In January 2016, the first case of mosquito-borne Zika infection in the mainland United States was confirmed in Miami, Florida. The first locally acquired case was reported 6 months later. Local public health and school officials began warning students of the outbreak on their return to the classroom in August 2016. In November-December 2016, we conducted a survey of students attending a large public university in Miami to determine how well informed they were about Zika. A multistage sampling design was used to contact teaching assistants and ask them for help in recruiting their students. Eligible students had to be 18 years of age or older and enrolled in at least one three-credit course during fall semester. A 25-item questionnaire based on the World Health Organization Zika Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice Resource Pack was developed, pretested, and approved by the university's institutional review board before it was made available to eligible students through Blackboard Learn or a survey link. About half (50.4%) of the 139 respondents had heard about Zika prior to 2016. Only one student was unaware of Zika before our survey. Most (47.1%) first learned about Zika through television, 18.8% from family or friends, and 15.2% from the Internet, social media, or university e-mail. Two thirds (66.2%) believed Zika could be prevented, 15.1% thought it might be prevented, and 85.7% had taken some precautions. A high level of awareness of the risk of Zika infection was apparent. Most students reported taking steps to avoid exposure to the Zika virus.

Vulnerability to contracting HIV among Men who have Sex with Men and Women (MSMW) was recognized early in the epidemic. However, while global HIV efforts have made tremendous progress for the heterosexually-identified population, the specific needs of MSMW were not directly addressed with tailored and context-adapted interventions. The purpose of this study was to inform this area of research by exploring patterns of stigma through sexual identity developmental history as well as coping mechanisms among MSMW living with HIV in Haiti. A qualitative descriptive study comprised of in-depth interviews with 32 MSMW living with HIV was carried out. Participants were recruited using snowball techniques. An inductive thematic analysis was conducted in NVivo, contextualized by the socio-ecological context of Haiti. MSMW reported struggling with their sexuality since their adolescence, often because of enacted stigma from family members, the community, and cultural conflicts. Most participants described experiencing anxiety, psychological distress, depression, social isolation, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Mechanisms for coping with stigma included self-acceptance, social support, hiding their sexual orientation, and tolerance of the voodoo religion. To combat stigma, and improve HIV treatment adherence and retention among MSMW, culturally-tailored multilevel initiatives should be implemented.

Background: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is considered rare in the United States; however, the literature notes that the disease has a higher prevalence in developing countries such as Haiti. Dr. James D. Fett, a US cardiologist, developed and validated a self-assessment measure for PPCM in the United States to aid women to easily differentiate the signs and symptoms of heart failure from those related to a normal pregnancy. Although this instrument was validated, it lacks the adaptation necessary to account for the language, culture, and education of the Haitian population. Objective: The aim of this study was to translate and culturally adapt the Fett PPCM self-assessment measure for use among a Haitian Creole speaking population. Methods: A preliminary Haitian Creole direct translation was developed from the original English Fett self-test. A total of four focus groups with medical professionals and 16 cognitive interviews with members of a community advisory board were conducted to refine the preliminary Haitian Creole translation and adaptation. Results: The adaptation focused on incorporating cues that would be tangible and connected to the reality of the Haitian population while maintaining the intended meaning of the original Fett measure. Conclusions:The final adaptation provides an instrument suitable for administration by auxiliary health providers and community health workers to help patients distinguish symptoms of heart failure from symptoms related to normal pregnancy and further quantify the severity of signs and symptoms that might be indicative of heart failure.

No abstract

Vulnerability to contracting HIV among Men who have Sex with Men and Women (MSMW) was recognized early in the epidemic. However, while global HIV efforts have made tremendous progress for the general population, the specific needs of MSMW were not directly addressed with tailored and context-adapted interventions. The purpose of this study was to inform this area of research by exploring patterns of stigma through sexual identity developmental history as well as coping mechanisms among MSMW living with HIV in Haiti. A qualitative descriptive study comprised of in-depth interviews with 32 MSMW living with HIV was carried out. Participants were recruited using snowball techniques. An inductive thematic analysis was conducted in NVivo, guided by the socio-ecological context of Haiti. MSMW reported struggling with their sexuality since their adolescence, often because of enacted stigma from family members, the community, and cultural conflicts. Most participants described experiencing anxiety, psychological distress, depression, social isolation, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Mechanisms for coping with stigma included self-acceptance, social support, hiding their sexual orientation, and tolerance of the voodoo religion. To combat stigma, and improve HIV treatment adherence and retention among MSMW, culturally-tailored multilevel initiatives should be implemented, including cognitive-behavioral interventions to reduce self-blame and shame while improving social support and linkage to supportive organizations and social networks.