Publications by authors named "Kenneth Knapp"

Objective: Examining the association between oral health and the prevalence of falls among US caregivers.

Background: There is a scarcity of research on the association between oral health status and the prevalence of falls among older adults and caregivers.

Materials And Methods: Data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) surveys from 2016 to 2020 were analyzed.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study investigated the effectiveness of a virtually delivered mind-body program called VDTQM, which combines tai chi, qigong, and meditation, in treating low back pain (LBP) among adults.
  • The study involved 350 participants, who were divided into a treatment group receiving 12 weeks of VDTQM classes and a waitlist control group, with outcomes measured primarily by pain-related disability and secondary factors like pain intensity and quality of life.
  • Results indicated that the treatment group experienced significant improvements in pain-related disability and other outcomes at various points after treatment, suggesting that VDTQM could be a beneficial option for managing LBP.
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Introduction: Caregivers are a critical and highly used health care resource. Caregivers may experience adverse health outcomes and practice less self-care, including obtaining vaccinations, while serving in their roles. Influenza (flu) is a common infectious disease responsible for millions of doctor visits, hospitalizations, and approximately 43,000 US deaths annually that can largely be prevented by receiving seasonal vaccinations.

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Approximately 20% of U.S. adults are unpaid caregivers (caregivers) (1) who provide support to a family member or friend with a health condition or disability.

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Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of unmet needs for assistance among middle-aged and older adults with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) in the US and to evaluate whether unmet needs were associated with health-related quality of life (HRQOL).

Design: Cross-sectional.

Setting: US - 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

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Theoretical understanding of the thermodynamic controls on tropical cyclone (TC) wind intensity, as well as numerical simulations, implies a positive trend in TC intensity in a warming world. The global instrumental record of TC intensity, however, is known to be heterogeneous in both space and time and is generally unsuitable for global trend analysis. To address this, a homogenized data record based on satellite data was previously created for the period 1982-2009.

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Background: In the Gambia, three out of four women of reproductive age have undergone Female Genital Cutting (FGC). Many studies and policy advocates suggest that for such a practice that is deeply rooted in culture, a more holistic approach focusing on educating the population will have sustainable impact. This research examined whether educational level of women has an association with their attitude towards the practice of FGC.

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Mercury (Hg) wet deposition, transfer from the atmosphere to Earth's surface by precipitation, in the United States is highest in locations and seasons with frequent deep convective thunderstorms, but it has never been demonstrated whether the connection is causal or simple coincidence. We use rainwater samples from over 800 individual precipitation events to show that thunderstorms increase Hg concentrations by 50% relative to weak convective or stratiform events of equal precipitation depth. Radar and satellite observations reveal that strong convection reaching the upper troposphere (where high atmospheric concentrations of soluble, oxidized mercury species (Hg(II)) are known to reside) produces the highest Hg concentrations in rain.

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Understanding practice behaviors of solo/dual physician ownership and associated factors at the national level is important information for policymakers and clinicians in response to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010, but poorly understood in the literature. We analyzed nationally representative data (n = 4,720). The study results reveal nearly 33% of the sample reported solo/two-physician practices.

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Objectives: To determine whether a patient's level of assertiveness and other factors influences her comfort level in asking her provider to wash his or her hands.

Methods: In this pilot study, we developed a survey to gather cross-sectional information on a variety of factors that might explain patient willingness to ask her health-care provider to wash his or her hands. Three primary predictor variables are analyzed: (1) patient assertiveness; (2) patient familiarity with her healthcare provider; and (3) whether the patient has observed hand-washing behavior.

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This research explores the association of physician conflicts of interest with quality of care. Specifically, we discuss the role of some government regulations as policy alternatives. The need for further regulation has become more apparent as improprieties in the healthcare industry have come to light.

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This policy paper investigates whether physician conflicts of interest have an effect on physicians' quality of care and whether implementation of conflict-of-interest policies will ameliorate any negative effects of divergent interests. Some government regulations are discussed in a policymaking perspective. We also suggest that healthcare organizations establish specific policies guarding against potential negative outcomes related to conflicts of interest.

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A study of particulate matter (PM) emissions from in-use, light-duty vehicles was conducted during the summer of 1996 and the winter of 1997 in the Denver, CO, region. Vehicles were tested as received on chassis dynamometers on the Federal Test Procedure Urban Dynamometer Driving Schedule (UDDS) and the IM240 driving schedule. Both PM10 and regulated emissions were measured for each phase of the UDDS.

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The emissions from a fleet of 11 vehicles, including three from the State of Alaska, were tested at 75, 0, and -20 °F with base gasolines and E10 gasolines, that is, gasolines with 10% by volume ethanol added. The data for the changes in emissions for the test run at 75 °F are included, since most other studies on the effects of E10 gasoline on emissions were run at that temperature. The three Alaskan vehicles were also tested at 20 °F.

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Tailpipe and evaporative emissions from three pre-1985 passenger motor vehicles operating on an ethanol oxygenated and on a nonoxygenated (base) fuel were characterized. Emission data were collected for vehicles operating over the Federal Test Procedure at 90 °F, 75 °F, and 40 °F to simulate ambient driving conditions. The two fuels tested were a commercial summer-grade regular gasoline (the nonoxygenated base fuel) and an oxygenated fuel containing 8.

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The purpose of this study was to intercompare hydrocarbon (HC) measurements performed by a number of different instruments: a gas chromatograph (GC), a flame ionization detector (FID), a fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), a commercially produced non-dispersive infrared analyzer (NDIR), and two remote sensors. These instruments were used to measure total HC concentrations in a variety of samples, including (1) ten different individual HC species, (2) 12 different vehicle exhaust samples, and (3) three different volatilized fuel samples. The 12 exhaust samples were generated by operating two different vehicles on a dynamometer.

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