Showing papers in "Journal of Prevention & Intervention in The Community in 2010"
TL;DR: A statistically significant association between parent involvement and a child's academic performance, over and above the impact of the child's intelligence is indicated.
Abstract: Parent involvement in a child's education is consistently found to be positively associated with a child's academic performance. However, there has been little investigation of the mechanisms that explain this association. The present study examines two potential mechanisms of this association: the child's perception of cognitive competence and the quality of the student–teacher relationship. This study used a sample of 158 seven-year-old participants, their mothers, and their teachers. Results indicated a statistically significant association between parent involvement and a child's academic performance, over and above the impact of the child's intelligence. A multiple mediation model indicated that the child's perception of cognitive competence fully mediated the relation between parent involvement and the child's performance on a standardized achievement test. The quality of the student–teacher relationship fully mediated the relation between parent involvement and teacher ratings of the child's classr...
294 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that microcredit is not the best livelihood option to reduce risk among adolescent girls in this context and lack of adequate support means that loan repayment and business success was poor.
Abstract: This study tested the feasibility of a combined microcredit and life-skills HIV prevention intervention among 50 adolescent female orphans in urban/peri-urban Zimbabwe. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected on intervention delivery, HIV knowledge and behavior, and economic indicators. The study also tested for HIV, HSV-2, and pregnancy. At 6 months, results indicated improvements in knowledge and relationship power. Because of the economic context and lack of adequate support, however, loan repayment and business success was poor. The results suggest that microcredit is not the best livelihood option to reduce risk among adolescent girls in this context.
106 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that multi-component and adaptive intervention efforts that account for different levels of ATOD use involvement, as well as distinct profiles of risk and protection, are likely to be most effective in preventing problematic substance use.
Abstract: The current study investigated how individual risk factors interact with social contextual-level protective factors to predict problematic substance use among a sample of 12th-grade students (n = 8,879, 53% female). Results suggested six latent classes of substance use: (1) Non-Users; (2) Alcohol Experimenters; (3) Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug (ATOD) Experimenters; (4) Current Smokers; (5) Binge Drinkers; and (6) Heavy Users. Binary logistic regression models provided evidence that individual risk, family, school, and community protective factors were associated with membership in the substance use latent classes. However, the significance of interaction terms suggested that these protective influences differed according to the level of individual risk. Adolescents with high levels of individual risk benefited less from a positive family or neighborhood context than adolescents with low levels of individual risk. These findings suggest that the individual risk factors may undermine the protective effect of parental supervision, discipline, and other family factors, as well as protective aspects of cohesive neighborhoods, among these adolescents. Multi-component and adaptive intervention efforts that account for different levels of ATOD use involvement, as well as distinct profiles of risk and protection, are likely to be most effective in preventing problematic substance use.
65 citations
TL;DR: The preliminary findings show that regardless of HIV status, condom negotiation was significantly associated with condom use at the 3- and 6-month follow-ups, and indicate that gender-based interventions for women may result in increased condom negotiation skills.
Abstract: This article presents the results of a randomized trial in South Africa of an adapted evidence-based Woman-Focused intervention on condom use with primary sex partners. The preliminary findings show that regardless of HIV status, condom negotiation was significantly associated with condom use at the 3- and 6-month follow-ups. By intervention group, significant intervention effects were found at 6-month follow-up for HIV-positive and HIV-unknown status women in the Woman-Focused intervention who were more likely than women in the Standard intervention to report condom use with a primary male partner. Among HIV-positive women, those in the Woman-Focused group and those with greater sexual control were more likely to report condom use at the 6-month follow-up. The findings indicate that gender-based interventions for women may result in increased condom negotiation skills.
59 citations
TL;DR: Focus group findings provide contextual support and narrative descriptions for the ways that poverty, alcohol abuse, interpersonal violence, and cultural norms that stigmatize and marginalize women are intertwined risk factors for STIs, including HIV, among these vulnerable women.
Abstract: This study examines HIV/STI risk behaviors, alcohol abuse, intimate partner violence, and psychological distress among 48 female sex workers in Mongolia to inform the design of a gender-specific, HIV/STI prevention intervention for this population. Quantitative findings demonstrate that over 85% of women reported drinking alcohol at harmful levels; 70% reported using condoms inconsistently with any sexual partner; 83% reported using alcohol before engaging in sex with paying partners; and 38% reported high levels of depression. Focus group findings provide contextual support and narrative descriptions for the ways that poverty, alcohol abuse, interpersonal violence, and cultural norms that stigmatize and marginalize women are intertwined risk factors for STIs, including HIV, among these vulnerable women.
57 citations
TL;DR: This work defines organizational learning capacity in terms of internal and external organizational systems alignment, and promoting a culture of learning, including an emphasis on exploration and information, open communication, staff empowerment, and support for professional development.
Abstract: Transformative organizational change requires organizational learning capacity, which we define in terms of (1) internal and (2) external organizational systems alignment, and promoting a culture of learning, including (3) an emphasis on exploration and information, (4) open communication, (5) staff empowerment, and (6) support for professional development. We shortened and adapted Watkins and Marsick's Dimensions of Learning Organizations Questionnaire into a new 16-item Organizational Learning Capacity Scale (OLCS) geared more toward nonprofit organizations. The OLCS and its subscales measuring each of the above 6 dimensions are unusually reliable for their brevity. ANOVAs for the OLCS and subscales clearly and consistently confirmed extensive participant observations and other qualitative data from four nonprofit human service organizations and one local human service funding organization.
50 citations
TL;DR: Compared with WP participants, CHSR participants were significantly more likely to increase condom use and decrease unsafe injection acts at the 3-month follow-up.
Abstract: This pilot randomized controlled trial in Kazakhstan aimed to adapt and test the feasibility of a couple-based HIV/STI risk-reduction intervention (CHSR) for couples who are injecting drug users (IDUs). The study examined the preliminary effects of the intervention versus an attentional control wellness promotion (WP) condition on HIV risk behavioral outcomes among 40 couples who are IDUs (n = 80 participants). Compared with WP participants, CHSR participants were significantly more likely to increase condom use and decrease unsafe injection acts at the 3-month follow-up. This pilot trial demonstrates the feasibility and preliminary effects of the CHSR in reducing drug-related and sexual HIV risks.
47 citations
TL;DR: A comparative case study of prominent leaders in three regional public health partnerships finds that those viewed as leaders by their partnerships shared a similar profile both in the range and types of roles they play and the capacities that enable them to carry out these roles.
Abstract: Collaborative partnerships have grown in prominence as vehicles for systems change and organizational development among a network of organizations, particularly in the complex field of public health. Likewise, supporting the functioning and effectiveness of collaborative partnerships has become a key interest among organizational development scholars and community psychologists alike. In the question of capacity-building, no aspect of collaborative capacity has received greater attention than that of leadership. Research on collaborative partnerships has highlighted the importance of shared leadership while at the same time acknowledging that specific individuals do and often must emerge and assume more prominent roles in the partnership in order for the work of the partnership to move forward. However, we have limited knowledge of these key individuals and the roles that they play in non-hierarchical, voluntary partnerships. The present study is a comparative case study of prominent leaders in three regional public health partnerships. The aim of this investigation is to explore the questions: (1) What does it mean to be a leader in a context where no one is "in charge?" (2) What roles do those individuals identified as leaders play?, and (3) What are the specific capacities that enable the enactment of these roles? We find that those viewed as leaders by their partnerships shared a similar profile both in the range and types of roles they play and the capacities that enable them to carry out these roles. Further, we find that while individual attributes such as passion, knowledge, and leadership skills are important, some of the most prominent capacities are rooted in the organizational and institutional contexts within which the leader is nested.
44 citations
TL;DR: Outcome analyses indicate that both groups benefited from participation in the intervention trial, however, the SWF Intervention was found to be more efficacious in regard to reductions in unprotected oral sex and sexual violence.
Abstract: Female sex workers are especially vulnerable to HIV infection, particularly those who use drugs and engage in street-based sex exchange. This study examines the risk behaviors and HIV serostatus of 806 drug-using female sex workers in Miami and assesses the relative impact of two HIV and hepatitis prevention interventions on changes in risk behavior. Drug-using sex workers were recruited using targeted sampling strategies and were randomly assigned to the NIDA Standard Intervention or an innovative Sex Worker Focused (SWF) Intervention. Outcome analyses indicate that both groups benefited from participation in the intervention trial. However, the SWF Intervention was found to be more efficacious in regard to reductions in unprotected oral sex and sexual violence.
41 citations
TL;DR: Fear patterns within fear appeal anti-speeding television commercials are studied and a new perspective on creating fear appeal road safety advertisements, with an emphasis on fear-relief, fear-partial relief, and fear-only patterns, is discussed.
Abstract: This research studies fear patterns within fear appeal anti-speeding television commercials. A pattern of fear is the sequence of fear arousal and fear reduction, if any, that is felt by the viewing audience when exposed to a fear appeal advertisement. Many road safety advertisers use fear appeals, such as "shock" advertising, that result in fear arousal, leaving the viewer feeling extremely tense. The moment-to-moment reactions of young drivers to 12 road safety commercials are gauged using a dynamic, temporal measure of fear. The fear patterns generated from each ad are analyzed and a new perspective on creating fear appeal road safety advertisements, with an emphasis on fear-relief, fear-partial relief, and fear-only patterns, is discussed.
36 citations
TL;DR: The seat belt use rate was generally low in Kumasi, Ghana, and it was a function of occupant seating position, gender, vehicle type and usage, age group, and location setting.
Abstract: We conducted an observational survey of seat belt use to determine the use rate of drivers and front-right passengers of vehicles in Kumasi, Ghana. Unobtrusive observations of seat belt use were made at 41 locations composed of signalized intersections and roundabouts where vehicles come to a halt or slow down considerably. The overall driver seat belt use rate was 17.6% compared to 4.9% for front-right passengers. Driver belt use was 33.2% for private cars, 9.0% for taxis, 8.3% for minibus (trotro), 13.1% for large buses and 9.7% for trucks. Overall seat belt use was higher for female drivers than for male drivers (44.8% versus 16.4%, p < .001), was lowest within the Central Business District (CBD) compared to the outskirts of the city (16.3% versus 21.0%, p < .001) and seat belt use rate increased with age. Passengers belted more often if drivers were belted, but about three-quarters of male passengers and 70–80% of female passengers were unbelted even when drivers were belted. In conclusion, the seat b...
TL;DR: STI testing was significantly associated with higher HIV/AIDS knowledge, lower probability of contracting HIV, and increased condom use, and future research on the adaptability of this intervention to FBWs residing in HIV epicenters is warranted.
Abstract: This article presents the outcomes of a quasi-experimental community-based research intervention initiative targeting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) testing and condom use among Filipina female bar workers (FBWs). Established at the peer, organizational, and policy levels, bar managers and peer educators from 110 different establishments, in 4 southern Philippines regions, were trained. Only FBWs in the combination peer educator and manager training intervention condition significantly increased STI testing from baseline to follow-up. STI testing was significantly associated with higher HIV/AIDS knowledge, lower probability of contracting HIV, and increased condom use. Based on the findings, future research on the adaptability of this intervention to FBWs residing in HIV epicenters is warranted.
TL;DR: The findings from hierarchical linear regression indicate that socializing with peers who engage in risky behaviors has a significant, negative impact on academic engagement and family cohesion was significantly associated with academic engagement over and beyond the effects of risky peers.
Abstract: While grades are frequently used as indicators of academic achievement, they provide little information about the processes that encourage academic success. Academic engagement, on the other hand, evaluates thoughts, motivations, and behaviors that predict achievement and helps elucidate achievement mechanisms. Understanding academic engagement can facilitate an examination of the forces influencing and hindering achievement and can guide researchers and educators in developing and evaluating effective interventions for increasing academic success. Grounded in ecological theory, this study attempts to understand the influence of family cohesion and peer risky behavior on academic engagement. First, the study explores how socializing with peers who engage in risky behaviors (e.g., sexual behaviors, truancy, or substance use) influences academic engagement and its components (i.e., interest in school, education utility value, and academic effort). Second, the study assesses whether family cohesion buffers t...
TL;DR: This article aims to fill the gap in knowledge of road safety issues for deaf and hard of hearing people by reporting empirical research carried out with deaf people in the United Kingdom and making recommendations to improve their road safety.
Abstract: Very little research has been carried out in the United Kingdom or other countries on the views and experiences of deaf people on road safety and other aspects of travel. Historically, there has been little specific attention to either the issue of road safety for deaf people or more general travel issues affecting deaf people. Deaf-specific support, guidance, or advice on road safety from the police or other agencies has been sparse. This has led to a situation where support for deaf pedestrians, drivers, and other deaf road users has been developed on an ad-hoc basis, and available measures have not been uniformly adopted across the United Kingdom. Furthermore, although the United Kingdom police force has aimed to provide some support to deaf and hard of hearing people, this has mainly concentrated on communications support in the form of note-taking, interpreters, and video-based information. This article aims to fill the gap in knowledge of road safety issues for deaf and hard of hearing people by reporting empirical research carried out with deaf people in the United Kingdom and making recommendations to improve their road safety.
TL;DR: A formative evaluation is presented of this multicase study of organizational change in human services, which contributes to the empirical and theoretical literature on organizational changes in the nonprofit human service milieu.
Abstract: SPEC Learning and Changing by Doing is a three-year, action research, and organizational change project designed to ultimately promote social justice and well-being in the community. SPEC is an acronym that stands for Strengths, Prevention, Empowerment, and Community Change. The project consists of five organizations tackling internal organizational change in order to better promote justice and well-being in their respective constituencies. In this article we present a formative evaluation of this multicase study of organizational change in human services. This article contributes to the empirical and theoretical literature on organizational change in the nonprofit human service milieu.
TL;DR: This study contextualizes a process to build a public health partnership using cultural, community, organizational, and societal factors necessary to address health disparities through the design, implementation, and maintenance of a community-based health promotion intervention.
Abstract: This study seeks to examine the process of building the capacity to address health disparities in several urban African American neighborhoods. An inter-organizational network consisting of a research university, community members, community organizations, media partners, and foundations was formed to develop a community-based intervention designed to provide health promotion and disease prevention strategies for type 2 diabetes and hypertension. In-depth qualitative interviews (n = 18) with foundation executives and project directors, civic organization leadership, community leaders, county epidemiologist, and university partners were conducted. Our study contextualizes a process to build a public health partnership using cultural, community, organizational, and societal factors necessary to address health disparities. Results showed 5 important factors to build organizational capacity: leadership, institutional commitment, trust, credibility, and inter-organizational networks. These factors reflected other important organizational and community capacity indicators such as: community context, organizational policies, practices and structures, and the establishment of new commitments and partnerships important to comprehensively address urban health disparities. Understanding these factors to address African American health disparities will provide lessons learned for health educators, researchers, practitioners, foundations, and communities interested in building and sustaining capacity efforts through the design, implementation, and maintenance of a community-based health promotion intervention.
TL;DR: Women in Sub-Saharan Africa are among the most affected by HIV=AIDS, representing 61% of infections among adults in this region and evidence suggests that infection rates among women are increasing more rapidly than among men.
Abstract: More than 25 years into the HIV/AIDS epidemic, women are rapidly becoming the face of the pandemic. An estimated 15.4 million women aged 15 or older are living with HIV—approximately 46% of the glo...
TL;DR: It is concluded that individual child and youth outcomes are powerfully influenced by family involvement at a young age, but as age increases, this involvement becomes less salient and practitioners target interventions for high risk audiences that are guided by assessments of the child's developmental and risk profiles.
Abstract: In this issue, we examine the application of the ecological elements of family, school, and community on the developmental outcomes of children and youth. Five empirical articles then provide insight into the interaction of individual development, intelligence, and risk with contextual factors such as involvement, expectations, relationships, peers, and community. We conclude that individual child and youth outcomes are powerfully influenced by family involvement at a young age, but as age increases, this involvement becomes less salient. In youth considered “high risk,” family and community protective factors were not able to significantly improve child outcomes. We specifically recommend that practitioners target interventions for high risk audiences that are guided by assessments of the child's developmental and risk profiles.
TL;DR: An investigation into existing police practice in providing support and training to police officers on interacting with deaf people in situations that could have an effect on road safety is discussed.
Abstract: The ability to travel safely and independently is very important for participation in many aspects of modern life and the police have an important role in maintaining safety on the roads. Although people with hearing impairments form a significant percentage of the population in the United Kingdom (estimated at 1 in 7 by the Royal National Institute of Deaf People), there has been little research on how the police ensure the road safety of deaf and hearing impaired people. This article discusses an investigation into existing police practice in providing support and training to police officers on interacting with deaf people in situations that could have an effect on road safety. It makes recommendations for improving existing practice.
TL;DR: It is argued a holistic assessment tool can guide the prevention services to address the individual needs of adolescents and to ideally support their developmental and learning capacity.
Abstract: Developmental research in the social-cognitive tradition has provided ample evidence for systematic relations between adolescents' social-cognitive development and mental health problems; both are set within an adolescent's ecology. However, appropriate assessment procedures for school-based prevention reflecting this differential knowledge are largely absent. The aim of this article is to outline the development and application of a new, holistic assessment procedure for youth that includes indicators of adolescents' social-cognitive development and related resiliencies, risks, and relationships. Using quantitative and qualitative data from the ongoing, school-based RALLY prevention program, we illustrate the development and efficiency of this holistic assessment tool within a developmental-ecological framework. This article argues a holistic assessment tool can guide the prevention services to address the individual needs of adolescents and to ideally support their developmental and learning capacity. Finally, the implications for practitioners are discussed.
TL;DR: The results of this strength-based study highlight changes in interpersonal and intrapersonal strengths in youth with below-average school performance, poor social skills, and/or weak family bonds.
Abstract: The 4-H Mentoring: Youth and Families with Promise program is a school, family, and community partnership designed to enhance the strengths of at-risk youth. Youth with below-average school performance, poor social skills, and/or weak family bonds are targeted. Participants are engaged by caring adults in three structurally different settings; youth are matched with a young adult mentor, enrolled in a 4-H club, and participate in monthly Family Night Out activities with their parents. The results of this strength-based study, with 345 male and 326 female youth, highlight changes in interpersonal and intrapersonal strengths. Programmatic predictors of post-program strengths varied by gender and age of participants. Findings are interpreted from an ecological systems perspective and the involvement of various adults, particularly parents, in youth development programs is encouraged.
TL;DR: This article explores organization development interventions and their likelihood of increasing social change outcomes in public agencies and suggests that public and nonprofit organizations can deliver better social outcomes by systematically engaging in OD interventions.
Abstract: This article explores organization development (OD) interventions and their likelihood of increasing social change outcomes in public agencies. The central argument of this work is that public and nonprofit organizations can deliver better social outcomes by systematically engaging in OD interventions. An in-depth survey was conducted in 3 agencies of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania at the end of the gubernatorial administration of Tom Ridge (1995-2002). During his administration, Governor Ridge led the agencies of Pennsylvania government through a large-scale change effort to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery to the citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The change effort was a remarkable event for the Commonwealth because no other governor in the history of the state had attempted to conceptualize and deliver a comprehensive large-scale change management initiative. The successes and setbacks served as a fertile context to shed light on the following research question: Do OD interventions increase the likelihood that public organizations will deliver better social outcomes? This question is important in that public organizations may need to engage in organization development activities to improve their internal operations, which in turn may help them provide exemplary social outcomes to those whom they serve. In short, organization development interventions might allow public organizations to help themselves to help others.
TL;DR: The project utilized elements of organization development and strategic planning to develop a local infrastructure and process and to promote local expertise to improve nutrition, increase exercise, and decrease stress.
Abstract: Health promotion aims to support people in their efforts to increase control over factors that impact health and well-being This emphasis on empowerment and contextual influences allows for a more holistic conceptualization of health and approaches to promoting health that are anchored in principles of community development and systems change Piciryaratgun Calritllerkaq (Healthy Living Through A Healthy Lifestyle) is a collaboration between a Yup'ik village in rural Alaska and researchers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks The goal was to improve nutrition, increase exercise, and decrease stress The project utilized elements of organization development and strategic planning to develop a local infrastructure and process and to promote local expertise The project team developed goals, objectives, action, and evaluation plans that integrated local traditions, Yup'ik culture, and research
TL;DR: It is reported on an intervention that can influence many motorists at dangerous sites, where accidents are likely to occur, and indicates that the device is associated with a significant speed reduction relative to the control condition.
Abstract: It is estimated that by 2020 road accidents will rise from ninth to third place in the worldwide ranking of the burden of disease. Traffic calming can reduce road accidents; however, many motorists do not adhere to speed limits. We report on an intervention that can influence many motorists at dangerous sites, where accidents are likely to occur (e.g., near playgrounds, schools). The intervention is a speed-displaying device mounted next to the road (visible to both motorists and the public). Our findings indicate that the device is associated with a significant speed reduction relative to the control condition.
TL;DR: The majority of motorists believed these devices influenced compliance with the speed limit and indicated they approached locations with these devices more slowly than similar locations without such devices.
Abstract: A total of 300 motorists were recruited at public places to answer a self-report questionnaire on a new community-based intervention to enhance road safety. The intervention consisted of a speed-displaying device that was mounted next to the road and was visible to both motorists and the public. The device gives feedback about the current speed of the motorist. The majority of motorists believed these devices influenced compliance with the speed limit. They indicated they approached locations with these devices more slowly than similar locations without such devices. Moreover, they slowed down if they were going faster than the speed limit. They also said that their reaction to the devices was not influenced by whether they were driving in a community where they had friends or in a community where nobody knew them. These results were consistent across gender, age, levels of education, and professions.
TL;DR: In 2002, Boyd and Angelique offered a simple thesis that organization studies could inform community settings in relation to theory and methods that might assist in facilitating and achieving social change, and it is this latter fact that eventually led to the formation of this issue.
Abstract: Organization development (OD) is a field of management in which professionals assist organizations through planned change interventions and processes (Cummings & Worley, 2009). The application of O...
TL;DR: The applications presented in this issue are predominantly meant to stimulate ideas and discussion on what can be done to enhance road safety and are by no means an exhaustive overview of community-based applications.
Abstract: Road safety plays an increasing role in communities throughout the entire world. According to estimates, road accidents will have moved from ninth to third in the worldwide ranking of burden of disease by 2020. This theme issue is dedicated to community-based applications that have the aim to enhance road safety. Although various interventions will be demonstrated, this issue provides by no means an exhaustive overview of community-based applications. The applications presented in this issue are predominantly meant to stimulate ideas and discussion on what can be done to enhance road safety.