Estimation of place-based vulnerability scores for HIV viral non-suppression: an application leveraging data from a cohort of people with histories of using drugs.

The relationships between place (e.g., neighborhood) and HIV are commonly investigated. As measurements of place are multivariate, most studies apply some dimension reduction, resulting in one variable (or a small number of variables), which is then used to characterize place. Typical dimension reduction methods seek to capture the most variance of the raw items, resulting in a type of summary variable we call "disadvantage score". We propose to add a different type of summary variable, the "vulnerability score," to the toolbox of the researchers doing place and HIV research. The vulnerability score measures how place, as known through the raw measurements, is predictive of an outcome. It captures variation in place characteristics that matters most for the particular outcome. We demonstrate the estimation and utility of place-based vulnerability scores for HIV viral non-suppression, using data with complicated clustering from a cohort of people with histories of injecting drugs.

Clinical trial participation predicts improved survival in older adults receiving allogeneic blood and marrow transplant.

BACKGROUND: Older adults represent a large oncologic demographic and are under-represented within oncology research despite constituting nearly two-thirds of the oncologic population in the United States. Because many social factors influence research participation, those who enroll in research do not reflect the oncology population at large, introducing bias and creating issue with external validity of studies. The same factors that influence study enrollment may also impact cancer outcomes, meaning that those who enroll in studies may already have an improved chance of cancer survival, further skewing results of these studies. This study evaluates characteristics that influence study enrollment in older adults and explore to what degree these factors may influence survival after allogeneic blood or marrow transplantation. METHODS: This retrospective comparison study evaluates 63 adults aged 60 and above undergoing allogenic transplantation at one institution. Patients who elected and declined enrollment in a non-therapeutic observational study were evaluated. Demographic and clinical characteristics between groups were compared and assessed as predictors of transplant survival, including decision to enroll in the study. RESULTS: Participants who chose to enroll in the parent study were not different with regard to gender, race/ethnicity, age, insurance type, donor age, and neighborhood income/poverty level compared to patients who were invited to participate but declined enrollment. The research participant group had higher proportion assessed as being fully active (23.8% vs. 12.7%, p = 0.034) and lower mean comorbidity scores (1.0 vs 2.47, p = 0.008). Enrollment in an observational study independently predicted transplant survival (HR = 0.316, 95% CI 0.12-0.82, p = 0.017). When controlling for relevant confounders of disease severity, comorbidities, and transplant age, enrolling in the parent study was associated with a lower hazards of death following transplant (HR = 0.302, 95% CI 0.10-0.87, p = 0.027). CONCLUSIONS: Despite being demographically comparable, persons who enrolled in one non-therapeutic transplant study had significantly improved survivorship than those who did not participate in observational research. These findings suggest that there are unidentified factors that influence study involvement that may also impact disease survivorship, over-estimating outcomes from these studies. Results from prospective observational studies should be interpreted with the consideration that study participants have an improved chance of survival at baseline.

Social Norms About Handling Financial Challenges in Relation to Health-Protective Capacity Among Low-Income Older Adults.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Despite evidence linking financial challenges to poor health among older adults, effective interventions are lacking. This study examined the experience of living with financial challenges, useful strategies to handle them, and social norms that may constrain options and decision-making. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This two-staged qualitative study recruited low-income older adults from the United States Baltimore City area. First, semistructured individual interviews examined older adults' experiences and strategies used to handle financial challenges. Then, vignette-based focus groups examined relevant social norms. Transcripts were coded, and hierarchical themes were described using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Two themes were generated. First, the social norms relevant to financial challenges share a common underlying assumption of personal responsibility. Second, social norms about personal responsibility are inconsistent with the experiences of older adults facing financial challenges, who typically lack control over their situation and face structural barriers to preventing and handling financial challenges. Differences between statements related to norms and personal responsibility were found across six subthemes, including how finances should be handled to prevent financial challenges, the causes of financial challenges, asking for help from community resources, navigating community resources, getting help from family, and cutting back to handle financial challenges. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: The disconnect between social norms and the reality of financial challenges among older adults may explain why so many older adults cut back to the point of foregoing necessities. There is an urgent need to strengthen the social safety net and remove normative barriers to services.

Propensity score weighted associations between financial strain and subsequent inflammatory biomarkers of aging among a representative sample of U.S. older adults.

BACKGROUND: Despite known socioeconomic disparities in aging-related outcomes, the underlying physiologic mechanisms are understudied. This study applied propensity score weighting to estimate the effect of financial strain on inflammation-related aging biomarkers among a national sample of older adults. METHODS: Financial strain severe enough to lack money for housing, utilities, medical/prescription bills or food was measured among 4,593 community-dwelling National Health and Aging Trends Study participants aged ≥ 65 years in 2016. Inverse probability propensity score weights were generated based on 2015 background characteristics, including age, gender, race/ethnicity, income to poverty ratio, education, occupation, home ownership, retirement, Sect. 8 housing, Medicaid, food/energy assistance, childhood health, marital status, and U.S. region. Sampling weights additionally accounted for study design and non-response. RESULTS: In propensity score-weighted analyses adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, 2017 income to poverty ratio and education, those with 2016 financial strain had 15% higher IL-6 (p = 0.026) and 20% higher CRP levels (p = 0.002) in 2017 than those who were not strained, but did not differ with regard to hemoglobin A1c or CMV. In weighted comparisons, those with financial strain did not differ from those without with regard any 2015 background characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: These results strengthen the etiologic evidence suggesting that financial strain increases inflammatory biomarkers among older adults. Importantly, inflammation is likely a key physiologic pathway contributing to socioeconomic disparities. Therefore, research is needed to address financial strain.

Social isolation, homebound status, and race among older adults: Findings from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (2011-2019).

BACKGROUND: Multiple factors may influence the risk of being homebound, including social isolation and race. This study examines the relationship between social isolation and homebound status by race over 9 years in a sample of adults. METHODS: Utilizing a representative sample of 7788 Medicare beneficiaries aged 65+ from 2011-2019, we assessed the odds of becoming homebound by social isolation. We defined social isolation as the objective lack of contact with others. We defined severe social isolation as scoring a 0 or 1 on a social connection scale from 0 to 4. Homebound status was defined as never leaving home or only leaving home with difficulty. Utilizing a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model adjusting for age, gender, marital status, income, and education, we examined the association between social isolation at baseline and becoming homebound during the study in those who were not initially homebound. RESULTS: Older adults in this study were on average 78 years old. Overall, most were white (69%), female (56.3%), and married (57.8%) and reported that they had a college education or higher (43.9%). Also, at baseline, approximately 25% of study participants were socially isolated, 21% were homebound, and 6.3% were homebound and socially isolated or severely socially isolated. Homebound status at baseline varied by race: Black, 23.9% and white, 16.6% (p < 0.0001). After 9 years, socially isolated black (hazard risk ratio, HRR 1.35, 95% confidence interval CI [1.05,1.73], p < 0.05) and white (HRR 1.25, 95% CI [1.09,1.42], p < 0.01) older adults were at higher risk of becoming homebound. CONCLUSION: Socially isolated black and white adults are more likely to be homebound at baseline and become homebound over time. Further research is needed to determine whether community-based strategies and policies that identify and address social isolation reduce homebound status among community-dwelling older adults.

Community-dwelling older adults who are low-income and disabled weathering financial challenges.

Despite interventions aiming to improve outcomes among older adults experiencing financial challenges, the challenges and strategies employed to handle them are poorly understood. This study examined the experiences of financial challenges among low-income adults aged ≥65 years. Eleven semi-structured interviews were analyzed using thematic analyses. An overarching theme was "I guess it balances", capturing attempts to maintain hope and proactively address challenges despite stress, uncertainty and limitations. Balancing was demonstrated within four domains, including cognitive bandwidth ("think a lot" versus "I don't dwell on that"), emotional experience ("depressing" versus "be thankful"), learned resilience ("that was a shock" versus "there's always a way"), and meeting daily needs ("we learned to do without" versus "take a dollar and stretch it"). Participants described being weathered by challenges and using predominately high-effort coping strategies to weather the challenges. These findings call for strengthening the safety net for older adults facing financial challenges.

Residential Street Block Disorder and Biological Markers of Aging in Older Adults: The National Health and Aging Trends Study.

BACKGROUND: Residential environments are associated with older adults' health, but underlying physiologic causal mechanisms are not well understood. As adults age, street blocks are likely more relevant to their health than the larger neighborhood environment. This study examined the effects of adverse street block conditions on aging biomarkers among older adults. METHODS: We included community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries aged 67 and older with 2017 biomarker data from the nationally representative National Health and Aging Trends Study (n = 4357). Street block disorder in 2016 was measured using interviewer report of any trash/glass/litter, graffiti, or vacant buildings on participants' blocks. Propensity score models were used to create balanced groups with regard to multiple 2015 participant characteristics, including demographic, socioeconomic, residence, and early-life characteristics. Linear regressions modeled street block disorder as a predictor of 4 aging biomarkers, hemoglobin A1C, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and cytomegalovirus antibodies, before and after applying propensity score weighting. RESULTS: Adjusting for participant sociodemographic characteristics and applying propensity score weights, living on a block with any disorder was associated with 2% higher mean hemoglobin A1C levels (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.002-0.03), 13% higher C-reactive protein (95% CI: 0.03-0.23), 10% higher interleukin-6 (95% CI: 0.02-0.19), and 19% more cytomegalovirus antibodies (95% CI: 0.09-0.29) compared to living on a block with no disorder. CONCLUSIONS: Street block disorder predicted subsequent aging biomarkers after applying a propensity score approach to account for confounding among a national sample of older adults. Targeting street-level residential contexts for intervention may reduce the risk for poor health in older adults.