Few studies have investigated the role Historically Black Colleges and University (HBCU) students can play in addressing chronic diseases among themselves, their peers and local community. An overview of a peer health promotion education strategy is provided. Ten students completed an eight-week health disparities curriculum while providing health information and screening to1,525 campus and community residents. A description of the program and recommendations are provided. Findings support the need for peer student health educators in HBCUs as a model to improve campus and community health outcomes.
With the increasing use of mobile devices to access the internet and as the main computing system of apps, there is a growing market for mobile health apps to provide self-care advice. Their effectiveness with regard to diet and fitness tracking, for example, needs to be examined. The majority of American adults fail to meet daily recommendations for healthy behavior. Testing user engagement with an app in a controlled environment can provide insight into what is effective and not effective in an app focused on improving diet and exercise.
Many barriers exist in implementing evidence-based guidelines for diabetes care, particularlyfor low-income patients. To address this, the North Carolina Project IDEAL (Improving Diabetes Education, Access to Care, and Living) Diabetes Initiative was createdFourteen programs representing different types of agencies and intervention strategies across the state participated in the initiative.Separate random samples of medical charts of participating patients were reviewed at baseline (n=429) and three-year follow-up (n=656) to assess changes in six process (assessment of hemoglobin A1c, cholesterol blood pressure, and urinary protein; conduction of foot and retina examination) and three outcome (glycemia, blood pressure, and lipid control) measures. Four national guidelines (DQIP, HEDIS, NCEP and ADA) were used as benchmarks.Large increases were observed for some measures (hemoglobin A1c control and testing, LDL-cholesterol testing), while modest increases were observed for others (dilated eye exam, blood pressure testing, and control).Project IDEAL was successful in improving access to high-quality diabetes care for low-income patients. Additional effort is needed to address specific areas of concern, particularly retinopathy screening.
To pilot test a culturally specific and developmentally appropriate curriculum for African-American college students that included self and family assessment to increase awareness of their risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).Students were recruited from a historically Black university to participate in small group workshops focusing to increase their knowledge of their family history of CVD as well as reducing CVD risks. Focus groups were conducted to determine the effectiveness and ways to improve to the intervention.Positive findings were found regarding program efficacy, increased understanding of their family history and strategies to reduce their own risk of CVD.Small group experiential workshop approach can be effective in helping African- American college students understand risk and establish healthy heart habits aimed at decreasing risk of coronary heart disease.
The study purpose was to determine the association between sexual debut and HIV sero-status, and factors contributing to a positive HIV sero-status. Retrospective cross-sectional data from the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey-2003 were used. Data on women aged 15-49 (n = 3,273) and men aged 15-54 (n = 2,917) accepting HIV testing were retained from three datasets. Stata version 10.1 was used for analyses, p < 0.05. Nine percent of women and 5% of men tested positive for HIV, of whom 46% and 49%, p < 0.001 were aged 16-21 respectively. After adjusting for confounding, women and men who had sexual debut aged 16-21 were 2.31 (95% CI: 1.52-3.51), p < 0.001 and 1.83 (95% CI: 1.07-3.13), p < 0.05 times more likely to test positive for HIV compared to those who never had sex respectively. Early sexual debut continues to be a major risk factor for acquiring HIV infection later in life, suggesting earlier interventions could have a major impact towards fighting the disease.
Abstract Winston‐Salem State University's (WSSU), Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) program, answered the call of the University of North Carolina system to offer education at an equal or higher quality than currently provided at a cost that is consistent with the state's constitution. As such, WSSU converted its MHA program to a competency‐based education (CBE) platform. The American College of Healthcare Executives (2017) states that this is an exciting time for healthcare management. The field requires talented people to help introduce and manage the changes taking place in health care. Implementation of the CBE program resulted in increased enrollment, increased student satisfaction through more flexibility to complete an advanced degree, and greater ease in balancing work–life student demands. WSSU's CBE program is designed to ensure that graduates have training and expertise they need to promote career readiness. This article will discuss the journey of transforming a hybrid MHA program to CBE.
