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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Sharon R. Kimmel, PhD and Suzanne Lee Smith, BS, RRT, MBA. Department of Community Health and Health Studies, Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network, PO BOX 7017, Allentown, PA 18105, 610-969-2489, sharon.kimmel@lvh.com

US Preventive Services TaskForce conceptualizes tobacco use (TU) as paralleling/precipitating chronic-diseases. Tobacco cessation is also considered paramount in chronic-disease interventions. HealthyPeople 2010 goal is to reduce TU to ?12%. TU declined 26%-42% between 1965-1991 then stabilized to approximately 1%/year. Despite public-health cessation advertisement/interventions, smokers' interest in cessation/nicotine-addiction treatment programs (TTP) occurs most commonly after a significant medical-event. To near the 12% TU goal, it is necessary to recruit/retain smokers with self-reported good/excellent health. Interventions created using critical evaluation of evidence-based research to address profiles of smokers considering themselves in good health may increase the likelihood of recruitment and retention. This is an epidemiologic, retrospective case-control study using BRFSS data to profile smokers aged 35-64 with self-reported good/excellent health in preventative health care utilization (PHCU) and sense of health ownership (Autonomy). Smokers were grouped as everyday/someday/non-smokers and compared. Demographics considered: education, income, obesity, marital status, days/month felt depressed, stressed, energetic. PHCU considered having: a personal care provider, flu shot past 12mos, blood cholesterol checked, pap (female (F) aged (A)18+), mammogram (F, A40+), PSA (M, A40+), sigmoid/colonoscopy (A50+), occult blood stool (A50+), HIV test, and dental exam. Autonomy variables explored behaviors specific to health intentions of: vitamins, sleep, exercise, and increase vegetable/fruit and decrease fat/cholesterol consumption. Gender was significantly associative and modeled. Statistical significance (SS) were analyzed with odds-ratio and McNemar using p?0.05. All PHCU/Autonomy differences between non-smoker/smoker and between everyday/someday were SS and are suspect to large sample size. Odds and proportional hazards are reported/considered using clinical significance.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will consider the importance of targeting smokers who have not incurred a a significant medical-event and perceive themselves as in good to better health into recruitment of chronic disease interventions.
• Participants will identify 3 or more health care utilization trends of these individuals.
• Participants will identify 3 or more health autonomy profiles of these individuals.

Keywords: Public Health Education and Health Promotion, Chronic Diseases

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered