F Alethea Marti

All Publications

• Vida Sana y Completa: A randomized controlled trial to examine the effectiveness of diabetes prevention with and without medically supportive groceries among Latina women. Contemporary clinical trials Rosas, L. G., Perez, J. A., Chen, W. T., Xiao, L., Espinosa, P. R., Venditti, E. M., Lewis, M. A., Gardner, C. D., Marti, A., Martinez, E., Murthy, M., Hauser, M. 2024: 107582

  Abstract

  Latina women have a high prevalence of obesity and obesity-related chronic diseases, such as diabetes. Approximately half of Latinas with obesity will also experience food insecurity, or a lack of access to enough food for an active and healthy life. Food insecurity is a barrier for effective prevention and management of obesity-related chronic diseases. The goal of this type 1 hybrid comparative effectiveness trial is to compare a culturally-tailored diabetes prevention intervention with and without medically supportive groceries. Adult Latina women (n = 412) with obesity (Body Mass Index (BMI) of >30 kg/m2) and food insecurity will be 1:1 randomized to the Vida Sana intervention (control), or to Vida Sana y Completa (intervention plus integrated treatment for food insecurity). Vida Sana is an evidence-based culturally tailored, 12-month diabetes prevention intervention that targets at least 5% weight loss and at least 150 min/week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Participants enrolled in Vida Sana y Completa will also receive 12 weekly deliveries of medically supportive groceries. Those in Vida Sana alone will receive information on local food resources. Participants will be assessed at baseline and every 6 months for 24 months. The primary outcome is weight loss at 12 months. Secondary outcomes include weight loss maintenance, diet quality, and quality of life. Barriers and facilitators of implementation will be assessed using mixed methods according to the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. This study will provide critical evidence for addressing the combination of obesity and food insecurity in primary care for diabetes prevention. Trial Registration: NCT052111.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.cct.2024.107582

  View details for PubMedID 38810932

• "They Just Helped Save My Life:" Client Perspectives on the Los Angeles County Full Service Partnership (FSP) Program for Serious Mental Illness. Community mental health journal Erickson, B. R., Marti, F. A., Choi, K., Eberhart, N., Ashwood, J. S., Zima, B., Montero, A., Kataoka, S., Bromley, E. 2023; 59 (6): 1227-1234

  Abstract

  The purpose of this qualitative study was to elicit client perspectives on the Los Angeles County Full Service Partnership (FSP) program - an adaptation of Assertive Community Treatment (ACT). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 FSP clients. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Two major themes were identified from the interview data: (1) Clients' acknowledgement of the material benefits of the FSP program; and (2) FSP's impact on restoring and stabilizing clients' social and treatment relationships. Interviewees greatly valued the material (i.e., basic needs, housing assistance) and relational (i.e., relationships with providers, restored personal relationships) aspects of the program, but did not ascribe the same degree of value to mental health treatment. Interviewees' emphases on material and relational aspects reflect the status of assertive mental health treatment as an intervention on intermediary determinants of health in the lives of persons diagnosed with serious mental illness.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10597-023-01096-z

  View details for PubMedID 36735205

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC10330294

• Overview of Ten Child Mental Health Clinical Outcome Measures: Testing of Psychometric Properties with Diverse Client Populations in the U.S. Administration and policy in mental health Marti, F. A., Pourat, N., Lee, C., Zima, B. T. 2022; 49 (2): 197-225

  Abstract

  While many standardized assessment measures exist to track child mental health treatment outcomes, the degree to which such tools have been adequately tested for reliability and validity across race, ethnicity, and class is uneven. This paper examines the corpus of published tests of psychometric properties for the ten standardized measures used in U.S. child outpatient care, with focus on breadth of testing across these domains. Our goal is to assist care providers, researchers, and legislators in understanding how cultural mismatch impacts measurement accuracy and how to select tools appropriate to the characteristics of their client populations. We also highlight avenues of needed research for measures that are in common use. The list of measures was compiled from (1) U.S. state Department of Mental Health websites; (2) a survey of California county behavioral health agency directors; and (3) exploratory literature scans of published research. Ten measures met inclusion criteria; for each one a systematic review of psychometrics literature was conducted. Diversity of participant research samples was examined as well as differences in reliability and validity by gender, race or ethnicity, and socio-economic class. All measures showed adequate reliability and validity, however half lacked diverse testing across all three domains and all lacked testing with Asian American/Pacific Islander and Native American children. ASEBA, PSC, and SDQ had the broadest testing.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10488-021-01157-z

  View details for PubMedID 34482501

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC8850232

• Selection of a Child Clinical Outcome Measure for Statewide Use in Publicly Funded Outpatient Mental Health Programs. Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.) Zima, B. T., Marti, F. A., Lee, C. E., Pourat, N. 2019; 70 (5): 381-388

  Abstract

  This study describes the process of choosing a clinical outcome measure for a statewide performance outcome system for children receiving publicly funded mental health services in California.The recommendation is based on a five-phase approach, including an environmental scan of measures used by state mental health agencies; a statewide provider survey; a scientific literature review; a modified Delphi panel; and final rating of candidate measures by using nine minimum criteria informed by stakeholder priorities, scientific evidence, and state statute.Only 10 states reported use of at least one standardized measure for outcome measurement. In California, the most frequently reported measures were the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) (N=33), the Child Behavior Checklist (N=14), and the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (N=12). Based on modified Delphi panel ratings, only the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC) were rated on average in the high-equivocal to high range on effective care, scientific acceptability, usability, feasibility, and overall utility. The PSC met all nine minimum criteria for recommendation for statewide use. In its final decision, the California Department of Health Care Services mandated use of the PSC and CANS.There is a lack of capacity to compare child clinical outcomes across states and California counties. Frequently used outcome measures were often not supported by scientific evidence or Delphi panel ratings. Policy action is needed to promote the selection of a common clinical outcome measure and measurement methodology for children receiving publicly funded mental health care.

  View details for DOI 10.1176/appi.ps.201800424

  View details for PubMedID 30813864

• Affordances of mHealth technology and the structuring of clinic communication JOURNAL OF APPLIED COMMUNICATION RESEARCH Mikesell, L., Marti, F., Guzman, J. R., McCreary, M., Zima, B. 2018; 46 (3): 323-347

  View details for DOI 10.1080/00909882.2018.1465195

  View details for Web of Science ID 000433977600003

• Mobile Health Interventions for Psychiatric Conditions in Children: A Scoping Review. Child and adolescent psychiatric clinics of North America Archangeli, C., Marti, F. A., Wobga-Pasiah, E. A., Zima, B. 2017; 26 (1): 13-31

  Abstract

  A scoping review was performed to determine what evidence exists to support the clinical use of mobile health (mHealth) interventions to address child psychiatric disorders. The review focused on children less than 18 years old who were diagnosed with a mental disorder, used an mHealth intervention, and included novel outcome data. Each study assessed feasibility of the intervention and concluded that the interventions were accepted and/or liked by patients. Of the 2 studies that examined effectiveness using a randomized controlled trial design, there were no statistically significant differences in clinical outcomes, but results were limited by small sample size.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.chc.2016.07.009

  View details for PubMedID 27837939

• The Logic of (Mis) Behavior: Peer Socialization through Assessments among Zinacantec Youth JOURNAL OF LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN ANTHROPOLOGY Marti, F. 2013; 18 (3): 465-484

  View details for DOI 10.1111/jlca.12042

  View details for Web of Science ID 000211748500007

• Implications of Commerce and Urbanization for the Learning Environments of Everyday Life A Zinacantec Maya Family Across Time and Space JOURNAL OF CROSS-CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY Greenfield, P. M., Maynard, A. E., Marti, F. 2009; 40 (6): 935-952

  View details for DOI 10.1177/0022022109347968

  View details for Web of Science ID 000271473400004