Reducing inequities in maternal and child health in rural Guatemala through the CBIO+ Approach of Curamericas: 1. Introduction and project description

BACKGROUND

The Curamericas/Guatemala Maternal and Child Health Project, 2011-2015, was implemented in the Western Highlands of the Department of Huehuetenango, Guatemala. The Project utilized three participatory approaches in tandem: the Census-Based, Impact-Oriented (CBIO) Approach, the Care Group Approach, and the Community Birthing Center Approach. Together, these are referred to as the Expanded CBIO Approach (or CBIO+).

OBJECTIVE

This is the first article of a supplement that assesses the effectiveness of the Project's community-based service delivery platform that was integrated into the Guatemalan government's rural health care system and its special program for mothers and children called PEC (Programa de Extensión de Cobertura, or Extension of Coverage Program).

METHODS

We review and summarize the CBIO+ Approach and its development. We also describe the Project Area, the structure and implementation of the Project, and its context.

RESULTS

The CBIO+ Approach is the product of four decades of field work. The Project reached a population of 98,000 people, covering the entire municipalities of San Sebastián Coatán, Santa Eulalia, and San Miguel Acatán. After mapping all households in each community and registering all household members, the Project established 184 Care Groups, which were composed of 5-12 Care Group Volunteers who were each responsible for 10-15 households. Paid Care Group Promoters provided training in behavior change communication every two weeks to the Care Groups. Care Group Volunteers in turn passed this communication to the mothers in their assigned households and also reported back to the Care Group Promoters information about any births or deaths that they learned of during the previous two weeks as a result of their regular contact with their neighbors. At the outset of the Project, there was one Birthing Center in the Project Area, serving a small group of communities nearby. Two additional Birthing Centers began functioning as the Project was operating. The Birthing Centers encouraged the participation of traditional midwives (called comadronas) in the Project Area.

CONCLUSION

This article serves as an introduction to an assessment of the CBIO+ community-based, participatory approach as it was implemented by Curamericas/Guatemala in the Western Highlands of the Department of Huehuetenango, Guatemala. This article is the first of a series of articles in a supplement entitled Reducing Inequities in Maternal and Child Health in Rural Guatemala through the CBIO+ Approach of Curamericas.

Reducing inequities in maternal and child health in rural Guatemala through the CBIO+ approach of Curamericas: 2. Study site, design, and methods

BACKGROUND

The Curamericas/Guatemala Maternal and Child Health Project, 2011-2015, included implementation research designed to assess the effectiveness of an approach referred to as CBIO+ , composed of: (1) the Census-Based, Impact-Oriented (CBIO) Approach, (2) the Care Group Approach, and (3) the Community Birthing Center Approach. This is the second paper in a supplement of 10 articles describing the implementation research and its findings. Paper 1 describes CBIO+ , the Project Area, and how the Project was implemented.

OBJECTIVE

This paper describes the implementation research design and details of how it was carried out.

METHODS

We reviewed the original implementation research protocol and the methods used for all data collection related to this Project. The protocol and methods used for the implementation research related to this Project were all standard approaches to the monitoring and evaluation of child survival projects as developed by the United States Agency for International Development Child Survival and Health Grants Program (CSHGP) and the CORE Group. They underwent independent peer review supervised by the CSHGP before the implementation research began.

RESULTS

The study area was divided into two sets of communities with a total population of 98,000 people. Project interventions were implemented in Area A from 2011 until the end of the project in 2015 (44 months) and in Area B from late 2013 until 2015 (20 months). Thus, Area B served as a quasi-comparison area during the first two years of Project implementation. The overarching study question was whether the CBIO+ Approach improved the health and well-being of children and mothers. The outcome indicators included (1) changes in population coverage of evidence-based interventions, (2) changes in childhood nutritional status, (3) changes in the mortality of children and mothers, (4) quality of care provided at Community Birthing Centers, (5) the impact of the Project on women's empowerment and social capital, (6) stakeholder assessment of the effectiveness of the CBIO+ Approach, and (7) the potential of wider adoption of the CBIO+ Approach.

CONCLUSION

The implementation research protocol guided the assessment of the effectiveness of the CBIO+ Approach in improving the health and well-being of children, mothers, and their communities.

Abstract PO-085: A mixed-methods study of minority recruitment for cancer genomics research at a large urban safety net hospital

Background: Racial and ethnic minorities are underrepresented in cancer genomics research, and advancements in personalized medicine without inclusion of minority groups is likely to further exacerbate disparities in care and treatment outcomes. Prior research has demonstrated successful recruitment of minority populations for biospecimen donation through community-based approaches, physician engagement, culturally appropriate education, and on-site services. However, there is a significant gap in the literature regarding practical, low-cost interventions to maximize enrollment in biospecimen research studies at hospitals serving a diverse patient population. Objective: This study surveys eligible participants for cancer biospecimen research and aims to intervene on barriers to enrollment. Methods: Between January 2021 and June 2021, participants eligible for four different genomics studies were surveyed regarding reasons for consenting to biospecimen donation as well as barriers to participating among those who declined. The survey consists of six multi-part questions for a total of thirteen questions and requires an average of five minutes to complete. Results: Preliminary results include survey responses from 30 participants. Fourteen participants self-identified as Black or African American, twelve as White, two as Asian, and two as other. One participant self-identified as Hispanic. The majority of participants (73%) consented to biobank specimen collection including 50% of Black participants, 92% of White participants, and 100% of Asian and other participants. Of the eight participants who did not consent to donation, seven were Black. Among nine participants who reported that the study was recommended by their provider, all but one consented to donation. The majority of participants who consented to biospecimen collection reported contributing important information to medical science (73%) and potentially helping others with similar conditions in the future (68%) as reasons for donation. One participant who declined biospecimen donation reported that he would have felt less anxious if clinical staff had been present to explain the study. Two participants recommended including family members and other caregivers in the consent process, especially for older adults. One participant indicated difficulty reading through the consent form while another reported desire for more information “on the type of research” that would be conducted on the biospecimens. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that a majority of patients will consent to biospecimen collection, however Black patients are more likely to decline, and provider engagement is helpful. We found that our consent process can be improved with greater physician engagement, inclusion of family members and caregivers, and concise, patient-oriented presentation of information. Future work will involve implementation of interventions based on these findings.

Citation Format: Tina Zhang, Nina Modanlo, David Li, Kiana Mahdaviani, Naomi Ko. A mixed-methods study of minority recruitment for cancer genomics research at a large urban safety net hospital [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: 14th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2021 Oct 6-8. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-085.

Insulin resistance predicts medial temporal hypermetabolism in mild cognitive impairment conversion to Alzheimer disease

Alzheimer disease (AD) is characterized by progressive hypometabolism on [(18)F]-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) scans. Peripheral insulin resistance (IR) increases AD risk. No studies have examined associations between FDG metabolism and IR in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD, as well as MCI conversion to AD. We studied 26 cognitively normal (CN), 194 MCI (39 MCI-progressors, 148 MCI-stable, 2 years after baseline), and 60 AD subjects with baseline FDG-PET from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. Mean FDG metabolism was derived for AD-vulnerable regions of interest (ROIs), including lateral parietal and posteromedial cortices, medial temporal lobe (MTL), hippocampus, and ventral prefrontal cortices (vPFC), as well as postcentral gyrus and global cerebrum control regions. The homeostasis model assessment of IR (HOMA-IR) was used to measure IR. For AD, higher HOMA-IR predicted lower FDG in all ROIs. For MCI-progressors, higher HOMA-IR predicted higher FDG in the MTL and hippocampus. Control regions showed no associations. Higher HOMA-IR predicted hypermetabolism in MCI-progressors and hypometabolism in AD in medial temporal regions. Future longitudinal studies should examine the pathophysiologic significance of the shift from MTL hyper- to hypometabolism associated with IR.