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BackgroundDespite the high prevalence of tobacco use among Alaska Native (AN) people, tobacco cessation interventions developed specifically for this group are lacking. Social media hold promise as a scalable intervention strategy to promote smoking treatment utilization and cessation, given the barriers to treatment delivery (ie, geographic remoteness, limited funding, climate, and travel costs) in the state of Alaska (AK). Building on a longstanding tobacco control research partnership with the AK Tribal Health System, in this study, we are developing and pilot-testing a culturally relevant, Facebook (FB)-delivered intervention that incorporates a digital storytelling approach adapted from the effective Centers for Disease Control Tips from Former Smokers campaign. ObjectiveThis study aims to promote evidence-based smoking treatment (eg, state quitline and Tribal cessation programs) uptake and cessation among AN people. MethodsThis study fulfills the objectives for stage 1 of the National Institute on Drug Abuse behavioral integrative treatment development program. In stage 1a, we will use a mixed method approach to develop the FB intervention. Cultural variance and surface/deep structure frameworks will address the influence of culture in designing health messages. These developmental activities will include qualitative and quantitative assessments, followed by beta testing of proposed intervention content. In stage 1b, we will conduct a randomized pilot trial enrolling 60 AN adults who smoke. We will evaluate the feasibility, uptake, consumer response, and potential efficacy of the FB intervention compared with a control condition (quitline/treatment referral only). Primary outcome measures include feasibility and biochemically verified smoking abstinence at 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-ups. Secondary outcomes will include self-reported smoking cessation treatment utilization and abstinence from tobacco/nicotine products. We will also explore interdependence (relationship orientation and collaborative efforts in lifestyle change) as a culturally relevant mediator of intervention efficacy. ResultsThe study enrolled 40 participants for phase 1, with data saturation being achieved at 30 AN people who smoke and 10 stakeholders. For phase 2, we enrolled 40 participants. Qualitative assessment of proposed intervention content was completed with 30 AN smokers and 10 stakeholders. We are currently analyzing data from the quantitative assessment with 40 participants in preparation for the beta testing, followed by the randomized pilot trial. ConclusionsThe project is innovative for its use of social media communication tools that are culturally relevant in a behavioral intervention designed to reach AN people statewide to promote smoking treatment utilization and cessation. The study will further advance tobacco cessation research in an underserved disparity group. If the pilot intervention is successful, we will have a blueprint to conduct a large randomized controlled efficacy trial. Our approach could be considered for other remote AN communities to enhance the reach of evidence-based tobacco cessation treatments. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/15155

During spring and summer 2020, the COVID-19 lockdown upended professional development schemes across the globe. Professional development for PK-16 teachers at one college-sponsored program abruptly shifted its forum from college campus to meeting in a virtual setting online. Over time, this annual teacher conference had developed a professional learning community that attracted remarkable keynote speakers yet cultivated a setting in which attendees felt valued during exchanges of ideas. In this study, researchers analyzed participants' reflections on their virtual experiences of shared engagement vis-a-vis the warm face-to-face professional gatherings from the past. Findings in this study offer a road map to organizers of professional development programs for teachers. Teachers expressed value for hearing insights from experts related to improved pedagogy, while also spending time in reflection with fellow classroom professionals and learning from the experiences of other teachers.

Introduction Alaska Native and American Indian (ANAI) peoples in Alaska currently experience a disproportionate burden of morbidity and mortality from tobacco cigarette use. Financial incentives for smoking cessation are evidence-based, but a family-level incentive structure has not been evaluated. We used a community-based participatory research and qualitative approach to culturally adapt a smoking cessation intervention with ANAI families. Aims and Methods We conducted individual, semistructured telephone interviews with 12 ANAI adults who smoke, 12 adult family members, and 13 Alaska Tribal Health System stakeholders statewide between November 2022 and March 2023. Through content analysis, we explored intervention receptivity, incentive preferences, culturally aligned recruitment and intervention messaging, and future implementation needs. Results Participants were receptive to the intervention. Involving a family member was viewed as novel and aligned with ANAI cultural values of commitment to community and familial interdependence. Major themes included choosing a family member who is supportive and understanding, keeping materials positive and encouraging, and offering cash and noncash incentives for family members to choose (eg, fuel, groceries, activities). Participants indicated that messaging should emphasize family collaboration and that cessation resources and support tips should be provided. Stakeholders also reinforced that program materials should encourage the use of other existing evidence-based cessation therapies (eg, nicotine replacement, counseling). Conclusions Adaptations, grounded in ANAI cultural strengths, were made to the intervention and recruitment materials based on participant feedback. Next steps include a beta-test for feasibility and a randomized controlled trial for efficacy. Implications This is the first study to design and adapt a financial incentives intervention promoting smoking cessation among ANAI peoples and the first to involve the family system. Feedback from this formative work was used to develop a meaningful family-level incentive structure with ANAI people who smoke and family members and ensure intervention messaging is supportive and culturally aligned. The results provide qualitative knowledge that can inform future family-based interventions with ANAI communities, including our planned randomized controlled trial of the intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to present the case of a semester-long study-abroad education class in Italy. This course explored place-based methods that classroom teachers (K-12) might use to connect students' outdoor surroundings to extend the lessons they learn in school about environmental sustainability. The experience of the university instructor and students outlined in this paper highlights the promise of place-based education to provide a potent approach for conveying principles of education for sustainable development (ESD). Design/methodology/approach: An American university course enacted the approaches of place-based education and learning outdoors (harnessing student curiosity, building community partnerships, etc.) to investigate the natural and civic systems at work in the city of Florence. The participants deepened their understanding about the natural environment, economic health and well-being of inhabitants and compared the findings about local sustainable resource management to international settings. Through a deliberate practice framework, the students designed classroom lessons. Findings: This discussion of university students' work in an education course illuminates the possibilities for place-based applications in elementary and secondary schools. The pedagogical principles applied in this course also highlight the multidisciplinary strengths of ESD. Originality/value: This paper provides an inside look at choices educators must make to provide relevance in classrooms, to connect the curriculum content that is standardized by governments with the systemic dilemmas that challenge communities. The author details the pedestrian topics that the university students examined during the semester. These lessons show that place-based inquiry situated in the outdoors can present clear lessons about sustainable development. An international comparative perspective can enhance learners' perspectives about local surroundings.

The purpose of this paper is to bring to light elements that teachers require in order for learning gained during professional development sessions to find a place in their classroom practices and to affect student learning. Through their inquiry with K-12 educators at the Margaret Sue Copenhaver Institute for Teaching and Learning, a professional development program in southwest Virginia, the authors have devised recommendations regarding teacher needs and preferences for a climate that nurtures continuing professional growth. The authors also seek to define a data-gathering method that illuminates teachers' productive practices as framed by the Virginia Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Teachers.

This qualitative study examined the effects of a high-stakes, standardized test on teachers' instructional planning at a rural school. The research addressed this question: How do mandated curricular standards affect teachers' instructional planning and content selection? Ethnographic interviews (Creswell, 1998) examined four secondary teachers' perceptions of the effects of high-stakes standardized tests on their work. Case study methodology (Yin, 1994) guided the analysis of the data. Each participant had several years' experience teaching at Mollusk Island School, and each teacher had previously included place-based lessons (e.g., environmental studies, cultural history) in his/her repertoire. Ultimately, the study explored how a community maintenance function of small rural schools might be affected by state legislation for standardized accountability.

Background: Concern was voiced by Elders, teachers, and parents that and playtime activities of the Head Start preschool programme were not aligned with the local Alaska Native culture in their communities. Methods: The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium partnered with 12 Head Start preschool programmes, administered by Rural Alaska Community Action Program in rural Alaska, to explore with community members Alaska Native value-based solutions to the concerns they raised. Local input was gathered via focus groups, interviews, and surveys. Results: We worked together with communities to create a physical activity guide specific to preschool-age children in the region. The guide includes activity descriptions, lesson plans, flash cards, and photos of traditional Alaska Native physical activities and games specific to the region. This manuscript details the community engagement process foundational to the physical activity guide's adoption and implementation. Conclusions: The processes by which the guide was developed were strength-based and participatory. Widespread community engagement and participation led to a guide that was readily adopted because the community had taken ownership of the content. The lessons learned have been invaluable in developing long-term community-based partnerships and in setting the precedent to further incorporate local/regional culture into rural Alaska Head Start programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cancer worldwide; incidence varies greatly by country and racial group. We compared 2018 American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) CRC incidence rates in Alaska to other Tribal, racial, and international population rates. AI/AN persons in Alaska had the highest CRC incidence rate among US Tribal and racial groups (61.9/100,000 in 2018). AI/AN persons in Alaska also had higher rates than those reported for any other country in the world in 2018 except for Hungary, where males had a higher CRC incidence rate than AI/AN males in Alaska (70.6/100,000 and 63.6/100,000 respectively). This review of CRC incidence rates from populations in the United States and worldwide showed that AI/AN persons in Alaska had the highest documented incidence rate of CRC in the world in 2018. It is important to inform health systems serving AI/AN persons in Alaska about policies and interventions that can support CRC screening to reduce the burden of this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With rising childhood obesity rates, ensuring children adopt healthy habits early is imperative. Given the unique context for Alaska Native families living in rural remote communities, who are concurrently experiencing changes in traditional practices, we investigated what impacts parents' decisions as they relate to daily living before revising a preschool curriculum focused on healthy habits. The objective of this study was to explore factors influencing parents' decisions about their children's foods, beverages, and activities. In focus group discussions with AN parents of young children across 12 communities, we asked about meals, traditional foods, beverages, physical activity, and screen time. All sessions were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using open and selective coding to allow the most important themes to emerge. As parents discussed how they make decisions, several trends emerged related to adults' and children's food and beverage preferences; the impact of adult modeling on children; and how convenience, seasonality, access, and a reluctance to engage in conflict all impact decision-making. Parents and other community members shared important perspectives on exposing children to traditional subsistence foods and activities and passing important traditional knowledge to them at an early age. These perspectives will form the basis for preschool curricula in these communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Federal Bureau of Prisons clinical skills training development (CSTD) team accomplished the planning, creation, and execution of a first-ever national clinical skills assessment program (CSAP) for nurses and advanced practice providers (APPs). Clinical skills assessment is a part of nurse and APP credentialing and privileging and must be completed for new hires along with continued biennial recredentialing accreditation standards. A training resource manual, discipline-specific skills checklist, pre-/postprogram written examination, and standard operating procedures were created. The CSTD team used commercially available manikins, food items, and easily obtainable office supplies for simulated experiential skills assessments. The CSAP provided a consistent, reproducible, and scalable approach for the orientation, assessment, and, if indicated, remediation for correctional nurses and APPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]