Tobacco cessation and household spending on non-tobacco goods: results from the US Consumer Expenditure Surveys.

Objectives: To estimate the impact of tobacco cessation on household spending on non-tobacco goods in the USA.

Methods: Using 2006-2015 Consumer Expenditure Survey data 9130 tobacco-consuming households were followed for four quarters. Households were categorised during the fourth quarter as having: (1) recent tobacco cessation, (2) long-term cessation, (3) relapsed cessation or (4) no cessation.

The value of daily money management: an analysis of outcomes and costs.

For vulnerable and frail older adults, management of daily financial obligations can become an overwhelming burden spiraling into at-risk situations. Social service agencies have developed community-based Daily Money Management programs to assist these adults in protecting their financial security. Through this study the authors present the first economic estimates of the costs of Daily Money Management programs which, along with case management programs, save $60,000 per individual when compared with the cost of nursing home placement, making them highly cost effective.

Racial and ethnic diversity in senior centers: comparing participant characteristics in more and less multicultural settings.

The 2008 Health Indicators Project surveyed a probability sample (N = 1,870) of New York City senior center participants. Attendees of racially and ethnically diverse and nondiverse senior centers were compared across 5 domains: demographics; health and quality of life; social support networks; neighborhood perceptions and engagement; health service access/utilization. Although homogeneous and diverse center participants demonstrate similar health and quality-of-life outcomes, those from diverse centers demonstrate greater risk of social isolation, receive less family support, and more likely seek medical care from hospitals or community clinics.

Environmental factors associated with primary care access among urban older adults.

Disparities in primary care access and quality impede optimal chronic illness prevention and management for older adults. Although research has shown associations between neighborhood attributes and health, little is known about how these factors - in particular, the primary care infrastructure - inform older adults' primary care use. Using geographic data on primary care physician supply and surveys from 1260 senior center attendees in New York City, we examined factors that facilitate and hinder primary care use for individuals living in service areas with different supply levels.

Can treating depression improve diabetic management?

Diabetes with comorbid depression increases healthcare use, expenditures, and risk for complications. This study investigated current practice patterns for diabetic management as measured by HbA1C (A1C). Results indicated significant increases in Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 and HbA1C scores among patients with diabetes who take antidepressant drugs.

Linking neighborhood characteristics to food insecurity in older adults: the role of perceived safety, social cohesion, and walkability.

Among the 14.6% of American households experiencing food insecurity, approximately 2 million are occupied by older adults. Food insecurity among older adults has been linked to poor health, lower cognitive function, and poor mental health outcomes.

Ethnic disparities in self-reported oral health status and access to care among older adults in NYC.

There is a growing burden of oral disease among older adults that is most significantly borne by minorities, the poor, and immigrants. Yet, national attention to oral heath disparities has focused almost exclusively on children, resulting in large gaps in our knowledge about the oral health risks of older adults and their access to care. The projected growth of the minority and immigrant elderly population as a proportion of older adults heightens the urgency of exploring and addressing factors associated with oral health-related disparities.

The influence of neighborhood factors on the quality of life of older adults attending New York City senior centers: results from the Health Indicators Project.

Purpose: To examine the association between self-assessed quality of life (QOL) and perceived neighborhood safety, social cohesion, and walkability among older adults in New York City (NYC).

Methods: We used data from the 2008 Health Indicators Project, a cross-sectional survey of 1,870 older adults attending 56 NYC senior centers. QOL, a binary measure, was created by dichotomizing a 5-point Likert-scaled global assessment.

Promoting Active Urban Aging: A Measurement Approach to Neighborhood Walkability for Older Adults.

Understanding the role of the built environment on physical activity behavior among older adults is an important public health goal, but evaluating these relationships remains complicated due to the difficulty of measuring specific attributes of the environment. As a result, there is conflicting evidence regarding the association between perceived and objectively measured walkability and physical activity among urban-dwelling older adults. This suggests that both actual environmental features and perceptions of these attributes influence walking behavior.

Assessing the impact of behavioral risk factors and known-groups validity of the SF-12 in a US Chinese immigrant population.

Background: Health status measures are being used in increasingly diverse populations. However, there are no known studies to date that examine the SF-12 in US Chinese populations. This study reports on the performance and validity of the SF-12 among Chinese immigrants residing in New York City, and evaluates the impact of multiple behavioral risk factors on physical and mental health status.

Health behaviors of older Chinese adults living in New York City.

The dramatic increase in the number of older immigrants living in the U.S. presents new challenges to policy makers concerned with promoting healthy aging.

Increasing access to evidence-based smoking cessation treatment: effectiveness of a free nicotine patch program among Chinese immigrants.

Pharmacotherapy substantially increases smoking cessation rates. However, programs to reduce barriers to this evidence-based treatment may not improve access among high risk immigrant non English speaking populations. This study estimates the effectiveness of a tailored free nicotine patch (NRT) program among Chinese American smokers living in New York City (NYC).

Effectiveness of tobacco control among Chinese Americans: a comparative analysis of policy approaches versus community-based programs.

Objective: To estimate the effectiveness of a tailored multicomponent community-based smoking cessation intervention among Chinese immigrants living in New York City, implemented within the context of state and city-wide tobacco control policy initiatives for the general population.

Methods: A pre-post-test quasi-experimental design with representative samples from Chinese populations living in two communities in New York City: Flushing, Queens, the intervention community and Sunset Park, Brooklyn, the comparison community. From November 2002 to August 2003 baseline interviews were conducted with 2537 adults aged 18-74.

Purchasing patterns and smoking behaviors after a large tobacco tax increase: a study of Chinese Americans living in New York City.

Objectives: Tobacco taxes are one of the most effective policy interventions to reduce tobacco use. Tax avoidance, however, lessens the public health benefits of higher-priced cigarettes. Few studies examine responses to cigarette tax policies, particularly among high-risk minority populations.

Changing corporate practices to reduce cancer disparities.

While reducing racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in cancer mortality has been identified as a national goal, current policies are unlikely to achieve it. In order to advance the development of policies for the primary prevention of cancer and cancer disparities, we propose that the practices of the tobacco, alcohol, and food industries be considered as modifiable social determinants of health. We review evidence that the practices of these industries in product design, marketing, retail distribution, and pricing contribute to cancer risk behavior, incidence, and disparities, then examine public health strategies designed to reduce health-damaging practices of these industries and encourage healthier alternatives.

Tobacco use behaviors and household smoking bans among Chinese Americans.

Purpose: To assess the relationship between household smoking restrictions and smoking patterns among Chinese American adults.

Design: This is a cross-sectional analysis based on a National Institutes of Health-funded population-based household and telephone survey of 2537 Chinese American adults.

Setting: Two communities in New York City.

Body weight and length of residence in the US among Chinese Americans.

Background: It has been shown that as immigrants' length of residence increases, so does their weight. However, little is known about factors associated with weight status among Chinese Americans, one of the fastest growing immigrant populations in the US.

Methods: Baseline data from a National Cancer Institute-funded longitudinal study involving a multi-stage probability sample of Chinese Americans residing in two communities in New York City were collected.

The relative effect of household and workplace smoking restriction on health status among Chinese Americans living in New York City.

Households and workplaces are the predominant location for exposure to secondhand smoke. The purpose of this study is to examine the association between health status and smoking restrictions at home and work and to compare the relative effect of household and workplace smoking restrictions on health status. This study uses data from a cross sectional representative probability sample of 2,537 Chinese American adults aged 18-74 living in New York City.

Correlates of household smoking bans among Chinese Americans.

No population-based data are available on the degree to which Chinese Americans have adopted smoke-free household policies and whether these policies are effective in reducing environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure. The present study examines the prevalence of smoke-free home rules among Chinese Americans living in New York City, describes predictors of adopting full smoking bans in the home, and explores the association between household smoking restrictions and ETS exposure at home. In-person interviews using a comprehensive household-based survey were conducted with 2,537 adults aged 18-74 years.

The impact of New York City's 1975 fiscal crisis on the tuberculosis, HIV, and homicide syndemic.

In 1975, New York City experienced a fiscal crisis rooted in long-term political and economic changes in the city. Budget and policy decisions designed to alleviate this fiscal crisis contributed to the subsequent epidemics of tuberculosis, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and homicide in New York City. Because these conditions share underlying social determinants, we consider them a syndemic, i.

Benefits and costs of interventions to improve breast cancer outcomes in African American women.

Purpose: Historically, African American women have experienced higher breast cancer mortality than white women, despite lower incidence. Our objective was to evaluate whether costs of increasing rates of screening or application of intensive treatment will be off-set by survival benefits for African American women.

Methods: We use a stochastic simulation model of the natural history of breast cancer to evaluate the incremental societal costs and benefits of status quo versus targeted biennial screening or treatment improvements among African Americans 40 years of age and older.

Acculturation and tobacco use among Chinese Americans.

Objectives: We examined the relationship between acculturation and tobacco use behaviors among Chinese Americans.

Methods: Using a Chinese-language instrument based on validated questions from several national surveys, we conducted in-person, household-based interviews with 712 representative adults aged 18-74 years.

Results: Observed smoking prevalence was 29% for men and 4% for women.

Decision science and cervical cancer.

Mathematical modeling is an effective tool for guiding cervical cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment decisions for patients and policymakers. This article describes the use of mathematical modeling as outlined in five presentations from the Decision Science and Cervical Cancer session of the Second International Conference on Cervical Cancer held at The University of Texas M. D.