This study is important because it is not known whether indirect sharing is a source of HCV infection and why so few people with HCV clear the virus. Additionally, it has been suggested, but not proven, that HCV transmission can occur through sharing of snorting devices. As HIV prevalence and incidence is declining in the US, it is ever more important to target HIV prevention efforts more efficiently. This project is part of a multi-center study, and the New York City research team is collaborating with research teams in Baltimore, Miami, and San Francisco. The goal of this study is to determine whether this intervention can lead to improved access, adherence to primary HIV care and to sustained risk reduction in HIV-positive IDUs.
Pediatric asthma is a leading cause of hospitalizations, emergency room visits and school absence.
Educational interventions can reduce morbidity in school-aged children with asthma, but are largely untested in the preschool setting. The intervention, based on an asthma self-regulation educational model for parents, has been shown to improve family asthma management skills and outcomes in a clinical setting. We have adapted the intervention for Head Start centers and are involving center staff in its implementation. If effective, the program has wide applicability at Head Start and other preschool programs serving populations at high risk for asthma. We will also examine these relationships again in the same group at age 39.