County-Level Factors Associated With Influenza and COVID-19 Vaccination in Indiana, 2020‒2022.

Objectives. To assess COVID-19 and influenza vaccination rates across Indiana's 92 counties and identify county-level factors associated with vaccination. Methods. We analyzed county-level data on adult COVID-19 vaccination from the Indiana vaccine registry and 2021 adult influenza vaccination from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We used multiple linear regression (MLR) to determine county-level predictors of vaccinations. Results. COVID-19 vaccination ranged from 31.2% to 87.6% (mean = 58.0%); influenza vaccination ranged from 33.7% to 53.1% (mean = 42.9%). In MLR, COVID-19 vaccination was significantly associated with primary care providers per capita (b = 0.04; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.02, 0.05), median household income (b = 0.23; 95% CI = 0.12, 0.34), percentage Medicare enrollees with a mammogram (b = 0.29; 95% CI = 0.08, 0.51), percentage uninsured (b = -1.22; 95% CI = -1.57, -0.87), percentage African American (b = 0.31; 95% CI = 0.19, 0.42), percentage female (b = -0.97; 95% CI = -1.79, ‒0.15), and percentage who smoke (b = -0.75; 95% CI = -1.26, -0.23). Influenza vaccination was significantly associated with percentage uninsured (b = 0.71; 95% CI = 0.22, 1.21), percentage African American (b = -0.07; 95% CI = -0.13, -0.01), percentage Hispanic (b = -0.28; 95% CI = -0.40, -0.17), percentage who smoke (b = -0.85; 95% CI = -1.06, -0.64), and percentage who completed high school (b = 0.54; 95% CI = 0.21, 0.87). The MLR models explained 86.7% (COVID-19) and 70.2% (influenza) of the variance. Conclusions. Factors associated with COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations varied. Variables reflecting access to care (e.g., insurance) and higher risk of severe disease (e.g., smoking) are notable. Programs to improve access and target high-risk populations may improve vaccination rates. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(4):415-423. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2023.307553).

Communication and activation in pain to enhance relationships and treat pain with equity (COOPERATE): a randomized clinical trial.

ABSTRACT: Racialized disparities in chronic pain care are well-documented and persist despite national priorities focused on health equity. Similar disparities have been observed in patient activation (ie, having the knowledge, confidence, and skills to manage one's health). As such, interventions targeting patient activation represent a novel approach to addressing and reducing disparities in pain care. Communication and Activation in Pain to Enhance Relationships and Treat Pain with Equity is a randomized controlled trial of a 6-session telephone-delivered intervention to increase patient activation for Black patients with chronic pain. Two hundred fifty Black patients from a Midwestern Veterans Affairs medical center were randomized to the intervention or attention control. The primary outcome was patient activation; secondary outcomes included communication self-efficacy, pain, and psychological functioning. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and at 3 (primary endpoint), 6, and 9 months (sustained effects). Analyses used an intent-to-treat approach. Compared with baseline, patient activation increased 4.6 points at 3 months (versus +0.13 in control group, 95% CI: 0.48, 7.34; P = 0.03). These improvements in the intervention group were sustained, with +7 from baseline at 6 months and +5.77 at 9 months, and remained statistically significant from the control group. Communication self-efficacy increased significantly relative to the control group from baseline to 3 months. Pain intensity and interference improved at 3 months, but differences were not significant after adjusting for multiple comparisons. Most other secondary outcomes improved, but group differences were not statistically significant after controlling for multiple comparisons. Results suggest that increasing patient activation is a potentially fruitful path toward improving pain management and achieving health equity.

County-level correlates of completed HPV vaccination in Indiana.

The Healthy People 2030 goal is for 80% of all adolescents to complete their HPV vaccination series. Per the 2021, National Immunization Survey-Teen (NIS-Teen), 61.7% of adolescents have completed the series, and Indiana lags below the national average (55.2%). The present study estimated the 2-dose HPV vaccine series completion rates across Indiana counties among individuals aged 9-14 years who received their first dose of vaccine and determined what factors were associated with series completion at the county level. The association of county-level sociodemographic and health measures with series completion was also examined. Data were extracted from the Indiana Immunization Information System (IIS), administered by the Indiana Department of Health. All vaccine providers are required to report all immunizations to the system for any patient under age 19 years. All Indiana children ages 9-14 years at the time of first dose who had initiated HPV vaccination in 2017 or 2018 were included. Two-dose series completion was evaluated through October of 2020, allowing a minimum gap of 22 months from first dose administration. All statistical analyses were conducted at the county-level. The Indiana HPV vaccination series completion rate among individuals that received the first dose was on average 73% across counties, ranging from 55.7% to 90.4%. Higher series completion was positively associated with primary care providers per capita, participation in mammography screening among Medicare enrollees, median household income, life expectancy, percentage of residents with some college, percentage of adults up-to-date with colonoscopy screening, and percentage of adults with flu vaccine. There was wide variability in series completion across Indiana counties. HPV series completion was associated with county-level sociodemographic and health measures, particularly variables reflecting difficulties with access to care and lack of financial resources.

Communication and Activation in Pain to Enhance Relationships and Treat Pain with Equity (COOPERATE): Rationale, study design, methods, and sample characteristics.

BACKGROUND: Chronic pain is associated with profound negative effects, and racial disparities are well-documented in chronic pain treatment. In addition, Black patients report poorer communication with providers and exhibit lower levels of patient activation (self-management self-efficacy) than White patients. Although the causes of healthcare disparities are complex and require intervention at multiple levels, empowering patients is one critical path to achieving health equity. The current study is a coaching intervention focused on increasing patient activation and building communication skills for Black patients with chronic pain. METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial, 250 Black patients with chronic pain were randomized to either the coaching intervention or an attention control arm. Intervention patients attended 6 telephone-delivered individual coaching sessions over 12 weeks. Coaching focused on clarifying and prioritizing goals and on communication skills, such as agenda setting. The primary outcome is patient activation. Secondary outcomes include communication self-efficacy, pain intensity and interference, and psychological functioning. DISCUSSION: Having the knowledge and confidence to participate in one's pain care, coupled with the skills needed to effectively communicate with providers, is essential to optimize chronic pain care. This is particularly important for Black patients who often experience lower quality pain care. Interventions such as COOPERATE hold promise for helping patients to acquire the requisite tools to take greater control of their chronic pain care. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov, # NCT03562793.

Psychosocial and Sociodemographic Contributors to Breastfeeding Intention in First-Time Mothers.

OBJECTIVE: Breastfeeding has multiple benefits for women and babies. Understanding factors contributing to intention to exclusively breastfeed may allow for improving the rates in first-time mothers. The study objective was to examine factors associated with a woman's intention to breastfeed her first child. METHODS: A secondary analysis of the prospective "Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: monitoring mothers-to-be" (nuMoM2b) study of nulliparous women in the U.S. with singleton pregnancies was performed. Sociodemographic and psychosocial factors were analyzed for associations with breastfeeding intention. RESULTS: For the 6443 women with complete information about breastfeeding intention and all factors under consideration, women who intended to breastfeed (either exclusively or any breastfeeding) were more likely to be older, not black, have reached a higher level of education, have higher incomes, have a lower body mass index (BMI), and be nonsmokers. Reporting a planned pregnancy and several psychosocial measures were also associated with intention to breastfeed. In the multivariable analysis for exclusive breastfeeding, in addition to age, BMI, race, income, education, and smoking, of the psychosocial measures assessed, only women with higher hassle intensity ratios on the Pregnancy Experience Scale had lower odds of exclusive breastfeeding intention (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.55-0.92). Other psychosocial measures were not associated with either exclusive breastfeeding or any breastfeeding after controlling for demographic characteristics. CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE: Several sociodemographic factors, having a planned pregnancy, and fewer intense pregnancy hassles compared to uplifts are associated with intention to exclusively breastfeed. Identifying these factors may allow providers to identify women for focused, multilevel efforts to enhance breastfeeding rates.

Supporting caregivers of veterans with Alzheimer's disease and traumatic brain injury: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) and their caregivers require cognitive and behavioral symptom management, interdisciplinary care, support for caregivers, and seamless care coordination between providers. Caring for someone with ADRD or TBI is associated with higher rates of psychological morbidity and burden, social isolation, financial hardship, and deterioration of physical health. Tremendous need exists for primary care-based interventions that concurrently address the care needs of dyads and aim to improve care and outcomes for both individuals with ADRD and TBI and their family caregivers. METHODS: The Aging Brain Care Acquiring New Skills While Enhancing Remaining Strengths (ABC ANSWERS) study is a randomized controlled trial that tests the effectiveness of an intervention based on two evidence-based programs that have been developed for and previously tested in populations with ADRD, TBI, stroke, and late-life depression and/or who have survived an intensive care unit stay. This study includes 200 dyads comprised of a veteran with a diagnosis of ADRD or TBI and the veteran's primary informal caregiver. Dyads are randomized to receive the ABC ANSWERS intervention or routine Veterans Health Administration (VHA) primary care with a standardized educational and resource information packet. Data collection occurs at baseline and three follow-up time points (3 months, 6 months, and 12 months). The primary outcome is caregiver quality of life (QoL). A secondary measure for the caregiver is caregiver burden. Secondary measures for both the veteran and caregiver include symptoms of depression and anxiety. DISCUSSION: The ABC ANSWERS intervention integrates common features of an evidence-based collaborative care model for brain health while concurrently attending to the implementation barriers of delivering care and skills to dyads. We hypothesize that caregivers in dyads randomized to the ABC ANSWERS program will experience higher levels of QoL and lower levels of depression, anxiety, dyadic strain, and caregiver burden at 12 months than those receiving usual VHA primary care. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03397667. Registered on 12 January 2018.

Informing Policy Change: A Study of Rapid Repeat Pregnancy in Adolescents to Increase Access to Immediate Postpartum Contraception.

Background: Rapid repeat pregnancy (RRP) is common among adolescents and is associated with adverse maternal and infant outcomes. Despite evidence that use of long-acting forms of contraception before hospital discharge can help minimize RRP rates, barriers to placement existed within the state of Indiana. We sought to determine state-specific RRP and induced abortion rates for adolescents based on chosen postpartum contraception to inform policy change. Methods: We examined a retrospective cohort of 227 adolescents (ages 12-18 years) who gave birth in Indiana between 2010 and 2012. Demographics, postpartum contraception, and subsequent pregnancies or abortions after the sentinel delivery were obtained. Rates of RRP based on type of immediate postpartum contraception, etonogestrel (ENG) contraceptive implant, depo-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) injection, and short-acting methods were compared. Bivariate and logistic regression analyses were conducted. Results: RRP rates were 3.7% for those with ENG contraceptive implant, 22.6% for those with DMPA, and 39.1% for those who choose short-acting methods (p = 0.01). Adolescents who did not choose an ENG contraceptive implant were significantly more likely to have an RRP (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 11.8, 95% confidence interval: 2.74-110.3), compared with other contraceptive methods, even after adjusting for covariates such as age, prior pregnancies, and postpartum visit attendance. Conclusions: Immediate postpartum receipt of ENG implant was significantly associated with a lower likelihood of RRP in adolescents in Indiana. These data facilitated state policy change regarding insurance reimbursement to improve statewide access for all women, regardless of age, showing how local data can inform policy change.

A Prospective Study on the Effects of Medicaid Regulation and Other Barriers to Obtaining Postpartum Sterilization.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to assess unfulfilled sterilization requests, specifically regarding issues with the Medicaid consent for sterilization, and determine the proportion of women who subsequently received interval sterilization by 3 months postpartum. METHODS: The authors conducted a prospective observational cohort study of women who gave birth over an 8-month period and requested immediate postpartum sterilization. Records of women with unfulfilled requests were reviewed up to 3 months postpartum to determine rates of postpartum follow-up and interval sterilization. Primary analysis examined unfulfilled sterilization requests associated with the Medicaid consent form and, secondarily, all other reasons for unfulfilled requests, as well as alternative contraceptive methods chosen. RESULTS: Of the 334 women who requested immediate postpartum sterilization, 173 (52%) received the requested sterilization and 161 (48%) did not. Among those whose request was unfulfilled, 91 (56.5%) still wanted the procedure, and of those women, more than two-thirds were unable to receive it because of Medicaid consent issues. Within this group, only 6 received interval sterilization by 3 months postpartum; more than one-third received a form of long-acting reversible contraception, and 24.6% did not receive postpartum care. DISCUSSION: A sizable proportion of women requesting postpartum sterilization have unfulfilled requests because of an issue with the Medicaid consent and also have a low likelihood of receiving interval sterilization by 3 months postpartum. The Medicaid consent may create barriers for women requesting postpartum sterilization, the vast majority of whom face subsequent barriers obtaining interval sterilization, thereby increasing the risk for unintended pregnancy in an at-risk population. This has important implications for reproductive justice efforts to protect vulnerable populations while minimizing barriers to desired care.

Care Trajectories of Veterans in the 12 Months After Hospitalization for Acute Ischemic Stroke.

BACKGROUND: Recovery after a stroke varies greatly between individuals and is reflected by wide variation in the use of institutional and home care services. This study sought to classify veterans according to their care trajectories in the 12 months after hospitalization for ischemic stroke. METHODS AND RESULTS: The sample consisted of 3811 veterans hospitalized for ischemic stroke in Veterans Health Administration facilities in 2007. Three outcomes--nursing home care, home care, and mortality--were modeled jointly >12 months using latent class growth analysis. Data on Veterans' care use and cost came from the Veterans Administration and Medicare. Covariates included stroke severity (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale), functional status (functional independence measure score), age, marital status, chronic conditions, and prestroke ambulation. Five care trajectories were identified: 49% of Veterans had Rapid Recovery with little or no use of care; 15% had a Steady Recovery with initially high nursing home or home care that tapered off; 9% had Long-Term Home Care; 13% had Long-Term Nursing Home Care; and 14% had an Unstable trajectory with multiple transitions between long-term and acute care settings. Care use was greatest for individuals with more severe strokes, lower functioning at hospital discharge, and older age. Average annual costs were highest for individuals with the Long-Term Nursing Home trajectory ($63,082), closely followed by individuals with the Unstable trajectory ($58,720). Individual with the Rapid Recovery trajectory had the lowest costs ($9271). CONCLUSIONS: Care trajectories after stroke were associated with stroke severity and functional dependency and they had a dramatic impact on subsequent costs.

Redesigning a joint replacement program using Lean Six Sigma in a Veterans Affairs hospital.

IMPORTANCE: In April 2009, an analysis of joint replacement surgical procedures at the Richard L. Roudebush Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Indianapolis, Indiana, revealed that total hip and knee replacements incurred $1.4 million in non-Veterans Affairs (VA) care costs with an average length of stay of 6.1 days during fiscal year 2008. The Joint Replacement Program system redesign project was initiated following the Vision-Analysis-Team-Aim-Map-Measure-Change-Sustain (VA-TAMMCS) model to increase efficiency, decrease length of stay, and reduce non-VA care costs. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of Lean Six Sigma process improvement methods applied in a VA hospital. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Perioperative processes for patients undergoing total joint replacement were redesigned following the VA-TAMMCS model--the VA's official, branded method of Lean Six Sigma process improvement. A multidisciplinary team including the orthopedic surgeons, frontline staff, and executive management identified waste in the current processes and initiated changes to reduce waste and increase efficiency. Data collection included a 1-year baseline period and a 20-month sustainment period. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary endpoint was length of stay; a secondary analysis considered non-VA care cost reductions. RESULTS: Length of stay decreased 36% overall, decreasing from 5.3 days during the preproject period to 3.4 days during the 20-month sustainment period (P < .001). Non-VA care was completely eliminated for patients undergoing total hip and knee replacement at the Richard L. Roudebush Veterans Affairs Medical Center, producing an estimated return on investment of $1 million annually when compared with baseline cost and volumes. In addition, the volume of total joint replacements at this center increased during the data collection period. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The success of the Joint Replacement Program demonstrates that VA-TAMMCS is an effective tool for Lean and Six Sigma process improvement initiatives in a surgical practice, producing a 36% sustained reduction in length of stay and completely eliminating non-VA care for total hip and knee replacements while increasing total joint replacement volume at this medical center.

Joint modeling of medical cost and survival in complex sample surveys.

Medical cost data are typically highly skewed to the right with a large proportion of zero costs. It is also common for these data to be censored because of incomplete follow-up and death. In the case of censoring due to death, it is important to consider the potential dependence between cost and survival. This association can occur because patients who incur a greater amount of medical cost tend to be frailer and hence are more likely to die. To handle this informative censoring issue, joint modeling of cost and survival with shared random effects has been proposed. In this paper, we extend this joint modeling approach to handle a final feature of many medical cost data sets, i.e., Specifically, the fact that data were obtained via a complex survey design. Specifically, we extend the joint model by incorporating the sample weights when estimating the parameters and using the Taylor series linearization approach when calculating the standard errors. We use a simulation study to compare the joint modeling approach with and without these adjustments. The simulation study shows that parameter estimates can be seriously biased when information about the complex survey design is ignored. It also shows that standard errors based on the Taylor series linearization approach provide satisfactory confidence interval coverage. The proposed joint model is applied to monthly hospital costs obtained from the 2004 National Long Term Care Survey.

Modeling correlated healthcare costs.

Accurate estimation and prediction of healthcare costs play crucial roles in decisions made by healthcare agencies on policy and resource allocation. Development of a cost model allows these decision-makers the opportunity to investigate the impact of different policies and/or allocations of resources. With increased subject-specific information, longitudinal studies and the breakdown of total costs into categories comes the need for healthcare cost models to account for correlation. In this article, we review the statistical models used to fit joint costs, emphasizing the use of copulas as a flexible and relatively straightforward approach to move from marginal to joint modeling.

Health belief model variables as predictors of progression in stage of mammography adoption.

PURPOSE: Identify predictors of change in mammography stage for nonadherent women so that appropriate stage-based interventions can be developed. DESIGN: Participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups in a randomized clinical trial to increase mammography screening. This report focuses on predictors of stages of change of mammography behavior; intervention results are reported elsewhere. SETTING: Indigent clinic and health maintenance organization. SUBJECTS: Women, 50 or older, with no breast cancer diagnosis and nonadherent with mammography screening. INTERVENTION: The intervention and results are described elsewhere. MEASURES: Previously validated belief scales. RESULTS: Results showed that precontemplators and contemplators differed significantly at baseline and follow-up on all breast cancer beliefs except fear. Changes in barriers, benefits, and self-efficacy scores significantly predicted forward stage movement for women entering the study in precontemplation or contemplation (p = .0009, p = .037, and p = .048, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Changes in beliefs predict stage movement, and beliefs differ significantly among stages, leading the way for interventions tailored to both beliefs and stages of behavior adoption. In practical terms, we may be able to cut down on the "bulkiness" of our interventions and the number of tailoring variables, focusing more intensively on tailoring interventions to the beliefs whose changes have now been shown to predict stage advancement. These predictions are in addition to intervention effect which is reported elsewhere.

The effect of telephone versus print tailoring for mammography adherence.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this intervention was to increase mammography adherence in women who had not had a mammogram in the last 15 months. METHODS: A prospective randomized intervention trial used four groups: (1) usual care, (2) tailored telephone counseling, (3) tailored print, (4) tailored telephone counseling and print. Participants included a total of 1244 women from two sites-a general medicine clinic setting serving predominately low-income clientele and a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO). Computer-tailored interventions addressed each woman's perceived risk of breast cancer, benefits and/or barriers and self-efficacy related to mammography screening comparing delivery by telephone and mail. RESULTS: Compared to usual care all intervention groups increased mammography adherence significantly (odds ratio 1.60-1.91) when the entire sample was included. CONCLUSIONS: All interventions groups demonstrated efficacy in increasing mammography adherence as compared to a usual care group. When the intervention analysis considered baseline stage, pre contemplators (women who did not intend to get a mammogram) did not significantly increase in mammography adherence as compared to usual care. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Women who are in pre contemplation stage may need a more intensive intervention.

Tailored interventions for screening mammography among a sample of initially non-adherent women: when is a booster dose important?

OBJECTIVE: To assess added value of a booster dose of a tailored mammography intervention. METHODS: Participants, non-adherent at baseline, were randomly assigned to usual care or one of three tailored interventions. Intervention group members (n=657) were further randomly assigned to receive/not receive a booster intervention dose. Electronic record mammography data were collected following initial intervention and at 6 and 15 months post-booster. RESULTS: Booster had no effect among women not screened after first intervention dose (n=337). Among women screened after initial dose (n=320), booster predicted re-screening at 6 but not 15 months. A boosterxrace interaction showed a booster effect at 6 months for African Americans (OR=4.66, p=.0005) but not Caucasians (OR=0.74, p=.44). CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest if a first-dose intervention does not facilitate screening, neither will a booster dose. However, among women for whom a first dose is effective, boosters can facilitate timely repeat adherence, especially among African Americans. At 6 months booster recipients were less likely to be off-schedule but, by 15 months, the groups were similar. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Boosters may effect when, but not whether, women continue screening.

A cost-effectiveness comparison of three tailored interventions to increase mammography screening.

BACKGROUND: Mammography is the primary method used for breast cancer screening. However, adherence to recommended screening practices is still below acceptable levels. This study examined the cost-effectiveness of three combinations of tailored telephone and mailed intervention strategies for increasing adherence to mammography. METHODS: There were 1044 participants who were randomly assigned to one of four groups. A logistic regression model with adherence as the dependent variable and group as the independent variable was used to test for significant differences, and a ratio of cost/improvement in mammogram adherence evaluated the cost-effectiveness. RESULTS: All three of the interventions (tailored telephone, tailored mail, and tailored telephone and mail) had significantly better adherence rates compared with the control group (usual care). However, when also considering costs, one emerged as the superior strategy. The cost-effectiveness ratios for the three interventions show that the tailored mail (letter) was the most cost-effective strategy, achieving 43.3% mammography adherence at a marginal cost of dollar 0.39 per 1% increase in women screened. The tailored mail plus telephone achieved greater adherence (49.4%), but at a higher cost (dollar 0.56 per 1% increase in women screened). CONCLUSIONS: A tailored mail reminder is an effective and economical intervention to increase mammography adherence. Future research should confirm this finding and address its applicability to practice in other settings.