Navkiran K. Shokar

Cervical Cancer Screening Among College Students in Ghana: Knowledge and Health Beliefs

Background: Cervical cancer is the most incident cancer and the leading cause of cancer mortality in women in Ghana. Currently, little is known about Ghanaian womens knowledge and beliefs about cervical cancer screening, yet this information is essential to the success of cervical cancer screening programs. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe the knowledge and beliefs of female university college students in Ghana. Methods: A cross-sectional survey among college women in a university in Ghana elicited information about sociodemographics, knowledge and beliefs, and acceptability of cervical cancer screening, screening history, and sexual history. Bivariate analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with screening. Results: One hundred forty women were recruited; the age range was 20 to 35 years. The prior Papanicolaou (Pap) screening rate was 12.0%. The women were unaware of local screening initiatives, and only 7.9% were aware of the link between human papillomavirus and cervical cancer. The most prevalent barriers were lack of awareness that the purpose of Pap screening is to diagnose cancer, concerns about what others may think, and lack of information about how to obtain screening services. Although women perceived the benefits of screening, only about half perceived themselves to be at risk. Women received few screening cues. Three barriers were negatively associated with screening in bivariate analyses: lack of belief that cancer is diagnosed by cervical screening, belief that Pap test is painful, and belief that the test will take away virginity. Conclusion: New screening programs in Ghana should address these barriers and increase screening cues to the public.

Factors Associated with Racial/Ethnic Differences in Colorectal Cancer Screening

Introduction: Racial/ethnic differences in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates are thought to account, in part, for the racial/ethnic differences in CRC disease burden. The purpose of this study was to examine which factors mediate racial/ethnic differences in CRC screening. Methods: Five hundred sixty participants attending a primary care clinic, aged 50 to 80 years, and of African-American, Hispanic, or non-Hispanic white race/ethnicity were interviewed. The goal was to assess the contribution of sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, beliefs about CRC, and the health care experience with their primary care doctor to racial/ethnic differences in CRC screening. The outcome variable was self-reported screening. All analyses were weighted; bivariate testing and multivariate logistic regression was conducted. Results: The response rate was 55.7%, with no sociodemographic differences noted between respondents and nonrespondents. Respondents were African-American (n = 194), Hispanic (n = 162), and non-Hispanic white (n = 204); 64.5% were aged 50 to 64 years; 63.1% were women; 96.9% were insured; and over half reported a total annual income of less than

Behind closed doors: Physician-patient discussions about colorectal cancer screening

25,000. Overall 62.5% were current with CRC screening: 67.5% of non-Hispanic whites, 54.3% of African-Americans, and 48.6% of Hispanics (P < .001). A doctors recommendation (odds ratio, 3.86); awareness of screening (odds ratio, 3.32); older age (odds ratio, 2.88); greater education (odds ratio, 2.02); and perceived susceptibility (odds ratio, 1.74) contributed to racial/ethnic differences in CRC screening. Conclusions: Interventions to address CRC screening disparities among racial/ethnic groups should focus on the health care setting and patient education about CRC screening; differences in attitudes and beliefs seem to be less important.

Informed decision making changes test preferences for colorectal cancer screening in a diverse population.

BACKGROUNDDespite the availability of multiple effective screening tests for colorectal cancer, screening rates remain suboptimal. The literature documents patient preferences for different test types and recommends a shared decision-making approach for physician-patient colorectal cancer screening (CRCS) discussions, but it is unknown whether such communication about CRCS preferences and options actually occurs in busy primary-care settings.OBJECTIVEDescribe physician-patient CRCS discussions during a wellness visit.DESIGNCross-sectional; patients audio-recorded with physicians.PARTICIPANTSA subset of patients (N = 64) participating in a behavioral intervention trial designed to increase CRCS who completed a wellness visit during the trial with a participating physician (N = 8).APPROACHTranscripts were analyzed using qualitative methods.RESULTSPhysicians in this sample consistently recommended CRCS, but focused on colonoscopy. Physicians did not offer a fecal occult blood test alone as a screening choice, which may have created missed opportunities for some patients to get screened. In this single visit, physicians’ communication processes generally precluded discussion of patients’ test preferences and did not facilitate shared decision-making. Patients’ questions indicated their interest in different CRCS test types and appeared to elicit more information from physicians. Some patients remained resistant to CRCS after discussing it with a physician.CONCLUSIONIf a preference for colonoscopy is widespread among primary-care physicians, the implications for intervention are either to prepare patients for this preference or to train physicians to offer options when recommending screening to patients.

Diagnosis and Management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in a Primary Care Clinic

PURPOSE We wanted to better understand patient preferences and decision making about options for colorectal cancer screening. Consistency in patient preferences could improve patient-clinician communication about tests by simplifying and focusing discussions. METHODS In a cross-sectional sample of primary care patients, cognitive ranking tasks were used to estimate patient preferences for fecal occult blood testing, flexible sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, and double-contrast barium enema before and after consideration of 13 test attributes, such as accuracy and scientific evidence. Patients also ranked the 13 test attributes and attribute descriptions in terms of importance. Friedman’s nonparametric test was used to measure overall discrimination among items, and the average Pearson correlation coefficient (&rmacr;) among participants was used to measure the degree of consistency in choices. RESULTS Participants (n = 168) averaged 62.1 years of age, and 64.3% were of minority racial ethnicity. For test-specific attributes, preferences were for high test accuracy (r̄=0.63, P <.001), amount of colon examined (r̄=0.64, P <.001), strong scientific evidence for efficacy (r̄=0.59, P<.001), minimum discomfort (r̄=0.50, P <.001), and low risk of complications (r̄=0.38, P<.001). When all 13 attributes were considered together, agreement dropped (r̄=0.13, P<.001), but attributes considered most important for decision making were test accuracy, scientific evidence for efficacy, amount of colon examined, and need for sedation. Test preferences showed moderate agreement (r̄=0.20, P <.001), and choices were fairly consistent before and after exposure to test-specific attributes (κ=0.17, P = .007). Initially the modal choice was fecal occult blood testing (59%); however, after exposure to test specific attributes, the modal choice was colonoscopy (54%). CONCLUSION Participants were clear about the attributes that they prefer, but no single test has those attributes. Preferences were varied across participants and were not predictable; clinicians should discuss the full range of recommended tests for colorectal cancer with all patients.

Analysis of the accuracy of weight loss information search engine results on the internet.

ABSTRACT Chronic Obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and internationally. The purpose of this study was to describe spirometry use in the diagnosis of COPD and to evaluate the management of COPD occurring in a primary care clinic. Methods: Two hundred patients with a diagnosis of COPD attending a university-based family medicine clinic were randomly chosen for a retrospective medical record review. Pulmonary function testing, provision of smoking cessation advice and pharmacological management were compared to the recommendations of the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease. Results: Mean age was 65.4 years, 48% were male and 72% were Caucasian. Overall, 58.5% (n = 117) of patients had pulmonary function testing, with 60.7% acknowledged in the outpatient record; 55% (n = 110) were receiving medications in combinations that are recommended; and 40% of patients were receiving stage appropriate medications. 67.8% of current smokers were offered smoking cessation advice or treatment. Conclusions: Overall there was low use of recommended medication combinations and stage appropriate treatment, with better observance of diagnostic and risk factor reduction guidelines. In order to improve COPD care for patients, physicians need education about the recommended stepwise treatment options and office systems that promote integration of pulmonary function testing findings into care.

Roseomonas gilardii Infection: Case Report and Review

OBJECTIVES We systematically identified and evaluated the quality and comprehensiveness of online information related to weight loss that users were likely to access. METHODS We evaluated the content quality, accessibility of the information, and author credentials for Web sites in 2012 that were identified from weight loss specific queries that we generated. We scored the content with respect to available evidence-based guidelines for weight loss. RESULTS One hundred three Web sites met our eligibility criteria (21 commercial, 52 news/media, 7 blogs, 14 medical, government, or university, and 9 unclassified sites). The mean content quality score was 3.75 (range=0-16; SD=2.48). Approximately 5% (4.85%) of the sites scored greater than 8 (of 12) on nutrition, physical activity, and behavior. Content quality score varied significantly by type of Web site; the medical, government, or university sites (mean=4.82, SD=2.27) and blogs (mean=6.33, SD=1.99) had the highest scores. Commercial (mean=2.37, SD=2.60) or news/media sites (mean=3.52, SD=2.31) had the lowest scores (analysis of variance P<.005). CONCLUSIONS The weight loss information that people were likely to access online was often of substandard quality because most comprehensive and quality Web sites ranked too low in search results.

Evaluation of health literacy among Spanish-speaking primary care patients along the US--Mexico border.

ABSTRACT Roseomonas gilardii is a bacterium that has been indicated as a rare cause of human infections. The case of a patient presenting with cellulitis and bacteremia secondary to R. gilardii is described together with the clinical characteristics of infection with this organism obtained from a review of cases previously reported.

Differential Racial/Ethnic Patterns in Substance Use Initiation among Young, Low-Income Women

Objectives Health literacy (HL) is a measure of the communication skills that are needed by an individual to effectively navigate the healthcare system. Hispanic adults have lower average levels of HL than any other racial/ethnic group; however, the prevalence of adequate HL among Hispanics along the US–Mexico border is unknown. Methods We performed a cross-sectional survey of 200 adult primary care patients who attended four low-income community clinics along the US–Mexico border. Patients were included in the study if they were self-described Hispanics whose first language was Spanish or bilingual patients who reported that they were primarily Spanish speakers. Adequate HL was defined as having a score of ≥38 on the Short Assessment of Health Literacy for Spanish Adults-50. Results Three patients (1.5%) had inadequate HL. Because of the high proportion of patients having adequate HL, we found no statistical differences between patients with adequate HL versus inadequate HL by age, sex, educational attainment, health coverage, or self-reported health status; however, all three patients with inadequate HL were found to be 60 years old or older and had less than a high school education. Conclusions The results of HL assessment varied according to the tool and setting used in measuring Spanish-speaking Hispanics. In certain clinical scenarios, current tools may underestimate the actual prevalence of adequate HL. Further development and assessment of HL tools appropriate for Spanish-speaking Hispanics is needed as a first step in developing interventions to limit disparities in health care among all Americans.

Women's attitudes towards cervico-vaginal self-sampling for high risk HPV infection on the U.S.-Mexico border

Background: Accumulating research suggests that the gateway hypothesis of substance use may not apply equally across different race/ethnicity groups. Objectives: The current study examines racial and ethnic differences in patterns of initiation of licit and illicit substance use. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 696 low-income women between the ages of 18 and 31 who sought gynecological care between December, 2001 and May, 2003 in southeast Texas. Results: Overall, White women fit the classic profile of drug use initiation patterns, with those initiating tobacco and beer/wine at earlier ages being more likely to use illicit drugs. Conversely, African-American and Hispanic women initiated tobacco and beer/wine at much later ages than White women, but they were as likely to use illicit drugs. Conclusions: To be optimally effective, prevention efforts may need to be tailored to fit the race/ethnicity of the audience. Further studies are suggested to investigate specific risk factors related to substance use initiation by race/ethnicity.