Quality and Equity in Wheelchairs Used by Veterans

Evaluating chronic disease approaches to ameliorate tobacco-related health disparities: Study protocol of a hybrid type 1 implementation-effectiveness trial

Background

Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities experience higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease and related chronic conditions compared to White communities due to disparities in tobacco exposure. Smoking can be effectively treated but evidence-based treatments are less likely to be offered to or used by BIPOC patients. We present the study protocol of the Smoking Cessation Outreach for Racial Equity (SCORE) trial that tests the effect of adding longitudinal care coordination to current standard of care for smoking cessation to promote health equity among BIPOC patients.

Methods

Longitudinal Proactive Outreach (LPO; 4 culturally tailored outreach call cycles over one year by motivational interviewing trained counselors to connect patients to cessation counseling and medication) will be added to the current standard of care, Ask-Advise-Connect (AAC; primary care providers asking all patients if they smoke, and if smoking, advising to quit and connecting to treatment). We will conduct a hybrid type 1 implementation-effectiveness trial to examine the direct effect of AAC + LPO (a multilevel health system intervention) vs. AAC on population-level combustible tobacco abstinence at 18 months and treatment utilization among 2000 BIPOC adults who smoke across two healthcare systems in Minnesota. Participants will be surveyed at 6, 12, and, 18 months post-enrollment to assess outcomes. The primary outcome is biochemically confirmed combustible cigarette abstinence at 18 months.

Discussion

LPO has potential to promote health equity by addressing barriers caused by structural racism, including access to care, care fragmentation, and provider racism, by systematically reaching out to all BIPOC patients who smoke.

Clinicaltrialsgov

NCT05671380.

Factors associated with past and current employment of veterans with spinal cord injury

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine variables predictive of post-SCI return to employment and current employment among a large cohort of veterans with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) treated within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) SCI System of Care.Design: Cross sectional analysis of data obtained during in-person baseline interviews and follow-up phone interviews.Setting: Seven SCI Centers within Veteran Affairs Medical Centers.Participants: 1047 veterans with SCI receiving inpatient or outpatient care in VHA.Results: Only 29.8% were employed post-SCI, 27.9% reported employment within the immediate 5 years before the baseline interview, but only 9.2% reported current employment at the time of the baseline interview. Significant predictors of current employment among these veterans with SCI included recent employment experience, history of legal problems, duration of SCI, education, and life satisfaction.Conclusions: The baseline employment rate following SCI of a large, representative sample, was 29.8%. Greater duration of SCI predicted unemployment, likely due to the older age of this population. Additional years of education promoted current and post-SCI employment, while a history of legal problems was a barrier to employment.

Associations Between Perceived Race-based Discrimination and Contraceptive Use Among Women Veterans in the ECUUN Study

OBJECTIVE

To describe perceived race-based discrimination in Veterans Affairs (VA) health care settings and assess its associations with contraceptive use among a sample of women Veterans.

METHODOLOGY

This study used data from a national telephone survey of women Veterans aged 18-44 receiving health care in VA who were at risk of unintended pregnancy. Participants were asked about their perceptions of race-based discrimination while seeking VA health care and about their contraceptive use at last heterosexual intercourse. Logistic and multinomial regression analyses were used to examine associations between perceived race-based discrimination with use of prescription contraception.

RESULTS

In our sample of 1341 women Veterans, 7.9% report perceived race-based discrimination when receiving VA care, with blacks and Hispanics reporting higher levels of perceived discrimination than white women (11.3% and 11.2% vs. 4.4%; P<0.001). In logistic and multinomial regression analyses adjusting for race/ethnicity, age, income, marital status, parity, and insurance, women who perceived race-based discrimination were less likely to use any prescription birth control than women who did not (odds ratio, 0.65; 95% confidence interval, 0.42-1.00), with the largest difference seen in rates of intrauterine device or implant use (odds ratio, 0.40; 95% confidence interval, 0.20-0.79).

CONCLUSIONS

In this national sample of women Veterans, over 10% of racial/ethnic minority women perceived race-based discrimination when receiving care in VA settings, and perceived racial/ethnic discrimination was associated with lower likelihood of prescription contraception use, especially intrauterine devices and implants. VA efforts to enhance respectful interactions may not only improve patient health care experiences, but also represent an opportunity to improve reproductive health outcomes for women Veterans.