Listening Sessions to Shape the Innovative NIH ComPASS Common Fund Program to Advance Health Equity.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recognized the need for a research program to address the underlying structural factors that impact health. To inform the development of the NIH Common Fund Community Partnerships to Advance Science for Society (ComPASS) Program, NIH obtained input through community listening sessions. Through its design, ComPASS recognizes the essential role of community organizations as the lead in addressing persistent structural and social challenges to accelerate progress toward advancing health equity. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(7):685-689. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307656).

Education on cancer risk assessment and genetic counseling to address cancer health disparities among racial/ethnic groups and rural populations: Implementing culturally tailored outreach through community health educators.

While significant progress is being made in cancer prevention and treatment, opportunity exists to make a difference for populations bearing an uneven burden of the disease. Research indicates that increased inherited risk and more-aggressive forms of cancer among underserved racial/ethnic (R/E) groups (e.g., African American/Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Hispanic/Latino, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander) and rural populations may explain the cancer incidence and mortality disparities these populations experience. These racial and ethnic (R/E) categories reflect the standard naming convention for the classification of federal data on race and ethnicity. One method by which progress can be made for these underserved populations is to expand knowledge of, access to, and uptake of two existing and impactful preventive oncology tools-cancer screening and genetic counseling and risk assessment (GCRA). Individuals from these populations who have cancer may benefit by learning about treatment options, risk projections for secondary cancers, and clinical trial participation. Effecting change in community beliefs and behaviors regarding these preventive tools and yielding the aforementioned benefits will see greater success if shepherded by individuals accepted and trusted in the respective communities. This was the charge taken on and embraced by Community Health Educators in the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities' (CRCHD) National Outreach Network (NON) and U54 Comprehensive Partnerships to Advance Cancer Health Equity (CPACHE) programs. The NCI CRCHD integrated into the work of these CHEs an emphasis on cancer genetic education. As part of their undertaking, NON and CPACHE CHEs detail education and outreach strategies that may be helpful to increase GCRA awareness and uptake in R/E groups and rural populations and, in turn, bring positive change for those with or at risk for heritable cancers.

Neighborhood disorder and juvenile drug arrests: a preliminary investigation using the NIfETy instrument.

BACKGROUND: Disordered neighborhood environments are associated with crime, drug use, and poor health outcomes. However, research utilizing objective instruments to characterize the neighborhood environment is lacking. OBJECTIVES: This investigation examines the relationship between objective measures of neighborhood disorder and juvenile drug arrests (JDAs) in an urban locale. METHODS: The neighborhood disorder scale was developed using indicators from the Neighborhood Inventory for Environmental Typology (NIfETy) instrument; a valid and reliable tool that assesses physical and social disorder. Data on 3146 JDAs from 2006 were obtained from the police department. RESULTS: Negative binomial regression models revealed a significant association between neighborhood disorder and the count of JDAs in the neighborhood (ß == .34, p < .001). The relationship between neighborhood disorder and JDAs remained significant after adjusting for percent African-Americans in the neighborhood (ß == .24, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary investigation identified a positive and statistically significant relationship between an objective measure of neighborhood disorder and JDAs. Future investigations should examine strategies to reduce drug-related crime by addressing the larger neighborhood and social context in which drug involvement and crime occurs.

Early Sexual Initiation among Urban African American Male Middle School Youth in Baltimore City.

Data regarding the etiology of problem-based child and adolescent outcomes indicates neighborhood socioeconomic status, land use mix, traffic danger, availability of drugs and alcohol and collective socialization are factors that influence or confound behavior among youth in urban areas. With socio-ecological models in mind, this study examined associations between early sexual initiation and neighborhood condition, externalizing behavior, drug use and perceived peer acceptance of drug use. One hundred and fifteen African American male adolescents (ages 11 to 15) enrolled in a randomized control trial provided the data for analysis. Logistic regression models showed older age, perceived peer acceptance of drug use and externalizing behavior were predictors of early sex initiation. Although physical and social hazards as well as resource depletion in urban centers creates increased risk for poor health and social outcomes among adolescents, no neighborhood effects were found in this study. Interventions to delay sexual initiation among urban African American male adolescents may benefit from focus on both socially, and ecologically, relevant influences.

Screen to Save: Results from NCI's Colorectal Cancer Outreach and Screening Initiative to Promote Awareness and Knowledge of Colorectal Cancer in Racial/Ethnic and Rural Populations.

BACKGROUND: The Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities (CRCHD), NCI, implemented Screen to Save, NCI's Colorectal Cancer Outreach and Screening Initiative to promote awareness and knowledge of colorectal cancer in racial/ethnic and rural populations. METHODS: The initiative was implemented through CRCHD's National Outreach Network (NON). NON is a national network of Community Health Educators (CHE), aligned with NCI-designated Cancer Centers across the nation. In phases I and II, the CHEs focused on the dissemination of cancer-related information and implementation of evidence-based educational outreach. RESULTS: In total, 3,183 pre/post surveys were obtained from male and female participants, ages 50 to 74 years, during the 347 educational events held in phase I. Results demonstrated all racial/ethnic groups had an increase in colorectal cancer-related knowledge, and each group strongly agreed that the educational event increased the likelihood that they would engage in colorectal cancer-related healthful behaviors (e.g., obtain colorectal cancer screening and increase physical activity). For phase II, Connections to Care, event participants were linked to screening. Eighty-two percent of the participants who obtained colorectal cancer screening during the 3-month follow-up period obtained their screening results. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that culturally tailored, standardized educational messaging and data collection tools are key change agents that can serve to inform the effectiveness of educational outreach to advance awareness and knowledge of colorectal cancer. IMPACT: Future initiatives should focus on large-scale national efforts to elucidate effective models of connections to care, related to colorectal cancer screening, follow-up, and treatments that are modifiable to meet community needs.