Digital Commons Network^™

Reframing And Advancing Academic Mentorship To Support New And Early Career Faculty Members, Juanita-Dawne R. Bacsu, Patricia C. Heyn, Steffi Kim, Zahra Rahemi, Monique J. Brown, Darina V. Petrovsky, Justine S. Sefcik, Jodi L. Southerland, Jeremy Holloway, Elyse Couch, Ayse Malatyali, Matthew L. Smith

Faculty Publications

Mentorship is critical to fostering professional growth and career development in academia. However, academic mentorship is often an informal activity that is overlooked and under researched. There is much ambiguity and uncertainty surrounding mentorship roles and strategies in academia. This paper provides recommendations and strategies to reframe and advance academic mentorship to support new and early career faculty.

Dna Methylation-Derived Immune Cell Proportions And Cancer Risk In Black Participants, Christopher S Semancik, Naisi Zhao, Devin C Koestler, Eric Boerwinkle, Jan Bressler, Rachel J Buchsbaum, Karl T Kelsey, Elizabeth A Platz, Dominique S Michaud

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Prior cohort studies assessing cancer risk based on immune cell subtype profiles have predominantly focused on White populations. This limitation obscures vital insights into how cancer risk varies across race. Immune cell subtype proportions were estimated using deconvolution based on leukocyte DNA methylation markers from blood samples collected at baseline on participants without cancer in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. During a mean of 17.5 years of follow-up, 668 incident cancers were diagnosed in 2,467 Black participants. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to examine immune cell subtype proportions and overall cancer incidence and site-specific incidence (lung, breast, and …

Noninvasive Multi-Cancer Detection Using Blood-Based Cell-Free Micrornas, Jason Zhang, Hallgeir Rui, Hai Hu

Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

Patients diagnosed with early-stage cancers have a substantially higher chance of survival than those with late-stage diseases. However, the option for early cancer screening is limited, with most cancer types lacking an effective screening tool. Here we report a miRNA-based blood test for multi-cancer early detection based on examination of serum microRNA microarray data from cancer patients and controls. First, a large multi-cancer training set that included 1,408 patients across 7 cancer types and 1,408 age- and gender-matched non-cancer controls was used to develop a 4-microRNA diagnostic model using 10-fold cross-validation. In three independent validation sets comprising a total of …

Health Risk Factors Of Female African American Informal Caregivers For Alzheimer’S Disease Patients In Low-Income Communities, Rosaline Elaine Elliott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

By 2050, 152 million people worldwide, primarily low-income populations, will have Alzheimer's disease (AD). African American (AA) women informal caregivers are primary caregivers in low-income neighborhoods, and they suffer from burnout and poor health, including physical and mental fatigue, despair, anxiety, hypertension, and stressors that can lead to heart attacks, strokes, or premature mortality. The Informal Caregiver Integrative Model (ICIM) theoretical framework was used to survey 120 participants using SurveyMonkey was administered to collect data for this cross-sectional quantitative study. The multiple hierarchical regression analyses revealed caregiving appraisal had no significant impact on burnout. A higher quality of the caregiver-care …

Providing End-Of-Life Counseling: A Narrative Inquiry, Carol Hecht, Sibyl West

Adultspan Journal

This qualitative study aimed to address the gap in the research related to end-of-life counseling by exploring the experiences of counselors working with clients at end of life. While counseling literature and education are lacking regarding end of life, many counselors will work alongside clients approaching death. The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to better understand the nuanced experiences of counselors providing end-of-life counseling and (b) to explore the supports and preparations helpful for counselors to provide end-of-life counseling. A narrative approach, using the Listening Guide (Gilligan, 2015), was employed to analyze and present the stories of three …

Considerations Of Medicare Telehealth Services With Older Adults, Sonah Kho, Amanda Dediego

Adultspan Journal

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic set in motion a rapid expansion of mental health services offered via telehealth. With this rapid expansion came the need to examine how policy and practice should be shaped in a future where telehealth is considered common in counseling practice. For counselors to understand how to support older adult clients in using telehealth services, they must understand telehealth policy. Following the eligibility of licensed counselors to participate in Medicare, counselors need to stay abreast of regulatory changes regarding restrictions and regulations on use of telehealth for mental and behavioral health services, including video and …

Changes In Multimorbidity Among Hospitalized Adults In The Us, Christine Loyd, Lauren Picken, Richelle Sanders, Yue Zhang, Richard E. Kennedy, Cynthia J. Brown

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE: This investigation examines burden of comorbidity measured by the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) and Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI) among inpatients based on age, sex, and race. METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis of 2012-2018 US NIS datasets. Participants were inpatients 55y+. ICD-9/10 codes for admitting diagnoses were used to calculate disease burden using the CCI and ECI. Unweighted mean CCI and ECI scores were compared across demographic variables. RESULTS: An increase in mean CCI and ECI scores across age, sex, and races (p < .001) was identified. Compared to the youngest age group (55-59y), all age groups had higher mean CCI and ECI adjusting for time (p < .001). Increases were greatest in older age groups until age 80-84 for CCI and 85-89 for ECI. The female group had lower CCI adjusting for time (p < .001) compared to males. There was no difference between sex groups in mean ECI (p=.409). Compared with the White group, all other race groups had higher mean CCI adjusting for time (p < .001). Black inpatients had the highest CCI followed by Native American inpatients. Findings were similar for ECI, but with no difference between Hispanic and White groups (p=.434). CONCLUSIONS: Growing multimorbidity burden among adult inpatients across age, sex, and race supports the continued need for programs for preventing and reducing multimorbidity, especially among communities that experience health inequity including older, Black, and Native American patients.

Admixture Mapping Of Cognitive Function In Diverse Hispanic And Latino Adults: Results From The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study Of Latinos, Rui Xia, Xueqiu Jian, Amanda L Rodrigue, Jan Bressler, Eric Boerwinkle, Biqi Cui, Martha L Daviglus, Charles Decarli, Linda C Gallo, David C Glahn, Emma E M Knowles, Jee-Young Moon, Thomas H Mosley, Claudia L Satizabal, Tamar Sofer, Wassim Tarraf, Fernando Testai, John Blangero, Sudha Seshadri, Hector M González, Myriam Fornage

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: We conducted admixture mapping and fine-mapping analyses to identify ancestry-of-origin loci influencing cognitive abilities.

METHODS: We estimated the association of local ancestry intervals across the genome with five neurocognitive measures in 7140 diverse Hispanic and Latino adults (mean age 55 years). We prioritized genetic variants in associated loci and tested them for replication in four independent cohorts.

RESULTS: We identified nine local ancestry-associated regions for the five neurocognitive measures. There was strong biological support for the observed associations to cognitive function at all loci and there was statistical evidence of independent replication at 4q12, 9p22.1, and 13q12.13.

DISCUSSION: Our …

Dementia-Focused Programs In Older Adult Centers And Health Care Use Among Individuals With Dementia, Ayse Akincigil, Divya Bhagianadh, Clara J. Scher, Ceara Somerville, Caytln Coyle, Natalie E. Pope, Emily Greenfield

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Faculty Publications and Presentations

There is growing attention to community-based services for preventing adverse health care outcomes among people aging with dementia. We explored whether the availability of dementia-centered programming within older adult centers (ie, senior centers)—specifically, adult day services (ADS), social adult day centers (SADCs), memory cafes, and caregiver support—is associated with reduced hospitalization, emergency room use, and total Medicare costs for community-dwelling individuals ages 75 and older with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD), and whether associations differ by the relative size of the local jurisdiction. We used a novel dataset that links Medicare claims data with data from an organizational census …

A Social Media Game To Increase Physical Activity Among Older Adult Women: Protocol Of A Randomized Controlled Trial To Evaluate Challenge, Michael C Robertson, Maria Chang Swartz, Karen M Basen-Engquist, Yisheng Li, Kristofer Jennings, Debbe Thompson, Tom Baranowski, Elena Volpi, Elizabeth J Lyons

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Older adult women often do not engage in sufficient physical activity (PA) and can encounter biological changes that exacerbate the negative effects of inadequate activity. Wearable activity monitors can facilitate PA initiation, but evidence of sustained behavior change is lacking. Supplementing wearable technologies with intervention content that evokes enjoyment, interest, meaning, and personal values associated with PA may support long term adherence. In this paper, we present the protocol of an NIA-funded study designed to evaluate the efficacy of CHALLENGE for increasing step count and motivation for PA in insufficiently active older women (Challenges for Healthy Aging: Leveraging Limits …

Integrated Delivery Of Health Care And Continuity Of Care For Older Mississippians With Mental And Behavioral Health Concerns, Tockie V. Hemphill

Journal of Public Health in the Deep South

The mental health of older adults is of national concern. There is some uncertainty regarding access to care and whether mental and behavioral health care will be readily available in primary care settings. This paper explores the concepts of integrated delivery of care and continuity of care for older adults. The definitions of the two concepts vary in detail, but are similar in purpose. There is an array of strategies presented that outline a continuity of care that involves an integrated delivery system. Relationship development is the core of this system, as well as older adults’ ability and willingness to …

Aging Redefined: Moving Past The Deficit Model, Aaron Guest

Journal of Public Health in the Deep South

The remarkable increase in longevity is the pivotal triumph of public health over the last two centuries. Yet, even as we experience the benefits of increased longevity, we continue to face rampant ageism – or the prejudice and discrimination directed at individuals perceived as 'old.' Worst of all, we know that ageism is associated with increased medical costs, poorer health outcomes, and increased mortality. Efforts to combat ageism have been insufficient. The triumvirate of ageism, gerontological illiteracy, and gerontophobia have resulted in a deficit model of aging. Far from being a liability, the rapid increase in the aging population presents …

Caregiver To Caregiver: An Exploratory Case Study In Adult Family Caregiving Experiences, Tamara Brocks, Kaye Bender

Journal of Public Health in the Deep South

Adult family caregiving is a national public health issue which is more prominently recognized since the COVID pandemic. The National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers (2022) highlights more than three hundred federal government actions in support of family caregivers and more than 150 actions that can be addressed at other levels of government with their partnerships to build a caregiver support system. A partnership between the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH), the Mississippi Public Health Association (MPHA) and AARP MS is working to address many of the issues related to the heathy aging ecosystem in Mississippi. This case study …

Personality Profile Of Rural-Dwelling Older Adults With Hoarding Disorder, Mary E. Dozier, Caitlyn A. Nix, Hilary L. Deshong

Journal of Public Health in the Deep South

Hoarding in late life represents a major barrier to aging in place, particularly for rural-dwelling older adults. One risk factor for hoarding disorder in late life may be underlying personality factors. However, there has not yet been an investigation of late life hoarding and possible maladaptive personality factors from the continuous five-factor model perspective in a sample of individuals diagnosed with hoarding disorder. Thus, we evaluated the five-factor personality profiles of older adults enrolled in treatment studies for hoarding disorder in rural Mississippi. Raw scores on the International Personality Item Pool-NEO-60 were converted into categories of Low (<1SD from …

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Hot Spots In Mississippi, Taylor Jansen, Elizabeth Dugan

Journal of Public Health in the Deep South

Abstract

Introduction. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the sixth leading cause of death in the US and approximately 10% of people 65 years and older have COPD. This study examines the association of geographic-level risk factors with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) prevalence using spatial-based analyses with the goal of identifying risk factors associated with county-level COPD and to identify communities at risk.

Methods. The study sample consisted of all N=82 counties in Mississippi and all data is reported at the county level. All measures were drawn from the 2023 Mississippi Healthy Aging Data Report. A hot spot …

The Mississippi Healthy Aging Data Report: Tools To Advance Health Equity, Elizabeth Dugan, Taylor Jansen, Chae Man Lee, Nina M. Silverstein, Yan-Jhu Su

Journal of Public Health in the Deep South

Introduction. This article describes the Mississippi Healthy Aging Data Report, which includes 125 indicators reported at the county and state level.

Methods. Data sources include the American Community Survey from the U.S. Census, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, and other sources. Small-area estimation techniques are used to calculate age- and gender-adjusted county rates. Data visualizations illustrate health disparities.

Results. Mississippi is home to 663,581 people age 60 or older – 22% of the state’s total population. Approximately 12.9% of Medicare beneficiaries in Mississippi have Alzheimer’s disease or a related …

Association Of Self-Report Measures With Salivary Biomarkers In Post-Menopausal Women, Laree M. Hiser, Karen Arrant, Jung Hye S. Lee, Lei Zhang

Journal of Public Health in the Deep South

Background: Symptoms of menopause include inadequate sleep, depression, and anxiety. Studies of healthy aging frequently use self-report tools that are unverified by objective measures.

Purpose: To investigate the correlation between self-report measures of sleep or affect and salivary biomarkers in a small (n=32) sample of post-menopausal women.

Methods: Salivary cortisol and a-amylase were quantified by laboratory tests. Self-report data included hours of sleep and Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS^®) tools for sleep disturbance, anxiety, and depression. Correlation analyses were conducted between self-reported measures and biomarker concentrations.

Results: No statistically significant correlations were found between cortisol …

Covering The Care: Most Prevalent Health Conditions And Their Associated Costs Among Nh’S Insured Population – Behavioral Health And Cardiovascular Disease Top The List, Bethany Swanson, Erica Plante, Deborah Fournier

Faculty Publications

This data brief presents an analysis of available claims data from New Hampshire’s commercial, Medicaid, and Medicare insured populations. Specifically, the study identifies the top ten most prevalent health conditions, the cost of treatment for those conditions, and the overall medical cost for those with one of the identified conditions. The analysis is based on the most recent calendar year of available claims data (January – December 2022).

Frailty Explains Variation In Emergency Department Use For Older Veterans During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Justine Seidenfeld, Karen M. Stechuchak, Valerie A. Smith, Catherine Stanwyck, Chelsea Perfect, Courtney Van Houtven, Susan Nicole Hastings

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

Background: Older adults were critically vulnerable to disruptions in health care during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is not known if changes in ED utilization varied based on patient characteristics. Using a cohort of older Veterans, we examined changes in ED visit rates based on four characteristics of interest: age, race, area deprivation index, and frailty

Methods: Participants were aged ≥65, with ≥2 visits in primary or geriatric clinics between 02/02/2018-05/07/2019. An adjusted negative binomial regression model was constructed for each characteristic. We report mean counts of all ED visits by quarter for subgroups separately, and report rate …

Impacts Of Social Media Use On The Wellbeing Of Older Adults : Evidence From China During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Xuying Dong

Lingnan Theses (Doctoral degree)

Given the trend of increasing use of information and communication technologies among Chinese elder population, more attention should be drawn on the relationship between social media use and wellbeing of older adults. This research explores the social media use situation among older adults in mainland China as well as its influences on their wellbeing, and employs a mixed approach including quantitative questionnaire distributed via WeChat social media platform and qualitative interview among Chinese older adults who are over 60 years of age in Jingzhou, Hubei Province. Generally speaking, social media use can improve the wellbeing of Chinese older adults, more …

Framing The Path To Fitness: Age Differences In Response To Framed Exercise Messages, Iliya Sherif, David B. Taullahu, Alyssa R. Minton, Joseph A. Mikels

DePaul Discoveries

Physical activity is one of the most protective health behaviors one can engage in, yet 75% of active adults in the US, meaning those who exercise regularly, fall short of the recommended levels of physical activity, with an even greater percentage of older adults living inactive lives, meaning they exercise minimally and engage in prolonged sedentary behavior (CDC, 2019). The goal of the current study was to explore different types of message framing targeted at encouraging older and younger adults to exercise. We recruited older adults (n = 184; Mage = 69.45 years, age range: 65- 80 years) and younger …

America Is Unprepared To Meet The Needs Of Its Growing Older Adult Population, Sierra Kaplan

Population Health Research Brief Series

In 2030, nearly 73 million Americans will be aged 65 years or older. As Americans continue to have fewer children than in the past, the number of older adults will outnumber children. Thus, fewer young adults will be around to support and care for the older adult population. Coupled with COVID-19 pandemic-driven disruptions to the healthcare industry, America’s health and aging care system is unprepared to support its large and growing older adult population. Over time, we will see increased health care scarcity and inequality in the distribution of elder care services, especially with continued healthcare worker shortages and drastic …

What Constitutes Adequate Control Of High Blood Pressure? Current Considerations, Donald E. Casey, Alexander J. Blood, Stephen D. Persell, Daniel Pohlman, Jeff D. Williamson

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

An estimated 45% of adult Americans currently have high blood pressure (HBP). Effective blood pressure (BP) control is essential for preventing major adverse events from cardiovascular and other vascular-related diseases, such as chronic kidney disease, stroke and dementia. A large and growing number of medical professional societies, health care organizations, and governmental agencies have now endorsed a clinical practice guideline-based target for adequate control of HBP to a systolic BP of less than 130 mm Hg. However, adequate BP control to this goal has been recently estimated to be as low as 30%. The first and most important steps to …

Disability Among Older Adults With Hypertension In Southeast Asia: A Scoping Review, Utoomporn Wongsin, Arnat Wannasri, Dichapong Pongpattrachai, Tuo-Yu Chen

Journal of Demography

Background: The prevalence of chronic disease and disability is expected to increase when age increases. This study aims to investigate the published articles related to disability among older adults living with hypertension in Southeast Asia.

Study Design: A scoping review

Data source: Web of science, Pubmed, CINAHL ,Cochrane and a google search, from 2000 to 2023.

Results: There were six observational studies from Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand met our inclusion criteria. The studies mainly focus on investigating the prevalence, risk factors and sex difference in risk factors associated with disabilities among the older adults.

Conclusion: Our scoping review has …

The Frailty Trajectory's Additional Edge Over The Frailty Index: Retrospective Cohort Study Of Veterans With Heart Failure, Javad Razjouyan, Ariela R Orkaby, Molly J Horstman, Parag Goyal, Orna Intrator, Aanand D Naik

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

How Did Cognitive Status Impact Health Care Use Among Older Adults During The Covid-19 Pandemic?, Katarina Sako, Janet Wilmoth

Population Health Research Brief Series

Physical distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the lives of older adults. Older adults experiencing dementia and other forms of cognitive decline have impaired executive functioning that made it even more difficult to contend with these disruptions. This brief presents findings from research that used data from the 2021 Health and Retirement Study to examine differences in health care delays and health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic among a nationally representative sample of U.S. older adults (ages 50+) with versus without cognitive decline. Results show that most older adults did not delay getting health care and did not experience …

Strategies To Recruit, Retain, And Disseminate Findings To Older Adults In Health Research: A Literature Review, Sydney Giancola, Russell Estreicher, Merna Mina

Bridges: An Undergraduate Journal of Contemporary Connections

This paper outlines various strategies to recruit, retain and disseminate information to older adults in health research. There is a limited scope on the best ways to engage with older adults, maintain their interest over time, and share their results post-data collection. This literature review aims to fill this gap and discuss various methods to increase the engagement of the older adult population in health research.

Enhancing Foot Care Education And Support Strategies In Adults With Type 2 Diabetes, Hsiao-Hui Ju, Madelene Ottosen, Jeffery Alford, Jed Jularbal, Constance Johnson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: People with diabetes are susceptible to serious and disabling foot complications, which increase their morbidity and mortality rates. Examining the perspectives of people with diabetes on their foot care routines could help elucidate their beliefs and offer practical ways to prevent foot problems.

PURPOSE: We explored the perspectives of adults with diabetes on their foot care practices to identify and enhance foot care education and support strategies.

METHODOLOGY: Using the Zoom platform, 29 adults with diabetes completed a 3-month telehealth educational program, during which interviews were conducted. This article reports the results of thematic content analysis of the qualitative …

Life-Space Mobility, Transportation, And The Companionship Network Of Members Of A Hispanic Senior Center, Rebecca L Mauldin, Rupal Parekh, John P Connolly, Stephen P Mattingly, Aiman Mushtaq, Kayo Fujimoto

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objectives: Companions (i.e., friends who spend time together) are important for the well-being of older adults. Senior centers in the United States are places for older adults to participate in group activities and form and maintain companionships. However, differences in mobility and transportation may affect the ability of older adults to leverage senior center activities into actual companionships.

Methods: This social network analysis was conducted to characterize the companionship network among members of a senior center in relation to their life-space mobility and transportation resources. An exponential random graph model was estimated to identify mobility- and transportation-related correlates of the …

Time-To-Event Genome-Wide Association Study For Incident Cardiovascular Disease In People With Type 2 Diabetes, Soo Heon Kwak, Ryan B Hernandez-Cancela, Daniel A Dicorpo, David E Condon, Jordi Merino, Peitao Wu, Jennifer A Brody, Jie Yao, Xiuqing Guo, Fariba Ahmadizar, Mariah Meyer, Murat Sincan, Josep M Mercader, Sujin Lee, Jeffrey Haessler, Ha My T Vy, Zhaotong Lin, Nicole D Armstrong, Shaopeng Gu, Noah L Tsao, Leslie A Lange, Ningyuan Wang, Kerri L Wiggins, Stella Trompet, Simin Liu, Ruth J F Loos, Renae Judy, Philip H Schroeder, Natalie R Hasbani, Maxime M Bos, Alanna C Morrison, Rebecca D Jackson, Alexander P Reiner, Joann E Manson, Ninad S Chaudhary, Lynn K Carmichael, Yii-Der Ida Chen, Kent D Taylor, Mohsen Ghanbari, Joyce Van Meurs, Achilleas N Pitsillides, Bruce M Psaty, Raymond Noordam, Ron Do, Kyong Soo Park, J Wouter Jukema, Maryam Kavousi, Adolfo Correa, Stephen S Rich, Scott M Damrauer, Catherine Hajek, Nam H Cho, Marguerite R Irvin, James S Pankow, Girish N Nadkarni, Robert Sladek, Mark O Goodarzi, Jose C Florez, Daniel I Chasman, Susan R Heckbert, Charles Kooperberg, Josée Dupuis, Rajeev Malhotra, Paul S De Vries, Ching-Ti Liu, Jerome I Rotter, James B Meigs

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: To identify genetic risk factors for incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) among people with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Research design and methods: We conducted a multiancestry time-to-event genome-wide association study for incident CVD among people with T2D. We also tested 204 known coronary artery disease (CAD) variants for association with incident CVD.

Results: Among 49,230 participants with T2D, 8,956 had incident CVD events (event rate 18.2%). We identified three novel genetic loci for incident CVD: rs147138607 (near CACNA1E/ZNF648, hazard ratio [HR] 1.23, P = 3.6 × 10-9), rs77142250 (near HS3ST1, HR 1.89, P = 9.9 × 10-9), and rs335407 (near …