Perceived colonoscopy barriers and facilitators among urban African American patients and their medical residents.

African Americans suffer from higher colorectal cancer morbidity and mortality than do Whites, yet have the lowest screening rates. To understand barriers and facilitators to colorectal cancer screening, this study used perceptual mapping (multidimensional scaling) methods to compare patients' perceptions of colonoscopy and general preventive health practices to those of their doctors in a general internal medicine clinic in a large urban hospital. African American patients (n = 102) were surveyed about their own screening beliefs; third-year resident physicians (n = 29) were asked what they perceived their patients believed. The perceptual maps showed significant differences between the patients' and physicians' perceptions of barriers, facilitators, and beliefs about screening. Physicians believed logistical lifestyle issues were the greatest screening barriers for their patients whereas fears of complications, pain, and cancer were the most important barriers perceived by patients. Physicians also underestimated patients' understanding of the benefits and importance of screening, doctors' recommendations, and beliefs that faith in God could facilitate screening. Physicians and patients perceived a doctor's recommendation for screening was an important facilitator. Better understanding of patient perceptions can be used to improve doctor-patient communication and to improve medical resident training by incorporating specific messages tailored for use with African American patients.

Developing a computer touch-screen interactive colorectal screening decision aid for a low-literacy African American population: lessons learned.

African Americans have higher colorectal cancer (CRC) mortality than White Americans and yet have lower rates of CRC screening. Increased screening aids in early detection and higher survival rates. Coupled with low literacy rates, the burden of CRC morbidity and mortality is exacerbated in this population, making it important to develop culturally and literacy appropriate aids to help low-literacy African Americans make informed decisions about CRC screening. This article outlines the development of a low-literacy computer touch-screen colonoscopy decision aid using an innovative marketing method called perceptual mapping and message vector modeling. This method was used to mathematically model key messages for the decision aid, which were then used to modify an existing CRC screening tutorial with different messages. The final tutorial was delivered through computer touch-screen technology to increase access and ease of use for participants. Testing showed users were not only more comfortable with the touch-screen technology but were also significantly more willing to have a colonoscopy compared with a "usual care group." Results confirm the importance of including participants in planning and that the use of these innovative mapping and message design methods can lead to significant CRC screening attitude change.

Preterm labor and bacterial vaginosis-associated bacteria among urban women.

AIMS: Bacterial vaginosis (BV) affects millions of women, is extremely prevalent and is frequently chronic. We recognize numerous microbiologic variations among women with BV and this variability may explain the limited effectiveness of metronidazole in curing BV and/or reducing the risk of spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB) among BV-positive pregnant women. We assessed the independent role of seven common BV-associated bacteria on the risk of spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB) among urban pregnant women. METHODS: This prospective cohort study was conducted within an urban obstetrics practice at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. Fifty pregnant women with documented singleton pregnancies between 25-36 weeks' gestation from February 2007 through June 2007 who presented to the Labor and Delivery Unit for evaluation of uterine contractions/preterm labor were enrolled. RESULTS: We found that high median levels of Gardnerella vaginalis and low median levels of Lactobacillus crispatus were significantly predictive of SPTB. Slightly higher levels of Megasphaera-like species were also found among the group of women experiencing a SPTB during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Further identification of the individual attributable risk for separate BV-associated bacteria may be most useful in developing successful treatments to prevent SPTB among BV positive women.