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Objective: Violence against children (VAC) is a global public health and human rights issue that can lead to long-lasting negative consequences for individual and societal outcomes. While extensive evidence indicates that parenting programmes might be effective in preventing VAC, there are several unsolved questions on how to ensure interventions are acceptable, feasible, effective and sustainable, particularly in low- and- middle-income countries (LMICs)., Method: In this study, we report findings from a qualitative examination of policymakers' (N = 10), early childhood and parenting programme facilitators' (N = 20) and parents' and other caregivers' (N = 38) perspectives on VAC prevention to examine the implementation ecosystem of parenting programmes in Colombia, including contextual risk and protection factors, features of existing programmes, and stakeholders' needs. We conducted interviews and focus groups using a semistructured format, along with a thematic approach, to analyse the data from each group of participants (i.e., policymakers, facilitators and caregivers) independently., Results: Overall, the data revealed the critical role of intersecting and interacting factors at the micro (e.g., caregivers' capabilities and beliefs), meso (e.g., programme content and delivery approaches) and macro (e.g., policymakers' vision and existing infrastructure) levels in exacerbating risks/imposing barriers versus protecting/promoting VAC prevention., Conclusions: These findings provide evidence on the implementation ecosystem of prevention programmes to inform the design of novel strategies and programmes aimed at preventing violence and promoting families' well-being and young children's development., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most prevalent pathogens causing bovine mastitis in the world, in part because of its ease of adaptation to various hosts and the environment. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of S. aureus in Colombian dairy farms and its relationship with the causal network of subclinical mastitis. From thirteen dairy farms enrolled, 1288 quarter milk samples (QMS) and 330 teat samples were taken from cows with positive (70.1%) and negative California Mastitis Test (CMT). In addition, 126 samples from the milking parlor environment and 40 from workers (nasal) were collected. On each dairy farm, a survey was conducted, and the milking process was monitored on the day of sampling. S. aureus was identified in 176 samples, i.e., 138 QMS, 20 from teats, 8 from the milking parlor environment, and 10 from workers' nasal swabs. Isolates identified as S. aureus underwent proteomics (clustering of mass spectrum) and molecular (tuf, coa, spa Ig, clfA, and eno genes) analysis. Regarding proteomics results, isolates were distributed into three clusters, each with members from all sources and all farms. Concerning molecular analysis, the virulence-related genes clfA and eno were identified in 41.3% and 37.8% of S. aureus isolates, respectively. We provide evidence on the circulation of S. aureus strains with limited variability among animals, humans, and the environment. The parameters with the lowest compliance in the farms which may be implicated in the transmission of S. aureus are the lack of handwashing and abnormal milk handling., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

As the identification and targeting of salient risk factors for adolescent substance use become more widely used globally, an essential question arises as to whether U.S.-based cut points in the distributions of these risk factors that identify "high" risk can be used validly in other countries as well. This study examined proportions of youth at "high" risk using different empirically derived cut points in the distributions of 18 measured risk factors. Data were obtained from large-scale samples of adolescents in Colombia and the United States. Results indicated that significant ( p < 0.05) differences in the proportions of "high" risk youth were found in 38.9% of risk factors for 6th graders, 61.1% for 8th graders, and 66.6% for 10th graders. Colombian-based cut points for determining the proportion of Colombian youth at "high" risk were preferable to U.S.-based cut points in almost all comparisons that exhibited a significant difference. Our findings suggest that observed differences were related to the type of risk factor (e.g., drug specific vs. non-drug specific). Findings from this study demonstrate the need for collecting large-scale national data on risk factors for adolescent substance use and developing country-specific cut points based on the distributions of these measures to avoid misidentification of youth at "high" risk.

Communities That Care (CTC) is a prevention system aimed at reducing antisocial behaviors in adolescents. In Colombia, this system has been developed and adapted under the name of Comunidades Que se Cuidan (CQC). Successful implementation of CQC depends on valid associations between measured risk and protective factors (RPFs) for substance use and substance use outcomes. This study assessed these associations using large-scale, school-based surveys of Colombian youth. A cross-sectional analysis was performed. Data from 23 communities in Colombia were collected between 2012 and 2016 from young people (N = 50,946) aged 10 to 19 years. Dichotomous alcohol, cigarette, cannabis, and other illegal drug use outcomes were assessed for past 30-day, past-year, and lifetime use. Logistic regression analyses, adjusting for age, gender, and age by RPF, and gender by RPF interactions, were performed for each RPF. All the associations of the 14 RPF evaluated were statistically significant (p<,001). Regarding observed effect sizes, 3.0% were considered very small (0.70 ≥ OR ≤ 1.43), 51.7% small (0.70 ≥ OR ≥ 1.43), 42.6% medium (0.40 ≥ OR ≥ 2.48) and 7.1% large (0.23 ≥ OR ≥ 4.27). Significant main effects for age and gender, and their interactions with RPFs were found for most RPFs. Findings from this study demonstrate the viability of RPFs for adolescent substance use as focal points for intervention planning, development, and evaluation of community-based prevention systems like CQC that rely on epidemiologic data for local decision making.