141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

290251
Establishing long-term medical follow-up in an underserved, high-risk population identified at a local health fair

Monday, November 4, 2013 : 3:30 PM - 3:50 PM

Sandeep Mehta, B.A., B.B.A. , Medical School, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
Context: We are interested in establishing a health fair follow-up system to (1) address the overall impact of screening for chronic cardiovascular disease (CVD) and (2) measure the establishment of regular physician visits. Objective: To identify a cohort of attendees that meet high-risk criteria for CVD and to ensure they are matched with a medical home to receive continuity of care. Design: Cohort prospective study. Setting: A local health fair in Dallas, TX. Participants: Adult health fair attendees. Intervention: After an initial assessment using the Framingham score, attendees identified at moderate/high risk will complete clinical measurements (fasting glucose, lipid panel, blood pressure, and BMI) and receive information about community clinics. Quarterly follow-up phone calls will determine if attendees established ongoing healthcare management. Results: We followed-up with 35 attendees six months after the event. We found that 65% (n=23) visited a primary care physician (PCP) within six months. Of these, 57% (n=13) were diagnosed with CVD, which include hypertension (35%, n=6), hypercholesterolemia (59%, n=10), and type II diabetes mellitus (6%, n=1). After diagnosis by a PCP, 47% (n=8) of diseases are being treated with medicines, and 35% (n=6) are being treated by diet and exercise alone. These data suggest that screening has helped individuals at risk for CVD establish follow-up with a PCP and decrease overall health risk factors. Conclusions: Results of the study will be used to better assess the impact our health fair has on the community it serves annually. Furthermore, these data should allow us to construct an appropriate screening and referral system.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Chronic disease management and prevention
Epidemiology
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Provision of health care to the public

Learning Objectives:
Identify adults at a local health fair at moderate to high risk of cardiovascular disease. Formulate an effective referral system to primary care physicians for an indigent population attending a yearly health fair. Evaluate compliance with medications prescribed by primary care physicians and other recommendations provided at the health fair. Describe how community-based research could be incorporated into community health fairs to better understand community needs and improve health outcomes.

Keywords: Screening, Chronic (CVD)

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a 3rd year medical student interested in outpatient preventative medicine and the Chair of the Health Awareness Program, which incorporates both the screening provided at the health fair as well as the data collection. My interests lie in making healthcare more accessible, tangible, and understandable to indigent populations.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.