Using the cardiovascular risk profile in a community heart health outreach intervention: Implications for primary care.

Context: "HeartB," a community heart health intervention and academic partnership, focused on urban African African urban at high risk for heart disease, was implemented by community health workers (CHW) and a community nurse. Objective: The primary objective was to reduce heart disease risk in Detroit by increasing participants' knowledge of heart disease, with a secondary objective of facilitating prevention of developing heart disease by increasing understanding of how to lower risks for heart disease. Study Design and Analysis: Quasi-experimental (pre-post) design and six-month follow-up.

Influenza vaccination coverage among an urban pediatric asthma population: Implications for population health.

Introduction: Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children. Children with asthma are at high risk for complications from influenza; however annual influenza vaccination rates for this population are suboptimal. The overall aim of this study was to describe the characteristics of a high-risk population of children with asthma presenting to an urban pediatric emergency department according to influenza vaccination status.

Recruitment, Retention, and Future Direction for a Heart Health Education and Risk Reduction Intervention Led by Community Health Workers in an African American Majority City.

Heart disease is a leading cause of death for African Americans. A community-academic partnership cross-trained community health workers to engage African American adults in a 6-month heart health education and risk reduction intervention. We conducted a one-group feasibility study using a one group (pre-posttest) design.

Efficacy of enhanced emergency department discharge for chronic hypertension management - Results of a randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: Achieve is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of an education intervention for patients with chronic hypertension who have uncontrolled blood pressure (BP) at discharge from an urban emergency department (ED). The study examined efficacy and moderators of an educational intervention in an RCT on BP control at 180-day post-intervention.

Methods: Participants were recruited from a single, urban ED and randomized to receive or not to receive hypertension education.

Willingness to pay and willingness to accept in a patient-centered blood pressure control study.

Background: Elevated blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke but patients often discount recommended behavioral changes and prescribed medications. While effective interventions to promote adherence have been developed, cost-effectiveness from the patient's perspective, has not been well studied. The valuation of patient time and out of pocket expenses should be included while performing cost effectiveness evaluation.

Patient education and follow-up as an intervention for hypertensive patients discharged from an emergency department: a randomized control trial study protocol.

Background: Persistently elevated blood pressure (BP) is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease development, making effective hypertension management an issue of considerable public health importance. Hypertension is particularly prominent among African Americans, who have higher disease prevalence and consistently lower BP control than Whites and Hispanics. Emergency departments (ED) have limited resources for chronic disease management, especially for under-served patients dependent upon the ED for primary care, and are not equipped to conduct follow-up.

Consumer health information technology in an adult public health primary care clinic: a heart health education feasibility study.

Objective: To explore the feasibility and short term outcomes of using an interactive kiosk integrated into office flow to deliver health information in a primary care clinic.

Methods: Fifty-one adults with BMI ≥25 were randomly assigned to use a kiosk with attached devices to receive a six-week healthy eating/weight monitoring (intervention) or general health/BP monitoring (attention-control) program. Outcomes were measured at baseline, 8 weeks (post) and three month follow-up.

The relationship between combination inhaled corticosteroid and long-acting β-agonist use and severe asthma exacerbations in a diverse population.

Background: Safety concerns surround the use of long-acting β-agonists (LABAs) for the treatment of asthma, even in combination with inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) and particularly in high-risk subgroups.

Objective: To estimate the effect of ICS therapy and fixed-dose ICS/LABA combination therapy on severe asthma exacerbations in a racially diverse population.

Methods: ICS and ICS/LABA exposure was estimated from pharmacy data for patients with asthma aged 12 to 56 years who were members of a large health maintenance organization.