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Adams EK, Kramer MR, Joski PJ, Coloske M, Dunlop AL. Examination of the Black-White racial disparity in severe maternal morbidity among Georgia deliveries, 2016 to 2020. AJOG Glob Rep 2024; 4:100303. [PMID: 38283324 PMCID: PMC10811457 DOI: 10.1016/j.xagr.2023.100303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies find that delivery hospital explains a significant portion of the Black-White gap in severe maternal morbidity. No such studies have focused on the US Southeast, where racial disparities are widest, and few have examined the relative contribution of hospital, residential, and maternal factors. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to estimate the portion of Georgia's Black-White gap in severe maternal morbidity during delivery through 42 days postpartum explained by hospital, residential, and maternal factors. STUDY DESIGN Using linked Georgia hospital discharge, birth, and fetal death records for 2016 through 2020, we identified 413,124 deliveries to non-Hispanic White (229,357; 56%) or Black (183,767; 44%) individuals. We linked hospital data from the American Hospital Association and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and area data from the Area Resource File and American Community Survey. We identified severe maternal morbidity indicator conditions during delivery or subsequent hospitalizations through 42 days postpartum. Using race-specific logistic models followed by a decomposition technique, we estimated the portion of the Black-White severe maternal morbidity gap explained by the following: (1) sociodemographic factors (age, education, marital status, and nativity), (2) medical conditions (diabetes mellitus, gestational diabetes, chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension or preeclampsia, and smoking), (3) obstetrical factors (singleton or multiple, and birth order); (4) access to care (no or third trimester care, and payer), (5) hospital factors that are time-varying (delivery volume, deliveries per full-time equivalent nurse, doctor communication, patient safety, and adverse event composite score) or measured time-invariant characteristics (ownership, profit status, religious affiliation, teaching status, and perinatal level), and (6) residential factors (county urban/rural classification, percent uninsured women of reproductive age, obstetrician-gynecologists per women of reproductive age, number of federally-qualified and community health centers, medically-underserved area [yes/no], and census tract neighborhood deprivation index). We estimated models with and without hospital fixed-effects, which account for unobserved time-invariant hospital characteristics such as within-hospital care processes or unmeasured hospital-specific factors. RESULTS There was 1.8 times the rate of severe maternal morbidity per 100 discharges among non-Hispanic Black (3.15) than among White (1.73) individuals, with an explained proportion of 30.4% in models without and 49.8% in models with hospital fixed-effects. In the latter, hospital fixed-effects explained the largest portion of the Black-White severe maternal morbidity gap (15.1%) followed by access to care (14.9%) and sociodemographic factors (14.4%), with residential factors being protective for Black individuals (-7.5%). Smaller proportions were explained by medical (5.6%), obstetrical (4.0%), and time-varying hospital factors (3.2%). Within each category, the largest explanatory portion was payer type (13.3%) for access to care, marital status (10.3%) for sociodemographic, gestational hypertension (3.3%) for medical, birth order (3.6%) for obstetrical, and patient safety indicator (3.1%) for time-varying hospital factors. CONCLUSION Models with hospital fixed-effects explain a greater proportion of Georgia's Black-White severe maternal morbidity gap than models without them, thereby supporting the point that differences in care processes or other unmeasured factors within the same hospital translate into racial differences in severe maternal morbidity during delivery through 42 days postpartum. Research is needed to discern and ameliorate sources of within-hospital differences in care. The substantial proportion of the gap attributable to racial differences in access to care and sociodemographic factors points to other needed policy interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Kathleen Adams
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Rollins School of Public Health Emory University, Atlanta, GA (Dr Adams, Mr Joski, and Ms Coloske)
| | - Michael R. Kramer
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University Atlanta, GA (Dr Kramer)
| | - Peter J. Joski
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Rollins School of Public Health Emory University, Atlanta, GA (Dr Adams, Mr Joski, and Ms Coloske)
| | - Marissa Coloske
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Rollins School of Public Health Emory University, Atlanta, GA (Dr Adams, Mr Joski, and Ms Coloske)
| | - Anne L. Dunlop
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, School of Medicine, Emory University Atlanta, GA (Dr Dunlop)
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Jung OS, Aiken LH, Sloane DM, Fridkin SK, Li Y, Kang YJ, Becker ER, Joski PJ, Cimiotti JP. Nurse Work Environment and Hospital-Onset Clostridioides difficile Infection. Med Care 2023; 61:360-365. [PMID: 37167557 PMCID: PMC10168114 DOI: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Clostridioides difficile is the leading cause of hospital-onset diarrhea and is associated with increased lengths of stay and mortality. While some hospitals have successfully reduced the burden of C. difficile infection (CDI), many still struggle to reduce hospital-onset CDI. Nurses-because of their close proximity to patients-are an important resource in the prevention of hospital-onset CDI. OBJECTIVE Determine whether there is an association between the nurse work environment and hospital-onset CDI. METHODS Survey data of 2016 were available from 15,982 nurses employed in 353 acute care hospitals. These data, aggregated to the hospital level, provided measures of the nurse work environments. They were merged with 2016 hospital-onset CDI data from Hospital Compare, which provided our outcome measure-whether a hospital had a standardized infection ratio (SIR) above or below the national average SIR. Hospitals above the average SIR had more infections than predicted when compared to the national average. RESULTS In all, 188 hospitals (53%) had SIRs higher than the national average. The odds of hospitals having higher than average SIRs were significantly lower, with odds ratios ranging from 0.35 to 0.45, in hospitals in the highest quartile for all four nurse work environment subscales (managerial support, nurse participation in hospital governance, physician-nurse relations, and adequate staffing) than in hospitals in the lowest quartile. CONCLUSIONS Findings show an association between the work environment of nurses and hospital-onset CDI. A promising strategy to lower hospital-onset CDI and other infections is a serious and sustained commitment by hospital leaders to significantly improve nurse work environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia S. Jung
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
- Laboratory of Innovation Science at Harvard, Harvard University, Cambridge
- Healthcare Transformation Lab, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Linda H. Aiken
- Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Douglas M. Sloane
- Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Scott K. Fridkin
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
- School of Medicine, Emory University
| | - Yin Li
- Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
| | - Yu Jin Kang
- Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
| | | | - Peter J. Joski
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
| | - Jeannie P. Cimiotti
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
- Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
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Vuncannon DM, Platner MH, Boulet SL, Dunlop AL, Joski PJ, Adams EK. Risk of severe maternal morbidity by location of residence in Georgia. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2022.11.246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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Adams EK, Johnson VC, Hogue CJ, Franco-Montoya D, Joski PJ, Hawley JN. Elementary School-Based Health Centers and Access to Preventive and Asthma-Related Care Among Publicly Insured Children With Asthma in Georgia. Public Health Rep 2022; 137:901-911. [PMID: 34436955 PMCID: PMC9379825 DOI: 10.1177/00333549211032973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We assessed the effects of 3 new elementary school-based health centers (SBHCs) in disparate Georgia communities-predominantly non-Hispanic Black semi-urban, predominantly Hispanic urban, and predominantly non-Hispanic White rural-on asthma case management among children insured by Medicaid/Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). METHODS We used a quasi-experimental difference-in-differences analysis to measure changes in the treatment of children with asthma, Medicaid/CHIP, and access to an SBHC (treatment, n = 193) and children in the same county without such access (control, n = 163) in school years 2011-2013 and 2013-2018. Among children with access to an SBHC (n = 193), we tested for differences between users (34%) and nonusers of SBHCs. We used International Classification of Diseases diagnosis codes, Current Procedural Terminology codes, and National Drug Codes to measure well-child visits and influenza immunization; ≥3 asthma-related visits, asthma-relief medication, asthma-control medication, and ≥2 asthma-control medications; and emergency department visits during the child-school year. RESULTS We found an increase of about 19 (P = .01) to 33 (P < .001) percentage points in the probability of having ≥3 asthma-related visits per child-school year and an increase of about 22 (P = .003) to 24 (P < .001) percentage points in the receipt of asthma-relief medication, among users of the predominantly non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic SBHCs. We found a 19 (P = .01) to 29 (P < .001) percentage-point increase in receipt of asthma-control medication and a 15 (P = .03) to 30 (P < .001) percentage-point increase in receipt of ≥2 asthma-control medications among users. Increases were largest in the predominantly non-Hispanic Black SBHC. CONCLUSION Implementation and use of elementary SBHCs can increase case management and recommended medications among racial/ethnic minority and publicly insured children with asthma.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Kathleen Adams
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Rollins School of
Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Veda C. Johnson
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine,
Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Carol J. Hogue
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health,
Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Daniela Franco-Montoya
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Rollins School of
Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Peter J. Joski
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Rollins School of
Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jonathan N. Hawley
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Rollins School of
Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Abstract
Several patient demographics such as race/ethnicity and comorbid chronic conditions are associated with severity of illness among COVID-19 patients. This study examines national data of COVID-19 patients to estimate the likelihood that these characteristics are associated with a hospital admission, admission to an intensive care unit (ICU), and length of hospital stay. Using logistic regressions, the authors found that minority populations (Black, Asian, and Hispanic) were 21% to 35% more likely to be hospitalized than Whites. Moreover, patients with multiple chronic conditions also were more likely to be hospitalized, admitted to the ICU, and had longer lengths of stay. Results highlight the need to target vaccines to the most vulnerable populations during COVID-19 but also for future outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth E Thorpe
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Peter J Joski
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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Adams EK, Strahan AE, Joski PJ, Hawley JN, Johnson VC, Hogue CJ. Effect of Elementary School-Based Health Centers in Georgia on the Use of Preventive Services. Am J Prev Med 2020; 59:504-512. [PMID: 32863078 PMCID: PMC8188727 DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2020.04.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2019] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION This study measures effects on the receipt of preventive care among children enrolled in Georgia's Medicaid or Children's Health Insurance Program associated with the implementation of new elementary school-based health centers. The study sites differed by geographic environment and predominant race/ethnicity (rural white, non-Hispanic; black, small city; and suburban Hispanic). METHODS A quasi-experimental treatment/control cohort study used Medicaid/Children's Health Insurance Program claims/enrollment data for children in school years before implementation (2011-2012 and 2012-2013) versus after implementation (2013-2014 to 2016-2017) of school-based health centers to estimate effects on preventive care among children with (treatment) and without (control) access to a school-based health center. Data analysis was performed in 2017-2019. There were 1,531 unique children in the treatment group with an average of 4.18 school years observed and 1,737 in the control group with 4.32 school years observed. A total of 1,243 Medicaid/Children's Health Insurance Program-insured children in the treatment group used their school-based health centers. RESULTS Significant increases in well-child visits (5.9 percentage points, p<0.01) and influenza vaccination (6.9 percentage points, p<0.01) were found for children with versus without a new school-based health center. This represents a 15% increase from the pre-implementation percentage (38.8%) with a well-child visit and a 25% increase in influenza vaccinations. Increases were found only in the 2 school-based health centers with predominantly minority students. The 18.7 percentage point (p<0.01) increase in diet/counseling among obese/overweight Hispanic children represented a doubling from a 15.3% baseline. CONCLUSIONS Implementation of elementary school-based health centers increased the receipt of key preventive care among young, publicly insured children in urban areas of Georgia, with potential reductions in racial and ethnic disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther K Adams
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
| | - Andrea E Strahan
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Peter J Joski
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Jonathan N Hawley
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Veda C Johnson
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Carol J Hogue
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
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Vupputuri S, Joski PJ, Kilpatrick R, Woolley JM, Robinson BE, Farkouh ME, Yun H, Safford MM, Muntner P. LDL cholesterol response and statin adherence among high-risk patients initiating treatment. Am J Manag Care 2016; 22:e106-e115. [PMID: 26978237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The 2013 American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) cholesterol treatment guideline recommends monitoring percent reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) among patients initiating statins as an indication of response and adherence. We examined LDL-C reduction and statin adherence among high-risk patients initiating statins in a real-world setting. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. METHODS The study population included Kaiser Permanente Georgia members (n = 1066) with a history of coronary heart disease or risk equivalent(s) initiating statins in 2011. Percent change in LDL-C was defined using measurements before and 60 to 450 days after statin initiation. Statin adherence was defined by proportion of days covered, categorized as high (≥80%), intermediate (50%-79%), and low (< 50%). RESULTS Overall, 58.4% of patients failed to achieve a ≥ 30% LDL-C reduction after statin initiation. The prevalences of high, intermediate, and low statin adherence were 41.3%, 23.2%, and 35.6%, respectively. Of patients with high adherence, 42.3% did not achieve a ≥ 30% reduction in LDL-C compared with 54.7% and 79.7% of those with intermediate and low statin adherence, respectively. After multivariable adjustment, and compared with those with high adherence, the risk ratios for not achieving a ≥ 30% LDL-C reduction were 1.31 (95% CI, 1.13-1.52) and 1.88 (95% CI, 1.67-2.11), for those with intermediate and low adherence. Women and African Americans were less likely to have high adherence, whereas having cardiologist visits was associated with high adherence. CONCLUSIONS In a real-world setting, many patients did not achieve a 30% or larger LDL-C reduction. These data support the ACC/AHA recommendation to monitor LDL-C response among patients initiating statins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suma Vupputuri
- Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic Permanente Research Institute, 2101 East Jefferson St, 4W, Rockville, MD 20852. E-mail:
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8
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Although maternal deaths are among the most tragic events related to pregnancy, they are uncommon in the US and, therefore, inadequate indicators of a woman's pregnancy-related health. Maternal morbidity has become a more useful measure for surveillance and research. Traditional attempts to monitor maternal morbidity have used hospital discharge data, which include data only on complications that resulted in hospitalisation, underestimating the frequency and scope of complications. METHODS To obtain a more accurate assessment of morbidity, we applied a validated computerised algorithm to identify pregnancies and pregnancy-related complications in a defined population enrolled in a health maintenance organisation in the south-eastern US. We examined the most common morbidities by pregnancy outcome and maternal characteristics. RESULTS We identified 37 741 pregnancies; in half (50.7%), at least one complication occurred. The five most common were urinary tract infections, anaemia, mental health conditions, pelvic and perineal complications, and obstetrical infections. Complications were more likely in women with low socio-economic status (SES), and among non-Hispanic Black women compared with non-Hispanic White women. Multivariable models stratified by race/ethnicity indicated that in pregnancies among non-Hispanic White women, low SES had a modest effect on the odds of having preexisting medical conditions [adjusted odd ratio (AOR) 1.3 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2, 1.5]] or having any morbidity (AOR 1.3 [95% CI 1.2, 1.4]). Low SES had little effect on complications among non-Hispanic Black women. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that comprehensive health insurance coverage may lessen the unfavourable impact of socio-economic disadvantage on the risk of maternal morbidity.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Carol Bruce
- Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Division of Reproductive Health The Center for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Southeast, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA.
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION Adverse maternal and infant health outcomes due to maternal smoking are well known. Previous estimates of health care costs for infants at delivery attributable to maternal smoking were $366 million, $704 per smoker, in 1996 dollars. Changes in antenatal and neonatal care, medical care inflation, and declines in the prevalence of maternal smoking call for an updated analysis. METHODS We used Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System for 2001/2002 to estimate the association of maternal smoking to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) admission and, in turn, the length of stay for infants admitted/not admitted. Models are then used with 2003 natality files to derive predicted expenses as is and "as if" mothers did not smoke. The difference in these predicted expenses is smoking attributable expenses (SAEs). The updated analysis incorporated Hispanic ethnicity as an additional variable, data from 27 as opposed to 13 states, and updated (2004) NICU costs per night. RESULTS In contrast to earlier work, we find no significant association of maternal smoking and NICU admission but rather, a positive effect on the length of stay of exposed infants once admitted to the NICU. SAEs were estimated at $122 million (CI = -$29m to $285m) nationally and $279 (CI = -$76 to $653) per maternal smoker in 2004 dollars. CONCLUSIONS Declines in maternal smoking prevalence between the mid-1990s and 2003 combined with a weaker relationship of maternal smoking to NICU admission offset medical care inflation such that infants' SAEs declined. Yet, these are significant in magnitude, incurred immediately and highly preventable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther Kathleen Adams
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30345, USA.
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Roblin DW, Houston TK, Allison JJ, Joski PJ, Becker ER. Disparities in use of a personal health record in a managed care organization. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2009; 16:683-9. [PMID: 19567790 DOI: 10.1197/jamia.m3169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 159] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Personal health records (PHRs) can increase patient access to health care information. However, use of PHRs may be unequal by race/ethnicity. DESIGN The authors conducted a 2-year cohort study (2005-2007) assessing differences in rates of registration with KP.org, a component of the Kaiser Permanente electronic health record (EHR). MEASUREMENTS At baseline, 1,777 25-59 year old Kaiser Permanente Georgia enrollees, who had not registered with KP.org, responded to a mixed mode (written or Internet) survey. Baseline, EHR, and KP.org data were linked. Time to KP.org registration by race from 10/1/05 (with censoring for disenrollment from Kaiser Permanente) was adjusted for baseline education, comorbidity, patient activation, and completion of the baseline survey online vs. by paper using Cox proportional hazards. RESULTS Of 1,777, 34.7% (616) registered with KP.org between Oct 2005 and Nov 2007. Median time to registering a KP.org account was 409 days. Among African Americans, 30.1% registered, compared with 41.7% of whites (p < 0.01). In the hazards model, African Americans were again less likely to register than whites (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.652, 95% CI: 0.549-0.776) despite adjustment. Those with baseline Internet access were more likely to register (HR = 1.629, 95% CI: 1.294-2.050), and a significant educational gradient was also observed (more likely registration with higher educational levels). CONCLUSIONS Differences in education, income, and Internet access did not account for the disparities in PHR registration by race. In the short-term, attempts to improve patient access to health care with PHRs may not ameliorate prevailing disparities between African Americans and whites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas W Roblin
- Center for Health Research/Southeast, Kaiser Permanente Georgia, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Adams EK, Breen N, Joski PJ. Impact of the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program on mammography and Pap test utilization among white, Hispanic, and African American women: 1996-2000. Cancer 2007; 109:348-58. [PMID: 17136766 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.22353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Prevention, including routine cancer screening, is key to meeting national goals for the elimination of death and suffering due to cancer. Since 1991, the U.S. government has invested in programs such as the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) to detect breast and cervical cancer early among uninsured low-income women. A concomitant goal is reducing racial disparities in screening and early detection, and the NBCCEDP program targets low-income women who are more often racial and ethnic minorities. This paper analyzes data to test for effects of the NBCCEDP and other determinants of screening across racial/ethnic groups. We used data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) for 1996 through 2000. These data indicate that gaps in testing for breast and cervical cancers between African American and non-Hispanic white women aged 40-64 years have closed but remain for Hispanics. Multivariate findings indicate that the longevity of free screening sites through the NBCCEDP significantly increased both tests for non-Hispanic white women. The data do not confirm this effect for other racial and ethnic groups. Analysis did indicate that public insurance, or Medicaid, was equal to private insurance in promoting increased testing for African Americans and Hispanics, but not for non-Hispanic whites. Assuring that Medicaid remains available for women in this nonelderly group and increasing access to free screening sites can lead us closer to national screening goals, yet policies still need to address racial/ethnic disparities in insurance and service delivery. Cancer 2007. (c) 2006 American Cancer Society.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Kathleen Adams
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.
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12
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Receipt of age-appropriate cancer screens can lead to reduced incidence and mortality. Yet, low-income and uninsured experience barriers to screening. This paper examines colorectal cancer rates by income, racial and insured groups 1997 and 1999. These years focus on changes pre/post a 1998 policy change for Medicare beneficiaries that reduced their out-of-pocket costs for colorectal screening. METHODS The 1997 and 1999 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey is used to examine changes in age-appropriate fecal-occult blood testing (FOBT), flexible sigmoidoscopy screens. Differences in the odds that Medicare beneficiaries, relative to private insured, receive screens pre/post 1998 are examined using multivariate logit models. RESULTS Average rates of sigmoidoscopy increased significantly during 1997-1999 but remain below desired levels. While Medicare beneficiaries are more likely than privately insured to be screened, gaps between low- versus high-income groups in both Medicare and non-Medicare populations remain. The 1998 Medicare policy change was associated with a significant increase in the odds of screening among low-income (<$25,000) Medicare beneficiaries. CONCLUSIONS Policy makers should consider reasons for continued low colorectal screening rates among all insured groups. Barriers such as patient perceptions and physician advice should be considered along with the vulnerability that low income and lack of insurance imposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Kathleen Adams
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
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13
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Low-income and uninsured women have lower odds of receiving age-appropriate cancer screens that can detect cancers earlier and reduce morbidity/mortality. A key question is whether federal/state public health programs aimed at increasing screening and other public policies (e.g., welfare reform, managed care) have affected their receipt of these preventive services. METHODS Data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) were used to estimate the effects of public programs, income, and insurance status on the odds that women received mammography, clinical breast examination (CBE), or Papanicolaou (Pap) smears from 1996 to 2000. State fixed-effects models are estimated. Effects of the age (measured in years) of states' National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Programs (NBCCEDPs) and level of federal funding are presented. RESULTS Adjusted odds of uninsured women reporting female cancer screens were lower than for those privately insured, and did not change between 1996 and 2000 despite welfare reform and increasing numbers of uninsured. The age of states' NBCCEDPs were associated with increased odds of mammography, CBE, and Pap smear screens for non-elderly women. For example, the aging of a state's program from 0 to 5 years was associated with an increase in the percentage of women receiving mammography from 52.7% to 55.1%. CONCLUSIONS Despite efforts to increase screening among low-income uninsured women, their average rates remain below those with higher incomes and/or insurance. However, initiation and maintenance of the states' NBCCEDPs over long periods is associated with increased screening. After accounting for program age, increased federal dollars are associated with slight increases in screening for women aged >65.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Kathleen Adams
- Rollins School of Public Health, Room 656, 1518 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
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