Publications by authors named "Ethel Johnson"
Importance: Rural Black participants need effective intervention to achieve better blood pressure (BP) control.
Objective: Among Black rural adults with persistently uncontrolled hypertension attending primary care clinics, to determine whether peer coaching (PC), practice facilitation (PF), or both (PCPF) are superior to enhanced usual care (EUC) in improving BP control.
Design, Setting, And Participants: A cluster randomized clinical trial was conducted in 69 rural primary care practices across Alabama and North Carolina between September 23, 2016, and September 26, 2019.
Background: Impoverished African Americans (AA) with hypertension face poor health outcomes.
Purpose: To conduct a cluster-randomized trial testing two interventions, alone and in combination, to improve blood pressure (BP) control in AA with persistently uncontrolled hypertension.
Methods: We engaged primary care practices serving rural Alabama and North Carolina residents, and in each practice we recruited approximately 25 AA adults with persistently uncontrolled hypertension (mean systolic BP >140 mmHg over the year prior to enrollment plus enrollment day BP assessed by research assistants ≥140/90 mmHg).
Article Synopsis
- The study looked at how community groups talked about environmental health issues in two places in Alabama, Birmingham (city) and Wilcox County (rural), from 2012 to 2019.
- In Birmingham, people said that abandoned houses were a big problem, while in Wilcox County, the main issue was drinking water quality.
- Both areas had similar ideas on how to fix these problems, like talking to local leaders and government agencies to make them pay attention.
Heat-Health Behavior Change During Summer 2020 in African American Alabama Residents.
Am J Public Health
August 2021
Article Synopsis
- In summer 2020, researchers wanted to see how people in Alabama dealt with the heat compared to earlier summers.
- They contacted 101 people by phone to ask about their cooling habits and safety worries.
- Fewer people said they would go to cooling centers during summer 2020, dropping from 23% to only 10%, likely due to concerns about COVID-19 and safety.
Background: Because medication adherence is linked to better diabetes outcomes, numerous interventions have aimed to improve adherence. However, suboptimal adherence persists and necessitate continued research into intervention strategies. This study evaluated the effectiveness of an intervention that combined storytelling and peer support to improve medication adherence and health outcomes in adults with diabetes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) programs have the potential to improve quality of life in individuals with chronic pain and diabetes. Rural communities often lack the infrastructure necessary to implement such programs. CBT traditionally requires trained therapists, who are rarely available in these areas.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFResearch shows that vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is one of the most effective methods for reducing risk for cervical cancer; it also protects against other HPV-related cancers. Controversies exist regarding HPV vaccination in several communities; which may in part explain why although rates of HPV vaccination are increasing nationwide, Los Angeles County (LAC) data show that many adolescents are still not vaccinated. These adolescents remain at high-risk for infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: It is unclear whether peer coaching is effective in minority populations living with diabetes in hard-to-reach, under-resourced areas such as the rural South. We examined the effect of an innovative peer-coaching intervention plus brief education vs brief education alone on diabetes outcomes.
Methods: This was a community-engaged, cluster-randomized, controlled trial with primary care practices and their surrounding communities serving as clusters.