Publications by authors named "Dionna O Roberts"

Background: Readmission to the hospital within 30 days is a measure of quality care; however, only few modifiable risk factors for 30-day readmission in adults with sickle cell disease are known.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of the medical records of adults with sickle cell disease at a tertiary care center, to identify potentially modifiable risk factors for 30-day readmission due to vasoocclusive pain episodes. A total of 88 patients ≥18 years of age were followed for 3.

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Individuals with sickle cell anemia (SCA) exhibit delayed growth trajectories and lower blood pressure (BP) measurements than individuals without SCA. We evaluated factors associated with height, weight, and BP and established reference growth curves and BP tables using data from the Silent Cerebral Infarct Multi-Center Clinical (SIT) Trial (NCT00072761). Quantile regression models were used to determine the percentiles of growth and BP measurements.

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This analysis examined the association between drinking severity, food insecurity, and drinking related health comorbidities among 258 African American women who drank heavily from the "Sister to Sister" study. Women were stratified by drinking status: 23% were heavy drinkers (women who drank 30 to 52 weeks in the 12 months prior to study participation and consumed the equivalent of at least 20 alcoholic beverages at one sitting) and 77% were less heavy drinkers (women with all other combinations of drinking habits who drank less than 30 weeks in the 12 months prior to study participation). Heavy drinkers were more likely to not check nutrition labels, skip meals to buy drugs/alcohol, and report a history of stomach disease, diabetes, memory, weight, and kidney problems compared with less heavy drinkers.

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Background: Few studies have investigated factors influencing participation rates for minority children with a chronic disease in clinical trials. The Silent Cerebral Infarct Multi-Center Clinical (SIT) Trial provides an opportunity to study the impact of demographic and socio-economic factors on randomization in a clinical trial among Black children. Our primary objective was to characterize the factors associated with successful randomization of children with sickle cell disease (SCD) and silent cerebral infarct (SCI) in the SIT Trial after initial consent.

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