Creating an Alianza: Group Perinatal Education for Newly Immigrated Latinx Pregnant People.

Pregnant people who are recent immigrants often face barriers navigating the health care system and establishing a support network to sustain them through pregnancy and new parenthood. The Cultivando una Nueva Alianza (CUNA) program from the Children's Home Society of New Jersey was created to address these obstacles. For over 20 years, CUNA has collaborated with local midwives to develop a program for newly immigrated, Spanish-speaking Latinx pregnant people. The curriculum, facilitated by trained members of the community, provides education around pregnancy, birth, and early parenting and connects participants with prenatal care and community resources while cultivating a social support network. The program's success is seen in improved clinical outcomes, ongoing involvement by graduates, and strong continued support from community stakeholders. The CUNA program has been replicated in nearby communities and offers a blueprint for a low-tech intervention to improve the health and wellness of this population.

Education for non-citizen children in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted schooling for children worldwide. Most vulnerable are non-citizen children without access to public education. This study aims to explore challenges faced in achieving education access for children of refugee and asylum-seekers, migrant workers, stateless and undocumented persons in Malaysia during the pandemic. In-depth interviews of 33 stakeholders were conducted from June 2020 to March 2021. Data were thematically analysed. Our findings suggest that lockdowns disproportionately impacted non-citizen households as employment, food and housing insecurity were compounded by xenophobia, exacerbating pre-existing inequities. School closures disrupted school meals and deprived children of social interaction needed for mental wellbeing. Many non-citizen children were unable to participate in online learning due to the scarcity of digital devices, and poor internet connectivity, parental support, and home learning environments. Teachers were forced to adapt to online learning and adopt alternative arrangements to ensure continuity of learning and prevent school dropouts. The lack of government oversight over learning centres meant that measures taken were not uniform. The COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity for the design of more inclusive national educational policies, by recognising and supporting informal learning centres, to ensure that no child is left behind.

Family Medicine With Refugee Newcomers During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Certain members of society are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 crisis and the added strain being placed on already overextended health care systems. In this article, we focus on refugee newcomers. We outline vulnerabilities refugee newcomers face in the context of COVID-19, including barriers to accessing health care services, disproportionate rates of mental health concerns, financial constraints, racism, and higher likelihoods of living in relatively higher density and multigenerational dwellings. In addition, we describe the response to COVID-19 by a community-based refugee primary health center in Ontario, Canada. This includes how the clinic has initially responded to the crisis as well as recommendations for providing services to refugee newcomers as the COVID-19 crisis evolves. Recommendations include the following actions: (1) consider social determinants of health in the new context of COVID-19; (2) provide services through a trauma-informed lens; (3) increase focus on continuity of health and mental health care; (4) mobilize International Medical Graduates for triaging patients based on COVID-19 symptoms; and (5) diversify communication efforts to educate refugees about COVID-19.

Improving Healthcare Access by Teaching Intercultural Communication.

Nonnative English speakers may hesitate or avoid accessing healthcare in the United States due to cultural and communication barriers. Role-play is effective as a method of reducing healthcare access due to inadequate communication skills. A role-play activity used with female Muslim immigrants to the United States enabled participants to develop communication skills and gain confidence for future interactions with a healthcare provider.

Early Emotion Knowledge and Later Academic Achievement Among Children of Color in Historically Disinvested Neighborhoods.

This study examined longitudinal relations between emotion knowledge (EK) in pre-kindergarten (pre-K; Mage  = 4.8 years) and math and reading achievement 1 and 3 years later in a sample of 1,050 primarily Black children (over half from immigrant families) living in historically disinvested neighborhoods. Participants were part of a follow-up study of a cluster randomized controlled trial. Controlling for pre-academic skills, other social-emotional skills, sociodemographic characteristics, and school intervention status, higher EK at the end of pre-K predicted higher math and reading achievement test scores in kindergarten and second grade. Moderation analyses suggest that relations were attenuated among children from immigrant families. Findings suggest the importance of enriching pre-K programs for children of color with EK-promotive interventions and strategies.

Are You Still a Postdoc? How My Scientific Identity Intersects with My Immigrant Status.

Academics in non-tenure-track positions encounter a unique set of challenges on the road toward tenure. Institutionalized policies and lack of mentors are additional burdens for foreign scientists, resulting in representation differences. Becoming a scientist has been a personal and moving journey in which my multiple selves intersect and clash every now and again. My identity as a scientist is a life project and has intersected with my other identities: a young Latina immigrant in Western Europe. This crossroad has molded, and at times, challenged my participation in science.

Parents, friends and immigrant youths' academic engagement: A mediation analysis.

Parents and friends can help facilitate the academic engagement of newcomer immigrant youth during the early post-migration years. Using an accelerated longitudinal design and the integrative risk and resilience framework, we examined how parent home involvement and friendships were directly and indirectly associated with the development of newcomer immigrant youths' academic engagement. We used data from three waves (Years 3-5) of the Longitudinal Immigrant Student Adaptation study where a culturally diverse group of immigrant youth (N = 354, ages 10-17, MtimeinUS  = 3.98 years, SD = 1.39) in the United States reported on their perceptions of parent home involvement (educational values and communication) and friendship (educational values and academic support) in Year 3 and on their academic engagement (behavioural and emotional) across 3 years. Findings showed high-stable behavioural and emotional engagement and direct positive associations between perceptions of parent home involvement and initial levels of behavioural and emotional engagement and between perceptions of friend educational values and initial levels of emotional engagement. Additionally, perceptions of parents' educational values indirectly contributed to initial levels of emotional engagement through positive associations with perceptions of friends' educational values. These findings can inform family-school partnerships and school-interventions targeting newcomer immigrant youths' engagement.

The South Asian Healthy Lifestyle Intervention (SAHELI) trial: Protocol for a mixed-methods, hybrid effectiveness implementation trial for reducing cardiovascular risk in South Asians in the United States.

Intensive lifestyle interventions targeting diet and physical activity are recommended for reducing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk in adults. However, existing interventions often do not reach immigrant populations because of a mismatch between the social, cultural, and environmental context of immigrants and Western bio behavioral models which underpin evidence-based lifestyle interventions. The South Asian Healthy Lifestyle Intervention (SAHELI) study is a type 1 hybrid design randomized controlled trial aimed at reducing ASCVD risk in South Asian Americans, a group at higher ASCVD risk than whites and other Asian Americans. The objective is to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and implementation potential of a community-based, culturally-adapted lifestyle intervention for South Asian adults. Participants (n = 550) will be randomized to printed healthy lifestyle education materials or SAHELI, a group-based lifestyle change program that includes weekly classes for 16 weeks and 4 booster classes though month 11. SAHELI integrates evidence-based behavior change strategies with culturally-adapted strategies and group motivational interviewing to improve diet, physical activity, and stress management. Follow-up assessments will occur at 6 and 12 months. We hypothesize that the SAHELI intervention group will have greater improvements in clinical ASCVD risk factors (weight, blood pressure, glycated hemoglobin, and lipids), physical activity, and psychosocial outcomes than the print material group at 6- and 12- months. We will use mixed-methods to examine SAHELI's potential for reach, adoption, implementation, and maintenance from the perspective of multiple stakeholders. This study offers the potential to increase the reach and effectiveness of evidence-based lifestyle interventions for South Asian adults at increased risk for ASCVD.

Promoting Hispanic Immigrant Health via Community Health Workers and Motivational Interviewing.

Hispanic immigrant health disparities are among the highest in the nation, especially related to obesity and access to health services. Healthy Fit (En Forma Saludable) is a health promotion program that leverages public health department infrastructure to address these disparities through the use of three key innovations explored in this article: community health workers (CHWs), motivational interviewing (MI), and vouchers for free preventative health services. CHWs trained in MI conduct a health screening and then distribute preventive service vouchers and health resources as needed based on screening results. Vouchers cover breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening, and several vaccinations including flu and human papillomavirus. Resources to support exercise, to support a healthy diet, to quit smoking, and to reduce risky drinking are also distributed as needed. CHWs then use MI to address perceived barriers and strengthen intrinsic motivation to make use of the health resources. Integrating these strategies provides a low-cost approach to promote healthy behavior in an underserved immigrant population.

Testing the Efficacy of an HIV Prevention Intervention Among Latina Immigrants Living in Farmworker Communities in South Florida.

Latina immigrants living in farmworker communities are a population in need of HIV risk reduction interventions due to their high risk for HIV and their limited access to health care and prevention services. The present study is the first to evaluate the efficacy of SEPA intervention on a cohort of 234 pre-established Latina immigrants living in farmworker communities in South Florida. SEPA is a CDC evidenced-based and Latinx culturally tailored HIV risk reduction intervention. Data were collected through structured interviews at baseline and 6-months post intervention and were analyzed using generalized linear mixed modeling. Results showed that SEPA was effective on increasing condom use during vaginal and anal sex with male partners, self-efficacy for condom use, intentions to negotiate safe sex and HIV-related knowledge from baseline to 6-months post intervention. These findings contribute to the evidence supporting the efficacy of SEPA by confirming previous results and demonstrating the efficacy of this intervention for Latinas of diverse backgrounds.

Testing a Religiously Tailored Intervention with Somali American Muslim Women and Somali American Imams to Increase Participation in Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening.

Somali American women have low rates of breast and cervical screening. This research aimed to test the feasibility and impact of religiously tailored workshops involving Somali American Muslim women and male imams to improve intention to undergo breast or cervical cancer screening. Religiously tailored workshops addressing cancer screening (each approximately 3 h in length) were conducted with 30 Somali American women and 11 imams. Pre- and post-test surveys measured attitudes toward screening, screening intention, and workshop experience. The workshops were feasible, and both the women and the imams found the workshops enjoyable as well as informative. The discussions of religiously tailored messages had a positive impact on attitudes toward cancer screening, and, for the women, a positive impact on intention to screen. Religiously tailored messages can be an important community asset for engaging Somali American Muslim women around the value of breast and cervical cancer screening.

Effects of a parenting sexual education program for immigrant parents: A cluster randomized trial.

OBJECTIVES: The aim was to assess the effects of a parental sex education program on knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and practices among immigrant parents. METHODS: A cluster randomized trial was conducted at immigrant activity centers in northern Taiwan. Recruited participants were randomly assigned to an experimental (four centers, n = 86) or control (four centers, n = 67) group. A practical booklet and a booster session were delivered. In total, 132 participants' knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and practice of parenting sexual education were examined at the baseline and 6 weeks after the intervention. RESULTS: After controlling for possible confounders, the posttest scores of self-efficacy of the experimental group were higher than those of the control group. The Johnson-Neyman procedure indicated that the intervention was effective for participants who had pretest knowledge, attitude, and practice scores of <14.62, <110.27, and <41.5, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: An intervention with both practical booklet and booster session can improve knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy and practices of parental sex education among immigrant parents. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: In addition to practical booklets, health care professionals should provide booster sessions that meet the needs of immigrant parents to prevent sexual problems among children and adolescents at an early age.

Hope in the Shadows: Testing the Immigrant Optimism Hypothesis Among College Aspirational Latino Students.

Scholars have proposed that immigrant optimism explains why some immigrant students outperform their United States-born peers academically. Yet, immigrant optimism has not been directly measured. This study aims to test the immigrant optimism hypothesis by operationalizing it using the Children's Hope Scale. Using structural equation modeling, the author examined the associations between hope, immigrant generation, citizenship status, and academic outcomes among a sample of 2,369 Latino 14- to 17-year-old students. Though no difference by immigrant generation was found, undocumented students were more hopeful than their documented peers. This finding suggests that the documentation status has an indirect relative effect on academic outcomes via hope. This article reexamines the immigrant optimism as a resource that could be fostered among Latino youth, regardless of immigrant status.

A Texting Intervention in Latino Families to Reduce ED Use: A Randomized Trial.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Latino children in immigrant families experience health care disparities. Text messaging interventions for this population may address disparities. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of a Spanish-language text messaging intervention on infant emergency department use and well care and vaccine adherence. METHODS: The Salud al Día intervention, an educational video and interactive text messages throughout the child's first year of life, was evaluated via randomized controlled trial conducted in an urban, academic pediatric primary care practice from February 2016 to December 2017. Inclusion criteria were publicly insured singleton infant <2 months of age; parent age >18, with Spanish as the preferred health care language; and at least 1 household cellular phone. Primary outcomes were abstracted from the electronic medical record at age 15 months. Intention-to-treat analyses were used. RESULTS: A total of 157 parent-child dyads were randomly assigned to Salud al Día (n = 79) or control groups (n = 78). Among all participants, mean parent age was 29.3 years (SD: 6.2 years), mean years in the United States was 7.3 (SD: 5.3 years), and 87% of parents had limited or marginal health literacy. The incidence rate ratio for emergency department use for the control versus intervention group was 1.48 (95% confidence interval: 1.04-2.12). A greater proportion of intervention infants received 2 flu vaccine doses compared with controls (81% vs 67%; P = .04). CONCLUSIONS: This Spanish-language text messaging intervention reduced emergency department use and increased flu vaccine receipt among a population at high risk for health care disparities. Tailored text message interventions are a promising method for addressing disparities.

Saúde bucal de universitários internacionais: da importância ao conhecimento e condutas frente às patologias orais / Oral health of international undergraduates: from importance to knowledge and conducts toward oral pathologies / Salud bucal de universitarios internacionales: de la importancia al conocimiento y conductas frente a las patologías orales

Objetivo: Investigar a importância da saúde bucal e a frequência e os meios utilizados na higienização da cavidade oral, assim como o conhecimento e as condutas de universitários frente às doenças bucais. Método: Estudo descritivo e qualitativo desenvolvido com universitários de diferentes nacionalidades. Os dados foram coletados pela aplicação de questionário. Resultados: Para os participantes, a importância da saúde bucal estava vinculada à prevenção de doenças, à estética, à autoestima e à saúde geral. Quanto à frequência e aos meios utilizados na escovação, todos higienizavam a cavidade oral diariamente e a maioria utilizava escova e creme dental. Eles associavam as doenças orais à dor, ao sangramento, aos problemas dentários e à falta de escovação. Além do dentista, buscavam o médico e o enfermeiro para resolução de problemas odontológicos. Conclusão: Apesar de reconhecerem a importância da saúde oral, o conhecimento dos universitários sobre as patologias bucais foi escasso e muito limitado

Objective: To investigate the importance of oral health and the frequency and means used to clean the oral cavity, as well as the knowledge and behavior of undergraduates regarding oral diseases. Method: Descriptive and qualitative study developed with undergraduates of different nationalities. The data were collected by the application of a questionnaire. Results: For the participants, the importance of oral health was linked to disease prevention, aesthetics, self-esteem and general health. As for the frequency and means used in brushing, they all cleaned the oral cavity daily and most of them used toothbrush and toothpaste. They associated oral diseases with pain, bleeding, dental problems and lack of brushing. Besides the dentist, they sought the doctor and the nurse to solve dental problems. Conclusion: Although they recognize the importance of oral health, the knowledge of undergraduates about oral pathologies was scarce and very limited

Objetivo: Investigar la importância de la salud bucal y la frecuencia y los medios utilizados en la higienizacíon de la cavidade oral, así como el conocimiento y las conductas de universitarios frente a las enfermidades bucales. Método: Estudio descriptivo y cualitativo desarrollado com universitarios de diferentes nacionalidades. Los datos fueron recolectados por la aplicación de cuestionario. Resultados: Para los participantes, la importancia de la salud bucal estaba vinculada a la prevención de enfermidades, a la estética, a la autoestima ya la salud general. Em cuanto a la frequencia y los medios utilizados en el cepillado, todos higienizaban la cavidad oral diariamente y la mayoría utilizaba cepillo y crema dental. Ellos asociaban las enfermedades orales al dolor, al sangrado, a los problemas dentales ya la falta de cepillado. Además del dentista, buscaban al médico y al enfermero para la resolucíon de problemas odontológicos. Conclusión: A pesar de reconocer la importancia de la salud oral, el conocimiento de los universitarios sobre las patologías buçales fue escaso y muy limitad