Publications by authors named "Diane Francis"

Doulas, or birth coaches, are said to be "changing the world, one birth at a time." Black doulas have been suggested to mitigate against lack of representation in obstetric care, limited identity acknowledgement and accommodation, and obstetric racism. However, scientific inquiry into the specific communication strategies and messages used by Black doulas to advocate for clients was non-existent in extant literature.

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Introduction: Because medication adherence is essential to the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), identifying (1) subgroups at high risk for low medication adherence and (2) modifiable factors potentially contributing to low adherence can impact patient outcomes. This study aims to describe the relationships between anxiety, trust in the provider, quality patient-provider communication, fatigue, RA knowledge, adverse medication effects, disease activity, RA medications, disease duration, patient satisfaction, and medication intolerance and cluster factors to differentiate RA-patient subgroups.

Methods: This observational study used correlation analysis, linear regression, and cluster analysis with determination decisions based on Schwarz's Bayesian Criterion.

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When celebrities, political figures, influencers, or anyone with a large following publicly disclose an illness or die, the news becomes a de facto public health campaign. Until health communicators began studying such disclosures and the effects of the following waves of media coverage, however, it was not known to what extent these events impacted the public. A growing body of research has empirically documented these events and examined the factors that predict which types of audiences are most affected and why.

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Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates remain suboptimal among young Black adults (18-26 years). Research focused on HPV vaccination among young Black adults is limited. Guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior, we developed #HPVvaxtalks, a theoretically grounded and culturally appropriate Facebook intervention in collaboration with a youth community advisory board (YCAB) to increase awareness of HPV risk factors, risk perception, HPV vaccine-related knowledge, vaccination intention, and uptake for Black individuals.

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To optimize COVID-19 vaccination rates among Black women in the United States, it is crucial to understand their vaccine beliefs and determine the most effective communication sources and messages to encourage vaccination. Consequently, we conducted seven focus groups with 20 Black women from Kentucky (aged 18-37 years) between October and November 2020. We identified five themes reflecting the participants' level of awareness, knowledge of the vaccine and vaccine development process; their uncertainty about vaccine safety and clinical trials; their willingness to get vaccinated, and their preferences for trusted sources and persuasive messages to motivate vaccine uptake.

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Background: Catheter ablation is recommended for the treatment of symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF) refractory to medical therapy.

Objective: The study sought to examine racial/ethnic and sex differences in complications and AF/atrial flutter (AFL)-related acute healthcare utilization following catheter ablation for AF.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis using data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Medicare Standard Analytical Files (October 1, 2014, to September 30, 2019) among patients ≥65 years of age with AF who underwent catheter ablation for rhythm control.

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Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Timely management and treatment is critical in alleviating AF disease burden. Variation in treatment by race and ethnic and sex could lead to inequities in health outcomes.

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Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus or lupus is a severe chronic autoimmune disorder that disproportionately impacts young African Americans. Increasing lupus awareness in this high-risk group may be an effective approach to ultimately improving lupus outcomes. To begin to address this disparity, this report describes qualitative data to be utilized in the development of a campaign to enhance awareness of lupus on Historically Black Colleges and University (HBCU) campuses.

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Colorectal cancer in younger adults is more likely to be diagnosed at an advanced stage. Furthermore, younger Black adults are more likely to be diagnosed with and die from colorectal cancer than younger White adults. Given these persistent racial disparities, urgent attention is needed to increase colorectal cancer awareness and information seeking among young Black adults.

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African Americans' enrollment in health registries is low, negatively affecting their representation in clinical research. Young African Americans are particularly underrepresented. Because medical discoveries are typically based on findings from research that lacks minority representation, new treatments may not be equally effective with members of the African American community.

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Background: At the time of our writing, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause significant disruption to daily lives. In Kentucky, the burdens from this disease are higher, and vaccination rates for COVID-19 are lower, in comparison to the U.S.

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A healthy diet is an important component of preventive medicine. With the changing landscape of medicine, physicians are encountering more challenges in educating patients about a healthy diet, so finding innovative ways to educate patients is imperative. This study investigated the effectiveness of an innovative educational intervention based on the United States Department of Agriculture-recommended MyPlate diet.

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The use of copy-paste in authoring clinical notes has been widely embraced by busy providers, but inappropriate copy-paste has been lambasted by critics for introducing risks related to patient safety and regulatory compliance. At an integrated academic health system with over 4,100 providers writing notes, we developed a pragmatic approach to assess the use of copy-paste. From January 1-December 31, 2020, approximately 2.

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Communication with family members about the COVID-19 vaccine may play an important role in vaccination decisions, especially among young people. This study examined the association between family communication about the COVID-19 vaccine and vaccination intention. Participants were Black/African Americans aged 18-30 years (N = 312) recruited through an online survey in June 2020.

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Entertainment programming in the United States has long addressed major public health issues. In the present study, we used a culture-centric approach to systematically investigate the role of television storylines in facilitating health-related conversations on social media. In particular, we examined Twitter conversations about sexual and police-involved trauma prompted by portrayals on the fictional television drama .

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Mental illness affects a considerable number of African Americans, and Black men bare a heavy burden. Over the past few years, more and more Black male celebrities have publicly discussed their struggles with mental illness, aiming to raise awareness, educate the public, and reduce stigma around mental health in the Black community. In this exploratory study, I investigated Twitter conversations following hip-hop artist Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi's October 2016 depression disclosure.

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Individuals with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia (referred to as AD) deteriorate over time, and there will likely be a corresponding increase in levels of burden and stress for caregivers. Despite the significant contributions made by informal caregivers, there are no widely available mechanisms that meet the information needs of informal caregivers. Using a qualitative approach, the current study focuses on AD caregiver information seeking.

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Objectives: This study sought to understand factors related to weather-related disaster survivors' health information and mental health-care-seeking behaviors.

Methods: In November 2017, we conducted a quantitative survey of 170 Gulf Coast residents who experienced weather-related disasters. The survey assessed how individual and psychosocial factors affect health-care-seeking behavior.

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Information seeking is often heightened following news coverage of cancer announcements from prominent celebrities or public figures. While scholars have sought to explicate the mechanisms influencing cancer information seeking following celebrity health announcements, the focus has primarily been on cognitive and emotional factors. Other influences such as sociocultural constructs have largely been ignored in this domain.

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We investigated interpersonal communication generated from a successful sexual health intervention for Black college women attending a Historically Black College/University (HBCU). Guided by the integrative model of behavioral prediction and the theory of gender and power, the intervention combined point-of-access health messages with condom distribution via condom dispensers. Using a mixed-methods approach, we examined communication partners, content, mode, valence, and perceived impact.

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Introduction: We conducted a systematic review of the experimental literature on the impact of tobacco-pack pictorial warning labels (PWLs) on youth and young adults.

Methods: We systematically searched computerized databases and the reference lists of relevant articles. We included studies that used an experimental protocol to assess PWLs.

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Value-affirming activities have been linked to positive health outcomes and improved ability to cope. For cancer survivors who regularly play video games, might the games have potential to affirm values? We surveyed gameplaying survivors and included an open-ended question asking about values and the extent to which they perceived gameplaying as supporting values. A content analysis of responses ( = 533) using Schwartz's value typology revealed that a majority perceived gameplaying as supporting values or offering other benefits.

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Celebrity health disclosures motivate people to seek information about various health topics. However, limited systematic evaluations exist on effects of celebrity disclosures of mental illness, despite observations that this is a growing phenomenon and have important implications for public health education. Further, research has rarely examined the impact of such disclosures on minority populations.

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The current study sought to examine the impact of strengthening cigarette pack warnings on attention, message processing, and perceived effectiveness, through a systematic review of longitudinal observational studies. The review included 22 studies (N = 81,824 participants). Strengthened warnings increased attention to warnings, recall of warnings, and thinking about the health risks of smoking.

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This study evaluated a novel 3-month campus-based HIV prevention condom distribution and health communication intervention for African American females attending a historically Black college in North Carolina. The theoretical framework for study incorporated the integrative model of behavioral prediction and the theory of gender and power. The intervention provided free condoms via condom dispensers with point-of-access messaging on the dispensers.

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