Comparing Continuous and Binary Group-based Trajectory Modeling Using Statin Medication Adherence Data.

Background: Of 58 medication adherence group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) published studies, 74% used binary and 26% used continuous GBTM. Few studies provided a rationale for this choice. No medication adherence studies have compared continuous and binary GBTM.

Opening the black box of the group-based trajectory modeling process to analyze medication adherence patterns: An example using real-world statin adherence data.

Purpose: The rationale for choosing a final group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) specification and evaluations of patient adherence patterns within groups are often omitted in the GBTM medication adherence literature. We aimed to (1) reveal the complexity of GBTM and (2) assess model discrimination of patient medication adherence patterns.

Methods: Medicare administrative claims were used to measure statin medication adherence as a continuous value in the 6 months before an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) hospitalization.

It's Not Too Late to Improve Statin Adherence: Association Between Changes in Statin Adherence from Before to After Acute Myocardial Infarction and All-Cause Mortality.

Background Many older patients have a change in statin adherence-either an increase or a decrease-from before to after an acute myocardial infarction ( AMI ), but its association with mortality is unknown. Methods and Results Using Medicare administrative claims, a cohort of patients ≥66 years old with an AMI hospitalization from 2008 to 2010 was assembled. Statin adherence was measured for 180 days pre- AMI and 180 days post- AMI and categorized as severely nonadherent, moderately nonadherent, or adherent.

Changes in Statin Adherence Following an Acute Myocardial Infarction Among Older Adults: Patient Predictors and the Association With Follow-Up With Primary Care Providers and/or Cardiologists.

Background: Hospitalizations for acute myocardial infarctions (AMIs) are associated with changes in statin adherence. It is unclear to what extent adherence changes, which patients are likely to change, and how post-discharge follow-up is associated with statin adherence change.

Methods And Results: This retrospective study used Medicare data for all fee-for-service beneficiaries 66 years and older with an AMI hospitalization in 2008-2010 and statin use before their index AMI.

Depression, Stressful Life Events, and the Impact of Variation in the Serotonin Transporter: Findings from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health).

Background: The low transcriptionally efficient short-allele of the 5HTTLPR serotonin transporter polymorphism has been implicated to moderate the relationship between the experience of stressful life events (SLEs) and depression. Despite numerous attempts at replicating this observation, results remain inconclusive.

Methods: We examined this relationship in young-adult Non-Hispanic white males and females between the ages of 22 and 26 (n = 4724) participating in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) with follow-up information every six years since 1995.

Pneumococcal Carriage and Vaccine Coverage in Retirement Community Residents.

Objectives: To evaluate pneumococcal immunization in older adults living in retirement communities and to measure nasopharyngeal carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae to better assess the potential for herd protection from the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-13) in these settings.

Design: Cross-sectional observational study of adults aged 65 and older living in retirement communities to determine coverage with 23-valent pneumococcal vaccine (PPSV-23), coverage with PCV-13 in immuncompromised individuals according to 2012 Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) guidelines, and nasopharyngeal carriage of S. pneumoniae.

Blood spot-based measures of glucose homeostasis and diabetes prevalence in a nationally representative population of young US adults.

Purpose: We investigated understudied biomarker-based diabetes among young US adults, traditionally characterized by low cardiovascular disease risk.

Methods: We examined 15,701 participants aged 24 to 32 years at Wave IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health, 2008). The study used innovative and relatively noninvasive methods to collect capillary whole blood via finger prick at in-home examinations in all 50 states.

The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) sibling pairs genome-wide data.

Here we provide a detailed description of the genome-wide information available on the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) sibling pair subsample (Harris et al. in Twin Res Hum Genet 16:391-398, 2013). A total of 2,020 samples were genotyped (including duplicates) arising from 1946 Add Health individuals from the sibling pairs subsample.

Simple sequence repeats in the national longitudinal study of adolescent health: an ethnically diverse resource for genetic analysis of health and behavior.

Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) are one of the earliest available forms of genetic variation available for analysis and have been utilized in studies of neurological, behavioral, and health phenotypes. Although findings from these studies have been suggestive, their interpretation has been complicated by a variety of factors including, among others, limited power due to small sample sizes. The current report details the availability, diversity, and allele and genotype frequencies of six commonly examined SSRs in the ethnically diverse, population-based National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.

Social, behavioral, and genetic linkages from adolescence into adulthood.

The influence of genetic factors on health and behavior is conditioned by social, cultural, institutional, and physical environments in which individuals live, work, and play. We encourage studies supporting multilevel integrative approaches to understanding these contributions to health, and describe the Add Health study as an exemplar. Add Health is a large sample of US adolescents in grades 7 to 12 in 1994-1995 followed into adulthood with 4 in-home interviews and biomarker collections, including DNA.

MAOA genotype, childhood maltreatment, and their interaction in the etiology of adult antisocial behaviors.

Background: Maltreatment by an adult or caregiver during childhood is a prevalent and important predictor of antisocial behaviors in adulthood. A functional promoter polymorphism in the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene has been implicated as a moderating factor in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and antisocial behaviors. Although there have been numerous attempts at replicating this observation, results remain inconclusive.

Effect of genetic testing for risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus on health behaviors and outcomes: study rationale, development and design.

Background: Type 2 diabetes is a prevalent chronic condition globally that results in extensive morbidity, decreased quality of life, and increased health services utilization. Lifestyle changes can prevent the development of diabetes, but require patient engagement. Genetic risk testing might represent a new tool to increase patients' motivation for lifestyle changes.

Genomic risk profiling: attitudes and use in personal and clinical care of primary care physicians who offer risk profiling.

Background: Genomic risk profiling involves the analysis of genetic variations linked through statistical associations to a range of disease states. There is considerable controversy as to how, and even whether, to incorporate these tests into routine medical care.

Objective: To assess physician attitudes and uptake of genomic risk profiling among an 'early adopter' practice group.

Early Adolescent Romantic Partner Status, Peer Standing, and Problem Behaviors.

This study examined associations among early adolescent romantic relationships, peer standing, problem behaviors, and gender as a moderator of these associations, in a sample of 320 seventh-grade students. Popular and controversial status youth were more likely to have a romantic partner, whereas neglected status youth were less likely to have a romantic partner. Similarly, youth perceived as conventional and unconventional leaders were also more likely to have a romantic partner than were non-leaders.

Early adolescents' social standing in peer groups: behavioral correlates of stability and change.

Sociometric nominations, social cognitive maps, and self-report questionnaires were completed in consecutive years by 327 students (56% girls) followed longitudinally from grade 7 to grade 8 to examine the stability of social standing in peer groups and correlates of changes in social standing. Social preference, perceived popularity, network centrality, and leadership were moderately stable from grade 7 to grade 8. Alcohol use and relational aggression in grade 7 predicted changes in social preference and centrality, respectively, between grade 7 and grade 8, but these effects were moderated by gender and ethnicity.

Norm-Narrowing and Self- and Other-Perceived Aggression in Early-Adolescent Same-Sex and Mixed-Sex Cliques.

We examined the relations between group context and self- and other-perceptions of aggressive behavior in an ethnically-diverse sample of 168 male and female grade 7 adolescents. We used self- and peer-reports of aggression in high- and average-aggressive mixed-sex and same-sex cliques to examine whether group members would assimilate their self-report of aggression to the aggression report of their peers by way of perceived homophily or, conversely, engage in contrast and see their level of aggression as comparatively low in the face of high-aggression peers. Among boys in mixed-sex groups, comparison with highly-aggressive others resulted in a self-perception of lower levels of aggression than those perceived by their peers.

Peer standing and substance use in early-adolescent grade-level networks: a short-term longitudinal study.

Two competing hypotheses were tested concerning the associations between current alcohol and cigarette use and measures of individual, group and network peer standing in an ethnically-diverse sample of 156 male and female adolescents sampled at two time points in the seventh grade. Findings lent greater support to the person hypothesis, with early regular substance users enjoying elevated standing amongst their peers and maintaining this standing regardless of their maintenance of or desistance from current use later in the school year. In the fall semester, users (n=20, 13%) had greater social impact, were described by their peers as more popular, and were more central to the peer network than abstainers (i.

Substance abuse prevention infrastructure: a survey-based study of the organizational structure and function of the D.A.R.E. program.

Background: The only national drug abuse prevention delivery system that supports the rapid diffusion of new prevention strategies and includes uniform training and credentialing of instructors who are monitored for quality implementation of prevention programming is the Drug Abuse Resistance Education network (D.A.R.

Understanding differences in marijuana use among urban Black and suburban White high school students from two U.S. community samples.

To examine community/racial differences in adolescent marijuana use and the variations in factors underlying the observed differences, a questionnaire survey study was conducted with 9th to 12th graders (n = 1,936) from two communities in New Jersey. Marijuana use was significantly higher among suburban (mostly White) students than among their urban (mostly Black) counterparts. Significant differences in marijuana use between the two community sub-samples were explained by differences in type of risk factors, mean number of risk factors, and the strength of the association (slopes) between risk factors and marijuana use.

Prevalence and co-occurrence of psychiatric symptom clusters in the U.S. adolescent population using DISC predictive scales.

Objective: To estimate 12-month prevalence and co-occurrence of symptoms of specific mental problems among US adolescents (12-17 years) by age, sex and racial/ethnic subgroups.

Method: Data from the 2000 National Household Survey of Drug Abuse (NHSDA) adolescent sample are used to estimate prevalence and co-occurrence rates using the DISC predictive scales. Multiple logistic regressions were used to derive significant correlates of each domain of DPS-derived symptom cluster indicators of psychiatric problems and of severe comorbidity, with control of demographics and environmental factors.