Publications by authors named "E R Harrell"

Article Synopsis
  • Increased mortality rates among older Black adults in rural southern areas are linked to chronic conditions and limited healthcare access due to social and structural issues.
  • The study examined the impacts of health perceptions, social functioning, and mental health on older Black adults in four rural Alabama towns, using surveys and linear regression analysis.
  • Results indicated that better social functioning and less depressive symptoms significantly improved general health scores, highlighting the necessity for tailored health resources and stronger social networks in these communities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Modeling passively collected smartphone sensor data (called digital phenotyping) has the potential to detect distress among family caregivers and patients with advanced cancer and could lead to novel clinical models of cancer care. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of collecting passive smartphone data from family caregivers and their care recipients with advanced cancer over 24 weeks.

Methods: This was an observational feasibility study.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Context: In process evaluation research, secular trends refer to external factors unrelated to an intervention that impact implementation. The COVID-19 pandemic was a secular trend that affected the implementation of the Nutritious Eating with Soul (NEW Soul) study.

Objective: This paper describes steps taken in modifying intervention delivery due to the secular trend of the pandemic.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In celebration of the National Institute on Aging's (NIA) 50th anniversary, this paper highlights the significant advances in cognitive aging research and the promotion of cognitive health among older adults. Since its inception in 1974, the NIA has played a pivotal role in understanding cognitive aging, including cognitive epidemiology, interventions, and methods, for measuring cognitive change. Key milestones include the shift toward understanding cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease-related dementias (AD/ADRD), the development of large-scale longitudinal studies, and the incorporation of AD/ADRD-related biomarkers in cognitive aging cohorts.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Rural communities across the United States experience increased risk and prevalence of chronic diseases associated with both individual and community-based factors. Thus, there is a need for rural capacity development for chronic disease prevention. Traditional health promotion and intervention approaches often focus on diet-related health disparities from a positivist, evidence-based paradigm.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF