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OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine depressive symptoms as a risk factor for incident stroke and determine whether depressive symptomatology was differentially predictive of stroke among Black and White participants. METHODS: The study comprised 9,529 Black and 14,516 White stroke-free participants, aged 45 and older, enrolled in the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (2003-2007). Incident stroke was the first occurrence of stroke. Association between baseline depressive symptoms (assessed via the 4-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale [CES-D-4]: 0, 1-3, or ≥4) and incident stroke was analyzed with Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for demographics, stroke risk factors, and social factors. RESULTS: There were 1,262 strokes over an average follow-up of 9.21 (SD 4.0) years. Compared to participants with no depressive symptoms, after demographic adjustment, participants with CES-D-4 scores of 1-3 had 39% increased stroke risk (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.39, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.23-1.57), with slight attenuation after full adjustment (HR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.11-1.43). Participants with CES-D-4 scores of ≥4 experienced 54% higher risk of stroke after demographic adjustment (HR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.27-1.85), with risk attenuated in the full model similar to risk with 1-3 symptoms (HR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.03-1.51). There was no evidence of a differential effect by race (p = 0.53). CONCLUSIONS: The association of depressive symptoms with increased stroke risk was similar among a national sample of Black and White participants. These findings suggest that assessment of depressive symptoms should be considered in primary stroke prevention for both Black and White participants.

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Rural African American cocaine users experience high rates of STIs/HIV. This NIDA-funded trial tested an adapted evidence-based risk reduction program versus an active control condition. Participants were 251 African American cocaine users in rural Arkansas recruited from 2009-2011. Outcomes included condom use skills and self-efficacy, sexual negotiation skills, peer norms, and self-reported risk behavior. The intervention group experienced greater increases in condom use skills and overall effectiveness in sexual negotiation skills. Both groups reported reductions in trading sex, improvements in condom use self-efficacy, and increased use of specific negotiation skills. Implications and limitations are discussed.

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OBJECTIVES: To describe the incidence of cardiovascular risk factors, or race-related disparities in incidence, across the age spectrum in adults. DESIGN: Longitudinal cohort. SETTING: National sample. PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling black and white adults recruited between 2003 and 2007. MEASUREMENTS: Incident hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia and atrial fibrillation over 10 years of follow-up in 10,801 adults, stratified according to age (45-54, 55-64, 65-74, ≥75). RESULTS: There was no evidence (P ≥ .68) of an age-related difference in the incidence of hypertension for white men (average incidence 38%), black men (48%), or black women (54%), although for white women incidence increased with age (45-54, 27%; ≥75, 40%). Incidence of diabetes mellitus was lower at older ages for white men (45-54, 15%; ≥75, 8%), black men (45-54, 29%; ≥75, 13%), and white women (45-54, 11%; ≥75, 4%), although there was no evidence (P = .11) of age-related changes for black women (average incidence 21%). For dyslipidemia, incidence for all race-sex groups was approximately 20% for aged 45 to 54 but approximately 30% for aged 54 to 64 and 65 to 74 and approximately 22% for aged 75 and older. Incidence of atrial fibrillation was low at age 45 to 54 (<5%) but for aged 75 and older was approximately 20% for whites and 11% for blacks. The incidence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia was higher in blacks across the age spectrum but lower for atrial fibrillation. CONCLUSION: Incidence of risk factors remains high in older adults. Blacks have a higher incidence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia after age 45, underscoring the ongoing importance of prevention of all three conditions in mid- to later life.

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Sikel Cell Diseas (SCD) is a genetic blood disorder that disproportionatley affects the African American population. In a heavily rural state like Arkansas, manging SCD in patients requires having an expensive network of physicians willing to treat them. A survey was faxed to 1312 primary care physicians in Arkansas to determine the physician population currently treating and interested in treating patients with SCD. With a 13% response rate, results show that 21.5% of respondents currently rtreat patients with SCD, 32.6% are interested in treating patients with SCD. Most respondents reported that SCD patients never come to their practice for care.

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PURPOSE: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is diagnosed more commonly in whites than blacks in the United States. In epidemiologic studies, selection bias could induce a noncausal positive association of white race with prevalent AF if voluntary enrollment was influenced by both race and AF status. We investigated whether nonrandom enrollment biased the association of race with prevalent self-reported AF in the US-based REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke Study (REGARDS). METHODS: REGARDS had a two-stage enrollment process, allowing us to compare 30,183 fully enrolled REGARDS participants with 12,828 people who completed the first-stage telephone survey but did not complete the second-stage in-home visit to finalize their REGARDS enrollment (telephone-only participants). RESULTS: REGARDS enrollment was higher among whites (77.1%) than among blacks (62.3%) but did not differ by self-reported AF status. The prevalence of AF was 8.45% in whites and 5.86% in blacks adjusted for age, sex, income, education, and perceived general health. The adjusted white/black prevalence ratio of self-reported AF was 1.43 (95% CI, 1.32-1.56) among REGARDS participants and 1.38 (1.22-1.55) among telephone-only participants. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that selection bias is not a viable explanation for the higher prevalence of self-reported AF among whites in population studies such as REGARDS.

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Although adhering to regular screenings can improve timely diagnosis and survivorship, Latinas continue to exhibit the lowest breast and cervical cancer screening rates in the country. Initiatives have generally addressed extrinsic factors to combat disparities. However, the answer to increasing screening adherence among Latina women might lie in equally addressing intrinsic factors as well extrinsic factors. Social Cognitive Theory provided the foundation for the design of Esperanza y Vida, a culturally tailored outreach program that educated Latinas on breast and cervical cancer. Non-adherent participants were offered navigation and followed-up to reassess screening behavior. The objective of this manuscript is to outline the salient culture-related intrinsic factors reported by a sample of Latina women from New York and Arkansas in response to open-ended questions asked at 8 months post-educational intervention and navigation services. In turn, the findings are incorporated in an effort to recommend future steps for effective interventions. Content analysis was used to guide the qualitative data analysis. The most salient barriers reported were related to Systems, Organization and Logistics, Time, being Decidedly Unscreened, and Contrary Beliefs or Confusion.

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BACKGROUND: The association between perceived stress and atrial fibrillation (AF) remains unclear. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the association between perceived stress and AF. METHODS: A total of 25,530 participants (mean age 65 ± 9.4 years; 54 % women; 41 % blacks) from the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study were included in this analysis. Logistic regression was used to compute odds ratios (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) for the association between the short version of the Cohen Perceived Stress Scale and AF. RESULTS: In a multivariable analysis adjusted for demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, and potential confounders, the prevalence of AF was found to increase with higher levels of stress (none: OR = 1.0, referent; low stress: OR = 1.12, 95 % CI = 0.98, 1.27; moderate stress OR = 1.27, 95 % CI = 1.11, 1.47; high stress: OR = 1.60, 95 % CI = 1.39, 1.84). CONCLUSION: Increasing levels of perceived stress are associated with prevalent AF in REGARDS.

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PURPOSE: Racial and geographic disparities in human immunodeficency virus (HIV) are dramatic and drug use is a significant contributor to HIV risk. Within the rural South, African Americans who use drugs are at extremely high risk. Due to the importance of religion within African American and rural Southern communities, it can be a key element of culturally-targeted health promotion with these populations. Studies have examined religion's relationship with sexual risk in adolescent populations, but few have examined specific religious behaviors and sexual risk behaviors among drug-using African American adults. This study examined the relationship between well-defined dimensions of religion and specific sexual behaviors among African Americans who use cocaine living in the rural southern United States. METHODS: Baseline data from a sexual risk reduction intervention for African Americans who use cocaine living in rural Arkansas (N = 205) were used to conduct bivariate and multivariate analyses examining the association between multiple sexual risk behaviors and key dimensions of religion including religious preference, private and public religious participation, religious coping, and God-based, congregation-based, and church leader-based religious support. FINDINGS: After adjusting individualized network estimator weights based on the recruitment strategy, different dimensions of religion had inverse relationships with sexual risk behavior, including church leadership support with number of unprotected vaginal/anal sexual encounter and positive religious coping with number of sexual partners and with total number of vaginal/anal sexual encounters. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that specific dimensions of religion may have protective effects on certain types of sexual behavior, which may have important research implications.

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BACKGROUND: Coronary heart disease and stroke are major contributors to preventable mortality. Evidence links work conditions to these diseases; however, occupational data are perceived to be difficult to collect for large population-based cohorts. We report methodological details and the feasibility of conducting an occupational ancillary study for a large U.S. prospective cohort being followed longitudinally for cardiovascular disease and stroke. METHODS: Current and historical occupational information were collected from active participants of the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study. A survey was designed to gather quality occupational data among this national cohort of black and white men and women aged 45 years and older (enrolled 2003-2007). Trained staff conducted Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI). After a brief pilot period, interviewers received additional training in the collection of narrative industry and occupation data before administering the survey to remaining cohort members. Trained coders used a computer-assisted coding system to assign U.S. Census codes for industry and occupation. All data were double coded; discrepant codes were independently resolved. RESULTS: Over a 2-year period, 17,648 participants provided consent and completed the occupational survey (87% response rate). A total of 20,427 jobs were assigned Census codes. Inter-rater reliability was 80% for industry and 74% for occupation. Less than 0.5% of the industry and occupation data were uncodable, compared with 12% during the pilot period. Concordance between the current and longest-held jobs was moderately high. The median time to collect employment status plus narrative and descriptive job information by CATI was 1.6 to 2.3 minutes per job. Median time to assign Census codes was 1.3 minutes per rater. CONCLUSIONS: The feasibility of conducting high-quality occupational data collection and coding for a large heterogeneous population-based sample was demonstrated. We found that training for interview staff was important in ensuring that narrative responses for industry and occupation were adequately specified for coding. Estimates of survey administration time and coding from digital records provide an objective basis for planning future studies. The social and environmental conditions of work are important understudied risk factors that can be feasibly integrated into large population-based health studies.

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The objective of this survey was to determine the level of experience OB/GYN (Obstetrics & Gynecology) physicians in the state of Arkansas have in seeing and managing patients with vulvar pain, commonly known as vulvodynia. The 8 question, anonymous survey was mailed to Arkansas OB/GYN physicians. The survey assessed the experience of the providers, the age range of their patients, and whether or not they treat and/or refer. Thirty of 182 surveys were returned for a rate of 16.4%. The survey revealed that physicians are moderately comfortable treating vulvodynia within their practice and refer mostly for treatment failure.

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This article describes the evaluation of the Arkansas Act 1220 of 2003, a comprehensive legislative proposal to address the growing epidemic of childhood obesity through changes in the school environment. In addition, the article discusses specific components of the evaluation that may be applicable to other childhood obesity policy evaluation efforts. The conceptual framework for the evaluation, research questions, and evaluation design are described, along with data collection methods and analysis strategies. A mixed methods approach, including both quantitative (surveys, telephone interviews) and qualitative (key informant interviews, records reviews) approaches, was utilized to collect data from a range of informant groups including parents, adolescents, school principals, school district superintendents, and other stakeholders. Challenges encountered with the evaluation are discussed, as are strategies to overcome those challenges. Now in its 9th year, this evaluation has documented substantial changes to school policies and environments but fewer changes to student and family behaviors. The evaluation may inform the methods of other evaluations of childhood obesity prevention policies, as well as inform policymakers about how quickly they might expect implementation of such policies in their own states and localities and anticipate both positive and adverse outcomes.

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INTRODUCTION: The Arkansas Cardiovascular Health Examination Survey is a health and nutrition examination survey designed to serve as a demonstration project for collection of data on the prevalence of chronic diseases and their risk factors at the state level. The survey was conducted from mid-2006 through early 2008. METHODS: We chose a cross-sectional representative sample of adult residents in Arkansas by using a 3-stage, cluster sample design. Trained interviewers conducted interviews and examinations in respondents' homes, collecting data on risk factors and diseases, blood pressure and anthropometric measurements, and blood and urine samples for analysis and storage. Food frequency questionnaires provided dietary and nutrient intake data. We accomplished the project using a collaborative model among several programs and partners within the state. RESULTS: A total of 4,894 eligible households were contacted by telephone. Of these, refusals accounted for 2,748, and 2,146 gave initial consent to participate, for an initial response rate of 44%. The final number of completed household visits was 1,385, resulting in a final response rate of 28.3%. CONCLUSION: The Arkansas Cardiovascular Health Examination Survey is among the first state-level health and nutrition examination surveys to be conducted in the United States. By using a collaborative model and leveraging federal funds, we engaged several partners who provided additional resources to complete the project. The survey provides the state with valuable state-level data and information for program design and delivery.

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PURPOSE: To assess the validity of the Physical and Mental Component Summary scores (PCS and MCS) of the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12), a measure of health-related quality of life (HRQoL), among persons with a history of stroke. METHODS: Persons with (n = 2,581) and without (n = 38,066) a reported history of stroke were enrolled in the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study. Confirmatory factor analysis methods were used to evaluate the fit of a 2-factor model that underlies the PCS and MCS and to examine the equivalence of the factors across both study groups. RESULTS: The 2-factor model provided good fit to the data among individuals with and those without a self-reported history of stroke. Item factor loadings were found to be largely invariant across both groups, and correlational analyses confirmed that the two latent factors were highly related to the PCS and MCS scores, calculated by the standard scoring algorithms. The effect of stroke history on physical health was more than twice its effect on mental health. CONCLUSIONS: The psychometric measurement model that underlies the PCS and MCS summary scores is comparable between persons with and without a history of stroke. This suggests that the SF-12 has adequate validity for measuring HRQoL not only in the general population but also in cohorts following stroke.

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Changes in school nutrition and physical activity policies and environments are important to combat childhood obesity. Arkansas Act 1220 of 2003 was among the first and most comprehensive statewide legislative initiatives to combat childhood obesity through school-based change. Annual surveys of principals and superintendents have been analyzed to document substantial and important changes in school environments, policies, and practices. For example, results indicate that schools are more likely to require that healthy options be provided for student parties (4.5% in 2004, 36.9% in 2008; P

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PURPOSE: Geographic variation in risk factors may underlie geographic disparities in coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke mortality. METHODS: Framingham CHD Risk Score (FCRS) and Stroke Risk Score (FSRS) were calculated for 25,770 stroke-free and 22,247 CHD-free participants from the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke cohort. Vital statistics provided age-adjusted CHD and stroke mortality rates. In an ecologic analysis, the age-adjusted, race-sex weighted, average state-level risk factor levels were compared to state-level mortality rates. RESULTS: There was no relationship between CHD and stroke mortality rates (r=0.04; p=0.78), but there was between CHD and stroke risk scores at the individual (r=0.68; p<0.0001) and state (r=0.64, p<0.0001) level. There was a stronger (p<0.0001) association between state-level FCRS and state-level CHD mortality (r=0.28, p=0.18), than between FSRS and stroke mortality (r=0.12, p=0.56). CONCLUSIONS: Weak associations between CHD and stroke mortality and strong associations between CHD and stroke risk scores suggest that geographic variation in risk factors may not underlie geographic variations in stroke and CHD mortality. The relationship between risk factor scores and mortality was stronger for CHD than stroke.

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The impact of tobacco use and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) has been well documented. Many policies have been implemented to curb tobacco use and to reduce exposure to ETS. The purpose of this article is to describe the development and passage of Arkansas Act 134 of 2005, the first state law to prohibit the use of tobacco products on the grounds of all nonfederal community (nonpsychiatric) hospital facilities in the state. Efforts to bring this and other tobacco control policies to the attention of policy makers will be discussed in the context of several agenda-setting strategies. The strategy used by stakeholders in Arkansas to bring out Act 134 as well as the other agenda-setting strategies described in the article provide insight into the ways other states and communities seeking to adopt smoking bans and related public health policies can bring such policies to the attention of policy makers.

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OBJECTIVE: To assess risk factors associated with care for stroke symptoms. METHODS: Using data from the population-based national cohort study (REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke) conducted January 25, 2003-February 28, 2007 (N = 23,664), we assessed care-seeking behavior among 3,668 participants who reported a physician diagnosis of stroke/transient ischemic attack (n = 647) or stroke symptoms (n = 3,021) during follow-up. Care seeking was defined as seeking medical attention after stroke symptoms or a physician diagnosis. RESULTS: Overall, 58.5% of participants (2,146/3,668) sought medical care. In multivariable models, higher income was associated with greater likelihood of seeking care (p = 0.02): participants with income of > or = $75,000 had odds 1.43 times (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-2.02) greater than those with income of less than $20,000. Diabetes and previous heart disease were associated with increased care seeking: odds ratio (OR) of 1.23 (95% CI, 1.04-1.47) and OR of 1.26 (95% CI, 1.06-1.49), respectively. Participants with previous stroke symptoms but no stroke history were less likely to seek care than those with stroke history or without previous symptoms (OR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67-0.96). Past smoking was associated with lower likelihood (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.59-0.85; p = 0.0003) of seeking care relative to nonsmokers. INTERPRETATION: Only approximately half of participants with stroke symptoms sought care. This is despite the encouragement of advocacy groups to seek prompt attention for stroke symptoms. Our results highlight the importance of identifying characteristics associated with care-seeking behavior. Recognizing factors that contribute to delays provides opportunities to enhance education on the importance of seeking care for stroke symptoms.

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BACKGROUND: Latinas in the United States have higher morbidity and mortality rates for breast and cervical cancers (compared with non-Latina Whites), often due to lower screening rates. A community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach could help to improve screening rates by creating a culturally customized educational program for Latino men and women addressing low knowledge, gender roles, and spirituality. OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to assess the effectiveness of a culturally customized program (Esperanza y Vida [Hope and Life]) in increasing breast and cervical cancer screening among Latinas, and to examine how screening rates related to changes in cancer knowledge, differences in ethnic origins, and geographic location. METHODS: Participants were recruited to attend either a breast and cervical (intervention) or diabetes (control) education program, within a randomized plan. Sixty-nine programs (44 intervention; 25 control) were conducted in Arkansas (AR; n = 39) and New York City (NYC; n = 30) with a total of 847 Latino men and women. Telephone follow-up data were collected on 49% of the women who consented to being contacted 2 months postintervention. RESULTS: At the 2-month follow-up call, screening rates were significantly higher for the intervention versus the control group for clinical breast examination (CBE; 48% vs. 31%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-4.2), breast self-examination (45% vs. 27%; aOR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.1-5.0), and Pap testing (51% vs. 30%; aOR, 3.9; 95% CI, 1.1-14.1), but not for mammography (67% vs. 58%; aOR, 0.7; 95% CI, 0.1-3.6). The aORs accounted for the significant effects of study site (AR vs. NYC) and marital status. CONCLUSIONS: Esperanza y Vida has the potential to reduce health disparities in breast and cervical cancer morbidity and mortality rates through increasing cancer screening and thereby increasing early detection.

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OBJECTIVE: Although smoke-free hospital campuses can provide a strong health message and protect patients, they are few in number due to employee retention and public relations concerns. We evaluated the effects of implementing a clean air policy on employee attitudes, recruitment, and retention; hospital utilization; and consumer satisfaction in 2003 through 2005. METHODS: We conducted research at a university hospital campus with supplemental data from an affiliated hospital campus. Our evaluation included (1) measurement of employee attitudes during the year before and year after policy implementation using a cross-sectional, anonymous survey; (2) focus group discussions held with supervisors and security personnel; and (3) key informant interviews conducted with administrators. Secondary analysis included review of employment records and exit interviews, and monitoring of hospital utilization and patient satisfaction data. RESULTS: Employee attitudes toward the policy were supportive (83.3%) at both institutions and increased significantly (89.8%) at post-test at the university hospital campus. Qualitatively, administrator and supervisor attitudes were similarly favorable. There was no evidence on either campus of an increase in employee separations or a decrease in new hiring after the policy was implemented. On neither campus was there a change in bed occupancy or mean daily census. Standard measures of consumer satisfaction were also unchanged at both sites. CONCLUSION: A campus-wide smoke-free policy had no detrimental effect on measures of employee or consumer attitudes or behaviors.

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BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Stroke symptoms in the absence of recognized stroke are common, but potential associated dysfunctions have not been described. METHODS: We assessed quality-of-life measures using the Physical and Mental Component Summary scores of the Short Form 12 (PCS-12 and MCS-12) in the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) cohort. Differences in mean PCS-12 and MCS-12 scores were assessed among participant groups symptoms-free (n=16 090); history of stroke symptoms but free of stroke/transient ischemic attack (n=3404); history of stroke (n=1491); and history of transient ischemic attack (n=818). RESULTS: Participants with symptoms (but no diagnosis) had average PCS-12 scores 5.5 (95% CI: 5.2 to 5.9) points lower than those without symptoms, a difference similar to transient ischemic attack (6.0; 95% CI: 5.3 to 6.7) and over one half the effect of stroke (8.4; 95% CI: 8.0 to 9.0). MCS-12 scores were 2.7 (95% CI: 2.4 to 3.0) points lower for those with symptoms, -0.5 for transient ischemic attack (95% CI: 0.0 to -1.1), and -1.6 for stroke (95% CI: -1.2 to -2.0). Differences in demographic and vascular risk factors, health behaviors, physiological measures, and indices of socioeconomic status did not fully explain these differences. Those reporting history of weakness or numbness had larger current decrements in physical functioning, and those reporting history of inability to express themselves or understand language had larger current decrements in mental functioning. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with clinically consistent symptoms but no stroke diagnosis have a lower quality of life than those without symptoms. The difference in physical functioning is substantial with a smaller decline in mental functioning. Apart from so-called "silent stroke," there appear to be many individuals with possibly symptomatic cerebrovascular disease-either stroke or transient ischemic attack-who are not being diagnosed. Furthermore, these symptomatic but undiagnosed strokes may not be benign.

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