THE VIRTUAL PROMOTORAS PROGRAM: DEVELOPMENT AND FEASIBILITY OF AN mHEALTH INTERVENTION TO PROMOTE SEXUAL HEALTH AND HEALTHCARE ACCESS AMONG YOUNG LATINA WOMEN IN THE US SOUTH

项目摘要/摘要 拟议研究的目标是开发和研究创新的、可扩展的 为阿拉巴马州(AL)的拉丁裔年轻妇女(YLW)提供“安全空间”干预，并刺激 在阿勒颇大学从事行为研究。YLW受性行为的影响不成比例 与非西班牙裔白人相比，健康差距更大。西班牙裔年轻人明显少得多 可能比他们的非西班牙裔黑人和非西班牙裔白人同行有一个通常的位置 预防性护理。以证据为基础的、与文化相关的性健康教育规划在很大程度上 在该州不可用。需要可获得、有效和可扩展的性健康和性 针对青壮年妇女的医疗保健服务(SHCA)干预。虚拟促销员计划(VIP)旨在解决 这种需要。VIP将为青年妇女创建一个虚拟的安全空间，让他们了解性健康和SHCA，以便 她们可以变得有能力有效地照顾性健康，并参与到医疗保健中 系统。反过来，这可以帮助她们实现更好的健康结果(即降低计划外怀孕 和STI费率)。在过去的6年里，我们积极参与，进行了广泛的形成性工作 拉丁裔/a/x社区，由基于社区的参与研究(CBPR)指导。这项研究是 这项研究的下一个自然步骤。VIP mHealth工具(支持移动功能的网站，将查看和 感觉像移动应用程序，但可以从其他设备访问)将是一个虚拟的“安全空间” YLW可以：了解性健康和SHCA(教育模块)；与“虚拟推广员”建立联系 谁可以就如何在医疗保健系统中导航提供指导和建议；并创建性 健康计划(即目标设定和患者/提供者沟通工具)。据我们所知，没有其他 美国南部的研究人员正在与YLW合作，以适应循证健康教育和同伴 将导航者模型转换为电子格式，目的是增强青年妇女关爱性健康的能力， 提高性保健服务的可及性和利用率，缩小性健康差距。具体的 本研究的目的是：(1)开发和检验一种基于理论的、与文化相关的性行为的可行性 针对拉美裔年轻女性的医疗保健准入干预措施；以及(2)估计确定 对VIP方案的疗效进行团体随机试验。拟议的CBPR研究将 也为UA学生创造了参与行为科学研究的新机会 UA来发展我们的研究事业。这项工作与国家护理研究所的工作是一致的 研究的目标是“通过了解身体、行为、文化和健康状况来增进健康” 环境对健康状况的影响和制定有文化针对性的预防疾病的干预措施 并促进健康“和”利用创新技术开发新的干预措施，以提供 向患者、家属和医疗保健提供者提供个性化护理和实时健康信息。

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The goals of the proposed study are to develop and examine the feasibility of an innovative, scalable mHealth, “safe space” intervention for Young Latina Women (YLW) in Alabama (AL) and to stimulate the conduct of behavioral research at the University of AL. YLW are disproportionately affected by sexual health disparities compared to their non-Hispanic White counterparts. Hispanic youth are significantly less likely than their non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic white counterparts to have a usual place for preventive care. Evidence-based, culturally relevant sexual health education programming is largely unavailable in the state. There is a need for accessible, effective and scalable sexual health and sexual healthcare access (SHCA) interventions for YLW. The Virtual Promotoras Program (VIP) seeks to address this need. The VIP will create a virtual “safe space” for YLW to learn about sexual health and SHCA so that they can become empowered to effectively care for their sexual health and engage with the healthcare system. This in turn, can help them achieve improved health outcomes (i.e., lowered unplanned pregnancy and STI rates). Over the last 6 years, we have conducted extensive formative work with active engagement of the Latino/a/x community, guided by Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR). This study is the next natural step in this research. The VIP mHealth tool (mobile enabled website which will look and feel like a mobile application but can be accessed from other devices) will be a virtual “safe space” where YLW can: learn about sexual health and SHCA (educational modules); connect with “virtual promotoras” who can provide guidance and advice on how to navigate the healthcare system; and create a sexual health plan (i.e., a goal setting and patient/provider communication tool). To our knowledge no other researchers in the US South are working with YLW to adapt evidence-based health education and peer navigator model to an electronic format with the aim of empowering YLW to care for their sexual health, increasing sexual healthcare access and utilization and decreasing sexual health disparities. The specific aims of this study are: (1) Develop and examine the feasibility of a theory-based, culturally relevant sexual healthcare access intervention for young Latina women; and (2) Estimate the parameters required to size a group randomized trial for the evaluation of efficacy of the VIP program. The proposed CBPR study would also create new opportunities for UA students to become involved in behavioral science research and for UA to grow our research enterprise. This work is consistent with the National Institute of Nursing Research’s goals of “Enhancing wellness by understanding the physical, behavioral, cultural and environmental influences on health status and developing culturally tailored interventions to prevent illness and promote health” and “Using innovative technologies to develop novel interventions that deliver personalized care and real-time health information to patients, families and healthcare providers”.