Technology Transfer for Familias Unidas Implementation and Evaluation in Chile

Introduction: Parenting interventions are efficacious in preventing youth risk behaviors and promoting protective factors, yet, few are available for Hispanic populations in the U.S, and even fewer in Latin American countries such as Chile. Given the strong need for intervention, building research capacity and providing training that facilitates development of research infrastructure so that interventions can be tested is crucial for the promotion of youth health in countries where evidence-based interventions are minimally available.  As such, a collaborative effort was established between the University of Miami (UM) and the San Carlos de Maipo Foundation (the Foundation) in Chile to develop a research infrastructure that would enable Chilean researchers to adapt and implement US based efficacious interventions. This poster describes the technology transfer (TT) process by which research infrastructure was developed in Chile to evaluate Familias Unidas, an effective substance use and sexual risk preventive intervention, as well as future interventions.

Methods: The TT process involved a series of trainings and mentoring dyads provided by UM with the goal of creating research capacity at the Foundation. Chilean local research team members (n=18) participated in TT trainings that included nine modules organized around topics such as research methodology, intervention delivery, fidelity assessment and clinical trial management. After finalizing all training modules, the Chilean team conducted a pilot study of the Familias Unidas intervention with 42 families.  

Results:  A team of 18 Chilean researchers were trained not only on the technical aspects of delivering Familias Unidas but also on the conduct and management of clinical trials. For example, the UM assessment manager trained the Foundation assessment manager on participant recruitment and monitoring of the assessment team. Similarly, the UM research coordinator trained the Foundation coordinator on quality control procedures and day to day project tasks. Satisfaction with the trainings ranged from 4.3 to 4.92 for each of the modules.    

Conclusions: Training in rigorous research methodology is an often-overlooked component in the dissemination of evidence-based practice but one that is crucial for the successful translation of interventions and promotion of youth health. Due to the research infrastructure that was collaboratively developed, the Foundation researchers will now be able to conduct a randomized controlled trial with support from the UM research team. To move the prevention field forward, it is crucial to train systems in the conduct of research and rigorous execution of protocols to implement evidence-based programming to populations that most need them.