Military Health / en U.S. Air Force Academy Intervention Reduces Unwanted Sexual Contact by Over 40 Percent /news/2021-02/us-air-force-academy-intervention-reduces-unwanted-sexual-contact-over-40-percent <span>U.S. Air Force Academy Intervention Reduces Unwanted Sexual Contact by Over 40 Percent</span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/291" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">dhawkin</span></span> <span>Thu, 02/04/2021 - 14:13</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/kgriff4" hreflang="und">Kenneth W. Griffin, PhD, MPH</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><strong><span><span><span>Study led by AV College of Health and Human Services faculty finds that prevention program effectively reduces unwanted sexual contact among Air Force Cadets, addressing gap in rigorously tested interventions. </span></span></span></strong></p> <p><span><span><span>Sexual assault and sexual harassment are significant problems in the U.S. military and military service academies in the United States. In 2018, 15.8% of female and 2.4% of male cadets and midshipmen across the military service academies reported unwanted sexual contact in the past year. This unwanted behavior can contribute to a variety of negative mental and behavioral health outcomes. </span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>While the military service academies have implemented multiple sexual assault prevention programs and social marketing campaigns to improve awareness of and response to sexual assault, prevention initiatives have been hindered by an absence of evidence from rigorous research about what works.</span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>Eliminating sexual assault in the military is a key focus of the Biden Administration’s newly confirmed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. As one of his first actions in office, Austin has ordered a review of military sexual assault prevention programs. </span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>To address the gap in evidence-based interventions, <a href="https://chhs.gmu.edu/profiles/kgriff4">Dr. Kenneth W. Griffin</a>, professor at <a href="https://chhs.gmu.edu/">AV’s College of Health and Human Services</a>, worked with colleagues to rigorously test the effectiveness of the Cadet Healthy Personal Skills (CHiPS) primary prevention program. CHiPS was developed by </span></span></span>National Health Promotion Associates (NHPA) <span><span><span>and tested in a randomized controlled trial among cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) by a research team led by Dr. Griffin. The results were published online in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.306050" target="_blank"><em>American Journal of Public Health</em></a> January 21, 2021.</span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>Griffin and colleagues found a more than 40% reduction in unwanted sexual contact among U.S. Air Force cadets who participated in the CHiPS intervention compared to those who did not participate in the intervention.</span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>“CHiPS is a small group preventive intervention, developed by NHPA for the U.S. Air Force Academy. The program is based on Botvin Life Skills Training, an evidence-based program which has proven effective at preventing substance abuse, violence, and sexual risk taking among adolescents,” explains Griffin. “The intervention is designed to positively change social norms and bystander intervention behaviors surrounding sexual violence; increase knowledge and skills regarding obtaining consent for sexual activities; address the relationship between sexual violence and alcohol and substance abuse; and build social, self-regulation, and healthy relationship skills through interactive learning and behavioral rehearsal scenarios.”</span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>Their randomized control study included 832 participants, and the new program was implemented in the summer of 2018. About half of the incoming class of 2021 cadets were assigned to receive the prevention program and half were assigned to a control group.<strong> </strong></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>The CHiPS intervention has been sustained at USAFA and implemented with the incoming classes of cadets each summer since the conclusion of this study.  This suggests that the program is both effective and has high potential for institutionalization.</span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>This research was funded by the Department of Defense, United States Air Force, Contract Number FA7014-17-P-1006.</span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><strong>About AV</strong></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>AV is Virginia's largest and most diverse public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls 39,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity and commitment to accessibility. For more information, visit <a href="https://www2.gmu.edu/" target="_blank">https://www2.gmu.edu/</a>.</span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><strong>About the College of Health and Human Services</strong></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>AV's College of Health and Human Services prepares students to become leaders and shape the public's health through academic excellence, research of consequence, community outreach, and interprofessional clinical practice. George Mason is the fastest-growing Research I institution in the country. The College enrolls more than 1,900 undergraduate and 1,370 graduate students in its nationally-recognized offerings, including: 5 undergraduate degrees, 13 graduate degrees, and 7 certificate programs. The college is transitioning to a college public health in the near future. For more information, visit <a href="https://chhs.gmu.edu/">https://chhs.gmu.edu/</a>.</span></span></span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3206" hreflang="en">Public Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/14116" hreflang="en">Sexual Behavior</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/2076" hreflang="en">Military</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6751" hreflang="en">Military Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/691" hreflang="en">College of Health and Human Services</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6616" hreflang="en">College of Health and Human Services Department of Global and Community Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6631" hreflang="en">CHHS Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/271" hreflang="en">Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/8736" hreflang="en">CHHS News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/14036" hreflang="en">faculty spotlight</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/15956" hreflang="en">Center for Health Equity</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Thu, 04 Feb 2021 19:13:33 +0000 dhawkin 58751 at Tip Sheet: U.S. Air Force Academy Intervention Reduces Unwanted Sexual Contact by Over 40 Percent /news/2021-01/tip-sheet-us-air-force-academy-intervention-reduces-unwanted-sexual-contact-over-40 <span>Tip Sheet: U.S. Air Force Academy Intervention Reduces Unwanted Sexual Contact by Over 40 Percent</span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/291" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">dhawkin</span></span> <span>Thu, 01/28/2021 - 15:52</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/kgriff4" hreflang="und">Kenneth W. Griffin, PhD, MPH</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span><span><span>Sexual assault and sexual harassment are significant problems in the U.S. military and military service academies in the United States. In 2018, 15.8% of female and 2.4% of male cadets and midshipmen across the military service academies reported unwanted sexual contact in the past year. This unwanted behavior can contribute to a variety of negative mental and behavioral health outcomes. </span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>Eliminating sexual assault in the military is a key focus of the Biden Administration’s newly confirmed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. As one of his first actions in office, Austin has ordered a review of military sexual assault prevention programs. </span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>While the military service academies have implemented multiple sexual assault prevention programs and social marketing campaigns to improve awareness of and response to sexual assault, the effectiveness of these initiatives is largely unknown due to limited rigorous evaluation. </span></span></span></p> <p>To address the gap in evidence-based interventions, <a href="https://chhs.gmu.edu/profiles/kgriff4">Dr. Kenneth W. Griffin</a>, professor at <a href="https://chhs.gmu.edu/">AV’s College of Health and Human Services</a>, worked with colleagues to rigorously test the effectiveness of the Cadet Healthy Personal Skills (CHiPS) primary prevention program. CHiPS was developed by National Health Promotion Associates (NHPA) and tested in a randomized controlled trial among cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) by a research team led by Griffin.</p> <p><span><span><span>Griffin and colleagues found a more than 40% reduction in unwanted sexual contact among U.S. Air Force cadets who participated in the CHiPS intervention compared to those who did not participate in the intervention.</span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>“CHiPS is a small group preventive intervention, which we developed specifically for the U.S. Air Force Academy. The program is based on Life Skills Training, an evidence-based program which has proven effective at preventing substance abuse, violence, and sexual risk taking among adolescents,” explains Griffin. “The CHiPS intervention is designed to positively change social norms and bystander intervention behaviors surrounding sexual violence; increase knowledge and skills regarding obtaining consent for sexual activities; address the relationship between sexual violence and alcohol and substance abuse; and build social, self-regulation, and healthy relationship skills through interactive learning and behavioral rehearsal scenarios.”</span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>Their randomized control study included 832 participants and the new program was implemented in the summer of 2018. About half of the incoming class of 2021 cadets were assigned to receive the prevention program and half were assigned to a control group.<strong> </strong>Their results were published online in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.306050" target="_blank"><em>American Journal of Public Health</em></a> January 21, 2021. </span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>The CHiPS intervention has been sustained at USAFA and implemented with the incoming classes of cadets each summer since the conclusion of this study.  This suggests that the program is both effective and has high potential for institutionalization.</span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><strong>Funding for the Current Study</strong></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>This research was funded by the Department of Defense, United States Air Force, Contract Number FA7014-17-P-1006.</span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><strong>Expert Available for Comment</strong></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><a href="https://chhs.gmu.edu/profiles/kgriff4">Dr. Kenneth W. Griffin, PhD, MPH</a><br /> Dr. Griffin is a Professor in the Department of Global & Community Health at AV. His research focuses on the etiology and prevention of health risk behaviors including substance use and violence among children, adolescents, and young adults.</span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>Kenneth Griffin can be reached at <a href="mailto:kgriff4@gmu.edu">kgriff4@gmu.edu</a>.  </span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>For more information, contact Danielle Hawkins at <a href="mailto:dhawkin@gmu.edu">dhawkin@gmu.edu</a> or 703-993-1931. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><strong>About AV</strong></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>AV is Virginia's largest and most diverse public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls 39,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity and commitment to accessibility. For more information, visit <a href="https://www2.gmu.edu/" target="_blank">https://www2.gmu.edu/</a>.</span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><strong>About the College of Health and Human Services</strong></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>AV's College of Health and Human Services prepares students to become leaders and shape the public's health through academic excellence, research of consequence, community outreach, and interprofessional clinical practice. George Mason is the fastest-growing Research I institution in the country. The College enrolls more than 1,900 undergraduate and 1,370 graduate students in its nationally-recognized offerings, including: 5 undergraduate degrees, 13 graduate degrees, and 7 certificate programs. The college is transitioning to a college of public health in the near future. For more information, visit <a href="https://chhs.gmu.edu/">https://chhs.gmu.edu/</a>.</span></span></span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/2076" hreflang="en">Military</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6751" hreflang="en">Military Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/14116" hreflang="en">Sexual Behavior</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/12846" hreflang="en">Intervention Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6631" hreflang="en">CHHS Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/271" hreflang="en">Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/691" hreflang="en">College of Health and Human Services</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6616" hreflang="en">College of Health and Human Services Department of Global and Community Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/361" hreflang="en">Tip Sheet</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/8736" hreflang="en">CHHS News</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Thu, 28 Jan 2021 20:52:20 +0000 dhawkin 58771 at Mason launches Military, Veterans, and Families Initiative /news/2020-11/mason-launches-military-veterans-and-families-initiative <span>Mason launches Military, Veterans, and Families Initiative</span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/231" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Colleen Rich</span></span> <span>Thu, 11/05/2020 - 23:30</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p> </p> <p>Dear Colleagues,</p> <p>As you may know, November 8 through 14 is National Nurse Practitioner Week 2020. I’d like to take a moment – in the midst of a global pandemic – to recognize and thank the preceptors, students, faculty, and alumni who are members of the Nurse Practitioner community.  This is a community that is growing strong across the country – with nearly 300,000 NPs nationwide – as well as here at Mason’s School of Nursing. In fact, just since 2016, our Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program has grown by more than 60%. These statistics are a testament to the integral role that NPs play in ensuring healthy communities and meeting the growing demand for health care.</p> <p>The School of Nursing has long believed in the importance of NPs and fully support efforts for practice autonomy. Our faculty and preceptors play a critical role in preparing our NP students for practice and we are grateful for their experience, wisdom, and commitment.</p> <p>We look forward to celebrating our NPs and aspiring NPs and their many accomplishments this week and every week. Thank you for your dedication.</p> <p>Germaine Louis, PhD, MS<br /> Dean<br /> College of Health and Human Services</p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6751" hreflang="en">Military Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/2076" hreflang="en">Military</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/86" hreflang="en">Military Veterans and Families Initiative (MVFI)</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/116" hreflang="en">Campus News</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Fri, 06 Nov 2020 04:30:44 +0000 Colleen Rich 43681 at