Relationship between Chronic Disease Conditions and Colorectal Cancer Screening: Results from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey Data

Background: Uptake of screening remains crucial in the prevention of both the incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) and its mortality.Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of CRC screening and identify chronic conditions that predict CRC screening uptake among US adults using the 2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data.Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of the 2012 NHIS data. Chronic conditions examined were hypertension, cancer history, arthritis, ulcer, and high cholesterol level. A total of 21,511 participants were included in the analysis. Weighted univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses in SAS ver. 9.2 were used to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).Results: The overall prevalence of CRC screening was 19%. The prevalence of CRC screening in adults with cancer history, hypertension, ulcer, high cholesterol, and arthritis was significantly higher than those without the chronic conditions (26% vs.18%, 23% vs.16%, 25% vs.18%, 23% vs. 16%, and 23% vs. 17%, respectively). After adjusting for potential factors, hypertension (OR=1.18, 95%CI=1.08-1.30), ulcer (OR=1.28, 95%CI=1.10-1.48), high cholesterol (OR=1.25, 95%CI=1.14-1.39), and arthritis (OR=1.24, 95%CI=1.12-1.37) were all positively associated with CRC screening (p0.05). Females were less likely to screen for CRC than to males (OR=0.72; 95% CI=0.65-0.80). Compared to young adults (18-44 years), screening was significantly higher in middle-aged (45-64 years) and elder adults (65+) (OR=2.60, 95%CI=2.11-3.21 and OR=2.67, 95%CI=2.13-3.33, respectively). African Americans were more likely to screen for CRC compared to their white counterparts (OR=1.61, 95% CI=1.44-1.81).  Conclusions: We have found significant associations between chronic conditions and CRC screening uptake. We also found higher uptake of CRC screen in African Americans than Whites, in contrast to earlier findings

Adherence to clinical follow-up recommendations for liver function tests: A cross-sectional study of patients with HCV and their associated risk behaviors

This study examined whether patients with Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection adhered to their physicians\u27 recommendation and HCV clinical guidelines for obtaining a regular liver function test (LFT), and whether high-risk behaviors are associated with behavioral adherence. A cross-sectional survey was administered to 101 eligible patients with HCV who were recruited from health centers in New Jersey and Washington, DC. Adherence outcomes were defined as the patients\u27 self-report of two consecutive receipts of LFTs in accordance with their physicians\u27 recommended interval or the clinical guidelines for a LFT within 3-6 months. 67.4% of patients (66/98) reported a receipt of their physicians\u27 recommendation for a LFT. The rate of adherence to physician recommendation was about 70% (46/66), however over 50% (52/101) of patients with HCV did not obtain regular LFTs. 15.8% (16/101) of patients continued to use injection drugs. Patients who used injection drugs had 0.87 (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0.13, 95% confidence interval 0.03-0.59) times lower odds adhering to their physician recommendation, relative to non-users. Patients with HIV co-infection had increased odds of adhering to the clinical guidelines (odds ratio 3.41, 95% confidence interval 1.34-8.70) vs. patients who did not report HIV co-infection. Additionally, patients who had received a physician\u27s recommendation had 7.21 times (95% confidence interval of 2.36-22.2) greater odds adhering to the clinical guidelines than those who had not. Overall, promoting HCV patient-provider communication regarding regular LFTs and reduction of risk behaviors is essential for preventing patients from HCV-related liver disease progression

Rainfall and Temperature as Environmental Factors Impacting Beach Water Quality in Coastal Georgia

Presentation given at the Georgia Southern University Research Symposium

Effects of Educational Interventions in Facilitating Mammography Screening Among Asian American Women: A Meta-Analysis

Problem Identification: This meta-analysis evaluated the effects of various types of educational interventions on increasing breast cancer screening uptake among Asian American women. Literature Search: Web of Science, MEDLINE®, PubMed®, and Cochrane Library were searched for randomized controlled trials published from 2010 to 2020 of interventions developed to promote mammography uptake among Asian American women. Data Evaluation: A random-effects model was used to estimate pooled effect sizes using relative risk measures. A funnel plot was used to assess publication bias. Synthesis: Seven studies were included in this review. Educational interventions identified were primarily culturally sensitive approaches combined with access-enhancing, individually tailored, or group-based approaches. The interventions were effective at increasing the receipt of mammography. Implications for Nursing: This review provides insight into the importance of combining other approaches with educational interventions to increase their effectiveness for Asian American women. Future interventions can incorporate various approaches to enhance the ability of Asian American women to overcome barriers to breast cancer screening

Temperature Recording of Pregnant Women in Labor: Analysis of Two Non-invasive Thermometers

The objective of this study is to compare two non-invasive thermometer technologies in pregnant women admitted for labor at the Family Birthing Center in Johnson City Medical Center. A total of 50 patients were recruited in the study. Temperature measurements using the oral 3M® Tempa.Dot and the Exergen 5000 Temporal Artery Thermometer (TAT) were obtained by trained personnel. These recordings were obtained once upon admission, at 2-hour intervals until delivery (to a maximal time of 20 hours), 1 hour before and after epidural placement, and 2 hours after vaginal delivery. The temperatures readings were then compared over all time points, and at each time point using SPSS and Student paired t-test. Trends of temperature changes in labor between both thermometers were also evaluated. We noted that over all time points, the skin temperature was 0.38°F higher than the oral temperature. This difference was statistically significant as well (98.19°F ±0.681 vs. 97.81°F ±0.750,