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Biomedical subjects

S Findley

Publications and source records attributed to S Findley.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Medication use among children with asthma in East Harlem.

PURPOSE: To examine daily use of antiinflammatory medication among children with asthma in East Harlem, where hospitalization rates for asthma are among the highest in the United States. METHODS: We analyzed parent/guardian reports of medications used by children with current asthma (defined as physician diagnosis and wheezing during the previous 12 months) identified from a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2 elementary schools. RESULTS: From an overall sample of 1319 children, 298 with current asthma were included in this analysis. Most of those with asthma were Puerto Rican (136 [46%]) or black (98 [33%]), 168 (57%) were boys, and the median age was 8 years old. Overall, 65 (22%) were using antiinflammatory medication on a daily basis. A subgroup of 107 children with asthma had been hospitalized during the previous 12 months or had used beta(2)-agonist on a daily basis, suggesting persistent or severe asthma. Of these 107 children, 42 (39%) were taking antiinflammatory medication on a daily basis. Multivariate analysis of these 107 children revealed that daily use of antiinflammatory medication was associated with using a spacer tube (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 3. 08; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.27,7.47) and having seen a physician in the past 6 months (AOR: 3.46; CI: 1.01,11.9). Compared with Puerto Ricans, blacks (AOR:.32; CI:.12,.89) or children of other races/ethnicities (AOR:.27; CI:.09,.85) were less likely to use antiinflammatory medication on a daily basis. CONCLUSION: Daily use of antiinflammatory medication for children with persistent or severe asthma in East Harlem was underused. Differences in access to care may explain some findings; however, reasons for ethnic differences in use remain unclear. Both community interventions and additional provider education are needed.

Adrenergic beta-Agonists↗
PubMed2000

Impact of appointment reminders on vaccination coverage at an urban clinic.

OBJECTIVE: To test if appointment reminders blinded to immunization status improve kept-appointment and vaccination coverage rates. Design. Controlled trial. SETTING: Pediatric clinic serving a low-income community in New York City. INTERVENTION: Children ages 4 through 18 months (n = 1273) scheduled sequentially for clinic appointments were systematically assigned to 1 of 4 study groups: control (n = 346); postcard (n = 314); telephone call (n = 307); and postcard and telephone call (n = 306). OUTCOME MEASURES: Kept-appointment and vaccination coverage rates. RESULTS: Children assigned to the postcard and telephone group were 1.75 times more likely to keep their appointments than controls (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.2, 2.5). Children who actually received the postcard and telephone reminders were 2.3 times more likely to keep an appointment than controls (95% CI = 1.4, 3.7). Children who kept appointments were 2.3 times more likely to be up-to-date with their immunizations (95% CI = 1.7, 3.2). The reminders selectively increased vaccination coverage for the subgroup of children who were not up-to-date before the appointment (chi(2) = 11.2). The cost of the reminders was $.67 for the postcard and $1.58 for the postcard and telephone. Assuming 5000 visits per year and $100 reimbursement per visit, the return on each dollar invested was $10 for the postcard and $7.28 for the postcard and telephone reminder. CONCLUSIONS: Appointment reminders blind to immunization status are a practical and cost-effective strategy to increase kept-appointment rates for all children, and, through this mechanism, reach and vaccinate children who are not up-to-date.appointment reminder, vaccination coverage.

Chi-Square Distribution↗
PubMed1993

Effects of cetirizine versus terfenadine in seasonal allergic rhinitis.

The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of cetirizine, 10 mg, once daily in the morning to terfenadine, 60 mg, BID in the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis. The multicenter, single-blind, parallel study involved 160 patients, who were all included in the safety and efficacy analysis. The results of the study showed that both cetirizine, 10 mg, QD and terfenadine, 60 mg, BID used for 1 week are safe and effective in the management of allergic rhinitis. By repeated measures analysis, cetirizine improved symptoms more than terfenadine for the treatment period of days four to seven. Standard Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel statistics test showed the relative degree of patient satisfaction to be higher in the cetirizine group.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Community-based strategies for immunizing the "hard-to-reach" child: the New York State immunization and primary health care initiative.

The 1989-1991 measles epidemic in New York City drew attention to the low immunization coverage rates found in urban neighborhoods. This article describes a joint initiative of the New York State Department of Health and the Columbia University School of Public Health to mobilize parents to fully immunize their children. Eleven community-based organizations (CBOs) used a variety of outreach strategies to identify and enroll underimmunized children in primary care. They enrolled 4,555 children, of whom 75% needed at least one basic vaccine dose to be up-to-date for their age. Enrolled children were followed by CBOs to ensure compliance with appointments. After nine months of program operation, 73% of children in an evaluation sample were up-to-date for age for their immunizations. Immunization coverage increases were greatest for the youngest children, for whom coverage rates more than doubled in the first nine months of program operation. Ninety-one percent of these "hard to reach" children were tracked successfully by CBOs. This article compares the strategies used by the community organizations and concludes with suggestions for improvements of future community-based mobilization programs.

Child↗