Examination of Associations between Physical Activity and Eating Identities among College-aged Adults Living in Hawai'i.

While physical activity and diet behaviors are correlated, mechanisms underlying associations have rarely been examined. This study examined associations between physical activity identity and eating identity among college-aged adults in Hawai'i to provide guidance for future multiple behavior change interventions. This study was a cross-sectional analysis of data collected between September 2013 and January 2014. Participants were 40 college students attending 4-year and 2-year institutions within the University of Hawai'i system. Total physical activity identity score and dimensions were measured using the Athlete Identity Questionnaire. Eating identity subtypes were measured using the Eating Identity Type Inventory. Associations between physical activity identity total score, 4 physical activity identity dimensions (appearance, importance, competence, and encouragement), and 4 eating identity subtypes (healthy, emotional, meat, and picky) were examined using multiple linear regressions. A significant positive association was found between total physical activity identity score and the healthy eating subtype and a negative association with the picky eating subtype. The physical activity dimension importance had a significant positive association with the healthy eating subtype, appearance a negative association with the emotional eating subtype, and competence a positive association with the meat eating subtype but a negative association with the picky eating subtype. The findings suggest important overlap in identities for physical activity and diet. Measurement of physical activity identity and eating identity as well as tailored intervention strategies should be incorporated into more behavior change research.

The joint association of cardiometabolic health and weight on mortality in the multiethnic cohort.

Objective: While cardiometabolic abnormalities are associated with elevated risk of morbidity, they may not occur in all individuals with obesity. Less is known about associations with mortality, especially cancer mortality. This study examined associations between cardiometabolic-weight categories and mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, and all causes.Methods: Cox proportional hazards regressions of time to all-cause, CVD, and cancer mortalities were used to examine associations with cardiometabolic-weight status, in the Multiethnic Cohort (n=157,865). Cardiometabolic-weight status categories were: Metabolically Healthy Normal Weight, Metabolically Healthy Obese, Metabolically Healthy Overweight, Metabolically Unhealthy Normal Weight, Metabolically Unhealthy Obese, and Metabolically Unhealthy Overweight.Results: Higher mortality, especially for all-cause and CVD, was found for all metabolically unhealthy groups no matter the weight classification when compared to the Metabolically Healthy Normal Weight category across sex-ethnic groups. For all-cause mortality, a reduction in mortality was seen for males in the Metabolically Healthy Overweight category (HR: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.84, 0.93), especially for African American, Native Hawaiian, and Latino males. Mortality was elevated in the Metabolically Healthy Obese category for all-cause and CVD mortality in both sexes (HRrange: 1.08-1.93). Few associations were seen with cancer mortality.Conclusions: Past examinations of cardiometabolic-weight status and mortality have been hampered by a lack of diversity. In a racially/ethnically diverse population, metabolically unhealthy groups exhibited a substantially higher risk of death from all causes and CVD than metabolically healthy groups. A reduction in all-cause mortality was seen for some males classified as Metabolically Healthy Overweight; however, being classified as Metabolically Healthy Obese elevated mortality risk for males and females compared to Metabolically Healthy Normal Weight. Future research is needed to examine how sex-ethnic differences in body fat distribution and changes in weight over time influence associations between cardiometabolic-weight status and mortality.

Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors by Key Demographic Variables Among Mid-South Church Leaders from 2012 to 2017.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors were examined among church leaders (n = 2309) who attended Mid-South United Methodist Church annual meetings between 2012 and 2017 using repeated cross-sectional data. There was a significant increase in body mass index (BMI) (b = 0.24, p = 0.001) and significant decreases in blood pressure (systolic: b = - 1.08, p < 0.001; diastolic: b = - 0.41, p = 0.002), total cholesterol (b = - 1.76, p = 0.001), and blood sugar (b = - 1.78, p = 0.001) over time. Compared to Whites, a significant increase was seen in BMI (b = 1.14, p = 0.008) among participants who self-identified as "Other," and a significant increase was seen in blood pressure (systolic: b = 1.36, p = 0.010; diastolic: b = 1.01, p = 0.004) among African Americans over time. Results indicate BMI and blood pressure are important CVD risk factors to monitor and address among church leaders, especially among race/ethnic minority church leaders.

Continuity of Care for Patients with Obesity-Associated Chronic Conditions: Protocol for a Multisite Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Obesity affects nearly half of adults in the United States and is contributing substantially to a pandemic of obesity-associated chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and arthritis. The obesity-associated chronic condition pandemic is particularly severe in low-income, medically underserved, predominantly African-American areas in the southern United States. Little is known regarding the impact of geographic, income, and racial disparities in continuity of care on major health outcomes for patients with obesity-associated chronic conditions. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to assess, among patients with obesity-associated chronic conditions, and within this group, patients with type 2 diabetes, (1) whether continuity of care is associated with lower overall and potentially preventable emergency department and hospital utilization, (2) the effect of geographic, income, and racial disparities on continuity of care and on health care utilization, (3) whether continuity of care particularly protects individuals at risk for disparities from adverse health outcomes, and (4) whether characteristics of health systems are associated with higher continuity of care and better outcomes. METHODS: Using 2015-2018 data from 4 practice-based research networks participating in the Southern Obesity and Diabetes Coalition, we will conduct a retrospective cohort analysis and distributed meta-analysis. Patients with obesity-associated chronic conditions and with type 2 diabetes will be assessed within each health system, following a standardized study protocol. The primary study outcomes are overall and preventable emergency department visits and hospitalizations. Continuity of care will be calculated at the facility level using a modified version of the Bice-Boxerman continuity of care index. Race will be assessed using electronic medical record data. Residence in a low-income area or a health professional shortage area respectively will be assessed by linking patient residence ZIP codes to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services database. RESULTS: In 4 regional health systems across Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas, a total of 53 adult hospitals were included in the study. A total of 147,889 patients with obesity-associated chronic conditions who met study criteria were identified in these health systems, of which 45,453 patients met the type 2 diabetes criteria for inclusion. Results are expected by the end of 2020. CONCLUSIONS: This study should reveal whether health system efforts to increase continuity of care for patients with obesity and diabetes have potential to improve outcomes and reduce costs. Analyzing disparities in continuity of care and their effect on major health outcomes can help demonstrate how to improve care and use of health care resources for vulnerable patients with obesity-associated chronic conditions, and within this group, patients with type 2 diabetes. Better understanding of the association between continuity and health care utilization for these vulnerable populations will contribute to the development of higher-value health systems in the southern United States. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/20788.

A mid-South chronic disease registry and practice-based research network to address disparities.

OBJECTIVES: To describe an innovative health information technology (HIT) model for supporting community-wide health improvement through multiprovider collaboration in a regional population health registry and practice-based research network (PBRN). STUDY DESIGN: Case study. METHODS: We describe the HIT data structure and governance of the Diabetes Wellness and Prevention Coalition (DWPC) Registry and PBRN based in Memphis, Tennessee. The population served and their characteristics were assessed for all adult patients with at least 1 encounter in a participating health care delivery system from January 1, 2013, to March 31, 2019. Disparities in access and health care utilization were assessed by residential zip code. RESULTS: The DWPC Registry is a chronic disease and population health data warehouse designed to facilitate chronic disease surveillance and tracking of processes and outcomes of care in medically underserved areas of the mid-South. The Registry primarily focuses on obesity-associated chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and chronic kidney disease. It combines patient data from 7 regional health systems, which include 6 adult hospitals and more than 50 outpatient practices, covering 462,223 adults with 2,032,425 clinic visits and 602,679 hospitalizations and/or emergency department visits from January 1, 2013, to March 31, 2019. The most prevalent chronic conditions include obesity (37.2%), hypertension (34.4%), overweight (26.4%), hyperlipidemia (18.0%), and type 2 diabetes (14.0%). The Registry provides quarterly practice improvement reports to participating clinics, facilitates surveillance of and outreach to patients with unmet health needs, and supports a pragmatic clinical trial and multiple cohort studies. CONCLUSIONS: Regional registries and PBRNs are powerful tools that can support real-world quality improvement and population health efforts to reduce disparities and improve equity in chronic disease care in medically underserved communities across the United States.

The management of diabetes in everyday life study: Design and methods for a pragmatic randomized controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of text messaging versus health coaching.

Background African American patients with uncontrolled diabetes living in medically underserved areas need effective clinic-based interventions to improve self-care behaviors. Text messaging (TM) and health coaching (HC) are among the most promising low-cost population-based approaches, but little is known about their comparative effectiveness in real-world clinical settings. Objective Use a pragmatic randomized controlled trial design to determine the comparative effectiveness of TM and HC with enhanced usual care (EC) in African American adults with uncontrolled diabetes and multiple chronic health conditions. Methods/design The Management of Diabetes in Everyday Life (MODEL) study is randomizing 646 patients (n = 581with anticipated 90% retention) to 3 intervention arms: TM, HC, and EC. Participants are African American adults living in medically underserved areas of the Mid-South, age ≥ 18, with uncontrolled diabetes (A1c ≥ 8), one or more additional chronic conditions, and who have a phone with texting and voicemail capability. Primary outcome measures: the general diet, exercise, and medication adherence subscales of the revised Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities questionnaire assessed at one year. Secondary outcomes: diabetes-specific quality of life, primary care engagement, and average blood sugar (A1c). The study will also assess heterogeneity of treatment effects by six key baseline participant characteristics. Conclusions We describe the design and methods of the MODEL study along with design revisions required during implementation in a pragmatic setting. This trial, upon its conclusion, will allow us to compare the effectiveness of two promising low-cost primary care-based strategies for supporting self-care behaviors among African Americans individuals with uncontrolled diabetes. ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT02957513.

Design and outcomes of the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute coronary heart disease cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) established Clinical Data Research Networks (CDRNs) to support pragmatic research. The objective was to electronically identify, recruit, and survey coronary heart disease (CHD) patients and describe their characteristics, health status, and willingness to participate in future research. METHODS: We developed a computable phenotype and assembled CHD patients 30 years or older and had visits or hospitalizations between 2009 and 2015. A sample of patients was surveyed between August 2014 and September 2015. Survey administration included the following methods: face-to-face, telephone, paper or web portal. Survey items covered broad domains including: health literacy and numeracy, and socio-demographics, physical and mental health, health behaviors, access to medical care, and willingness to participate in future research. RESULTS: Of 5517 approached patients, 2605 completed the survey. Participants were mostly white (∼88%), male (68%) and had a median age of 69 years (interquartile range [IQR] 61-76 years). Most respondents' health literacy and numeracy were adequate (83.2% and 84.3%, respectively). Only 4% of respondents reported that their overall health or physical health was excellent. The majority (∼58%) reported that their health was good or very good, while 40% reported that their general and physical health were fair or poor. The majority reported that their quality of life was good to excellent (81%). Limitations in physical health and function were common, including often/always having fatigue (25%), pain (38.7%), or sleep difficulty (19.7%). A patient sample (n = 1936) was provided with a trial summary which would randomize their aspirin dose; and 63% reported that they would consider participating. CONCLUSION: Many patients with CHD had limitations in physical health. However, the majority reported a good or excellent quality of life.

Recruitment methods for survey research: Findings from the Mid-South Clinical Data Research Network.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to report survey response rates and demographic characteristics of eight recruitment approaches to determine acceptability and effectiveness of large-scale patient recruitment among various populations. METHODS: We conducted a cross sectional analysis of survey data from two large cohorts. Patients were recruited from the Mid-South Clinical Data Research Network using clinic-based recruitment, research registries, and mail, phone, and email approaches. Response rates are reported as patients who consented for the survey divided by the number of eligible patients approached. RESULTS: We contacted more than 90,000 patients and 13,197 patients completed surveys. Median age was 56.3years (IQR 40.9, 67.4). Racial/ethnic distribution was 84.1% White, non-Hispanic; 9.9% Black, non-Hispanic; 1.8% Hispanic; and 4.0% other, non-Hispanic. Face-to-face recruitment had the highest response rate of 94.3%, followed by participants who "opted-in" to a registry (76%). The lowest response rate was for unsolicited emails from the clinic (6.1%). Face-to-face recruitment enrolled a higher percentage of participants who self-identified as Black, non-Hispanic compared to other approaches (18.6% face-to-face vs. 8.4% for email). CONCLUSIONS: Technology-enabled recruitment approaches such as registries and emails are effective for recruiting but may yield less racial/ethnic diversity compared to traditional, more time-intensive approaches.

Effect of Health Literacy on Research Follow-Up.

Previous research has not examined the effect of health literacy on research subjects' completion of scheduled research follow-up. This article evaluates patient factors associated with incomplete research follow-up at three time points after enrollment in a large, hospital-based prospective cohort study. Predictor variables included health literacy, age, race, gender, education, employment status, difficulty paying bills, hospital diagnosis, length of stay, self-reported global health status, depression, perceived health competence, medication adherence, and health care system distrust. In a sample of 2,042 patients, multivariable models demonstrated that lower health literacy and younger age were significantly associated with a lower likelihood of completing research follow-up interviews at 2-3 days, 30 days, and 90 days after hospital discharge. In addition, patients who had less education, were currently employed, and had moderate financial stress were less likely to complete 90-day follow-up. This study is the first to demonstrate that lower health literacy is a significant predictor of incomplete research follow-up.

Characteristics associated with postdischarge medication errors.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association of patient- and medication-related factors with postdischarge medication errors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The Vanderbilt Inpatient Cohort Study includes adults hospitalized with acute coronary syndromes and/or acute decompensated heart failure. We measured health literacy, subjective numeracy, marital status, cognition, social support, educational attainment, income, depression, global health status, and medication adherence in patients enrolled from October 1, 2011, through August 31, 2012. We used binomial logistic regression to determine predictors of discordance between the discharge medication list and the patient-reported list during postdischarge medication review. RESULTS: Among 471 patients (mean age, 59 years), the mean total number of medications reported was 12, and 79 patients (16.8%) had inadequate or marginal health literacy. A total of 242 patients (51.4%) were taking 1 or more discordant medication (ie, appeared on either the discharge list or patient-reported list but not both), 129 (27.4%) failed to report a medication on their discharge list, and 168 (35.7%) reported a medication not on their discharge list. In addition, 279 participants (59.2%) had a misunderstanding in indication, dose, or frequency in a cardiac medication. In multivariable analyses, higher subjective numeracy (odds ratio [OR], 0.81; 95% CI, 0.67-0.98) was associated with lower odds of having discordant medications. For cardiac medications, participants with higher health literacy (OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.74-0.95), with higher subjective numeracy (OR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.63-0.95), and who were female (OR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.46-0.78) had lower odds of misunderstandings in indication, dose, or frequency. CONCLUSION: Medication errors are present in approximately half of patients after hospital discharge and are more common among patients with lower numeracy or health literacy.