Evaluating a Telephone and Home Blood Pressure Monitoring Intervention to Improve Blood Pressure Control and Self-Care Behaviors in Adults with Low-Socioeconomic Status.

Hypertension (HTN) affects nearly 75 million in the United States, and percentages increase with low socioeconomic status (SES) due to poor access to, and quality of, care, and poor self-care behaviors. Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) employ evidence-based strategies, such as telehealth interventions, to improve blood pressure (BP) control in under-resourced communities, yet a southeastern FQHC could achieve a BP control rate of only 27.6%, well below the Health People 2020 goal of 61.

Exploring the relationship between social support and mental health status among lymphoma survivors: Does patient-centered communication really matter? A brief report.

The purpose of this study was to explore whether patient-centered communication (PCC) would partially mediate the relationship between social support and mental health status among adult survivors of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). : Secondary analysis of self-administered questionnaires mailed to 682 adults with NHL who were assumed living and had completed the baseline 2005 study (83% response rate). Adult NHL survivors ( = 566) and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Sobel test.

The Role of Black Pastors in Disseminating COVID-19 Vaccination Information to Black Communities in South Carolina.

COVID-19 vaccination rates have increased since distribution began in December 2020. However, in some states, such as South Carolina, getting people to take the vaccine has been challenging; as of spring 2022, slightly less than 60% of the total population is fully vaccinated. Vaccine hesitancy among Black Americans may be explained by several factors, including lack of confidence in the medical establishment and vaccines in particular.

Relationship Between Psychosocial Stress and Blood Pressure: The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Family Heart Study.

Introduction: Various domains of psychosocial stress have been significantly related to blood pressure. However, ambiguity is present in how these relationships are defined in the literature.

Objective: To add to the existing literature and examine the relationship between psychosocial stress (financial strain and job strain) and other cofactors on blood pressure.

The Development and Pilot Testing of an Evidence-Based Cardiovascular Disease Risk-Prevention Program to Promote Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Among African-American College Students - .

Objectives: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States. Among the risk factors for college students, obesity and physical inactivity are disproportionately high among African Americans (AAs), and while studies of the obesity epidemic have increased in recent years, few target AA college-aged students. This study developed and piloted an evidence-based, 15-week, 3-credit hour, CVD risk-prevention and intervention course, that used e-learning, web-based technologies, and a mobile application and compared its effects against a control course.

Factors that predict NCLEX-RN success at a Historically Black College and University: A four-year retrospective study.

Introduction: Ensuring NCLEX-RN success for graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) is integral to increasing Blacks and other racial/ethnic minorities underrepresented as registered nurses (RNs).

Purpose: To examine the association between program type (traditional (TBSN) and accelerated Bachelor of Science [ABSN]) and first-time NCLEX-RN exam outcome.

Methods: A retrospective descriptive design was used.

Rams Have Heart, a Mobile App Tracking Activity and Fruit and Vegetable Consumption to Support the Cardiovascular Health of College Students: Development and Usability Study.

Background: With the increasing use of mobile devices to access the internet and as the main computing system of apps, there is a growing market for mobile health apps to provide self-care advice. Their effectiveness with regard to diet and fitness tracking, for example, needs to be examined. The majority of American adults fail to meet daily recommendations for healthy behavior.

Evaluating Ten Top Tips (10TT): Brief Dietary and Physical Activity Counseling in Rural Overweight and Obese Adults.

Adults living in rural areas are at greater risk of becoming overweight and obese due to health care disparities. A pre-/postmatched cohort design was used to evaluate a brief weight-loss counseling intervention, Ten Top Tips (10TT), in a rural primary care setting. The rank sum scores for total weight-loss behaviors and the subscales for dietary changes, self-monitoring, physical activity, and psychological coping taken before and 12 weeks after the intervention differed significantly (P = .

Perceived Risk of Cardiovascular Disease and Health Behaviors in Black College Students.

For college students, the transition from adolescence to young adulthood can be a time of increased stress and negative health behaviors, such as poor diet and physical inactivity, that may lead to cardiovascular disease (CVD), the primary cause of death in the United States. Blacks are disproportionately prone to CVD. Perception of disease risk is a critical predictor of engagement in healthy lifestyle activities intended to reduce CVD development.

Exploring Emergency Department Provider Experiences With and Perceptions of Weight-Based Versus Individualized Vaso-Occlusive Treatment Protocols in Sickle Cell Disease.

Treatment of vaso-occlusive episodes (VOEs) is the most common reason for emergency department (ED) treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD). We (1) compared perceptions of the usability and ability to manage VOE pain between ED nurses and other ED provider types, ED sites, and VOE protocols (individualized vs. weight-based), and (2) identified ED nurse and other provider protocol suggestions.

The Use of Text Messaging to Promote Physical Activity in African-American College Students: A Feasibility Study.

Background: African-American college students are less likely to meet recommended physical activity guidelines to promote health, and are at risk of overweight, obesity, and elevated blood pressure. Text messaging is an emerging international technology shown to engage college students, promote physical activity, and reduce health risks.

Purpose: To determine the feasibility of using text messaging to promote physical activity among African-American college students enrolled in a unique course focusing on lifestyle behaviors for a healthy heart.

Examining the Relationship between Mindfulness, Perceived Stress, and Blood Pressure in African-American College Students.

College students are prone to stress, making them vulnerable to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Harmful health behaviors, such as tobacco or alcohol use, further predispose students to hypertension (HTN). African-Americans (AA) experience increased blood pressure reactivity, and weathering, due to race-related stressors.

Our Children, Our Hope: Voices of African American Mothers Living with HIV and Rearing Uninfected Children.

Parenting school-aged children while living with HIV has been associated with significant consequences for African American mothers. This article presents and discusses the results of a qualitative study that examined the parenting experiences of HIV-infected African American mothers rearing young children. A sample of 8 inner-city, African American mothers of uninfected preschool-aged children were interviewed individually.

Association Between Parental HPV Knowledge and Intentions to Have Their Daughters Vaccinated.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 and 18 causes 66% of cervical cancers (Dunne et al., 2014). Vaccination during adolescence can prevent HPV-associated cervical cancers, yet less than half of adolescent girls are vaccinated.

Health literacy and computer-assisted instruction: usability and patient preference.

The authors investigated the feasibility of using computer-assisted instruction in patients of varying literacy levels by examining patients' preferences for learning and their ability to use 2 computer-based educational programs. A total of 263 participants 50-74 years of age with varying health literacy levels interacted with 1 of 2 educational computer programs as part of a randomized trial of a colorectal cancer screening decision aid. A baseline and postprogram evaluation survey were completed.

Maternal Education and Immunization Status Among Children in Kenya.

Child morbidity and mortality due to infectious diseases continues to be a major threat and public health concern worldwide. Although global vaccination coverage reached 90 % for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP3) across 129 countries, Kenya and other sub-Saharan countries continue to experience under-vaccination. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between maternal education and child immunization (12-23 months) in Kenya.

Association between domestic violence and HIV serostatus among married and formerly married women in Kenya.

The prevalence of both domestic violence (DV) and HIV among Kenyan women is known to be high, but the relationship between them is unknown. Nationally representative cross-sectional data from married and formerly married (MFM) women responding to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2008/2009 were analyzed adjusting for complex survey design. Multivariable logistic regressions were used to assess the covariate-adjusted associations between HIV serostatus and any reported DV as well as four constituent DV measures: physical, emotional, sexual, and aggravated bodily harm, adjusting for covariates entered into each model using a forward stepwise selection process.

Winston-Salem State University and Duke University's Bridge to the Doctorate Program.

To address the underrepresentation of ethnic minorities in research-focused nursing doctoral programs, Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) Division of Nursing has partnered with Duke University School of Nursing to establish a Bridge to the Doctorate program. This program provides a research honors track for graduate nursing students from underrepresented minority groups who are enrolled at WSSU, with the aim of preparing them to seamlessly transition into a PhD program at Duke University.

Delaying sexual debut as a strategy for reducing HIV epidemic in Kenya.

The study purpose was to determine the association between sexual debut and HIV sero-status, and factors contributing to a positive HIV sero-status. Retrospective cross-sectional data from the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey-2003 were used. Data on women aged 15-49 (n = 3,273) and men aged 15-54 (n = 2,917) accepting HIV testing were retained from three datasets.

Promoting heart health: an HBCU collaboration with the Living Heart Foundation and the National Football League Retired Players Association.

Introduction: Cardiovascular disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States and African Americans are disproportionately affected. Cardiovascular disease risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, family history of heart disease, and physical inactivity are often higher in African American young adults. The aim of the current study was to assess cardiovascular disease risk factors at a historically black college and university (HBCU) in North Carolina.

Association between education and domestic violence among women being offered an HIV test in urban and rural areas in Kenya.

The objective of this study was to examine the association between education and domestic violence among women being offered an HIV test in urban and rural areas in Kenya. A sample selection of women who experienced physical (n = 4,308), sexual (n = 4,309), and emotional violence (n = 4,312) aged 15 to 49 allowed for the estimation of the association between education and domestic violence with further analysis stratified by urban and rural residence. The main outcome of interest was a three-factor (physical, sexual, and emotional) measure for violence with the main predictor being education.

Communicating HIV/AIDS through African American churches in North Carolina: implications and recommendations for HIV/AIDS faith-based programs.

This study explores HIV/AIDS communication strategies among church leaders at predominately African American churches in a metropolitan city and surrounding areas in North Carolina. The church leaders contacted for the study are members of an interfaith-based HIV/AIDS program. The researchers used semi-standardized interviews to explore how church leaders address HIV/AIDS in the church.