Perceived Social Support and Medication Dose Interruption Among Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients in Western India: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction Despite efforts, tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health problem in developing countries, and India alone accounts for most of the global TB cases. Although the treatment for TB is highly successful, a significant number of TB patients in India do not complete their assigned treatment. Social support has a key influence on medication adherence for chronic illnesses like diabetes, asthma, HIV, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and TB.

Barriers to identifying and addressing health-related social needs in cancer care: Patient and patient navigator perspectives.

Background: The study aimed to gain insight into the experiences of patients with cancer and survivors regarding the integration of social needs assessment into their care, while also gathering perspectives from patient navigators on the barriers to obtaining and utilizing social needs information during cancer care, which taken together may influence cancer care policies. By comparing the perspectives of patients and navigators, the study sought to inform best practices for integrating, identifying, and addressing social needs to improve patient experiences and outcomes.

Methods: We conducted qualitative interviews and self-report surveys involving patients with cancer, providers, and patient navigators or care coordinators, seeking their insights and firsthand experiences related to health-related social needs in cancer care.

Educational and occupational aspirations of adolescent and young adult cancer survivors: a qualitative analysis.

Purpose: Adolescent and young adult cancer survivors (AYACS) are patients diagnosed with cancer between 15 and 39 years of age. AYACS are often derailed from planned educational and occupational endeavors due to disruption from cancer treatment and its consequences. The study objective was to examine how a personal cancer diagnosis impacted AYACS' experiences related to these endeavors.

Training the Next Generation of Local Public Health Leaders: A Case Study of Community Health Organizers in Pennsylvania.

Few short-term training programs exist for persons with limited experience or training in public health to support public health initiatives. We describe a public health training designed by the Pennsylvania (PA) Training Center for Health Equity for the PA Community Health Organizer (CHO) program. The CHO program was created to address the immediate needs of underserved communities and promote lasting health equity during the pandemic.

Patterns of Cancer-Related Healthcare Access across Pennsylvania: Analysis of Novel Census Tract-Level Indicators of Persistent Poverty.

Background: Persistent poverty census tracts have had ≥20% of the population living below the federal poverty line for 30+ years. We assessed the relationship between persistent poverty and cancer-related healthcare access across census tracts in Pennsylvania.

Methods: We gathered publicly available census tract-level data on persistent poverty, rurality, and sociodemographic variables, as well as potential access to healthcare (i.