Initial conditions and functioning over time among community coalitions.

Developing operationally strong community coalitions is critical to actualizing their potential for public health improvement. The purpose of this study was to measure how substance use prevention coalitions in Mexico functioned across their first 1.5 years, and to test associations between initial community contextual factors and subsequent coalition functioning and outcomes. Members of 19 coalitions participated in three waves of surveys about coalition context and functioning. We used paired t-tests to assess changes in coalition functioning and outcomes. Regression models estimated associations between coalition functioning and outcomes and initial community context. Among coalition functioning factors, over coalitions' first 1.5 years, member engagement increased, as did coordinator skill and participatory leadership style. Two initial community context factors - community support for prevention and community champions - predicted several measures of process competence, but only community champions predicted perceived community improvement. Thus, community champions may play a pivotal role in later coalition success. The observed increases in member engagement and process competence may support subsequent coalition sustainability, a crucial component to realizing their potential impact on public health.

Establishing a local coalition for addressing social determinants of hypertension in Quibdó (Colombia): a description and reflection on the process.

One-fourth of the adult population of Colombia is estimated to have hypertension. However, there has been relatively little attention to participatory approaches that address the social determinants of hypertension at the local level in Colombia. Early stages of a coalition for addressing hypertension in Quibdó (Colombia) included a stakeholder analysis and engagement of local organizations. This was followed by defining mutual goals, agreement of rules for decision making, and refining a shared vision. Based on a unified understanding of factors influencing hypertension risk, 12 organizations joined the local coalition. They developed an action plan for preventing hypertension and eliminating social disparities in its distribution. Lessons learned during this process suggest that, in marginalized urban areas of middle- and low-income countries, particular attention should be paid, at early implementation stages of coalition, to context specific challenges and opportunities, coalition membership and structure, reframing health, and strengthening capacity.

Community Prevention Coalition Context and Capacity Assessment: Comparing the United States and Mexico.

Effective planning for community health partnerships requires understanding how initial readiness-that is, contextual factors and capacity-influences implementation of activities and programs. This study compares the context and capacity of drug and violence prevention coalitions in Mexico to those in the United States. Measures of coalition context include community problems, community leadership style, and sense of community. Measures of coalition capacity include the existence of collaborative partnerships and coalition champions. The assessment was completed by 195 members of 9 coalitions in Mexico and 139 members of 7 coalitions in the United States. Psychometric analyses indicate the measures have moderate to strong internal consistency, along with good convergent and discriminant validity in both settings. Results indicate that members of Mexican coalitions perceive substantially more serious community problems, especially with respect to education, law enforcement, and access to alcohol and drugs. Compared to respondents in the United States, Mexican respondents perceive sense of community to be weaker and that prevention efforts are not as valued by the population where the coalitions are located. The Mexican coalitions appear to be operating in a substantially more challenging environment for the prevention of violence and substance use. Their ability to manage these challenges will likely play a large role in determining whether they are successful in their prevention efforts. The context and capacity assessment is a valuable tool that coalitions can use in order to identify and address initial barriers to success.

Análisis de redes sociales: una herramienta efectiva para evaluar coaliciones comunitarias / Social network analysis: an effective tool for evaluating community coalitions

Objetivos Los objetivos de este artículo son presentar: a. Las aplicaciones del Análisis de Redes Sociales (ARS) en el estudio de coaliciones comunitarias y redes inter-organizativas; b. Los indicadores estructurales de la red completa relacionados con su funcionamiento, y; c. Los métodos para identificar subgrupos dentro de las redes. Método Para ilustrar los procedimientos utilizaremos la visualización de grafos y datos de una investigación propia. Resultados Proponemos orientaciones metodológicas para evaluar y fortalecer coaliciones comunitarias a través de ARS. Conclusiones El análisis estructural es una potente herramienta para evaluar y optimizar el funcionamiento de coaliciones que prestan servicios socio-sanitarios, al mismo tiempo es necesario conocer el contexto específico y emplear herramientas de investigación cualitativas para contrastar la información obtenida mediante ARS.(AU)

Objectives The aim of this paper is to report: a. The main applications of Social Network Analysis (SNA) in the study of community coalitions and inter-organizational networks; b. The structural indicators of the whole network related to coalition functions, and; c. The methods to identify subgroups within networks. Method We will use graph visualization and data from our own research to illustrate the procedures under study. Results A set of methodological guidelines to evaluate and improve community coalitions through SNA are proposed. Conclusions Structural analysis is a powerful instrument to evaluate and optimize the functioning of coalitions that provides social and health services, and at the same time, it is necessary to understand the specific context of interaction and use qualitative tools to contrast the results obtained through SNA.(AU)

Using a participatory evaluation design to create an online data collection and monitoring system for New Mexico's Community Health Councils.

We present the collaborative development of a web-based data collection and monitoring plan for thirty-two county councils within New Mexico's health council system. The monitoring plan, a key component in our multiyear participatory statewide evaluation process, was co-developed with the end users: representatives of the health councils. Guided by the Institute of Medicine's Community, Health Improvement Process framework, we first developed a logic model that delineated processes and intermediate systems-level outcomes in council development, planning, and community action. Through the online system, health councils reported data on intermediate outcomes, including policy changes and funds leveraged. The system captured data that were common across the health council system, yet was also flexible so that councils could report their unique accomplishments at the county level. A main benefit of the online system was that it provided the ability to assess intermediate, outcomes across the health council system. Developing the system was not without challenges, including creating processes to ensure participation across a large rural state; creating shared understanding of intermediate outcomes and indicators; and overcoming technological issues. Even through the challenges, however, the benefits of committing to using participatory processes far outweighed the challenges.

Resetting our priorities in environmental health: an example from the South-North partnership in Lake Chapala, Mexico.

Lake Chapala is a major source of water for crop irrigation and subsistence fishing for a population of 300,000 people in central Mexico. Economic activities have created increasing pollution and pressure on the whole watershed resources. Previous reports of mercury concentrations detected in fish caught in Lake Chapala have raised concerns about health risks to local families who rely on fish for both their livelihood and traditional diet. Our own data has indicated that 27% of women of childbearing age have elevated hair mercury levels, and multivariable analysis indicated that frequent consumption of carp (i.e., once a week or more) was associated with significantly higher hair mercury concentrations. In this paper we describe a range of environmental health research projects. Our main priorities are to build the necessary capacities to identify sources of water pollution, enhance early detection of environmental hazardous exposures, and deliver feasible health protection measures targeting children and pregnant women. Our projects are led by the Children's Environmental Health Specialty Unit nested in the University of Guadalajara, in collaboration with the Department of Environmental Health of Harvard School of Public Health and Department of Pediatrics of the New York School of Medicine. Our partnership focuses on translation of knowledge, building capacity, advocacy and accountability. Communication will be enhanced among women's advocacy coalitions and the Ministries of Environment and Health. We see this initiative as an important pilot program with potential to be strengthened and replicated regionally and internationally.

Promoting HIV risk awareness and testing in Latinos living on the U.S.-Mexico border: the Tú No Me Conoces social marketing campaign.

Increased incidence of HIV/AIDS in Latinos warrants effective social marketing messages to promote testing. The Tú No Me Conoces (You Don't Know Me) social marketing campaign promoted awareness of HIV risk and testing in Latinos living on the California-Mexico border. The 8-week campaign included Spanish-language radio, print media, a Web site, and a toll-free HIV-testing referral hotline. We documented an increase in HIV testing at partner clinics; 28% of testers who heard or saw an HIV advertisement specifically identified our campaign. Improved understanding of effective social marketing messages for HIV testing in the growing Latino border population is warranted.

From program to policy: expanding the role of community coalitions.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mortality at the United States-Mexico border is twice the national average. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is increasingly diagnosed among children and adolescents. Fragmented services and scarce resources further restrict access to health care. Increased awareness of the incidence of disease and poor health outcomes became a catalyst for creating community-based coalitions and partnerships with the University of Arizona that focused on diabetes. CONTEXT: Five partnerships between the communities and the University of Arizona were formed to address these health issues. They began with health promotion as their goal and were challenged to add policy and environmental change to their objectives. Understanding the meaning of policy in the community context is the first step in the transition from program to policy. Policy participation brings different groups together, strengthening ties and building trust among community members and community organizations. METHODS: Data on progress and outcomes were collected from multiple sources. We used the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) 2010 Community Change Model as the capacity-building and analytic framework for supporting and documenting the transition of coalitions from program to policy. CONSEQUENCES: Over 5 years, the coalitions made the transition, in varying degrees, from a programmatic focus to a policy planning and advocacy focus. The coalitions raised community awareness, built community capacity, encouraged a process of "change in change agents," and advocated for community environmental and policy shifts to improve health behaviors. INTERPRETATION: The five coalitions made environmental and policy impacts by engaging in policy advocacy. These outcomes indicate the successful, if not consistently sustained, transition from program to policy. Whether and how these "changes in change agents" are transferable to the larger community over the long term remains to be seen.

Using a multisectoral approach to assess HIV/AIDS services in the western region of Puerto Rico.

The Enhancing Care Initiative of Puerto Rico assessed services available to people living with HIV/AIDS in the western region of Puerto Rico. Participants were 212 people living with HIV/AIDS and 116 employees from 6 agencies providing HIV/AIDS services in the region. Two main findings were that depression symptoms were present in 98.1% of people living with HIV/AIDS, and 7 of the 15 municipalities in the region did not provide any specific services to this population. Most urgent needs identified by people living with HIV/AIDS were economic support, housing, mental and psychological services, medicines, medical treatment, and transportation. The Enhancing Care Initiative provides an example of a successful multisectoral, multidimensional volunteer team effectively overcoming challenges while translating research into interventions to enhance HIV/AIDS care.

Vulnerability, human rights, and comprehensive health care needs of young people living with HIV/AIDS.

We sought to identify and understand the health care needs of young people living with HIV/AIDS, particularly in terms of their psychosocial well-being. We conducted a qualitative analysis of HIV-positive young people and their caregivers, focusing on the implications of an HIV diagnosis for health care needs. Stigma was a recurrent issue that arose in the interviews conducted with the respondents, and it was evident that youths had been denied many rights related to health. We concluded that young people living with HIV need comprehensive care based on a human rights approach. In this regard, we offer some practical recommendations for health programs.

The effects of leadership and governance processes on member participation in community health coalitions.

This study examines the effects of coalition leadership and governance on member participation in voluntary community health coalitions. Path modeling was used to explore how leadership and governance processes in coalitions affect existing member costs, benefits, and levels of participation. It was hypothesized that the effects of coalition decision making and leadership variables would be indirect by working through their effects on participants' perceived influence over coalition decision making and on overall consensus around the coalition vision. Results of the analysis indicate that open and collaborative decision making and empowering leadership do have indirect, positive effects on the level of participation by way of vision consensus and participation benefits. Participation costs, however, show no significant direct effect on the level of participation. Perceived personal influence appears to be primarily an outcome of participation rather than an antecedent.

Separating financing from provision: evidence from 10 years of partnership with health cooperatives in Costa Rica.

OBJECTIVE: This article examines the impact of contracting health care provision to health care cooperatives in Costa Rica. METHODOLOGY: The article uses a panel dataset on health care outputs in traditional clinics and cooperatives in Costa Rica from 1990-99. RESULTS: Controlling for community socioeconomic characteristics, annual time trends and clinic complexity, the cooperatives conducted an average of 9.7-33.8% more general visits (95% confidence interval), 27.9-56.6% more dental visits, and 28.9-100% fewer specialist visits. Numbers of non-medical, emergency and first-time visits per capita were not different from the traditional public clinics. These results suggest that the cooperatives substituted generalist for specialist services and offered additional dental services, but did not turn away new patients, refuse emergency cases, or substitute nurses for doctors as care providers. Cooperatives authorized 30.4-60.5% fewer sick days (95% confidence interval), conducted 24.7-37.2% fewer lab exams, and gave out 26.7-38.3% fewer medications per visit than the traditional public clinics. Real total expenditure per capita in cooperatives was 14.7-58.9% lower than in traditional clinics. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that cooperatives might, with an appropriate regulatory framework and incentives, be able to combine advantages of public and private approaches to health care service provision. Under certain conditions, they might be able to maintain accessibility, a sense of mission and efficiency in service provision.

The Boston Haitian HIV Prevention Coalition formative evaluation: a participatory approach to community self-assessment.

This article describes the application of participatory evaluation principles and methods to designing and conducting a community survey of the metropolitan Boston Haitian population. The findings of the evaluation baseline community survey of 2,719 Haitians are described, including an overview of the population characteristics and the prevailing HIV prevention knowledge, attitudes, and practices. The participatory evaluation approach was effective in building evaluation capacity, and provided a reliable data source with which to fine-tune the prevention intervention, and increase its efficacy in reducing HIV transmission.

Overcoming historical and institutional distrust: key elements in developing and sustaining the community mobilization against HIV in the Boston Haitian community.

The Metro Boston REACH 2010 HIV Coalition needs to develop innovative processes aimed at overcoming a history of distrust that has led to limited cooperation from the Haitian community. Among the key elements being implemented are the development of a community vision through a community mobilization process; the development of an innovative working group process, in which coalition members worked together to develop and implement culturally and linguistically appropriate HIV prevention curricula; participatory leadership and joint accountability processes, manifested in decision-making approaches, such as the fund allocation system, and in the provision of technical assistance workshops on team building, designed to engender cohesion, skills, and resources sharing among coalition members. The success of this venture is measured through the growing expectation that this coalition could serve as a community planning body for all HIV-related services aimed at reducing HIV infection in the Greater Boston Haitian population.

Informe anual 2002: Federación Red NicaSalud / Report annual 2002: Federation Red Nica-Health

Este informe detalla los resultados obtenidos en el campo por medio de los proyectos que Nica-Salud financió y supervisó durante el año 2002. Durante este año NicaSalud alcanzo muchas metas entre las que sobresalen: Complementar su transición hacia una Federación de ONGs en Nicaragua de carácter independiente y con personería jurídica, incluyendo la formulación de todas sus políticas, procedimientos y manuales operativos, y la elección de una nueva Junta Directiva; Financiar y supervisar 15 proyectos con mas de 45,000 beneficiados directos en el área de AIN-AIEPI, Salud Sexual y Reproductiva de Adolescentes, e ITS, especialmente VIH/SIDA; La incorporación de higiene y saneamiento en las actividades AIN-AIEPI; Fortalecimiento del monitoreo y evaluación realizados por Nica-Salud a través de la evaluación de todos los proyectos, incorporación del monitoreo de la alimentación escolar, y estudios sobre el valor agregado de redes y datos para la toma de decisiones; Firma de acuerdo de colaboración quinquenal entre NicaSalud y el Ministerio de Salud de Nicaragua; Aprobación de 5 nuevos miembros de NicaSalud, lo que eleva el total a 20

Men and women--still far apart on HIV/AIDS.

What could be more logical than a gay-feminist alliance to respond to the AIDS epidemic in Latin America? However, drawing on published articles and the author's experience in HIV/AIDS work in Chile, this paper argues that such an alliance is more rhetorical than real. Instead, both groups tend to stick to their respective niches and view the epidemic through the prism of the particular needs and concerns of their target constituencies, rather than learn from and support each other. Feminist rhetoric sometimes suggests that AIDS is a problem only because it affects women. The African paradigm of vulnerable women is inexactly applied, given the predominantly male and homosexual nature of the epidemic in most Latin American countries. Both women and homosexually active men are highly vulnerable to HIV infection, and little is gained by competing for the top slot on the "tragedy honour roll". Latin American gay men's groups, torn between AIDS and gay rights activism, often resist both protagonism by women and women's issues. Although the fight for access to antiretroviral treatment has obscured this conflict, it resurfaces in associations of HIV-positive people and may increase along with heterosexual transmission in the region. Discussion and exchanges should be encouraged to overcome these largely hidden divisions.