HBV Transmission Knowledge Among Korean-American Chronic Hepatitis B Patients in the United States.

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a condition that disproportionately affects Asian Americans in the United States. Knowledge of transmission is crucial for CHB patients to practice prevention methods to limit the spread of the hepatitis B virus (HBV), but also live their lives free from unwarranted fears or restrictions. Among Asian CHB patients, several misperceptions about HBV transmission have been identified.

Racial discrimination, knowledge, and health outcomes: The mediating role of hepatitis B-related stigma among patients with chronic hepatitis B.

It is well described in current literature that Hepatitis B virus (HBV) affects Asian Americans more than any other racial group in the United States and that there is a stigma attached to this condition. The effects of stigma can be lasting, penetrating physiologically and psychologically, yet few studies have focused on the consequences of this phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating role of stigma in the effect of racial discrimination and knowledge (of HBV sequelae) on health status of Korean Americans with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

Did the COVID-19 experience change U.S. parents' attitudes towards HPV vaccination? Results from a national survey.

Background: In the U.S., uptake of the HPV vaccine remains below coverage goals.

Perceptions of Barriers and Facilitators to Healthful Dietary Behaviors Among Individuals With Gastrointestinal Cancer and Caregivers.

Background: This study explored perceptions of barriers and facilitators to healthful dietary behaviors among patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancer and their caregivers, including caregiver preparedness, patient and caregiver self-efficacy for symptom management, and other environmental, social, and familial factors that may serve as barriers and facilitators to healthful eating.

Methods: Using a concurrent mixed methods cross-sectional study design, individuals with GI cancer receiving outpatient chemotherapy and their caregivers completed surveys, dietary assessments, and interviews. Caregiving preparedness, self-efficacy for symptom management, and dietary intake were assessed using validated instruments.

Perceptions of Facilitators and Barriers to Smoking Cessation Among Patients and Providers in a Cancer Center: A Single Institution Qualitative Exploratory Study.

Purpose: Cancer patients who remain tobacco users have poorer outcomes, including increased mortality and decreased treatment tolerance; however, cessation post-diagnosis is challenging. Our formative research explored cessation-related perspectives among patients and staff at one National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center, to inform improving cessation services within oncology care.

Methods: Using a descriptive phenomenological approach, a purposive sample of current cancer patients (n = 13) and cancer center physicians and cessation program staff (n = 9) were recruited to complete one-on-one audio-recorded in-depth qualitative interviews, to explore experiences providing or receiving cessation support, and perspectives on patients' readiness and needs regarding cessation.

Patient and Health Care Professional Perspectives on Addressing Obesity in ESKD.

Rationale & Objective: Obesity is common among patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and is a pervasive barrier to kidney transplantation. Patient perspectives about barriers to weight loss and patient and health care professionals' viewpoints about optimal obesity management in ESKD are needed.

Study Design: Qualitative study using a descriptive phenomenological approach to understand ESKD patients' lived experiences with obesity and weight loss and patients' and health professionals' perceptions about optimal obesity care for ESKD patients.

Public Librarian Perceptions of Assisting Immigrant Patrons: Results from a Multi-State Survey.

Public libraries in the United States (U.S.) are important sources of health information.

Development of Personas to Communicate Narrative-Based Information About the HPV Vaccine on Twitter.

Personas are based on real-life typologies of people that can be used to create characters and messages to communicate important health information through relatable narrative storylines. Persona development is data-driven and can involve multiple phases of formative research and evaluation; however, personas are largely underutilized in digital health research. The purpose of this study was to create and document persona development to deliver narrative-focused health education for parents on Twitter with the goal of increasing uptake of HPV vaccination among adolescents.

Living Organ Donor Perspectives and Sources of Hesitancy about COVID-19 Vaccines.

Background: Living organ donation declined substantially in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic due to concerns about donor and transplant candidate safety. COVID-19 vaccines might increase confidence in the safety of living organ donation during the pandemic. We assessed informational preferences and perspectives about COVID-19 vaccines among US living organ donors and prospective donors.

Identifying HPV vaccine narrative communication needs among parents on social media.

Sharing personal experiences is an important communication strategy in public health, including vaccination. This study sought to understand if parents would be receptive to learning about the HPV vaccine from other parent experiences, and what format this information should take on social media. In May 2020, we conducted a qualitative study of six online focus groups across the U.

How Public Libraries Help Immigrants Adjust to Life in a New Country: A Review of the Literature.

Public library programs and services offer opportunities to help immigrants navigate daily life in unfamiliar surroundings and a new language. For example, language classes address the social determinants of health as they encourage social participation and community ties and help develop friendships. The purpose of this research was to conduct a narrative literature review to understand how immigrants use public libraries and how public library services influence the social determinants of health for immigrant populations.

From Salt to Stroke-Evaluation of a Media Campaign for Sodium Reduction in Philadelphia.

Excess dietary sodium contributes to the burden of chronic disease, including cardiovascular disease and stroke. Media-based health education campaigns are one strategy to raise awareness among populations at greater risk for stroke, including African Americans. During 2014-2015, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health conducted a health education campaign using radio, print news, and transit ads, to promote awareness of the link between dietary sodium, hypertension and stroke, and encourage reduced consumption of high sodium foods.

Formative research to address vaccine hesitancy in Tajikistan.

Introduction: Incomplete childhood vaccination is associated with caregiver vaccine hesitancy, conceptualized by "3 Cs": high complacency, low confidence, and low convenience. To expand on existing evidence drawn primarily from the Americas and Europe, and develop culturally appropriate interventions, this research explored drivers of vaccine hesitancy in the Central Asian country of Tajikistan.

Methods: In twelve diverse districts, clinic-based immunization record abstraction identified purposive samples of children who were up-to-date (N = 300) or not (N = 300) on all first year vaccines.

'It's common sense that an individual must eat': Advocating for food justice with people with psychiatric disabilities through photovoice.

Background: People with SMI have often been excluded in advocacy efforts focused on physical health, health care and health and social policy.

Objective: Following a Photovoice project focused on barriers to healthy eating and physical activity in urban neighbourhoods, participant-researchers were invited to present their insights in community advocacy settings. The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility and participant-researchers' experience of these community advocacy activities.

"If I was to post something, it would be too vulnerable:" University students and mental health disclosures on instagram.

Objective: Assess Instagram use for mental health disclosure in university students to assess the potential for Instagram use as mental health support-seeking.

Participants: Twenty-one students using mental health services while attending a private, Mid-Atlantic university between 6/2017-12/2017.

Methods: Collected qualitative interview and Instagram data and analyzed them in parallel.

Approaches to Obesity Management in Dialysis Settings: Renal Dietitian Perspectives.

Objectives: Over 40% of individuals in the United States with end-stage kidney disease have obesity. Little is known about renal dietitian perspectives on obesity management in the setting of dialysis dependence.

Design And Methods: An online 21-item survey was distributed to 118 renal dietitians via individual outreach and a professional organization e-mail listserv.

Barriers and facilitators to mammography among women with intellectual disabilities: a qualitative approach.

Although women with intellectual disabilities have the same breast cancer incidence rate as women without intellectual disabilities, they have fewer mammograms and higher mortality rates. Qualitative inquiry was employed to explore barriers and facilitators to mammography among this population. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 30 women with intellectual disabilities and their caregivers in Philadelphia during 2015-2016.

Reaching for a Healthier Lifestyle: A Photovoice Investigation of Healthy Living in People with Serious Mental Illness.

Background: People with mental illness in the United States are almost twice as likely to be obese compared with those without a mental illness. Lifestyle factors, such as poor dietary choices and physical inactivity, are often cited as causes of obesity in this population, which limits the response to the obesity epidemic primarily to behavioral change interventions. In response, this project is grounded in a human rights framework to assure that the people most affected by the problem are included in understanding and addressing the problem.

A "Swiss paradox" in the United States? Level of spatial aggregation changes the association between income inequality and morbidity for older Americans.

Although a preponderance of research indicates that increased income inequality negatively impacts population health, several international studies found that a greater income inequality was associated with better population health when measured on a fine geographic level of aggregation. This finding is known as a "Swiss paradox". To date, no studies have examined variability in the associations between income inequality and health outcomes by spatial aggregation level in the US.

Mental illness and bipolar disorder on Twitter: implications for stigma and social support.

Mental illness (MI), and particularly, bipolar disorder (BD), are highly stigmatized. However, it is unknown if this stigma is also represented on social media. Characterize Twitter-based stigma and social support messaging ("tweets") about mental health/illness (MH)/MI and BD and determine which tweets garnered retweets.

The association of neighborhood-level social class and tobacco consumption with adverse lung cancer characteristics in Maryland.

Introduction: Although both active tobacco use and passive tobacco exposure are well-established as being risk factors for lung cancer, it is challenging to measure tobacco-related exposures at the population level, while considering other factors (gender, race, socioeconomic status) that may modify the relationship between tobacco and lung cancer. Moreover, research to date has focused primarily on relationships between tobacco and endpoints of lung cancer incidence or mortality. Tobacco's role in disease progression, through association with important disease characteristics such as tumor histological type and grade, and stage of disease at diagnosis, has been less well examined.

Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Mammogram Frequency Among Women With Intellectual Disability.

Little information exists on the associations between intellectual disability (ID) and race/ethnicity on mammogram frequency. This study collected survey and medical record data to examine this relationship. Results indicated that Hispanic and Black women with ID were more likely than White women with ID to have mammograms every 2 years.

HPV vaccine, Twitter, and gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.

This study aimed to quantify human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine Twitter messaging addressing gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GB+MSM) and describes messaging by vaccine sentiment (attitudes towards vaccine) and characteristics (topic of messaging). Between August 2014 and July 2015, we collected 193 379 HPV-related tweets and classified them by vaccine sentiment and characteristics. We analysed a subsample of tweets containing the terms 'gay', 'bisexual' and 'MSM' (N = 2306), and analysed distributions of sentiment and characteristics using chi-square.

"Then you raise them with Shirchoy or cookies": Understanding influences on delayed dietary diversity among children in Tajikistan.

Dietary diversity is a key component of infant and young child feeding (IYCF) as well as adult health. In Tajikistan, a predominantly rural, former Soviet country in Central Asia, we conducted formative research to identify barriers to dietary diversity and strategies for nutrition behaviour change. In Spring, 2016, mixed-methods data collection took place across 13 villages in all five regions, collecting collaborative mapping; structured assessments of stores and markets; home visits for dietary recalls; food storage, preparation, and meal observations; focus groups with pregnant women, mothers of young children, fathers, and mothers-in-law; and in-depth expert interviews with local nutrition and health influentials.