Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Mahdieh Niknam, Nasrin Omidvar, Hassan Eini-Zinab, Naser Kalantari, Keyvan Olazadeh, Parisa Amiri
Summary: This study aimed to explore the readiness of Iranian urban population to engage in childhood obesity prevention programs. The intervention communities showed increased readiness, while the control communities showed decreased readiness. This study can provide insights for developing readiness-based childhood obesity prevention programs in Middle Eastern and other developing countries.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Keshni Arthur, Nicola Christofides, Gill Nelson
Summary: The study found variations between school contexts, with high student penetration (97.2%) but lower student and parent exposure (44.3% and 55.5%, respectively). Educators believed the intervention was suitable for both rural and urban schools, different socio-economic groups, and diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. They perceived the intervention as sustainable and recommended its adoption into the school curriculum and scaling up if proven effective.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gena Barnabee, Idel Billah, Lylie Ndeikemona, Lukas Silas, Alison Ensminger, Ellen MacLachlan, Abigail K. Korn, Susan Mawire, Christa Fischer-Walker, Laimi Ashipala, Norbert Forster, Gabrielle O'Malley, Jennifer Velloza
Summary: This study evaluated PrEP service coverage, uptake, and early persistence among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Namibia. The findings suggest that community-based models can provide high PrEP education and HIV testing coverage, and achieve moderate PrEP uptake among AGYW.
Article
Health Policy & Services
Maike Schroeder, Birgit Babitsch, Holger Hassel
Summary: This study is the first in Germany to use the community readiness model (CRM) to assess the preparedness of municipal governments in addressing childhood obesity. The study found that the municipalities had a low level of readiness, with issues such as lack of prioritization and leadership support, insufficient low-threshold efforts, lack of knowledge and problem awareness, and lack of structures and resources.
HEALTH PROMOTION INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Morten Skovdal, Phyllis Magoge-Mandizvidza, Freedom Dzamatira, Rufurwokuda Maswera, Constance Nyamukapa, Ranjeeta Thomas, Owen Mugurungi, Simon Gregson
Summary: This study explores the views and recommendations of healthcare professionals on increasing the uptake of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW). The findings suggest that healthcare providers call for better PrEP marketing campaigns, youth-friendly services, improved delivery mechanisms and treatment for PrEP, greater engagement with key stakeholders, and elimination of costs associated with PrEP use.
BMC INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Navnit Kaur Grewal, Knut-Inge Klepp, Anna Banik, Christian Broer, Helene Holbaek, Aleksandra Luszczynska, Talia Macauley, Harry Rutter, Nanna Lien
Summary: This study developed a questionnaire to assess readiness for action and attitudes toward obesity prevention among adolescents. The questionnaire was developed based on literature searches and expert discussions. The questionnaire was translated, back translated, and pretested among adolescents from five countries. The study found that the questionnaire is a reliable tool for measuring adolescents' readiness for action and attitudes toward obesity prevention.
Review
Health Policy & Services
Maike Schroeder, Monika Schnabel, Holger Hassel, Birgit Babitsch
Summary: This scoping review provides an overview of international applications of the Community Readiness Model (CRM) for childhood obesity prevention. The review identifies various methodological changes and readiness scores in different settings. Strategies to enhance readiness, such as raising awareness and knowledge of childhood obesity and promoting connectivity between settings, are proposed.
HEALTH PROMOTION INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Oluwaseyi Dolapo Somefun, Emmanuel Olamijuwon
Summary: Studies have found that the timing of sexual debut among adolescent girls is associated with community features such as affluence, ethnic diversity, and women empowerment.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Manal Almughamisi, Majella O'Keeffe, Seeromanie Harding
Summary: This study aimed to identify intervention opportunities for preventing obesity among adolescent girls in Saudi Arabia. Through a participatory approach, adults and students identified the importance of improving the school food environment, with a focus on healthy food provision, as a feasible action.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Pediatrics
Haley Allen, Chishinga Callender, Debbe Thompson
Summary: The Butterfly Girls (BFG) Study is an online obesity prevention program designed for 8-10-year-old Black girls, with collaboration from key stakeholders in the Black community to ensure cultural and developmental appropriateness. This study aimed to understand parent and child reactions to the program, particularly in terms of perceptions of its cultural and developmental appropriateness, relevance, and acceptability. High adherence was observed in both the treatment and comparison groups, and survey data highlighted the socioeconomic diversity of the sample. Feedback from child participants was mostly positive, with many finding the program relatable. Among the parent responses, the majority found the program beneficial in education and behavior change. This multi-methods analysis suggests that the BFG program was perceived as beneficial by parents while being culturally and developmentally appropriate and engaging for young Black girls, emphasizing the importance of collaboration in program development.
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Ashley V. Hill, Sejal Mistry, T. E. Paglisotti, Namita Dwarakanath, Daniel R. Lavage, Amber L. Hill, Rosemary Iwuanyanwu, Lynissa R. Stokes, Kelley A. Jones, Elizabeth Miller
Summary: This study assessed the feasibility of a community-based program, called Sisterhood 2.0, among girls in socially disadvantaged urban neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The results suggest that community-based gender-transformative programming for girls may be a promising approach for addressing interpersonal violence and promoting sexual health.
JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENCE
(2022)
Article
Sport Sciences
Sara Pereira, Carla Santos, Go Tani, Duarte Freitas, Fernando Garbeloto, Eduardo Guimaraes, Leah E. Robinson, Adam Baxter-Jones, Peter T. Katzmarzyk, Jose Maia
Summary: Boys and girls reached their peak mid-growth spurt at relatively similar ages, but the timing and sequences of physical fitness spurts aligned with this differed between boys and girls.
JOURNAL OF SPORTS SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Geetha Beauchamp, Sybil Hosek, Deborah J. Donnell, Kwun C. G. Chan, Brian P. Flaherty, Peter L. Anderson, Bonnie J. Dye, Nyaradzo Mgodi, Linda-Gail Bekker, Sinead Delany-Moretlwe, Connie Celum
Summary: This study developed an HIV prevention readiness measure to identify African adolescent girls and young women who are motivated to take pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and in need of adherence support. The measure showed good reliability and validity in assessing medication adherence and prevention readiness. These findings are important for the development and implementation of PrEP adherence support programs.
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Debbe Thompson, Yiming Mirabile, Noemi Islam, Chishinga Callender, Salma M. A. Musaad, Julie Miranda, Jennette P. Moreno, Jayna M. Dave, Tom Baranowski
Summary: This study evaluated the effect of a culturally adapted behaviorally innovative obesity prevention intervention on diet quality in pre-adolescent non-Hispanic Black/African American girls. The results showed no significant differences in overall diet quality. To achieve more equitable health outcomes, future efforts should explore other behavior change procedures and employ more child-friendly dietary assessment methods.
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Marufa Sultana, Melanie Nichols, Marj Moodie, Steven Allender, Vicki Brown
Summary: This systematic review examines the economic evaluations of multicomponent community-based obesity prevention interventions. Seventeen studies were included, reporting costing or economic evaluation of 13 different interventions. The economic evidence is limited and inconclusive, highlighting the challenges of cost tracking and incorporating broader benefits into economic evaluation for complex interventions.