Tiffany L. Young

Stakeholder Perspectives on Creating and Maintaining Trust in Community–Academic Research Partnerships

Community–academic research partnerships aim to build stakeholder trust in order to improve the reach and translation of health research, but there is limited empirical research regarding effective ways to build trust. This multisite study was launched to identify similarities and differences among stakeholders’ perspectives of antecedents to trust in research partnerships. In 2013-2014, we conducted a mixed-methods concept mapping study with participants from three major stakeholder groups who identified and rated the importance of different antecedents of trust on a 5-point Likert-type scale. Study participants were community members (n = 66), health care providers (n = 38), and academic researchers (n = 44). All stakeholder groups rated “authentic communication” and “reciprocal relationships” the highest in importance. Community members rated “communication/methodology to resolve problems” (M = 4.23, SD = 0.58) significantly higher than academic researchers (M = 3.87, SD = 0.67) and health care providers (M = 3.89, SD = 0.62; p < .01) and had different perspectives regarding the importance of issues related to “sustainability.” The importance of communication and relationships across stakeholders indicates the importance of colearning processes that involve the exchange of knowledge and skills. The differences uncovered suggest specific areas where attention and skill building may be needed to improve trust within partnerships. More research on how partnerships can improve communication specific to problem solving and sustainability is merited.

Evaluating Teach One Reach One—An STI/HIV Risk-Reduction Intervention to Enhance Adult–Youth Communication About Sex and Reduce the Burden of HIV/STI:

Purpose: Parents and caregivers play an important role in sexual socialization of youth, often serving as the primary source of information about sex. For African American rural youth who experience disparate rates of HIV/sexually transmitted infection, improving caregiver–youth communication about sexual topics may help to reduce risky behaviors. This study assessed the impact of an intervention to improve sexual topic communication. Design: A Preintervention–postintervention, quasi-experimental, controlled, and community-based trial. Setting: Intervention was in 2 rural North Carolina counties with comparison group in 3 adjacent counties. Subjects: Participants (n = 249) were parents, caregivers, or parental figures for African American youth aged 10 to 14. Intervention: Twelve-session curriculum for participating dyads. Measures: Audio computer-assisted self-interview to assess changes at 9 months from baseline in communication about general and sensitive sex topics and overall communication about sex. Analysis: Multivariable models were used to examine the differences between the changes in mean of scores for intervention and comparison groups. Results: Statistically significant differences in changes in mean scores for communication about general sex topics (P < .0001), communication about sensitive sex topics (P < .0001), and overall communication about sex (P < .0001) existed. Differences in change in mean scores remained significant after adjusting baseline scores and other variables in the multivariate models. Conclusions: In Teach One Reach One intervention, adult participants reported improved communication about sex, an important element to support risk reduction among youth in high-prevalence areas.

Researcher readiness for participating in community-engaged dissemination and implementation research: a conceptual framework of core competencies

Participating in community-engaged dissemination and implementation (CEDI) research is challenging for a variety of reasons. Currently, there is not specific guidance or a tool available for researchers to assess their readiness to conduct CEDI research. We propose a conceptual framework that identifies detailed competencies for researchers participating in CEDI and maps these competencies to domains. The framework is a necessary step toward developing a CEDI research readiness survey that measures a researcher’s attitudes, willingness, and self-reported ability for acquiring the knowledge and performing the behaviors necessary for effective community engagement. The conceptual framework for CEDI competencies was developed by a team of eight faculty and staff affiliated with a university’s Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA). The authors developed CEDI competencies by identifying the attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors necessary for carrying out commonly accepted CE principles. After collectively developing an initial list of competencies, team members individually mapped each competency to a single domain that provided the best fit. Following the individual mapping, the group held two sessions in which the sorting preferences were shared and discrepancies were discussed until consensus was reached. During this discussion, modifications to wording of competencies and domains were made as needed. The team then engaged five community stakeholders to review and modify the competencies and domains. The CEDI framework consists of 40 competencies organized into nine domains: perceived value of CE in D&I research, introspection and openness, knowledge of community characteristics, appreciation for stakeholder’s experience with and attitudes toward research, preparing the partnership for collaborative decision-making, collaborative planning for the research design and goals, communication effectiveness, equitable distribution of resources and credit, and sustaining the partnership. Delineation of CEDI competencies advances the broader CE principles and D&I research goals found in the literature and facilitates development of readiness assessments tied to specific training resources for researchers interested in conducting CEDI research.

Development of a Systems Science Curriculum to Engage Rural African American Teens in Understanding and Addressing Childhood Obesity Prevention

Engaging youth from racial and ethnic minority communities as leaders for change is a potential strategy to mobilize support for addressing childhood obesity, but there are limited curricula designed to help youth understand the complex influences on obesity. Our aim was to develop and pilot test a systems science curriculum to elicit rural African American youth perspectives on childhood obesity and enhance their understanding of and support for obesity prevention solutions. The curriculum was designed so it could be integrated with existing positive youth development curricula that help youth advocate for and implement identified solutions. We conducted four workshop sessions with youth that engaged them in systems learning activities such as guided systems diagramming activities. The participants (n = 21) completed validated surveys presession and postsession that assessed their causal attributions of obesity and support for obesity prevention policies. The youths’ perception that environmental factors cause obesity increased (p < .05), and perceptions that individual behavior and biology cause obesity did not change. Their support for policies that addressed food access and food pricing significantly increased (p < .05). The youths’ system diagrams elucidated links between multilevel factors such as personal attitudes, social influence, and the built environment, which provides important information for designing synergistic solutions. The changes we observed in youths’ perceptions of obesity and support for policy changes have important implications for youths’ interest and willingness to advocate for social and environmental changes in their community. The strategies have a promising role in supporting community mobilization to address childhood obesity.

Mind maps and network analysis to evaluate conceptualization of complex issues: A case example evaluating systems science workshops for childhood obesity prevention

Across disciplines, it is common practice to bring together groups to solve complex problems. Facilitators are often asked to help groups organize information about and better understand the problem in order to develop and prioritize solutions. However, despite existence of several methods to elicit and characterize how individuals and groups think about and conceptualize an issue, many are difficult to implement in practice-based settings where resources such as technology and participant time are limited and research questions shift over time. This paper describes an easy-to-implement diagramming technique for eliciting conceptualization and a flexible network analysis method for characterizing changes in both individual and group conceptualization. We use a case example to illustrate how we used the methods to evaluate African American adolescents conceptual understanding of obesity before and after participating in a series of four systems thinking workshops. The methods produced results that were sensitive to changes in conceptualization that were likely driven by the specific activities employed during the workshop sessions. The methods appear strong for capturing salient levels of conceptualization at both individual and collective levels. The paper concludes with a critical examination of strengths and weaknesses of the methods and implications for future practice and research.

Perceptions of Rural African American Adults About the Role of Family in Understanding and Addressing Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease

Purpose: African Americans (AAs) in rural south and southeast regions of the United States have among the highest prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the country. The purpose of this qualitative, exploratory study is to understand family influences on CVD-related knowledge and health-related behaviors among rural AA adults. Design: Qualitative descriptive study design using a community-based participatory research approach. Setting: Two rural North Carolina counties. Participants: Eligible participants were AA adults (at least 21 years of age), who self-reported either CVD diagnosis or selected CVD risk factor(s) for themselves or for an adult family member (N = 37). Method: Directed content analysis of semistructured interviews by community and academic partners. Results: Family health history and familial norms and preferences influenced participants’ CVD-related knowledge, beliefs, and health-related behaviors. Participants reported their families were helpful for increasing motivation for and overcoming barriers to healthy behaviors, including hard-to-access community resources and physical challenges. Conversely, and to a lesser extent, participants also reported that family members hindered or had little influence (positive or negative) on their engagement in healthy behaviors. Conclusion: Family played an important role in helping individuals overcome personal and community-related challenges. Efforts to reduce CVD burden among rural AAs should seek to understand the family-related facilitators, barriers, and processes associated with CVD knowledge and risk-reduction behaviors.

I Pledge Allegiance: Mora, P., & Martinez, L. (2014). Knopf Books for Young Readers. ISBN 13: 978-0-307-93181-8.

Open Citizen Comment Procedure 1) Public Hearings — Any citizen is allowed to ask qucstions and/or make comments during any public hearing scheduled for a particular issue. 2) “Citizen Communication” — Public comment can be provided on any item on the agenda or on issues affecting the City not on the agenda. Public comments should generally be limited to 3-5 minutes. Citizens are encouraged (but not required) to contact City Administration one week prior to the meeting, preferably in writing, to be placed on the agenda. Doing so provides Council an opportunity to give consideration to the issue/comment.

One Crazy Summer, By Rita William-Garcia

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia is a thrilling tale of three sisters— Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern Gaither—and their escapades in Oakland, California, while visiting their mother. These sisters, ages 7, 9, and 11, live in Brooklyn in a multigenerational household, where they are being raised by their single father with the help of his mother, Big Ma, and his brother, Darnell, because their mother, Cecile, had abandoned them 7 years earlier. Big Ma, a native of Alabama, serves as a stern mother figure to the girls. She infuses them with her gentility and southern traditions by teaching them how to be responsible homemakers and caretakers. Papa, a gentle character who is juxtaposed against Big Ma’s rigid disposition, instills in the girls independence and responsibility. Being that the girls were so young when Cecile left, Uncle Darnell’s memories and stories about Cecile are the girls’ only way of knowing who she is. Going against his Big Ma’s wishes, Papa believes the girls need to bond with their mother. Hence, Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern’s adventurous summer begins when they travel from New York to California to visit their mother. Their mother’s absence is shrouded in secrecy, so the girls travel with hopes the mystery will be unveiled and that they will be showered with their mother’s love and affection. After receiving a cold welcome from their mother at the airport, they realize their wishes for a “warm and fuzzy” reunion with her would not to be. They soon learn that their mother is a detached recluse who is absorbed in her poetry. She reminds the girls at every instance that their presence is unwanted and was forced upon her. Cecile’s strange behavior seems to confirm Big Ma’s apprehensive attitude toward her. During the girls’ 28-day vacation, Cecile pushes them away, literally and figuratively, from her home and heart. It seems as if they are getting further from the truth of why their mother abandoned them. Throughout the story, Delphine finds herself applying the lessons Big Ma and Papa taught her. She finds herself caring for her sisters and being their guardian; for example, she wards off children in the neighborhood who try to bully her sisters. She breaks up petty fights that occur between Vonetta