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STEM achievement gaps between Latinx and their non-Hispanic White (NHW) counterparts emerge in early childhood and persist through adulthood. Culturally relevant STEM interventions can help counter some of the Latinx higher attrition rates in STEM, especially if they are initiated in elementary school. This study assesses the feasibility, acceptability, and impact on STEM Career Interest of an evidence-based, after-school STEM Program for elementary school Latinx children from Spanish-speaking families. Twenty-three 3rd to 5th grade children in a dual-language school in Colorado participated in 8 weekly STEM lessons, a field trip, and a culturally relevant fair with Latinx STEM professional role models. The following measures were used: (1) attendance rates; (2) changes in a STEM Career Interest Survey; and (3) children and caregivers' reported satisfaction with the program. Attendance and satisfaction with the program were high. Students' STEM Career Interest showed a statistically significant increase between pre- and post-program; however, the subscales of the "STEM Career Interest Survey" did not show a significant increase. It was feasible to implement the STEM interest program at the center of this study with elementary school Latinx students, and the program demonstrated success in increasing students' STEM Career Interest. Moreover, the program is novel in that it addresses a significant barrier to economic mobility in the Spanish-speaking Latinx community (i.e., the high attrition rates in STEM participation). With some adaptations (e.g., longer duration), this program can serve as a model for interventions in other schools or academic settings.

Background: Health initiatives have been established in many workplaces to promote healthy behaviors among employees. Health Self-Empowerment Theory (HSET) suggests that personal, modifiable factors, such as motivation to engage in healthy behaviors, are pathways to increasing such behaviors. Purpose: The present study examined the effects of the Health-Smart Behavior Program[superscript TM] (Health-Smart), which is informed by HSET, on levels of perceived motivators of and barriers to engaging in healthy eating and physical activity among a sample of employees at a large health insurance company. Methods: Participants were 97 culturally diverse employees at this company who were divided into intervention and control groups. Results: From pre-intervention to post-intervention, the intervention group experienced significantly greater increases in motivators to engage in healthy eating and physical activity and significantly greater decreases in barriers to engaging in these behaviors. Discussion: Health-Smart may be effective in increasing motivation to engage in healthy behaviors among workplace employees. Translation to Health Education Practice: This study suggests that health educators who develop workplace health promotion programs use a theoretical framework (e.g., HSET) to inform these programs, implement a first-step program to increase motivators of and reduce barriers to these behaviors, and empirically evaluate these programs.

Aims: Uninsured/underinsured individuals with chronic health conditions report low health‐related quality of life. Empowerment‐based strategies (e.g., hope) may improve the health‐related quality of life of uninsured/underinsured individuals with chronic health conditions by enabling them to take charge of their health. Methods: The present study used structural equation modeling to examine the relationships among number of chronic health conditions, the components of hope (i.e., agency and pathways), and the health‐related quality of life of 197 uninsured/underinsured adults in the United States living with at least one chronic health condition. Results: Results indicate that number of chronic health conditions negatively impacted health‐related quality of life and that agency significantly mediated that relationship. Conclusions: Results from this study can be used to promote health‐related quality of life by empowering individuals to take charge of their lives despite their unique contextual circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim/BackgroundResearch suggests that patient-perceived culturally sensitive health care encompasses multiple components of the health care delivery system including the cultural sensitivity of front desk office staff. Despite this, research on culturally sensitive health care focuses almost exclusively on provider behaviors, attitudes, and knowledge. This is due in part to the paucity of instruments available to assess the cultural sensitivity of front desk office staff. Thus, the objective of the present study is to determine the psychometric properties of the pilot Tucker-Culturally Sensitive Health Care Office Staff Inventory-Patient Form (T-CSHCOSI-PF), which is an instrument designed to enable patients to evaluate the patient-defined cultural sensitivity of their front desk office staff.MethodsA sample of 1648 adult patients was recruited by staff at 67 health care sites across the United States. These patients anonymously completed the T-CSHCOSI-PF, a demographic data questionnaire, and a patient satisfaction questionnaire.FindingsConfirmatory factor analyses of the TCSHCOSI-PF revealed that this inventory has two factors with high internal consistency reliability and validity (Cronbach’s αs=0.97 and 0.95).ConclusionsIt is concluded that the T-CSHCOSI-PF is a psychometrically strong and useful inventory for assessing the cultural sensitivity of front desk office staff. This inventory can be used to support culturally sensitive health care research, evaluate the job performance of front desk office staff, and aid in the development of trainings designed to improve the cultural sensitivity of these office staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there have been increasing national calls for patient-centered, culturally sensitive health care (PC-CSHC). The impetus for these calls include (a) the reality that health care providers are increasingly having to provide health care to a more culturally diverse patient population without the necessary training to do so effectively, (b) the growing evidence that culturally insensitive health care is a major contributor to the costly health disparities that plague our nation, and (c) the fact that racial/ethnic minorities and individuals with low household incomes are more likely than their non-Hispanic white and higher-income counterparts to experience culturally insensitive health care and dissatisfaction with health care—health care experiences that have been linked to poorer health outcomes. This article (a) presents literature on the definition of PC-CSHC and the need for this care, (b) presents research on assessing and promoting this care, and (c) offers research-informed strategies and future directions for customizing and institutionalizing this care. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: Existing abortion stigma research has rarely isolated the reason for termination; thus, the consequences of termination for medical reasons (TFMR) are poorly understood. We aimed to understand the association of stigma and social support with decision satisfaction in TFMR., Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study on the experiences of 132 individuals who had a TFMR in the second or third trimester. We recruited participants via Facebook. Most participants were non-Hispanic White (85.6%), between 31 and 40 years old (72.7%), highly educated (84.1% with a 4-year degree), and married (89.4%). Participants completed an online demographic data questionnaire, including questions about stigma and social support, and an adapted satisfaction with decision survey. We used t -tests to explore the connection of stigma and social support with decision satisfaction., Results: Results did not reveal an association between stigma and decision satisfaction, but showed that higher social support is associated with higher decision satisfaction. Decision satisfaction was higher in participants who experienced more than one source of support [ t (130) = 2.527, p  = 0.01], compared with those reporting only one source of support, and in those who experienced support from a relative [ t (130) = 1.983, p  = 0.049] and physician [ t (130) = 2.357, p  = 0.020] than in those who did not., Discussion: Social support can alleviate the suffering related to TFMR. Exploring how different forms of social support, including therapy groups, can impact decision satisfaction might help develop interventions to improve postabortion outcomes., Practice Implications: Provider training must encourage providers to (1) support patients having a TFMR and (2) connect patients with other sources of support., Competing Interests: No competing financial interests exist., (© Tayler Hendrix et al., 2023; Published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.)