Communication about sex and HPV among Puerto Rican mothers and daughters.

OBJECTIVE: Although opportunities to vaccinate against human papillomavirus (HPV) are available, vaccination rates in Puerto Rico remain low. Communication between parents and adolescents about sexual topics may influence decisions about HPV vaccination uptake, particularly among young women; yet, few studies have addressed this issue. This qualitative study explored Puerto Rican mothers' and daughters' communication on sex-related topics, and HPV, including the HPV vaccine. DESIGN: Thirty participants, including 9 mothers and 21 daughters, participated in seven focus groups. Participants were divided into groups of mothers and daughters, and further stratified by vaccination status. Transcripts were analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach to identify emergent themes. RESULTS: Focus group data revealed four main themes: (1) limited parent-daughter communication about sex-related topics; (2) daughters' discomfort discussing sex-related topics with their parents; (3) parental focus on abstinence; and, (4) limited parent-daughter communication about HPV and the HPV vaccine. CONCLUSION: Although daughters in this study struggled with feelings of embarrassment, invasion of privacy, encouragement of abstinence, and the fear of parents' reaction to them being sexually active prior to marriage, they also recognized the need to increase the parent-daughter communication about sex-related topics including HPV and the HPV vaccine. Educational efforts should target both daughters and parents to increase communication skills and self-efficacy and to enable them to discuss sexual health in open and nonjudgmental conversations.

Community-Academic Partnership to Implement a Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Education Program in Puerto Rico.

OBJECTIVE: To describe how a community-academic partnership between Taller Salud Inc., a community-based organization, and the Puerto Rico Community Cancer Control Outreach Program of the University of Puerto Rico was crucial in the adaptation and implementation of Cultivando La Salud (CLS), an evidencebased educational outreach program designed to increase breast and cervical cancer screening among Hispanic women living in Puerto Rico. This collaboration facilitated the review and adaptation of the CLS intervention to improve cultural appropriateness, relevance, and acceptability for Puerto Rican women. METHODS: A total of 25 interviewers and 12 Lay Health Workers (LHWs) were recruited and trained to deliver the program. The interviewers recruited women who were non-adherent to recommended screening guidelines for both breast and cervical cancer. LHWs then provided one-on-one education using the adapted CLS materials. RESULTS: A total of 444 women were recruited and 48% of them were educated through this collaborative effort. CONCLUSION: Our main accomplishment was establishing the academic-community partnership to implement the CLS program. Nevertheless, in order to promote better collaborations with our community partners, it is important to carefully delineate and establish clear roles and shared responsibilities for each partner for the successful execution of research activities, taking into consideration the community's needs.

Knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among Puerto Rican mothers and daughters, 2010: a qualitative study.

INTRODUCTION: The incidence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and cervical cancer can be reduced by increasing vaccination for HPV. Yet vaccination uptake and completion of the 3-dose series remain low among Puerto Rican females. This study explored psychosocial factors associated with HPV vaccination uptake decisions among Puerto Rican mothers and daughters. METHODS: We conducted 7 focus groups with young women aged 16 to 24 (n = 21) and their mothers (n = 9) to assess knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs related to cervical cancer, HPV, and HPV vaccination. We analyzed the focus group transcripts and identified themes by using a constant comparison method of qualitative data analysis and interpretation, guided by a grounded theory approach. RESULTS: The analysis identified several emergent themes related to vaccine uptake: 1) low knowledge about cervical cancer, HPV, and the HPV vaccine; 2) inconsistent beliefs about susceptibility to HPV infection and cervical cancer; 3) vaccine effectiveness; 4) vaccine safety and side effects; 5) concerns that the vaccine promotes sexual disinhibition; and 6) availability of insurance coverage and overall cost of the vaccine. CONCLUSION: Our study found that adolescent girls and young women in Puerto Rico have low levels of knowledge about HPV and cervical cancer, low perceived susceptibility to HPV, and concerns about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, and these factors may influence uptake and completion of HPV vaccination. Interventions are needed for both mothers and daughters that address these psychosocial factors and increase access to vaccination.

Factors Influencing Medication Selection for Management of Overactive Bladder: Trends and Insights From AUA Quality Registry.

OBJECTIVE: To determine how a patient's demographics, including insurance type, race/ethnicity, gender, and age, may impact the choice of medication prescribed for overactive bladder (OAB). METHODS: We queried the AUA Quality Registry for adults between 2014 and 2020 with a diagnosis of OAB for >1year, excluding neurogenic causes. Variables included age, race/ethnicity, gender, insurance type, medication first prescribed, year of prescription, provider metropolitan status, and provider practice type. Primary outcome was which factors were associated with increased odds of beta-3 prescription as first medication choice. RESULTS: We found 1,453,566 patients with OAB, 641,122 (44.1%) with complete data. Of these, 112,021 (17.5%) were prescribed medication. On multivariate analysis, patients with Medicaid, Medicare, and other/self-pay insurance were less likely to receive a beta-3 vs an anticholinergic compared to private or military insurance. Compared to white patients, Asian, Black, and other races were less likely to receive a beta-3, as were patients outside of metropolitan areas. Age >50, prescriptions after 2014, and nonacademic settings were associated with increased odds of beta-3 prescription. There was no difference between genders. CONCLUSION: Many nonclinical factors, including insurance type and race, may affect which medication is first prescribed for OAB. This is useful for practicing urologists and may help lower barriers to beta-3 prescription through policy change and advocacy.

Who Progresses to Third-Line Therapies for Overactive Bladder? Trends From the AQUA Registry.

INTRODUCTION: Overactive bladder (OAB) patients who do not achieve satisfactory results with second-line OAB medications should be offered third-line therapies (percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation, sacral neuromodulation, onabotulinumtoxinA bladder injection [BTX-A]). We aimed to determine which clinical factors affect progression from second- to third-line OAB therapy. METHODS: Between 2014 and 2020, the AUA Quality Registry was queried for adult patients with idiopathic OAB. For the primary outcome, patient and provider factors associated with increased odds of progression from second- to third-line therapy were assessed. Secondary outcomes included median time for progression to third-line therapy and third-line therapy utilization across subgroups. RESULTS: A total of 641,122 patients met inclusion criteria and were included in analysis. Of these, only 7487 (1.2%) received third-line therapy after receiving second-line therapy. On multivariate analysis, patients aged 65 to 79, women, White race, history of dual anticholinergic and ß3 agonist therapy, metropolitan area, government insurance, and single specialty practice had the greatest odds of progressing to third-line therapy. Black and Asian race, male gender, and rural setting had lower odds of progressing to third-line therapy. BTX-A was the most common therapy overall (40% BTX-A, 32% sacral neuromodulation, 28% percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation). The median time of progression from second- to third-line therapy was 15.4 months (IQR 5.9, 32.4). Patients < 50 years old and women progressed fastest to third-line therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Very few patients received third-line therapies, and the time to progression from second- to third-line therapies is > 1 year. The study findings highlight a potential need to improve third-line therapy implementation.

Using Intervention Mapping to Develop Health Education Components to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening in Puerto Rico.

INTRODUCTION: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality in Puerto Rico (PR). Although largely preventable through screening and treatment of precancerous polyps, CRC screening rates in PR remain low while CRC incidence and mortality continue to increase. METHODS: We used intervention mapping (IM), a systematic framework using theory and evidence to plan a health promotion intervention to increase colorectal cancer screening (CRCS) among Puerto Rican adults 50 years and older who are patients of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in PR. RESULTS: To inform the development of a logic model of the problem during the needs assessment phase, we determined the CRC incidence and mortality rates in PR using recent data from the PR Cancer Registry, conducted a literature review to better understand behavioral and environmental factors influencing CRC among Hispanics in general and in Puerto Ricans, and collected new data. We conducted seven focus groups to identify community needs and resources, specific sub-behaviors related to CRCS (performance objectives) and the determinants of CRCS. We then developed matrices of change objectives that would guide the content, behavioral change method selection, and the practical applications that would be included in the program. We selected two overarching methods: entertainment education and behavioral journalism and developed practical applications, materials, and messages containing several other methods including modeling, persuasion, information, and tailoring. We developed and pretested a Tailored Interactive Multimedia Intervention, newsletter, an action plan, and supplemental print materials for patients. We also developed a patient mediated provider prompt to increase provider recommendation and improve patient provider communication. CONCLUSION: The use of IM for systematic planning produced a detailed coherent plan for the CRCS educational intervention. Guided by IM processes, steps, and tasks, we used community level information, existing literature, theory, and new data to develop health education materials that were well received by the priority population and will likely increase CRCS among FQHC patients in PR.