American journal of public health
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Comparative Study
Effectiveness of Cultivando la Salud: a breast and cervical cancer screening promotion program for low-income Hispanic women.
We tested the effectiveness of a lay health worker intervention to increase breast and cervical cancer screening among low-income Hispanic women. ⋯ Our results add to the evidence concerning the effectiveness of lay health worker interventions for increasing Pap test screening and mammography. Future research should explore the effectiveness of CLS in other Hispanic groups, the mechanisms through which interpersonal communication influences decisions about screening, and how effective interventions such as CLS can best be adopted and implemented in community-based organizations or other settings.
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Comprehensive data on the public health workforce are fundamental to workforce development throughout the public health system. Such information is also a critical data element in public health systems research, a growing area of study that can inform the practice of public health at all levels. ⋯ A 2006-2007 Association of State and Territorial Health Officials workforce enumeration pilot project demonstrated the issues involved in collecting workforce data. This project illustrated key elements of an institutionalized national system of workforce enumeration, which would be needed for a robust, recurring count that provides a national picture of the public health workforce.
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Administering naloxone hydrochloride (naloxone) during an opioid overdose reverses the overdose and can prevent death. Although typically delivered via intramuscular or intravenous injection, naloxone may be delivered via intranasal spray device. In August 2006, the Boston Public Health Commission passed a public health regulation that authorized an opioid overdose prevention program that included intranasal naloxone education and distribution of the spray to potential bystanders. ⋯ After 15 months, the program provided training and intranasal naloxone to 385 participants who reported 74 successful overdose reversals. Problems with intranasal naloxone were uncommon. Overdose prevention education with distribution of intranasal naloxone is a feasible public health intervention to address opioid overdose.