@article {8216, title = {Prostate Cancer Screening Among American Indians and Alaska Natives: The Health and Retirement Survey, 1996-2008.}, journal = {Prev Chronic Dis}, volume = {12}, year = {2015}, note = {Times Cited: 0 0}, month = {2015 Aug 06}, pages = {E123}, publisher = {12}, abstract = {

INTRODUCTION: Among US men, prostate cancer is the leading malignancy diagnosed and the second leading cause of cancer death. Disparities in cancer screening rates exist between American Indians/Alaska Natives and other racial/ethnic groups. Our study objectives were to examine prostate screening at 5 time points over a 12-year period among American Indian/Alaska Native men aged 50 to 75 years, and to compare their screening rates to African American men and white men in the same age group.

METHODS: We analyzed Health and Retirement Study data for 1996, 1998, 2000, 2004, and 2008. Prostate screening was measured by self-report of receipt of a prostate examination within the previous 2 years. Age-adjusted prevalence was estimated for each year. We used regression with generalized estimating equations to compare prostate screening prevalence by year and race.

RESULTS: Our analytic sample included 119 American Indian/Alaska Native men (n = 333 observations), 1,359 African American men (n = 3,704 observations), and 8,226 white men (n = 24,292 observations). From 1996 to 2008, prostate screening rates changed for each group: from 57.0\% to 55.7\% among American Indians/Alaska Natives, from 62.0\% to 71.2\% among African Americans, and from 68.6\% to 71.3\% among whites. Although the disparity between whites and African Americans shrank over time, it was virtually unchanged between whites and American Indians/Alaska Natives.

CONCLUSION: As of 2008, American Indians/Alaska Natives were less likely than African Americans and whites to report a prostate examination within the previous 2 years. Prevalence trends indicated a modest increase in prostate cancer screening among African Americans and whites, while rates remained substantially lower for American Indians/Alaska Natives.

}, keywords = {Aged, Alaska, Analysis of Variance, Black or African American, Health Behavior, Health Surveys, Healthcare Disparities, Humans, Indians, North American, Male, Mass Screening, Middle Aged, Prevalence, Prostatic Neoplasms, Regression Analysis, Retirement, Self Report, Surveys and Questionnaires, United States, White People}, issn = {1545-1151}, doi = {10.5888/pcd12.150088}, author = {R. Turner Goins and Marc B Schure and Carolyn Noonan and Dedra S. Buchwald} } @article {7899, title = {Social Engagement and Physical and Cognitive Health Among American Indian Participants in the Health and Retirement Study}, journal = {Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology}, volume = {28}, year = {2013}, pages = {453}, publisher = {28}, abstract = {Social engagement has many demonstrated benefits for aging non-Hispanic Whites in the U.S. This study examined data from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study to determine whether these benefits were similar among American Indians and Alaska Natives older than 50 years. Linear regression techniques were used to examine the associations between level of social engagement, scores for memory and mental status, and self-reported health among 203 American Indian and Alaska Native elders who participated in the Health and Retirement Study and had data available between 1998 and 2010. Level of social engagement was significantly associated with memory, mental status, and self-reported health. However, only the association of social engagement with mental status and self-reported health remained significant (p = 0.04 and p = 0.05, respectively) after adjusting for sociodemographic variables, number of known health conditions, and scores on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. Level of social engagement was not associated with patterns of decline across time in cognitive or physical health. Higher levels of social engagement are associated with better physical and cognitive functioning in American Indian and Alaska Native elders. Future studies should examine whether this association acts through cognitive stimulation, increase in physical activity resulting from social engagement, or access to resources that support physical and cognitive health.}, keywords = {Health Conditions and Status, Public Policy, Women and Minorities}, author = {Nelson, Lonnie A. and Carolyn Noonan and Goldberg, Jack and Dedra S. Buchwald} }