Robert W. Strack

Engaging Youth through Photovoice

The photovoice process aims to use photographic images taken by persons with little money, power, or status to enhance community needs assessments, empower participants, and induce change by informing policy makers of community assets and deficits. This article describes a youth photovoice project implemented in an after-school program that attempted to adapt the photovoice method to youth participants, test the effectiveness of the method with youth, and develop and refine a curriculum for replication. A process such as photovoice provides youth the opportunity to develop their personal and social identities and can be instrumental in building social competency. Youth should and need to be given the opportunity to build and confirm their abilities, to comment on their experiences and insights, and to develop a social morality for becoming a positive agent within their communities and society. For more examples of photos taken by the youth during this project, visit http://www.jhsph.edu/youthphotovoice.

Framing Photovoice Using a Social---Ecological Logic Model as a Guide.

Photovoice is a community-based participatory action research method designed to uncover the root causes of community problems and to collectively address them. Individual change and empowerment are desired outcomes of the photovoice process, but more importantly, the process seeks to engage groups and whole communities to foster positive systems change. This article presents a logic model informed by the social-ecological model of health to guide photovoice planners and participants in planning activities that produce individual-and community-level change. The model presented here should help planners and participants plan, implement, and evaluate other photovoice efforts and provide them a visual guide to ensure that all parties are on the same conceptual page and increase the intentionality of their efforts.

Barriers to truck drivers’ healthy eating: Environmental influences and health promotion strategies.

This article presents an assessment of 25 trucking work settings designed to examine whether the environmental attributes of these settings influence eating patterns of truckers who are at risk for excess weight gain. Findings corroborate evidence that these work settings represent healthy food deserts. From restaurants and vending machines to the social/information environments and their surrounding communities, only meager opportunities exist for healthful eating practices. This article aims to place underserved truckers and warehousing-sector employees firmly within the discourse of workplace health promotion and calls for multistakeholder wellness strategies that encompass the intertwined risk factors linked with the transportation work environment.

Correlates of sexual abstinence among urban university students in the Philippines.

A questionnaire administered to 1295 students in introductory sociology classes at two large universities in metropolitan Manila the Philippines in 1995 confirmed the persistence of traditional values regarding premarital sex among Filipino youth. 72% of students were 18 years of age or younger. 82.9% of respondents (70.4% of males and 92.6% of females) reported they were sexually abstinent. Of those who were sexually active 52% had begun having sexual intercourse by age 16 years. 88% of respondents demonstrated adequate knowledge of AIDS and 74% were adequately informed about pregnancy risk. 52% had acceptable knowledge about contraception but only 20% were informed about condom use. The most commonly cited reasons for remaining abstinent were: wanting to wait until one is older or married religious values and concern about the risk of pregnancy or disease. Sexually abstinent students were more likely than their sexually active counterparts to attend church regularly to regard premarital sex as unacceptable and to come from low-income families. Growing exposure as a result of modernization and urbanization to messages that conflict with traditional values threatens to increase premarital sexual activity among Filipino youth unless interventions are designed to promote protective social norms and emphasize decision-making skills.

Using the Photovoice Method to Advocate for Change to a Campus Smoking Policy

Abstract Objective: The authors used the photovoice method as a strategy for empowering students to advocate for change of a campus smoking policy. Participants: Participants included 49 college students and 160 photo-exhibit attendees during spring 2011. Methods: Students were trained in the use of the photovoice method and a public exhibit was used to educate the campus community and advocate for change. Results: The photovoice initiative resulted in an effective platform for students to successfully advocate for the relocation of ashtrays that were in violation of the policy and for the elicitation of future advocacy targets. Conclusions: The photovoice project provided a platform for students to have their views heard by campus community members and policymakers. The project served as a useful tool for grassroots student advocacy. Those interested in addressing campus health policy issues may want to consider conducting a photovoice project similar to the one described in this article.

Promoting Community Preparedness: Lessons Learned From the Implementation of a Chemical Disaster Tabletop Exercise

Health educators are frequently called on to facilitate community preparedness planning. One planning tool is community-wide tabletop exercises. Tabletop exercises can improve the preparedness of public health system agencies to address disaster by bringing together individuals representing organizations with different roles and perspectives in specific disasters. Thus, they have the opportunity to identify each other’s roles, capabilities, and limitations and to problem-solve about how to address the gaps and overlaps in a low-threat collaborative setting. In 2005, the North Carolina Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response developed a series of exercises to test the preparedness for chemical disasters in a metropolitan region in the southeastern United States. A tabletop exercise allowed agency heads to meet in an environment promoting inter- and intraagency public—private coordination and cooperation. The evaluation results reported here suggest ways in which any tabletop exercise can be enhanced through recruitment, planning, and implementation.

The Work Organization of Long-Haul Truck Drivers and the Association With Body Mass Index.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine relationships between work organization features of work hours, work schedules, and job stress with body mass indexes (BMIs) of long-haul truck drivers. Methods: Face-to-face survey data were collected first, followed by collection of anthropometric measures including height and weight (n = 260). Logistic regression (backward stepwise model) was used to identify significant predictors of BMI and to analyze odds ratios. Results: Mean BMI was 33.40 kg/m2, with 64.2% obese (BMI > 30 kg/m2) and 18.4% extreme/morbidly obese (BMI > 40 kg/m2). Working more than 11 daily hours was associated with statistically significant increased odds for being extreme obese. Conclusion: Findings suggest that longer work hours (>11 hours daily) have a major influence on odds for obesity among this population. The results align with recent NIOSH calls for integrated approaches to worker health.

Quantifying littered cigarette butts to measure effectiveness of smoking bans to building perimeters.

Abstract Objective: The authors estimated the number of violations of a university policy that prohibited smoking within 25 ft of all campus buildings. Participants: The project was conducted by 13 student researchers from the university and a member of the local public health department. Methods: Students quantified cigarette butts that were littered in a 30-day period inside the prohibited smoking area of 7 campus buildings (large residential hall, small residential hall, administrative building, 2 academic buildings, campus cafeteria, and student union). Results: Investigators found a total of 7,861 cigarette butts (large residential hall: 1,198; small residential hall: 344; administrative building: 107; 2 academic buildings: 1,123 and 806; campus cafeteria: 2,651; and student union: 1,632). Conclusions: Findings suggest that there is low compliance with the universitys smoking policy. The described project may be repeated by students at other universities as a method to advocate for policy change.

Identifying Culturally Appropriate Strategies for Educating a Mexican Immigrant Community about Lead Poisoning Prevention

Lead paint is one source of exposure for lead poisoning; however, recent Latino and other immigrant populations are also at risk of exposure through ceramic cooking pots with lead glaze, some imported candies, and certain stomach ailment home remedies. Public health agencies and practitioners acknowledge that Latino families should be educated about lead poisoning prevention but report barriers to conducting outreach and education in Latino communities. This study reports findings from focus groups and interviews with the local Latino immigrant community and professionals on (1) current knowledge and beliefs about lead poisoning and (2) recommendations of culturally appropriate educational strategies.

Pregnancy Prevention, Sexuality Education, and Coping with Opposing Views

Abstract Generating community awareness and intent to reduce teen pregnancy in a community occurs with relative ease. As intervention strategies and methods are proposed and made known in the planning process, controversies surface and create conflict among some community members. The personal values, moral issues, and politics underlying the opposition to multicomponent interventions are described. Recommendations to defuse resistance and acquire support within the community are provided.