Publications by authors named "Michael R Poulson"
Background: Despite Medicare coverage, financial hardship is a prevalent issue among those diagnosed with cancer at age 65 years and older, particularly among those belonging to a racial or ethnic minority group. Sociodemographic, clinical, and area-level factors may mediate this relationship; however, no studies have assessed the extent to which these factors contribute to the racial/ethnic disparities in financial hardship.
Methods: Surveys assessing financial hardship were completed by 721 White (84%) or Black (16%) patients (aged 65 years and older) who were diagnosed with breast (34%), prostate (27%), lung (17%), or colorectal (14%) cancer or lymphoma (9%) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham between 2000 and 2019.
Objective: To investigate the effect of racial residential segregation on disparities between Black and White patients in stage at diagnosis, receipt of surgery, and survival.
Methods: Subjects included Black and White patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer between 2005 and 2015 obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. Demographic data were obtained from the 2010 decennial census and 2013 American Community Survey.
Background: Firearm homicides disproportionately affect young Black men, which in turn have lasting impact of communities of color as a whole. Previous cross-sectional studies have highlighted the role of discriminatory housing policies on the incidence of urban firearm violence. We sought to estimate the effects of racist housing policies on firearm incidence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Colorectal cancer screening has been shown effective at reducing stage at presentation, but there is differential uptake of screening based on insurance status. We sought to determine the population-level effect of Medicare and screening guidelines on colorectal screening by race and region.
Methods: Data on Black and white patients with colorectal cancer were obtained from the SEER database.
Background: Much of the recorded medical literature focuses on individual-level factors that contribute to firearm violence. Recently, studies have highlighted higher incidence of firearm violence in historically redlined and marginalized areas, but few have gone on to study the downstream associations causing these differences. This study aims to understand the effects of historic redlining and current income mobility on firearm violence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To understand the mediating effect of socioeconomic factors on the association between residential segregation and racial disparities in pancreatic cancer (PC).
Background: Black patients with PC present at a later stage and have worse mortality than White patients. These disparities have been explained by the level of residential segregation.
Objective: To determine the impact of income mobility on racial disparities in colorectal cancer.
Background: There are well-documented disparities in colorectal cancer treatment and outcomes between Black and White patients. Socioeconomic status, insurance, and other patient-level factors have been shown important, but little has been done to show the discriminatory factors that lead to these outcomes.
Redlining, structural racism, and lung cancer screening disparities.
J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg
June 2022
Objective: The objective of this study was to understand the effect of historical redlining (preclusion from home loans and wealth-building for Black Americans) and its downstream factors on the completion of lung cancer screening in Boston.
Methods: Patients within our institution were identified as eligible for lung cancer screening on the basis of the United State Preventive Service Task Force criteria and patient charts were reviewed to determine if patients completed low-dose computed tomography screening. Individual addresses were geocoded and overlayed with original 1930 Home Owner Loan Corporation redlining vector files.
Background: Despite decreases in lung cancer incidence, racial disparities in diagnosis and treatment persist. Residential segregation and structural racism have effects on socioeconomic status for black people, affecting health care access. This study aims to determine the impact of residential segregation on racial disparities in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment and mortality.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: There is a long history of segregation in the U.S.A with enduring impacts on cancer outcomes today.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To examine the effects of racial residential segregation and structural racism on the diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of patients with prostate cancer.
Patients And Methods: This retrospective cohort study examined men diagnosed with prostate cancer between 2005 and 2015. We collected data from Black and White men, aged ≥30 years, living within the 100 most populous counties participating in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results programme, a nationally representative dataset.
Objective: To understand the role of racial residential segregation on Black-White disparities in breast cancer presentation, treatment, and outcomes.
Summary Of Background Data: Racial disparities in breast cancer treatment and outcomes are well documented. Black individuals present at advanced stage, are less likely to receive appropriate surgical and adjuvant treatment, and have lower overall and stage-specific survival relative to White individuals.