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Factors Associated With Delaying Medical Care: Cross-Sectional Study Of Nebraska Adults, Kendra Ratnapradipa, Snehal Jadhav, Josiane Kabayundo, Hongmei Wang, Lisa C. Smith

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

BACKGROUND: Delayed medical care may result in adverse health outcomes and increased cost. Our purpose was to identify factors associated with delayed medical care in a primarily rural state.

METHODS: Using a stratified random sample of 5,300 Nebraska households, we conducted a cross-sectional mailed survey with online response option (27 October 2020 to 8 March 2021) in English and Spanish. Multiple logistic regression models calculated adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals.

RESULTS: The overall response rate was 20.8% (n = 1,101). Approximately 37.8% of Nebraskans ever delayed healthcare (cost-related 29.7%, transportation-related 3.7%), with 22.7% delaying care in the …

Overlooked Sex And Gender Aspects Of Emerging Infectious Disease Outbreaks: Lessons Learned From Covid-19 To Move Towards Health Equity In Pandemic Response, Lynn Lieberman Lawry, Roberta Lugo-Robles, Vicki Mciver

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

Sex and gender issues are especially important in emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) but are routinely overlooked despite data and practice. Each of these have an effect either directly, via the effects on vulnerability to infectious diseases, exposures to infectious pathogens, and responses to illness, and indirectly through effects on disease prevention and control programs. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the viral agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has underscored the importance of understanding the sex and gender impacts on pandemics. This review takes a broader looks at how sex and gender impact vulnerability, exposure risk, and treatment and …

Nasal Host Response-Based Screening For Undiagnosed Respiratory Viruses: A Pathogen Surveillance And Detection Study, Nagarjuna R. Cheemarla, Amelia Hanron, Joseph R. Fauver, Jason Bishai, Timothy A. Watkins, Anderson F. Brito, Dejian Zhao, Tara Alpert, Chantal B. F. Vogels, Albert I. Ko, Wade L. Schulz, Marie L. Landry, Nathan D. Grubaugh, David Van Dijk, Ellen F. Foxman

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

BACKGROUND: Symptomatic patients who test negative for common viruses are an important possible source of unrecognised or emerging pathogens, but metagenomic sequencing of all samples is inefficient because of the low likelihood of finding a pathogen in any given sample. We aimed to determine whether nasopharyngeal CXCL10 screening could be used as a strategy to enrich for samples containing undiagnosed viruses.

METHODS: In this pathogen surveillance and detection study, we measured CXCL10 concentrations from nasopharyngeal swabs from patients in the Yale New Haven health-care system, which had been tested at the Yale New Haven Hospital Clinical Virology Laboratory (New Haven, …

The Association Between Mediated Deprivation And Ovarian Cancer Survival Among African American Women, Andrew B. Lawson, Joanne Kim, Courtney Johnson, Kendra Ratnapradipa, Anthony J. Alberg, Maxwell Akonde, Theresa Hastert, Elisa V. Bandera, Paul Terry, Hannah Mandle, Michele L. Cote, Melissa Bondy, Jeffrey Marks, Lauren C. Peres, Joellen Schildkraut, Edward S. Peters

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

BACKGROUND: Deprivation indices are often used to adjust for socio-economic disparities in health studies. Their role has been partially evaluated for certain population-level cancer outcomes, but examination of their role in ovarian cancer is limited. In this study, we evaluated a range of well-recognized deprivation indices in relation to cancer survival in a cohort of self-identified Black women diagnosed with ovarian cancer. This study aimed to determine if clinical or diagnostic characteristics lie on a mediating pathway between socioeconomic status (SES) and deprivation and ovarian cancer survival in a minority population that experiences worse survival from ovarian cancer.

METHODS: We …

Evaluation Of Theoretical Frameworks To Detect Correlates Of Hpv Vaccination In The Midwest, Us, Using Structural Equation Modeling, Abraham Degarege, Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway, Kristyne Mansilla, Rahel M. Sileshi, Edward S. Peters

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

Knowledge of a valid, well-designed, and targeted theory-based framework helps better characterize reasons for HPV vaccine hesitancy and identify promising approaches to increase vaccination rates for eligible individuals. This study evaluated health theories in explaining factors affecting HPV vaccination and used a theoretical framework to identify direct and indirect predictors and mediators of HPV vaccination. A cross-sectional survey regarding HPV vaccine uptake and related factors was conducted among 1306 teenagers and young adults in the Midwest, US, in March and April 2023. Structural equation modeling confirmed fit of the framework based on the Integrated Health Theory (IHT) to the HPV …

Exploring Barriers And Promoters Of Crc Screening Use Among Agricultural Operators: A Pilot Study Of An Application Of Concept Mapping, Cheryl Beseler, Jungyoon Kim, Roma Subramanian, Susan Harris, Karen Funkenbusch, Aaron Yoder, Tamara Robinson, Jason M. Foster, Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of the study was to identify barriers and facilitators of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening use among agricultural operators in Nebraska, US.

METHODS: The concept mapping approach was used to engage participants and enhance the generation of ideas and opinions regarding CRC screening. Two focus groups (seven women and seven men) were conducted.

RESULTS: Among women, the cost domain was most agreed upon as important, followed by experiencing symptoms, awareness, and family. Among men, the important concepts related to CRC screening were family and friend support, feeling too young to get CRC, family or personal history of CRC, …

Development And Validation Of A Questionnaire To Assess Awareness And Knowledge Of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, A Liver Cancer Etiological Factor, Among Chinese Young Adults, Yi Du, Fedja A. Rochling, Dejun Su, Kendra Ratnapradipa, Jianghu James Dong, Evi A. Farazi

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

PURPOSE: Despite the increasing prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a liver cancer etiological factor, among Chinese young adults (CYA), there is a lack of valid, reliable, ready-to-use survey instruments for assessing awareness and knowledge of NAFLD in this population. The aims of this study were to develop, validate, and assess the reliability of a web-based, self-administered questionnaire evaluating awareness and knowledge of NAFLD among CYA.

METHODS: Based on review of relevant literature, a draft questionnaire was initially developed. Face and content validity of the questionnaire was evaluated by an expert panel of seven gastroenterologists. The construct validity was …