Participation In Community Events Research Articles

Makna Simbol dan Bahasa Seni Beladiri Suliwa

Padepokan Suliwa Karawang was founded on 8 October 2017 by H. Karta Wiratma, Suliwa is a vital part of the local cultural heritage with a focus on martial arts. With the main aim of developing and preserving arts and culture, Suliwa is actively involved in activities such as discussions, participation in community events, and a YouTube channel. Through qualitative research using an ethnographic communication approach and the application of George Herbert Mead's Symbolic Interaction Theory and Dell Hymes' Speaking Theory to understand human communication in a social context, Suliwa succeeded in forming a unity with the participants who practice the basic principles in line with the Siliwangi Kingdom, namely "silih asah, silih asih , take care of each other." Suliwa's goal is to make Suliwa committed to developing the character of her students, creating individuals who are skilled in martial arts and have high integrity. The actions taken by Suliwa, namely by involving internal discussions, community participation, and the use of social media, not only promote but also preserve the martial art of pencak silat. The symbol and key lies in the Suliwa logo, closely related to Karawang culture, playing an important role in carrying out human obligations, especially for Muslims. The use of the pencak drum and machete as a characteristic of Suliwa's identity combines elements of music and martial arts techniques in her cultural heritage. H. Karta as the founder and professor of Suliwa always upholds communication norms and ethics, creating an environment that encourages humility and discipline according to religious teachings. Suliwa collaborates martial arts with Sundanese dance and Karawang culture accompanied by Sundanese music, Padepokan Suliwa has succeeded in creating a distinctive genre that reflects the diversity of local culture, enriches and maintains the martial arts and cultural heritage of Karawang Regency.

Abstract C112: Improving breast cancer screening disparities through A3 problem solving: Design of a quality improvement initiative

Abstract Introduction: Extensive research studies on breast cancer disparities have had limited impact on reducing breast cancer disparities. Quality improvement initiatives use data-driven, rigorous approaches to plan, execute, and study the delivery of healthcare services. There have been limited studies using quality improvement methods to address health disparities. The purpose of our study was to describe the design of a quality improvement initiative to address breast cancer disparities using the A3 problem solving method. Methods: A3 problem solving method was used to reduce breast cancer screening disparities. The A3 method is a quality improvement tool used to identify problems, organize and synthesize data, and propose solutions to achieve goals (summarized on one side of a sheet of paper). A3 methods are outlined by the FOCUS-PDCA acronym: F - Find process to improve, O - Organize team of stakeholders, C - Clarify current state, U - Understand sources of variation that contribute to the problem, S - Select change ideas, P - Plan and do the improvement, C - Check the results, A - Act. Quantitative data was derived from the electronic medical record. Qualitative data was derived from divergent thinking exercises asking participants from diverse standing urban stakeholder groups about barriers to cancer screening. Results: Design of the A3 problem solving process was conducted between November 2022 until May 2023 yielding the following FOCUS-PDCA design and initial results. F - Increase the percentage of patients who have undergone mammography screening within the last two years. O - Team includes representative leaders from primary care, community health, ambulatory operations, diversity, equity, and inclusion, radiology, breast center, population health, information services, and federally qualified health centers. C and U - Quantitative data collection revealed that 74% of 37,509 eligible patients (women between 50-74 years old) received a mammogram within the last two years (75% White, 58% Black, 67% Asian, 60% American Indian, 64% Hispanic). Divergent thinking exercises revealed the following root causes for mammography screening disparities: patients don’t know they are due, transportation issues, barriers to scheduling, access to mammography facilities, financial concerns, and fears about returning to clinics during COVID-19. S - Process improvements included multilingual and modality reminders, marketing campaigns, transportation vouchers, co-location of screening centers with federally qualified health centers, expanded access to mammography screening facilities, educational activities for primary care physicians, participation in community events, equity-focused review of screening guidelines. PDCA - Based on selected improvements, changes in breast cancer screening percentages will be displayed using run charts until December 2024, stratified by race and ethnicity. Conclusion: A3 problem solving tools represent structured, scientifically rigorous approaches that cancer centers can use to reduce screening disparities. Citation Format: Nia Foster, Arissa J. Milton, Mai A. Elezaby, Roberta M. Strigel, Meeghan A. Lautner, Ryan W. Woods, Nicci O. Brackett, Noelle K. LoConte, Anand K. Narayan. Improving breast cancer screening disparities through A3 problem solving: Design of a quality improvement initiative [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 16th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2023 Sep 29-Oct 2;Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(12 Suppl):Abstract nr C112.

Measuring Dimensions of Women Empowerment in North-West Region of Bangladesh: A Case Study

The current study was aimed to measure the different dimensions of women empowerment and identify the factors affecting women empowerment in the North-West Bangladesh. To conduct the study, 537 female respondents who had at least one biological child aged between 6 to 59 months were selected purposively from eight districts of North-West region of Bangladesh using stratified random sampling technique. To identify the factors which influence different dimensions of women empowerment, binomial logistic regression model was used. Descriptive result showed that the overall women empowerment are 13%, where the dimension wise empowerment are (self-esteem – 36%, access to and control over resources – 24%, attitude and behaviour of husband – 48%, decisions related to household – 19%, and mobility– 12%). The factors which significantly influence different dimensions of women empowerment were exposure to media, attitude and behaviour of husband, mother’s employment, spousal age difference, mother’s education, wealth index, family religion, public speaking power, participation in community events, household size and ownership in tangible resources. The result showed that education plays a significant role to improve the level of empowerment of female respondents of NW Bangladesh. When level of education of mothers increased, the self-esteem and access to and control over resources also improved. The study concluded that as the level of empowerment of women living in the NW region are comparatively low in the context of Bangladesh, therefore to increase their empowerment, the study recommended for underlining on quality education for the respondents especially urban and peri-urban areas to move out from poverty.

Operationalizing Urban Climate Justice: A Case Study of Sunset Park, Brooklyn, New York City

Cities are increasingly incorporating climate resiliency goals into planning, development, and sustainability efforts. Such efforts are often touted as opportunities to promote climate justice that will not only support adaptation and mitigation efforts but also improve local environmental quality and bring higher paying, green jobs to frontline communities. Yet many local community leaders and residents remain skeptical of the promised benefits of climate-resilient development in their neighborhoods, fearing that new investments will attract higher income earners, intensify real estate pressures, and contribute to green gentrification. This study investigates the synergies and tensions that are emerging as cities develop policy responses to address climate change, implement resiliency projects, and meet economic, equity and social justice goals. Through a case study of Sunset Park, Brooklyn, a low-income working waterfront community in New York City, the paper explores community efforts to exert influence over two large-scale, climate resiliency-focused development projects. Data sources for the study include interviews with city officials, private sector representatives, community leaders and residents, participation in community events and workshops, and analysis of planning and policy documents. The study finds that an extensive legacy of community-led planning, the presence of proactive community champions, and grassroots mobilizations were critical factors that strengthened local influence over urban resiliency planning processes. It offers lessons and strategies for empowering local voices in community-based adaptation and resiliency efforts and for achieving climate justice objectives.

Matching Intent With Intensity: Implementation Research on the Intensity of Health and Nutrition Programs With Women's Self-Help Groups in India.

In India, a large network of self-help groups (SHGs) implements interventions to improve women's and children's health and nutrition. There is growing evidence on the effectiveness of women's group interventions to improve health but limited information on implementation intensity, including how often groups meet, for how long, and with whom, despite this often being cited as a key factor for success. We aimed to assess the implementation intensity of large SHG-based health and nutrition interventions with rural, low-income women, to inform program design, delivery, and measurement. We synthesized process data from surveys, meeting observations, and process evaluations across 8 maternal and child health and nutrition interventions in India. We examined the implementation intensity of 3 common intervention delivery channels: group meetings, home visits, and community-level activities. SHG members spent approximately 30 minutes in monthly meetings discussing health or nutrition. SHG dissolution or limited participation in meetings was a common challenge. Beyond group meetings, home visits reached approximately 1 in 3 households with an SHG member. Pregnant and breastfeeding women's participation in community events varied across interventions. Interventions that aim to capitalize on existing networks of financial women's groups not specifically formed for health and nutrition objectives, such as SHGs, will need to have an implementation intensity that matches the ambition of their health objectives: substantial changes in behavioral or mortality outcomes are unlikely to be achieved with relatively light intensity. Interventions that require sustained interactions with members to achieve health outcomes need to ensure adequate community and individual outreach to supplement group meetings, as well as improved participation through more intensive community mobilization approaches. Evaluations of group-based interventions should report on implementation intensity to support the interpretation of evaluation evidence and to inform further scale-up.

Psychometric Evaluation of the Parent Effort Scale.

ObjectiveThe Parent Effort Scale (PES) is a parent report questionnaire designed to quantify the level of effort required of caregivers to assist their children in developmentally appropriate home- and community-based activities. This manuscript describes the psychometric evaluation of the PES.MethodData collected from 304 parents of children ages 2–7 years (167 parents of a children with autism spectrum disorder and 137 parents of neurotypical children) were factor analyzed, calibrated using item response theory, and evaluated for construct validity.ResultsThe final PES scales are reliable and valid measures of the level of parental effort required to assist children in dressing, personal hygiene, sleep, socialization at home, participation in community events, and access to healthcare. A total score reflects overall parental effort.ConclusionThe PES can be used to plan and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions that aim to help parents enhance children's participation opportunities and thus, support their cognitive and social development.

Latvian public libraries as a resource, cooperation partner and initiator for promoting media literacy and civic participation in local communities

The aim of this study is to explore the involvement of public library librarians in improving media literacy and promoting civic participation in Latvia. Within the framework of this research, 15 semi-structured interviews with librarians of public libraries were conducted. The main findings indicate that librarians can strengthen information consumption skills by providing lifelong learning opportunities for all members of society. However, several problematic aspects emerge, among them are the lack of methodological materials specifically for library use, difficulty in reaching audiences who need media literacy training and insufficient media literacy skills among librarians themselves. The librarians in the study stated that more up-to-date knowledge of media literacy is required, as technological developments have changed the criteria by which we evaluate information. Libraries also engage in building civil competence, mainly by facilitating different forms of civic participation and ensuring equal access to infrastructure and library resources. Librarians themselves consider libraries to promote local community awareness and strengthen its identity, thus perpetuating a democratic society. Libraries also promote a sense of responsibility towards the community in members of society by organizing events and organizing volunteer work. Therefore, there is the need for public libraries to become more visible in the local communities as promoters of civic participation, engage more in the communities’ life. This requires librarians to take a more active role, and their participation in community events and partnership building. Librarians’ own media literacy and pedagogical skills need to be continuously improved.

A rapid indicator-based assessment of foreign resident preparedness in Japan during Typhoon Hagibis

The paper narrates a pilot study to understand disaster preparedness among foreign residents living in Japan, using typhoon Hagibis as a reference. We empirically evaluated an individual disaster preparedness framework following the 72-h golden rule of disaster survival. The framework consisted of 14 variables, and responses were collected over a five-point Likert scale. In addition, six perceptive variables, which provided a self-evaluation of disaster preparedness against the native Japanese population, were also administered to 133 foreign residents. The data were subjected to exploratory factor analysis and multiple linear regression modeling to understand the thematic dimensions and association of perceptive variables that contribute towards disaster preparedness. Our results indicated three interlinked dimensions, namely, (a) Emergency preparation and awareness (b) Experiential learning, and (c) Training and exposure. Of these, ‘Emergency preparation and awareness’ and “Training and exposure” showed a statistically significant and positive association with several perceptive variables (particularly, the ability to seek neighborhood help, participation in community events, and the ability to receive local level disaster information). The paper concludes with several recommendations, of which, building a local support network for foreign residents and to disseminate local disaster-related information remains critical.

Family event participation: building flourishing communities

PurposeFamily participation in community events and festivals is framed by certain conditions related to their ability to enhance their quality of life (QOL) and family flourishing. For communities to flourish, families must feel safe, secure, accepted and included. The research has the following aims: (1) to consider whether location is a determinant in family QOL and event participation, and (2) to identify how cultural identity and family issues may affect families' QOL and the role events play in their ability to flourish as a family.Design/methodology/approachAn integrated mixed-methods design was used derived from quantitative and qualitative traditions, including surveys, interviews and secondary data. The survey component combined Jepson and Stadler's St Albans 2015 QOL study survey with research instruments used by the Rotorua Lakes Council (RLC). The Rotorua sample included 521 valid anonymous online surveys and 11 semi-structured interviews. The RLC's Arts and Culture team provided expert advice, strategic plans and reports; secondary data were gathered from media reports.FindingsWhen comparing key Rotorua and St Albans data, the participants' responses were very similar. What appear significant are socio-economic and cultural differences and family-flourishing factors specific to Rotorua's location and population. The findings show that the biggest obstacles for families attending events are money, work commitments and family obligations. The events reflect the region's unique cultural profile and provide a distinctive identifier of place and people that create a unique small-city event portfolio.Research limitations/implicationsThis study's findings have reinforced that for small-city events to succeed and attract high levels of patronage, council and community must work cooperatively towards common goals. Our findings indicate the importance, to our participants, of emotional attachment to Rotorua's natural landscape, built environment and unique cultural heritage. Additionally, arts and culture research focusing on new-migrant and multi-generational event participation is worth further consideration for preserving Rotorua's cultural history. Perceptions within the Rotorua community of their family experience at local events are central to our ongoing research and the further successful delivery of the RLC's event portfolio.Originality/valueThis research offers a case study that serves to build further areas of inquiry into the role events play in QOL, family flourishing and maintaining indigenous cultures. Study findings have reinforced that organisations, practitioners, festivals and events succeed in attracting high levels of patronage for a small city. This study provides insights for designing culturally inclusive event portfolios that include events and festivals that target family audiences.

Engaging Small Residential Construction Contractors in Community-Based Participatory Research to Promote Safety.

Construction is a large employment sector with a high prevalence of small businesses. Despite the high injury rates reported for employees of small construction firms, these firms are under-represented in occupational safety research studies. Such studies are needed to understand barriers experienced by these firms and to examine ways to overcome them. However, challenges accessing and recruiting this hard-to-reach population are frequently reported. Traditional approaches of recruiting through unions or workers' compensation insurers may not be appropriate or effective for small construction businesses. Previous studies have demonstrated the value of academic collaborations with community-based organizations for recruiting participants from hard-to-reach populations for research studies. In accordance with the principles of Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR), we formed a recruitment team comprised of staff from a local union, a community organization, and a community outreach team to recruit small construction contractors in Lawrence, MA. Media marketing strategies, participation in community events, exploring neighborhoods in search of ongoing residential projects, and partnership with vocational training institutions and building trade associations were some of the strategies implemented during this project. We recruited 118 contractors, supervisors, and foremen from more than 50 construction firms across the Greater Lawrence area to participate in an intervention project to reduce falls and silica exposure. The CBPR approach facilitated the development and implementation of recruitment strategies that resulted in the participation of a significant number of hard-to-reach small construction contractors.

Strengthening of social participation of Turkish seniors

Traditional municipal services are not successful at reaching Turkish seniors. Compared to native Germans Turkish seniors have a lower social participation. Do native language groups hosted by aGerman organization promote the social participation of Turkish seniors? How does social participation take place in the ZWAR networks (between work and retirement; aproject to strengthen social participation of seniors) and which factors promote or reduce social participation? Qualitative structuring content analysis of two group discussions, which were based on guided interviews. The social participation of Turkish-speaking seniors was strengthened on three levels: (1)through regular meetings of the Turkish ethnic group social relationships were promoted and German language skills and other skills were improved. Through mutual sharing and understanding of the stressors specific to migration, emotional support was provided. The sharing of mutual cultural and linguistic backgrounds created asense of community and meetings were perceived as an antidote to migrants' exhausting lives in German society. (2)At the organizational level, participation was promoted through extensive group events. Regardless of their cultural background all participants identified as equal ZWAR members. The ZWAR project functioned as an umbrella organization for participation in the intercultural context. (3)Participation in community events created contacts with community stakeholders and fostered volunteer work. Hence, participants were able to use their skills, and therefore broaden their horizons. Turkish ZWAR networks promoted the social participation of members because integration with their ethnic group reduced access barriers, broadened members' scopes of action, and created new opportunities for participation.

Youth Engagement in the Community: The ethics of inclusion and exclusion

This study focuses on the engagement of children and youth in their communities and the ways they are included in and excluded from community life. Using a content analysis of a small town United States newspaper over a one-year period, examples of engagement were identified and classified into 12 categories: programs, clubs and special events; fundraising and community service; business and community support; participation in community events; school events; athletic and other performances; employment; involvement in local planning and decision making; serving as a community representative; visibility and recognition; criminal activity and accidents; and use of public space. Examples of community exclusion were identified as well. Young people were engaged primarily through activities that were adult-directed or supervised, or organized through schools, churches, and youth clubs. There was little involvement in local planning, decision making, or activism. Some evidence existed of peer teaching, leadership, and self-initiated activities, as well as intentional efforts by adults to give youth a greater voice in community activities. Implications include several ethical issues regarding the role of young people in community life, particularly young children, and the need for greater awareness on the part of communities of the contributions young people can make.

Behavioral protective factors of increased depressive symptoms in community-dwelling older adults: A prospective cohort study.

It remains unclear what kinds of behavior prevent the development of geriatric depression. This study aimed to elucidate behavioral predictors of increased depressive symptoms in older adults focusing on gender differences. A total of 3106 community-dwelling older people aged older than or equal to 65years without depressive symptoms at baseline participated. The 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale was used to assess depressive symptoms with a score of 6 or more at baseline and 15month follow-up. Behavioral status was investigated by using dichotomous questions about the aspects of physical, cognitive, and social activities. Each category included 3 specific items. Demographic data and other potential confounding factors were also assessed. In the 15month follow-up survey, 239 participants (7.7%) reported increased depressive symptoms. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that engagement in light physical exercise (odds ratio=0.74, 95%, CI=0.56-0.98), taking enrichment lessons (0.62, 0.46-0.85), using a personal computer (0.68, 0.48-0.97), participation in events at the community center (0.54, 0.40-0.72), and attending a community meeting (0.69, 0.52-0.92) were independently associated with lower risk of increased depressive symptoms. In a separate analysis for each gender, significant odds ratios of using a personal computer were observed in men, whereas significant odds ratios of light physical exercise, participation in events at the community center, and attending a community meeting were observed in women. Light physical exercise, taking lessons, usage of a computer, and participation in community events showed protective effects against depressive symptoms. However, the significance of each behavioral factor may vary according to gender.

Effectiveness of community outreach and engagement in recruitment success for a prebirth cohort.

We describe the effectiveness of community outreach and engagement in supporting recruitment for the US National Children's Vanguard Study between 2009 and 2012. Thirty-seven study locations used 1 of 4 strategies to recruit 18-49-year-old pregnant or trying to conceive women: (1) Initial Vanguard Study used household-based recruitment; (2) Direct Outreach emphasized self-referral; (3) Enhanced Household-Based Recruitment enhanced Initial Vanguard Study strategies; and (4) Provider-Based Recruitment recruited through healthcare providers. Outreach and engagement included advance letters, interactions with healthcare providers, participation in community events, contacts with community organizations, and media outreach. After 1-2 years, 41%-74% of 9844 study-eligible women had heard about the National Children's Vanguard Study when first approached. Women who heard were 1.5-3 times more likely to consent. Hearing via word-of-mouth or the media most frequently predicted consent. The more sources women heard from the higher the odds of consent. We conclude that tailored outreach and engagement facilitate recruitment in cohort studies.

News from CDC: the Legacy for Children™ parenting model, partnering to translate research to practice for children in poverty.

The findings and conclusions in this manuscript are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Approximately 16 million US children currently live in poverty [1]. Children living in poverty experience significant disparities on indicators of physical and mental health and academic success [2–6]. The importance of positive early experiences and the benefits of early intervention to mitigate the life-long effects of poverty have been confirmed in biologic [7], economic [8, 9], and social models [10]. Unfortunately, early childhood interventions have historically been limited in producing impacts when taken to scale. This has been attributed in part to a lack of quality assurance when moving from research to practice [11] and poor attention to scalability and dissemination when developing programs [12]. To promote optimal development for children in poverty, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) developed the Legacy for Children™ (Legacy) model. NCBDDD seeks to promote the health of babies, children, and adults and enhance the potential for full, productive living through public health partnership, research, prevention, and education programs (http://www.cdc.gov/NCBDDD/AboutUs/index.html). Legacy is an evidence-based public health prevention approach to promote child health and development among families in poverty via a group-based parenting program [13]. The Legacy parenting curricula are developmentally sequenced sessions that cover themes including children's physical health, safety and nutrition, responsive and sensitive parenting, fostering children's development, and maternal self-care. Intervention components include mother and mother/child session time, one-on-one time to reinforce content, and participation in community events.

The Dampier Peninsula Prevention Project: working with a group of remote Australian Aboriginal communities to address alcohol and drug use

The Dampier Peninsula Prevention Project worked with five remote Australian Aboriginal communities to address alcohol and drug use. In addition, the project provided an opportunity for community members to gain knowledge and skills in community mobilisation as a way of responding to local problems. This was an action research project that used a continuous cycle of planning, community action, evaluation and improvement. Data were collected from a number of different sources throughout the course of the project using a mixed methodology. Findings from a previous community needs assessment were reviewed and updated. Forty community members were interviewed at the beginning of the project. The same 10 key stakeholders were interviewed at the beginning and end of the project. The project officer continuously participated in and observed activities within the communities. Initially, the communities externalised responsibility for alcohol and drug problems and expected government intervention to deal with the situation. This view changed towards the end of the project, with more acknowledgement of the community's responsibility to make change. This was accompanied by more awareness of effective whole community strategies and increased participation in community events. While the focus of the project was problematic alcohol and other drug use, in the process it has also increased the capacity of the communities to address their issues of concern.

Sharetouch: A system to enrich social network experiences for the elderly

The Sharetouch system is designed for raising users’ participation in community events. We put three subsystems into Sharetouch: (1) community pond, (2) Waterball interactive game, and (3) multimedia sharing. Sharetouch is based on an optical touch device designed by the Joyplux Company with an infrared LED and camera. This device can support multi-touch functions within a large display area. The software of Sharetouch was developed within XNA and .NET frameworks. We project the users as fish in our community pond. Sharetouch displays all the friends as fish when the users log into the system. Therefore, the number of fish equals the number of friends of the users. This design encourages users to make more friends to increase the number of fish. Waterball is a game that combines virtual images and real objects. The concept is based on the Nintendo Wii games, as players hold controllers (real objects) to play the games (virtual images). We also apply the concept of the cloud flash drive to multimedia sharing to avoid the trouble of carrying a real flash disk. This study employed the TAM measure to measure the validity of Sharetouch in this social platform. Our findings indicated that all proposed hypotheses had a positive and significant impact on the intention of older people to interact with Sharetouch. Unlike the computer-based system, Sharetouch is created as a user-friendly interface system. Sharetouch can enrich the users’ social network experiences through its hardware and software architectures.

Canine Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome associated with Necrotizing Fasciitis: An Overview

Canine Toxic Shock Syndrome (CSTSS) is a serious often fatal disease syndrome seen in dogs caused as a result of an infection caused by gram positive cocci of the family Streptococci. The main bacterium involved in the etiology of Canine Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome is Streptoccoccus canis, which was discovered by Deveriese in 1986 and implicated as a cause of this disease syndrome in 1996 by Miller and Prescott. The clinical findings in this syndrome are very much similar to those seen in the infamous 'Toxic Shock 'caused by staphylococcal toxins in humans, especially females. Like in humans, the reason for emergence/reemergence of Canine Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome (CSTSS) is unclear and very little is known about its transmission and prevention. The disease is characterized by multi systemic organ failure and a shock like condition in seemingly healthy dog often following an injury. In absence of proper and prompt diagnosis and subsequent treatment by injectable antibiotics and aggressive shock therapy, dog often succumbs to the disease within a few hours. The dog may have some rigidity and muscle spasms or convulsions and a deep unproductive cough followed by haemorrhage from nasal and mouth along with melena. On necropsy, these dogs show severe edema of the gastrointestinal tract, congestion of multiple organs, severe pulmonary congestion and evidence of thrombo embolism. Necrotizing fasciitis is a localized form of streptococcal infection seen as extensive soft tissue sloughing and necrosis along the fascial planes. No vaccination is available so avoidance of the probable causal factors mainly participation in community events, estrus, change of environment and shipping is the only way to keep pet dogs away from this disease.

P2-S3.12 Culture and research: how do you mix them?

BackgroundCommunity-based participatory research principles partner community and academics through all stages of the research process. Our purpose is to describe how we have been combining traditional Cree cultural practices (culture)...

Recruitment of Chinese American Elders into Dementia Research: The UCSF ADRC Experience

To describe the results of efforts to recruit Asian Americans into longitudinal research on cognitive decline in aging. Recruitment strategies include clinics for assessment of cognitive impairment at the University of California, San Francisco campus and San Francisco's Chinatown, lectures to local health care providers and community members, participation in community events, and publications in mass media. Over 200 Chinese patients were evaluated in our outreach clinic. Many were primarily Chinese speaking with low levels of education. One hundred and twenty-five participants enrolled, and annual follow-up has been 88%. Among enrollees, 36% were recruited from our clinical service; 30% via word of mouth; and the rest from community lectures and events, flyers, and mass media. Participants who enrolled were relatively highly educated, tended to be interested in learning about their cognitive abilities, and were supportive of the goals of research. Despite the significant cultural and linguistic barriers, Chinese Americans can be successfully recruited into longitudinal studies of aging and cognitive impairment. Clinical services are a critical component of such an effort, and low education and other factors that may be associated with it are clear barriers to research participation.