Abstract

Thepurposeofthisstudyistounderstandcurrentpracticesofschoolnursesinalternativehighschools andhowwecantapintotheirexpertisefornurse-led,evidence-basedinterventionstoreducesubstanceuse andHIVriskbehaviorsinthissetting.Adolescentsubstanceuseisapublichealthepidemicandyouthwhoare athighriskforinvolvementwarrantparticularattention.Alternativehighschoolsserveagrowingpopulationof studentswhoareatriskfordroppingoutofschool.Thesestudentshavehigherlevelsofsubstanceuseand interrelatedHIVriskbehaviorsthantheirpeersinmainstreamhighschools.Yetalternativehighschoolsare ofteninadequatelyresourcedtomeetstudenthealthneedsandarelargelyneglectedasavenuefortargeting adolescentswhoareatgreatestriskforsubstanceuseandHIVriskbehavior.Schoolnursesarewell-qualified toaddressthesesensitivehealthtopicswithoutplacingadditionalburdensonteachersorotherschoolstaffto implementinterventions.However,theirroleinaddressingsubstanceuseandHIVriskbehaviorinthissetting hasnotbeenexaminedtodate.Inthisstudy,wewillconductastatewidesurveywithnursesworkinginTexas alternativehighschools,followedbykeyinformantinterviewstoachievethefollowingaims:(1)describethe landscapeofschoolnursingpracticeinalternativehighschools,and(2)explorethefeasibilityofimplementing evidence-based,nurse-ledinterventionstoaddresssubstanceuseandHIVriskbehaviorintheAHSsetting. Oursurveyandkeyinformantinterviewswillelicitinformationabout:(1)currentstaffingmodels,(2)current practicesrelatedtosubstanceuseandHIVriskbehavior,(3)attitudes,comfort,andinteresttowardaddressing substanceuseandHIVriskbehaviorsandleadingevidence-basedinterventions,and(4)barriersto addressingsubstanceuseandHIVriskbehaviorandideasforovercomingthosebarriers.Convenience samplingwillbeusedtorecruitsurveyparticipantsfromalistofeveryalternativehighschoolinTexas(n= 957);?purposivemaximumvariationsamplingwillbeusedtorecruitkeyinformantinterviewparticipants. Quantitativeresultswillbeanalyzedusingdescriptivestatistics(e.g.,means,frequencies,percentages),with groupcomparisonsbeingmadewhereappropriate(e.g.,typeofalternativeschool,staffingmodel).Qualitative resultswillbeanalyzedusingconventionalcontentanalysis;?thePIandagraduateresearchassistantwill independentlycodedataandmeettocompareandrefinecodesforinter-raterreliability.Quantitativeand qualitativefindingswillbeintegratedafteranalysesarecompleteforthepurposeoftriangulation.Findingsfrom thisstudywillbeleveragedtoachieveourlong-termobjective:todevelopfutureevidence-based,nurse-led interventionstoaddresssubstanceuseandHIVriskbehaviorinthealternativehighschoolsetting.

Public Health Relevance

PublicHealthRelevanceStatement Alternativehighschools(AHS)serveagrowingpopulationofstudentswhoareatriskfordroppingoutof schoolandhavehigherlevelsofsubstanceuseandHIVriskbehaviorthantheirpeersinmainstreamschools;? yettheAHSsettingremainsunderutilizedasaplaceforinterventions.Schoolnursesarewell-positionedto deliverevidence-basedinterventionstoreducesubstanceuseandHIVriskbehavior,butnoknownstudies haveexploredtheircurrentpracticesinAHSsettingsorthefeasibilityofnurse-ledinterventionsrelativeto thesemajorpublichealthproblems.Findingsfromourstudywillinformthedevelopmentofevidence-based, nurse-ledinterventionstoaddresssubstanceuseandHIVriskbehaviorintheAHSsetting,whichultimately canreducedisparitiesintheseoutcomesamongadolescents.

  Funding Agency

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Type
Small Research Grants (R03)
Project #
1R03DA045268-01
Application #
9435213
Study Section
Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health Study Section (DIRH)
Program Officer
Lloyd, Jacqueline
Project Start
2018-07-15
Project End
2020-06-30
Budget Start
2018-07-15
Budget End
2019-06-30
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2018
Total Cost
Indirect Cost

  Institution

Name
University of Texas Austin
Department
Type
Schools of Nursing
DUNS #
170230239
City
Austin
State
TX
Country
United States
Zip Code
78759