The females against cancer educational series: a qualitative evaluation of mother/daughter knowledge and perceptions of human papillomavirus and its related cancers.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the knowledge, perceptions, and effectiveness of an human papillomavirus (HPV)/cervical cancer education/prevention program. METHODS: Approximately 50 middle and high school girls and their mothers participated in the 7-part educational series. Qualitative pre-evaluations and postevaluations were completed for every session, followed by culminating focus groups with mothers and daughters separately. RESULTS: Common themes included lack of basic knowledge about HPV and its related cancers. Additionally, mothers and daughters expressed difficulty in communicating with one another about healthy relationships; however, during the focus groups, both mothers and daughters discussed how they had utilized effective communication tools to discuss sensitive topics and make informed decisions together. CONCLUSIONS: Despite recent HPV prevention campaigns, more innovative strategies must be implemented to educate more mothers and daughters of HPV and its dangers. Additionally, in educating communities about HPV and associated cancers, more innovative strategies should be mobilized to trigger discussions regarding protective behaviors against HPV.

Methamphetamine use and dental problems among adults enrolled in a program to increase access to oral health services for people living with HIV/AIDS.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the association between methamphetamine (meth) use and dental problems in a large sample of HIV-positive adults. METHODS: We gathered data from 2,178 interviews across 14 sites of the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration HIV/AIDS Bureau's Special Projects of National Significance Innovations in Oral Health Care Initiative from May 2007 to August 2010. We used multivariate generalized estimating equations to test the association between meth use and dental problems, adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: Past and current meth use was significantly associated with more dental problems. The study also found that poor self-reported mental health status, fewer years since testing positive for HIV, a history of forgoing dental care, less frequent teeth brushing, poor self-reported oral health status, oral pain, grinding or clenching teeth, some alcohol use, more years of education, and self-reported men-who-have-sex-with-men HIV risk exposure (compared with other exposure routes) were significantly associated with dental problems. CONCLUSION: Individuals who are HIV-positive with a history of meth use experience access barriers to oral health care and more dental problems. Our study demonstrated that it is possible to recruit this population into dental care. Findings suggest that predisposing, enabling, and need factors can serve as demographic, clinical, and behavioral markers for recruiting people living with HIV/AIDS into oral health programs that can mitigate dental problems.