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2008 Pilot Award Recipients

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Project Title: Evaluating the Implementation and Adoption of the Nationally Disseminated Body & Soul Program
PI: Marlyn Allicock
Institution: UNC Chapel Hill

Synopsis: This study will evaluate the implementation and adoption of the nationally disseminated evidence-based nutrition wellness program, Body & Soul, among African American churches. Action in Time to Save Lives (ACTS of Wellness) is a randomized, community-based colorectal screening intervention delivered via African American churches in two urban areas: Raleigh - Durham NC and Flint Michigan. This evaluation will use the RE-AIM framework as a guide to assess sustainability of the peer counseling training skills; the integration of fruits and vegetables into church activities; church environment and policy changes; and involvement of the pastor.

Project Title: The Mothers and Daughters HIV/AIDS Prevention Series: The Power of Intergenerational Communication and Experience
PI: Michele Tracy Berger
Institution: UNC Chapel Hill

Synopsis:This study examines communication about health and, in particular, sexual health between African American mothers and their daughters (ages 12-15). A pilot intervention will be implemented, pairing ten mothers and ten daughters. It seeks to answer the question: Can an intergenerational intervention targeting both mothers and their adolescent daughters be effective in reducing risks associated with HIV/AIDS? The long term goal is to create a culturally competent model that addresses the complex needs of African American mothers and daughters in reducing HIV risk and encouraging collective empowerment through a community health approach.

Project Title: Better Beginnings: A Feasibility Test of Brief, Culturally Relevant Treatment for Depression in Pregnant Low-Income Adolescents
PI: Sara E Bledsoe
Institution: UNC Chapel Hill

Synopsis:This study proposes to test the feasibility and acceptability of a brief, culturally relevant treatment for perinatal depression (Better Beginnings) in pregnant low-income, racial/ethnic minority adolescents and to examine differences between participants' pre- and post-treatment depression scores. The Better Beginnings study will use a pretest / posttest design with a multiple case and continuous assessment strategy to test the feasibility and acceptability of Better Beginnings in a sample of depressed, pregnant adolescents receiving prenatal care at Wake or Alamance County Human Services prenatal care clinics. Ultimately, if further testing supports the effectiveness of Better Beginnings, clinicians will be trained to assess for depression in pregnant adolescents and implement the Better Beginnings intervention, allowing the program to be maintained through Medicaid billable services.

Project Title: Dietary Patterns and Obesity Risk Among Latino Infants & Toddlers in NC
PI: Krista Perreira
Institution: UNC Chapel Hill

Synopsis:This project will explore how Latino caregivers of infants either protect or promote risks of obesity through formative research among 24 low-income Latina mothers and their 12-15 month old infants, investigating specifically the relationships between migration, acculturation, infant and toddler diet, and risk of obesity. Dietary, anthropometric, and infant feeding/styles survey and observational data among mothers and infants will be collected during home visits. This project will make a strong contribution to nutrition and nutrigenomics research, lead to recommendations for pediatric practice, and potentially impact a public health problem of great magnitude among a high-risk population.

Project Title: Cultural Attitudes and Expectations Regarding Intimate Relationships Among African Americans
PI: Chanequa Walker-Barnes
Institution: Shaw University

Synopsis:This pilot study will explore cultural attitudes and expectations about intimate heterosexual relationships, with particular emphasis upon the impact of gender and racial identities upon relationship formation and maintenance. Moreover, because African American religious institutions are an important site for socialization regarding processes in intimate relationships, this study will examine how religious teachings shape expectations regarding gender roles and relationships. Interviews will be conducted with thirty-six African American adults, comprised of two cohorts. The aim of the project is the development of a culturally appropriate educational program to improve the stability and functioning of intimate relationships among African American couples.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 27 October 2009 15:40
 

2009 Pilot Award Recipients

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Project Title: Perceived Discrimination and Mental Health among African American Adolescents

PI: Eleanor Seaton

Institution: UNC Chapel Hill

Synopsis: The purpose of this study is threefold: (a) to examine the frequency of discriminatory treatment using the experiential sampling procedure, (b) to assess the influence of perceived discrimination on mental health on a daily basis and (c) to examine the moderating capacity of racial identity in the daily relationship between perceptions of racial discrimination and mental health.  African Americans (N = 50) in high school (age 14 - 18) will be recruited to participate in a daily diary study from high schools in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro school district.  The primary methodology consists of adolescent completing daily surveys assessing perceptions of racial discrimination, racial identity and depressive symptoms via the Internet for two weeks to examine the daily association among the study constructs.  Findings from the proposed project will serve as publishable data and also pilot data for a grant submission to the NIH.      

Project Title: Reducing Obesity among African American Females on a Historically Black College and University Campus

PI: Michele Sandra Blackstock

Institution: North Carolina A&T State University

Synopsis: This study will conduct a needs analysis of obesity among African American female college students on the campus of North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, North Carolina to determine if there is relationship between certain lifestyle behaviors and obesity in this population.  Investigators will survey African American females regarding their lifestyle behaviors, dietary habits, and exercise behaviors.  This initial investigation will constitute a vital foundational data base for developing a comprehensive action plan to combat obesity among African American females on the campus of NCA&T.  This study could also lead to models or interventions that could be replicated at other Historically Black College and University campuses.

Project Title: Network-Aware Modeling of HIV

PI: Peter Mucha

Institution: UNC Chapel Hill

Synopsis: This study will create a micro-simulation to model the spread of HIV under artificial situations where full information of the underlying sexual networks is specified.  The results from this simulation will be used to develop network-aware compartmental models which combine the use of network information (e.g., degree correlations and triad counts) with existing best practices in compartmental modeling for HIV.  The networks used to test these models will be drawn from multiple data sources.  This pilot study will also address the reality of missing data and investigate existing tools to predict and correct for missing network information.  The preliminary findings from this study can be used to direct a future study to develop more accurate models that may illuminate the reasons for ethnic disparities in HIV.

Project Title: Odors, Health, and Quality of Life in a Community Bordering a Landfill

PI: Karin Yeatts

Institution: UNC Chapel Hill

Synopsis: This project builds on an existing community-based participatory research partnership with the Rogers-Eubanks Neighborhood Association (RENA).  The aims of this project are to: (1) quantify community exposures to airborne hydrogen sulfide (H2­S) emissions from the landfill; (2) evaluate relationships between H2S exposures and odor, health, irritation, quality of life, and mood measures; (3) quantify microbial, chemical, and metal emissions from the landfill in community water supplies; and (4) support RENA's efforts to adapt and replicate this pilot in landfill host-communities facing similar environmental and health disparities. This pilot will provide preliminary scientific data on the health effects of landfills, uniquely positioning us to extend our approach to landfill host communities across N.C., the Southeast, and the U.S.













 







Last Updated on Tuesday, 27 October 2009 15:41
 


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