Digital Commons Network^™

Fit24, A Digital Health Intervention To Reduce Type 2 Diabetes Risk Among Hispanic Youth: Protocol For A Feasibility Pilot Study, Erica G Soltero, Callie Lopez, Salma M Musaad, Teresia M O'Connor, Debbe Thompson

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Poor physical activity (PA) and sleep behaviors in Hispanic adolescents contributes to increased risk for type 2 diabetes. Commonly owned digital devices and services like smartphones and text-messaging are highly used among adolescents and are promising intervention tools for reaching this age group. Personal activity trackers assess activity and sleep, making them ideal tools for addressing these behaviors. We propose to examine the feasibility of a 12-week intervention that uses theoretically grounded text messages and a Fitbit device to improve PA and sleep among Hispanic adolescents with obesity, as compared to a wait-list control group with a Fitbit device …

Child Abuse Pediatrics Research Network: The Capnet Core Data Project, Joanne N Wood, Kristine A Campbell, James D Anderst, Angela N Bachim, Rachel P Berger, Kent P Hymel, Nancy S Harper, Megan M Letson, John D Melville, Oluwatimilehin Okunowo, Daniel M Lindberg

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVE: Examine the epidemiology of subspecialty physical abuse evaluations within CAPNET, a multicenter child abuse pediatrics research network.

METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of children(in-person or remote) by a child abuse pediatrician (CAP) due to concerns for physical abuse at ten CAPNET hospital systems from February 2021 through December 2021.

RESULTS: Among 3667 patients with 3721 encounters, 69.4% wereold; 44.3%old, 59.1% male; 27.1% Black; 57.8% White, 17.0% Hispanic; and 71.0 % had public insurance. The highest level of care was outpatient/emergency department in 60.7%, inpatient unit in 28.0% and intensive care in 11.4%. CAPs performed 79.1% in-person consultations and …

Economic Evaluation Of An Intervention To Prevent Adolescent Dating Violence (Me & You), Ellerie Weber, Melissa F Peskin, Christine M Markham, Ross Shegog, Elizabeth R Baumler, Robert C Addy, Jeff R Temple, Belinda Hernandez, Paula Cuccaro, Melanie A Thiel, Efrat K Gabay, Susan Tortolero Emery

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Me & You: Building Healthy Relationships (Me & You) is a multilevel, technology-enhanced adolescent dating violence (DV) prevention program that aimed to reduce DV among ethnic-minority, early adolescent, urban youth. A group-randomized control trial of Me & You, conducted with 10 middle schools from a large urban school district in Southeast Texas in 2014–2015, found it to be effective in reducing DV perpetration and decreasing some forms of DV victimization. Economic evaluations of DV interventions are extremely limited, despite calls for more economic analyses to be incorporated in research. We help fill this gap by evaluating the cost-effectiveness from the …

Economic Evaluation Of An Intervention To Prevent Adolescent Dating Violence (Me & You), Ellerie Weber, Melissa F Peskin, Christine M Markham, Ross Shegog, Elizabeth R Baumler, Robert C Addy, Jeff R Temple, Belinda Hernandez, Paula Cuccaro, Melanie A Thiel, Efrat K Gabay, Susan Tortolero Emery

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Me & You: Building Healthy Relationships (Me & You) is a multilevel, technology-enhanced adolescent dating violence (DV) prevention program that aimed to reduce DV among ethnic-minority, early adolescent, urban youth. A group-randomized control trial of Me & You, conducted with 10 middle schools from a large urban school district in Southeast Texas in 2014–2015, found it to be effective in reducing DV perpetration and decreasing some forms of DV victimization. Economic evaluations of DV interventions are extremely limited, despite calls for more economic analyses to be incorporated in research. We help fill this gap by evaluating the cost-effectiveness from the …

Sex-Specific Associations Between Urinary Bisphenols Concentrations During Pregnancy And Problematic Child Behaviors At Age 2 Years, Sarah Dee Geiger, Salma Musaad, Jennifer Hill, Andréa Aguiar, Susan Schantz

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Effects of prenatal bisphenol A (BPA) exposure on child behavior are mixed with some reports suggesting increased problematic behaviors in girls (e.g., aggression and emotional reactivity) and in boys (i.e., externalizing behaviors), while other reports suggest decreased problematic behaviors in girls. Little is known about the potential impact of pregnancy bisphenol S (BPS) exposure on child behavior. In a prospective cohort study (n=68), five maternal spot urine samples collected across pregnancy were pooled and analyzed for BPA and BPS. Child behavior at 2 years was assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Linear regression models were used to assess associations …

Technology-Based Obesity Prevention Interventions Among Hispanic Adolescents In The United States: Scoping Review, Erica G Soltero, Callie Lopez, Edith Hernandez, Teresia M O'Connor, Debbe Thompson

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Background: Given that today's adolescents are digital front-runners, technology-based obesity prevention strategies are age-appropriate for this population. The use of remote and wireless technologies may be suitable for extending the reach and engagement of obesity prevention efforts among high-risk Hispanic youths, as this subgroup is disproportionately affected by barriers that limit participation in traditional, in-person interventions.

Objective: The purpose of this scoping review was to examine the intervention and sample characteristics of technology-based obesity prevention interventions among Hispanic adolescents. We also examined feasibility criteria to assess the acceptability and appropriateness of technology-based strategies among Hispanic youths.

Methods: A comprehensive search …

Association Of Cerebrovascular Stability Index And Head Circumference Between Infants With And Without Congenital Heart Disease, Nhu N Tran, Michelle Tran, Ashok Panigrahy, Ken M Brady, Jodie K Votava-Smith

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a common birth defect in the United States. CHD infants are more likely to have smaller head circumference and neurodevelopmental delays; however, the cause is unknown. Altered cerebrovascular hemodynamics may contribute to neurologic abnormalities, such as smaller head circumference, thus we created a novel Cerebrovascular Stability Index (CSI), as a surrogate for cerebral autoregulation. We hypothesized that CHD infants would have an association between CSI and head circumference. We performed a prospective, longitudinal study in CHD infants and healthy controls. We measured CSI and head circumference at 4 time points (newborn, 3, 6, 9 months). …

Stepped Care Versus Standard Care For Children After Trauma: A Randomized Non-Inferiority Clinical Trial, Alison Salloum, Yuanyuan Lu, Henian Chen, Troy Quast, Judith A Cohen, Michael S Scheeringa, Kristen Salomon, Eric A Storch

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Objective: Trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) is an evidence-based therapist-led treatment for children after trauma. Parents often experience barriers to treatment engagement, including cost. Stepped care TF-CBT (SC-TF-CBT) was developed as an alternative delivery system. Step One is a parent-led therapist-assisted treatment. Step Two provides therapist-led TF-CBT for children who did not benefit from Step One and require more intensive treatment. This study compared SC-TF-CBT to standard TF-CBT in a community-based non-inferiority trial.

Method: A total of 183 children (aged 4-12 years) experiencing posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and their caregivers were randomly assigned to SC-TF-CBT or standard TF-CBT within 6 community …

Evaluation Of An After-School Program For African-American And Hispanic Male Youth: Please Call Me Mister, Herman Walston Edd, Angela Meshack Drph, Ashlie Smoot-Baker

Journal of Family Strengths

The novel coronavirus significantly impacted the lives of people worldwide. In the United States, the lives of children and youth were disrupted with school closures and lack of access to afterschool programs they previously attended. African American and Hispanic boys attending an after-school program in Franklin County, Kentucky, called Please Call Me Mister, were among the young people affected. A study was conducted to assess the impact of the afterschool program. The boys were surveyed at the start of the program in November 2017 and again in November 2020 to assess their injury risk, substance use, future orientation, resilience, and …

Fast Cbt For Pediatric Ocd: A Multiple-Baseline Controlled Pilot Trial Of Parent Training In Exposure And Response Prevention Delivered, Lara J Farrell, Natalja A Nabinger De Diaz, Sharna Mathieu, Matthew L Mckenzie, Taka Miyamoto, Caroline L Donovan, Allison M Waters, Sonja March, Nicole Bothma, Rianca Kroon, Gabrielle Simcock, Robert S Ware, Robert R Selles, Eric A Storch, Thomas Ollendick

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Objective: The current study utilized a single case series, non-concurrent multiple baseline design to examine the efficacy of training parents via telehealth videoconferencing in exposure and response prevention (ERP) for home delivery of the treatment for their children and adolescents with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

Method: There were nine participants aged 8 to 14 years who had received a primary diagnosis of OCD. The design involved a series of AB replications, whereby following pre-treatment assessments participants were randomly assigned to either a 2-week (n = 4) or 3-week (n = 5) baseline condition with weekly monitoring of their …

Opportunities To Address Obesity Disparities Among High-Risk Latino Children And Adolescents, Erica G Soltero, Teresia M O'Connor, Deborah Thompson, Gabriel Q Shaibi

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Purpose of review: This review highlights obesity-related disparities among Latino children and adolescents, discusses the social determinants of health (SDoH) that drive disparities, and presents case studies of strategies for reducing disparities and promoting health equity.

Recent findings: Recommended strategies for reducing obesity-related disparities include the use of culturally grounded programming, multi-sector collaborations, and technology. We present two exemplar studies that demonstrate that integrating cultural values and enhancing the overall cultural fit of prevention programs can increase engagement among high-risk Latino families. We also examine the use of multi-sector collaborations to build community capacity and address key SDoH that impact …

Theoretical Mediators Of Diabetes Risk And Quality Of Life Following A Diabetes Prevention Program For Latino Youth With Obesity, Erica G Soltero, Stephanie L Ayers, Marvyn A Avalos, Armando Peña, Allison N Williams, Micah L Olson, Yolanda P Konopken, Felipe G Castro, Kimberly J Arcoleo, Colleen S Keller, Donald L Patrick, Justin Jager, Gabriel Q Shaibi

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Purpose: This study tested self-efficacy and social support for activity and dietary changes as mediators of changes in type 2 diabetes related outcomes following a lifestyle intervention among Latino youth.

Setting and intervention: Latino adolescents (14-16 years) with obesity (BMI% = 98.1 ± 1.4) were randomized to a 3-month intervention (n = 67) that fostered self-efficacy and social support through weekly, family-centered sessions or a comparison condition (n = 69).

Measures: Primary outcomes included insulin sensitivity and weight specific quality of life. Mediators included self-efficacy, friend, and family social support for health behaviors. Data was collected at baseline, 3-months, 6-months, …

Family-Based Obesity Prevention Interventions Among Hispanic Children And Families: A Scoping Review, Erica G Soltero, Armando Peña, Veronica Gonzalez, Edith Hernandez, Guisela Mackey, Chishinga Callender, Jayna M Dave, Debbe Thompson

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

This scoping review examined intervention and sample characteristics of family-based obesity prevention interventions among Hispanic youth. This review also examined the degree to which existing interventions were culturally-adapted, acknowledged social determinants of health (SDoH), and collaborated with community stakeholders. A comprehensive search across Medline Ovid, Embase, Scopus, PsycInfo, and Pubmed was used to identify 13 studies primarily based in the U.S. (92.3%). Data was extracted by two independent reviewers. Most used a randomized control trial design (69.2%), a behavior change theory (84.6%), and reported moderate to high (≥70%) retention (69.2%). Studies targeted improvements in physical activity (69.2%) and fruit and …

Unchartered Territory: Initial Adaptations By South Carolina's Drug-Free Community Coalitions During The Pandemic, Pam S. Imm, Ann Price, Alexis Kirk

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

The national trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges and opportunities for community coalitions who rely on methods of engagement, education, interaction, and dialogue. This article describes how the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) coalitions in South Carolina adapted to changing circumstances emerging from COVID-19. Using personal experiences and semi-structured interviews with ten DFCs, the authors describe ways community coalitions have modified their education, prevention, and environmental strategies in light of the current pandemic and uncertain future. The authors present a prospective adaptation framework (e.g., Model for Adaptation Design and Impact-MADI) and an illustrative example for how coalitions can use structured …

Suicide Risks Among Children And Youth: Examining Predictors Of Suicide Ideation, The Disparate Suicide Risks For Certain Ethnic Groups, And How Best To Support Families

Journal of Family Strengths

This special edition of JFS underscores research on suicide risks among children and youth in the United States. The rate of death by suicide has increased for youth aged 10-24 by 50% over the last decade (Curtain, 2020). Death by suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth aged 10-24 (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2018; Herons, 2019). Supporting evidence indicates that most children and youth who have attempted suicide have a major mental illness, such as depression. Risk factors associated with suicide may include, but are not limited to, impulsivity, feelings of helplessness, rejection, prior …

Youth Crisis And Transition Services (Cats): Incorporating Family Peer Support Specialists To Assist Families During Crisis, Julie E. Magers, Amanda Ribbers, Sophia Nguyen, Rebecca Marshall

Journal of Family Strengths

Abstract

Introduction: Crisis and Transition Services (CATS) provides transitional mental health services to high-acuity youth discharging from emergency departments (EDs). A novel component of CATS is the inclusion of a family peer support specialist (FSS) on the care team, who provides direct support to the parent or guardian in developing self-advocacy, crisis management skills, and self-efficacy in navigating systems. The FSS is not a typical role in a clinically oriented crisis program; empiric evaluation of this role can help guide quality improvements in the program and in workforce recruitment, training and support.

Methods: Demographic and service data were collected …

Unmet Needs Of Unaccompanied Minors From Central America: Perceptions Of Professionals From Multiple Sectors, Sheyla P. Medina, Carol Lewis, Roberta Goldman

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Background: In recent years, there has been a significant influx of Central American youth who cross the U.S.-Mexico border without a parent or legal guardian. While federal procedures are established to oversee the treatment and placement of unaccompanied minors, less is known about the needs of unaccompanied minors and available services afterthey are placed in appropriate custody.

Methods: Purposive and strategic sampling of professionals from medical, social work, education and legal fields was conducted. Fourteen informants were recruited across the U.S. for confidential semi-structured interviews, which were audio recorded and transcribed in 2016 to 2017. Standard anthropological …

The Louisiana Spirit Hurricane Recovery Program: Addressing The Needs Of Children And Adolescents After Catastrophic Hurricanes, Melissa J. Brymer, Tonya Hansel, Alan M. Steinberg, Anthony Speier, Joy Osofsky, Howard Osofsky

Journal of Family Strengths

Aims: The Louisiana Spirit Hurricane Recovery Program was a statewide disaster mental health initiative implemented in response to the 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Major components of the program included community-based culturally appropriate outreach strategies, risk screening and triage, and provision of Specialized Crisis Counseling Services (SCCS). The goal was to identify children and families at risk, and deliver services to address current needs and ongoing distress to prevent longer-term mental health problems. Methods: As the behavioral health needs of special populations, including minorities, and children and adolescents often go unmet, the Louisiana Spirit Program addressed this by …

The Hurricane Exposure, Adversity, And Recovery Tool (Heart): Developing And Validating A Risk Screening Instrument For Youth Exposed To Hurricane Harvey, Cody G. Dodd Ph.D., Ryan M. Hill Ph.D., Benjamin Oosterhoff Ph.D., Christopher M. Layne Ph.D., Julie B. Kaplow Ph.D., A.B.P.P.

Journal of Family Strengths

Given the increasing regularity with which severe (named) hurricanes arise, there is a need for valid, practically useful measures that facilitate child-centered post-hurricane situation analysis and needs assessment. Measures that accurately assess the most potent hurricane-related risk factors are essential to identifying youth at risk for developing posttraumatic stress reactions and providing them with effective post-disaster support. With feedback from community stakeholders (e.g., school personnel, physicians and hospital staff, community clinicians), we developed the Hurricane Exposure, Adversity, and Recovery Tool (HEART), a 29-item self-report measure of hurricane risk factors. Test development procedures included: (1) Reviewing the literature regarding hurricane exposure-related …

Repeated Disasters And Chronic Environmental Changes Impede Generational Transmission Of Indigenous Knowledge, Shanondora Billiot, Soonhyung Kwon, Catherine E. Burnette

Journal of Family Strengths

Indigenous coastal communities are interdependent with the environment and families are vulnerable to the environmental changes that disrupt culture, continuity, and livelihood. The purpose of this study was to elucidate meaning from shared cultural perceptions of experiencing repeated disasters and other environmental changes among a United States Indigenous coastal community. This study is part of a larger community- engaged study and reports results from phenomological semi-structured in-depth qualitative interviews (n=19). Participants were enrolled tribal members with a strong ethnic identity and earned a majority of their income from subsistence activities. The results highlight that discrimination, which is part of the …

Adverse Childhood Experiences, Depression, And Resilience In African-American Adolescents, Jamie C. Freeny

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Research shows that exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is common among adolescents; however, no studies have examined the prevalence of ACEs in a racially homogenous sample of African-American adolescents. Thus, the present study examined the cumulative and individual prevalence of ACEs in African-American adolescents. Data were collected from African-American adolescents (n = 241) who attended youth events hosted by churches in Houston, TX. An expanded ACEs tool was used to collect data. ACE scores were summed and dichotomized to 0-3 ACEs versus 4-19 ACEs because a score of four or more indicates a higher risk for adverse mental and …

Addressing Youth Perceptions Of Harm In Marijuana Prevention Programming, Kristen J. Quinlan, Maria Valenti, Gisela Rots, Joshua Esrick, Kimberly Dash

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

The inverse relationship between perception of harm and substance use is clearly supported by decades of research – youth are less likely to engage in substance use when it is seen as harmful. However, despite strong theoretical and practical reasons to focus on perception of harm as a change-producer in prevention programming, little is known about what is effective in impacting perception of harm for youth marijuana use.

To investigate the impact of existing prevention efforts designed to influence youth perception of harm and, consequently, youth marijuana use, we reviewed seven privately- or federally-funded online registries (e.g., Blueprints for Healthy …

Authentic Youth And Young Adult Partnerships: Broadening The Narrative Of Lgbtq Youth Homelessness, Jama Shelton, Christa Price, Phoebe Vancleefe

Journal of Family Strengths

Lived experience generates knowledge not available through formal education and training. If lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth and young adults (YYA) experiencing homelessness are to be effectively engaged, their needs met, and their successful transition out of homelessness facilitated, they must be partners in the creation of solutions meant to help them. That means that everyone working to address LGBTQ YYA homelessness – including policymakers, government officials, advocates, researchers, and service providers – need to understand how to partner authentically with YYA experiencing homelessness. This article will introduce a framework for authentic YYA partnerships, describe the philosophy …

Community Mobilization: A Community-Wide Approach To Promoting Adolescent Sexual Health, Sam E. Greenberg, Laura Davis, Cheryl Tutt Msw, Tonya Katcher Md, Mph

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Community mobilization is a strategy that organizes a community across sectors for long-term change, and is one way for communities to provide supports for young people to make healthy sexual choices. In the context of teen pregnancy, community mobilization can address the interconnected web of factors that influence teen sexual attitudes by bringing together parents, educators, health care practitioners, young people, and other key community stakeholders to address the issue jointly. From 2014 to 2016, Advocates for Youth, through a cooperative agreement with the US Office of Adolescent Health, provided financial support and capacity-building assistance to three communities to address …

Sexual Health Education For Behavior Change: How Much Is Enough?, Ross Shegog, Elizabeth Baumler, Robert C. Addy, Melissa Peskin, Melanie Ann Thiel, Susan R. Tortolero, Christine Markham

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Purpose: Successful implementation of sexual health curricula in school settings is often compromised by competing academic priorities. This study explores the association between exposure to sexual health lessons (time-on-task in hours and lesson content topics) and delayed sexual initiation of middle school students at long term follow-up.

Methods: Post hoc data analysis was conducted from a RCT (n=15 middle schools) in the south-central U.S. in which grade 7 students demonstrated delayed sexual initiation (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 1.54, 95% CI: 1.20 to 1.99) by grade 9 follow-up after using It’s Your Game (IYG), a 24 lesson sexual health curriculum. Logistic …

Increasing Low-Income Mothers’ Educational Attainment: Implications For Anti-Poverty Programs And Policy, Emily Pressler, C. Cybele Raver, Michael D. Masucci

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Context: Emerging research indicates parental educational attainment is not always stable over time, particularly among young adults with lower levels of income and educational attainment. Though increases in postsecondary education are often highlighted as a route to greater earnings among higher-income students, it is unclear whether increases in parental educational attainment can improve the socioeconomic circumstances of low-income families.

Objective: The first goal of the current study was to determine whether low-income mothers increased their educational attainment over a 6-year period as their children transitioned from early childhood through elementary school. Second, the current study examined a range …

Head Start Since The War On Poverty: Taking On New Challenges To Address Persistent School Readiness Gaps, Pamela Joshi, Kimberly Geronimo, Dolores Acevedo-Garcia

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

This article explores Head Start’s overall effectiveness in improving school readiness outcomes and its potential to reduce gaps in these outcomes in light of changing program goals, resource and funding capacity, and the demographic changes in the low-income child population it serves. Although not an explicit goal of the Head Start program, we assess whether and how the program can address reducing school readiness gaps between children of different racial and ethnic backgrounds and income groups. Because of changing policy priorities and targeting vulnerable groups of children with diverse needs, meeting Head Start goals within funding constraints can be challenging. …

Underserved Adoptive Families: Disparities In Postadoption Access To Information, Resources, And Services, Robin M. Hartinger-Saunders Ph.D., Alex R. Trouteaud Ph.D.

Journal of Family Strengths

Parents who adopt children from the U.S. foster care system typically do so with assurances from the state that postadoption services will be accessible by the family, if needed, after the adoption is finalized. From the state’s perspective, the foremost purpose of these services is to ensure that the family remains intact, thereby avoiding adoption dissolution—a traumatic and costly outcome whereby the child is returned to state custody. This study looks specifically at underserved adoptive families—those who report needing specific services after adoption finalization, yet who are then unable to access these needed services through the state because of various …

Letting Kids Be Kids: Employing A Developmental Model In The Study Of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking, Hadar S. Schwartz

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

As American society has become increasingly aware of the plight of sex trafficked American children, attention has shifted from delinquency to victimhood (Mitchell, Finkelhor, & Wolak, 2010) with a corresponding awareness of the trauma that victims endure. This reconceptualization is incomplete without a larger understanding of the developmental vulnerabilities that leave children uniquely susceptible to recruitment and exploitation. Since the average age of entry into the commercial sex trade within the United States is 12-14 (Estes & Weiner, 2001), an exploration of the particular vulnerabilities of young teenagers--separation from parents; the process of identity formation; yearning for love and attention; …

Focusing On Children’S Strengths: Accessing Effective Mental Health Services For Juvenile Justice-Involved Youth Through Collaboration And Understanding Federal Entitlements To Care, Fiza A. Quraishi, Hannah Benton

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Between 65 and 70 percent of youth in the juvenile justice system have mental health disorders, with some studies estimating that at least 20 percent of these youth have severe disorders that significantly impair functioning. Many of these youth are entitled to adequate and responsive mental health services through federal programs like Medicaid’s Early Periodic Screening Diagnosis and Treatment Program (EPSDT), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504). Despite these entitlements to care, by and large, the systems that serve youth fail to provide mental health services that address …