Colorado Communities Research Articles

Exploring how community context informs variations in local perceptions of forest disturbance and land management in Colorado over time

Place-based socio-economic and biophysical context has been viewed as an essential driver in shaping perceptions of forest risks and land management. Growing evidence of the importance of diverse community context in forested landscapes sets the stage to further consider how people's understandings of their local environment influence natural resource management preferences. However, research to date largely lacks considerations of how community context informs social responses to long-term environmental change over time. Using the mountain pine beetle (MPB) outbreak in Colorado, we analyze and compare longitudinal interview and survey data collected from nine north-central Colorado communities to understand the relationships between community context and changing perceptions of forest disturbance and engagement with land management. Both qualitative and quantitative findings show that community context framed and continues to inform variations in local perceptions of the MPB outbreak and forest management. Interviews with key informants provided rich narratives on different context-based trajectories in local residents' perceptional responses, while survey data allowed for general patterns of evolving community variations (e.g., stable or clearer community clustering, reduced community differences) to be uncovered. We explore methodological implications for community indication and future directions for understanding differing community responses to slow-moving environmental change. Incorporating knowledge of changing local contexts and variations can also help practitioners advance toward more dynamic and effective management strategies.

Improving Data-Driven Decision Making for Primary Prevention: Providing Data Interpretation Resources to Schools and Communities in Colorado.

Communities are increasingly interested in primary prevention efforts to reduce health inequities. However, few communities can access local data on social determinants of health and many do not have the skills or training to interpret data to inform decision making on appropriate strategies that impact social determinants of health. A population-based youth health survey administered to middle and high school students, such as exists in most states in the United States, can assess health behaviors and risk and protective factors. The schools and school districts that participate are provided with reports of results and data interpretation resources that support their understanding of risk and protective factors to inform local decision making and action. Other states can similarly provide local data and resources on risk and protective factors to help communities collaborate on primary prevention efforts that achieve health equity.

You are a hero! The influence of audience‐as‐hero narratives on policy support

AbstractEffective communication increases support for policy measures. This article argues that a narrative that portrays a policy's target group as a hero is most effective in generating support for the given policy. The research builds on the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF) to test the influence of an audience‐as‐hero narrative on the opinion about a new campfire regulation among visitors to a national park in Russia. A survey experiment with 314 visitors to the national park compares the influence of a narrative portraying the regulation's target group as a hero (a park visitor) on policy opinion and a narrative portraying another hero (a firefighter). Results show that the audience‐as‐hero narrative has more influence on policy support than a nonnarrative message and also more than a narrative portraying another hero. This indicates that audience‐as‐hero narratives are particularly effective in generating support for policies.Related ArticlesCrow, Deserai A., Lydia A. Lawhon, John Berggren, Juhi Huda, Elizabeth Koebele, and Adrianne Kroepsch. 2017. “A Narrative Policy Framework Analysis of Wildfire Policy Discussions in Two Colorado Communities.” Politics & Policy 45(4): 626–56. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12207.Shanahan, Elizabeth A., Mark K. McBeth, and Paul L. Hathaway. 2011. “Narrative Policy Framework: The Influence of Media Policy Narrative on Public Opinion.” Politics & Policy 39(3): 373–400. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2011.00295.x/abstract.Smith‐Walter, Aaron, Holly L. Peterson, Michael D. Jones, and Ashley Nicole Reynolds Marshall. 2016. “Gun Stories: How Evidence Shapes Firearm Policy in the United States.” Politics & Policy 44: 1053–88. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/polp.12187/full.

Understanding Core Community Needs for School-Based Asthma Programming: A Qualitative Assessment in Colorado Communities.

Asthma is one of the most prevalent chronic conditions affecting approximately 8.5% of children in Colorado. Our school-based asthma program (SBAP) has effectively improved asthma control and reduced asthma disparities among children but has been largely limited to the Denver area. We interviewed community stakeholders in 5 regions of Colorado to understand community needs for broader dissemination of SBAPs. In-depth, semistructured key informant interviews were conducted with school nurses, parents, pediatric healthcare providers, public health professionals, and community resource organization representatives. Inductive and deductive analyses were informed by the practical, robust, implementation, and sustainability model, an implementation science framework. Participants (n=52) identified 6 types of needs for successful future implementation of our SBAP: (1) buy-in from stakeholders; (2) asthma prioritization; (3) improved relationships, communication, and coordination among school nurses, healthcare providers, and community organizations that address social determinants of health (SDOH) and children/families; (4) resources to address healthcare and SDOH needs and awareness of existing resources; (5) asthma education for children/families, school staff, and community members; and (6) improved coordination for School Asthma Care Plan completion. These needs mapped to a 3-tiered, progressive structure of foundational, relational, and functional needs for implementation success. These 6 types of needs illuminate factors that will allow this SBAP to work well and program delivery approaches and implementation strategies that may need modification to be successful. Next steps should include tailoring implementation strategies to variations in local context to support fit, effectiveness, and sustainment.

An active learning convolutional neural network for predicting river flow in a human impacted system

The South Platte river system contains a mixture of natural streams, reservoirs, and pipeline projects that redirect water to front range communities in Colorado. At many timepoints, a simple persistence model is the best predictor for flow from pipelines and reservoirs but at other times, flows change based on snowmelt and inputs such as reservoir fill rates, local weather, and anticipated demand. Here we find that a convolutional Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network is well suited to modeling flow in parts of this basin that are strongly impacted by water projects as well as ones that are relatively free from direct human modifications. Furthermore, it is found that including an active learning component in which separate Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are used to classify and then select the data that is then used for training a convolutional LSTM network is advantageous. Models specific for each gauge are created by transfer of parameter from a base model and these gauge-specific models are then fine-tuned based a curated subset of training data. The result is accurate predictions for both natural flow and human influenced flow using only past river flow, reservoir capacity, and historical temperature data. In 14 of the 16 gauges modeled, the error in the prediction is reduced when using the combination of on-the-fly classification by CNN followed by analysis by either a persistence or convolutional LSTM model. The methods designed here could be applied broadly to other basins and to other situations where multiple models are needed to fit data at different times and locations.

THU254 VICTOR-Pilot Study Of A Virtual Dietary Intervention To Improve Diabetes And Cardiovascular Risk In Rural Communities - Primary Results

Abstract Disclosure: C.C. Low Wang: Research Investigator; Self; Dexcom, Virta Health. R.O. Estacio: None. S. Coronel-Mockler: None. N. Flattery: None. A. McKenzie: Employee; Self; Virta Health. Stock Owner; Self; Virta Health. D. Harrison: Employee; Self; Virta Health. Stock Owner; Self; Virta Health. M.P. Bonaca: Consulting Fee; Self; Audentes. Research Investigator; Self; Abbott Laboratories, Agios Pharmaceuticals, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Alnylam, Amgen Inc, Angionetics, Anthos Therapeutics, ARCA Biopharma Inc, Array, AstraZeneca, Atentiv, Better Therapeutics, Bayer, Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb, Cardiol Therapeutics, CellResearch Corp, CSL Behring, Eidos Therapeutics, EP Trading Company, Esperion Therapeutics, EveryWell, Faraday Pharmaceuticals, Fortress Biotech, HeartFlow, Insmed, Jansen Pharmaceuticals, Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Kowa Research, Merck & Co., Moderna, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Inc., PhaseBio, PPD Development, Prothena Biosciences, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Regio Biosciences, Sanifit Therapeutics, Sanofi, Stealth Biotherapeutics, Wraser, Cambrian Biopharma, Cook Regentech, EPG Communications, Epizon Pharma, Exicon Consulting, Medtronic, Silence Therapeutics, VarmX. Stock Owner; Self; Pfizer, Inc., Medtronic. Introduction: Individuals in rural communities face challenges accessing healthcare. Innovative strategies combining local Community Health Workers (CHW) and virtual digital solutions may be beneficial for improving type 2 diabetes (T2D) care and cardiovascular (CV) risk. Hypothesis: A virtually delivered digitally based intervention will improve glycemic control in individuals with diabetes in rural communities. Methods: The Virta Intervention in CommuniTies in cOloRado (VICTOR)-Pilot Study is designed to examine whether referral to the Virta Intervention (VINT) while integrated into the CHW program Colorado Heart Healthy Solutions (CHHS), a health education program designed to improve cardiovascular risk factors, is feasible, acceptable, and improves hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). VINT is a low-carbohydrate approach to T2D treatment which is delivered through a continuous remote care platform via a smartphone application; patients receive care from a dedicated Health Coach and Medical Provider to boost efficacy and ensure safety. Adults with T2D age 18-79 yr in rural Colorado enrolled in CHHS and taking one or more antihyperglycemic medications for at least 3 months, with BMI >25 kg/m2, and HbA1c >7.5% were randomized to VINT + CHHS vs CHHS alone. The primary outcome is change in HbA1c from baseline to 3 months. Secondary outcomes include change in body weight, number of diabetes medications, and patient-reported outcomes. The Intervention arm undergoes VINT + CHHS for 6 months, then CHHS alone for 3 months. The Control arm starts with CHHS alone for 3 months, then VINT + CHHS for 3 months, and finally CHHS alone for 3 months. Both groups are assessed at baseline (0), 3, 6 and 9 months. Enrollment for the trial is complete, and the study is ongoing. Results: A total of 48 individuals are enrolled from 2 rural Colorado communities, 25 in the Intervention arm and 23 in the Control arm. Of these, 65% are female, mean age 59.4 years (range 36-77, SD 10.1), 92% white, 4% Hispanic, mean body mass index (BMI) 34.3 kg/m2 (range 25-62, SD 7.0), mean HbA1c 9.0% (range 7.5-14.1%, SD 1.3), mean weight 216.6 lb (range 148-364, SD 46.9), median number of diabetes medications: 2, with 36% of participants on insulin. The primary outcome of change in HbA1c from baseline to 3 months will be assessed in March 2023 and available for reporting at the 2023 Endocrine Society meeting. Conclusion: The VICTOR-Pilot study is evaluating the effect on HbA1c, medication burden, feasibility, and acceptability of a virtual digital dietary intervention to improve glycemic control and risk factor management in patients with type 2 diabetes living in rural communities. The trial has fully enrolled, and the primary end point as well as other key secondary endpoints will be reported. Presentation: Thursday, June 15, 2023

Decolonial Futures

Abstract This roundtable showcases how different Asian, Pacific Islander, and Indigenous communities in Colorado are fighting for sovereignty of their homelands. It reorients the question of “homelands” to highlight the experiences of communities whose homelands remain occupied by settler-colonial and imperial nation-states, like the United States, India, Israel, and China. Participants speak to the struggles of sovereignty of their communities and communities they work with, unsettling epistemological frameworks to disrupt normative understandings of home, migration, and diaspora.

168 Community Engagement, One Mile High: Developing a pipeline for training in community-based participatory research for investigators in Colorado

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Describe the pipeline of training, coaching, and council opportunities through the Partnerships of Academicians and Communities for Translation (PACT) and how it enhances Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) practices and increases community participation and capacity. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We conceptualized a pipeline for building capacity for community-based participatory research (CBPR). Key components include Colorado Immersion Training in Community Engagement which introduces academic investigators to specific geographic and demographic communities in Colorado, Partnership Development grants that fund time to building relationships between research and community, Joint Pilot Grants to provide subsequent funding for collaborative research, and the PACT, consisting of Community Research Liaisons (CRLs) and Community and Academic Council Members. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The pilot grants program was created in 2008; to date has awarded 138 partnerships. In response to academic and community needs, our core developed CIT in 2010. 16 CIT Participants received Partnership Development pilot grant funding, six of whom went on to receive Joint Pilot funding, and an additional 8 who started with a Joint Pilot award. There have been 24 Partnership Development awardees who received subsequent Joint Pilot funding. Ten CIT participants have either become a PACT council member, pilot grants reviewer, or PACT trainer or coach. There has been one person to complete the entire pipeline from CIT, pilot grant awardee, to PACT council member. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The pipeline is a strong foundation for engaging with academic and community researchers who aim to improve CBPR in Colorado. Our signature programs, CIT and Pilot Grants, are unique opportunities to increase community engagement across sectors and improve research practices.

Patient and Provider Perceptions of COVID-19-Driven Telehealth Use From Nurse-Led Care Models in Rural, Frontier, and Urban Colorado Communities

The purpose of this study was to characterize the patient and provider engagement in the sudden telehealth implementation that occurred with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients and providers from 3 nurse-led models of care (federally qualified health centers, nurse midwifery practices, and the Nurse-Family partnership program) in Colorado were surveyed. Data from the Patient Attitude toward Telehealth survey and Provider Perceptions about Telehealth were collected. Patient respondents (n = 308) who resided primarily in rural or frontier communities were female, white, and Hispanic. Patients in urban areas used telehealth more frequently than in rural or frontier areas (P < .001). Rural/Frontier patients had significantly lower attitude scores than urban patients across each of 5 domains assessed. Telehealth modality differed across location (P < .023), with video calls, used more frequently by urban providers, and phone calls used by rural/frontier providers. Our data highlight differences in telehealth access and attitudes across rurality. These findings may contribute to future policy while addressing barriers to telehealth access and delivery.

Taking Communities into the Groan Zone: Subjective Wellbeing in the Face of Demographic Change, Racial Diversity, and Political Difference☆

AbstractThis paper draws from a dataset focusing on two rural communities in Colorado (USA). Data collection occurred over two periods: late‐2019 and again during COVID‐19 lockdowns in mid‐2020. The communities differed demographically: one had a growing minoritized population, especially among its youth; the other was overwhelmingly white. The paper troubles the concept of subjective wellbeing (SWB) as it asks about the productive potentials of discomfort, with assistance from such concepts as colorblind ideology, motivated reasoning, and network homophily. While important to think about so‐called positive emotional states in the context of community development, we must also ask questions like, “SWB for who and at whose expense?” How respondents thought about individual‐ and community‐level SWB had much to do with the social networks they were in. I also explore why the community that fared pandemic‐related disruptions, from a SWB standpoint, better than the other performed worse during this same period from an economic (material) standpoint. Sociological factors explain these dynamics, which are leveraged to enhance our understanding of how to conceptualize community development in productive ways. In sum, I argue that certain expressions of discomfort have value and are therefore necessary for creating resilient, flourishing, and, ultimately, just communities.

Local News in Colorado: Comparing Journalism Quality Across Four Counties

Local journalism is a pillar of democratic societies, and its role becomes more critical during crises. But despite its critical importance, local news has faced immense challenges that jeopardize its sustainability in the U.S. This study examines the Colorado media ecology by comparing local news sources across four different counties during Summer 2020 and exploring the factors behind similarities and differences in coverage. Building on Napoli et al.’s (2017) framework to assessing the health of local news, the study uses content analysis to examine original, local reporting and coverage of critical information needs as well as type of framing in over 600 online stories appearing on the home pages of all news sources in the four counties. The findings reveal that the Colorado journalism ecosystem post-Covid outpaces U.S. local news in quality in the pre-Covid era yet aligns with disturbing trends pointing to inequities and disparities. In other words, rural, poorer, and more racially and ethnically diverse Colorado communities tend to have weaker news ecosystems and are more likely to become news deserts. The study also introduces thematic coverage as a necessary dimension to add to journalism quality assessment frameworks and discusses several approaches to salvage local news.

Is seeing believing? Comparing the influence of textual and visual policy narratives on public opinion

AbstractScholars have used the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF) to explain public opinion on a variety of policy issues and across venues. Recent work in the NPF has expanded the application of the framework beyond textual formats to accommodate policy narratives that are visual in nature. This article asks whether individuals respond differently to visual versus text‐based narratives. The research argues that visuals are more easily understood, dramatic, and memorable than text, suggesting that visual narratives may have a greater influence on policy attitudes. I explore these possibilities using Twitter narratives related to the Dakota Access Pipeline in the United States. Exposure to visual narratives significantly increased perception of issue importance, but contrary to expectations, visual narratives were no more effective at enhancing information recall, shifting attitudes, and encouraging activism than textual narratives. The article discusses possible reasons for these findings, the implications for narrative persuasion, and suggestions for future avenues of research.Related ArticlesChang, Katherine T., and Elizabeth A. Koebele. 2020. “What Drives Coalitions' Narrative Strategy? Exploring Policy Narratives around School Choice.” Politics &amp; Policy 48(4): 618–57. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12367.Crow, Deserai A., Lydia A. Lawhon, John Berggren, Juhi Huda, Elizabeth Koebele, and Adrianne Kroepsch. 2017. “A Narrative Policy Framework Analysis of Wildfire Policy Discussions in Two Colorado Communities.” Politics &amp; Policy 45(4): 626–56. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12207.Shanahan, Elizabeth A., Mark K. McBeth, and Paul L. Hathaway. 2011. “Narrative Policy Framework: The Influence of Media Policy Narrative on Public Opinion.” Politics &amp; Policy 39(3): 373–400. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2011.00295.x.

Adaptive capacity in emergency food distribution: Pandemic pivots and possibilities for resilient communities in Colorado

The unprecedented circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic have revealed weaknesses in our emergency food distribution programs and also highlighted the importance of the adaptive capacity that is actively fostered within such programs. Community-based food distribution programs have faced an increased reliance on their services due to record-breaking food insecurity since March 2020. Concurrently, these emergency food distribution programs have had to deal with the logistical chal­lenges of operating their programs during a pan­demic. How are they adapting, and which existing organizational assets have they been able to draw from and/or strengthen? Based on in-depth quali­tative research with emergency food distribution programs in Boulder and Denver, Colorado, this paper analyzes how their operational responses to the COVID-19 crisis both demonstrate and rein­force adaptive capacities. By drawing from collec­tive resources, leveraging the efficiency of their flexible and decentralized structures, and network­ing across organizations, the programs in our study took advantage of existing organizational assets. At the same time, we argue that by overcoming logisti­cal and practical barriers to address emerging food insecurity needs, they simultaneously deepened their adaptive capacities to respond to ongoing and future crises.

150 Engagement to Reduce COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy - The Value of Investments In Long Term Community Relationships

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The Colorado Community Engagement Alliance Against COVID-19 Disparities (CO-CEAL) Team has worked with 5 racial/ethnic communities in Colorado to understand COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and develop messages, materials and dissemination strategies to impact vaccine hesitancy. Relationships have been key facilitators of this work. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: CO-CEAL was funded for one year as a part of the national CEAL Teams effort. CO-CEAL engaged urban Hispanic/LatinX, rural Hispanic/LatinX, urban African/American, rural African Immigrant and urban American Indian/Alaska Native communities through Community Connectors in each community. Our Community Connectors led recruitment of community members for our community survey data collection (goal of 200 surveys from each community) and participation in our 5 Community (Boot Camp) Translations. Where possible we worked with Community Connectors and leveraged community relationships with whom we had worked over multiple years and projects. In two communities we worked to quickly build and establish new relationships with Community Connectors and their communities. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The rapid nature of the CO-CEAL project, its timeline and the unusual nature of the funding mechanism required adaptations to usual ways of working on both the academic and community side.In our CO-CEAL partner communities where there was a history of working together, concerns, possible barriers and other issues tended to be rapidly addressed. The prior existing, long-standing relationships fostered trust that enabled open airing of concerns and an ability to address issues as they arose. In CO-CEAL partner communities where new relationships were being forged, trust needed to be build from the ground up. This made adaptations more challenging and the ability to address concerns and issues as they arose more problematic. Although the work has moved forward in all communities, extra care has been required in some. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: When crises necessitate rapid action in communities, the depth of prior investments in building and maintaining relationships makes a difference in how rapidly and successfully partners can work together to address a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic. Funders and Academic researchers should invest broadly in communities to enable rapid responses.

Addressing health care needs of Colorado immigrants using a community power building approach.

To assess and address through policy change the health-care needs of immigrant populations in Colorado. Primary data were collected in two Colorado communities from June 2019 through December 2020. This work utilized a mixed-method, community power building approach to determine and meet health-care needs of immigrants, a marginalized population of mixed documentation status. Findings were then used to inform Emergency Medicaid (EM) expansion in Colorado. In-depth interviews were conducted in Spanish, English, and Somali with 47 immigrants in rural Morgan County in June-September 2019; findings were presented to the community for feedback in January-February 2020. In March-December 2020, 330 interviews were conducted in Spanish and English with 208 unique individuals in Morgan and Pueblo Counties by local community grassroots leaders via four rounds of a novel phone tree outreach method. Interviewees were identified through snowball sampling and direct outreach among individuals seeking immediate relief (i.e., food assistance). Interviewees reported numerous barriers to health-care access, including discrimination and limited service hours and transportation options. Data also revealed a clear health insurance coverage gap among undocumented immigrants. These data were then presented to Colorado's Department of Health-Care Policy and Financing, ultimately contributing to securing EM expansion to this population to include COVID treatment, including respiratory therapies and outpatient follow-up appointments. Data-informed continued implementation advocacy to ensure the effectiveness of EM program expansion. Immigrants are particularly marginalized by the health-care system. Rapid data collection grounded in a community power-building approach produced data that directly informed state policy and an increased power base. This approach enables direct connection to immediate "downstream" needs in communities while simultaneously building collective systemic "upstream" analysis and capacity of community members and laying pathways to translation and implementation of research into policy.

Assessment of Rural-Urban and Geospatial Differences in Perceived Handgun Access and Reported Suicidality Among Youth in Colorado

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in adolescents, with firearms the most common method, especially in rural communities. Identifying where to target lethal means safety interventions could better leverage limited resources. To understand the associations of rurality, school-level prevalence of easy handgun access, and suicidality measures in Colorado youth, to explore spatial distribution of school-level measures, and to identify communities with high prevalence of both easy handgun access and suicidality. This cross-sectional study used data from the 2019 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, an anonymous cross-sectional school-based survey conducted at 256 participating Colorado high schools. Participants included students from schools recruited for statewide population-based estimates and additional schools opting in. Data were analyzed from November 9, 2020, to March 13, 2021. Urban-centric locale according to a 7-level continuum. Geocoded location of schools was used for spatial analysis. The main outcomes were weighted prevalence for easy handgun access and 4 measures of mental health and suicidality in the previous year (ie, feeling sad for 2 weeks and considering suicide, planning suicide attempt, or attempting suicide in the past year). A total of 59 556 students (49.7% [95% CI, 49.3%-50.1%] male and 50.3% [95% CI, 49.9%-50.7%] female; 53.9% [95% CI, 53.5%-54.3%] in 9th and 10th grade; 36.4% [95% CI, 36.0%-36.8%] Hispanic and 50.8% [95% CI, 50.4%-51.2%] non-Hispanic White) from 256 schools participated. Most schools were rural or in small towns (56.8% [95% CI, 50.7%-62.9%]), while more students participated from urban and suburban schools (57.8% [95% CI, 57.6%-58.0%]). Prevalence of perceived easy access to handguns increased with increasing rurality, with 36.2% (95% CI, 35.2%-37.1%) of students in rural (remote) schools reporting easy access, compared with 18.2% (95% CI, 17.3%-19.1%) for city (large) schools. The spatial distribution of easy handgun access and suicidality measures had minimal overlap, but there was correlation at school-level between easy handgun access and considering suicide (ρ = 0.203 [95% CI, 0.0748-0.331]), planning suicide (ρ = 0.300 [95% CI, 0.173-0.427]), and attempting suicide (ρ = 0.218 [95% CI, 0.0869-0.350) in the previous year. The highest quartile for prevalence of both perceived easy access to handguns and planning suicide in the previous year included 21 schools (81.0% [95% CI, 64.0%-97.9%] rural [remote] or rural [distant]). These findings suggest that rural-remote communities in Colorado may benefit most from interventions focused on limiting youth access to handguns when youth are in crisis, with some communities at especially high risk. Spatially referenced data may improve targeting interventions to where they are needed most.

UPSTREAM! Together evaluation results from community efforts to prevent mental, emotional, and behavioral health problems

Mental, emotional, and behavioral (MEB) health problems are prevalent globally. Despite effective programs that can prevent MEB problems and promote mental health, there has not been widespread adoption. UPSTREAM! Together was a planning project in three Colorado communities. Communities partnered with academic and policy entities to 1) translate evidence about MEB problem prevention into locally-relevant messages and materials and 2) develop long-term plans for broad implementation of interventions to prevent high-priority MEB problems. Community members recognized the need to talk about MEB problems to prevent them. The UPSTREAM! communities localized messages designed to start conversations and sustain attention on preventing MEB problems. The communities understood that prevention takes sustained community attention and advocacy, knowing that important outcomes may be years away. Long-term implementation plans aimed to strengthen families and enhance social connections among youth. Despite community readiness and capacity to implement evidence-based programs, there were few funding opportunities, delaying program implementation and revealing gaps between funding policies and community readiness. This community-engaged experience suggests an achievable approach, acceptable to communities, and worthy of further development and testing. Policies that cultivate and support local expertise may help to increase wider community adoption of evidence-based programs that promote mental health among youth.

Explaining changes in perceived wildfire risk related to the mountain pine beetle outbreak in north central Colorado

Longitudinal studies of risk perception, while growing, remain an understudied area of risk analysis research. Natural resource-based communities provide a key backdrop for analyzing dynamic risk perceptions and related social-ecological processes. Since the mid-1990s, a mountain pine beetle (MPB) outbreak has affected roughly 3.4 million acres of north central Colorado forests. Slow-moving landscape changes have taken place as a result of the outbreak, making it a relevant case study in which to examine wildfire and forest risk perceptions over time. In 2018, we replicated and expanded a 2007 mail survey of residents about local response to the MPB outbreak in nine north central Colorado communities. Using the initial and follow-up survey data from these study communities, we examined the changing wildfire risk perception and its relationships with various aspects of local human–nature interactions. The longitudinal surveys showed that perceptions of all forest risks except for forest fire and falling trees declined across the two study phases. Respondents in the 2018 survey also indicated increases in perceived likelihood of a wildfire, perceived severity of possible wildfire damage, and general concern about wildfire hazard. The analysis suggested that evolving wildfire risk perception was strongly associated with a number of explanatory variables and personal characteristics. Higher levels of perceived tree mortality, community interaction and communication, and individual actions in response to forest risks were consistently related to greater odds of indicating increased wildfire risk perception. In general, community social vulnerability, perceived tree re-growth, satisfaction with local management entities, and age were negatively related to the likelihood of having elevated perceptions of fire risk, whereas males and forest-related occupations were associated with relatively lower odds of reporting increases in perceived wildfire risk. Significant influencing factors for change also varied across the cognitive and affective dimensions of wildfire risk perception. Findings of this research have important implications for conceptual approaches, management and policy, as well as social-ecological indication and analysis in forest risk related areas.

Contraceptive Access Through School-Based Health Centers: Perceptions of Rural and Suburban Young People

School-based health centers (SBHCs) have traditionally been concentrated in urban centers but have increasingly moved to rural and suburban settings. Adolescents living outside urban centers continue to experience barriers accessing contraceptives and reproductive health care. SBHCs are well positioned to reduce these barriers since they often offer convenient, in-school reproductive health care services. We describe the experiences of adolescents and emerging adults as they navigate access to contraceptives at SBHCs and nonschool locations in nonurban, low-income communities. We interviewed 30 sexually active individuals aged 15 to 21 living in rural and suburban communities in Colorado where high school SBHCs were recently introduced. Participants reflected on their experiences with or without in-school access to sexual and reproductive health services. Overall, young people supported within-school access to contraceptives, citing convenience, low cost, and greater confidentiality and privacy compared with out-of-school providers, particularly in rural areas. At the same time, findings point to the need for SBHCs to overcome adolescents' and emerging adults' misunderstanding of age requirements to access confidential contraceptive services and their remaining concerns around confidentiality in the school setting. Our results indicate that SBHCs in low-income rural and suburban areas provide essential contraceptive services that young people access and value. Policy makers in nonurban communities should look to the SBHC model to reduce barriers for young people accessing reproductive health care, and health care providers should work to ensure confidentiality and to correct misinformation about their right to access contraceptive services.

A near-range plant invasion homogenizes riparian vegetation but leads to more productive bird communities

AbstractBiological invasions are a leading driver of biodiversity loss and population declines worldwide. While much research has focused on understanding the effects of long-distance (e.g., cross-continental) invasion, the potential impacts of species that invade close to or within their native ranges are relatively understudied. We investigated the effects of the near-range introduction of a non-native plant, New Mexico locust (Robinia neomexicana), on riparian plant and bird communities in northwestern Colorado, USA. By surveying plant and bird communities and examining nest success and productivity in riparian forest with and without locust, we evaluated the following ecological responses to invasion: (1) tree and shrub richness and density; (2) bird species richness, occupancy, and abundance; and (3) avian reproductive success. Our results demonstrate biotic homogenization of the plant community with increasing intensity of locust invasion, yet we found little evidence for negative effects on avian habitat use or reproductive success. Instead, locust invasion showed a positive effect on nest productivity, with significantly higher brood sizes and numbers of young fledged for nests in invaded habitats compared to those where locust was absent. Because climate change is already leading to shifts in species distribution patterns, we suggest that understanding the ecological consequences of plant invasions that occur within or near historic ranges will advance the science and practice of invasive species biology in a changing world. Our findings of mostly neutral to positive effects of locust suggest that near-range plant invasions may not always negatively impact community structure.