Mammography Screening Practices and Health Beliefs of Women in East Tennessee

Abstract One of every eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. Although early detection of breast cancer is the most effective method of assuring survival, many women throughout the country do not avail themselves of this advantage. This study examined mammography screening practices of women age 55 and older who attended senior citizen centers in rural, non-metro, and metro counties in the areas designated by the Tennessee Department of Health as the Eastern Grand Division of Tennessee. Data was collected from four hundred women from fourteen counties in East Tennessee using the Champion Health Belief Survey instrument. Data analysis was done using SPSS software. Descriptive analyses were presented consisting of the percentage or mean responses for each of the survey items. Chi Square and ANOVA were used to test whether the observed proportions for mammography screening differed from the hypothesized proportions. Results from this study revealed that health beliefs and demographic characteristics were associated with a higher likelihood of having recent mammography. The health beliefs of participants concerning the perceived benefits to mammograms and the perceived barriers to obtaining mammograms significantly impact one’s willingness to engage in breast cancer screening practices. Also, the woman’s perceived susceptibility to the disease of breast cancer and their perceived seriousness of the disease of breast cancer have a significant impact on breast cancer screening practices. Additionally, a significant difference was found in the screening practices of women based on whether they had health insurance and if their physician recommended a mammogram

Determinants of lifestyle behavior in type 2 diabetes: results of the 2011 cross-sectional survey on living with chronic diseases in Canada

BACKGROUND: Lifestyle behavior modification is an essential component of self-management of type 2 diabetes. We evaluated the prevalence of engagement in lifestyle behaviors for management of the disease, as well as the impact of healthcare professional support on these behaviors. METHODS: Self-reported data were available from 2682 adult respondents, age 20 years or older, to the 2011 Survey on Living with Chronic Diseases in Canada’s diabetes component. Associations with never engaging in and not sustaining self-management behaviors (of dietary change, weight control, exercise, and smoking cessation) were evaluated using binomial regression models. RESULTS: The prevalence of reported dietary change, weight control/loss, increased exercise and smoking cessation (among those who smoked since being diagnosed) were 89.7%, 72.1%, 69.5%, and 30.6%, respectively. Those who reported not receiving health professional advice in the previous 12 months were more likely to report never engaging in dietary change (RR = 2.7, 95% CI 1.8 – 4.2), exercise (RR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.3 – 2.1), or weight control/loss (RR = 2.2, 95% CI 1.3 – 3.6), but not smoking cessation (RR = 1.0; 95% CI: 0.7 – 1.5). Also, living with diabetes for more than six years was associated with not sustaining dietary change, weight loss and smoking cessation. CONCLUSION: Health professional advice for lifestyle behaviors for type 2 diabetes self-management may support individual actions. Patients living with the disease for more than 6 years may require additional support in sustaining recommended behaviors

Birth characteristics and childhood carcinomas

BACKGROUND: Carcinomas in children are rare and have not been well studied. METHODS: We conducted a population-based case–control study and examined associations between birth characteristics and childhood carcinomas diagnosed from 28 days to 14 years during 1980–2004 using pooled data from five states (NY, WA, MN, TX, and CA) that linked their birth and cancer registries. The pooled data set contained 57 966 controls and 475 carcinoma cases, including 159 thyroid and 126 malignant melanoma cases. We used unconditional logistic regression to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: White compared with ‘other' race was positively associated with melanoma (OR=3.22, 95% CI 1.33–8.33). Older maternal age increased the risk for melanoma (OR(per 5-year age increase)=1.20, 95% CI 1.00–1.44), whereas paternal age increased the risk for any carcinoma (OR=1.10(per 5-year age increase), 95% CI 1.01–1.20) and thyroid carcinoma (OR(per 5-year age increase)=1.16, 95% CI 1.01–1.33). Gestational age <37 vs 37–42 weeks increased the risk for thyroid carcinoma (OR=1.87, 95% CI 1.07–3.27). Plurality, birth weight, and birth order were not significantly associated with childhood carcinomas. CONCLUSION: This exploratory study indicates that some birth characteristics including older parental age and low gestational age may be related to childhood carcinoma aetiology

Creating research-ready partnerships: The initial development of seven implementation laboratories to advance cancer control

BACKGROUND: In 2019-2020, with National Cancer Institute funding, seven implementation laboratory (I-Lab) partnerships between scientists and stakeholders in \u27real-world\u27 settings working to implement evidence-based interventions were developed within the Implementation Science Centers in Cancer Control (ISC3) consortium. This paper describes and compares approaches to the initial development of seven I-Labs in order to gain an understanding of the development of research partnerships representing various implementation science designs. METHODS: In April-June 2021, members of the ISC3 Implementation Laboratories workgroup interviewed research teams involved in I-Lab development in each center. This cross-sectional study used semi-structured interviews and case-study-based methods to collect and analyze data about I-Lab designs and activities. Interview notes were analyzed to identify a set of comparable domains across sites. These domains served as the framework for seven case descriptions summarizing design decisions and partnership elements across sites. RESULTS: Domains identified from interviews as comparable across sites included engagement of community and clinical I-Lab members in research activities, data sources, engagement methods, dissemination strategies, and health equity. The I-Labs use a variety of research partnership designs to support engagement including participatory research, community-engaged research, and learning health systems of embedded research. Regarding data, I-Labs in which members use common electronic health records (EHRs) leverage these both as a data source and a digital implementation strategy. I-Labs without a shared EHR among partners also leverage other sources for research or surveillance, most commonly qualitative data, surveys, and public health data systems. All seven I-Labs use advisory boards or partnership meetings to engage with members; six use stakeholder interviews and regular communications. Most (70%) tools or methods used to engage I-Lab members such as advisory groups, coalitions, or regular communications, were pre-existing. Think tanks, which two I-Labs developed, represented novel engagement approaches. To disseminate research results, all centers developed web-based products, and most (n = 6) use publications, learning collaboratives, and community forums. Important variations emerged in approaches to health equity, ranging from partnering with members serving historically marginalized populations to the development of novel methods. CONCLUSIONS: The development of the ISC3 implementation laboratories, which represented a variety of research partnership designs, offers the opportunity to advance understanding of how researchers developed and built partnerships to effectively engage stakeholders throughout the cancer control research lifecycle. In future years, we will be able to share lessons learned for the development and sustainment of implementation laboratories

An Autoethnographic Study of Interprofessional Education Partnerships

Background: Thiis qualitative longitudinal study describes an Interprofessional Education (IPE) collaboration between a public university with medical and pharmacy schools and a private, non-affiliated university with a nursing school. The study explores the dynamics of the IPE partnership and lessons learned over a three-year period in which members of the collaborative directed three IPE simulations.Methods and Findings: An autoethnographic inquiry technique was used to interview eight collaborators who designed and implemented a large-scale IPE simulation for approximately 300 students and 100 faculty members annually for three years. Two, 90-minute group narrative interviews were conducted and audio recorded for transcription and analysis. Five themes emerged: Natural Collaboration, Shared Vision and Commitment, Integrations and Synergy, All Hands on Deck, and Lasting Foundations. Collaborators agreed the joint effort was a positive experience with multidimensional returns on investment. They applied teamwork competencies to build the partnership, develop the IPE simulation, and overcome implementation challenges.Conclusions: Thiis article provides readers with the opportunity to learn from those who have been intimately involved in the design and implementation of a large-scale IPE collaboration to enhance the shared learning process for health students and faculty. Findings highlight the complexity of building an IPE collaborative and the necessity to build partnerships with facilitators committed to communication

Comparison of sequencing-based methods to profile DNA methylation and identification of monoallelic epigenetic modifications.

Analysis of DNA methylation patterns relies increasingly on sequencing-based profiling methods. The four most frequently used sequencing-based technologies are the bisulfite-based methods MethylC-seq and reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS), and the enrichment-based techniques methylated DNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (MeDIP-seq) and methylated DNA binding domain sequencing (MBD-seq). We applied all four methods to biological replicates of human embryonic stem cells to assess their genome-wide CpG coverage, resolution, cost, concordance and the influence of CpG density and genomic context. The methylation levels assessed by the two bisulfite methods were concordant (their difference did not exceed a given threshold) for 82% for CpGs and 99% of the non-CpG cytosines. Using binary methylation calls, the two enrichment methods were 99% concordant and regions assessed by all four methods were 97% concordant. We combined MeDIP-seq with methylation-sensitive restriction enzyme (MRE-seq) sequencing for comprehensive methylome coverage at lower cost. This, along with RNA-seq and ChIP-seq of the ES cells enabled us to detect regions with allele-specific epigenetic states, identifying most known imprinted regions and new loci with monoallelic epigenetic marks and monoallelic expression