Objectives:Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) is grounded in trusting, reciprocal, and authentic relationships. We aimed to identify key strategies and actionable next steps to establish and sustain high-quality community-academic partnerships that foster community-based health equity. Study design:Qualitative thematic analysis. Methods:We analyzed three recorded discussions from a roundtable session with community and academic partners from the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics-Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) program (2020-2025), which supported 142 community-engaged public health research projects aimed at reducing COVID-19-related health inequities. Results:Key themes identified as most fundamental to support CBPR included establishing a long-term commitment, mutual co-learning among partners, flexible and sustained funding and resources, co-design of research and evaluation tools, and unwavering commitment to transparent communication and dissemination. Accurately assessing CBPR's impact requires using valid and reliable tools that assess whether community-academic partnerships are functioning well, identify opportunities to strengthen engagement, and measure both community- and system-level outcomes resulting from the partnerships. Conclusions:Advancing community-based health research through high-quality CBPR partnerships requires ongoing flexibility, mutual trust, shared learning, and collaborative design core elements to achieve sustainable and equitable public health outcomes. Through these initiatives we can pave the way for high-quality community-academic partnerships that address critical priorities in population health research and processes for advancing health equity.
Background:Latino/a/x adults have higher rates of unmet mental health needs than other racial and ethnic groups. One promising solution to help bridge this gap in care is digital mental health tools. Digital tools, such as self-help websites, have demonstrated the ability to enhance mental health literacy, reduce stigma, and improve mental health symptoms. Despite the potential benefits, engagement remains a critical challenge, and there has been a large oversight of unique considerations for Latino/a/x adults as end users. Objective:Guided by the Technology Acceptance Model and the Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations, the study's overarching objective is to characterize within-group variation of Latino/a/x adults' engagement with a government-funded, prevention-focused mental health website that was co-designed with community partners during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods:The Together for Wellness/Juntos Por Nuestro Bienestar (T4W/Juntos) website offered free digital mental health resources to help Californians cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. A pilot evaluation of the website involved baseline and 4-week follow-up surveys about demographics, behavioral health needs, and overall website user experience. This current subanalysis focused on a stratified sample of Latino/a/x adult participants (baseline N=131; baseline and follow-up n=68). The baseline sample was mostly female (106/130, 81.5%); 66.9% (87/130) preferred to use the website in English and 30% (39/130) preferred Spanish. Behavioral health needs were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-2, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 2-item scale, and a COVID-19 stressors checklist. We measured usability, comfort using the website, relevance of the website, and past-month use of resources. Data were analyzed using ordered and standard logistic regression methods. Results:Latino/a/x adults who preferred using the website in English (odds ratio [OR] 13.76, P<.001) compared with Spanish were more comfortable using the website. Compared with adults aged 18-30 years, adults aged 41-50 years had significantly lower odds of agreeing that the website was easy to use. Sensitivity analyses revealed that participants who found the website easier to use (OR 2.22, P=.001) and those with greater behavioral health needs (OR 1.22, P=.045) were more likely to perceive the website's topics as relevant. Participants with higher behavioral health needs at baseline were more likely to use the website and engage with resources for anxiety or stress at follow-up (OR 1.42, P=.047). Conclusions:This study addresses gaps in understanding Latino/a/x adults' experiences with a prevention-focused mental health website. The language-based disparity in comfort highlights the need to significantly improve the user experience for Latino/a/x Spanish speakers. Still, the website can be a helpful resource for Latino/a/x adults with high behavioral health needs, bridging a critical gap in support. A collaborative approach to developing resource-rich websites with trusted community organizations is vital for effectively reaching Latino/a/x communities and tailoring resources to address their unique needs.
BackgroundFascial Therapy is an ancient and widespread practice throughout the world. These approaches are very common in osteopathic practice and taught in workshops for professionals from different areas of health care, including Physiotherapy. This type of treatment is quite specialized and centered on the therapist. However, there is a lack of high-quality and low-risk bias studies that justify the use of this practice. Despite this, there is little scientific evidence about the effectiveness of Fascial Therapy to treat some visceral disorders. The purpose of this study was to critically appraise the scientific literature concerning the clinical efficacy of techniques used in Fascial Therapy targeting the visceral system.MethodsThis systematic review included randomized controlled trials in any language or date of publication. All primary outcomes reported were included. The methodological quality and statistical reporting of each eligible trial were evaluated using the version 2 of the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (RoB 2). This systematic review provided a synthesis of current evidence on the effects of Fascial Therapy in patients with visceral disorders and/or pain. A total of 11 studies were included, with five of them covering gastrointestinal dysfunction, two covering cardiorespiratory dysfunction, two covering musculoskeletal dysfunction, and two covering urogenital dysfunction.ResultsFascial Therapy targeting the visceral system has been shown to be effective in reducing pain over the long term in people with low back pain when combined with standard physical therapy and effective in reducing gastroesophageal reflux symptoms over the short term. Considering the overall bias, six studies were at high risk of bias, two studies had some concerns and only three studies were at low risk of bias. Of the three studies with a low risk of bias, only two showed positive results and were effective in improving the studied outcome.ConclusionThis systematic review shows that currently, there is poor evidence for the efficacy of the techniques used in Fascial Therapy targeting the visceral system, and this information can help healthcare professionals in decision-making related to the use of Fascial Therapy targeting the visceral system in patients with visceral disorders and/or pain.
“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.”—Goethe Introduction People and the communities they are a part of—defined as “groups of people affiliated by geographic proximity . . . or similar situations to address issues affecting the well-being of those people”—are deeply impacted by the systems that […]
This essay discusses the work of an American NGO, the Environmental Health Council, in documenting and remediating mercury and other heavy metal contamination in Huancavelica, Peru. The nearby Santa Bárbara and Challacatana hills are among the most extensive cinnabar deposits in the world. Mercury distilled in Huancavelica during the Spanish colonial period was dispatched throughout the Andean region and was a requisite input for the production of silver through the amalgamation process. While this stimulated the rise of modern globalism, it has left extensive contamination in its wake with which contemporary residents contend.
