Showing papers by "Harold W. Neighbors published in 2015"

An exploration of how psychotic-like symptoms are experienced, endorsed, and understood from the National Latino and Asian American Study and National Survey of American Life

Abstract: Objective. To examine racial-ethnic differences in the endorsement and attribution of psychotic-like symptoms in a nationally representative sample of African-Americans, Asians, Caribbean Blacks, and Latinos living in the USA.Design. Data were drawn from a total of 979 respondents who endorsed psychotic-like symptoms as part of the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS) and the National Survey of American Life (NSAL). We use a mixed qualitative and quantitative analytical approach to examine sociodemographic and ethnic variations in the prevalence and attributions of hallucinations and other psychotic-like symptoms in the NLAAS and NSAL. The lifetime presence of psychotic-like symptoms was assessed using the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WMH-CIDI) psychotic symptom screener. We used logistic regression models to examine the probability of endorsing the four most frequently occurring thematic categories for psychotic-like experiences by race/ethnicity (n ...

OH-BUDDY: Mobile Phone Texting Based Intervention for Diabetes and Oral Health Management

Abstract: The high prevalence of co morbid chronic conditions among minorities and underserved individuals is a public health problem that deserves research attention. We used the Design Science Research approach to iteratively build a persuasive mobile phone texting (SMS) based behavior change support intervention (OH-Buddy) that (1) addresses co morbid diabetes and periodontal chronic conditions, (2) uses the ubiquitous SMS as an intervention delivery channel to make it accessible to underserved populations, (3) and uses an informal caregiver ("buddy") as a supplementary means of support for patients. We are currently evaluating the OH-Buddy intervention in terms of its ability to engage participants and enable them to better self-manage their conditions. Expected outcomes include improvement in oral hygiene, blood glucose monitoring, medication adherence, physical activity, and healthy eating. Preliminary results based on self-reported performance data indicates the existence of moderate but steady improvement in patient engagement and self-management.

Depressive Symptoms and Walking in African-Americans.

Abstract: Objective Although increased frequency of physical activity is associated with fewer depressive symptoms in African-Americans, most studies do not focus on a specific type of activity. Identifying the activity can provide helpful information for designing interventions that focus on depressive symptoms. The objective of this study was to examine the odds of depressive symptoms in relation to walking in African-Americans. Design and Sample A secondary analysis was performed on the National Survey of American Life. The sample was made up of community-dwelling African-American women (n = 1,903) and men (n = 1,075) who did not meet the DSM-IV-TR criteria for depression. Measures Walking was measured by self-reported frequency (i.e., never, rarely, sometimes, often). Depressive symptoms were measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. Logistic regression for complex samples was used to examine the odds of depressive symptoms in relation to walking. Results Women who reported often walking had lower odds for depressive symptoms than women who reported never walking (OR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.38–0.82). Walking frequency was not related to depressive symptoms in men. Conclusions Walking frequency is a modifiable risk factor for elevated depressive symptoms in African-American women.