Purpose: The purpose of the study was to determine the feasibility of implementing A1C self-testing at home using the A1CNow® Self Check and to compare the accuracy of the A1CNow to a reference standard in African Americans with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods: African American adults with T2D were recruited from 13 different churches (N = 123). Phase 1, conducted during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, examined the feasibility of A1C assessment using the A1CNow performed at home by untrained participants. Phase 2, conducted when in-person research resumed, compared A1C values concurrently measured using the A1CNow and the DCA Vantage™ Analyzer (reference standard) collected by research staff at church testing sites. Results: In Phase 1, 98.8% of participants successfully completed at least 1 at-home A1C test; the overall failure rate was 24.7%. In Phase 2, the failure rate of staff-performed A1CNow testing was 4.4%. The Bland-Altman plot reveals that A1CNow values were 0.68% lower than DCA values, and the mean differences (A1CNow minus DCA) ranged from −2.6% to 1.2% with a limit of agreement between −1.9% to 0.5%. Conclusions: A1C self-testing is feasible for use in community settings involving African American adults with T2D. The A1CNow Self-Check underestimated A1C values when compared with the reference standard. Ongoing improvements in point-of-care devices have the potential to expand research and clinical care, especially in underserved communities.

Objective: Investigate the association of positivity with generalized anxiety and the mediating roles of resilience and sense of belonging in underrepresented college students. Participants: College students (N = 425; 18.4% White, 17.9% Black, 40.2% Hispanic, 20.2% Asian; 38.1% first-generation; M _age = 19.06; 63.1% female) completed an online survey assessing positivity, anxiety, resilience, and belonging. Methods: Path analysis tested the proposed mediation model, controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, first-generation status, living status, and diagnosed disability. Results: Positivity was negatively associated with anxiety directly (ƅ = −.468, p < .001) and indirectly through resilience (ƅ = −.083, p < .001), but not through belonging (ƅ = −.026, p > .05). Positivity was associated with belonging (ƅ = .611, p < .001); belonging was not associated with anxiety (ƅ = −.042, p > .05). Conclusions: Findings highlight the benefit of positivity on anxiety and the mediating role of resilience among underrepresented college students.

Attention to increasing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use among cisgender Black women (CBW) in the southern United States (U.S.) is necessary to achieve national 2030 Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) goals. Qualitative exploration of CBW’s readiness to use PrEP is necessary to discern whether practical solutions to addressing PrEP uptake within this HIV-vulnerable population are feasible. Focus group discussions (n = 5) and key informant interviews (n = 3) in two EHE jurisdictions in Houston and Austin, Texas were used to explore how perspectives and lived experiences may serve as facilitators and/or barriers to PrEP readiness among 20 CBW. Codes highlighted facilitators and barriers to PrEP readiness. Facilitators involved positive experiences with the healthcare system, high perceived HIV vulnerability, and prioritizing PrEP as self-care. Barriers encompassed concerns with sexual relationship dynamics, mental health implications, and access to humane treatment within the healthcare system. High perceived vulnerability of HIV acquisition is related to an awareness that CBW may not know the entirety of their partner’s sexual activities. Findings indicate precursors of PrEP readiness and challenge the notion that CBW have low perceived vulnerability of acquiring HIV.