Facilitators and Barriers to Shared Decision-Making Communication Between Latina Mothers and Pediatric Mental Healthcare Providers.

This study assessed communication factors influencing shared decision-making (SDM) between language-congruent clinicians and Latina mothers of pediatric mental health patients. The sample comprised Latinx youth up to 22 years old who were enrolled in mental healthcare and attended mental health-related sessions with their parent. One hundred transcripts depicting mental health visits were coded using the Conversation Analysis framework. Coding included inductive coding that came from analyzing the structure, or orderliness, of the visits and content discussed that affects SDM. Thematic qualitative analysis revealed that facilitators to SDM included collaborative engagement, parents being active in tailoring session content, and integrating the preferences, roles, and next steps for treatment among all participants. Barriers included unskilled interpersonal interactions undermining rapport, off-topic conversations becoming the session's focus, poor time management, and irregularly integrating parent/patient preferences into the clinician's decisions regarding the child's treatment. Additionally, visit content, structure, tone, and interpersonal engagement were factors that variably facilitated or served as barriers to patient participation in SDM and were integral to collaborative, family-centered care. These findings delineated characteristics of pediatric mental health conversations and identified areas to strengthen communication between parents, patients, and clinicians to shift toward more effective SDM and improve patient outcomes among Latinx families.

Exploring feasibility and acceptability of an integrated urban gardens and peer nutritional counselling intervention for people with HIV in the Dominican Republic.

OBJECTIVE: Food security interventions with people living with HIV (PLHIV) are needed to improve HIV outcomes. This process evaluation of a pilot intervention involving urban gardening and peer nutritional counselling with PLHIV assesses feasibility, acceptability and implementation challenges to inform scale-up. DESIGN: Mixed methods were used, including quantitative data on intervention participation and feasibility and acceptability among participants (n 45) and qualitative data from a purposive sample of participants (n 21). Audio-recorded interviews were transcribed and coded using a codebook developed iteratively. SETTING: An HIV clinic in the northwest-central part of the Dominican Republic. RESULTS: The intervention was feasible for most participants: 84 % attended a garden workshop and 71 % established an urban garden; 91 % received all three core nutritional counselling sessions; and 73 % attended the cooking workshop. The intervention was also highly acceptable: nearly, all participants (93-96 %) rated the gardening as 'helpful' or 'very helpful' for taking HIV medications, their mental/emotional well-being and staying healthy; similarly, high percentages (89-97 %) rated the nutrition counselling 'helpful' or 'very helpful' for following a healthy diet, reducing unhealthy foods and increasing fruit/vegetable intake. Garden barriers included lack of space and animals/pests. Transportation barriers impeded nutritional counselling. Harvested veggies were consumed by participants' households, shared with neighbours and family, and sold in the community. Many emphasised that comradery with other PLHIV helped them cope with HIV-related marginalisation. CONCLUSION: An urban gardens and peer nutritional counselling intervention with PLHIV was feasible and acceptable; however, addressing issues of transportation, pests and space is necessary for equitable participation and benefit.

Validated HIV Knowledge Scales for Use with Adults and Adolescents: A Systematic Review.

HIV knowledge - the information a person possesses about HIV - is essential for the prevention and management of HIV. Therefore, the accurate measurement of HIV knowledge is important for both science and practice. This systematic review identifies extant HIV knowledge scales that have been validated with adolescent and adult populations and summarizes the state of this research. We searched seven electronic databases, which resulted in 6,525 articles. After title/abstract and full-text review, 27 studies remained and underwent qualitative review of reported scale psychometric properties. Many studies were conducted in the last decade (n = 12), reflecting advances in scientific knowledge of HIV. Five were exclusively adolescent-based studies (sample age ≤ 18). Most studies reported reliability (n = 25) or at least one form of validity (n = 21). Future studies should develop or refine HIV knowledge scales so that they reflect recent scientific developments, use rigorous psychometric testing, and target samples that include those persons at highest risk for HIV.

The role of stress responses on engagement in dietary and physical activity behaviors among Latino adults living with prediabetes.

OBJECTIVES: Latinos are at a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D). Prediabetes is a major risk factor for T2D; however, progression to T2D can be slowed with engagement in healthy behaviors. Stress can hinder engagement with health behaviors. Qualitative methods were used to understand how Latinos with prediabetes attempted to modify their diet and physical activity behaviors to slow T2D progression and how stress affected their engagement in these behaviors. DESIGN: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 Latinos with prediabetes in North Carolina. Participants were asked questions about types of stress they experienced and how stress affected their health. We generated codes on stress and stress responses and used content analysis to organize codes between and within participants. RESULTS: Behaviors changed after prediabetes diagnosis. Few participants reported changing their physical activity, however, all participants attempted to change their eating patterns by changing food types consumed and reducing portion sizes. The stress participants experienced impacted their ability to self-regulate their diet. They reported overeating or appetite suppression during stressful periods. Stress also affected cognitive responses by compromising healthy decision-making and instigating negative emotional reactions. Overall, stress complicated participants' ability to properly engage in recommended behaviors by negatively impacting participants' behavioral self-regulation and cognitive processes. CONCLUSIONS: Stress affects behavioral and cognitive progresses that adversely alters primarily dietary behaviors. Tailored plans acknowledging the impact of stress and providing coping and supportive help for dealing with stress may enhance engagement in healthy behaviors for Latinos with prediabetes.

Effects of park-based interventions on health-related outcomes: A systematic review.

Increasing use of parks for physical activity has been proposed for improving population health, including mental health. Interventions that aim to increase park use and park-based physical activity include place-based interventions (e.g., park renovations) and person-based interventions (e.g., park-based walking or exercise classes). Using adapted methods from the Community Guide, a systematic review (search period through September 2019) was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of park-based interventions among adults. The primary outcomes of interest were health-related, including physical and mental health and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Twenty-seven studies that met review criteria were analyzed in 2019 and 2020. Seven person-based studies included generally small samples of specific populations and interventions involved mostly exercise programming in parks; all but one had an average quality rating as "high" and all had at least one statistically significant outcome. Of the 20 place-based interventions, 7 involved only 1 or 2 parks; however, 7 involved from 9 to 78 parks. Types of interventions were predominantly park renovations; only 5 involved park-based exercise programming. Most of the renovations were associated with increased park-level use and physical activity, however among those implementing programming, park-level effects were more modest. Less than half of the place-based intervention studies had an average quality rating of "high." The study of parks as sites for physical activity interventions is nascent. Hybrid methods that combine placed-based evaluations and cohort studies could inform how to best optimize policy, programming, design and management to promote health and well-being.

Perceptions and determinants of healthy eating for people with HIV in the Dominican Republic who experience food insecurity.

OBJECTIVE: The current study aimed to understand how moderate and severe food-insecure people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the Dominican Republic perceive a healthy diet and explore facilitators and barriers to engaging in healthy dietary behaviours as a means of HIV self-management. DESIGN: We conducted semi-structured interviews with PLHIV. We generated codes on food insecurity among PLHIV and used content analysis to organise codes for constant comparison between and within participants. SETTING: Two urban HIV clinics in the Dominican Republic. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-two PLHIV participated in the interviews. RESULTS: Factors that contributed to dietary behaviours include individual factors, such as knowledge of nutrition, views and attitudes on healthy dietary behaviours, beliefs about dietary needs for PLHIV and diet functionality. Interpersonal factors, including assistance from family and peers in providing food or funds, were deemed critical along with community and organisational factors, such as food assistance from HIV clinics, accessibility to a variety of food store types and the availability of diverse food options at food stores. Policy-level factors that influenced dietary behaviours were contingent on respondents' participation in the labour market (i.e. whether they were employed) and consistent access to government assistance. Food insecurity influenced these factors through unpredictability and a lack of control. CONCLUSIONS: PLHIV who experience food insecurity face various barriers to engaging in healthy dietary behaviours. Their diets are influenced at multiple levels of influence ranging from individual to structural, requiring multi-level interventions that can address these factors concurrently.

Identifying Patient Strengths Instruments and Examining Their Relevance for Chronic Disease Management: A Systematic Review.

INTRODUCTION: Most health care focuses on patients' deficits to encourage behavior change. A strengths-based approach, which relies on identifying patient strengths, has great potential to facilitate behavior change for chronic disease management. Little is known about instruments used to assess patient strengths. We conducted a systematic review to identify validated instruments that assess personal strengths by using a theory elaboration approach. METHODS: We searched 8 databases including Web of Science, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL), and PsycINFO (through July 2019) to identify peer reviewed, English-language studies that described strength-based instruments. Thereafter, we evaluated the validity and reliability of the instruments according to 18 Scientific Advisory Committee of the Medical Outcome Trust (SACMOT) criteria, and used an inductive, iterative editing process to identify constructs measured by the instruments. RESULTS: We identified 26 instruments that met our inclusion criteria. The instruments were validated in various clinical and nonclinical populations. Only 4 instruments met most of the SACMOT criteria for validation. We extracted 91 unique constructs that fell into 3 domains: inner strengths (49), external strengths (13), and personality constructs (29). CONCLUSION: A limited number of reliable and valid instruments are available to assess strengths for the adult population, particularly for clinical populations. Internal strengths can be leveraged to improve patient health; however, the development and validation of additional instruments to capture personal strengths is necessary to examine the multilevel influence of external strengths on individual behaviors and well-being.

Validity of Social Support Scales Utilized Among HIV-Infected and HIV-Affected Populations: A Systematic Review.

Social support enhances self-management and prevention of behaviors and is typically assessed using self-report scales; however, little is known about the validity of these scales in HIV-infected or affected populations. This systematic review aims to identify available validated social support scales used in HIV-infected and HIV-affected populations. A systematic literature search using key search terms was conducted in electronic databases. After rounds abstract screenings, full-text reviews, and data abstraction 17 studies remained, two of which assessed multiple social support scales, which increased number of scales to 19. Most scales assessed positive social support behaviors (n = 18). Most scales assessed perceived social support (n = 14) compared to received social support. Reliability ranged from 0.67 to 0.97. The most common forms of validation reported were content validity and construct validity and the least was criterion-related validity. Future research should seek to build evidence for validation for existing scales used in HIV-infected or HIV-affected populations.

Contextualizing Experiences of Diabetes-Related Stress in Rural Dominican Republic.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is changing the burden of disease across Latin America. In this formative, qualitative study, we explored experiences of T2D diagnosis and management among adults in rural Dominican Republic. We conducted 28 in-depth interviews (12 men, 16 women) and used inductive analysis to explore the emotional burden of T2D and identify coping strategies. We found that stress relating to T2D began at diagnosis and persisted throughout management. Stress was produced by concerns about healthy food and medication access, fears about illness-induced injury, and the cyclical process of experiencing stress. Participants identified diabetes care and free medication services as external stress-reducers. Internally, participants' mitigated stress by not thinking about diabetes (" no dar mente"). Our study highlights the importance of a contextualized understanding of diabetes-related stress and the need for individual, clinic, and community-level interventions to reduce stressors and improve health outcomes among adults with T2D.

Perceived Impacts of Urban Gardens and Peer Nutritional Counseling for People Living With HIV in the Dominican Republic.

OBJECTIVE: Explore participants' perceptions of urban gardens and peer nutritional counseling intervention for people with HIV and food insecurity on antiretroviral therapy in the Dominican Republic. METHODS: Semistructured endline interviews (n = 21) with intervention participants about their perceptions of diet, health, and quality of life. A codebook was applied to verbatim transcripts, and coded data were analyzed using matrices to identify themes. RESULTS: Participants were mostly Dominican (86%; 14% Haitian); 57% were men; the mean age was 45 years. The most salient experiences described by intervention participants were improved dietary quality and diversity, improved food security, and saving money. Participants also emphasized improved social interactions, mental health, and emotional well-being. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Urban gardens and peer nutritional counseling may improve participants' diet and psychosocial well-being. Nutrition programs with marginalized populations may need to improve access to healthy foods and build camaraderie and linkages to programs addressing structural factors.

Toddler milk: a scoping review of research on consumption, perceptions, and marketing practices.

Toddler milk is an ultra-processed beverage consisting primarily of powdered milk, caloric sweeteners, and vegetable oil. Pediatric health authorities do not support the use of toddler milk, and emerging evidence suggests that toddler-milk marketing practices may mislead consumers. However, studies have not synthesized the extent of toddler-milk marketing practices or how these practices affect parents' decisions about whether to serve toddler milk. We aimed to summarize the literature about toddler milk to identify what is known about: (1) parents' toddler-milk purchasing and feeding behaviors, (2) toddler-milk marketing, and (3) how marketing practices influence parents' beliefs and perceptions about toddler milk. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR), we systematically searched 8 databases (PubMed, APA PsycINFO, Scopus, Cochrane Central, Embase, CINAHL, Communication & Mass Media Complete, and Business Source Premier). We identified 45 articles about toddler milk. Studies were conducted in 25 countries across 6 continents. Five types of findings emerged: (1) consumption and feeding behaviors, (2) demographic correlates of toddler-milk purchasing and consumption, (3) misperceptions and beliefs, (4) increased sales, and (5) increased marketing and responses to marketing. The included articles suggested that toddler-milk sales are growing rapidly worldwide. Findings also revealed that toddler-milk packages (eg, labels, branding) resemble infant formula packages and that toddler-milk marketing practices may indirectly advertise infant formula. Purchasing, serving, and consumption of toddler milk were higher in Black and Hispanic populations than in non-Hispanic White populations, and parents with higher educational attainment and income were more likely to offer toddler milk to their children. Findings suggest a need for policies to prevent cross-marketing of toddler milk and infant formula, reduce provision of toddler milk to infants and toddlers, and prevent caregivers from being misled about toddler-milk healthfulness.

The co-management of HIV and chronic non-communicable diseases in the Dominican Republic: A qualitative study.

People living with HIV and a non-communicable disease (NCD) experience multi-level barriers when co-managing multiple conditions. We explored the factors affecting living with multiple chronic conditions in the Dominican Republic. We conducted 21 in-depth interviews from October 2019-February 2020 with Dominican adults who participated in a food security intervention and managed HIV and at least one chronic NCD. Using thematic analysis, we explored participant lived experiences co-managing multiple chronic conditions. All participants (mean age = 45.5 years) were linked to HIV care, but only three were linked to NCD-specific care. Individual-level barriers to managing NCDs included limited education and limited self-efficacy for self-management. Interpersonally, barriers included limited rapport building with an NCD-specific specialist. Structural barriers to managing NCDs were no health insurance, poor referral systems, and limited financial assistance. Health system adaptation requires equitably considering the needs of individuals managing multiple chronic conditions. Key factors to address include patient-provider relationships, improved referral systems, accessibility and availability of specialists, and financial assistance.

Revising the Diabetes Distress Scale for Use Among Adults in the Dominican Republic: Findings From Cognitive Interviews.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to assess the content validity of the Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS) among adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) living in rural Dominican Republic communities. METHODS: Researchers conducted cognitive interviews with 20 adults with T2DM to assess how they answered a Spanish version of the 17-item DDS, a commonly used scale to measure diabetes distress. Interviews were done iteratively to allow for revisions and testing of those revisions with the participants. Analysis involved field notes, text summaries, and cognitive coding. RESULTS: The sample was 55% women, had a mean age of 55 years, and came from 10 rural communities. The cognitive interviews highlighted needed changes across comprehension, judgment (clarity), recall, response process, and logical/structural issue domains. Participants generally understood the DDS; however, 4 items, the introduction, and response options were revised to improve participant response. The items were revised using wording from the participants themselves. By changing certain terms and splitting a couple of items, these items improved comprehension and judgment. The introduction was simplified from 2 paragraphs to 1 to reduce structural issues (ie, scale's features), and the response options were reduced from 6 options to 5 options to improve the response process. CONCLUSIONS: Based on iterative study findings, the researchers propose expanding the 17-item DDS to 19 items to improve participant response. Revising the DDS to account for cultural and structural changes will improve clinical and public health understanding of the role of diabetes distress on T2DM management among Dominican adults.

Dismantling and reimagining global health education.

Global health emerged as a distinct public health discipline within the last two decades. With over 95% of Masters of Global Health degree programmes located in high-income countries (HICs), the area of study has been primarily pursued by White, middle and upperclass, citizens of Europe and North America. In turn, the global health workforce and leadership reflect these same demographics. In this article, we present several key arguments against the current state of global health education: (1) admissions criteria favour HIC applicants; (2) the curriculum is developed with the HIC gaze; (3) student practicums can cause unintended harms in low- and middle-income country communities. We argue that global health education in its current form must be dismantled. We conclude with suggestions for how global health education may be reimagined to shift from a space of privilege and colonial practice to a space that recognises the strengths of experiences and knowledge above and beyond those from HICs.

Provider perspectives on emotional health care for adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Dominican Republic.

The emotional burden of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) can complicate self-management. Exploring the feasibility of mental and physical health co-management in limited-resourced settings is needed. Thus, we assessed providers' awareness of the emotional burden their patients experience and their roles in supporting their patients with T2D. We conducted a formative qualitative study using in-depth interviews with 14 providers, including physicians, nurses, and community health workers recruited at two rural health clinics in the Dominican Republic. We coded transcripts using inductive and deductive codes and developed themes through iterative comparative analysis. All providers recognized that patients experience an emotional burden managing life with T2D. Some providers viewed the provision of emotional support as integral to their role and believed that they could do so. Others viewed it as the responsibility of the family or expressed the need for additional guidance on how to provide emotional support. Providers also identified several barriers to integrating emotional support into routine clinical care including personality characteristics, lack of training, and insufficient staffing. While providers recognize the need for emotional support, they identified individual, clinical, and systems-level barriers. Strategies to address these barriers include training specific providers on emotional support provision, balancing workload, and building or strengthening referral systems.

The Effects of Park-Based Interventions on Health-Related Outcomes Among Youth: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study is to present a comprehensive systematic review of the effects of park-based interventions on health outcomes among youth, defined as children and adolescents. DATA SOURCE: Web of Science, MEDLINE, and Scopus databases searched through November 2020. STUDY INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Interventions conducted in publicly accessible parks that evaluated health outcomes (i.e., physical, mental, and emotional); focused on children and adolescents (up to 18 years old, or up to 22 years old for individuals with developmental needs); and was published in English, Spanish, and Chinese. DATA EXTRACTION: Two independent reviewers extracted data and assessed the quality of the 15 included studies using the Guide to Community Preventive Services tool. DATA SYNTHESIS: Descriptive summary of study characteristics and summarized methodological quality of the studies. RESULTS: Twelve studies were person-based interventions involving the evaluation of health outcome changes in cohorts, and the remaining studies were park-based, focused on changing the park environment and observing changes in youth participation in parks. All identified interventions were positively associated with individual-level and park-level outcomes ranging from body weight, moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity, park utilization, and health behavior knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review demonstrated that parks as sites of interventions can provide an environment that promotes health and wellbeing for youth. Nevertheless, the number of relevant studies were limited, thus it is important to leverage and expand on existing knowledge of the utility of parks as sites of intervention to address health concerns at this critical juncture of the life course.

All of That Causes Me Stress: An Exploration of the Sources of Stress Experienced by Latinxs Living with Prediabetes.

Latinxs immigrants in the United States experience sources of stress (i.e., stressors) that can limit their ability to engage in healthy behaviors. Stress has been linked to increased type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk in Latinxs living with prediabetes, a group disproportionately affected by T2D. The purpose of this qualitative study is to describe and contextualize the variety of stressors experienced by Latinxs immigrants diagnosed with prediabetes. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted from March to September 2018 with 20 Latinx immigrants living with prediabetes in North Carolina. We used qualitative content analysis including systematic coding and comparative matrices. The most prominent stressors were those related to health status and healthcare access, finances, interpersonal relationships with family, and loneliness. Participants also identified stressors related to documentation status and discrimination. The stressors Latinx immigrants with prediabetes experience vary, therefore studies and interventions need to specify which sources of stress they are addressing. Multilevel interventions that ameliorate the effects of stressors may facilitate preventive health behaviors among Latinxs with prediabetes.

Los inmigrantes latinxs radicados en los Estados Unidos experimentan fuentes estresantes (es decir., estresores) que pueden limitar su capacidad para participar en comportamientos saludables. El estrés es un mayor riesgo para el desarrollo de la diabetes tipo 2 (diabetes), particularmente para los latinxs que viven con prediabetes, un grupo desproporcionadamente afectados por la diabetes. El propósito de este estudio cualitativo es contextualizar la variedad de estresores que latinos diagnosticados con prediabetes experimentan. Entre marzo y septiembre del 2018 se llevaron a cabo entrevistas semiestructuradas en profundidad con 20 inmigrantes latinxs que viven con prediabetes en Carolina del Norte. Utilizamos análisis de contenido cualitativo que incluye codificación sistemática y matrices comparativas para crear temas analíticos. Los principales estresores fueron los relacionados con el estado de salud y el acceso limitado a la atención médica, las finanzas, las relaciones interpersonales con la familia y la soledad. Los participantes también expresaron dificultades para navegar en su entorno debido al estado de la documentación y la discriminación. Las intervenciones multinivel que mejoran los efectos de estresores pueden facilitar comportamientos preventivos de salud entre los latinxs con prediabetes.

Coping with diabetes stress among adults in rural Dominican Republic: "I don't think about it".

OBJECTIVES: As type 2 diabetes prevalence increases across Latin America, understanding local approaches to coping with diabetes stress is essential to providing care that incorporates patients' values and preferences. This study explored a local phenomenon, "no le doy mente" (I don't think about it), used by adults with type 2 diabetes in the Dominican Republic to cope with diabetes stress. METHODS: We conducted 19 qualitative in-depth interviews with adults with type 2 diabetes (10 men, 9 women) recruited from one rural clinic. Using an inductive analytic approach including iterative coding, memos, and matrices, we identified reasons, strategies, and perceived benefits of not thinking about type 2 diabetes among participants. RESULTS: Participants described not thinking about diabetes as an active process to maintain a sense of normalcy despite significant life changes following diagnosis. They avoided thinking about diabetes by staying busy, proactively managing type 2 diabetes through diet and medication, and turning to their faith. Participants perceived that enacting no le doy mente helped to protect their overall health and well-being. DISCUSSION: Future research should investigate provider perceptions of no le doy mente to align patient and provider communication and mindfulness-based stress reduction as a way to support people with type 2 diabetes avoid dwelling on negative thoughts about diabetes.

The effects of park-based interventions on health: a systematic review protocol.

BACKGROUND: Public parks serve as spaces within neighborhoods for encouraging a variety of physical and mental health-related behaviors. Over the past decade, there have been a number of interventions conducted in public parks, often aimed at improving an aspect of mental or physical health. A common type of park-based interventions is aimed at increasing physical activity among adults and children. METHODS: We will conduct a systematic review of peer-reviewed articles on the effects of park-based interventions on physical and mental health outcomes of adults and youth (children and adolescents). An electronic search will be conducted in four electronic databases: Web of Science, PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and Scopus. Manual hand-searching of reference lists from studies identified as relevant by experts and of systematic reviews resulting from the search strategy will be conducted to further identify articles of interest. Inclusion criteria are peer-reviewed, quantitative studies, studies detailing an intervention conducted in a park setting, which was at the person-level or place-level, and studies published in English or Spanish. A three-stage approach will be used to screen title and abstracts and full-text articles against the inclusion and exclusion criteria and, lastly, extract data from eligible studies. Study quality will be assessed by the Cochrane Risk of Bias and the Community Guide's Guide to Community Preventive Services tools. Extracted data will be summarized narratively and meta-analysis will be conducted, if appropriate. DISCUSSION: We aim to find relevant studies proving evidence for park-based intervention studies and their effects on health-related outcomes for youth and adults. The evidence obtained from the included studies will help guide future studies on park-based interventions. The study results will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for electronic dissemination. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42018109165.