Building capacity of healthcare professionals and community members to address climate and health threats in The Bahamas: Analysis of a green climate fund pilot workshop.

Climate change is a preeminent threat to health and health systems in The Bahamas. Climate and health resilience depends upon a knowledgeable and coordinated healthcare system and workforce that is highly connected and coordinated with a knowledgeable and empowered community. We present the methodology and results of a novel educational workshop, designed to increase the knowledge and awareness of health care professionals and community members with the goal of empowering them to engage in climate mitigation and adaptation strategies. Following the training, participants demonstrated increased knowledge of the causes of climate change, health exposures, climate-sensitive diseases, and vulnerable populations relevant to The Bahamas. Further, participants reported high levels of willingness and readiness to tackle climate change and its health consequences. Results from this workshop suggest that such a model may serve as a guide for building grass-roots resilience in communities worldwide.

Relationships Between Mental Health, Skill Sets, and Violence Perpetration Among Adolescent Girls.

This study examines relationships between emotional health, stress management skills, fight-avoidance skills, and two forms of violence perpetration among adolescent girls at high risk for violence involvement. Participants ( n = 253) were 13- to 17-year-old girls enrolled in a randomized controlled trial. The current study was completed with baseline data collected prior to the start of the intervention. Analyses examined self-report outcome measures of physical violence perpetration in the past 6 months (five-item scale, α = .79) and relational aggression perpetration in the past 30 days (six-item scale, α = .77). Independent variables included baseline measures of self-esteem (four-item scale, α = .89), emotional distress (six-item scale, α = .89), stress management skills (eight-item scale, α = .86), and fight avoidance skills (five-item scale, α = .70). Multivariate regression models predicted each form of violence perpetration controlling for age, race/ethnicity, violence victimization, and clustering of participants within clinics. Initial bivariate results showed that stress management skills and fight avoidance skills were inversely and significantly related to perpetration of both relational and physical violence. Emotional distress was related to significantly higher levels of both violence outcomes. In contrast, self-esteem was not significantly related to either violence outcome. Multivariate analyses revealed that stress management skills and fight avoidance skills were significantly protective against perpetration of both relational aggression and physical violence. In conclusion, findings suggest that clinicians providing services to adolescent girls involved in high risk behaviors assess and foster girls' development of stress management and fight avoidance skills to help reduce their risk of involvement in relational violence and physical fighting.