The Implementation of Evidence-Based Obesity Education Curricula to Prevent Cancer in a Predominantly Mexican-American Community on the U.S.-Mexico Border.

Although cancer is the leading cause of death among Mexican-Americans, few community-based programs target obesity reduction as a way to reduce the prevalence of obesity-related cancer in underserved populations. Evidence suggests that obesity correlates with 13 types of cancer. The objective is to provide an overview of evaluation and selection of evidence-based content; details of the implementation process; modifications needed to tailor education programs to specific needs of different target audiences; and demonstrate challenges of implementing a community-based prevention program intended to reduce cancer incidence and mortality in Mexican-Americans. We used the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) to develop a 10-topic menu of educational classes using elements of multiple evidence-based curricula. Outcome measures for physical activity and nutrition were determined using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and the Dietary Screener Questionnaire (DSQ). Weight status was determined using weight, body fat, and body mass index (BMI). To date, 2845 adults received wellness education from our program. Multiple delivery models were used to reach a larger audience; they included a 4-week model, 5-week model, employer model, low-income housing, 1- and 2-h sessions, and clinic encounters. Individuals were given education at multiple community locations including senior centers (14%), churches (0.6%), employers (17.6%), low-income housing (8.2%), community centers (16.6%), clinics (11.5%), and schools (32.5%). Our study indicates that our delivery model is feasible and can disseminate evidence-based obesity education. Further investigation is necessary to assess long-term behavioral change and to assess the most effective model for delivery.

Gender-Based Pathways to Cognitive Aging in the Mexican-Origin Population in the United States: The Significance of Work and Family.

OBJECTIVES: This study uses the life course perspective to explore the role of key midlife factors (occupation and number of children) for gender- and nativity-based pathways to cognitive aging for older Mexican Americans. METHOD: Using the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (H-EPESE, 1993/1994-2016, n = 2,779), this study presents (a) cognitive impairment trajectories over 20 years of data and (b) multinomial logistic regression analyses of trajectory group membership by lifetime occupation and number of children, controlling for educational attainment. RESULTS: For older Mexican American men, lifetime employment in agricultural occupations is associated with elevated risk for late-life cognitive impairment. Delayed risk for impairment is observed for U.S.-born men who were employed in factory work (e.g., production and repair) and in Mexican-born men who were employed in occupations with skilled or supervisory requirements. For all women, labor force participation, especially in skilled occupations, is related to a delayed risk of cognitive impairment. Number of children is unrelated to impairment for men; however, women with five or more children (compared to women with two to four children) are at risk for consistent and rapid cognitive impairment in late life. DISCUSSION: Late-life cognitive health disparities that disproportionately impact the Mexican American population can be addressed by improving access to educational and occupational opportunities in early and midlife. This study points to key areas of intervention within work and the home for the Mexican-origin population.

Measuring Our Success in Teaching Latinos about Asthma and Home Environments: Lessons Learned from an Intervention Developed through Photovoice.

BACKGROUND: Childhood asthma management is an environmental justice concern for immigrant Latino parents. Photovoice methods have empowered our community-based participatory research (CBPR) team of Latino parents of children with asthma to investigate and educate others about indoor environmental threats in our community. METHODS: Data collection and management in evaluating interventions in such settings is under-described in the literature. We developed a culturally tailored educational intervention, guided by social cognitive theory, using photographs from our archive. We pilot tested this intervention with a convenience sample of Latino parents (n = 19) attending an English language literacy class. We designed and implemented a pre- and post-evaluation survey on self-efficacy and knowledge and collected observational notes. However, we found that the responses to the knowledge questions were of limited value. LESSONS LEARNED: We describe the lessons we learned regarding data collection, management and evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: We provide suggestions for improving survey design and data management for culturally tailored educational interventions.

Longitudinal Linkages among Parents' Educational Expectations, Youth's Educational Expectations, and Competence in Mexican-origin Families.

The contribution that parental educational expectations for youth and youth's perceptions of academic competence can have on youth's own educational expectations across early to late adolescence is not well-understood. In a sample of Mexican-origin families, the current study examined longitudinal (from early to late adolescence) associations among mothers, fathers, and youth's educational expectations, how youth's educational expectations were associated with perceived academic competence, and the potential mediating role of youth's perceived academic competence. Data from two-parent families which included one focal child (7th grade: N= 469; youth: Mage = 12.31, 50% female) at three waves (7th, 9th, and 11th grade) were utilized. Structural equation modeling and multi-group analysis were implemented to assess the study's goals. Results revealed significant associations among parents' 7th grade educational expectations and youth's 9th and 11th grade educational expectations. The findings also revealed three significant associations among youth's perceived academic competence and educational expectations between 7th and 11th grade. Specifically, youth's 7th grade perceived academic competence predicted youth's 9th grade educational expectations, youth's 7th grade educational expectations predicted youth's 9th grade perceived academic competence, and youth's 9th grade perceived academic competence predicted youth's 11th grade educational expectations. Multigroup analysis did not reveal gender differences for the associations tested. The findings highlight the long-term significance of parents' educational expectations on youth's educational expectations and underscore youth's academic competence, an individual level factor, as critical to consider for understanding educational expectations across adolescence for Mexican-origin youth.

New Destinations and the Early Childhood Education of Mexican-Origin Children.

This study examined differences in exposure to early childhood education among Mexican-origin children across Latino/a destinations. Early childhood educational enrollment patterns, which are highly sensitive to community resources and foundational components of long-term educational inequalities, can offer a valuable window into how destinations may be shaping incorporation among Mexican-origin families. Integrating data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort with county-level data from the decennial census, multilevel logistic regression models revealed that Mexican-origin, black, and white children had lower odds of enrollment in early childhood education programs if they lived in new Latino/a destinations versus established destinations. The negative association between new destinations and early childhood education enrollment persisted despite controls for household selectivity, state and local early childhood education contexts, Latino/a educational attainment, Latino-white residential segregation, and immigration enforcement agreements. Within the Mexican-origin subgroup, the enrollment gap between new and established destinations was widest among the least-acculturated families, as measured by parental nativity, duration of residence, citizenship status, and English proficiency. These findings highlight how both place and acculturation stratify outcomes within the large and growing Mexican-origin subset of the Latino/a population.

A Culturally Adapted Intervention for Mexican-Origin Parents of Adolescents: The Need to Overtly Address Culture and Discrimination in Evidence-Based Practice.

Latino/a populations in the United States are negatively impacted by widespread mental health disparities. Although the dissemination of culturally relevant parent training (PT) programs constitutes an alternative to address this problem, there is a limited number of efficacious culturally adapted PT prevention interventions for low-income Latino/a immigrant families with adolescents. The current manuscript describes the level of acceptability of a version of the GenerationPMTO® intervention adapted for Latino/a immigrant families, with an explicit focus on immigration-related challenges, discrimination, and promotion of biculturalism. Qualitative reports were provided by 39 immigrant parents who successfully completed the prevention parenting program. The majority of these parents self-identified as Mexican-origin. According to qualitative findings, participants reported overall high satisfaction with immigration and culture-specific components. Parents also expressed high satisfaction with the core GenerationPMTO parenting components and provided specific recommendations for improving the intervention. Current findings indicate the need to adhere to the core components that account for the effectiveness of PT interventions. Equally important is to thoroughly adapt PT interventions according to the cultural values and experiences that are relevant to target populations, as well as to overtly address experiences of discrimination that negatively impact underserved Mexican-origin immigrant families. Due to the exploratory nature of this study, the efficacy and effectiveness of the adapted prevention intervention remains to be established in empirical research.

Las poblaciones latinas de los Estados Unidos están afectadas negativamente por desigualdades generalizadas en el área de salud mental. Aunque la difusión de programas de capacitación para padres culturalmente pertinentes constituye una alternativa para abordar este problema, existe un número limitado de capacitaciones para padres con intervenciones preventivas adaptadas culturalmente que son eficaces para familias inmigrantes latinas con adolescentes de bajos recursos. El presente manuscrito describe el nivel de aceptabilidad de una versión de la intervención GenerationPMTO® adaptada para familias inmigrantes latinas, que hace hincapié específicamente en dificultades relacionadas con la inmigración, la discriminación y la promoción del biculturalismo. Treinta y nueve padres inmigrantes que completaron satisfactoriamente el programa preventivo sobre crianza proporcionaron informes cualitativos. La mayoría de estos padres se autoidentificaron como de origen mexicano. De acuerdo con los resultados cualitativos, los participantes informaron una alta satisfacción en general con la inmigración y los componentes específicos de la cultura. Los padres también expresaron una alta satisfacción con los componentes principales relativos a la crianza de GenerationPMTO y ofrecieron recomendaciones específicas para mejorar la intervención. Los resultados actuales indican la necesidad de cumplir con los componentes principales que justifican la eficacia real de las intervenciones de capacitación para padres. Es igualmente importante adaptar totalmente las intervenciones de capacitación para padres de acuerdo con los valores culturales y las experiencias que son relevantes para las poblaciones objetivo, así como abordar expresamente las experiencias de discriminación que afectan negativamente a las familias inmigrantes de bajos recursos de origen mexicano. Debido a la índole exploratoria de este estudio, la eficacia real y la eficacia teórica de la intervención de prevención adaptada quedan por demostrarse en la investigación empírica.

Providing Health Education to Mixtec Farmworkers in California via Workshops and Radio: A Feasibility Study.

Originating from one of the poorest areas in Mexico, Mixtecs are one of the largest indigenous groups of workers in California. Providing health education to this group is challenging because many do not speak English or Spanish, and indigenous languages are mainly oral, not written. We explored the feasibility of conveying health information through the radio and in promotora-led workshops. The study included an evaluation of the workshops through surveys before the workshop and 4 to 6 months later in a subsample of 96 indigenous women. The number of radio listeners averaged more than 2,000 per month, and 500 community members attended a workshop. Among women who completed pre- and postworkshop assessments (N = 75), there was a statistically significant increase in knowledge of how to get a wellness visit, where to get a free mammogram, and mammography screening guidelines. Women who ever had a mammogram or wellness visit at baseline were significantly more likely to report receipt of this service during the follow-up period than women who never had this service. Educational workshops and radio are promising and culturally appropriate strategies to provide health information in this community. However, many women need additional assistance to navigate access to health care.

Knowledge Gaps About End-of-Life Decision Making Among Mexican American Older Adults and Their Family Caregivers: An Integrative Review.

INTRODUCTION: Mexican Americans (MAs) are the largest, fastest growing Latino subgroup in the United States, yet their use of hospice is limited. To better understand this disparity, the authors conducted an integrative review focused on MA caregiving families' end-of-life (EOL) care decisions. METHOD: In this literature review, the authors content analyzed results and discussions of 22 research studies focused on EOL decisions, which sampled MA adults at least 50 years old and/or families. The authors used Whittemore and Knafl's integrative review process, employing constructs from the Ethno-Cultural Gerontological Nursing Model. RESULTS: Topics included attitudes toward hospice, life-sustaining treatment, advance care planning, EOL decision making, perceptions of a good death, and life-limiting illnesses. EOL research for MA caregiving families is meager, largely atheoretical, and rarely validated by subsequent studies. DISCUSSION: Nursing research is needed to extend theory and policy in order to skillfully match EOL care with MA caregiving families' needs.

Importance of Content and Format of Oral Health Instruction to Low-income Mexican Immigrant Parents: A Qualitative Study.

PURPOSE: This study's purpose was to explore how content and format of children's oral health instruction in the dental clinic is perceived by parents and might affect parents' knowledge and behaviors. METHODS: Thirty low-income Mexican immigrant parents of children age five years and under were recruited from dental clinics in 2015 to 2016. In-person qualitative interviews in Spanish about their children's and their own experiences of dental care and home oral hygiene practices were conducted, digitally recorded, translated, and transcribed. Data analysis involved iteratively reading text data and developing and refining codes to find common themes. RESULTS: Twenty-five of 30 parents recalled receiving oral hygiene instruction, and 18 recalled receiving nutrition instruction and were included in analyses. The format and effectiveness of instruction varied. More engaging educational approaches were recalled and described in more detail than less engaging educational approaches. As a result of oral hygiene and nutritional instruction, most parents reported changing their oral hygiene home behaviors for their children; half aimed to reduce purchasing sugary foods and drinks. CONCLUSIONS: Most parents recalled receiving oral hygiene and nutrition instruction as part of their child's dental visit and reported incorporating the instruction and recommendations they received into their children's home routine.

Pilot Test of a Culturally Appropriate Diabetes Prevention Intervention for At-Risk Latina Women.

Purpose The purpose of the study was to test the preliminary effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of a peer-led, culturally appropriate, Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP)-based lifestyle intervention for Latina women at high-risk for type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Methods Participants (N = 61) were overweight/obese (body mass index [BMI] ≥25) Latina women with no diabetes, at elevated risk either due to midlife age (45-65 years; n = 37) or history of gestational diabetes mellitus (n = 24). The study used a 1-group pretest-posttest design and offered 12 weeks of peer-led education sessions in a community setting. The intervention targeted physical activity and dietary behaviors to facilitate weight reduction and included culturally appropriate content, age-specific health information, and stress/emotion management strategies. Clinical and self-report assessments were conducted at baseline, month 3, and month 6. Results Mean participant age was 47.8 years (SD = 10.8). Most (91.2%) were born in Mexico, and 43.3% had a ninth-grade education or less. At month 6, participants achieved a mean reduction of 4.1% body weight (7 lb [3.2 kg]). Statistically significant improvements were observed for dietary behaviors, stress, and depression symptoms. Attrition was low, 5% (3 women). Focus groups indicated that intervention content increased knowledge, was applicable, highly valued, culturally relevant, and would be recommended to others. Conclusions This culturally tailored DPP adaptation was feasible and acceptable for 2 groups of Latina women at high-risk for T2DM and showed preliminary effectiveness in reducing weight and modifying self-reported dietary behaviors, stress, and depression symptoms. Further research is needed to identify ways to enhance weight loss and diabetes prevention in this at-risk, underserved population.

Formative Research: Using a Community-Based Participatory Research Approach to Develop an Oral Health Intervention for Migrant Mexican Families.

Oral health is a leading unmet health need among migrant families. This article describes the 1-year, community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach employed to plan and develop a Líder Communitario (lay community health worker)-led educational intervention for Mexican migrant adult caregivers and their families in three underserved, remote communities in North San Diego County, California. Four partner organizations collaborated, reviewed existing oral health curricula, and sought extensive input on educational topics and research design from key informants, migrant caregivers, and Líderes Communitarios. Based on community stakeholder input, partners developed a logic model and drafted educational intervention materials. Key informants ( n = 28), including several members from two community advisory boards, ranked program priorities and intervention subgroup population via online survey. Three focus groups were conducted with Líderes Communitarios ( n = 22) and three with migrant families ( n = 30) regarding the oral health program's design and content. Twelve Líderes Communitarios reviewed draft intervention materials during two focus groups to finalize the curriculum, and their recommended changes were incorporated. Formative research results indicated that community stakeholders preferred to focus on adult caregivers and their families. A 5-week educational intervention with hands on demonstrations and colorful visuals was developed, covering the following topics: bacteria and tooth decay, oral hygiene, nutrition, gum disease, and dental services. The CBPR process engaged multiple community stakeholders in all aspects of planning and developing the educational intervention.

Training the Next Generation of Latino Health Researchers: A Multilevel, Transdisciplinary, Community-Engaged Approach.

Reducing health disparities is a national public health priority. Latinos represent the largest racial/ethnic minority group in the United States and suffer disproportionately from poor health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease risk. Academic training programs are an opportunity for reducing health disparities, in part by increasing the diversity of the public health workforce and by incorporating training designed to develop a skill set to address health disparities. This article describes the Training and Career Development Program at the UCLA Center for Population Health and Health Disparities: a multilevel, transdisciplinary training program that uses a community-engaged approach to reduce cardiovascular disease risk in two urban Mexican American communities. Results suggest that this program is effective in enhancing the skill sets of traditionally underrepresented students to become health disparities researchers and practitioners.

Effectiveness evaluation of Contra Caries Oral Health Education Program for improving Spanish-speaking parents' preventive oral health knowledge and behaviors for their young children.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effectiveness of the Contra Caries Oral Health Education Program (CCOHEP) for improving low-income, Spanish-speaking parents' oral health knowledge and behaviors for their young children. Mexican American children in the United States suffer disproportionately high prevalence and severity of early childhood caries, yet few evaluated, theory-based behavioral interventions exist for this population. CCOHEP is a theory-based curriculum consisting of four 2-h interactive classes designed for and by Spanish speakers and led by designated community health educators (promotoras). Topics included children's oral hygiene, caries etiology, dental procedures, nutrition, child behavior management, and parent skill-building activities. METHODS: Low-income Spanish-speaking parents/caregivers of children aged 0-5 years were recruited through community services in an agricultural city in California. Survey questions from the Oral Health Basic Research Facts Questionnaire measuring oral health-related behaviors and knowledge were verbally administered before, immediately after, and 3 months after attendance at CCOHEP. Five questions measured aspects of parental toothbrushing for their children (frequency, using fluoridated toothpaste, brushing before bed, not drinking or eating after nighttime brushing, adult assistance), three questions measured other oral health behaviors, and 16 questions measured oral health-related knowledge. Analyses of within-person changes between pre- and post-tests and again between post-test and 3-month follow-up consisted of McNemar's test for binary outcomes and sign tests for ordinal outcomes. RESULTS: Overall, 105 caregivers participated in CCOHEP (n = 105 pretest, n = 95 post-test, n = 79 second post-test). At baseline, all parents self-reported doing at least one aspect of toothbrushing correctly, but only 13% reported performing all five aspects according to professional guidelines. At post-test, 44% of parents reported completing all aspects of toothbrushing according to professional guidelines (P < .001). Statistically significant improvements were seen in 4 aspects of toothbrushing (P ≤ .008) between pretest and post-test (all but adult assistance). The second post-test showed 3 of these improvements were maintained, while adult assistance and the other reported behaviors improved (P ≤ .008). Between pretest and post-test, checking child's teeth monthly and frequency of sweet drinks consumption improved (P ≤ .008), while frequency of eating sweet foods did not change. Knowledge was high at baseline (mean 12.8 of 16), but 6 knowledge items improved significantly between pretest and post-test. Improvements were maintained at second post-test. CONCLUSIONS: Contra Caries Oral Health Education Program improved low-income Spanish-speaking parents' oral hygiene knowledge and self-reported behaviors for their young children, and change was sustained 3 months after the end of the intervention. Future, more rigorous evaluation of the intervention is recommended.

Ethnic identity, school connectedness, and achievement in standardized tests among Mexican-origin youth.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between school connectedness and performance in standardized test scores and whether this association was moderated by ethnic private regard. METHOD: The study combines self-report data with school district reported data on standardized test scores in reading and math and free and reduced lunch status. Participants included 436 Mexican-origin youth attending a middle school in a southwestern U.S. state. Participants were on average 12.34 years of age (SD = .95) and 51.8% female and 48.2% male. RESULTS: After controlling for age, gender, free and reduced lunch status, and generational status, school connectedness and ethnic private regard were both positive predictors of standardized test scores in reading and math. Results also revealed a significant interaction between school connectedness and ethnic private regard in predicting standardized test scores in reading, such that participants who were low on ethnic private regard and low on school connectedness reported lower levels of achievement compared to participants who were low on ethnic private regard but high on school connectedness. At high levels of ethnic private regard, high or low levels of school connectedness were not associated with higher or lower standardized test scores in reading. CONCLUSION: The findings in this study provide support for the protective role that ethnic private regard plays in the educational experiences of Mexican-origin youth and highlights how the local school context may play a role in shaping this finding. (PsycINFO Database Record

The impact of a telenovela intervention on use of home health care services and Mexican American older adult and caregiver outcomes.

A two-group randomized controlled trial tested a telenovela intervention (i.e., a culturally congruent videotaped dramatization with guided dialogue) to increase Mexican American older adults' and family caregivers' awareness of and confidence in home health care services (HHCS), thereby increasing use of HHCS and improving older adult and caregiver outcomes. Both groups had significant increases in awareness of and confidence in HHCS. The intervention group used HHCS more than the control group (91.1% versus 71.2% of total visits authorized); however, this was not a statistically significant difference (p = 0.18). Use of HHCS was associated with increased older adult and caregiver mutuality (i.e., the quality of the older adult-caregiver relationship) and decreased caregiving burden and depression. The predictive role and measurement of awareness and ways to improve the intervention are discussed. Findings are especially important with today's focus on transitional care to keep older adults at home and prevent unnecessary readmissions.

Evaluating motivational interviewing to promote breastfeeding by rural Mexican-American mothers: the challenge of attrition.

Although most Hispanic/Latino-American mothers initiate breastfeeding, duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding remain low. We explored whether a motivational interviewing (MI) intervention could help rural Mexican-American mothers continue breastfeeding. We used a two-group (MI intervention n = 26, attention control [AC] n = 27) repeated measures experimental design. Assessments and interventions occurred at 3 days, 2 weeks, and 6 weeks postpartum (time points when mothers are particularly vulnerable to discontinuing breastfeeding), with a final phone assessment at 6 months postpartum. We collected demographic data and measured intent to breastfeed for 6 months (intent question), self-efficacy (Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form), and collected breastfeeding information (breastfeeding assessment questionnaire). Independent t-tests and Mann Whitney U non-parametric tests were used to evaluate group differences (α = 0.05). High levels of attrition by week 6 impaired our ability to evaluate the potential of our MI intervention. No significant differences were found between groups for any of the outcome variables (intent to breastfeed for 6 months, breastfeeding self-efficacy, and duration of breastfeeding). Though the mothers intended to breastfeed for 6 months and were confident in their ability to do so, most did not breastfeed for 6 months. At 6 months, mothers receiving the MI intervention had breastfed an average of 90 days compared to 82 days for those receiving the AC sessions and 22% of the mothers in each group were still breastfeeding at some level. Because of the impact of attrition during this study, we discuss factors that contributed to attrition and approaches to lessen this problem in future studies. Such efforts may require a greater investment of time and resources and should be budgeted accordingly. Culturally appropriate interventions are needed to help rural Mexican-American mothers meet their breastfeeding goals, thus providing an opportunity to reduce their children's risk of multiple diseases and obesity. Only when we address these considerations will we have an opportunity to decrease health disparities, promote healthy behaviors, and be trusted health care partners.

The Community Diabetes Education (CoDE) program: cost-effectiveness and health outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Limited evidence exists regarding the long-term effects of community health worker-led diabetes management programs on health outcomes and cost-effectiveness, particularly in low-income, ethnic minority populations. PURPOSE: To examine the long-term cost-effectiveness and improvements in diabetes-related complications of a diabetes education and management intervention led by community health workers among uninsured Mexican Americans. METHODS: Clinical data, changes in hemoglobin A1c over 12 months, and costs from an RCT of 180 uninsured Mexican Americans with type 2 diabetes conducted in 2006 were utilized for secondary analyses in 2012. Simulation modeling was used to estimate long-term cost and health outcomes using the validated Archimedes Model. The absolute differences for the incremental cost-effectiveness ratios and cumulative incidence of diabetes-related complications were derived by comparing intervention and control groups. RESULTS: During a 20-year time horizon, participants who received the intervention would be expected to have significantly lower hemoglobin A1c levels (p<0.001), fewer foot ulcers (p<0.001), and a reduced number of foot amputations (p=0.005) in comparison with a control group receiving usual medical care. An incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $355 per quality-adjusted life year gained was estimated for intervention participants during the same time period. CONCLUSIONS: A simulated clinical trial suggests that a community health worker-led diabetes intervention is a cost-effective way to reduce diabetes-related complications for uninsured Mexican Americans during a 20-year horizon in comparison to usual medical care.

Academic satisfaction among Latino/a and White men and women engineering students.

The current study tests a model of academic satisfaction in engineering based on Lent, Brown, and Hackett's (1994, 2000) social cognitive career theory among a sample of 527 engineering majors attending a Hispanic serving institution. The findings indicated that (a) an alternative bidirectional model fit the data for the full sample; (b) all of the hypothesized relations were significant for the full sample, except the path from engineering interests to goals; (c) social cognitive career theory predictors accounted for a significant amount of variance in engineering goals (26.6%) and academic satisfaction (45.1%); and (d) the model parameters did not vary across men and women or across Latino/a and White engineering undergraduate students. Implications for research and practice are discussed in relation to persistence in engineering among women and Latinos/as.

Father enrollment and participation in a parenting intervention: personal and contextual predictors.

Fathers are an important, though often underrepresented, population in family interventions. Notably, the inclusion of ethnic minority fathers is particularly scarce. An understanding of factors that promote and hinder father participation may suggest strategies by which to increase fathers' presence in studies designed to engage the family unit. The current research examined Mexican origin (MO) fathers' involvement in a family-focused intervention study. Participants included 495 fathers from eligible two-parent MO families with an adolescent child. Individual, familial, and culturally relevant predictors based on father, mother, and/or child report data were collected through pretest interviews and included in two separate logistic regression analyses that predicted the following: (1) father enrollment in the study and (2) father participation in the intervention. Results indicated that higher levels of maternal education and lower levels of economic stress and interparental conflict were associated with increased father enrollment in the study. Rates of father participation in the intervention were higher among families characterized by lower levels of interparental conflict, economic stress, and Spanish language use. Results highlight the relevancy of the familial and environmental context to MO fathers' research participation decisions. These findings as well as their implications for future research and practice are discussed.

A theater intervention to prevent teen dating violence for Mexican-American middle school students.

PURPOSE: To test a theater intervention designed to raise awareness of the dynamics and consequences of teen dating violence (TDV) and to facilitate creation of nonviolent responses to TDV among Latino and Latina adolescents. The intervention was based on Theater of the Oppressed, which advocates the use of theater methods to explore social issues and to allow audiences to experiment with problem-solving, thereby promoting change. METHODS: This study used a pretest-posttest, no control group, mixed-measures design to study 66 Mexican-American adolescents (mean age, 13.4 ± 5 years). Two plays containing subtle and overt signs of control and abuse were written and performed. Scripts were based on data from prior studies of TDV among Latino and Latina adolescents. At baseline, we measured sociodemographics, personal safety, and ethnic identity. Pre-post instruments measured acceptance of TDV, confidence to resolve conflicts nonviolently, and intentions to use nonviolent strategies to resolve conflict. We collected qualitative data via essay. RESULTS: At posttest, participants had less acceptance of TDV (t = -2.08; p < .05), increased confidence to resolve conflicts nonviolently (t = 3.82; p < .001), and higher intentions to use nonviolent strategies (t = 3.35; p = .001). We analyzed 20 essays. Qualitative results provided context for understanding participants' changes in attitude, confidence, and nonviolent behavioral intentions. CONCLUSIONS: This adaptation of Theater of the Oppressed was an effective way to interact with Latino adolescents. In a safe setting, participants vicariously experienced TDV, which facilitated self-reflection and cognitive rehearsal strategies to respond nonviolently to TDV.