Lorraine T. Dean

Differences in the Patterns of Health Care System Distrust Between Blacks and Whites

ContextAlthough health care-related distrust may contribute to racial disparities in health and health care in the US, current evidence about racial differences in distrust is often conflicting, largely limited to measures of physician trust, and rarely linked to multidimensional trust or distrust.ObjectiveTo test the hypothesis that racial differences in health care system distrust are more closely linked to values distrust than to competence distrust.DesignCross-sectional telephone survey.ParticipantsTwo hundred fifty-five individuals (144 black, 92 white) who had been treated in primary care practices or the emergency department of a large, urban Mid-Atlantic health system.Primary measuresRace, scores on the overall health care system distrust scale and on the 2 distrust subscales, values distrust and competence distrust.ResultsIn univariate analysis, overall health care system distrust scores were slightly higher among blacks than whites (25.8 vs 24.1, p = .05); however, this difference was driven by racial differences in values distrust scores (15.4 vs 13.8, p = .003) rather than in competence distrust scores (10.4 vs 10.3, p = .85). After adjustment for socioeconomic status, health/psychological status, and health care access, individuals in the top quartile of values distrust were significantly more likely to be black (odds ratio = 2.60, 95% confidence interval = 1.03–6.58), but there was no significant association between race and competence distrust.ConclusionsRacial differences in health care system distrust are complex with far greater differences seen in the domain of values distrust than in competence distrust. This framework may be useful for explaining the mixed results of studies of race and health care-related distrust to date, for the design of future studies exploring the causes of racial disparities in health and health care, and for the development and testing of novel strategies for reducing these disparities.

Development of a Revised Health Care System Distrust Scale

ContextGrowing evidence suggests that most forms of distrust are multidimensional, including domains of technical competence and value congruence. Prior measures of health care system distrust have not reflected this multidimensional structure and may be limiting research into the role of health care system distrust in health and health care in the US.ObjectiveTo develop a revised a scale of health care system distrust.DesignThree phase study, including focus groups, pilot testing and a cross-sectional telephone survey.ParticipantsA total of 404 individuals recruited directly from the Greater Philadelphia area or through the University of Pennsylvania Health System.ResultsMultilevel consensus coding of focus group transcripts identified 2 primary domains of competence and values with the values domain having subthemes of honesty, motives, and equity. Iterative testing of the initial 76 items led to a final scale of 9 items with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.83. Factor analysis demonstrated a 2-factor structure, corresponding to the domains of values and competence. The values subscale (5 items) had a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.73 and the competence subscale (4 items) had a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.77. These psychometric properties were similar among African Americans and Whites.ConclusionsA novel 9-item scale of Health Care System Distrust with high reliability allows the assessment of the 2 primary domains of distrust (values and competence) and may facilitate research in this area.

Impact of Obesity on Cancer Survivorship and the Potential Relevance of Race and Ethnicity

Evidence that obesity is associated with cancer incidence and mortality is compelling. By contrast, the role of obesity in cancer survival is less well understood. There is inconsistent support for the role of obesity in breast cancer survival, and evidence for other tumor sites is scant. The variability in findings may be due in part to comorbidities associated with obesity itself rather than with cancer, but it is also possible that obesity creates a physiological setting that meaningfully alters cancer treatment efficacy. In addition, the effects of obesity at diagnosis may be distinct from the effects of weight change after diagnosis. Obesity and related comorbid conditions may also increase risk for common adverse treatment effects, including breast cancer-related lymphedema, fatigue, poor health-related quality of life, and worse functional health. Racial and ethnic groups with worse cancer survival outcomes are also the groups for whom obesity and related comorbidities are more prevalent, but findings from the few studies that have addressed these complexities are inconsistent. We outline a broad theoretical framework for future research to clarify the specifics of the biological-social-environmental feedback loop for the combined and independent contributions of race, comorbid conditions, and obesity on cancer survival and adverse treatment effects. If upstream issues related to comorbidities, race, and ethnicity partly explain the purported link between obesity and cancer survival outcomes, these factors should be among those on which interventions are focused to reduce the burden of cancer.

Neighborhood racial composition, social capital and black all-cause mortality in Philadelphia.

Neighborhood characteristics such as racial composition and social capital have been widely linked to health outcomes, but the direction of the relationship between these characteristics and health of minority populations is controversial. Given this uncertainty, we examined the relationship between neighborhood racial composition, social capital, and black all-cause mortality between 1997 and 2000 in 68 Philadelphia neighborhoods. Data from the U.S. Census, the Philadelphia Health Management Corporations 2004 Southeast Pennsylvania Community Health Survey, and city vital statistics were linked by census tract and then aggregated into neighborhoods, which served as the unit of analysis. Neighborhood social capital was measured by a summative score of respondent assessments of: the livability of their community, the likelihood of neighbors helping one another, their sense of belonging, and the trustworthiness of their neighbors. After adjustment for the sociodemographic characteristics of neighborhood residents, black age-adjusted all-cause mortality was significantly higher in neighborhoods that had lower proportion of black residents. Neighborhood social capital was also associated with lower black mortality, with the strongest relationship seen for neighborhoods in the top half of social capital scores. There was a significant interaction between racial composition and social capital, so that the effect of social capital on mortality was greatest in neighborhoods with a higher proportion of black residents and the effect of racial composition was greatest in neighborhoods with high social capital. These results demonstrate that age-adjusted all-cause black mortality is lowest in mostly black neighborhoods with high levels of social capital in Philadelphia.

Getting Black Men to Undergo Prostate Cancer Screening: The Role of Social Capital.

Despite higher rates of prostate cancer–related mortality and later stage of prostate cancer diagnosis, Black/African American men are significantly less likely than non-Hispanic White men to use early detection screening tools, like prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing for prostate cancer. Lower screening rates may be due, in part, to controversy over the value of prostate cancer screenings as part of routine preventive care for men, but Black men represent a high-risk group for prostate cancer that may still benefit from PSA testing. Exploring the role of social factors that might be associated with PSA testing can increase knowledge of what might promote screening behaviors for prostate cancer and other health conditions for which Black men are at high risk. Using multilevel logistic regression, this study analyzed self-report lifetime use of PSA test for 829 Black men older than 45 years across 381 Philadelphia census tracts. This study included individual demographic and aggregated social capital data from the Public Health Management Corporation’s 2004, 2006, and 2008 waves of the Community Health Database, and sociodemographic characteristics from the 2000 U.S. Census. Each unit increase in community participation was associated with a 3 to 3.5 times greater likelihood of having had a PSA test (odds ratio = 3.35). Findings suggest that structural forms of social capital may play a role in screening behaviors for Black men in Philadelphia. A better understanding of the mechanism underlying the link between social capital and screening behaviors can inform how researchers and interventionists develop tools to promote screening for those who need it.

The prescription or proscription of exercise in endometrial cancer care.

OBJECTIVE To determine the proportion of endometrial cancer patients who can be safely prescribed community/home based unsupervised exercise. A better understanding of the physical dysfunction secondary to comorbidities among endometrial cancer patients would assist clinicians in delineating which patients to send to medically-based supervised rehabilitation versus a community/home based unsupervised exercise program. METHODS A literature review identified health issues which could impede patients from successfully completing an unsupervised exercise program after a cancer diagnosis. The charts of 479 endometrial cancer patients treated between 2006 and 2010 were reviewed to determine the health status at the time of diagnosis and the type and percentage of health-issues that could preclude an unsupervised exercise program in this population. Univariable modeling and multivariable modeling were used to evaluate the association of demographic, cancer-related characteristics and clinical variables with ability to participate in unsupervised exercise. RESULTS We determined that 14.2% of endometrial cancer patients were able to exercise without supervision based on their health status at the time of diagnosis. After excluding common comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes and morbid obesity) from the identified health-issues, the proportion increased to 20.5%. Older at diagnosis (P=0.007) and higher BMI (P<0.001) are more likely to exclude patients from community/home based unsupervised exercise program. CONCLUSIONS Only 14.2% to 20.5% of endometrial cancer patients were deemed able to exercise without supervision based on their health status at diagnosis. Our data suggest that approximately 80% of endometrial cancer patients would benefit from a referral to a medically-based supervised exercise program.

Applying Quantitative Approaches to the Formative Evaluation of Antismoking Campaign Messages

This article shares an in-depth summary of a formative evaluation that used quantitative data to inform the development and selection of promotional ads for the antismoking communication component of a social marketing campaign. A foundational survey provided cross-sectional data to identify beliefs about quitting smoking, that campaign messages should target, as well as beliefs to avoid. Pretesting draft ads against quantitative indicators of message effectiveness further facilitated the selection and rejection of final campaign ads. Finally, we consider lessons learned from the process of balancing quantitative methods and judgment to make formative decisions about more and less promising persuasive messages for campaigns.

Social Capital, Social Policy, and Health Disparities: A Legacy of Political Advocacy in African-American Communities

This chapter examines the ways in which social capital has been used for political advocacy and civic engagement in health, focusing on the African-American experience. Further, it will give context to how African-Americans have wielded collective efficacy to combat racism, discrimination and its harmful by-products on health and access to health services. We highlight important historical and current developments within many African-American communities to build and sustain social capital. Many of these efforts are endemic to African American communities across the U.S., and others required multi-racial cooperation to build partnerships or vertical relationships (linking social capital) to influence policy change. Social capital movements have driven the state of African-American health in the post-slavery era, yet we argue that race/ethnicity has been left out of the conversation in research on social capital and health.

Community-generated recommendations regarding the urban nutrition and tobacco environments: a photo-elicitation study in Philadelphia.

Introduction Overweight, obesity, and tobacco use are major preventable causes of disability, disease, and death. In 2010, 25% of Philadelphia adults smoked, and 66% were overweight or obese. To address these health threats, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health launched Get Healthy Philly, an initiative to improve the city’s nutrition, physical activity, and tobacco environments. The objective of this assessment was to identify residents’ perspectives on threats to health and opportunities for change in the local food and tobacco environments. Methods Participants (N = 48) took photographs to document their concerns regarding Philadelphia’s food and tobacco environments and participated in photo-elicitation interviews. We coded photographs and interview transcripts and identified key themes. Results Participants proposed interventions for nutrition 4 times more often than for tobacco. Participants spontaneously articulated the need for multilevel change consistent with the ecological model of health behavior, including changes to policies (food assistance program provisions to encourage healthful purchases), local and school environments (more healthful corner store inventories and school meals), and individual knowledge and behavior (healthier food purchases). Participants often required interviewer prompting to discuss tobacco, and they suggested interventions including changes in advertising (a local environmental concern) and cigarette taxes (a policy concern). Conclusion Participants were well versed in the relevance to health of nutrition and physical activity and the need for multilevel interventions. Their responses suggested community readiness for change. In contrast, participants’ more limited comments regarding tobacco suggested that prevention and control of tobacco use were perceived as less salient public health concerns.

Instituting a Smoke-Free Policy for City Recreation Centers and Playgrounds, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2010

Background In the United States, more than 600 municipalities have smoke-free parks, and more than 100 have smoke-free beaches. Nevertheless, adoption of outdoor smoke-free policies has been slow in certain regions. Critical to widespread adoption is the sharing of knowledge about the policy development and implementation process. In this article, we describe our experience in making City of Philadelphia recreation centers and playgrounds smoke-free. Community Context Of the 10 largest US cities, Philadelphia has among the highest rates of adult and youth smoking. Our objectives for an outdoor smoke-free policy included protecting against secondhand smoke, supporting a normative message that smoking is harmful, motivating smokers to quit, and mitigating tobacco-related sanitation costs. Methods The Philadelphia Department of Public Health and the Department of Parks and Recreation engaged civic leaders, agency staff, and community stakeholders in the following steps: 1) making the policy case, 2) vetting policy options and engaging stakeholders, and 3) implementing policy. Near-term policy impacts were assessed through available data sources. Outcome More than 220 recreation centers, playgrounds, and outdoor pools became smoke-free through a combined mayoral executive order and agency regulation. Support for the policy was high. Estimates suggest a policy reach of 3.6 million annual visitors and almost 850 acres of new smoke-free municipal property. Interpretation Localities can successfully implement outdoor smoke-free policies with careful planning and execution. Such policies hold great potential for reducing exposure to secondhand smoke, promoting nonsmoking norms, and providing additional motivation for residents to quit smoking.