Person:

Goldman, Roberta

Objectives:. Modifiable behaviors during the first 1000 days (conception age 24 months) mediate Hispanic children's obesity disparities. We aimed to examine underlying reasons for early life obesity risk factors and identify potential early life intervention strategies. Methods:. We conducted 7 focus groups with 49 Hispanic women who were pregnant or had children < age 24 months. Domains included influences on childhood obesity risk factors and future intervention ideas. We analyzed data with immersion-crystallization methods until no new themes emerged. Results:. Themes included coping with pregnancy may trump healthy eating and physical activity; early life weight gain is unrelated to later life obesity; fear of infant hunger drives bottle and early solids introduction; beliefs about infant taste promote early solids and sugary beverage introduction; and belief that screen time promotes infant development. Mothers identified physicians, nutritionists, and relatives as important health information sources and expressed interest in mobile technology and group or home visits for interventions. Conclusion:. Opportunities exist in the first 1000 days to improve Hispanic mothers' understanding of the role of early life weight gain in childhood obesity and other obesity risk factors. Interventions that link health care and public health systems and include extended family may prevent obesity among Hispanic children.

Objective

To characterize practices in subspecialist physicians’ communication styles, and their potential effects on shared decision-making, in second-opinion consultations.

Methods

Theme-oriented discourse analysis of 20 second-opinion consultations with subspecialist hematologist-oncologists.

Results

Physicians frequently “broadcasted” information about the disease, treatment options, relevant research, and prognostic information in extended, often-uninterrupted monologues. Their communicative styles had one of two implications: conveying options without offering specific recommendations, or recommending one without incorporating patients’ goals and values into the decision. Some physicians, however, used techniques that encouraged patient participation.

Conclusions

Broadcasting may be a suboptimal method of conveying complex treatment information in order to support shared decision-making. Interventions could teach techniques that encourage patient participation.

Practice Implications

Techniques such as open-ended questions, affirmations of patients’ expressions, and pauses to check for patient understanding can mitigate the effects of broadcasting and could be used to promote shared decision-making in information-dense subspecialist consultations.

Introduction: Primary care providers are needed who provide cost-effective, comprehensive care that is teambased and patient-centered (i.e., Patient-Centered Medical Homes-PCMH). Although PCMH implementation is underway in a variety of settings across the U.S, adopting the PCMH model can be challenging even in motivated and efficient practices. The purpose of this study was to help facilitate Patient-Centered Medical Home and other practice transformation initiatives in the state of Rhode Island. The objectives of the Brown Primary Care Transformation Initiative were to: train medical students, residents, and faculty/community family physicians in practice transformation; convene a series of Think Tanks with PCMH experts to discuss domains and data collection tools that could be used in the development of a comprehensive and feasible evaluation methodology for identifying how transformation within the practice environment occurs; and helping with practice transformation of 8 primary care practices. Method: This paper describes the development and delivery of a curriculum utilizing PCMH principles to train medical students and residents in practice transformation; convening three Think Tanks with PCMH experts to address theoretical and practical problems associated with PCMH; the transformation of 8 primary care teaching practices; the development of a methodology for measuring transformation and evaluation of curriculum change; and dissemination of the findings. Discussion: This study provides insights into how and why a diverse group of family medicine practices transform and how training of primary care residents and providers prepares them to implement and/or teach the principles of PCMH.

BACKGROUND

Language barriers among some Latinos may contribute to the lower rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening between Latinos and non-Latino Whites. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between language and receipt of colorectal cancer screening tests among Latinos and non-Latinos using a geographically diverse, population-based sample of adults.

METHODS

Cross-sectional analysis of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. Analysis included adults 50 years of age and older, who completed the 2006 BRFSS in a state that recorded data from English and Spanish-speaking participants.

RESULTS

The primary outcome measure was receipt of colorectal screening tests (fecal occult blood testing within prior 12 months and/or lower endoscopy within 10 years). Of the 99,895 respondents included in the study populations, 33% of Latinos responding-in-Spanish reported having had CRC testing, while 51% of Latinos responding-in-English and 62% of English-speaking non-Latinos reported test receipt. In multivariable analysis, compared to non-Latinos, Latinos responding-in-English were 16% less likely (OR,0.84, 95 % CI, 0.73-0.98), and Latinos responding-in-Spanish were 43% less likely to have received colorectal cancer testing (OR,0.57, 95% CI, 0.44-0.74). Additionally, compared to Latinos responding-in-English, Latinos responding-in-Spanish were 36% less likely to have received CRC testing (OR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.48-0.84)

CONCLUSION

Latinos responding to the 2006 BRFSS survey in Spanish had a significantly lower likelihood of receiving CRC screening tests compared to non-Latinos and to Latinos responding-in-English. Based on this analysis, Spanish language use is negatively associated with CRC screening and may contribute to disparities in CRC screening.

OBJECTIVE

The nature of communication between patients and their second-opinion hematology consultants may be very different in these one-time consultations than for those that are within long-term relationships. This study explored patients’ perceptions of their second-opinion hematology oncology consultation to investigate physician-patient communication in malignant disease at a critical juncture in cancer patients’ care and decision-making.

METHODS

In-depth telephone interviews with a subset of 20 patients from a larger study, following their subspecialty hematology consultations.

RESULTS

Most patients wanted to contribute to the consultation agenda, but were unable to do so. Patients sought expert and honest advice delivered with empathy, though most did not expect the consultant to directly address their emotions. They wanted the physician to apply his/her knowledge to the specifics of their individual cases, and were disappointed and distrustful when physicians cited only general prognostic statistics. In contrast, physicians’ consideration of the unique elements of patients’ cases, and demonstrations of empathy and respect made patients’ feel positively about the encounter, regardless of the prognosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients provided concrete recommendations for physician and patient behaviors to enhance the consultation.

Background

While discrimination has been identified as a potential determinant of existing racial/ethnic health disparities, no studies have investigated whether racial discrimination contributes to disparities in physical activity.

Purpose

The primary aim of the current study was to examine the association between interpersonal racial discrimination and physical activity.

Methods

Baseline data were collected during 2004–2005 among a predominately black and Hispanic sample of adult residents living in 12 low income–housing sites in Boston, Massachusetts (n=1055). Residents reported experiences of lifetime racial discrimination during interview-administered surveys and wore a pedometer for 5 days to measure physical activity. For analyses, performed in 2009, linear regression models with a cluster design were conducted to predict physical activity, measured as steps per day.

Results

Nearly 48% of participants reported ever experiencing racial discrimination, and discrimination was most commonly experienced on the street or in a public setting. No association was found between discrimination and physical activity, when examined in bivariate, multivariable, or race-stratified models.

Conclusions

The current results indicate that self-reported racial discrimination is not a key determinant of physical activity among residents living in lower-income housing. However, additional research is warranted to address current limitations of this study.

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer among Latinos, but a lower percentage of Latinos are screened than Whites and Blacks. Along with recognized economic barriers, differences in knowledge and perceptions might impede colorectal screening among Latinos. We conducted 147 individual, qualitative interviews with Dominicans and Puerto Ricans in the northeastern United States to explore their explanatory models for colorectal cancer and screening barriers. Many participants had not previously heard of colorectal cancer. The most commonly mentioned cause of colorectal cancer was anal sex. Also considered risks were “bad food,” digestion leading to constipation, and strained bowel movements. Screening barriers included stigma, misperceptions, embarrassment, and machismo. Progress toward increasing colorectal cancer screening requires normalization of this screening among Latinos. Higher patient familiarity, along with improved physician counseling and referral, might contribute to reducing stigma and other barriers, and to enhancing knowledge and Latino community support of colorectal cancer screening.

To explore colorectal cancer risk perceptions among Latinos. Focus groups discussions among Spanish-speaking Latinos conducted between February and July 2007 with 37 men and women who were age-eligible for colorectal cancer screening. Predominant themes of perceived colorectal cancer risk included: general cancer risks, risks related to nutrition and the digestive tract, and risks related to sexual practices. Participants frequently referred to the role of diet in keeping the colon “clean,” suggesting that retained feces increase colorectal cancer risk. Among both men and women, rectal sex was commonly associated with increased colorectal cancer risk. Some Latinos may hold misperceptions about colorectal cancer risks, including an association between rectal sex and colon cancer, that may impact their screening behaviors. Clinicians and public health officials should consider these potential risk misperceptions and explore for other risk misperceptions when counseling and educating patients about colorectal cancer screening.

This study evaluated if measures of psychological well-being, including coping style are associated with advance care planning (ACP). Data were from the HEMA-COMM study, a prospective observational study of physician-patient communication in patients with hematologic malignancies. ACP was defined as having a living will, having a health care proxy, discussing life support with family or friends, and discussing life support with a doctor or nurse. 293 patients participated: only 45 (15%) had all the elements of ACP, 215 (73%) had at least 1 element of ACP, while 33 (11%) did not engage in ACP. In multivariate analysis, specific coping styles but not other measures of psychosocial well being were associated with having written ACP. Verbal ACP was associated with patient-reported health and physician estimate of life expectancy. Our study suggests that tailoring ACP discussions to a patient’s coping style may increase engagement in ACP.

Understanding factors that promote or prevent adherence to recommended health behaviors is essential for developing effective health programs, particularly among lower-income populations who carry a disproportionate burden of disease. We conducted in-depth qualitative interviews (n=64) with low-income Black and Latina women who shared the experience of requiring diagnostic follow-up after having an abnormal screening mammogram. In addition to holding negative and fatalistic cancer-related beliefs, we found that the social context of these women was largely defined by multiple challenges and major life stressors that interfered with their ability to attain health. Factors commonly mentioned included competing health issues, economic hardship, demanding caretaking responsibilities and relationships, insurance-related challenges, distrust of healthcare providers, and inflexible work policies. Black women also reported discrimination and medical mistrust, while Latinas experienced difficulties associated with immigration and social isolation. These results suggest that effective health interventions not only address change among individuals, but must also change healthcare systems and social policies in order to reduce health disparities.