Samuel D. Towne

Geographic variations in access and utilization of cancer screening services: examining disparities among American Indian and Alaska Native Elders

BackgroundDespite recommendations for cancer screening for breast and colorectal cancer among the Medicare population, preventive screenings rates are often lower among vulnerable populations such as the small but rapidly growing older American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) population. This study seeks to identify potential disparities in the availability of screening services, distance to care, and the utilization of cancer screening services for Medicare beneficiaries residing in areas with a higher concentration of AIAN populations.MethodsUsing the county (n =3,225) as the level of analysis, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis of RTI International’s Spatial Impact Factor Data (2012) to determine the level of disparities for AIAN individuals. The outcomes of interest include: the presence of health care facilities in the county, the average distance in miles to the closest provider of mammography and colonoscopy (analyzed separately) and utilization of screening services (percent of adults aged 65 and older screened by county).ResultsCounties with higher concentrations of AIAN individuals had greater disparities in access and utilization of cancer screening services. Even after adjusting for income, education, state of residence, population 65 and older and rurality, areas with higher levels of AIAN individuals were more likely to see disparities with regard to health care services related to mammograms (p ≤ .05; longer distance, lower screening) and colonoscopies (p ≤ .05; longer distance, lower screening).ConclusionsThese findings provide evidence of a gap in service availability, utilization and access facing areas with higher levels of AIAN individuals throughout the US. Without adequate resources in place, these areas will continue to have less access to services and poorer health which will be accelerated as the population of older adults grows.

National Dissemination of Multiple Evidence-Based Disease Prevention Programs: Reach to Vulnerable Older Adults

Older adults, who are racial/ethnic minorities, report multiple chronic conditions, reside in medically underserved rural areas, or have low incomes carry a high burden of chronic illness but traditionally lack access to disease prevention programs. The Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP), A Matter of Balance/Volunteer Lay Leader (AMOB/VLL), and EnhanceFitness (EF) are widely disseminated evidence-based programs (EBP), but the extent to which they are simultaneously delivered in communities to reach vulnerable populations has not been documented. We conducted cross-sectional analyses of three EBP disseminated within 27 states throughout the United States (US) (2006–2009) as part of the Administration on Aging (AoA) Evidence-Based Disease and Disability Prevention Initiative, which received co-funding from the Atlantic Philanthropies. This study measures the extent to which CDSMP, AMOB/VLL, and EF reached vulnerable older adults. It also examines characteristics of communities offering one of these programs relative to those simultaneously offering two or all three programs. Minority/ethnic participants represented 38% for CDSMP, 26% for AMOB/VLL, and 43% for EF. Rural participation was 18% for CDSMP, 17% for AMOB/VLL, and 25% for EF. Those with comorbidities included 63.2% for CDSMP, 58.7% for AMOB/VLL, and 63.6% for EF while approximately one-quarter of participants had incomes under

The Reach of Chronic-Disease Self-Management Education Programs to Rural Populations

15,000 for all programs. Rural areas and health professional shortage areas (HPSA) tended to deliver fewer EBP relative to urban areas and non-HPSA. These EBP attract diverse older adult participants. Findings highlight the capability of communities to serve potentially vulnerable older adults by offering multiple EBP. Because each program addresses unique issues facing this older population, further research is needed to better understand how communities can introduce, embed, and sustain multiple EBP to ensure widespread access and utilization, especially to traditionally underserved subgroups.

Reaching Diverse Participants Utilizing a Diverse Delivery Infrastructure: A Replication Study

This study assessed the sociodemographic characteristics of rural residents who participated in chronic-disease self-management education (CDSME) program workshops and the extent to which CDSME programs were utilized by those with limited access to health care services. We analyzed data from the first 100,000 adults who attended CDSME program workshops during a national dissemination spanning 45 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Approximately 24% of participants lived in rural areas. Overall, 42% of all participants were minorities; urban areas reached more minority participants (48%) than rural areas (25%). The average age of participants was high in rural (age, μ = 66.1) and urban (age, μ = 67.3) areas. In addition, the average number of chronic conditions was higher (p < 0.01) in rural (μ = 2.6 conditions) versus urban (μ = 2.4 conditions) areas. Successful completion of CDSME programs (i.e., attending four or more of the six workshop sessions) was higher (p < 0.01) in rural versus urban areas (78% versus 77%). Factors associated with higher likelihood of successful completion of CDSME programs included being Black (OR = 1.25) versus White and living in rural (versus urban) areas (OR = 1.09). Factors associated with lower likelihood of successful completion included being male (OR = 0.92) and residing in a primary care Health Professional Shortage Area or HPSA (versus a non-HPSA) (OR = 0.93). Findings highlight the capability of CDSME programs to reach rural residents, yet dissemination efforts can be further enhanced to ensure minorities and individuals in a HPSA utilize this program. Tailored strategies are needed to increase participant recruitment and retention in rural areas to overcome traditional barriers to health service access.

Cost of Fall-Related Hospitalizations among Older Adults: Environmental Comparisons from the 2011 Texas Hospital Inpatient Discharge Data

This replication study examines participant recruitment and program adoption aspects of disease self-management programs by delivery site types. Data were analyzed from 58,526 adults collected during a national dissemination of the Stanford suite of chronic disease self-management education programs spanning 45 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Participant data were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression to generate profiles by delivery site type. Profiles were created for the five leading delivery site types, which included senior centers or area agencies on aging, residential facilities, healthcare organizations, community or multi-purpose centers, and faith-based organizations. Significant variation in neighborhood characteristics (e.g., rurality, median household income, percent of the population age 65 years and older, percent of the population i.e., non-Hispanic white) and participant characteristics (e.g., age, sex, ethnicity, race, rurality) were observed by delivery site type. Study findings confirm that these evidence-based programs are capable of reaching large numbers of diverse participants through the aging services network. Given the importance of participant reach and program adoption to the success of translational research dissemination initiatives, these findings can assist program deliverers to create strategic plans to engage community partners to diversify their participant base.

Dissemination of Chronic Disease Self-Management Education (CDSME) Programs in the United States: Intervention Delivery by Rurality

In the United States, 30% of older adults suffer a fall annually with tremendous personal and societal burden. Although estimates of national-level costs are available, most of these often cited estimates are dated, and less has been published about statewide estimates. This article documents fall-related medical costs by age, sex, and different geographic regions based on admission status of 2,937,579 hospital discharges reported in 2011, with special attention to trends over time. There were 77,086 fall-related hospitalizations in 2011, of which 78.4% represent those aged 50 and older. Among this same age group, total fall-related costs rose to

Cost-Effectiveness of the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program: Implications for Community-Based Organizations

3.1 billion in 2011, from

Health & access to care among working-age lower income adults in the Great Recession: Disparities across race and ethnicity and geospatial factors

1.9 billion in 2007. Those aged 75 and older experienced the highest cost, while average cost was lower in nonmetropolitan areas. Understanding the distribution of fall-related burden across groups and rurality allows researchers to identify social and environmental circumstances of falls and identify community resources necessary to prevent falls.

Implementing and Disseminating Exercise Programs for Older Adult Populations

Background: Alongside the dramatic increase of older adults in the United States (U.S.), it is projected that the aging population residing in rural areas will continue to grow. As the prevalence of chronic diseases and multiple chronic conditions among adults continues to rise, there is additional need for evidence-based interventions to assist the aging population to improve lifestyle behaviors, and self-manage their chronic conditions. The purpose of this descriptive study was to identify the geospatial dissemination of Chronic Disease Self-Management Education (CDSME) Programs across the U.S. in terms of participants enrolled, workshops delivered, and counties reached. These dissemination characteristics were compared across rurality designations (i.e., metro areas; non-metro areas adjacent to metro areas, and non-metro areas not adjacent to metro areas). Methods: This descriptive study analyzed data from a national repository including efforts from 83 grantees spanning 47 states from December 2009 to December 2016. Counts were tabulated and averages were calculated. Results: CDSME Program workshops were delivered in 56.4% of all U.S. counties one or more times during the study period. Of the counties where a workshop was conducted, 50.5% were delivered in non-metro areas. Of the 300,640 participants enrolled in CDSME Programs, 12% attended workshops in non-metro adjacent areas, and 7% attended workshops in non-metro non-adjacent areas. The majority of workshops were delivered in healthcare organizations, senior centers/Area Agencies on Aging, and residential facilities. On average, participants residing in non-metro areas had better workshop attendance and retention rates compared to participants in metro areas. Conclusions: Findings highlight the established role of traditional organizations/entities within the aging services network, to reach remote areas and serve diverse participants (e.g., senior centers). To facilitate growth in rural areas, technical assistance will be needed. Additional efforts are needed to bolster partnerships (e.g., sharing resources and knowledge), marketing (e.g., tailored material), and regular communication among stakeholders.

Poorer Quality Outcomes of Medicare-Certified Home Health Care in Areas With High Levels of Native American/Alaska Native Residents

Chronic conditions are the leading cause of growing healthcare spending, disability, and death in the U.S. In the wake of national health reform, policy makers and healthcare professionals are becoming increasingly concerned in containing healthcare costs while improving quality of patient care. A basic policy question is whether the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP), a widely distributed evidenced-based self-managed program, can be cost-effective in managing chronic conditions while improving quality of life. Utilizing data from the National Study of CDSMP, the primary objective of the current study is to estimate cost-effectiveness of the CDSMP program among individuals with at least one chronic condition. The second objective is to determine how cost-effectiveness ratios vary by depression status. EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D) was used to measure health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of CDSMP participants, which was then converted to quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) for cost-effectiveness analysis. Participants who completed the CDSMP program experienced higher EQ-5D scores from baseline to 12-month follow-up (increased from 0.736 to 0.755; p < 0.001). The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) ranges from