According to the CDC (2015), Hispanics/Latinos in the United States accounted for 23% of all new HIV infections in the year 2013. Undocumented individuals are likely underrepresented in this statistic. There are many that may be wary of talking to researchers and therefore are not represented when data is collected. The focus of this pilot study is to understand the level and type of knowledge of HIV preventative strategies for Hispanic men and women. An ethnographical qualitative method, using in-depth interviews, with participants was performed to gather this information. Ten participants were interviewed in and around Atlanta, Georgia. An ethnographic approach was used to study the various cultural factors that may hinder or encourage HIV prevention strategies. The targeted population was Hispanic adults, both male and female, living in the United States ten years or less, and aged between 18-50 years. The results revealed a need for increased knowledge of HIV and closing the gap between having that information and having access to prevention methods.

The purpose of this project was to learn about Hispanics’ utilization of hospice care and to increase knowledge about under-utilization of hospice services by the Hispanic community. Research in hospice services indicates that the Hispanic community underutilizes end-of-life resources when compared to their majority counterparts, European Americans. Research that has controlled for variables such as socio-demographic characteristics, medical history, prognosis, and access to health care demonstrate Hispanics significantly under-utilizing hospice services. This project was conducted within Southern California in the cities of Riverside and Anaheim which are predominantly Hispanic communities. A quantitative design was used to explore the perspectives of Hispanic individuals and their views on hospice care services. Data was collected through questionnaires. Results indicated correlations between language preferences and gender as possibly having an impact on knowledge and cultural acceptance of hospice care services.

It is clear that the US federal government is concerned about the country's teen pregnancy rates and would like to see changes. Without a precise understanding of the factors associated with adolescent pregnancy, and specifically with Hispanic female adolescent pregnancy, monies allocated to prevention programs could go to waste. The focus of this study was to systematically review the current literature as it relates to factors, in this case attitudes, beliefs and practices that influence Hispanic female adolescents' reproductive behaviors. This study consisted of systematically reviewing published studies, through a process of abstracting and organizing their findings into a matrix. Three electronic databases were searched: MEDLINE, ERIC, and CINAHL. The initial search yielded a total of 494 publications. After applying specific inclusion criteria, the final sample of publications included forty-nine (n=49). Publications were categorized as primarily quantitative or primarily qualitative studies. Methodological characteristics of each study were judged using an overall methodological quality score (MQS) assigned to each study. Different MQS criteria were developed for qualitative and quantitative studies. A total of 205 findings were abstracted from the 49 included reports. Beliefs that were identified consistently among the studies were norms and values associated with condom use, partner's beliefs, hedonistic beliefs, and communicative beliefs. Norms and values were also seen as important when adolescents chose to remain abstinent. Findings that were unique the Hispanic adolescent population were identified as well with cultural factors showing significant associations. Regarding methodological quality, fewer than 50% of studies included a theoretical framework and only 11 included Hispanic-only samples. Qualitative studies had similar findings to those of the quantitative studies, but also introduced new factors associated with reproductive behaviors. Acculturation constructs were seen among the qualitative studies as being positively associated to sexual abstinence. Other behaviors such as partner's manipulation of birth control and the use of female condoms were unique to the qualitative studies done in this review. This review provided a critical assessment of the literature and it methodological qualities. Findings should be interpreted with caution due to limitations. Concentrating on unique factors associated with the Hispanic population can lead to interventions that are culturally sensitive to this population and effective. Health professionals should focus on conducting more studies with exclusively Hispanic samples and use factors unique to the Hispanic population when planning health education programs that are culturally sensitivity to Hispanic female adolescents' needs and world-views.

The purpose of this study was to identify policies and practices that impact the admission and retention of Hispanics in higher education. The study did this by identifying those policies and practices that are currently being used and that facilitate or hinder institutions of higher education in the recruitment, admission, retention, and graduation of students, particularly Hispanic students. The researcher utilized the Delphi method to conduct the study. This research method produces a consensus of opinion from a group of individuals identified as experts in a given field. Three structured surveys were conducted. Each round of surveys had two questionnaires: (a) policies and practices that positively or negatively impact the admission of Hispanics in higher education and (b) policies and practices that positively or negatively impact the retention of Hispanics in higher education. Conclusions The Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) is negatively affecting Hispanic students’ admission into Texas colleges and universities. Further, it is affecting the retention of Hispanic students in Texas institutions. If students do poorly on the TASP, they are placed in remedial courses. Even though students successfully complete all remediation courses (even with A’s & B’s), if they do not pass the TASP after remediation, they cannot continue college level work. This causes many students to become discouraged and leave college. Although college test makers, such as the Educational Testing Service (ETS), state that the SAT should be used as an assessment instrument, many Texas college’s continue to use it for admissions and awarding scholarships; both of which are contrary to test-makers’ recommendations. College admission tests are hindering the admission of Hispanic students into colleges and universities. Tuition costs, particularly where students depend heavily on loans, are keeping students from entering college, from continuing in college, and from pursuing graduate and post-graduate degrees.

The psychometric properties of the Hispanic Bilingual Gifted Screening Instrument (HBGSI) were investigated in this study. The participants in the study were a part of a large 4-year longitudinal randomized study titled English Language and Literacy Acquisition (Project ELLA), which focused on an urban school district located in. The purpose of this study was to investigate (a) the inter-rater reliability of HBGSI data for Hispanic students over a 4-year period of time; (b) the concurrent validity of the HBGSI and the WLPB-R Verbal Analogies subtests measured at the kindergarten level; (c) what clusters best predicted the NNAT over a 4-year period (K-3); and (d) what clusters best predicted the WLPB-R Verbal Analogies subtest at the kindergarten level in English and Spanish. Results demonstrated further validation of the psychometric properties of the HBGSI. The HBGSI was found to have an inter-rater reliability throughout the 4-year ELLA study. It was also found in this study that five HBGSI clusters significantly predicted the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT), seven HBGSI clusters were found to significantly predict the Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery-Revised (WLPB-R) Verbal Analogies subtest in English, and one HBGSI cluster significantly predicted the Spanish version of the WLPB-R Verbal Analogies subtest. Results further showed a fairly high concurrent validity between the HBGSI and the WLPB-R Verbal Analogies subtests in English, and a high concurrent validity between the HBGSI and the WLPB-R Verbal Analogies subtests in Spanish. Overall, this study further validated that the HBGSI holds promise in screening potential Hispanic gifted and talented students in the elementary grades.

ABSTRACT A DIACHRONIC ANALYSIS OF SOUTHERN BAPTIST MISSIONS AMONG HISPANICS IN KENTUCKY Jonathan Paul Young, D.Miss. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2013 Chair: Dr. M. David Sills Chapter 1 examines the Hispanic community in the United States then in Kentucky. It provides an overview of the history of Southern Baptist missions among Hispanics in Kentucky as seen through the framework of the six regional Hispanic ministries. An overview of the importance of the Hispanic Statewide Council and the Hispanic Baptist Bible Institute are sketched. Finally, the chapter concludes with the background of the study, and the research methodology. Chapter 2 provides an in-depth sketch of the histories of the Central Hispanic Region and South Central Hispanic Region. I begin with a historical picture of the Central Hispanic Region. The beginnings, growth, and present standing are then examined. This chapter includes a brief look at other ministries geared towards Hispanics who are found within this geographical region. The Hispanic racetrack ministry of Churchill Downs in Louisville and of Turfway Park in Florence along with Northern Kentucky Baptist Association's Hispanic Ministry history serve as examples. Following this is an examination of South Central Hispanic Region. The beginnings, growth and present status will are provided chronologically. The chapter concludes with a few insights garnered from these two regions. Chapter 3 presents historical sketches of both the Bluegrass Hispanic Region and the Southwestern Hispanic Region. First, the beginnings, growth and present status of Hispanic Southern Baptists are examined. Second, Elkhorn Baptist Association's Hispanic ministry history is surveyed. Third, the Southwestern Hispanic Region is presented in the same manner. The chapter concludes with several insights learned from these two Kentucky Hispanic Baptist Regions. Chapter 4 chronicles the histories of the Southern Kentucky Hispanic Region and the Western Hispanic Region. Both of these regions are presented much like the other previous regional Hispanic regions in this dissertation while including the idiosyncrasies of the regions at hand. Chapter 5 begins by summarizing the findings of this diachronic analysis of Southern Baptist missions among Hispanics in Kentucky. Drawing upon previous chapters, I suggest several potential applications for Kentucky Baptists, both Hispanic and non-Hispanic alike. The dissertation concludes with recommendations for further research.

This study examined the knowledge and perceptions of the Latino population in Southern California towards Children Protective Services (CPS). Modern representation of social workers from the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), or Child Protective Services (CPS) often do not complement, support, or value the profession. This is a quantitative study with a sample of 103 Hispanic/Latino individuals ranging from the ages of 18 to over 60. An online Qualtrics survey was disseminated through social media and in person. It included a total of 26 questions measuring knowledge and perceptions. The purpose of this study was to better understand the Latino population as it relates to CPS, and create positive changes in the Latino communities CPS serves, with the hope to bring awareness and better service delivery.

PURPOSE: African Americans (AA) are at a higher risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) and some studies report a higher frequency of microsatellite instability (MSI) in this population while others report lower frequency compared to Caucasians. AIM: To determine and evaluate the association of race and clinical factors with MSI frequency through meta-analysis. METHODS: Twenty-two studies out of 15,105 (1997-2015) were evaluated after a search in different literature databases, using keywords "colorectal cancer, microsatellite instability, African Americans, Caucasians and Hispanics". We used random effect meta-analysis to calculate the MSI frequency in all studies as well as in African American and Caucasian samples. Meta-regression analysis was used to assess the univariate effect of race, gender, age, tumor location and stage on MSI frequency. RESULTS: The overall MSI frequency among CRCs was 17% (95% CI: 15%-19%, I-2 = 91%). In studies with available race data, The MSI rate among AAs, Hispanics and Caucasians were 12%, 12% and 14% respectively and was not significantly different. Sub-group analysis of studies with racial information indicates MSI OR of 0.78 for AAs compared to Caucasians. CONCLUSION: CRCs demonstrate an overall MSI frequency of 17%. MSI frequency differences between AAs and Caucasians were not pronounced, suggesting that other factors contribute to the racial disparity. The methodological approaches and biological sources of the variation seen in MSI frequency between different studies need to be further investigated.

Prior studies have found that human exposure to hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) occurs in homes; however, the depth of these assessments was limited by the extent of the analyzed data. The present Ph.D. dissertation focused on air contaminants of concern in residential buildings, the possible sources of these pollutants, and population subgroups with greater contaminant risk. This research also evaluated the effects of building characteristics and household activity patterns on indoor pollution and risk levels. To this end, an in-depth analysis was performed of data from the Relationships of Indoor, Outdoor and Personal Air (RIOPA) study, one of the most comprehensive exposure assessments to date. Using personal concentrations from the RIOPA study, a cancer risk assessment was performed to identify both important pollutants and populations at higher risk. The analyzed compounds were acetaldehyde, benzene, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, p-dichlorobenzene (p-DCB), ethylbenzene, formaldehyde, methylene chloride, methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), styrene, trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene. Results indicate that Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites had median cumulative cancer risks (CCR) of 520×10-6 and 440×10-6, respectively, for which the main contributors were formaldehyde, p-DCB, acetaldehyde, chloroform and benzene. Statistically significant differences in CCR between and within Hispanic and whites were primarily due to exposures to p-DCB. Exposure to formaldehyde was further investigated because this compound was the largest contributor to CCR for 69% of Hispanics and 88% of whites, and because most participants had similar cancer risks from these exposures (median = 260×10-6, coefficient of variance = 28%). Results suggest that the U.S. population may be experiencing chronic exposures because of long-term formaldehyde emissions from pressed-wood materials bound with urea-formaldehyde resins. Source removal may be the most effective way to decrease these chronic exposures. Benzene was also examined further because it is a known human carcinogen. Results show that indoor benzene concentrations increased as the proximity of parked vehicles decreased. Residing in a home with an attached garage could lead to exposures to benzene ten times higher than while commuting in a car in heavy traffic, and with mean excess cancers of 17×10-6. Detached garages could reduce health risks from exposure to benzene and other gasoline-related pollutants. / text

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / This thesis examines factors relating to youth interest in joining the Navy among the Hispanic population in South-Central Los Angeles, California. The study begins with a comprehensive review of literature on Hispanics of Mexican origin. Informatio on youth interest in the Navy is gleaned from personal interviews with teachers, counselors, JROTC instructors, military recruiters, and local clergy. The results suggest that Hispanic youths are limited from pursuing higher education because of poor academic preparation, underdeveloped English-language skills, poverty, and crime. The population also faces unique cultural and regional challenges that stem from historical influences and the close proximity of Mexico to the U.S. Additionally, evidence suggests that high school teachers and administrators are often barriers to youth awareness of military service. It is recommended that the Navy or Department of Defense form partnerships with schools and community organizations in largely Hispanic regions to identify and overcome the various obstacles that limit youth from pursuing higher education, learning about opportunities for military service, and qualifying for the Navy's officer programs. / Lieutenant, United States Navy