Association Between Caregiver Strain and Self-Care Among Caregivers With Hypertension: Findings From the REGARDS Study.

BACKGROUND: Self-care for adults with hypertension includes adherence to lifestyle behaviors and medication. For unpaid caregivers with hypertension, the burden of family caregiving may adversely impact self-care. We examined the association between caregiver strain and hypertension self-care among caregivers with hypertension. METHODS AND RESULTS: We included participants of the REGARDS (Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke) study who identified as caregivers and had hypertension. Caregiver strain, assessed by self-report, was categorized as "none/some" or "high." Hypertension self-care was assessed individually across 5 domains (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension [DASH] diet, physical activity, alcohol use, cigarette smoking, and medication adherence) and a composite self-care score summing performance across them. The association between caregiver strain and hypertension self-care was examined with multivariable linear regression. Among the 2128 caregivers with hypertension, 18.1% reported high caregiver strain. Caregivers with high strain versus those with none/some were less adherent to the DASH diet (50.8% versus 38.9%, P<0.002), physically inactive (44.4% versus 36.2%, P<0.009), current smokers (19.7% versus 13.9%, P<0.004), and had lower overall self-care scores (6.6 [SD 1.7] versus 7.0 [SD 1.7], P<0.001). In an age-adjusted model, high caregiver strain was associated with worse hypertension self-care (ß=-0.37 [95% CI, -0.61 to -0.13]); this remained significant but was reduced in magnitude after adjustment for sociodemographics (ß=-0.35 [-0.59 to -0.11]), comorbidities (ß=-0.34 [-0.57 to -0.10]), caregiving intensity (ß=-0.34 [-0.59 to 0.10]), and psychological factors (ß=-0.26 [-0.51 to 0.00]). CONCLUSIONS: High caregiver strain was associated with worse hypertension self-care overall and across individual domains. Increased awareness of caregiver strain and its potential impact on hypertension self-care is warranted.

The association of vitamin D supplementation and serum vitamin D levels with physical activity in older adults: Results from a randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: To assess whether vitamin D3 supplementation attenuates the decline in daily physical activity in low-functioning adults at risk for falls. METHODS: Secondary data analyses of STURDY (Study to Understand Fall Reduction and Vitamin D in You), a response-adaptive randomized clinical trial. Participants included 571 adults aged 70 years and older with baseline serum 25(OH)D levels of 10-29 ng/mL and elevated fall risk, who wore a wrist accelerometer at baseline and at least one follow-up visit and were randomized to receive: 200 IU/day (control), 1000, 2000, or 4000 IU/day of vitamin D3 . Objective physical activity quantities and patterns (total daily activity counts, active minutes/day, and activity fragmentation) were measured for 7-days, 24-h/day, in the free-living environment using the Actigraph GT9x over up to 24-months of follow-up. RESULTS: In adjusted models, physical activity quantities declined (p < 0.001) and became more fragmented, or "broken up", (p = 0.017) over time. Supplementation with vitamin D3 did not attenuate this decline. Changes in physical activity were more rapid among those with baseline serum 25(OH)D <20 ng/mL compared to those with baseline 25(OH)D levels of 20-29 ng/mL (time*baseline 25(OH)D, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: In low-functioning older adults with serum 25(OH)D levels 10-29 ng/mL, vitamin D3 supplementation of 1000 IU/day or higher did not attenuate declines in physical activity compared with 200 IU/day. Those with baseline 25(OH)D <20 ng/mL showed accelerated declines in physical activity. Alternative interventions to supplementation are needed to curb declines in physical activity in older adults with low serum 25(OH)D.

Associations of perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and caregiving with inflammation: a longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVES: Higher inflammation has been linked to poor physical and mental health outcomes, and mortality, but few studies have rigorously examined whether changes in perceived stress and depressive symptoms are associated with increased inflammation within family caregivers and non-caregivers in a longitudinal design. DESIGN: Longitudinal Study. SETTING: REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: Participants included 239 individuals who were not caregivers at baseline but transitioned to providing substantial and sustained caregiving over time. They were initially matched to 241 non-caregiver comparisons on age, sex, race, education, marital status, self-rated health, and history of cardiovascular disease. Blood was drawn at baseline and approximately 9.3 years at follow-up for both groups. MEASUREMENTS: Perceived Stress Scale, Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression, inflammatory biomarkers, including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, D dimer, tumor necrosis factor alpha receptor 1, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, and IL-10 taken at baseline and follow-up. RESULTS: Although at follow-up, caregivers showed significantly greater worsening in perceived stress and depressive symptoms compared to non-caregivers, there were few significant associations between depressive symptoms or perceived stress on inflammation for either group. Inflammation, however, was associated with multiple demographic and health variables, including age, race, obesity, and use of medications for hypertension and diabetes for caregivers and non-caregivers. CONCLUSIONS: These findings illustrate the complexity of studying the associations between stress, depressive symptoms, and inflammation in older adults, where these associations may depend on demographic, disease, and medication effects. Future studies should examine whether resilience factors may prevent increased inflammation in older caregivers.

Getting under the skin: Social isolation and biological markers in the National Health and Aging Trends Study.

BACKGROUND: Social isolation is a risk factor for morbidity and mortality comparable to well-established risk factors including smoking, hypertension, and a sedentary lifestyle. The specific biological mechanisms that connect social isolation to morbidity and mortality remain unclear. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are biological markers that are upregulated during inflammation and can have long-term negative consequences for the health of individuals as they age. METHODS: Utilizing Round 7 (2017) data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), we examine the relationship between social isolation and two biological markers: IL-6 and high-sensitivity CRP. This study included a nationally representative sample of 4648 Medicare beneficiaries 65 years and older who provided samples using dried blood spot (DBS) techniques. We defined social isolation utilizing a multi-domained typology that considers living arrangement, core discussion network, religious attendance, and social participation. IL-6 and CRP were obtained via DBS that were collected in Round 7 of the NHATS. We performed linear regression to examine the association between social isolation and biological markers IL-6 and CRP. RESULTS: After adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, income, tobacco use, body mass index, and chronic conditions, we found that severe social isolation and social isolation were significantly associated with higher levels of IL-6 and CRP values among older adults. CONCLUSIONS: Social isolation is associated with higher levels of biological markers (IL-6 and CRP). Our findings inform the pathway between social isolation and morbidity and mortality among older adults. IL-6 or CRP could be a proximal outcome measures for future clinical and social interventions that seek to alter the trajectory of social isolation and its associated health outcomes.

Acute care utilization risk among older adults living undiagnosed or unaware of dementia.

BACKGROUND: Dementia is associated with increased risk of hospitalization and emergency department (ED) visits. Many persons with dementia are undiagnosed or unaware of their diagnosis, however. Our objective was to determine whether undiagnosed dementia or unawareness affects risk of hospitalization or ED visits. METHODS: Retrospective longitudinal cohort study of 3537 community-living adults age ≥65 enrolled in the 2011-2017 National Health and Aging Trends Study with linked fee-for-service Medicare claims. Using self or proxy reported diagnosis, proxy dementia screening questionnaire, cognitive testing, and Medicare claims diagnosis, participants were classified as having (1) no dementia or dementia, for which they were classified as (2) undiagnosed, (3) diagnosed but unaware, or (4) diagnosed and aware. Proportional hazards models evaluated all-cause and potentially preventable hospitalization and ED visit risk by time-varying dementia status, adjusting for older adult characteristics. RESULTS: Most participants (n = 2879) had no dementia at baseline. Among participants with dementia at baseline (n = 658), 187 were undiagnosed, 300 diagnosed but unaware, and 171 diagnosed and aware. In multivariable adjusted proportional hazards models, persons with undiagnosed dementia had lower risk of hospitalization and ED visits compared to persons diagnosed and aware (all-cause hospitalization aHR 0.59 [0.44, 0.79] and ED visit aHR 0.63 [0.47, 0.85]) and similar risks of these outcomes compared to persons without dementia. Individuals diagnosed but unaware had greater risk compared to those without dementia: aHR 1.37 (1.18, 1.59) for all-cause hospitalization and 1.48 (1.28, 1.71) for ED visits; they experienced risk comparable to individuals diagnosed and aware. CONCLUSION: Older adults with undiagnosed dementia are not at increased risk of acute care utilization after accounting for differences in other characteristics. Individuals unaware of diagnosed dementia demonstrate risk similar to individuals aware of the diagnosis. Increasing diagnosis alone may not affect acute care utilization. The role of awareness warrants further investigation.

Association Between Receipt of Cancer Screening and All-Cause Mortality in Older Adults.

Importance: Guidelines recommend against routine breast and prostate cancer screenings in older adults with less than 10 years' life expectancy. One study using a claims-based prognostic index showed that receipt of cancer screening itself was associated with lower mortality, suggesting that the index may misclassify individuals when used to inform cancer screening, but this finding was attributed to residual confounding because the index did not account for functional status. Objective: To examine whether cancer screening remains significantly associated with all-cause mortality in older adults after accounting for both comorbidities and functional status. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study included individuals older than 65 years who were eligible for breast or prostate cancer screening and who participated in the 2004 Health and Retirement Study. Data were linked to Medicare claims from 2001 to 2015. Data analysis was conducted from January to November 2020. Main Outcomes and Measures: A Cox model was used to estimate the association between all-cause mortality over 10 years and receipt of screening mammogram or prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, adjusting for variables in a prognostic index that included age, sex, comorbidities, and functional status. Potential confounders (ie, education, income, marital status, geographic region, cognition, self-reported health, self-care, and self-perceived mortality risk) of the association between cancer screening and mortality were also tested. Results: The breast cancer screening cohort included 3257 women (mean [SD] age, 77.8 [7.5] years); the prostate cancer screening cohort included 2085 men (mean [SD] age, 76.1 [6.8] years). Receipt of screening mammogram was associated with lower hazard of all-cause mortality after accounting for all index variables (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.67; 95% CI, 0.60-0.74). A weaker, but still statistically significant, association was found for screening PSA (aHR 0.88; 95% CI, 0.78-0.99). None of the potential confounders attenuated the association between screening and mortality except for cognition, which attenuated the aHR for mammogram from 0.67 (95% CI, 0.60-0.74) to 0.73 (95% CI, 0.64-0.82) and the aHR for PSA from 0.88 (95% CI, 0.78-0.99) to 0.92 (95% CI, 0.80-1.05), making PSA screening no longer statistically significant. Conclusions and Relevance: In this study, cognition attenuated the observed association between cancer screening and mortality among older adults. These findings suggest that existing mortality prediction algorithms may be missing important variables that are associated with receipt of cancer screening and long-term mortality. Relying solely on algorithms to determine cancer screening may misclassify individuals as having limited life expectancy and stop screening prematurely. Screening decisions need to be individualized and not solely dependent on life expectancy prediction.

Association Between Caregiver Strain and Self-Care Among Caregivers With Diabetes.

Importance: Caregiver strain has been shown to be associated with adverse effects on caregivers' health, particularly among those with cardiovascular disease. Less is known about the association of caregiver strain with health behaviors among caregivers with diabetes, a disease that requires a high degree of self-care. Objective: To examine the association between caregiver strain and diabetes self-care among caregivers with diabetes. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study was conducted between July 13, 2018, and June 25, 2020, using data on 795 US caregivers aged 45 years or older with self-reported diabetes from the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study, which comprised 30 239 Black and White adults 45 years or older throughout the US enrolled from January 2003 to October 2007. Exposures: Caregiver strain, assessed by self-report in response to the question, "How much of a mental or emotional strain is it to provide this care?" Response options were no strain, some strain, or a lot of (high) strain. Main Outcomes and Measures: Diabetes self-care, which was assessed across 4 domains (Mediterranean diet adherence, physical activity, smoking status, and medication adherence), and a composite self-care score summing performance across these domains. The association between caregiver strain and diabetes self-care was examined with multivariable Poisson regression adjusting for demographic, clinical, physical and mental functioning, and caregiving covariates. Results: Among the 795 caregivers with diabetes included in the study, the mean (SD) age was 63.7 (8.6) years, 469 (59.0%) were women, and 452 (56.9%) were Black individuals. Overall, 146 caregivers (18.4%) reported high caregiver strain. In unadjusted models, high caregiver strain was associated with less physical activity (prevalence ratio [PR], 0.66; 95% CI, 0.45-0.97), low medication adherence (PR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.68-0.94), and worse self-care (PR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.44-0.98). In adjusted models, the association between some and high caregiving strain with low medication adherence remained significant (adjusted PR: some strain, 0.88 [95% CI, 0.78-0.99]; high strain, 0.83 [95% CI, 0.69-0.99]). Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study of US adult caregivers with diabetes, a high level of strain was associated with low medication adherence. Increased awareness of the prevalence of caregiver strain and potential ramifications on caregivers' self-care appears to be warranted among health care professionals and caregivers.

Change in Life's Simple 7 Measure of Cardiovascular Health After Incident Stroke: The REGARDS Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Life's Simple 7 (LS7) is a metric for cardiovascular health based on the 7 domains of smoking, diet, physical activity, body mass index, blood pressure, total cholesterol, and fasting glucose. Because they may be targeted for secondary prevention purposes, we hypothesized that stroke survivors would experience improvement in LS7 score over time compared with people who did not experience a stroke. We addressed this hypothesis in the REGARDS study (Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke) cohort of Black and White adults enrolled between 2003 and 2007. METHODS: Participants who had LS7 data at baseline, were stroke-free at baseline, had a 10-year follow-up visit, and either did not have a stroke or had an ischemic stroke >1 year before follow-up were included (N=7569). Among these participants, 149 (2.0%) had an adjudicated ischemic stroke between the LS7 assessments. LS7 scores were classified as 0 to 2 points for each domain for a maximum score of 14, with higher scores representing better health. Multivariable linear regression was used to test the association of ischemic stroke with change in LS7 score. Covariates included baseline LS7 score, age, race, sex, education, and geographic region. RESULTS: The 149 stroke survivors had an average of 4.9 years (SD=2.5) of follow-up from the stroke event to the second LS7 assessment. After adjusting for covariates, participants who experienced an ischemic stroke showed 0.28 points more decline in total LS7 score (P=0.03) than those who did not experience a stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Stroke survivors did not experience improvements in cardiovascular health due to secondary prevention after ischemic stroke. On the contrary, they experienced significantly greater decline, indicating the need for greater efforts in secondary prevention after a stroke.

Evaluation of Racial Disparities in Hospice Use and End-of-Life Treatment Intensity in the REGARDS Cohort.

Importance: Although hospice use is increasing and patients in the US are increasingly dying at home, racial disparities in treatment intensity at the end of life, including hospice use, remain. Objective: To examine differences between Black and White patients in end-of-life care in a population sample with well-characterized causes of death. Design, Setting, and Participants: This study used data from the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study, an ongoing population-based cohort study with enrollment between January 25, 2003, and October 3, 2007, with linkage to Medicare claims data. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine racial and regional differences in end-of-life outcomes and in stroke mortality among 1212 participants with fee-for-service Medicare who died between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2015, owing to natural causes and excluding sudden death, with oversampling of Black individuals and residents of Southeastern states in the United States. Initial analyses were conducted in March 2019, and final primary analyses were conducted in February 2020. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcomes of interest were hospice use of 3 or more days in the last 6 months of life derived from Medicare claims files. Other outcomes included multiple hospitalizations, emergency department visits, and use of intensive procedures in the last 6 months of life. Cause of death was adjudicated by an expert panel of clinicians using death certificates, proxy interviews, autopsy reports, and medical records. Results: The sample consisted of 1212 participants (630 men [52.0%]; 378 Black individuals [31.2%]; mean [SD] age at death, 81.0 [8.6] years) of 2542 total deaths. Black decedents were less likely than White decedents to use hospice for 3 or more days (132 of 378 [34.9%] vs 385 of 834 [46.2%]; P < .001). After stratification by cause of death, substantial racial differences in treatment intensity and service use were found among persons who died of cardiovascular disease but not among patients who died of cancer. In analyses adjusted for cause of death (dementia, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other) and clinical and demographic variables, Black decedents were significantly less likely to use 3 or more days of hospice (odds ratio [OR], 0.72; 95% CI, 0.54-0.96) and were more likely to have multiple emergency department visits (OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.01-1.80) and hospitalizations (OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.02-1.89) and undergo intensive treatment (OR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.40-2.70) in the last 6 months of life compared with White decedents. Conclusions and Relevance: Despite the increase in the use of hospice care in recent decades, racial disparities in the use of hospice remain, especially for noncancer deaths. More research is required to better understand racial disparities in access to and quality of end-of-life care.

The transition to family caregiving and its effect on biomarkers of inflammation.

Chronic stress has been widely proposed to increase systemic inflammation, a pathway that may link stress with a heightened risk for many diseases. The chronic stress-inflammation relationship has been challenging to study in humans, however, and family caregiving has been identified as one type of stressful situation that might lead to increased inflammation. Previous studies of caregiving and inflammation have generally used small convenience samples, compared caregivers with poorly characterized control participants, and assessed inflammation only after caregivers provided care for extended periods of time. In the current project, changes over a 9-y period were examined on six circulating biomarkers of inflammation for 480 participants from a large population-based study. All participants reported no involvement in caregiving prior to the first biomarker assessment, and 239 participants then took on extensive and prolonged family caregiving responsibilities at some point prior to the second biomarker assessment. Incident caregivers were individually matched on multiple demographic and health history variables with participants who reported no caregiving responsibilities. Of the six biomarkers examined, only tumor necrosis factor alpha receptor 1 showed a significantly greater increase in caregivers compared with controls. This effect was small (d = 0.14), and no effects were found for a subset of 45 caregivers who were living with a spouse with dementia. These results are consistent with recent meta-analytic findings and challenge the widespread belief that caregiving is a substantial risk factor for increased inflammation. Future research is warranted on factors that may account for stress resilience in family caregivers.

Influence of Age, Health, and Function on Cancer Screening in Older Adults with Limited Life Expectancy.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: We examined the relationship between cancer screening and life expectancy predictors, focusing on the influence of age versus health and function, in older adults with limited life expectancy. DESIGN: Longitudinal cohort study SETTING: National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) with linked Medicare claims. PARTICIPANTS: Three cohorts of adults 65+ enrolled in fee-for-service Medicare were constructed: women eligible for breast cancer screening (n = 2043); men eligible for prostate cancer screening (n = 1287); men and women eligible for colorectal cancer screening (n = 3759). MEASUREMENTS: We assessed 10-year mortality risk using 2011 NHATS data, then used claims data to assess 2-year prostate and breast cancer screening rates and 3-year colorectal cancer screening rates. Among those with limited life expectancy (10-year mortality risk > 50%), we stratified participants at each level of predicted mortality risk and split participants in each risk stratum by the median age. We assembled two sub-groups from these strata that were matched on predicted life expectancy: a "younger sub-group" with relatively poorer health/functional status and an "older sub-group" with relatively better health/functional status. We compared screening rates between sub-groups. RESULTS: For all three cancer screenings, the younger sub-groups (average ages 73.4-76.1) had higher screening rates than the older sub-groups (average ages 83.6-86.9); screening rates were 42.9% versus 34.2% for prostate cancer screening (p = 0.02), 33.6% versus 20.6% for breast cancer screening (p < 0.001), 13.1% versus 6.7% for colorectal cancer screening in women (p = 0.006), and 20.5% versus 12.1% for colorectal cancer screening in men (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Among older adults with limited life expectancy, those who are relatively younger with poorer health and functional status are over-screened for cancer at higher rates than those who are older with the same predicted life expectancy.

Role of religious social support in longitudinal relationships between religiosity and health-related outcomes in African Americans.

This study tested a longitudinal model of religious social support as a potential mediator of the relationship between religious beliefs and behaviors, and multiple health-related outcomes (e.g., depressive symptoms, functioning, diet, alcohol use, cancer screening). A national probability sample of African Americans enrolled in the religion and health in African Americans study completed three waves of telephone interviews over a 5-year period (N = 766). Longitudinal structural equation models indicated that religious behaviors, but not beliefs, predicted the slowing of a modest overall decline in positive religious social support, while negative interactions with congregational members were stable. Positive religious support was associated with lower depressive symptoms and heavy drinking over time, while negative interaction predicted increases in depressive symptoms and decreases in emotional functioning. Positive religious support mediated the relationship between religious behaviors and depressive symptoms and heavy drinking. Findings have implications for mental health interventions in faith-based settings.

Longitudinal effects of religious involvement on religious coping and health behaviors in a national sample of African Americans.

Many studies have examined associations between religious involvement and health, linking various dimensions of religion with a range of physical health outcomes and often hypothesizing influences on health behaviors. However, far fewer studies have examined explanatory mechanisms of the religion-health connection, and most have overwhelmingly relied on cross-sectional analyses. Given the relatively high levels of religious involvement among African Americans and the important role that religious coping styles may play in health, the present study tested a longitudinal model of religious coping as a potential mediator of a multidimensional religious involvement construct (beliefs; behaviors) on multiple health behaviors (e.g., diet, physical activity, alcohol use, cancer screening). A national probability sample of African Americans was enrolled in the RHIAA (Religion and Health In African Americans) study and three waves of telephone interviews were conducted over a 5-year period (N = 565). Measurement models were fit followed by longitudinal structural models. Positive religious coping decreased modestly over time in the sample, but these reductions were attenuated for participants with stronger religious beliefs and behaviors. Decreases in negative religious coping were negligible and were not associated with either religious beliefs or religious behaviors. Religious coping was not associated with change in any of the health behaviors over time, precluding the possibility of a longitudinal mediational effect. Thus, mediation observed in previous cross-sectional analyses was not confirmed in this more rigorous longitudinal model over a 5-year period. However, findings do point to the role that religious beliefs have in protecting against declines in positive religious coping over time, which may have implications for pastoral counseling and other faith-based interventions.

Use of Bladder Antimuscarinics in Older Adults with Impaired Cognition.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the use of antimuscarinics for treating urinary incontinence (UI) in older adults with varying levels of cognition. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center from 2005 through 2015. PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling men and women aged 65 and older (N = 24,106). MEASUREMENTS: Clinicians and staff evaluated each participant's dementia status during annual in-person assessments. Participants or their informants reported all medications taken in the 2 weeks before each study visit. RESULTS: Overall, 5.2% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 4.9-5.5%) of the cohort took a bladder antimuscarinic. Participants with impaired cognition were more likely to be taking an antimuscarinic than those with normal cognition. Rates of bladder antimuscarinic use were 4.0% (95% CI = 3.6-4.4%) for participants with normal cognition, 5.6% (95% CI = 4.9-6.3%) for those with mild cognitive impairment, and 6.0% (95% CI = 5.5-6.4%) for those with dementia (p < .001). Of 624 participants with dementia who took antimuscarinics, 16% (95% CI = 13-19%) were simultaneously taking other medicines with anticholinergic properties. CONCLUSION: Use of bladder antimuscarinics was more common in older adults with impaired cognition than in those with normal cognition. This use is despite guidelines advising clinicians to avoid prescribing antimuscarinics in individuals with dementia because of their vulnerability to anticholinergic-induced adverse cognitive and functional effects. A substantial proportion of cognitively impaired individuals who took antimuscarinics were simultaneously taking other anticholinergic medications. These findings suggest a need to improve the treatment of UI in individuals with impaired cognition.

Gender differences in the roles of religion and locus of control on alcohol use and smoking among African Americans.

OBJECTIVE: Spiritual health locus of control reflects a person's beliefs about the role of a higher power in one's health and can take an active or a passive perspective. The purpose of this study was to examine the moderating role of active and passive spiritual health locus of control beliefs on select health risk behaviors--alcohol use and smoking--in a national sample of African Americans. METHOD: A national U.S. probability sample of study participants (N = 2,370; 906 men; 1,464 women) completed a telephone survey assessing religious involvement, active and passive spiritual health locus of control beliefs, and alcohol consumption and smoking status. Because of previous research suggesting gender-specific associations among these variables, moderation analyses were conducted separately for men and women. RESULTS: For women, higher religious behaviors were associated with less alcohol use, and this effect was more pronounced among those high in active spiritual health locus of control. For men, the combination of lower religious beliefs and higher passive spiritual health locus of control was associated with more alcohol consumption and more days of consuming five or more alcoholic drinks. No moderation effects were found for smoking. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified unique patterns of religious involvement and spiritual health locus of control beliefs that are associated with alcohol use, including heavy drinking, among African Americans. These findings have implications for pastoral counseling and other faith-based approaches for addressing heavy drinking in African Americans.

Religion and health in African Americans: the role of religious coping.

OBJECTIVES: To test a model of the religion-health connection to determine whether religious coping plays a mediating role in health behaviors in a national sample of African Americans. METHODS: Participants completed a telephone survey (N = 2370) assessing religious involvement, religious coping, health behaviors, and demographics. RESULTS: Religious beliefs were associated with greater vegetable consumption, which may be due to the role of positive and negative religious coping. Negative religious coping played a role in the relationship between religious beliefs and alcohol consumption. There was no evidence of mediation for fruit consumption, alcohol use in the past 30 days, or smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Findings have implications for theory and health promotion activities for African Americans.

Positive and Negative Religious Beliefs Explaining the Religion-Health Connection Among African Americans.

Theory and literature suggests that the reason religiously-involved people tend to have good health outcomes is because they have healthy lifestyles and behaviors in accord with religious beliefs. Other literature suggests that religious involvement may play a negative role in health outcomes due to beliefs about illness originating as punishment for sins. These ideas were tested as part of a theoretical model of the religion-health connection, in a national sample of African Americans. Outcomes included a variety of health-related behaviors. Study participants (N=2,370) randomly selected from a US national call list completed a telephone survey assessing religious involvement, health behaviors, and demographic characteristics. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze study data. Findings indicate that perceived religious influence on health behavior mediated the relationship between religious beliefs and behaviors and higher fruit consumption, and lower alcohol use and smoking. Belief that illness is the result of punishment for sin mediated the relationship between 1) religious beliefs and higher vegetable consumption and lower binge drinking; and 2) religious behaviors and lower vegetable consumption and higher binge drinking. These findings could be applied to health education activities conducted in African American faith-based organizations such as health ministries, in the effort to eliminate health disparities.

Patterns of prophylactic gastrostomy tube placement in head and neck cancer patients: a consideration of the significance of social support and practice variation.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The purpose of this study was to examine factors associated with prophylactic placement of feeding tubes in head and neck cancer patients receiving radiation therapy as a part of treatment using multilevel models that account for patient-, physician-, and institution-level sources of variation. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective analysis using binary logistic regression and hierarchical linear models was run to evaluate independent predictors of prophylactic feeding tube placement. METHODS: Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare data were used. Head and neck cancer patients diagnosed with locoregionally advanced stage disease from 2000 to 2005 were included in this study (N = 8,306). RESULTS: Across all models, prophylactic gastrostomy tube placement was found to be more likely in patients who had cancer of the larynx or oropharynx compared with those with cancer of the nasopharynx or oral cavity; who had regional instead of local cancer; who did not receive surgery as a part of treatment, but did receive chemotherapy; and who were divorced, separated, or widowed. Additionally, although practice variation was observed to occur, its overall contribution in predicting prophylactic gastrostomy tube placement was minimal. CONCLUSIONS: As health care enters an era of patient-centered care, further investigation of the potential role of social support (or lack of social support) in influencing treatment decisions of head and neck cancer patients and providers is warranted.

Inflammatory biomarkers as predictors of hospitalization and death in community-dwelling older adults.

Individuals with multimorbidity may be at increased risk of hospitalization and death. Comorbidity indexes do not capture severity of illness or healthcare utilization; however, inflammation biomarkers that are not disease-specific may predict hospitalization and death in older adults. We sought to predict hospitalization and mortality of older adults using inflammation biomarkers. From a prospective, observational study, 370 community-dwelling adults 65 years or older from central Alabama participated in an in-home assessment and provided fasting blood samples for inflammation biomarker testing in 2004. We calculated an inflammation summary score (range 0-4), one point each for low albumin, high C-reactive protein, low cholesterol, and high interleukin-6. Utilizing Cox proportional hazards models, inflammation summary scores were used to predicted time to hospitalization and death during a 4-year follow up period. The mean age was 73.7 (±5.9 yrs), and 53 (14%) participants had summary scores of 3 or 4. The rates of dying were significantly increased for participants with inflammation summary scores of 2, 3, or 4 (hazard ratio (HR) 2.22, 2.78, and 7.55, respectively; p<0.05). An inflammation summary score of 4 significantly predicted hospitalization (HR 5.92, p<0.05). Community-dwelling older adults with biomarkers positive for inflammation had increased rates of being hospitalized or dying during the follow up period. Assessment of the individual contribution of particular inflammation biomarkers in the prediction of health outcomes in older populations and the development of validated summary scores to predict morbidity and mortality are needed.

Gastrostomy tube placement and use in patients with head and neck cancer.

BACKGROUND: Enteral nutritional support is used in care for patients with head and neck cancer. This study describes the frequency and timing of gastrostomy tube placement and corresponding Medicare nutritional support claims in patients with head and neck cancer. METHODS: Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare data for patients with head and neck cancer diagnosed from 2000 to 2005 were used in this descriptive study (N = 16,458). RESULTS: In all, 35.1% of patients undergoing treatment had gastrostomy tubes placed; 16.9% had tubes placed before treatment, whereas 83.1% had them placed after treatment. Of those having tubes placed prior to treatment 23.7% had Medicare claims for nutritional support before treatment and 40.9% had claims after treatment began. A total of 35.4% of patients who had tubes placed before treatment and 35.5% who had tubes placed after treatment had no claims for nutritional support. CONCLUSIONS: Future work is warranted to identify predictors and outcomes associated with provision and timing of enteral nutrition support for patients with head and neck cancer.