Patrick M. Wilson

Use of E-Cigarettes Among Current Smokers: Associations Among Reasons for Use, Quit Intentions, and Current Tobacco Use

INTRODUCTION Research has documented growing availability and use of e-cigarettes in the United States over the last decade. METHODS We conducted a national panel survey of current adult cigarette smokers to assess attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors relating to e-cigarette use in the United States (N = 2,254). RESULTS Among current cigarette smokers, 20.4% reported current use of e-cigarettes on some days and 3.7% reported daily use. Reported reasons for e-cigarette use included: quit smoking (58.4%), reduce smoking (57.9%), and reduce health risks (51.9%). No significant differences in sociodemographic characteristics between e-cigarette users and nonusers were observed. Prior quit attempts were reported more frequently among e-cigarette users (82.8%) than nonusers (74.0%). Intention to quit was reported more frequently among e-cigarette users (64.7%) than nonusers (46.8%). Smokers intending to quit were more likely to be e-cigarette users than those not intending to quit (odds ratio [OR] = 1.90, CI =1.36-2.65). Those who used e-cigarettes to try to quit smoking (OR = 2.25, CI = 1.25-4.05), reduce stress (OR = 3.66, CI = 1.11-12.09), or because they cost less (OR = 3.42, CI = 1.64-7.13) were more likely to report decreases in cigarette smoking than those who did not indicate these reasons. Smokers who reported using e-cigarettes to quit smoking (OR = 16.25, CI = 8.32-31.74) or reduce stress (OR = 4.30, CI = 1.32-14.09) were significantly more likely to report an intention to quit than those who did not indicate those reasons for using e-cigarettes. CONCLUSIONS Nearly a quarter of smokers in our study reported e-cigarettes use, primarily motivated by intentions to quit or reduce smoking. These findings identify a clinical and public health opportunity to re-engage smokers in cessation efforts.

Clinician knowledge, clinician barriers, and perceived parental barriers regarding human papillomavirus vaccination: Association with initiation and completion rates

PURPOSE We tested the hypothesis that clinician knowledge, clinician barriers, and perceived parental barriers relevant to the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination account for the variation in vaccine delivery at the practice-site level. METHODS We conducted a survey from October 2015 through January 2016 among primary care clinicians (n=280) in a 27-county geographic region to assess clinician knowledge, clinician barriers, and perceived parental barriers regarding HPV vaccination. Primary care clinicians included family medicine physicians, general pediatricians, and family and pediatric nurse-practitioners. We also used the Rochester Epidemiology Project to measure HPV vaccination delivery. Specifically we used administrative data to measure receipt of at least one valid HPV vaccine dose (initiation) and receipt of three valid HPV vaccine doses (completion) among 9-18year old patients residing in the same 27-county geographic region. We assessed associations of clinician survey data with variation in vaccine delivery at the clinical site using administrative data on patients aged 9-18years (n=68,272). RESULTS Consistent with our hypothesis, we found that greater knowledge of HPV and the HPV vaccination was associated with higher rates of HPV vaccination initiation (Incidence rate ratio [IRR]=1.05) and completion of three doses (IRR=1.28). We also found support for the hypothesis that greater perceived parental barriers to the HPV vaccination were associated with lower rates of initiation (IRR=0.94) and completion (IRR=0.90). These IRRs were statistically significant even after adjustment for site-level characteristics including percent white, percent female, percent ages 9-13, and percent with government insurance or self-pay at each site. CONCLUSIONS Clinician knowledge and their report of the frequency of experiencing parental barriers are associated with HPV vaccine delivery rates-initiation and completion. Higher measures of knowledge correlated with higher rates. Fewer perceived occurrences of parental barriers correlated with lower rates. These data can guide efforts to improve HPV vaccine delivery in clinical settings.

Equity in Environmental Health: Data Collection and Interpretation Issues

In order to assess the issue of inequity in exposure to environmental hazards, researchers must identify subgroups whose exposure is disproportionately greater than the average exposure experienced by the remainder of the population. The general population is a complex mixture of subgroups, each consisting of individuals who experience a wide range of exposures and whose ability to cope with the consequences of those exposures is equally varied. Therefore, large efforts are needed to collect data that will enable researchers to determine compreliensively which subgroups are highly exposed and which subgroups have disproportionately greater health effects as a result of exposures to environmental hazards. The interpretation of findings is more of an art than a science, especially when two population subgroups are being contrasted. Addressing environmental equity requires explicit comparisons between groups, and racial and ethnic contrasts will be prominent. It is often difficult to identify the underlying mechanisms that produce particular patterns of results. However, researchers and policy makers must understand the dynamics that may have produced a particular pattern of results so they can separate those factors that are amenable to change from those that are not.

A Population-Based Study of Sociodemographic and Geographic Variation in HPV Vaccination

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates in the United States remain low and lag behind other recommended adolescent vaccines. Studies evaluating the association of geographic and area-level characteristics with HPV vaccination rates provide a valuable resource for public health planning. Method: We used the Rochester Epidemiology Project data linkage system to ascertain HPV vaccination rates between 2010 and 2015 in a 7-county region of southern Minnesota. Geocoded individual patient data were spatially linked to socioeconomic data from the American Community Survey at the census block group level. Bayesian hierarchical logistic regression was used to model incident vaccination rates, adjusting for individual- and area-level sociodemographic characteristics, and geolocation. Geolocation was modeled as an approximated Gaussian field using a Stochastic Partial Differential Equations approach. All models were estimated using Integrated Nested Laplace Approximations. Results: In adjusted models, increasing age and female sex were associated with increased HPV vaccination. Lower socioeconomic status was associated with decreased rates of initiation [adjusted odds ratio (AOR); 95% confidence interval = 0.90 (0.86–0.95)], completion of the second dose [AOR = 0.88 (0.83–0.93)], and completion of the third dose [AOR = 0.85 (0.80–0.92)]. Geographic spatial analysis demonstrated increased odds of vaccination for the eastern region and in the greater Rochester metropolitan area, showing significant spatial variation not explained by individual level characteristics and ACS block group-level data. Conclusions: HPV vaccination rates varied geographically and by individual and geographically indexed sociodemographic characteristics. Impact: Identifying geographic regions with low HPV vaccination rates can help target clinical and community efforts to improve vaccination rates. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 26(4); 533–40. ©2017 AACR. See all the articles in this CEBP Focus section, “Geospatial Approaches to Cancer Control and Population Sciences.”

Health Information Brokers in the General Population: An Analysis of the Health Information National Trends Survey 2013-2014.

Background Health information exchanged between friends or family members can influence decision making, both for routine health questions and for serious health issues. A health information broker is a person to whom friends and family turn for advice or information on health-related topics. Characteristics and online behaviors of health information brokers have not previously been studied in a national population. Objective The objective of this study was to examine sociodemographic characteristics, health information seeking behaviors, and other online behaviors among health information brokers. Methods Data from the Health Information National Trends Survey (2013-2014; n=3142) were used to compare brokers with nonbrokers. Modified Poisson regression was used to examine the relationship between broker status and sociodemographics and online information seeking. Results Over half (54.8%) of the respondents were consulted by family or friends for advice or information on health topics (ie, they acted as health information brokers). Brokers represented 54.1% of respondents earning <

The effect of routine training on the self-efficacy of informal caregivers of colorectal cancer patients

20,000 yearly and 56.5% of respondents born outside the United States. Women were more likely to be brokers (PR 1.34, 95% CI 1.23-1.47) as were those with education past high school (PR 1.42, CI 1.22-1.65). People aged ≥75 were less likely to be brokers as compared to respondents aged 35-49 (PR 0.81, CI 0.67-0.99). Brokers used the Internet more frequently for a variety of online behaviors such as seeking health information, creating and sharing online content, and downloading health information onto a mobile device; and also reported greater confidence in obtaining health information online. Conclusions More than 50% of adults who responded to this national survey, including those with low income and those born abroad, were providing health information or advice to friends and family. These individuals may prove to be effective targets for initiatives supporting patient engagement and disease management, and may also be well-positioned within their respective social networks to propagate health messages.

Awareness and knowledge of Human Papillomavirus (HPV), HPV‐related cancers, and HPV vaccines in an uninsured adult clinic population

PurposeLittle is known about the degree to which caregiver training as part of routine clinical care influences caregiver self-efficacy. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between training during routine clinical cancer care and self-efficacy among caregivers of colorectal cancer patients.MethodsCaregivers completed a self-administered questionnaire about their experiences with training for specific patient problems and about their task-specific and general caregiving self-efficacy. Associations between training and self-efficacy were examined for each problem using multivariate logistic regression adjusted for caregiver age, race, care burden, education, perception of patient’s health, and patient stage of disease.ResultsFour hundred seventeen caregivers completed the survey (70% response rate), of whom 374 (90%) were female and 284 (68%) were the patient’s spouse/partner. Overall, 77 (38%) reported inadequate training for pain, 80 (38%) for bowel, 121 (48%) for fatigue, 65 (26%) for medication administration, and 101 (40%) for other symptoms. The odds of having low self-efficacy were significantly higher among those with perceptions of inadequate training across the following cancer-related problems: pain 10.10 (3.36, 30.39), bowel 5.04 (1.98, 12.82), fatigue 8.45 (3.22, 22.15), managing medications 9.00 (3.30, 24.51), and other 3.87 (1.68, 8.93).ConclusionsCaregivers commonly report inadequate training in routine colorectal cancer care. Significant and consistent associations between training adequacy and self-efficacy were found. This study supports the value of training caregivers in common cancer symptoms. Further work on how and when to provide caregiver training to best impact self-efficacy is needed.

Early Adoption of a Multitarget Stool DNA Test for Colorectal Cancer Screening

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines offer primary prevention of cervical cancer and protection against other HPV‐associated cancers. HPV vaccine coverage in the United States (U.S.) remains low, particularly among older adolescents/young adults, and the uninsured. We assessed awareness and knowledge of HPV disease, HPV‐related cancers, and HPV vaccines among working, uninsured adults. Data from the 2014 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 4, Cycle 4) were used as a benchmark. Patients were surveyed in late 2014 at the Volunteers in Medicine free clinic in Duval County, Florida. Surveys contained validated measures of HPV disease and vaccine knowledge; HPV‐related cancer knowledge was also assessed. Two‐hundred and ninety‐six surveys were analyzable with an 84% participation rate. Half (50.3%) of participants had heard of HPV, and 32.1% had heard of the HPV vaccine; in HINTS, these estimates were 63.6% and 62.7%, respectively (both P < 0.0001). In adjusted models, high HPV disease knowledge was associated with white race and increased education; high vaccine knowledge was associated with white race, increased education, and female sex. Recognition of HPV as a causative agent was 43.9% for cervical, 9.1% for anal, and 11.1% for throat cancers. For all HPV‐associated cancers, participants had lower knowledge/recognition relative to HINTS. The uninsured, socioeconomically disadvantaged adults we surveyed were unaware of a ubiquitous virus that can cause cancer and the existence of a vaccine to protect against it. These findings point to settings and populations in which initiatives to promote HPV vaccination as a cancer prevention tool remain critical.

The impact of obesity on perceived patient-centred communication: Obesity and patient-centred communication

Objectives: To characterize early adoption of a novel multitarget stool DNA (MT‐sDNA) screening test for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening and to test the hypothesis that adoption differs by demographic characteristics and prior CRC screening behavior and proceeds predictably over time. Patients and Methods: We used the Rochester Epidemiology Project research infrastructure to assess the use of the MT‐sDNA screening test in adults aged 50 to 75 years living in Olmsted County, Minnesota, in 2014 and identified 27,147 individuals eligible or due for screening colonoscopy from November 1, 2014, through November 30, 2015. We used electronic Current Procedure Terminology and Health Care Common Procedure codes to evaluate early adoption of the MT‐sDNA screening test in this population and to test whether early adoption varies by age, sex, race, and prior CRC screening behavior. Results: Overall, 2193 (8.1%) and 974 (3.6%) individuals were screened by colonoscopy and MT‐sDNA, respectively. Age, sex, race, and prior CRC screening behavior were significantly and independently associated with MT‐sDNA screening use compared with colonoscopy use after adjustment for all other variables (P<.05 for all). The rates of adoption of MT‐sDNA screening increased over time and were highest in those aged 50 to 54 years, women, whites, and those who had a history of screening. The use of the MT‐sDNA screening test varied predictably by insurance coverage. The rates of colonoscopy decreased over time, whereas overall CRC screening rates remained steady. Conclusion: The results of the present study are generally consistent with predictions derived from prior research and the diffusion of innovation framework, pointing to increasing use of the new screening test over time and early adoption by younger patients, women, whites, and those with prior CRC screening.

Association of both consistency and strength of self-reported clinician recommendation for HPV vaccination and HPV vaccine uptake among 11- to 12-year-old children

Patient–provider communication has been found to be less patient centred, on average, with patients who are members of stigmatized or minority groups. Obesity is a stigmatized condition, and thus, people with obesity may experience less patient‐centred communication (PCC). The objective of this study was to assess the association between patient body mass index (BMI) and self‐reported quality of PCC experienced over a 12‐month period and whether that relationship differed for men and women.