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. 2016 Feb;37(1):11-32.
doi: 10.1007/s10935-015-0414-3.

Culturally Grounded Prevention for Minority Youth Populations: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Michela Lauricella  1 , Jessica K Valdez  2 , Scott K Okamoto  3 , Susana Helm  4 , Colleen Zaremba  5
Affiliations

Culturally Grounded Prevention for Minority Youth Populations: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Michela Lauricella et al. J Prim Prev. 2016 Feb.

Abstract

Contemporary prevention science has focused on the application of cultural adaptations of evidence-based prevention programs for minority youth populations. Far less is known about culturally grounded methods that are intended to organically develop prevention programs within specific populations and communities. This article systematically reviews recent literature on culturally grounded interventions used to prevent health disparities in ethnic minority youth populations. In this review, we assessed 31 peer-reviewed articles published in 2003 or later that fit inclusionary criteria pertaining to the development and evaluation of culturally grounded prevention programs. The evaluated studies indicated different approaches toward cultural grounding, as well as specific populations, geographic regions, and health issues that have been targeted. Specifically, the findings indicated that most of the studies focused on the development and evaluation of culturally grounded HIV/STI and substance abuse prevention programs for Mexican-American, African American, and American Indian/Alaska Native youth residing in the South or Southwestern US. These studies largely relied on community-based participatory or qualitative research methods to develop programs from the "ground up." This review has implications for the development of future culturally grounded and culturally adapted prevention programs targeting underserved minority youth populations and geographic regions. Specifically, it identifies populations and regions where culturally grounded prevention efforts are underdeveloped or non-existent, providing some scientific direction for the future development of these types of programs.

Keywords: Culturally grounded prevention; Health disparities; Health promotion; Minority youth.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report in the publication of this manuscript.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Method for Literature Review. This figure illustrates our process for identifying and reducing the number of articles included this review.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Location of Studies. This figure summarizes the geographic focus of culturally grounded prevention studies included in this review.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Methods for Grounding Prevention Programs. This figure illustrates the types of methods described in studies to "ground" prevention interventions.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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