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Effective Programs (effective + program)
Selected AbstractsPrograms-That-Work: CDC's Guide to Effective Programs That Reduce Health-Risk Behavior of YouthJOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 3 2002Janet Collins ABSTRACT: In response to requests from educators for effective programs that reduce health-risk behavior among youth, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initiated "Programs-That-Work" (PTW) in 1992 to identify health education programs with credible evidence of effectiveness, CDC identified as PTW two programs to reduce tobacco use and eight programs to reduce sexual risk behaviors. Eligible programs undergo a two-step external review to examine quality of the research evidence and the extent to which the programs are practical for use by health educators. If CDC identifies a program as a PTW on the basis of external review, the program is packaged and made available for dissemination to education and youth agencies. Communities ultimately make the decision about adopting a program, and CDC does not require their use. Thousands of educators have sought information about PTW through the CDC web site, informational brochures, and training. (J Sch Health, 2002;72(3):93,99) [source] Effective program against mother-to-child transmission of HIV at Saint Camille Medical Centre in Burkina FasoJOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY, Issue 7 2007J. Simpore Abstract The present research was aimed to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV; to use RT-PCR in order to detect, 6 months after birth, infected children; and to test the antiretroviral resistance of both children and mothers in order to offer them a suitable therapy. At the Saint Camille Medical Centre, 3,127 pregnant women (aged 15,44 years) accepted to be enrolled in the mother-to-child transmission prevention protocol that envisages: (i) Voluntary Counselling and Testing for all the pregnant women; (ii) Antiretroviral therapy for HIV positive pregnant women and for their newborns; (iii) either powdered milk feeding or short breast-feeding and RT-PCR test for their children; (iv) finally, pol gene sequencing and antiretroviral resistance identifications among HIV positive mothers and children. Among the patients, 227/3,127 HIV seropositive women were found: 221/227 HIV-1, 4/227 HIV-2, and 2/227 mixed HIV infections. The RT-PCR test allowed the detection of 3/213 (1.4%) HIV infected children: 0/109 (0%) from mothers under ARV therapy and 3/104 (2.8%) from mothers treated with Nevirapine. All children had recombinant HIV-1 strain (CRF06_CPX) with: minor PR mutations (M36I, K20I) and RT mutations (R211K). Among them, two twins had Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor mutation (Y18CY). Both mothers acquired a major PR mutation (V8IV), investigated 6 months after a single-dose of Nevirapine. Prevention by single-dose of Nevirapine reduced significantly mother-to-child transmission of HIV, but caused many mutations and resistance to antiretroviral drugs. Based on present study the antiretroviral therapy protocol, together with the artificial-feeding, might represent the ideal strategy to avoid transmission of HIV from mother-to-child. J. Med. Virol. 79:873,879, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Collective Action through Voluntary Environmental Programs: A Club Theory PerspectivePOLICY STUDIES JOURNAL, Issue 4 2007Aseem Prakash Voluntary environmental programs are institutions that seek to induce firms to produce positive environmental externalities beyond what government regulations require. Drawing on club theory, this paper outlines a theoretical perspective to study the relationship between program design and program effectiveness. Effective programs have rule structures that mitigate two central collective action problems inherent in producing positive environmental externalities: attracting firms to participate in the program and ensuring that participating firms adhere to program obligations. Because program efficacy can be undermined by collective action problems associated with free riding and shirking, effective voluntary clubs should be designed to mitigate these challenges. [source] Effective primate conservation education: gaps and opportunitiesAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY, Issue 5 2010Susan K. Jacobson Abstract Conservation education goals generally include influencing people's conservation awareness, attitudes, and behaviors. Effective programs can help foster sustainable behavior, improve public support for conservation, reduce vandalism and poaching in protected areas, improve compliance with conservation regulations, increase recreation carrying capacities, and influence policies and decisions that affect the environment. Primate conservation problems cut across many disciplines, and primate conservation education must likewise address crossdisciplinary issues. Conservation educators must incorporate both theoretical and practical knowledge and skills to develop effective programs, and the skill set must stretch beyond pedagogy. Expertize needed comes from the areas of planning, collaboration, psychology, entertainment, and evaluation. Integration of these elements can lead to greater program success. Am. J. Primatol. 72:414,419, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] An analysis of the neighborhood impacts of a mortgage assistance program: A spatial hedonic modelJOURNAL OF POLICY ANALYSIS AND MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2010Wenhua Di Down payment or closing cost assistance is an effective program in addressing the wealth constraints of low-and moderate-income homebuyers. However, the spillover effect of such programs on the neighborhood is unknown. This paper estimates the impact of the City of Dallas Mortgage Assistance Program (MAP) on nearby home values using a hedonic model of home sales from 1990 to 2006. We define neighborhoods of 1,000 feet around each sale and estimate the average differences in sales prices between neighborhoods with various numbers of MAP properties before and after their appearance. We find that MAP properties tend to locate in neighborhoods with lower property values; however, unless a concentration of MAP properties forms, the infusion of MAP properties has little detrimental impact on neighboring property values. Moreover, low concentration of MAP properties has a modest positive impact on surrounding property values. © 2010 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management. [source] Developing anticancer chemotherapy services in a developing country: Hodgkin lymphoma experiencePEDIATRIC BLOOD & CANCER, Issue 4 2008Jagdish Chandra MD Abstract Background and Objective Reporting on how the cancer treatment facilities were developed at a medical college hospital in India and the profile and outcome of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) at this new center were the objectives of the study. Methods Patients under 18 years with a diagnosis of HL were evaluated using abdominal ultrasonography, CT scan examination of chest, abdomen and pelvis and bone marrow examination. Most patients were treated with combination chemotherapy. Departments of Radiodiagnosis and Pathology were involved for evaluation. Radiotherapy when required was made available at a nearby hospital. Results Thirty-five patients between 1.2 and 18 years (median age 7 years) were diagnosed as HL during the study period. Advanced disease (Stage IIb or more) was present in 83% cases. Mixed cellularity was the commonest histological subtype (50.5%). Primary therapy used was COPP in 29 (83%) cases. Of the 34 patients who received treatment 30 showed initial good response to therapy. One patient responded to ABVD after having progression on COPP. Of 31 responders, 4 relapsed. Twenty-seven patients (80%) are surviving free of disease for a median follow up of 4.5 years (range 1.5,18 years). Chemotherapy was well tolerated. Febrile neutropenia occurred in four cases. Conclusions Pediatric HL in India was characterized by advanced disease at presentation. Mixed-cellularity was the predominant histological subtype. An effective program was developed with initial attention to patients with HL. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2008;51:485,488. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] A model of paediatric eye screening program for educatorsACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 2007N STOJANOVIC Purpose: Presentation of a paediatric eye screening program which is based on the educators' performance Methods: 4400 children(n1=2200 3-3 ½ y.o., n2=2200 4-6 y.o.),10 ophthalmologists and 20 teachers participated in this study.Children were tested for visual acuity(Va),using the NK test and manifest horizontal strabismus,using the Hirschberg test.Criteria for further evaluation:n1: Va<0.55 and/or manifest strabismus& in n2:Va<0.75and/or manifest strabismus Results: In n1=2200, doctors found:105 children(4.77%) appeared with Va<0.55, 1938 children(88.1%)with Va=0.55 and 157 children(7.13%)with Va>0.55. In n1 teachers found:191 children(8.68%) appeared with Va<0.55,1799 children(81.78%)with Va=0.55 and 210 children(9.54%)with Va >0.55. In (n1) doctors found:2111children(95.95%)were orthophoric,62 children(2.81%)were esotropic and 27 children(1,23%) were exotropic. Teachers found:2051 children(93.22%)were orthophoric, 106 children(4.81%) were esotropic and 43 children(1.97%)were exotropic. In n2=2200,doctors found:164 children(7.45%) appeared with Va<0.75,1695 children(77.05 %)with Va=0.75 and 341 children(15.5%)with Va>0.75. In n2, teachers found:160 children(7.27%)with Va<0.75,1639 children(74.50 %)with Va=0.75 and 401 children(18.22 %)with Va>0.75. In the same sample(n2), doctors found:2121 children(96.40%)were orthophoric, 62children(2.81%)were esotropic and 17 children(0.79%)were exotorpic.Teachers found:2041 children(92.77%)were orthophoric,64 children(2.90%)were esotropic and 95 children(4.32 %)were exotropic Conclusions: In a screening eye program false positive referrals are more welcome than false negative,especially in a very cost effective program as this one is. We recommend this model in countries where no paramedics as screeners exist [source] Continuing Medical Education, Continuing Professional Development, and Knowledge Translation: Improving Care of Older Patients by Practicing PhysiciansJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 10 2006David C. Thomas MD Many community-based internists and family physicians lack familiarity with geriatrics knowledge and best practices, but they face overwhelming fiscal and time barriers to expanding their skills and improving their behavior in the care of older people. Traditional lecture-and-slide-show continuing medical education (CME) programs have been shown to be relatively ineffective in changing this target group's practice. The challenge for geriatrics educators, then, is to devise CME programs that are highly accessible to practicing physicians, that will have an immediate and significant effect on practitioners' behavior, and that are financially viable. Studies of CME have shown that the most effective programs for knowledge translation in these circumstances involve what is known as active-mode learning, which relies on interactive, targeted, and multifaceted techniques. A systematic literature review, supplemented by structured interviews, was performed to inventory active-mode learning techniques for geriatrics knowledge and skills in the United States. Thirteen published articles met the criteria, and leaders of 28 active-mode CME programs were interviewed. This systematic review indicates that there is a substantial experience in geriatrics training for community-based physicians, much of which is unpublished and incompletely evaluated. It appears that the most effective methods to change behaviors involved multiple educational efforts such as written materials or toolkits combined with feedback and strong communication channels between instructors and learners. [source] Strategies for enhancing the adoption of school-based prevention programs: Lessons learned from the Blueprints for Violence Prevention replications of the Life Skills Training programJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2003Abigail A. Fagan Widespread implementation of effective programs is unlikely to affect the incidence of violent crime unless there is careful attention given to the quality of implementation, including identification of the problems associated with the process of implementation and strategies for overcoming these obstacles. Here we describe the results of a process evaluation focused on discovering common implementation obstacles faced by schools implementing the Life Skills Training (LST) drug prevention program. The evaluation was conducted by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV) under the Blueprints for Violence Prevention Initiative in conjunction with the designer of the LST program, Dr. Gilbert Botvin and his dissemination agency, National Health Promotion Associates (NHPA), and was funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). This evaluation revealed that the 70 sites involved in the project faced many obstacles when implementing this science-based program in the "real" classroom setting, outside the rigorous controls of a research trial. Nonetheless, the schools were very successful in delivering the program in its entirety and with a high level of fidelity to the program model, and we attribute much of this success to the high level of independent monitoring provided by CSPV, as well as our ongoing efforts to work with schools to identify and overcome problems associated with implementation. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 31: 235,253, 2003. [source] Programs-That-Work: CDC's Guide to Effective Programs That Reduce Health-Risk Behavior of YouthJOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 3 2002Janet Collins ABSTRACT: In response to requests from educators for effective programs that reduce health-risk behavior among youth, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initiated "Programs-That-Work" (PTW) in 1992 to identify health education programs with credible evidence of effectiveness, CDC identified as PTW two programs to reduce tobacco use and eight programs to reduce sexual risk behaviors. Eligible programs undergo a two-step external review to examine quality of the research evidence and the extent to which the programs are practical for use by health educators. If CDC identifies a program as a PTW on the basis of external review, the program is packaged and made available for dissemination to education and youth agencies. Communities ultimately make the decision about adopting a program, and CDC does not require their use. Thousands of educators have sought information about PTW through the CDC web site, informational brochures, and training. (J Sch Health, 2002;72(3):93,99) [source] Mentoring in a Post-Affirmative Action WorldJOURNAL OF SOCIAL ISSUES, Issue 3 2005Jean E. Girves Mentoring can be an effective strategy in improving retention of college students and faculty from fields where historical underrepresentation has occurred. This article reviews the benefits of mentoring in higher education, and identifies components of effective mentoring strategies that promote educational and career advancement. It illustrates how effective programs can be institutionalized and scaled through consortial and national collaborations. Traditional and alternative mentoring models are described through four successful programs designed to increase the academic and professional success of undergraduates, graduate students, and junior faculty. The article concludes with a set of general recommendations and caveats gleaned from the literature and programs reviewed. [source] Using theory and research to improve student affairs practice: Some current examplesNEW DIRECTIONS FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES, Issue 131 2005Dawn R. Person This chapter describes two emerging theories that inform career counseling and explores how they can strengthen student success programs for underrepresented populations. The chapter also describes several effective programs and services that support traditionally underrepresented students as they prepare for, succeed in, and make the transition out of the community college. [source] Using evaluation data to strike a balance between stakeholders and accountability systemsNEW DIRECTIONS FOR EVALUATION, Issue 117 2008Lisa N. T. Schmitt A district evaluator in a large Texas district examines new challenges arising since implementation of No Child Left Behind, relating to (1) navigating competing requirements in state and federal accountability systems; (2) evaluating effectiveness of sanctions districts are required to address; (3) using scientifically based research (SBR) to select effective programs and interventions; and (4) initiating SBR given high student mobility, inefficient data-management systems, and competing priorities of local schools. This chapter details these challenges for district-level evaluators and highlights how they can implement processes that strike a balance between supporting decision making and conducting rigorous evaluation. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Connecting men to academic and student affairs programs and servicesNEW DIRECTIONS FOR STUDENT SERVICES, Issue 107 2004Tracy Davis This chapter identifies significant barriers to developing effective programs and services for men and offers a framework for addressing this growing problem. [source] Effective primate conservation education: gaps and opportunitiesAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY, Issue 5 2010Susan K. Jacobson Abstract Conservation education goals generally include influencing people's conservation awareness, attitudes, and behaviors. Effective programs can help foster sustainable behavior, improve public support for conservation, reduce vandalism and poaching in protected areas, improve compliance with conservation regulations, increase recreation carrying capacities, and influence policies and decisions that affect the environment. Primate conservation problems cut across many disciplines, and primate conservation education must likewise address crossdisciplinary issues. Conservation educators must incorporate both theoretical and practical knowledge and skills to develop effective programs, and the skill set must stretch beyond pedagogy. Expertize needed comes from the areas of planning, collaboration, psychology, entertainment, and evaluation. Integration of these elements can lead to greater program success. Am. J. Primatol. 72:414,419, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] The economic burden to the public health system of treating non-viral injecting-related injury and disease in Australia (a cost of illness analysis)AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 4 2009Rohan Sweeney Abstract Objective: We estimated the cost to the public health system of treating Injecting-Related Injuries and Diseases (IRIDs) in the three most populous states in Australia in the 12 months over 2005/06. Methods: We conducted a cost of illness analysis from the perspective of the public health system. Costs of treating IRIDs in the community were estimated from health service utilisation surveys of injecting drug users and physicians (yielding data on Government subsidised physician visits, medicines prescribed and emergency department presentations). Data on admitted hospitalisations in public hospitals due to IRIDs were extracted from State Government databases. Appropriate costs were attached to all Government-borne services and prescriptions to estimate the total cost to the public health system of treating IRIDs in 2005/06 in Queensland, NSW and Victoria. Results: Our estimate of the cost to the public health system of treating IRIDs in Queensland, NSW and Victoria in 2005/06 was $20 million. Conclusion: IRIDs are an under-recognised harm resulting from injecting drug use, but the economic burden of IRIDs in Australia are non-negligible. Research is needed to identify cost effective programs to reduce the clinical and economic burden caused by IRIDs, particularly to reduce hospitalisations due to IRIDs. Implications: General practitioners, clinicians and other health workers need to be alert to IRIDs in their injecting drug user clients to prevent progression to more serious disease and consequent elevation of the associated economic costs. [source] Why primiparous mothers do not breastfeed in the United States: a national surveyACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 11 2003JS Taylor Aim: To investigate primiparous women's primary reason for not breastfeeding. Methods: We used the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth to analyze the breastfeeding behaviors of a national probability sample of 6733 first-time US mothers, aged 15 to 44 y. Main outcome measures in this cross-sectional study were the reasons for never breastfeeding and reasons for stopping breastfeeding using closed-ended, multiple choice questions. Results: Most commonly, women did not breastfeed because they "preferred to bottle feed" (66.3%). The most common reason for stopping breastfeeding was that the child was "old enough to wean" (35.7%), although 15%, 34%, 54%, and 78% of those women had stopped breastfeeding by 3, 6, 9, and 12 mo, respectively. "Physical or medical problem" was reported by 14.9% of women who did not breastfeed and 26.9% of women who had stopped breastfeeding, making it the second most common reason for not breastfeeding in each group. There were significant differences across racial and ethnic groups. Conclusion: Additional studies are needed to better understand why women "prefer to bottle feed", especially black women. Increasingly effective programs and policies to promote breastfeeding will logically follow. Since physical and medical problems are such common reasons both for never breastfeeding and for stopping breastfeeding, individual healthcare providers can have a significant impact on breastfeeding rates and duration. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||