knowledge of precision medicine as well as several exploratory outcomes including receipt of evidence-based cancer care among low-income and racial and ethnic minority adults with cancer. CLINICALTRIALS: gov Registration # NCT04843332.

Understanding Historical Trauma Among Urban Indigenous Adults at Risk for Diabetes.

Historical trauma has been posited as a key framework for conceptualizing and addressing health equity in Indigenous populations. Using a community-based participatory approach, this study aimed to examine historical trauma and key psycho-social correlates among urban Indigenous adults at risk for diabetes to inform diabetes and other chronic disease prevention strategies. Indigenous adult participants (n=207) were recruited from an urban area in California and were asked to identify whether their Indigenous heritage was from a group in the United States, Canada, or Latin America. Historical trauma was assessed using the Historical Loss (HLS) and Historical Loss Associated Symptoms (HLAS) scales. Nearly half (49%) of Indigenous participants from the United States or Canada endorsed thinking about one or more historical losses weekly, daily, or several times a day, compared to 32% for Indigenous participants from Mexico, Central America, and South America. Most participants (62%) reported experiencing one or more historical loss-associated symptoms, such as depression and anger, sometimes, often, or always. Ancestry from the United States or Canada, depression, and participation in cultural activities were associated with greater HLS and HLAS scores, indicating a greater number of losses and associated symptoms. Results suggest a need to consider historical trauma when designing diabetes prevention interventions and the need to further consider ancestry differences. As preventive efforts for Indigenous adults expand in urban environments, behavioral interventions must incorporate strategies that address community-identified barriers in order to succeed.

Inclusionary Trials: A Review of Lessons Not Learned.

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed weaknesses in the public health infrastructure of the United States, including persistent barriers to engaging marginalized communities toward inclusion in clinical research, including trials. Inclusive participation in clinical trials is crucial for promoting vaccine confidence, public trust, and addressing disparate health outcomes. A long-standing body of literature describes the value of community-based participatory research in increasing marginalized community participation in research. Community-based participatory research emphasizes shared leadership with community members in all phases of the research process, including in the planning and implementation, interpretation, and dissemination. Shared leadership between academic and industry with marginalized communities can assist with inclusive participation in vaccine trials and increase public trust in the development of the vaccines and other therapies used during public emergencies. Nevertheless, epidemiologic and clinical research do not yet have a strong culture of community partnership in the scientific process, which takes time to build and therefore may be difficult to develop and rapidly scale to respond to the pandemic. We outline practices that contribute to a lack of inclusive participation and suggest steps that trialists and other researchers can take to increase marginalized communities' participation in research. Practices include planning for community engagement during the planning and recruitment phases, having regular dialogues with communities about their priorities, supporting them throughout a study, and navigating complex structural determinants of health. Additionally, we discuss how research institutions can support inclusive practices by reexamining their policies to increase participation in clinical trials and instilling institutional trustworthiness.

The Value of Contemplative Practices: A Mixed Methods Approach Exploring Associations between Resilience and Experiences of the COVID-19 Pandemic among Older Adults.

The aim of this study was to explore the association between resilience and experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic among older adults. We used a sequential explanatory mixed methods study design to recruit older adults who spoke English and were 60 and above during the pandemic. Survey data investigated older adults' resilience, post-traumatic growth, well-being, and demographics. Extreme case purposeful sampling of their resilience score was used to select interviewees. Qualitative data sought to understand the relationship between resilience and how older adults responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. Exploring the relationship between resilience (well-being in the face of challenge) and one's experience of the COVID-19 pandemic revealed that participants categorized as having high resilience had long held behaviors of contemplative practices that helped them effectively adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic. As we continue to face global challenges, we must redefine care, guide interventions, and promote healthy aging by incorporating contemplative practices into the lives of older adults.

COVID-19 Preventive Measures in Northern California Jails: Perceived Deficiencies, Barriers, and Unintended Harms.

Background: Carceral facilities are high-risk settings for COVID-19 transmission. Little is known about the hidden burden of infection or practical barriers to infection control in these settings, especially in jails. There is also limited research on the mental health impacts of the pandemic among people living and working in carceral facilities. Methods: Between July 8, 2020 and April 30, 2021, we performed SARS-CoV-2 rapid antibody testing and administered a questionnaire among residents and staff of four Northern California jails. We utilized multivariable logistic regression, adjusting for demographic and carceral characteristics, to analyze factors associated with prior infection, including perceived likelihood of prior infection and access to new masks. We additionally assessed the implementation of, perceptions toward, and impacts of COVID-19 policies in practice. We engaged stakeholder representatives, including incarcerated individuals, to guide study design, procedures, and results interpretation. Results: We enrolled 788 jail residents and 380 jail staff. Nearly half of residents and two-thirds of staff who were antibody-positive had not previously tested positive for COVID-19. Among residents without a prior COVID-19 diagnosis, antibody positivity was significantly associated with perceived likelihood of prior infection (adjusted OR = 8.9; 95% CI, 3.6-22.0). Residents who had flu-like illness in jail cited inadequate responses to reported illness and deterrents to symptom reporting, including fears of medical isolation and perceptions of medical neglect. Residents also disclosed deficient access to face masks, which was associated with antibody positivity (adjusted OR = 13.8, 95% CI, 1.8-107.0). Worsened mental health was pervasive among residents, attributed not only to fear of COVID-19 and unsanitary jail conditions but also to intensified isolation and deprivation due to pandemic restrictions on in-person visitation, programs, and recreation time. Conclusion: Carceral settings present significant challenges to maintaining infection control and human rights. Custody officials should work diligently to transform the conditions of medical isolation, which could mitigate deterrents to symptom reporting. Furthermore, they should minimize use of restrictive measures like lockdowns and suspension of visitation that exacerbate the mental health harms of incarceration. Instead, custody officials should ensure comprehensive implementation of other preventive strategies like masking, testing, and vaccination, in conjunction with multisector efforts to advance decarceration.

Cross-sector co-creation of a community-based physical activity program for breast cancer survivors in Colombia.

Benefits of physical activity (PA) in breast cancer survivors (BCS) are well established. However, programs to promote PA among BCS tailored to real-world contexts within low- to middle-income countries are limited. Cross-sector co-creation can be key to effective and scalable programs for BCS in these countries. This study aimed to evaluate the networking process to engage multisector stakeholders in the co-creation of a PA program for Colombian BCS called My Body. We employed a mixed-methods design including semistructured interviews, workshops and a social network analysis of centrality measures to assess stakeholders' engagement, resources and skills enabling the collaborative work, challenges, outcomes and lessons learned. The descriptive analysis and the centrality measures of the network revealed that 19 cross-sector stakeholders engaged in the My Body collaborative network. Through ongoing communication and cooperation, My Body built relationships between the academic lead institutions (local and international), and local and national public, private and academic institutions working in public health, sports and recreation, social sciences and engineering fields. The outcomes included the co-creation of the community-based PA program for BCS, its implementation through cross-sector synergies, increased relationships and communications among stakeholders, and successful dissemination of evidence and project results to the collaboration partners and other relevant stakeholders and community members. The mixed-methods assessment enabled understanding of ways to advance cross-sector co-creation of health promotion programs. The findings can help to enable continued development of sustainable cross-sector co-creation processes aimed at advancing PA promotion.

Collaborative work among stakeholders and researchers from different governmental sectors and disciplinary fields can be key to design and implement effective and scalable programs to promote physical activity (PA) among breast cancer survivors (BCS). This might be particularly critical in low- to middle-income countries where the implementation of evidence-based health-promoting programs tailored to real-world contexts are limited. This study aimed to evaluate the networking process to engage multisector stakeholders in the co-creation of a PA program for Colombian BCS. We employed qualitative methods and social network analyses to assess stakeholders' engagement, resources and skills enabling the collaborative work, challenges, outcomes and lessons learned. The co-creation of the program improved synergies between research, policy and practice. Communication through several channels including e-mail and workshops was the key resource to advance the collaborative work. Stakeholders underscored that cross-sector networking allowed allocating resources and achieving shared goals. Sustainable cross-sector collaborative processes are key for health promotion.