Community-based maternal health workers' perspectives on heat risk and safety: a pilot qualitative study.

In this study the authors examined how maternal health workers (MHWs) perceive the health risks of extreme heat exposure to pregnant women and fetuses. The authors conducted interviews with 12 MHWs (including midwives and doulas) in El Paso, Texas. Using qualitative analysis, the researchers identified numerous themes. Although heat was not communicated as a major health risk, participants expressed some concern with growing heat exposure and communicated standard protective measures. While all participants were familiar with some heat illness symptoms, they were generally unaware of their clients' vulnerability. MHWs' minimal heat-risk knowledge leaves pregnant women and developing fetuses at risk of preventable harm.

Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) in General Education Courses.

While much of the promotion for undergraduate research (UR) originates from the natural sciences, this high-impact practice should also occur in social science to prepare students for graduate school/ the workforce and should be integrated into lower-division general education courses. Our study examines content and skills gained by students from two course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) in Introduction to Sociology courses. Pre- and post-course survey analyses, post-survey student outcomes of a CURE class compared against students enrolled in three non-CURE Introduction to Sociology classes, and a content analysis of end-of-semester papers indicate student knowledge gain in specific topical areas, methodological skills, and major sociology theoretical perspectives. We conclude that UR enhances research- and sociology-related knowledge.

The COVID-19 pandemic: A focusing event to promote community midwifery policies in the United States.

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented stress on health care systems across the globe. This stress has altered prenatal, labor, delivery, and postpartum care in the U.S., motivating many pregnant people to seek maternal health care with community midwives in a home or freestanding birth center setting. Although the dominant maternal health care providers across the globe, community midwives work on the margins of the U.S. health care system, in large part due to policy restrictions. This commentary extends previous research to theorize that the COVID-19-related disrupted health care system and the heightened visibility of community midwives may create a "focusing event," or policy window, which may enable midwives and their advocates to shift policy.

Photovoice: Integrating Course-Based Research in Undergraduate and Graduate Social Work Education.

Research skills are vital to students' professional careers and must be cultivated in the social work curriculum. While students and faculty may hesitate to participate in a course-based research project, the authors believe that the Photovoice method is easily adapted to a variety of class and student needs. Photovoice is a field-oriented and qualitative research method that visually documents and communicates community assets and needs. The first purpose of this article is to offer Photovoice as a potential model for instructors to implement a course-based research project. The second purpose is to quantitatively assess changes in students' reported confidence in social work topics and research activities. Data revealed that the students reported increased confidence in the majority of the content and research evaluated; content examples include economic justice and determinants of social inequalities; research examples include analysing data for patterns and identifying the limitations of research methods. The data illustrate the pedagogical power of Photovoice.