General Public Health
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12503/21737
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Browsing General Public Health by Author "Cantu, Katherine"
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Item A Qualitative Analysis on the Effects of Social Support among Women of the Reentry Population(2015-03) Cantu, Katherine; Spence-Almaguer, Emily; Rohr, Danielle; Chhetri, ShlesmaPurpose: Promotion of positive social support through family reunification and mentorship through the Second Chance Mentoring (SCM) program reduces risk of recidivism among moderate-to-high risk incarcerated women. Methods: The SCM program is offered through a collaboration between Family Pathfinders and three partner organizations in Tarrant County. SCM provides assistance to women who have been incarcerated to support their successful reintegration in to the community. Information is collected during incarceration to determine the recidivism risk level using the Ohio Risk Assessment Scale (ORAS) scores. Participants are enrolled in 12 months of mentoring services upon their release from prison or jail. Post-release, Family Pathfinders uses progress notes to monitor SCM service activities and other information which may contribute to reentry success or failure. These progress notes were analyzed by the evaluation team at UNTHSC to code for different types and levels of support which may promote or reduce recidivism among women. Results: The initial analysis of a sample size made of 50 women indicates that those who actively engage in a mentoring relationship are more likely to seek assistance elsewhere in order to promote successful reentry. Women who have support of negative influences have more issues becoming self-sufficient and set minimal goals for behavior change by the end of the 12 month program. Conclusions: A mentoring relationship with women who pose a high risk of recidivism upon release provides a foundation for building additional supportive relationships. Ensuring a reliable support system to incarcerated women may increase the effectiveness of successful community reintegration.Item An Analysis of the Second Chance Mentoring Program among Female Offenders(2015-03) Cantu, Katherine; Spence-Almaguer, Emily; Rohr, Danielle; Chhetri, ShlesmaPurpose: To assess the effectiveness of the Second Chance Mentoring (SCM) program, which works to reduce the rate of recidivism among moderate-to-high risk incarcerated women. Methods: The SCM program offered through collaboration between Family Pathfinders and Cornerstone Assistance Network of Tarrant County provides assistance to successfully reintegrate incarcerated women into the community. Information is collected during the incarceration to determine the recidivism risk level using the Ohio Risk Assessment Scale (ORAS) scores. Participants are enrolled in 12 months of mentoring services with a matched mentor upon their release from prison. Post-release, data is submitted to Family Pathfinders on a regular basis by the mentors and agency. The participants are deemed successful if one does not recidivate, meaning the individual is not arrested and incarcerated on new charges within 12 months of their release from their most recent incarceration. Upon successful completion of SCM, data of the participants is collected from the Texas Criminal Justice system to obtain background information in the justice system. Results: Complete data profiles for the initial cohort were used. Of the 50 women who expressed some interest in the program, 29 complete profiles were provided between the justice system and community partners. These were then further investigated for successful and unsuccessful completion. Findings indicate that middle-aged women without the equivalent of a high-school diploma were more likely to be unsuccessful than compared to middle-aged women with a diploma/GED. Of those who were unsuccessful, 55% reported not having a place to live upon their release, where 89% of the successful women did have a place to live. Findings also suggest that the mentor relationship does contribute to less recidivism when 30% of those who were unsuccessful were not yet matched with a mentor before recidivating. Conclusions: The Second Chance Mentoring program provides sufficient support to reduce the risk of recidivism among moderate-to-high risk women. The promotion of social capital and encouragement to continue education through SCM allows for a successful reentry into the community.Item Sleeping Safely: Perceptions and Practices of Parents and Care Givers(2015-03) Chhetri, Shlesma; Paul, Marcy; Miller, Jennifer; Reyes, Irene; Rahman, Adrita; Watt, Ian; Cantu, KatherinePurpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the perceptions of safe sleep among parents and caregivers. Background: Infant mortality remains a persisting problem in the United States (MacDorman, et al., 2014). Despite the effort of American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to combat this issue, infant sleep safety remains a controversial topic with ambiguous definitions and inconsistent practices (McKenna & McDade, 2005). Given such debates, it is important to focus attention on exploring a community’s opinion of safe sleep. Methods: A preliminary study utilizing a mixed method approach was conducted in Fort Worth, Texas. Surveys were administered at two daycare centers representative of a low and a high income community. Participants were asked about sleep positions, where, if at all, they received information about safe sleep, and they were asked to identify safe sleep positions from pictures of different sleep positions. Not wanting to identify babies by race or ethnicity a teddy bear was used to demonstrate four different sleep positions. A total of 48 parents/caregivers participated in the study. Results: Our study found that there is confusion about what comprises safe sleeping position/arrangement for infants. Additionally, the recommendations by APA are not well disseminated as majority of our respondents selected side-sleep position as being safe for babies. Our results also found a relationship between where people receive information and how they perceive/practice safe sleep. Conclusion: This study helped identify an important gap in knowledge and practice regarding safe sleep in the community that must be explored further.