scholarly journals COVID-19 Prevention Facilitators and Barriers among Specific Ethnic Minority Communities in Rural Ohio

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paran Pordell ◽  
Hammad Ali ◽  
Gisela Medina Martinez ◽  
Brandi Taylor ◽  
Karthik Kondapally ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
Health Department ◽  
Workplace Safety ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Plant Management ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Structural Level ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Community Culture

Abstract Objective: To assess knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors concerning COVID-19 among Guatemalan, Marshallese, and Amish populations in rural Ohio; identify individual, interpersonal, community, and structural level challenges within each community; and provide population-specific recommendations to prevent and mitigate further SARS-CoV-2 transmission among these rural communities. Methods: We conducted 30 key informant interviews in four rural counties in Ohio, in May 2020. Three teams of two investigators conducted interviews with local health department staff, community members, meat packing plant management, and community leaders from three communities disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic [Guatemalan (N=12), Marshallese (N=7), Amish (N=11)]. We used the Social Ecological Model to identify and categorize themes. Results: Emerging and overall themes were identified and defined. Investigators identified COVID-19 knowledge gaps, myths, and misinformation, food insecurity, community cohesion, stigma, community culture and norms, lack of workplace safety policies, and access to testing as key themes to COVID-19 prevention. Conclusions: Understanding specific barriers and identifying facilitators that most effectively provide resources, healthcare services, education, and social support tailored to specific communities would help deter SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

scholarly journals Overcoming the Challenges Faced by Immigrant Populations While Accessing Primary Care: Potential Solution-oriented Actions Advocated by the Bangladeshi-Canadian Community

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 215013272110101
Author(s):  
Tanvir C Turin ◽  
Sarika Haque ◽  
Nashit Chowdhury ◽  
Mahzabin Ferdous ◽  
Nahid Rumana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Community Health Centers ◽  
Healthcare Access ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Service Level ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Policy Level

Introduction: Immigrants continue to face significant challenges in accessing primary healthcare (PHC) that often negatively impact their health. The present research aims to capture the perspectives of immigrants to identify potential approaches to enhance PHC access for this group. Methods: Focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted among a sample of first-generation Bangladeshi immigrants who had experience with PHC in Canada. A total of 13 FGDs (7 among women, 6 among men) were conducted with 80 participants (women = 42, men = 38) in their preferred language, Bangla. We collected demographic information prior to each focus group and used descriptive statistics to identify the socio-demographic characteristics of participants. We applied thematic analysis to examine qualitative data to generate a list of themes of possible approaches to improve PHC access. Results: The focus group findings identified different levels of approaches to improve PHC access: individual-, community-, service provider-, and policy-level. Individual-level approaches included increased self-awareness of health and wellness and personal knowledge of cultural differences in healthcare services and improved communication skills. At the community level, supports for community members to access care included health education workshops, information sessions, and different support programs (eg, carpool services for senior members). Suggested service-level approaches included providers taking necessary steps to ensure an effective doctor-patient relationship with immigrants (eg, strategies to promote cultural competencies, hiring multicultural staff). FGD participants also raised the importance of government- or policy-level solutions to ensure high quality of care (eg, increased after-hour clinics and lab/diagnostic services). Conclusions: Although barriers to immigrants accessing healthcare are well documented in the literature, solutions to address them are under-researched. To improve healthcare access, physicians, community health centers, local health agencies, and public health units should collaborate with members of immigrant communities to identify appropriate interventions.

scholarly journals Strategic yet delicate: the dilemma of involving health workers in facilitating birth registration in Indonesia

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Clara Siagian ◽  
Wenny Wandasari ◽  
Feri Sahputra ◽  
Santi Kusumaningrum
Keyword(s):  
Health Personnel ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Birth Certificate ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Vital Statistics ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Birth Registration ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Civil Registration

Abstract Background Birth registration provides the basis for population data. Previous studies have examined that collaboration between the health sector and civil registration can help improve birth registration rate. However, there was a little exploration into health workers’ understanding of civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) and their perceived role in it. This study aims to fill this gap by focusing on the perspective of both health personnel in a managerial position and those who are involved in direct service provision to the community. Finally, we discussed the opportunities and challenges to strengthen the birth registration presented by health workers’ diverse views. Method This study uses a qualitative approach through semi-structured in-depth interviews with 23 provincial to village health personnel in Pangkajene Kepulauan (Pangkep) district of South Sulawesi province. The participants were selected through consultation with the Department of Planning and the head of the Department of Health at provincial and district level based on the relevance of their position with CRVS. At the frontline level, the informants were identified using a snowballing technique and recommendation from community members. Results This study finds that at the village level, health workers perceive CRVS as important since it supports them in delivering healthcare to community members. They see identification document like birth certificate as crucial for healthcare seekers to access the government’s health insurance and with that, proper and affordable treatment. Some health workers have been facilitating birth registration on a discretionary basis. Local health officials agree that accurate birth data lead to effective planning and financing for healthcare services and insurance. Despite the positive perception of birth registration, the majority of health workers do not want the additional burden for registering births. Health officials, however, are more open to taking some responsibilities. Conclusion This study concludes that the level of health workers’ understanding and appreciation of the CRVS system provides opportunities to engage them systematically in birth registration. It recommends that institutionalizing health workers’ participation in birth registration must consider their current workload, revision of legal instruments, capacity building plan, and operable linkage with civil registration authority.

scholarly journals Working with community researchers to enhance rural community engagement around Private Water Supplies: an exploration of the benefits and challenges

2020 ◽  
pp. 146879412097888
Author(s):  
Rachel Creaney ◽  
Mags Currie ◽  
Paul Teedon ◽  
Karin Helwig
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Community Engagement ◽  
Rural Community ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Duty Of Care ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Water Supplies ◽  
Employment Opportunities

This project employed community researchers as a means of improving community engagement around their Private Water Supplies (PWS) in rural Scotland. In this paper, we reflect on working with community researchers in terms of the benefits and challenges of the approach for future rural research that seeks to improve community engagement. The paper (1) critiques the involvement of community researchers for rural community engagement, drawing on the experiences in this project and (2) provides suggestions for good practice for working with community researchers in rural communities’ research. We offer some context in terms of the role of community members in research, the importance of PWS, our approach to community researchers, followed by the methodological approach and findings and our conclusions to highlight that community researchers can be beneficial for enhancing community engagement, employability, and social capital. Future community researcher approaches need to be fully funded to ensure core researchers can fulfil their duty of care, which should not stop when data collection is finished. Community researchers need to be supported in two main ways: as continuing faces of the project after the official project end date and to transfer their newly acquired skills to future employment opportunities.

Abstract 047: Using Geospatial Data To Eliminate Disparities In Covid-19 Testing

Circulation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 143 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory W Heath ◽  
Tim Moreland ◽  
Shannon Stephenson ◽  
Jesse A Houser ◽  
Colleen Schmitt
Keyword(s):  
Community Health Centers ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Age Distribution ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Behavioral Risk ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Social Vulnerability Index ◽  
First Case ◽  
Black Residents

Introduction: The first case of COVID-19 in Chattanooga/Hamilton County, Tennessee (CHC) was identified on March 13, 2020. By early April, 51 RT-PCR confirmed cases were identified, with white, non-Hispanic males and females representing 82% (41/51) of positive cases and remaining cases representing black residents (18%; 9/51). That few people from racial/ethnic minorities were being tested became a key public health concern. We hypothesized that local mapping of health-related data would identify regions where individuals at greater risk for COVID-19 live and work and have limited access to testing and healthcare services. Methods: The CDC 500 Cities data was used to generate layered maps of prevalence estimates for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, chronic lung disease, and the behavioral risk factors of physical inactivity and obesity. Layers also included the CDC Social Vulnerability Index, age distribution, gender, race, ethnicity, and zip codes. Maps were shared with intersectoral collaborators representing the black and Hispanic/Latinx communities who provided specific neighborhood information to the maps. Collaborators included hospital systems, the local health department, community health centers, the private sector, and non-profit organizations. Maps were used to identify geographic sites for mobile and strategic testing within communities at higher risk for the spread of the coronavirus. Specific diverse neighborhoods along with worksites were then provided with testing beginning in early May and ongoing. Results: Strategic and mobile testing beginning in early May increased three-fold the number of identified new cases of COVID-19. Seventy percent (652/932) of these positive tests were among ethnically Hispanic/Latinx and 16% (149/932) among black residents. Positive tests continued to increase at a greater rate among Hispanic/Latinx and black residents compared with white residents through the months of May-July (68/10K vs. 2.6/10K, OR = 4.85, 95% CI 2.66, 9.02). Conclusions: This example of inter-sectoral collaboration, data sharing, and data use through strategic mapping of vulnerable populations for COVID-19 was an effective means to enhance COVID-19 testing and identification of positive cases throughout CHC. This expanded partnering resulting in targeted testing may be a useful approach among similar communities and subsequent outbreaks.

scholarly journals Examining determinants of gender attitudes: evidence among Tanzanian adolescents

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tia Palermo ◽  
◽  
Yekaterina Chzhen ◽  
Nikola Balvin ◽  
Lusajo Kajula
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
School Attendance ◽  
Sexual Relationships ◽  
Gender Attitudes ◽  
Structural Level ◽  
Cross Sectional

Abstract Background The shaping of gender beliefs and attitudes in early adolescence affects the way young people internalize and self-enforce prevalent notions of masculinity and femininity, with lifelong consequences for sexual and reproductive health. This cross-sectional study examines determinants of gender attitudes among some of the poorest and most vulnerable adolescents in Tanzania using an ecological model. Methods Data come from baseline interviews with 2458 males and females aged 14–19 years conducted as part of a larger impact evaluation. Structural equation models are used to examine how factors at the community-, household-, and individual-levels influence gender attitudes in the four domains measured by the Gender Equitable Men (GEM) Scale (i.e. violence, sexual relationships, reproductive health and disease prevention, and domestic chores and daily life). Results A structural equation model of the four latent domains of the GEM scale regressed on individual, social-interactional and structural level characteristics indicated that secondary school attendance was associated with more equitable gender attitudes, while females held less equitable attitudes than males in the sample. Having had sexual intercourse was associated with more gender equitable attitudes among females, but the reverse was true among males. Conclusions Addressing gender inequity requires understanding gender socialisation at the socio-interactional level. As females had more inequitable gender attitudes than males in the study, a special emphasis on highlighting the rights of women to girls should be considered. This study will inform future analysis of programme impacts on gender attitudes and sexual and reproductive health.

scholarly journals Economic valuation of water services related to protected forest management: a case of Bukit Batabuh in the RIMBA corridor, Central Sumatra, Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barano Siswa Sulistyawan ◽  
Budy P. Resosudarmo ◽  
Rene W. Verburg ◽  
Pita Verweij ◽  
Mia Amalia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Riparian Forest ◽  
Economic Valuation ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Water Services ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Water Storage Capacity ◽  
Tropical Forest Management ◽  
Central Sumatra

AbstractThe context of daily household needs of rural communities, particularly the needs for water, often remains insufficiently considered in tropical forest management as it is facing an important decision-making trade-off between profit and preservation. We conducted a choice experiment study to elicit preferences of the rural community members in Central Sumatra, Indonesia, who perpetually depend on the ecosystem services of tropical forests. To inform a spatial planning policy for the protected forest, we focus on the valuation of water services in the protected forest area of Bukit Batabuh where the surrounding communities living rely on upstream watershed and water storage management. We find that those communities have a strict preference for improving forest water provisioning services, compared to the current situation (status quo), with the estimated aggregate benefit of non-commercial use ranging between USD 2.71 million and USD 2.47 million per year for each of the options of (1) maintaining and enhancing water storage, (2) rehabilitating forest in the upper watershed or (3) restoring the riparian forest. This study also identifies preference attributes, such as water storage capacity, water scarcity and water turbidity which can be used in other tropical landscape contexts in Indonesia and beyond.

scholarly journals Community Needs Assessments in a Student-Run Clinic serving a West Philadelphia Neighborhood

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Arenas ◽  
Dania D. Hallak ◽  
Rommell Noche ◽  
Gilberto Vila-Arroyo ◽  
Swathi Raman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pap Smear ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Community Needs ◽  
Needs Assessments ◽  
Healthcare Needs ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Healthcare Interventions ◽  
Local Healthcare

ABSTRACTBackgroundWhile Community Needs Assessments (CNAs) are an important tool for Student-Run Clinics (SRCs) to understand local communities’ healthcare needs, few studies have evaluated CNAs and their impact on care provided at SRCs.ObjectiveEvaluate results from two CNAs of an SRC in East Parkside, Philadelphia to better comprehend (1) community awareness and opinions regarding the SRC and (2) local healthcare concerns and access.Methods58 and 105 East Parkside residents were surveyed in 2011 and 2015 respectively. The results were analyzed to quantify various health-related measures in the community.ResultsResults showed high rates of hypertension, asthma, and diabetes. Rates of pap-smear and hypertension screening matched national averages while mammograms and colonoscopies were below national rates. Both CNAs showed that less than 40% of community members were aware of the clinic’s existence.ConclusionsCNAs can provide valuable insights regarding local health needs which can inform future healthcare interventions.

scholarly journals A Web-Based Tool for Quantification of Potential Gains in Life Expectancy by Preventing Cause-Specific Mortality

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aruna Chandran ◽  
Churong Xu ◽  
Jonathan Gross ◽  
Kathryn M. Leifheit ◽  
Darcy Phelan-Emrick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Disease ◽  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Health Department ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Baltimore City ◽  
Scarce Resources ◽  
Disease Mortality ◽  
Specific Mortality ◽  
Neighborhood Level

Introduction: Local health departments are currently limited in their ability to use life expectancy (LE) as a benchmark for improving community health. In collaboration with the Baltimore City Health Department, our aim was to develop a web-based tool to estimate the potential lives saved and gains in LE in specific neighborhoods following interventions targeting achievable reductions in preventable deaths.Methods: The PROLONGER (ImPROved LONGEvity through Reductions in Cause-Specific Deaths) tool utilizes a novel Lives Saved Simulation model to estimate neighborhood-level potential change in LE after specified reduction in cause-specific mortality. This analysis uses 2012–2016 deaths in Baltimore City residents; a 20% reduction in heart disease mortality is shown as a case study.Results: According to PROLONGER, if heart disease deaths could be reduced by 20% in a given neighborhood in Baltimore City, there could be up to a 2.3-year increase in neighborhood LE. The neighborhoods with highest expected LE increase are not the same as those with highest heart disease mortality burden or lowest overall life expectancies.Discussion: PROLONGER is a practical resource for local health officials in prioritizing scarce resources to improve health outcomes. Focusing programs based on potential LE impact at the neighborhood level could lend new information for targeting of place-based public health interventions.

scholarly journals Implicit Culture Framework for Behavior Transfer

2011 ◽  
pp. 213-241
Author(s):  
Aliaksandr Birukou ◽  
Enrico Blanzieri ◽  
Paolo Giorgini
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Web 2.0 ◽  
Web Service ◽  
Service Discovery ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Community Culture ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Web Service Discovery ◽  
Domain Independent

People belong to different communities: business communities, Web 2.0 communities, just to name a few. In this chapter the authors show that experience acquired by people in communities constitute community culture. The authors introduce the problem of culture transfer between or within communities and propose a domain-independent approach for transferring community culture. First, the authors formalize the notion of culture, which includes behavior, knowledge, artifacts, best practices, etc. Second, using this formalism, the authors propose the Implicit Culture Framework, which is an agent-based framework for transferring behavior between community members or between communities. Finally, the authors present and evaluate a system for web service discovery developed using the Implicit Culture Framework.

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