Increasing the Writing Capacity and Dissemination of Evaluation Findings Among US Public Health Practitioners Funded to Improve Cardiovascular Health.

CONTEXT: Contributing to the evidence base, by disseminating findings through written products such as journal articles, is a core competency for public health practitioners. Disseminating practice-based evidence that supports improving cardiovascular health is necessary for filling literature gaps, generating health policies and laws, and translating evidence-based strategies into practice. However, a gap exists in the dissemination of practice-based evidence in public health. Public health practitioners face various dissemination barriers (eg, lack of time and resources, staff turnover) which, more recently, were compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. PROGRAM: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention (DHDSP) partnered with the National Network of Public Health Institutes to implement a multimodal approach to build writing capacity among recipients funded by three DHDSP cooperative agreements. This project aimed to enhance public health practitioners' capacity to translate and disseminate their evaluation findings. IMPLEMENTATION: Internal evaluation technical assistance expertise and external subject matter experts helped to implement this project and to develop tailored multimodal capacity-building activities. These activities included online peer-to-peer discussion posts, virtual writing workshops, resource documents, one-to-one writing coaching sessions, an online toolkit, and a supplemental issue in a peer-reviewed journal. EVALUATION: Findings from an informal process evaluation demonstrate positive results. Most participants were engaged and satisfied with the project's activities. Across eight workshops, participants reported increased knowledge (≥94%) and enhanced confidence in writing (≥98%). The majority of participants (83%) reported that disseminating evaluation findings improved program implementation. Notably, 30 abstracts were submitted for a journal supplement and 23 articles were submitted for consideration. DISCUSSION: This multimodal approach serves as a promising model that enhances public health practitioners' capacity to disseminate evaluation findings during times of evolving health needs.

The role of stroke care infrastructure on the effectiveness of a hub-and-spoke telestroke model in South Carolina.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between stroke care infrastructure and stroke quality-of-care outcomes at 29 spoke hospitals participating in the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) hub-and-spoke telestroke network. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Encounter-level data from MUSC's telestroke patient registry were filtered to include encounters during 2015-2022 for patients aged 18 and above with a clinical diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke, and who received intravenous tissue plasminogen activator. Unadjusted and adjusted generalized estimating equations assessed associations between time-related stroke quality-of-care metrics captured during the encounter and the existence of the two components of stroke care infrastructure-stroke coordinators and stroke center certifications-across all hospitals and within hospital subgroups defined by size and rurality. RESULTS: Telestroke encounters at spoke hospitals with stroke coordinators and stroke center certifications were associated with shorter door-to-needle (DTN) times (60.9 min for hospitals with both components and 57.3 min for hospitals with one, vs. 81.2 min for hospitals with neither component, p <.001). Similar patterns were observed for the percentage of encounters with DTN time of ≤60 min (63.8% and 68.9% vs. 32.0%, p <.001) and ≤45 min (34.0% and 38.4% vs. 8.42%, p <.001). Associations were similar for other metrics (e.g., door-to-registration time), and were stronger for smaller (vs. larger) hospitals and rural (vs. urban) hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: Stroke coordinators or stroke center certifications may be important for stroke quality of care, especially at spoke hospitals with limited resources or in rural areas.

Corrigendum to "The Healthy Kids & Families study: Outcomes of a 24-month childhood obesity prevention intervention" [Prev. Med. Rep. 31 (2023) 102086].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.102086.].

Telehealth Use to Address Cardiovascular Disease and Hypertension in the United States: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, 2011-2021.

Background: The use of telehealth for the management and treatment of hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD) has increased across the United States (U.S.), especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Telehealth has the potential to reduce barriers to accessing health care and improve clinical outcomes. However, implementation, outcomes, and health equity implications related to these strategies are not well understood. The purpose of this review was to identify how telehealth is being used by U.S. health care professionals and health systems to manage hypertension and CVD and to describe the impact these telehealth strategies have on hypertension and CVD outcomes, with a special focus on social determinants of health and health disparities. Methods: This study comprised a narrative review of the literature and meta-analyses. The meta-analyses included articles with intervention and control groups to examine the impact of telehealth interventions on changes to select patient outcomes, including systolic and diastolic blood pressure. A total of 38 U.S.-based interventions were included in the narrative review, with 14 yielding data eligible for the meta-analyses. Results: The telehealth interventions reviewed were used to treat patients with hypertension, heart failure, and stroke, with most interventions employing a team-based care approach. These interventions utilized the expertise of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other health care professionals to collaborate on patient decisions and provide direct care. Among the 38 interventions reviewed, 26 interventions utilized remote patient monitoring (RPM) devices mostly for blood pressure monitoring. Half the interventions used a combination of strategies (e.g., videoconferencing and RPM). Patients using telehealth saw significant improvements in clinical outcomes such as blood pressure control, which were comparable to patients receiving in-person care. In contrast, the outcomes related to hospitalizations were mixed. There were also significant decreases in all-cause mortality when compared to usual care. No study explicitly focused on addressing social determinants of health or health disparities through telehealth for hypertension or CVD. Conclusions: Telehealth appears to be comparable to traditional in-person care for managing blood pressure and CVD and may be seen as a complement to existing care options for some patients. Telehealth can also support team-based care delivery and may benefit patients and health care professionals by increasing opportunities for communication, engagement, and monitoring outside a clinical setting.

The Healthy Kids & Families study: Outcomes of a 24-month childhood obesity prevention intervention.

Socioeconomically disadvantaged children experience a high burden of obesity but few interventions address obesity prevention in this population subgroup. The Healthy Kids & Families study tested the effect of a parent-focused community health worker (CHW)-delivered lifestyle intervention to prevent childhood obesity. Participants were child-parent/guardian (Kindergarten to 6th grade at baseline) dyads (n = 247) recruited through schools located in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods in Worcester, MA, USA. Using a quasi-experimental design, the study tested the impact of Healthy Kids & Families, a theory-based, low-intensity, parent-focused, CHW-delivered intervention to improve children's weight, healthy eating and physical activity. The attention-control comparison condition was a positive parenting intervention. The primary outcome was change in child body mass index (BMI) z-score at 24 months. Secondary outcomes included number of positive child and parent changes in selected diet and physical activity behaviors targeted by the intervention and change in parent BMI. Outcomes were assessed following the intent-to-treat principle and using multivariable generalized linear mixed models. Compared to the attention-control comparison condition, the Healthy Kids & Families intervention led to a greater reduction in children's BMI z-score (ß = -0.17, 95 %CI: -1.92 to -0.36; p = 0.057) and a greater number of positive behavior changes among children (ß = 0.57, 95 %CI: 0.08-1.06; p = 0.02) at 24 months. There was no significant change in parent outcomes. The Healthy Kids & Families intervention shows promise for obesity prevention among children in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities.

Rapid Evaluations of Telehealth Strategies to Address Hypertension: A Mixed-Methods Exploration at Two US Health Systems During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Telehealth is a promising intervention for hypertension management and control and was rapidly adopted by health systems to ensure continuity of care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rapid evaluations of telehealth strategies at 2 US health systems explored how telehealth affected health care access and blood pressure outcomes among populations disproportionately affected by hypertension. Both health systems implemented telehealth strategies to maintain continuity of health care services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The evaluations used a mixed-method approach; qualitative interviews were conducted with key staff, and quantitative analyses were performed on patient electronic health record data. Both health systems exhibited similar trends in telehealth use, which allowed for continued access to health care for some patients but hindered other patients who had limited access to the internet or the equipment needed. Telehealth provides opportunities for blood pressure control and management. Further evaluation is needed to understand the role of broadband internet access as a social determinant of health and its impact on equitable patient access to health care.

Intent among Parents to Vaccinate Children before Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations, Minnesota and Los Angeles County, California-May-September 2021.

Objectives: This study assessed the associations between parent intent to have their child receive the COVID-19 vaccination, and demographic factors and various child activities, including attendance at in-person education or childcare. Methods: Persons undergoing COVID-19 testing residing in Minnesota and Los Angeles County, California with children aged <12 years completed anonymous internet-based surveys between 10 May and 6 September 2021 to assess factors associated with intention to vaccinate their child. Factors influencing the parents' decision to have their child attend in-person school or childcare were examined. Estimated adjusted odds rations (AORs, 95% CI) were computed between parents' intentions regarding children's COVID-19 vaccination and participation in school and extra-curricular activities using multinomial logistic regression. Results: Compared to parents intending to vaccinate their children (n = 4686 [77.2%]), those undecided (n = 874 [14.4%]) or without intention to vaccinate (n = 508 [8.4%]) tended to be younger, non-White, less educated, and themselves not vaccinated against COVID-19. Their children more commonly participated in sports (aOR:1.51 1.17−1.95) and in-person faith or community activities (aOR:4.71 3.62−6.11). A greater proportion of parents without intention to vaccinate (52.5%) indicated that they required no more information to make their decision in comparison to undecided parents (13.2%). They further indicated that additional information regarding vaccine safety and effectiveness would influence their decision. COVID-19 mitigation measures were the most common factors influencing parents' decision to have their child attend in-person class or childcare. Conclusions: Several demographic and socioeconomic factors are associated with parents' decision whether to vaccinate their <12-year-old children for COVID-19. Child participation in in-person activities was associated with parents' intentions not to vaccinate. Tailored communications may be useful to inform parents' decisions regarding the safety and effectiveness of vaccination.

Reporting of Physical Activity Device Measurement and Analysis Protocols in Lifestyle Interventions.

This systematic review examined the extent to which lifestyle physical activity interventions that used wearable devices (eg, pedometers, accelerometers) reported on the length of device wear time requested in their protocols, criteria for analytic inclusion of data, and participant compliance with device use protocols. Literature were searches were conducted using PubMed, Cochrane Central Register, and PsychInfo. Studies were included if they were the main outcomes paper of a trial that reported on a randomized or quasi-randomized trial focused on increasing lifestyle physical activity and were published between January 1, 2006 and March 30, 2016. Titles and abstracts were screened by 2 independent reviewers; eligible full texts were retrieved and reviewed by 2 independent reviewers. A total of 104 studies used wearable devices (n = 57 pedometers, n = 47 accelerometers). Most studies (n = 65, 67.3%) asked participants to wear devices for 7 days. Almost half of the studies (n = 46, 44.2%) did not report minimum device wear time required for analytic inclusion of data, and variation existed among studies reporting these criteria. Most studies (n = 60, 57.7%) did not report average device wear time, or participant compliance with device wear. Overall, there was heterogeneity in reporting of physical activity device data. Refinement and streamlining of guidelines for device use, analysis, and reporting of data could improve comparability across studies.

Healthy Eating Policy Strategies in Community Health Improvement Plans: A Cross-Sectional Survey of US Local Health Departments.

CONTEXT: Policies (eg, regulations, taxes, and zoning ordinances) can increase opportunities for healthy eating. Community Health Improvement Plans (CHIP) may foster collaboration and local health department (LHD) engagement in policy decision making to improve local food environments. Limited research describes what policies supportive of healthy food environments are included in CHIPs nationally and relationships between LHD characteristics and participation in plans including such policies. OBJECTIVES: To determine the proportion of US LHDs who participated in development of a CHIP containing healthy eating policy strategies and assess the association between LHD characteristics and inclusion of any healthy eating policy strategy in a CHIP. DESIGN: A cross-sectional national probability survey. PARTICIPANTS: Of the 209 US LHDs (serving populations <500 000) (response rate: 30.2%), 176 LHDs with complete data on CHIP status, outcomes, and covariates were eligible for analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Thirteen healthy eating policy strategies were organized into 3 categories: increasing availability/identification of healthy foods, reducing access to unhealthy foods, and improving school food environments. Strategies and categories were identified from literature and public health recommendations. RESULTS: In total, 32.2% of LHDs reported inclusion of 1 or more healthy eating policy strategies in a CHIP. The proportion of departments reporting specific strategies ranged from 20.8% for school district policies to 1.1% for sugar-sweetened beverage taxes. Local health departments serving 25 000 to 49 999 residents (odds ratio [OR]: 5.00; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.71-14.63), 100 000 to 499 999 residents (OR: 3.66; 95% CI: 1.12-11.95), pursuing national accreditation (OR: 4.46; 95% CI: 1.83-10.83), or accredited (OR: 3.22; 95% CI: 1.08-9.63) were more likely to include 1 or more healthy eating policy strategies in a CHIP than smaller LHDs (<25 000) and LHDs not seeking accreditation, respectively, after adjusting for covariates. CONCLUSIONS: Few LHDs serving less than 500 000 residents reported CHIPs that included a policy-based approach to improve food environments, indicating room for improvement. Population size served and accreditation may affect LHD policy engagement to enhance local food environments.

Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Policy, Systems, and Environmental Strategies: A Content Analysis of Community Health Improvement Plans.

Background: Policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) approaches can sustainably improve healthy eating (HE) and physical activity (PA) but are challenging to implement. Community health improvement plans (CHIPs) represent a strategic opportunity to advance PSEs but have not been adequately researched. The objective of this study was to describe types of HE and PA strategies included in CHIPs and assess strategies designed to facilitate successful PSE-change using an established framework that identifies six key activities to catalyze change. Methods: A content analysis was conducted of 75 CHIP documents containing HE and/or PA PSE strategies, which represented communities that were identified from responses to a national probability sample of US local health departments (<500,000 residents). Each HE/PA PSE strategy was assessed for alignment with six key activities that facilitate PSE-change (identifying and framing the problem, engaging and educating key people, identifying PSE solutions, utilizing available evidence, assessing social and political environment, and building support and political will). Multilevel latent class analyses were conducted to identify classes of CHIPs based on HE/PA PSE strategy alignment with key activities. Analyses were conducted separately for CHIPs containing HE and PA PSE strategies. Results: Two classes of CHIPs with PSE strategies emerged from the HE (n = 40 CHIPs) and PA (n = 43 CHIPs) multilevel latent class analyses. More CHIPs were grouped in Class A (HE: 75%; PA: 79%), which were characterized by PSE strategies that simply identified a PSE solution. Fewer CHIPs were grouped in Class B (HE: 25%; PA: 21%), and these mostly included PSE strategies that comprehensively addressed multiple key activities for PSE-change. Conclusions: Few CHIPs containing PSE strategies addressed multiple key activities for PSE-change. Efforts to enhance collaborations with important decision-makers and community capacity to engage in a range of key activities are warranted.

Stepping Up Active Transportation in Community Health Improvement Plans: Findings From a National Probability Survey of Local Health Departments.

BACKGROUND: Local health departments (LHDs) are increasingly involved in Community Health Improvement Plans (CHIPs), a collaborative planning process that represents an opportunity for prioritizing physical activity. We determined the proportion of LHDs reporting active transportation strategies in CHIPs and associations between LHD characteristics and such strategies. METHODS: A national probability survey of US LHDs (<500,000 residents; 30.2% response rate) was conducted in 2017 (n = 162). LHDs reported the inclusion of 8 active transportation strategies in a CHIP. We calculated the proportion of LHDs reporting each strategy. Multivariate logistic regression models determined the associations between LHD characteristics and inclusion of strategies in a CHIP. Inverse probability weights were applied for each stratum. RESULTS: 45.6% of US LHDs reported participating in a CHIP with ≥1 active transportation strategy. Proportions for specific strategies ranged from 22.3% (Safe Routes to School) to 4.1% (Transit-Oriented Development). Achieving national accreditation (odds ratio [OR] = 3.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11-12.05), pursuing accreditation (OR = 3.40; 95% CI, 1.25-9.22), using credible resources (OR = 5.25; 95% CI, 1.77-15.56), and collaborating on a Community Health Assessment (OR = 4.48; 95% CI, 1.23-16.29) were associated with including a strategy in a CHIP after adjusting for covariates. CONCLUSIONS: CHIPs are untapped tools, but national accreditation, using credible resources, and Community Health Assessment collaboration may support strategic planning efforts to improve physical activity.

Developing Core Capabilities for Local Health Departments to Engage in Land Use and Transportation Decision Making for Active Transportation.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a core set of capabilities and tasks for local health departments (LHDs) to engage in land use and transportation policy processes that promote active transportation. DESIGN: We conducted a 3-phase modified Delphi study from 2015 to 2017. SETTING: We recruited a multidisciplinary national expert panel for key informant interviews by telephone and completion of a 2-step online validation process. PARTICIPANTS: The panel consisted of 58 individuals with expertise in local transportation and policy processes, as well as experience in cross-sector collaboration with public health. Participants represented the disciplines of land use planning, transportation/public works, public health, municipal administration, and active transportation advocacy at the state and local levels. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Key informant interviews elicited initial capabilities and tasks. An online survey solicited rankings of impact and feasibility for capabilities and ratings of importance for associated tasks. Feasibility rankings were used to categorize capabilities according to required resources. Results were presented via second online survey for final input. RESULTS: Ten capabilities were categorized according to required resources. Fewest resources were as follows: (1) collaborate with public officials; (2) serve on land use or transportation board; and (3) review plans, policies, and projects. Moderate resources were as follows: (4) outreach to the community; (5) educate policy makers; (6) participate in plan and policy development; and (7) participate in project development and design review. Most resources were as follows: (8) participate in data and assessment activities; (9) fund dedicated staffing; and (10) provide funding support. CONCLUSIONS: These actionable capabilities can guide planning efforts for LHDs of all resource levels.

Objective measurement of physical activity outcomes in lifestyle interventions among adults: A systematic review.

Valid, reliable, and direct measures of physical activity (PA) are critical to assessing the impact of lifestyle PA interventions. However, little is known about the extent to which objective measures have been used to assess the outcomes of lifestyle PA interventions. This systematic review had two aims: 1) evaluate the extent to which PA is measured objectively in lifestyle PA interventions targeting adults and 2) explore and summarize what objective measures have been used and what PA dimensions and metrics have been reported. Pubmed, Cochrane Central Register, and PsychInfo were searched for lifestyle PA interventions conducted between 2006 and 2016. Of the 342 articles that met the inclusion criteria, 239 studies measured PA via subjective measures and 103 studies measured PA via objective measures. The proportion of studies using objective measures increased from 4.4% to 70.6% from 2006 to 2016. All studies measuring PA objectively utilized wearable devices; half (50.5%) used pedometers only and 40.8% used accelerometers only. A majority of the 103 studies reported steps (73.8%) as their PA metric. Incorporating objective measures of PA should continue to be a priority in PA research. More work is needed to address the challenges of comprehensive and consistent collecting, reporting, and analyzing of PA metrics.

Does provider advice to increase physical activity differ by activity level among US adults with cardiovascular disease risk factors?

Background: Regular physical activity (PA) lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), but few US adults meet PA guidelines. The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends primary care providers offer PA counselling for CVD prevention. We examined the association between adherence to PA guidelines and reported provider advice to increase PA among US adults with overweight/obesity and ≥1 additional CVD risk factor. Methods: Cross-sectional data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2011-2014) on PA and provider advice to increase PA were analysed for 4158 adults (≥20 years old) with overweight/obesity who reported ≥1 of hypertension, high cholesterol or impaired fasting glucose. Adherence to federal PA guidelines was determined using self-reported PA data from the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire. Meeting PA guidelines was defined as ≥150 minutes/week moderate intensity PA, ≥75 minutes/week vigorous intensity, or an equivalent combination. Participants self-reported provider advice to increase PA. Results: In total, 57.7% of US adults with overweight/obesity and ≥1 additional CVD risk factor who did not meet PA guidelines reported provider advice to increase PA compared to 49.7% of adults who met PA guidelines. Adults who did not meet PA guidelines were more likely to report provider PA advice (aOR = 1.21; 95% CI = 1.00-1.47). Conclusions: US adults with CVD risk factors who do not meet PA guidelines are more likely to receive provider advice to increase PA, but only half receive such advice. Strategies to increase provider advice are needed to improve adherence to USPSTF guidelines among US adults with overweight/obesity and additional CVD risk factors.

Qualitative Exploration of Cross-Sector Perspectives on the Contributions of Local Health Departments in Land-Use and Transportation Policy.

INTRODUCTION: Transportation and land-use policies can affect the physical activity of populations. Local health departments (LHDs) are encouraged to participate in built-environment policy processes, which are outside their traditional expertise. Cross-sector collaborations are needed, yet stakeholders' perceptions of LHD involvement are not well understood. The objective of this study was to describe the perceived value of LHD participation in transportation and land-use decision making and potential contributions to these processes among stakeholders. METHODS: We analyzed qualitative data from 49 semistructured interviews in 2015. Participants were professionals in 13 US states and 4 disciplines: land-use planning (n = 13), transportation/public works (n = 11), public health (n = 19), and other (municipal administration and bike and pedestrian advocacy [n = 6]). Two analysts conducted directed content analysis. RESULTS: All respondents reported that LHDs offer valuable contributions to transportation and land-use policy processes. They identified 7 contributions (interrater agreement 91%): 1) physical activity and health perspective (n = 44), 2) data analysis and assessment (n = 41), 3) partnerships in the community and across sectors (n = 35), 4) public education (n = 27), 5) knowledge of the public health evidence base and best practices (n = 23), 6) resource support (eg, grant writing, technical assistance) (n = 20), and 7) health equity (n = 8). CONCLUSION: LHDs can leverage their strengths to foster cross-sector collaborations that promote physical activity opportunities in communities. Our results will inform development of sustainable capacity-building models for LHD involvement in built-environment decision making.

Randomized Phase 2 Trial of Pharmacodynamic Separation of Pemetrexed and Intercalated Erlotinib Versus Pemetrexed Alone for Advanced Nonsquamous, Non-small-cell Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Pharmacodynamic separation of pemetrexed and erlotinib avoids negative cellular interactions and results in antitumor synergy in erlotinib-resistant non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells, independent of EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) genotype. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with platinum-treated metastatic nonsquamous NSCLC were randomly assigned 1:2 to pemetrexed alone (500 mg/m2 provided intravenously on day 1) or pemetrexed followed by erlotinib (150 mg provided orally once daily on days 2-17) every 21 days. EGFR genotype was centrally confirmed by Sequenom multiplex oncogenotyping assay. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS), which would be considered promising for future study if median PFS was ≥ 4.5 months. RESULTS: Of 83 patients enrolled, 79 were randomized to either pemetrexed alone (n = 27) or in combination (n = 52). Fifty-nine (79%) of 75 eligible patients had tumors with confirmed EGFR genotype: 7 with activating mutations and 52 wild type. Median PFS was 4.7 and 2.9 months in the combination and pemetrexed-alone groups, respectively. In patients with EGFR wild-type tumors, median PFS was 5.3 and 3.5 months in the combination and pemetrexed-alone groups, respectively. Objective response rate (29% vs. 10%, P = .17), 6-month PFS (45% vs. 29%, P = .26), and 12-month PFS (23% vs. 10%, P = .28) were all higher in the combination arm. Rash (67% vs. 26%, P = .0007) and diarrhea (44% vs. 11%, P = .003) were significantly more common in the combination arm. CONCLUSION: In patients with unselected or EGFR wild-type advanced nonsquamous NSCLC, pharmacodynamic separation of pemetrexed and intercalated erlotinib had promising antitumor activity without new safety concerns. The combination merits further evaluation as maintenance or second-line therapy against new standards in patients with EGFR wild-type advanced NSCLC.

Use of Indwelling Urinary Catheters in Nursing Homes: Implications for Quality Improvement Efforts.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the epidemiology of indwelling urinary catheter use in nursing homes (NHs). DESIGN: Observational cohort study. SETTING: A purposeful sampling strategy was used to identify a diverse sample of 28 Connecticut NHs, defined in terms of ownership, quality ratings, and bed size. PARTICIPANTS: Long-stay (>100 days) residents of study NHs with an indwelling urinary catheter present at any time over a 1-year period. MEASUREMENTS: Duration of catheter use was determined, and indications for catheter placement were documented. Indications considered appropriate included urinary retention or outlet obstruction, pressure ulcer (Stage 3 or 4 with risk of contamination by urine), hospice care, and need for accurate measurement of input and output. During quarterly follow-up assessments, whether the catheter was still in place or had been removed for any reason other than routine maintenance was determined. RESULTS: The overall rate of any urinary catheter use per 100 resident-beds over a 1-year period was 4.8 (range 1.0-9.9, median 5.1). Of the 228 residents meeting eligibility criteria, a documented indication for the catheter was present in the NH record for 195 (86%). Of those with a documented indication, 99% (n = 193) had one or more indications deemed appropriate, including urinary retention (83%), pressure ulcer (21%), hospice care (10%), and need for accurate measurement of input and output (6%). The urinary catheter was removed at some point during the period of observation in 49% (n = 111) of participants; those with a shorter duration of catheter use before study enrollment were more likely to have the catheter removed during the follow-up period. Of the 111 residents who had the catheter removed, 58 (52.3%) had it reinserted at some point during follow-up. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that indwelling urinary catheter use in long-stay NH residents is uncommon and generally appropriate and that efforts to improve catheter care and outcomes should extend beyond a singular focus on reducing use.

Neighborhood environment correlates of physical activity and sedentary behavior among Latino adults in Massachusetts.

BACKGROUND: U.S. Latinos experience high rates of cardio-metabolic diseases and have high rates of physical inactivity and sedentary behavior. Understanding the environmental factors associated with physical activity and sedentary behaviors among Latinos could inform future interventions. The purpose of this study is to explore the neighborhood environment correlates of physical activity and sedentary behavior in a sample of U.S. Latino adults. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 602 Latino adults in Lawrence, MA. Survey assessments of physical activity, sedentary behavior, and neighborhood environment were verbally administered. The neighborhood environment scale assessed violence, safety, aesthetic quality, walkability, availability of healthy foods, social cohesion, and activities with neighbors. RESULTS: After controlling forage, gender, education, body mass index (BMI), and smoking status, two variables were associated with the outcomes of interest. Living in more walkable neighborhoods was associated with an increased likelihood of engaging in adequate levels of physical activity (>150 min per week, as recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)) (OR = 1.403, p = .018); and greater frequency of activities with neighbors was associated with greater sedentary behavior (ß = .072, p = .05). CONCLUSIONS: There were different neighborhood environment correlates of physical activity and sedentary behavior in this Latino community. Focusing on a greater understanding of the distinct social and physical environmental correlates of physical activity and sedentary behavior may provide important insights for reducing CVD risk and health disparities among Latinos.

Improving Rates of Influenza Vaccination Through Electronic Health Record Portal Messages, Interactive Voice Recognition Calls and Patient-Enabled Electronic Health Record Updates: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Clinical decision support (CDS), including computerized reminders for providers and patients, can improve health outcomes. CDS promoting influenza vaccination, delivered directly to patients via an electronic health record (EHR) patient portal and interactive voice recognition (IVR) calls, offers an innovative approach to improving patient care. OBJECTIVE: To test the effectiveness of an EHR patient portal and IVR outreach to improve rates of influenza vaccination in a large multispecialty group practice in central Massachusetts. METHODS: We describe a nonblinded, randomized controlled trial of EHR patient portal messages and IVR calls designed to promote influenza vaccination. In our preparatory phase, we conducted qualitative interviews with patients, providers, and staff to inform development of EHR portal messages with embedded questionnaires and IVR call scripts. We also provided practice-wide education on influenza vaccines to all physicians and staff members, including information on existing vaccine-specific EHR CDS. Outreach will target adult patients who remain unvaccinated for more than 2 months after the start of the influenza season. Using computer-generated randomization and a factorial design, we will assign 20,000 patients who are active users of electronic patient portals to one of the 4 study arms: (1) receipt of a portal message promoting influenza vaccines and offering online appointment scheduling; (2) receipt of an IVR call with similar content but without appointment facilitation; (3) both (1) and (2); or (4) neither (1) nor (2) (usual care). We will randomize patients without electronic portals (10,000 patients) to (1) receipt of IVR call or (2) usual care. Both portal messages and IVR calls promote influenza vaccine completion. Our primary outcome is percentage of eligible patients with influenza vaccines administered at our group practice during the 2014-15 influenza season. Both outreach methods also solicit patient self-report on influenza vaccinations completed outside the clinic or on barriers to influenza vaccination. Self-reported data from both outreach modes will be uploaded into the EHR to increase accuracy of existing provider-directed EHR CDS (vaccine alerts). RESULTS: With our proposed sample size and using a factorial design, power calculations using baseline vaccination rate estimates indicated that 4286 participants per arm would give 80% power to detect a 3% improvement in influenza vaccination rates between groups (α=.05; 2-sided). Intention-to-treat unadjusted chi-square analyses will be performed to assess the impact of portal messages, either alone or in combination with the IVR call, on influenza vaccination rates. The project was funded in January 2014. Patient enrollment for the project described here completed in December 2014. Data analysis is currently under way and first results are expected to be submitted for publication in 2016. CONCLUSIONS: If successful, this study's intervention may be adapted by other large health care organizations to increase vaccination rates among their eligible patients. CLINICALTRIAL: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02266277; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02266277 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6fbLviHLH).

Microinvasive breast cancer: ER, PR, and HER-2/neu status and clinical outcomes after breast-conserving therapy or mastectomy.

BACKGROUND: Contemporary clinical outcomes of microinvasive breast cancer (MIBC), defined as no focus >1 mm, are not well characterized. We document the immunophenotype, incidence of axillary metastases, and rate of recurrence in a well-defined case series. METHODS: We reviewed 83 consecutive patients with MIBC from 1997 to 2005. Estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2/neu) receptor status were assessed. The cumulative incidence of local recurrence (LR) and nodal/distant recurrence was calculated. Predictors of recurrence were identified and effect estimates determined. RESULTS: Fifty-two patients (63%) underwent breast-conserving therapy (BCT) and 31 (37%) underwent mastectomy. Sixty-one percent had ER-positive disease and 49% had HER-2/neu-positive disease. Three (4%) of 68 patients with sentinel node mapping or axillary dissection had single node micrometastases, and none had macrometastases or multiple nodes involved. Median follow-up was 6.4 years, with 6 LRs, 2 regional nodal recurrences, and 2 concurrent local/distant recurrences. The 5-year cumulative incidence of recurrence (local, nodal, or distant) was 5.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.0-13.4) for all patients, and among BCT patients, the 5-year cumulative incidence of LR was 4.2% (95% CI 0.7-12.7). HER-2/neu overexpression was not associated with recurrence (P = 0.46). Close/positive margins (≤2 mm) were significantly associated with an increased risk of LR after BCT or mastectomy (hazard ratio 8.8; 95% CI 1.6-48.8; P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: MIBC has a favorable prognosis, and HER-2/neu overexpression, although highly prevalent, is not significantly associated with recurrence. Axillary metastases at diagnosis are small and infrequent. The cumulative incidence of LR after BCT is acceptable; however, our data confirm that negative margins (>2 mm) are required for optimal BCT outcomes.