Citations

Abstract While the Joint Commission requires health care organizations (HCOs) to have plans for addressing health disparities effective in July, 2023, many HCOs were frustrated by their inability to consistently and accurately capture and apply social determinants of health (SDH) data to clinical care and research in the health ecosystem. Dr. Young Juhn, Director of the Mayo Clinic Precision Population Science Lab (PPSL) and his team, developed and applied a standardized individual-level SDH measure derived from publically available individual housing features known as HOUSES Index. This validated individual-level SDH measure is now available across all 50 states through the HOUSES Cloud Platform that is patient-contact free, automated, and HIPAA compliant. The Houses Index can be made available in real time through electronic health records (EHR’s) enabling clinicians and their patients to make a shared decision for treatment options with SDH taken under consideration. In addition, HOUSES Index is a valuable research tool for risk stratification for cancer outcomes, improving (and auditing) artificial intelligence (AI) model performance, assessing longitudinal change of SDH and geospatial patterns of outcomes, and monitoring proper representation of underserved populations in cancer research. In this presentation, Dr. Young Juhn will discuss the current challenges for capturing SDH data in health care, the HOUSES Index and Platform as the solutions and its implications on cancer care and research. Citation Format: Young Juhn. The HOUSES Platform for precision cancer care and research: A cloud-based nationwide measure for next generation patient-level social determinants of health [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 16th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2023 Sep 29-Oct 2;Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(12 Suppl):Abstract nr IA043.

Introduction: Using a digital process that leverages electronic health records (EHRs) can ease many of the challenges presented by the traditional enrollment process for clinical trials. We tested if automated batch enrollment using a technology-enabled subject recruitment system (TESRS) enhances recruitment while preserving representation of research subjects for the study population in our study setting. Methods: An ongoing community-based prospective adult cohort study was used to randomize 600 subjects who were eligible by age and residential address to TESRS (n = 300) and standard mailing method (n = 300), respectively, for 3 months. Then, TESRS was initiated and included automatic identification of patients’ preference for being contacted (online patient portal vs postal mail) from EHRs and automatic sending out of invitation letters followed by completion of a short online survey for checking eligibility and the digital consent process if eligible. We compared (1) median time to consent from invitation sent out per subject and total subjects recruited after a 3-month recruitment period, (2) the estimated study staff’s time, and (3) representation of sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., age, sex, race, SES measured by HOUSES index, and rural residence) between subjects recruited via TESRS and those via traditional mailing methods. Results: Median age of randomized subjects (n = 600) was 63 years with 52.0% female and 89.2% non-Hispanic White. Over a 3-month period, results showed consent rate via TESRS was 13% (39/297) similar to 11% (31/295) via standard mailing. However, recruitment was significantly faster with the TESRS approach (median 7 vs 26 days) given the study staff’s effort. Study staff’s time saved by using TESRS compared to standard mailing approach was estimated at 40 min per subject (equivalent to 200 h for 300 subjects). No significant differences in characteristics of research subjects from the study population were found. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated the utility of TESRS as a subject recruitment digital technology which significantly enhanced the recruitment effort while reducing the study staff burden of recruitment while maintaining the consistency of characteristics of recruited subjects. The strategy and support for implementing and testing TESRS in other study settings should be considered.

Background: Alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH) is among the deadliest liver diseases, but its incidence is poorly defined. The aim of our study was to define the incidence of AH meeting the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism criteria and to identify risk factors for AH. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the Rochester epidemiology project database on adult patients hospitalized with AH between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2018. Patients were screened using ICD-9 codes and then included if they met the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism criteria on manual chart review. Baseline demographics, comorbidities, access to care, liver-related complications, and outcomes were obtained. The HOUsing-based index of SocioEconomic status index was used to measure socioeconomic status. Incidence rates were calculated in cases per 100,000 person-years of follow-up. Results: Among 204 patients, the cumulative AH incidence was 6.8 per 100,000 person-years. Between 2000–2004 and 2015–2018, AH incidence among males increased from 8.4 to 14.7 per 100,000 py, whereas AH incidence among females increased by 7-fold from 0.8 to 5.9 per 100,000 py. Such increases among females were accompanied by increases in comorbid depression and anxiety. The proportion of patients with AH in the lower socioeconomic status quartiles increased from 62.9% between 2000 and 2004 to 73.3% between 2015 and 2019. Conclusions: The incidence of AH is increasing rapidly, especially among females and individuals of lower socioeconomic status. There are areas of unmet need in preventative measures and treatments for comorbid psychiatric disorders in patients at high risk of AH.

Introduction: Nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) is known to be a trigger for asthma exacerbation. However, little is known about the role of seasonal variation in indoor and outdoor NO 2 levels in childhood asthma in a mixed rural-urban setting of North America. Methods: This prospective cohort study, as a feasibility study, included 62 families with children (5-17 years) that had diagnosed persistent asthma residing in Olmsted County, Minnesota. Indoor and outdoor NO 2 concentrations were measured using passive air samples over 2 weeks in winter and 2 weeks in summer. We assessed seasonal variation in NO 2 levels in urban and rural residential areas and the association with asthma control status collected from participants’ asthma diaries during the study period. Results: Outdoor NO 2 levels were lower (median: 2.4 parts per billion (ppb) in summer, 3.9 ppb in winter) than the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) annual standard (53 ppb). In winter, a higher level of outdoor NO 2 was significantly associated with urban residential living area ( P = .014) and lower socioeconomic status (SES) ( P = .027). For both seasons, indoor NO 2 was significantly higher ( P < .05) in rural versus urban areas and in homes with gas versus electric stoves ( P < .05). Asthma control status was not associated with level of indoor or outdoor NO 2 in this cohort. Conclusions: NO 2 levels were low in this mixed rural-urban community and not associated with asthma control status in this small feasibility study. Further research with a larger sample size is warranted for defining a lower threshold of NO 2 concentration with health effect on asthma in mixed rural-urban settings.

Abstract Introduction Vaccinations against preventable respiratory infections such as Streptococcus pneumoniae and influenza are important in immunosuppressed solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients. Little is known about the role of age, race, ethnicity, sex, and sociodemographic factors including rurality, or socioeconomic status (SES) associated with vaccine uptake in this population. Methods We conducted a population‐based study using the Rochester Epidemiology Project, a medical records linkage system, to assess socioeconomic and demographic factors associated with influenza and pneumococcal vaccination rates among adult recipients of solid organ transplantation (aged 19–64 years) living in four counties in southeastern Minnesota. Vaccination data were obtained from the Minnesota Immunization Information Connection from June 1, 2010 to June 30, 2020. Vaccination rate was assessed with Poisson and logistic regression models. Results A total of 468 SOT recipients were identified with an overall vaccination rate of 57%–63% for influenza and 56% for pneumococcal vaccines. As expected, vaccination for pneumococcal vaccine positively correlated with influenza vaccination. Rural patients had decreased vaccination in both compared to urban patients, even after adjusting for age, sex, race, ethnicity, and SES. Although the population was mostly White and non‐Hispanic, neither vaccination differed by race or ethnicity, but influenza vaccination did by SES. Among organ transplant groups, liver and lung recipients were least vaccinated for influenza, and heart recipients were least up‐to‐date on pneumococcal vaccines. Conclusions Rates of vaccination were below national goals. Rurality was associated with undervaccination. Further investigation is needed to understand and address barriers to vaccination among transplant recipients. image

Importance Little is known about the burden and outcomes of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)–positive acute respiratory infection (ARI) in community-dwelling older adults. Objective To assess the incidence of RSV-positive ARI before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to assess outcomes for RSV-positive ARI in older adults. Design, Setting, and Participants This was a community-based cohort study of adults residing in southeast Minnesota that followed up with 2325 adults aged 50 years or older for 2 RSV seasons (2019-2021) to assess the incidence of RSV-positive ARI. The study assessed outcomes at 2 to 4 weeks, 6 to 7 months, and 12 to 13 months after RSV-positive ARI. Exposure RSV-positive and -negative ARI. Main Outcomes and Measures RSV status was the main study outcome. Incidence and attack rates of RSV-positive ARI were calculated during each RSV season, including before (October 2019 to April 2020) and during (October 2020 to April 2021) COVID-19 pandemic, and further calculated during non-RSV season (May to September 2021) for assessing impact of COVID-19. The self-reported quality of life (QOL) by Short-Form Health Survey-36 (SF-36) and physical functional measures (eg, 6-minute walk and spirometry) at each time point was assessed. Results In this study of 2325 participants, the median (range) age of study participants was 67 (50-98) years, 1380 (59%) were female, and 2240 (96%) were non-Hispanic White individuals. The prepandemic incidence rate of RSV-positive ARI was 48.6 (95% CI, 36.9-62.9) per 1000 person-years with a 2.50% (95% CI, 1.90%-3.21%) attack rate. No RSV-positive ARI case was identified during the COVID-19 pandemic RSV season. Incidence of 10.2 (95% CI, 4.1-21.1) per 1000 person-years and attack rate of 0.42%; (95% CI, 0.17%-0.86%) were observed during the summer of 2021. Based on prepandemic RSV season results, participants with RSV-positive ARI (vs matched RSV-negative ARI) reported significantly lower QOL adjusted mean difference (limitations due to physical health, −16.7 [95% CI, −31.8 to −1.8]; fatigue, −8.4 [95% CI, −14.3 to −2.4]; and difficulty in social functioning, −11.9 [95% CI, −19.8 to −4.0] within 2 to 4 weeks after RSV-positive ARI [ie, short-term outcome]). Compared with participants with RSV-negative ARI, those with RSV-positive ARI also had lower QOL (fatigue: −4.0 [95% CI, −8.5 to −1.3]; difficulty in social functioning, −5.8 [95% CI, −10.3 to −1.3]; and limitation due to emotional problem, −7.0 [95% CI, −12.7 to −1.3] at 6 to 7 months after RSV-positive ARI [intermediate-term outcome]; fatigue, −4.4 [95% CI, −7.3 to −1.5]; difficulty in social functioning, −5.2 [95% CI, −8.7 to −1.7] and limitation due to emotional problem, −5.7 [95% CI, −10.7 to −0.6] at 12-13 months after RSV-positive ARI [ie, long-term outcomes]) independent of age, sex, race and/or ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and high-risk comorbidities. Conclusions and Relevance In this cohort study, the burden of RSV-positive ARI in older adults during the pre-COVID-19 period was substantial. After a reduction of RSV-positive ARI incidence from October 2020 to April 2021, RSV-positive ARI re-emerged during the summer of 2021. RSV-positive ARI was associated with significant long-term lower QOL beyond the short-term lower QOL in older adults.

AbstractBackground and AimsInfluenza is a challenging infectious illness for older adults. It is not completely clear whether influenza is associated with frailty or functional decline. We sought to determine the association between incident influenza infection and frailty and prefrailty in community patients over 50 years of age. We also investigated the association between influenza vaccination and frailty and prefrailty as a secondary aim.MethodsThis was a prospective community cohort study from October 2019 to November 2020 in participants over 50 years. The primary outcome was the development of frailty as defined by three of five frailty criteria (slow gait speed, low grip strength, 5% weight loss, low energy, and low physical functioning). The primary predictor was a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for influenza infection. Influenza vaccination was based on electronic health record reviewing 1 year before enrollment. We reported the relationship between influenza and frailty by calculating odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) after adjustment for age, sex, socioeconomic status, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), influenza vaccine, and previous self‐rated frailty from multinomial logistic regression model comparing frail and prefrail to nonfrail subjects.ResultsIn 1135 participants, the median age was 67 years (interquartile range 60−74), with 41% men. Eighty‐one participants had PCR‐confirmed influenza (7.1%). Frailty was not associated with influenza, with an OR of 0.50 (95% CI 0.17−1.43) for frail participants compared to nonfrail participants. Influenza vaccination is associated with frailty, with an OR of 1.69 (95% CI 1.09−2.63) for frail compared to nonfrail. Frailty was associated with a higher CCI with an OR of 1.52 (95% CI 1.31−1.76).ConclusionWe did not find a relationship between influenza infection and frailty. We found higher vaccination rates in participants with frailty compared to nonfrail participants While influenza was not associated with frailty, future work may involve longer follow‐up.