Researchers' experiences working with community advisory boards: How community member feedback impacted the research.

INTRODUCTION: To assess researchers' experiences working with community advisory boards (CABs) and perceptions of how community member stakeholder feedback impacted the research. METHODS: Individual interviews were conducted with researchers (n= 34) who had presented their research to a Mayo Clinic CAB (at MN, AZ, or FL) from 2014 to 2017, with an average interview duration of 10-15 min. Researchers were asked "In what ways did the feedback you received from the CAB influence your research?" A validated, structured, 7-item interview was used to assess domains of the potential influence that CABs had on the research: (1) pre-research (e.g., generated ideas), (2) infrastructure (e.g., budget preparation), (3) research design, (4) implementation (e.g., research recruitment), (5) analysis, (6) dissemination, and (7) post-research. A total mean score was calculated with a possible range of 0-7. In addition, open-ended examples and feedback from researchers in response to each domain were summarized for themes using content analysis. RESULTS: Researchers reported that the CAB influenced research in the following domains: pre-research (24%), infrastructure (24%), study design (41%), implementation (41%), analysis (6%), dissemination (24%), and post-research activities (18%). The mean total score was = 1.8 (SD = 1.7, range: 0-6). Open-ended responses revealed major themes of CAB helpfulness in generating/refining ideas, identifying community partners, culturally tailored and targeted recruitment strategies, intervention design and delivery, and dissemination. CONCLUSION: Findings from this preliminary evaluation indicate that despite positive experiences noted in open-ended feedback, the perceived quantitative impact of CAB feedback on the research was moderate. Bidirectional communication between researchers and community member stakeholders has the potential to make clinical and translational research more relevant and appropriate.

Enhancing school asthma action plans: qualitative results from southeast Minnesota beacon stakeholder groups.

BACKGROUND: This study explores ways southeast Minnesota schools currently address asthma problems, identifies areas for improvement, and assesses the potential value of asthma action plans (AAPs) in schools. METHODS: Focus groups were used to query stakeholder groups on asthma care in schools. Groups were held separately for elementary school personnel, parents of elementary school children with asthma, and health professionals (N = 103). Transcripts were analyzed by hand and by using NVivo 9 software. RESULTS: Overall 103 stakeholders participated in focus groups. Major themes were (1) Communication; no uniform way of exchanging information between schools and health professionals. (2) Asthma Control Continuum; students require individualized instructions and information related to their asthma care. (3) Policy/Protocol; school staff roles and rules vary and are unclear. (4) Self-Reliance; older children self-manage their asthma and are unknown until they need emergent support. Solution recommended included AAPs used systematically with a method to communicate back from schools to physicians and parents. CONCLUSIONS: The AAP may solve several of the school's concerns regarding their ability to provide asthma support in school. However, the AAP must reach the school, and that is currently not happening. In addition, schools would like tools and systems to assess asthma control and share information back with parents and physicians.

Screening for tuberculosis at an adult education center: results of a community-based participatory process.

OBJECTIVES: We used a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to plan and implement free TB skin testing at an adult education center to determine the efficacy of CBPR with voluntary tuberculosis (TB) screening and the prevalence of TB infection among immigrant and refugee populations. METHODS: We formed a CBPR partnership to address TB screening at an adult education center that serves a large immigrant and refugee population in Rochester, Minnesota. We conducted focus groups involving educators, health providers, and students of the education center, and used this input to implement TB education and TB skin testing among the center's students. RESULTS: A total of 259 adult learners volunteered to be skin-tested in April 2009; 48 (18.5%) had positive TB skin tests. CONCLUSIONS: Our results imply that TB skin testing at adult education centers that serve large foreign-born populations may be effective. Our findings also show that a participatory process may enhance the willingness of foreign-born persons to participate in TB skin-testing efforts.

A school based community partnership for promoting healthy habits for life.

Childhood obesity rates continue to increase and there is a need for innovative obesity prevention programs. Our objectives were to (1) create a community partnership, and (2) test an obesity prevention intervention that involved curriculum delivered in the classroom with 1:1 coaching delivered by nursing students on health parameters among 4th and 5th grade school children. Our primary hypothesis was that the intervention would result in significant increases in physical activity levels. 99 children from two schools participated in the program. Classrooms were assigned as intervention or control. All classrooms received standardized content on health habits by the public health nurse and children assigned to the intervention classrooms also received 1:1 coaching by nursing students, with fewer total visits at School A. Baseline and end-of-year data were collected for health parameters and physical activity. For School A, there were no significant differences between intervention and control children between baseline and end-of-year for all health outcomes. Due to a limited control group at School B, control and intervention groups at both schools were consolidated for analysis. BMI and BMI percentile increased at School A, but daily minutes of TV and servings of fruit juice decreased. At School B, there were decreases in BMI percentile and servings of soda/punch, plus increases in servings of fruits/vegetables and daily steps (baseline mean ± SEM = 10,494 ± 419 daily steps; end-of-year = 15,466 ± 585 daily steps). A multi-partner, community approach to obesity intervention shows potential for improving health in elementary school children.