Promote health in 100 teens in Portland, Oregon

During a typical session with MIKE Program, small groups of youth gather around their mentors seated throughout the classroom. The youth share how they’re feeling and comment on the topics of the day as they dive into the day’s healthy snack. MIKE Program mentors take turns bringing healthy snacks to the class to expose youth to food alternatives from the usual junk food lineup. It’s a tasty lesson that helps teenagers focus on a variety of health-related information and skills.

As the session progresses, each mentor guides their team of four-five youth through hands-on lessons featuring a variety of components of overall health with a focus on kidneys. One day the mentors steer the youth through building a make-shift kidney as a way to illustrate the processes of this vital organ. On another day they encourage the youth to express their ideas for health by designing a t-shirt with a health message. During each class session, MIKE Program mentors serve as role models reinforcing an ongoing relationship that empowers the youth to develop leadership skills for managing their health.

MIKE Program mentors volunteer on a weekly basis for at least one semester. It’s a serious commitment for a cadre of individuals already busy with college and professional work. A majority of MIKE Program’s mentors are health professions’ students in degree programs in public health, medicine or psychology. As the mentors progress through MIKE Program, their impact on the youth becomes both personal and increasingly clinical.

Building meaningful relationships through mentoring enables both the youth and mentors to expand their social skills and career opportunities. MIKE Program mentor and Pacific University doctoral student Tara Sharifan’s research focuses on the outcomes of youth mentorship in the program. She found that mentoring with MIKE Program improved the mentors’ personal health, knowledge and habits, as well as increased their professional development.

The impact of the program on the mentors extends beyond academics. One mentor quoted in Tara’s study said, ““Mentoring has helped me look beyond the scope of ‘me’ when it comes to health. I still practice healthy behaviors, but now I am more interested in how I can model health for others and have a greater impact on the community.”

For most MIKE Program mentors, their experience is as much about being positive role models as it is about expanding their experiences with diverse populations. MIKE Program concentrates its efforts on vulnerable youth more likely to experience health disparities and chronic diseases than the overall population. Another mentor shared, “I have been able to diversify my experience as a community health advocate and role model while also gaining valuable skills that have transferred to both my own personal life as well as the lives of others around me.”

Tara, who mentors with MIKE Program at Miller Education Center West, also studied the effects of mentoring on youth participating in the program. She found teens in the program acquired useful knowledge about kidney health, gained empowerment as health leaders, and strengthened their connections with near-peer mentors.

Tara is part of a team at Pacific University’s School of Professional Psychology researching outcomes of MIKE Program. Headed the Susan T. Li, PhD, professor and director of the Child and Adolescent Track at Pacific University’s School of Professional Psychology, the team of doctoral candidates analyze youth knowledge before and after the program to determine MIKE Program’s effectiveness. The partnership, now in its fourth year, is looking deeper into general and targeted population outcomes of MIKE Program on youth and mentors.

“At Pacific University, we train students to be outstanding health service professionals who are equipped to serve our diverse communities in the 21st Century,” said. “Our partnership with MIKE Program allows us to meet this goal.”

Dr. Li presented her team’s key findings with an overview of the partnership during a panel presentation at the Western Psychological Association’s 2014 Annual Conference in Portland on April 26, 2014. Her team has also presented their research on MIKE Program outcomes at three other conferences this spring. Dr. Li’s future presentations include the Familias en Accion’s Latino Health Equity Conference and the American Psychological Association’s Division 45 Research Conference, both in June.

Links:

• MIKE Program website

MIKE Program Mentors Build Healthy Relationships with Youth

From the application process, screenings, interviews and trainings, MIKE Program mentors complete a demanding series of requirements prior to entering the classroom. Most potential mentors who apply to MIKE Program are used to rigorous standards, like Elena, a second year medical student at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU). MIKE Program attracts many young adults from health professions. Elena’s medical and academic training helped to provide a solid foundation for her work with youth at De La Salle North Catholic High School in Portland.

“I liked that she helped and answered our questions and helped us to understand,” said Chidinma, one of the youth assigned to Elena’s team. “I also liked how she helped us stay on track on our work. She made MIKE Program a good experience.”

MIKE Program mentors dedicate anywhere from one semester to one or two years to MIKE Program, meeting with youth each week during the academic year. Cody, a MIKE Program mentor who currently is conducting research in trauma critical care at OHSU, is in his second year volunteering with the program. Such commitment builds greater rapport skills for the mentors and elicits positive responses from the youth.

“What I like about Cody was that he was always here on Thursdays,” said Kassandra. “And also that he would teach us new things like words about kidneys.”

Cody’s team of four youth at De La Salle North Catholic High School shared their new knowledge about kidneys with youngsters at George Middle School in Portland for their Health Leadership Project presentation. The projects are a culmination of the skills and knowledge gained throughout the semester which teams of youth share with their community. In January, 11 teams fanned out in North Portland, reaching more than 260 others with information about living healthy and protecting kidneys.

Building healthy relationships is a key component of MIKE Program. For the mentors, MIKE Program offers a unique opportunity to gain real-world training while serving as role models for the next generation. For the youth, it builds trust, confidence and opens new dialogue for a new generation of health leaders.

The rewards are felt by both the youth and the mentors. “I love working with youth in MIKE Program,” said Cody. “They keep me inspired to continue working hard through this process and to love what I do.”

Four Conferences to Feature MIKE Program

In its first decade of service, MIKE Program has earned a reputation for positive outcomes. Since 2011, Pacific University’s School of Professional Psychology has been researching and documenting those positive results. In 2014, a team from the university will present MIKE Program’s outcomes evaluations on a regional and national stage.

There will be a panel discussion, MIKE Program: Preventing Chronic Kidney Disease Among Low-Income Minority Youth, at the Western Psychological Association Conference in Portland, April 24-27, 2014.

MIKE Program outcomes will also be featured at the Familias en Acción’s Latino Health Equity Conference at Portland State University on June 13, 2014. Besides a poster presentation, the conference will feature an afternoon session on Longitudinal Health-Related Outcomes of MIKE Program for Latino Adolescents, and Changing Health Behaviors for Latino Youth Engaged in MIKE Program.

The conference season for MIKE Program begins in March with two national conferences, the Society of Research on Adolescence in Austin, Tex., March 20-22, 2014; followed by the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine Conference, March 23-26, 2014. Both conferences will feature poster presentations on MIKE Program outcomes by Pacific University.

Links:

• MIKE Program website