Samuel D. Towne
YOU?
Author Swipe
View article: Inequities in Forgone Medical Care and Health Insurance in a Key Geopolitical Area Along the US–Mexico Border
Inequities in Forgone Medical Care and Health Insurance in a Key Geopolitical Area Along the US–Mexico Border Open
Background: Residents of the US–Mexico border face cost-related barriers in accessing necessary medical care. Given the potential for individualized or broader tailoring of solutions to reflect community needs, we sought to identify risk f…
View article: The Burden of Comorbid Depression and Type 2 Diabetes: An Empirical Study Using Commercial Insurance Data
The Burden of Comorbid Depression and Type 2 Diabetes: An Empirical Study Using Commercial Insurance Data Open
Introduction: Despite rising rates of depression and diabetes, assessments of depression’s burden on diabetes management and its economic burden remain limited. In this study, we evaluate the burden of depression on diabetes management and…
View article: Comparative effectiveness of diabetes self-management education and support intervention strategies among adults with type 2 diabetes in Texas
Comparative effectiveness of diabetes self-management education and support intervention strategies among adults with type 2 diabetes in Texas Open
Background With approximately 1-in-10 Texas estimated to be living with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), and the steadily rising healthcare costs associated with non-managed T2DM, efforts are needed to help patients manage their diabetes a…
View article: Predicting high-cost, commercially-insured people with diabetes in Texas: Characteristics, medical utilization patterns, and urban-rural comparisons
Predicting high-cost, commercially-insured people with diabetes in Texas: Characteristics, medical utilization patterns, and urban-rural comparisons Open
Healthcare utilization and expenditures among commercially insured individuals with T2DM followed the 80-20 rule. High-cost users were strongly associated with worse health status. Residential rurality was not associated with high-cost use…
View article: COVID-19 Impacts on Physical Activity Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Memory Problems: The Moderating Role of Walkable Neighborhood Destinations
COVID-19 Impacts on Physical Activity Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Memory Problems: The Moderating Role of Walkable Neighborhood Destinations Open
Background and Objectives The number of people with memory problems who desire or are forced to age in place has been growing rapidly. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has brought significant challenges to the ability of those with memo…
View article: Building Sustainable and Connected Communities by Addressing Public Transportation’s First-Mile Problem: Insights from a Stated Preference Survey in El Paso, Texas
Building Sustainable and Connected Communities by Addressing Public Transportation’s First-Mile Problem: Insights from a Stated Preference Survey in El Paso, Texas Open
Public transportation is an essential component of building sustainable communities. However, its ridership remains low in most cities in the United States. Among the major barriers is the long distance to the bus stops, called the first-m…
View article: Examining Health Inequities in A1C Control over Time across Individual, Geospatial, and Geopolitical Factors among Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: Analyses of a Sample from One Commercial Insurer in a Southern State
Examining Health Inequities in A1C Control over Time across Individual, Geospatial, and Geopolitical Factors among Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: Analyses of a Sample from One Commercial Insurer in a Southern State Open
Introduction: Type 2 diabetes impacts millions and poor maintenance of diabetes can lead to preventable complications, which is why achieving and maintaining target A1C levels is critical. Thus, we aimed to examine inequities in A1C over t…
View article: A Review of the Impact of Touch Therapy on Cancer Treatment
A Review of the Impact of Touch Therapy on Cancer Treatment Open
Pain is one of the common and painful symptoms in cancer patients. Pain affects the life of these patients and sometimes its effect is more than cancer itself. Several studies have investigated the effect of using various non-pharmacologic…
View article: Group-based trajectory analysis identifies varying diabetes-related cost trajectories among type 2 diabetes patients in Texas: an empirical study using commercial insurance
Group-based trajectory analysis identifies varying diabetes-related cost trajectories among type 2 diabetes patients in Texas: an empirical study using commercial insurance Open
Background The trend of Type 2 diabetes-related costs over 4 years could be classified into different groups. Patient demographics, clinical factors (e.g., A1C, short- and long-term complications), and rurality could be associated with dif…
View article: Factors associated with higher hemoglobin A1c and type 2 diabetes-related costs: Secondary data analysis of adults 18 to 64 in Texas with commercial insurance
Factors associated with higher hemoglobin A1c and type 2 diabetes-related costs: Secondary data analysis of adults 18 to 64 in Texas with commercial insurance Open
Objective This study will identify factors associated with higher hemoglobin A1c (A1c) values and diabetes-related costs among commercially insured adults in Texas diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Research design and methods This secondary …
View article: Moving to an Activity-Friendly Community Can Increase Physical Activity
Moving to an Activity-Friendly Community Can Increase Physical Activity Open
Background : Creating activity-friendly communities (AFCs) is an important strategy to increase physical activity (PA). While cross-sectional links between community environments and PA are well documented, their causal relationships remai…
View article: Examining the impacts of public transit on healthy aging through a natural experiment: study protocols and lessons learned from the Active El Paso project
Examining the impacts of public transit on healthy aging through a natural experiment: study protocols and lessons learned from the Active El Paso project Open
This paper describes protocols and experiences from a seven-year natural-experiment study in El Paso, Texas, a border city of predominantly Latino/Hispanic population. The study focuses on how Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) impacts physical activ…
View article: Rural Healthy People
Rural Healthy People Open
Older adults face distinct challenges related to aging, including social connectedness and isolation. Solutions, such as age-friendly community designs, can mitigate these issues. Older rural residents experience health disparities, compou…
View article: Differential Effects of a Global Public Health Crisis on Physical Activity: Evidence From a Statewide Survey From the United States
Differential Effects of a Global Public Health Crisis on Physical Activity: Evidence From a Statewide Survey From the United States Open
Aim: We aimed to identify how the COVID-19 lockdown affected changes, including the potential for longer term sustained changes, in physical activity, as compared to immediately prior to the pandemic. Background: Physical activity’s signif…
View article: Physical Activity Impacts of an Activity-Friendly Community: A Natural Experiment Study Protocol
Physical Activity Impacts of an Activity-Friendly Community: A Natural Experiment Study Protocol Open
Background Stakeholders from multiple sectors are increasingly aware of the critical need for identifying sustainable interventions that promote healthy lifestyle behaviors. Activity-friendly communities (AFCs) have been known to provide o…
View article: Social and Structural Determinants of Health Inequities: Socioeconomic, Transportation-Related, and Provincial-Level Indicators of Cost-Related Forgone Hospital Care in China
Social and Structural Determinants of Health Inequities: Socioeconomic, Transportation-Related, and Provincial-Level Indicators of Cost-Related Forgone Hospital Care in China Open
Despite near universal health insurance coverage in China, populations with low incomes may still face barriers in access and utilization of affordable health care. We aimed to identify the likelihood of forgone medical care due to cost by…
View article: Discrepancies between Perceived and Physiological Fall Risks and Repeated Falls among Community-Dwelling Medicare Beneficiaries Aged 65 Years and Older
Discrepancies between Perceived and Physiological Fall Risks and Repeated Falls among Community-Dwelling Medicare Beneficiaries Aged 65 Years and Older Open
Assessing both perceived and physiological fall risks is clinically relevant, given it may inform targeted interventions for different at-risk Medicare beneficiaries among clinicians and other stakeholders.
View article: Factors Associated With Avoiding Health Care Among Community-Dwelling Medicare Beneficiaries With Type 2 Diabetes
Factors Associated With Avoiding Health Care Among Community-Dwelling Medicare Beneficiaries With Type 2 Diabetes Open
Approximately 1 in 4 Medicare beneficiaries with type 2 diabetes avoid health care. We found inequities in care-seeking behavior by race/ethnicity and education level. Health care perceptions and lack of appropriate discussion of health ca…
View article: Implementing a Diabetes Education Program to Reduce Health Disparities in South Texas: Application of the RE-AIM Framework for Planning and Evaluation
Implementing a Diabetes Education Program to Reduce Health Disparities in South Texas: Application of the RE-AIM Framework for Planning and Evaluation Open
Health disparities in diabetes management and control are well-documented. The objective of this study is to describe one diabetes education program delivered in the United States in terms of the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Imp…
View article: The role of improved social support for healthy eating in a lifestyle intervention: <i>Texercise Select</i>
The role of improved social support for healthy eating in a lifestyle intervention: <i>Texercise Select</i> Open
Objective: We examined the measurement and mediating role of social support in dietary intake among participants in Texercise Select , an intervention for improving lifestyle behaviours. Design: Quasi-experimental study. Participants repor…
View article: Chronic disease self-management education courses: utilization by low-income, middle-aged participants
Chronic disease self-management education courses: utilization by low-income, middle-aged participants Open
BACKGROUND: Individuals living in lower-income areas face an increased prevalence of chronic disease and, oftentimes, greater barriers to optimal self-management. Disparities in disease management are seen across the lifespan, but are part…
View article: Multi-Level Factors Associated with Social Participation among Stroke Survivors: China’s Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011–2015)
Multi-Level Factors Associated with Social Participation among Stroke Survivors: China’s Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011–2015) Open
Background: This study aims to examine the impact of individual-level and community-based factors on popular social participation activities of Chinese middle-aged and older adults post-stroke. Methods: Sub-samples of survivors of stroke (…
View article: Geographic disparities associated with travel to medical care and attendance in programs to prevent/manage chronic illness among middle-aged and older adults in Texas
Geographic disparities associated with travel to medical care and attendance in programs to prevent/manage chronic illness among middle-aged and older adults in Texas Open
While further distances to healthcare providers was found to be a protective factor based on the utilization of community-based resources, rural residents were less likely to attend a program to better manage their chronic conditions, pote…