Measuring organizational mentoring climate: Importance and availability scales.

INTRODUCTION: Although organizational climate may affect faculty's mentoring behaviors, there has not been any way to measure that climate. The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and validity of two novel scales to measure organizational mentoring climate importance and availability at two public research universities. METHODS: We developed 36 content-valid mentoring climate items in four dimensions: Structure, Programs/Activities, Policies/Guidelines, and Values. In total, 355 faculty completed an anonymous, structured, online survey asking about the importance (very important to very unimportant) and availability (no, don't know, yes) of each of the items. We conducted reliability analyses and construct validity testing using exploratory common factor analysis, principal axis factoring, and oblique rotation. RESULTS: The majority of the predominantly female, White non-Hispanic, senior, tenure-track faculty were not currently mentoring another faculty or being mentored. Analyses demonstrated a 15-item solution for both the Organizational Mentoring Climate Importance (OMCI) and the Availability (OMCA) Scales, with three factors each: Organizational Expectations, Mentor-Mentee Relationships, and Resources. Standardized Cronbach alphas ranged from 0.74 to 0.90 for the subscales, and 0.94 (OMCI) and 0.87 (OMCA) for the full scales. Faculty rated all items as somewhat to very important; however, perceived availability was very low ranging from mentor training programs (40%) to guidelines for evaluating mentoring success or managing conflict (2.5%). CONCLUSIONS: The scales will allow studying of how organizational climate may affect mentoring behavior and whether climate can be changed to improve faculty mentoring outcomes. We provide recommendations for furthering the science of organizational mentoring climate and culture.

Predictors of Physical Activity in a Predominantly Hispanic Sample of Adolescents.

In the United States, the vast majority of Hispanic high school students do not meet physical activity recommendations. This prospective, observational study tested the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to predict physical activity in a convenience sample of 232 high school students from a predominantly Hispanic, rural-fringe, lower-income community in Southwestern United States. Mindfulness was tested as a moderator of the intention-physical activity relationship. Data were collected via self-report questionnaires. Statistical analysis included structural equation modeling (SEM) and moderation analysis. The model explained 60% and 43% of the variance in intention and physical activity, respectively. Attitude (ß = 0.49, p < 0.001) and subjective norm (ß = 0.44, p < 0.001) predicted intention. Intention (ß = 0.58, p < 0.001) and perceived behavioral control (ß = 0.13, p < 0.027) predicted physical activity. Mindfulness did not moderate the intention-physical activity relationship. The results support using the TPB to predict physical activity in this population and may inspire ideas for targeted interventions.

Effectiveness of a Faculty Mentor Development Program for Scholarship at an Academic Health Center.

INTRODUCTION: Mentors are in short supply at academic health centers (AHCs). The effectiveness of training mentors (without preselection for their research skills) to support faculty mentees in scholarly activities at AHCs is not well known. METHODS: The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center has a two-component program to develop effective mentors for scholarship for faculty mentees. It has an online component supplemented by an optional face-to-face (F2F) component. Study outcomes included changes in self-reported knowledge scores for online users and Mentoring Competency Assessment scores for F2F users. RESULTS: One hundred five mentors, mostly women associate professors, used the online program. Online users demonstrated improvement in self-reported knowledge scores. Thirty-eight users additionally completed the F2F program-63% on a clinician-educator track and none with a National Institutes of Health-funded K-award mentee. The self-reported Mentoring Competency Assessment composite score rose from 4.3 ± 1.0 to 5.5 ± 0.8 (paired t = 7.37, df = 37, P < .001) for the F2F participants, with similar improvement noted in the clinician-educator subgroup. DISCUSSION: Users of the online and F2F components of the program improved their self-assessed knowledge and mentoring skill, respectively, demonstrating the effectiveness of the program. Such programs may help AHCs enhance the scholarship and the diversity of their scientific and clinician-educator workforce.

Willingness of women to participate in obstetrical and pediatric research involving biobanks.

Use of biobanks for future genetic/genomic testing has increased. Biospecimens are increasingly being collected from infants/children; however, little is known about attitudes towards collection of biospecimens from postpartum women and their child. Using a hypothetical consent, this study investigated willingness to participate and attitudes, beliefs, and concerns related to consent materials requesting the biobanking genetic samples. A cross-sectional mixed methods design included women who reviewed a hypothetical consent related to biobanking genetic samples. Women were asked about their willingness to participate, followed by a focus group about biobanks and genetic/genomic testing. Post-focus group questionnaires assessed willingness to participate, the influence of study characteristics, and attitudes about genetic testing. Women (N = 37) were 29.0± 7.3 years of age (range 19-44); 51% had children and 28% were currently pregnant. A total of 46% were Hispanic (H), 38% were White non-Hispanic (WNH), and 16% were Native American (NA). Seventy-six percent (28/37) initially indicated that they would participate in the hypothetical study. Race and ethnicity impacted whether women would participate. Fewer NA women indicated that they would participate compared with H women and with WNH women (p < 0.02). Age, pregnancy status, having children, education level, insurance status, and income had no impact on participation decision and willingness to biobank specimens. NA and H women indicated that they were less likely than WNH women to agree to participate in a long-term biobank study. Given the importance of determining the genetic influence of health and disease, it is critical to attend to the questions and concerns of minority women regarding genetic studies.

Measuring quality and outcomes of research collaborations: An integrative review.

INTRODUCTION: Although the science of team science is no longer a new field, the measurement of team science and its standardization remain in relatively early stages of development. To describe the current state of team science assessment, we conducted an integrative review of measures of research collaboration quality and outcomes. METHODS: Collaboration measures were identified using both a literature review based on specific keywords and an environmental scan. Raters abstracted details about the measures using a standard tool. Measures related to collaborations with clinical care, education, and program delivery were excluded from this review. RESULTS: We identified 44 measures of research collaboration quality, which included 35 measures with reliability and some form of statistical validity reported. Most scales focused on group dynamics. We identified 89 measures of research collaboration outcomes; 16 had reliability and 15 had a validity statistic. Outcome measures often only included simple counts of products; publications rarely defined how counts were delimited, obtained, or assessed for reliability. Most measures were tested in only one venue. CONCLUSIONS: Although models of collaboration have been developed, in general, strong, reliable, and valid measurements of such collaborations have not been conducted or accepted into practice. This limitation makes it difficult to compare the characteristics and impacts of research teams across studies or to identify the most important areas for intervention. To advance the science of team science, we provide recommendations regarding the development and psychometric testing of measures of collaboration quality and outcomes that can be replicated and broadly applied across studies.

Effectiveness of community outreach and engagement in recruitment success for a prebirth cohort.

INTRODUCTION: We describe the effectiveness of community outreach and engagement in supporting recruitment for the US National Children's Vanguard Study between 2009 and 2012. METHODS: Thirty-seven study locations used 1 of 4 strategies to recruit 18-49-year-old pregnant or trying to conceive women: (1) Initial Vanguard Study used household-based recruitment; (2) Direct Outreach emphasized self-referral; (3) Enhanced Household-Based Recruitment enhanced Initial Vanguard Study strategies; and (4) Provider-Based Recruitment recruited through healthcare providers. Outreach and engagement included advance letters, interactions with healthcare providers, participation in community events, contacts with community organizations, and media outreach. RESULTS: After 1-2 years, 41%-74% of 9844 study-eligible women had heard about the National Children's Vanguard Study when first approached. Women who heard were 1.5-3 times more likely to consent. Hearing via word-of-mouth or the media most frequently predicted consent. The more sources women heard from the higher the odds of consent. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that tailored outreach and engagement facilitate recruitment in cohort studies.

Adherence to the Women's Preventive Services Guidelines in the Affordable Care Act.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the adherence of women's health providers in New Mexico to the Women's Preventive Services Guidelines and to examine how providers' knowledge, attitudes, and external barriers are associated with adherence. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, descriptive survey. SETTING: New Mexico. PARTICIPANTS: Women's health providers in New Mexico, including nurse practitioners, certified nurse-midwives, and family practice and obstetrician-gynecologist physicians. METHODS: Participants completed a self-administered survey to measure knowledge, attitudes, external barriers, and adherence to each of the eight guidelines. Adherence was defined as following a guideline more than 90% of the time. RESULTS: The response rate was 22% (399/1,798). Among the eight guidelines, participant adherence ranged from 17.2% to 88.4%. Only 39.7% of participants indicated adherence to most of the guidelines (four or more). Overall, provider adherence was directly associated with familiarity with the guidelines (odds ratio = 3.69; 95% confidence interval [1.96, 6.96]), self-efficacy to implement them (odds ratio = 4.25; 95% confidence interval [2.21, 8.20]), and younger age (odds ratio = 0.97; 95% confidence interval [0.94, 1.00]). CONCLUSION: Adherence to the Women's Preventive Services Guidelines by providers in New Mexico is variable and, for many recommended practices, less than optimal. New targeted implementation strategies are needed to address barriers to adherence.

Mentoring Early-Career Faculty Researchers Is Important-But First "Train the Trainer".

It has long been known that mentoring is critical to the success of junior faculty researchers. The controlled intervention study by Libby et al published in this issue of Academic Medicine demonstrates that institutional investment in a mentored research career development program for early-career faculty investigators provided significant long-term gains in grant productivity. Academic institutions hoping to replicate this program's success by launching similar mentoring programs for their junior faculty investigators will, however, find that the Achilles' heel lies in the scarcity of skilled research mentors and the relative lack of attention to and recognition of the importance of a supportive institutional climate for mentoring. It is essential, therefore, to begin by developing programs to "train the trainer" as well as programs and policies to support mentors. As a recent trial at 16 Clinical and Translational Science Award institutions demonstrated, competency-based, structured research mentor training can improve mentors' skills.In this Commentary, the authors offer a comprehensive two-pronged framework for mentor development with elements that address both individual mentoring competencies and the institutional climate for mentoring. The framework depicts the gaps, activities, and outcomes that a mentor development program can address. Activities directed at changing the institutional climate related to mentor development should complement training activities for individual mentors. The authors propose that employing this framework's approach to mentor development will lead to the desired impact: to increase the competence, productivity, and retention of a diverse clinical and translational research workforce.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Children's Preferences and Self-Perceptions of Weight in a Rural Hispanic Community.

INTRODUCTION: Although studies have documented parents' misperceptions regarding their children's weight, studies examining preadolescent children's self-perceptions of weight-in particular, Hispanic children's self-perceptions of weight-are limited. METHOD: A convenience sample of 424 children from a rural community, aged 8 to 11 years and in grades 3 through 5, participated in this cross-sectional, descriptive, nonexperimental study. Using the Children's Body Image Scale, the children were asked to select a figure representing their actual body perception and a figure representing their ideal body perception. The children were weighed and measured, body mass index (BMI) was calculated, and each child was assigned to one of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention weight categories: underweight, normal or healthy weight, overweight, or obese. RESULTS: Only BMI category was found to be significantly associated with accurate perception, χ2(3) = 201.4, p < .001, with only 9% of overweight or obese children selecting figures representing their actual BMI category. Actual BMI category, χ2(3) = 8.8, p = .032, and grade level, χ2(2) = 6.7, p = .036, had a significant association with selection of an underweight ideal. Overall, 32% of children selected an underweight figure as ideal. DISCUSSION: Prepubertal children who are either overweight or obese do not accurately perceive their weight status. Rather than focusing solely on weight reduction programs, emphasis should be placed on promoting healthy lifestyles and choices.

Psychometric properties of the Social Comparison Motives Scale.

This article describes the 19-item Social Comparison Motive Scale [SCMS], a measure of adolescents' motives for social comparison related to pregnancy. Dimensions and items were developed based on adolescent focus groups. The instrument was reviewed for content validity, pilot tested, and administered to 431 adolescents aged 14-18 years. Principal axis factor analysis with oblique rotation supported five dimensions. Convergent and discriminant validity were demonstrated by moderate correlations (r = .50) between the SCMS and the Iowa-Netherlands Comparison Orientation Measure and low correlations (r = .15) between the SCMS and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Cronbach's alphas were .91 overall and .71 to .85 for the subscales. The SCMS demonstrated reliability and validity as a measure of adolescents' motives for comparing themselves with others about pregnancy.

Parental consent and adolescent risk behavior research.

PURPOSE: To identify methodological issues related to the use of active or passive parental consent in school-based research on adolescent risk behavior research and to propose recommendations consistent with current legal and ethical standards in the United States. METHODS: Review and synthesis of the professional literature related to adolescents and parental consent, federal regulations and guidelines in the United States, and the author's experience presenting these arguments and issues to institutional review boards and funding agencies for over 10 years. FINDINGS: The procedures used for parental consent affect a study's participation rates, costs, and selection bias. When active parental consent is required, parental permission is typically obtained for only 30%-60% of students, compared to 93%-100% when passive consent is used. Extensive follow-up may result in 55%-100% of parents giving permission, but at significant cost (typically $20-$25 per student). Active consent results in the exclusion of minorities, students having problems in school, and students already engaged in or at risk for problem behaviors. Strong methodological reasons were identified for using passive parental consent procedures when possible. Current federal regulations include four areas for possible waiver or alterations in parental consent procedures, including the use of passive parental consent. CONCLUSIONS: Health researchers must understand the methodological, legal, and ethical issues related to parental consent to produce high-quality, valid research about adolescents and to provide evidence for laws, policies, and regulations.