Cluster Randomized Trial of a Church-Based Peer Counselor and Tailored Newsletter Intervention to Promote Colorectal Cancer Screening and Physical Activity Among Older African Americans.

Action Through Churches in Time to Save Lives (ACTS) of Wellness was a cluster randomized controlled trial developed to promote colorectal cancer screening and physical activity (PA) within urban African American churches. Churches were recruited from North Carolina (n = 12) and Michigan (n = 7) and were randomized to intervention (n = 10) or comparison (n = 9). Intervention participants received three mailed tailored newsletters addressing colorectal cancer screening and PA behaviors over approximately 6 months.

Cancer screening patterns by weight group and gender for urban African American church members.

Obese white women have lower rates of cancer screening compared to non-obese women. This study will determine if a relationship exists between weight and adherence to cancer screening guidelines among African Americans. We used multivariate logistic regression to examine the relationship between being up-to-date with cancer screening (colorectal, breast, cervical, and prostate) and weight group (normal, overweight, obese I, obese II+) using data from older (age 50+) members (N = 955) of 20 African American churches in Michigan and North Carolina.

Health behavior changes in white and African American prostate cancer survivors.

Prostate cancer prognosis may be improved by healthy behaviors; however, little is known regarding whether prostate cancer survivors make health behavior changes after diagnosis, and there are no data on racial/ethnic differences. This study explored patterns of and factors that influence healthy behavior changes in diet, physical activity, and dietary supplement use among whites and African Americans (n = 30) aged 45 to 70 years, approximately 1 year after diagnosis with localized prostate cancer. Data were collected by telephone using semistructured qualitative interviews.

Prospective study of etiologic agents of acute gastroenteritis outbreaks in child care centers.

Objective: To investigate the etiology of outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in children attending childcare centers (CCCs) in North Carolina between October 2005 and March 2007.

Study Design: In this prospective study of outbreaks of AGE in CCCs, stool specimens from symptomatic children and environmental surface swabs were tested for adenovirus group F, astrovirus, norovirus (NoV), rotavirus group A, and sapovirus using real-time and conventional reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assays, and viruses were genotyped by sequencing.

Results: A total of 29 AGE outbreaks were evaluated, of which 13 (45%) were caused by a single virus, including rotavirus group A (17%), NoV (10%), astrovirus (10%), and sapovirus (7%).

The clinical consequences and diagnosis of hypothyroidism.

Hypothyroidism represents a common disorder especially in older women. Left untreated, it can lead to abnormalities in lipid metabolism and subsequent progression to overt hypothyroidism, with significant clinical consequences of myocardial infarction and stroke. More research needs to be performed to investigate the link between subclinical hypothyroidism and cardiovascular disease risk and to evaluate the health and economic outcomes of randomized trials of TSH screening.

Distribution of African Americans in residential care/assisted living and nursing homes: more evidence of racial disparity?

Objectives: In this study, we examined racial separation in long-term care.

Methods: We used a survey of a stratified sample of 181 residential care/assisted living (RC/AL) facilities and 39 nursing homes in 4 states.

Results: Most African Americans resided in nursing homes and smaller RC/AL facilities and tended to be concentrated in a few predominantly African American facilities, whereas the vast majority of Whites resided in predominantly White facilities.

Inappropriate medication prescribing in residential care/assisted living facilities.

Objectives: To identify the extent to which inappropriately prescribed medications (IPMs) are administered to older patients in residential care/assisted living (RC/AL) facilities and to describe facility and resident factors associated with receipt of one or more IPMs.

Design: Cross-sectional study of a stratified, representative sample of 193 facilities in four states.

Setting: We identified representative geographic regions within Florida, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Maryland and drew from within them a stratified random sample of 193 RC/AL facilities.