Comparing the geographic distribution and location characteristics of HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative individuals with a diagnosis of cancer living in the southeast US.

As HIV-seropositive individuals live longer, they are more likely to acquire conditions seen in the general population. Excluding AIDS-defining malignancies, HIV-seropositive individuals are more likely to develop cancer than individuals in the general population. In order to better inform future screening and prevention efforts in this population, we compared the geographic distribution and location characteristics of HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative cancer cases in South Carolina (SC). To do this we obtained linked HIV and cancer data from the SC enhanced HIV/AIDS Reporting System and Central Cancer Registry. Location-related information on SC residents (e.g., employment status, income levels, race of householder, and educational attainment) was obtained from the 2000 US Census. Hotspot analyses were used to analyze the geographic distribution of HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative cancer cases using the Getis-Ord Gi* statistic. Poisson regression analyses assessed if county demographic and geographic characteristics were associated with HIV-positive cancer case rates.

Comparing Patient Demographics and Tumor Characteristics of HIV-Positive and HIV-Negative Patients with Cancer in South Carolina.

We compared the demographic and disease characteristics of HIV-positive (HIV+) and HIV-negative (HIV-) individuals with a diagnosis of cancer in South Carolina. HIV-positive patients with cancer were reflective of the HIV+ caseload in South Carolina, with HIV+ patients with cancer more likely to be male (odds ratio [OR]: 2.78: 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.33-3.32), black (OR: 7.68; 95% CI: 6.52-9.06), and younger at cancer diagnosis (OR: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.91-0.92). Controlling for year of birth, HIV+ patients with cancer did not receive cancer diagnoses at a younger age than HIV- controls. HIV-positive individuals did not have more advanced tumor stages or grades at cancer diagnosis; however, after controlling for other factors, HIV+ individuals were still more likely to be deceased at follow-up (OR: 2.64; 95% CI: 2.20-3.17) when compared to HIV- controls. Future studies should use survival analysis methods to identify the characteristics that shorten survival among HIV+ patients with cancer.

Racial disparities of pancreatic cancer in Georgia: a county-wide comparison of incidence and mortality across the state, 2000-2011.

Understanding the geographic distribution of pancreatic cancer is important in assessing disease burden and identifying high-risk populations. This study examined the geographic trends of pancreatic cancer incidence, mortality, and mortality-to-incidence ratios (MIRs) in Georgia, with a special focus on racial disparities of disease. Directly age-adjusted pancreatic cancer incidence and mortality rates for Georgia counties (N = 159) were obtained for 2000-2011. Maps of county age-adjusted disease rates and MIRs were generated separately for African Americans and Caucasians. Cluster analyses were conducted to identify unusual geographic aggregations of cancer cases or deaths. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to examine associations between county health factors (e.g., health behaviors, clinical care, and physical environment) and pancreatic cancer incidence or mortality rates. African Americans displayed a significantly higher age-adjusted incidence (14.6/100,000) and mortality rate (13.3/100,000), compared to Caucasians. Cluster analyses identified five significant incidence clusters and four significant mortality clusters among Caucasians; one significant incidence cluster and two significant mortality clusters were identified among African Americans. Weak but significant correlations were noted between physical environment and pancreatic cancer incidence (ρ = 0.16, P = 0.04) and mortality (ρ = 0.18, P = 0.02) among African Americans. A disproportion burden of pancreatic cancer incidence and mortality was exhibited among African Americans in Georgia. Disease intervention efforts should be implemented in high-risk areas, such as the southwest and central region of the state. Future studies should assess health behaviors and physical environment in relationship with the spatial distribution of pancreatic cancer.

Can the Social Vulnerability Index Be Used for More Than Emergency Preparedness? An Examination Using Youth Physical Fitness Data.

BACKGROUND: The Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), a publicly available dataset, is used in emergency preparedness to identify communities in greatest need of resources. The SVI includes multiple socioeconomic, demographic, and geographic indicators that also are associated with physical fitness and physical activity. This study examined the utility of using the SVI to explain variation in youth fitness, including aerobic capacity and body mass index. METHODS: FITNESSGRAM data from 2,126 Georgia schools were matched at the census tract level with SVI themes of socioeconomic, household composition, minority status and language, and housing and transportation. Multivariate multiple regression models were used to test whether SVI factors explained fitness outcomes, controlling for grade level (ie, elementary, middle, high school) and stratified by gender. RESULTS: SVI themes explained the most variation in aerobic fitness and body mass index for both boys and girls (R2 values 11.5% to 26.6%). Socioeconomic, Minority Status and Language, and Housing and Transportation themes were salient predictors of fitness outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Youth fitness in Georgia was related to socioeconomic, demographic, and geographic themes. The SVI may be a useful needs assessment tool for health officials and researchers examining multilevel influences on health behaviors or identifying communities for prevention efforts.

Prostate cancer incidence and agriculture practices in Georgia, 2000-2010.

BACKGROUND: Georgia has prostate cancer incidence rates consistently above the national average. A notable portion of Georgia's economy is rooted in agricultural production, and agricultural practices have been associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer. METHODS: Statistical analyses considered county age-adjusted prostate cancer incidence rates as the outcome of interest and three agricultural variables (farmland as percent of county land, dollars spent per county acre on agriculture chemicals, and dollars spent per county acre on commercial fertilizers) as exposures of interest. Multivariate linear regression models analyzed for each separately. Data were obtained from National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) 2000-2010, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) 1987 Agriculture Survey, and 2010 US Census. RESULTS: In counties with equal to or greater than Georgia counties' median percent African-American population (27%), dollars per acre spent on agriculture chemicals was significantly associated (P = 0.04) and dollars spent of commercial fertilizers was moderately associated (P = 0.07) with elevated prostate cancer incidence rates. There was no association between percent of county farmland and prostate cancer rates. CONCLUSION: This study identified associations between prostate cancer incidence rates, agriculture chemical expenditure, and commercial fertilizer expenditure in Georgia counties with a population comprised of more than 27% of African Americans.