Research Summaries

McCoy -
HIV Risk Reduction in Migrant Workers

The study targets Alcohol and Other Drug-(AOD) using Migrant Workers (MWs) and is a 5-year randomized community trial comparing a cognitive behavioral HIV prevention intervention with a Health Promotion (HPC) condition. The HIV intervention expands on current "effective" behavioral interventions to include contextual components (e.g., peer counseling and motivational enhancement) that are likely to produce long term maintenance of HIV risk reduction effects. If successful, this research on Hispanic and African American MWs will delineate important HTV intervention strategies that can be practically implemented to improve maintenance of HIV risk behaviors.

Brewster –
Common Ground

Common Ground began as an assessment of community readiness to adopt the use of Health Impact Assessment (HIA) a research protocol used to identify and mitigate potentially harmful community development policies, projects and programs. The investigation evolved into the development of a community health empowerment toolkit aimed at combining community knowledge with traditional HIA constructs and concepts. The project is based in Overtown an area that was inadvertently decimated by several urban renewal policies and projects that sought to bolster the nearby port and waterfront economic engines. Through the production of a video, titled Common Ground, community residents were provided an opportunity to explain how transportation initiatives have impacted several social determinants of health (e.g., social isolation, employment, and housing) in Overtown. The toolkit and video are being used to educate the community, policy makers as well as public health officials of the potential health implications of non-health related policies, programs and projects. Future efforts will target the supportive roles of government in implementing HIA as well as investigating avenues for public health practitioners to inform the community redevelopment agenda.

Palmer -
Colorectal Cancer Screening Patient Navigation for African Americans

The primary purpose of this two-year study is to develop and test the feasibility of a peer-based navigator intervention for increasing colorectal cancer screening rates for African Americans referred to a no-cost screening program. The first aim of this study is to identify determinants of colorectal cancer screening for participants referred to this no-cost screening program. Once identified, the determinants will be used to develop and pilot test a peer-based navigator intervention to increase screening rates. By the completion of this project, we will have tested the feasibility of a peer-based navigator intervention and collected data to plan a larger intervention trial to increase colorectal cancer screening among African Americans.