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Background:We performed a cross-sectional study in Indonesia to evaluate the performance of a single-visit approach of cervical cancer screening, using visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA), histology and cryotherapy in low-resource settings.Methods:Women having limited access to health-care facilities were screened by trained doctors using VIA. If the test was positive, biopsies were taken and when eligible, women were directly treated with cryotherapy. Follow-up was performed with VIA and cytology after 6 months. When cervical cancer was suspected or diagnosed, women were referred. The positivity rate, positive predictive value (PPV) and approximate specificity of the VIA test were calculated. The detection rate for cervical lesions was given.Results:Screening results were completed in 22 040 women, of whom 92.7% had never been screened. Visual inspection with acetic acid was positive in 4.4%. The PPV of VIA to detect CIN I or greater and CIN II or greater was 58.7% and 29.7%, respectively. The approximate specificity was 98.1%, and the detection rate for CIN I or greater was 2.6%.Conclusion:The single-visit approach cervical cancer screening performed well, showing See and Treat is a promising way to reduce cervical cancer in Indonesia.

Historical events and the illumination of unequal treatment of cardiovascular (CVD) and other diseases among African Americans and their White counterparts have suppressed African Americans’ participation in research. Approaches which bring scientific professionals into actual partnership with affected communities show promise for overcoming this reluctance. Two examples are the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) and the emerging Moyo Health Network (MOYO). JHS utilizes layers of community engagement, including a pioneering effort to develop future health scientists and practitioners, the JHS Undergraduate Training and Education Center (UTEC). JHS-UTEC focuses on preparing young adults and teenagers (mostly African Americans) for rigorous higher-level learning and careers in health research and practice. MOYO is a mobile platform for health research to examine factors contributing to the development of disparities in the young while creating channels to disseminate interventions. Community trust in MOYO is substantially enhanced through its education and training program which offers engaging ideation events along with app development and coding training opportunities to young people. Participants impart their cultural insights while using newly-acquired tech skills to help with the community-focused design and launch of the network. The JHS and MOYO provide models for addressing cardiovascular health disparities by fostering community partnerships.

Participants:The participants in the program are undergraduate students. Main Outcome Measures:Data, which included information on major area of study, institution attended, degrees earned and position in the workforce, were analyzed using STATA 14.Results: Of 167 scholars, 46 are currently enrolled, while 118 have graduated. One half have completed graduate or professional programs, including; medicine, public health, pharmacy, nursing, and biomedical science; approximately one-fourth (25.4 %) are enrolled in graduate or professional programs; and nearly one tenth (9.3%) completed graduate degrees in law, education, business or English. Conclusions:These data could assist other institutions in understanding the career development process that helps underrepresented minority students in higher education to make career choices on a path toward public health, health professions, biomedical research, and related careers.

Background: Community engagement is a critical component of health promotion programs that are aimed to close gaps in health disparities. There is a need for community collaborators to develop services to improve the quality of life for at-risk populations emphasizing a reduction of risk factors and premature morbidity and mortality. Aim: This study aims to assess strategies implemented by Jackson Heart Study Community Outreach Center (JHS CORC) to influence or motivate community engagement in health promotion activities which focused on reduction of health disparities and improvement of the health status of the communities in three counties. Methods: This was a quantitative, correlation study of the perceptions of JHS participants and other stakeholders who were purposively selected. A self-administered questionnaire was utilized that elicited comments and perceptions from 128 participants regarding five subject areas measuring community engagement: 1) Ways to increase participation in the community outreach activities; 2) reasons the respondents decided to participate in community outreach activities; 3) interest in participating in a community research study similar to the JHS; 4) the best way to communicate about community outreach activities; and 5) diseases that affect the communities the most. The investigation explored the participants' views of the five main subject areas as well as additional related supplemental questions accompanying each main category to gain an understanding of their perceptions based on demographic characteristics. Conclusion: It is important to encourage effective and sustainable community engagement in health promotion programs which focuses on closing gaps in health disparities and improving the health status of the communities. This research builds on the existing literature on productive academia-community partnership as it presents effective strategies that have been developed by the JHS CORC at Jackson State University (JSU). The framework of JSU CORC's strategies can be employed universally to promote health equity through prevention, education, training, and research, though elements may require tailoring for a given community.

This study examined the practices, personal motivation, and barriers of African American communities in Mississippi regarding their dietary practices. We selected the Metro Jackson Area comprised of Hinds, Madison and Rankin Counties because it is a combination of urban and rural communities. The sample consisted of 70 participants from seven sites. A total of seven focus groups responded to six questions to assess practices, personal motivation, and barriers to dietary practices: (1) Where in your community can you access fresh fruits and vegetables? (2) How many meals a day should a person eat? (3) What would you consider to be a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner? (4) What would you consider to be a healthy snack? (5) What do you consider to be your motivations for eating healthy? (6) What do you consider to be your barriers to eating healthy? Each of the seven focus groups consisted of 6 to 12 participants and provided details of their dietary practices. The focus group interviews were digitally-recorded. The recorded interviews were transcribed. The majority of the participants stated that there is a limited availability of fresh fruits/vegetables in rural areas because of a shortage of grocery stores. When they do find fruits, they are priced very high and are unaffordable. Even though health conditions dictate food frequency and portion size, community members feel that individuals should eat three good balanced meals per day with snacks, and they should adhere to small portion sizes. While the desire to attain overall good health and eliminate associative risks for heart disease (e.g., diabetes, obesity) are personal motivations, the cost of food, transportation, age, and time required for food preparation were seen as barriers to healthy eating. Decisions regarding meal choice and meal frequency can have an impact on long-term health outcomes. Health promotion programs should become an integral part of academic- community collaborative agreements.

In 1999, Tougaloo College (TC), located in Jackson, Mississippi, was charged, as a part of its role in the Jackson Heart Study (JHS), with creating a pool of well-trained high school students who, upon entering college, could successfully complete undergraduate and graduate or professional degrees in the health professions, biomedical research, and public health. TC identified the following educational challenges experienced by Mississippi high school students: inadequate exposure to reading, writing, logic, and quantitative skills; inadequate course work in science and mathematics; lack of mentors and role models in science-related fields as well as for exploration and identification of career options in the health professions and biomedical research. To this end, the JHS Undergraduate Training and Educa­tion Center (JHS UTEC) developed three four-week summer workshops in Science, Language Arts, and Mathematics (SLAM) for high school students in grades 9 through 11. Since SLAM’s inception, more than 900 students have completed the program, and more than 90% have enrolled in college. In addition, according to National Student Clearinghouse and participant-reported data, many of the SLAM participants have earned not only undergraduate degrees in science, but also graduate degrees in a health-related and STEM fields. This article details the SLAM curricula and strategies for recruiting, selecting, training, and retain­ing high school students; we also present data to illustrate the success of the SLAM program. Ethn Dis. 2020;30(1):25-32; doi:10.18865/ed.30.1.25