Faculty Bibliography

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the use of behavioral economics to design financial incentives to promote health behavior change and to explore associations with demographic characteristics. DATA SOURCE: Studies performed by the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics at the University of Pennsylvania published between January 2006 and March 2014. STUDY INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Randomized, controlled trials with available participant-level data. Studies that did not use financial incentives to promote health behavior change were excluded. DATA EXTRACTION: Participant-level data from seven studies were pooled. DATA SYNTHESIS: Meta-analysis on the pooled sample using a random-effects model with interaction terms to examine treatment effects and whether they varied by incentive structure or demographic characteristics. RESULTS: The pooled study sample comprised 1403 participants, of whom 35% were female, 70% were white, 24% were black, and the mean age was 48 years (standard deviation 11.2 years). In the fully adjusted model, participants offered financial incentives had higher odds of behavior change (odds ratio [OR]: 3.96; p < .01) when compared to control. There were no significant interactions between financial incentives and gender, age, race, income, or education. When further adjusting for incentive structure, blacks had higher odds than whites of achieving behavior change (OR: 1.67; p < .05) with a conditional payment. Compared to lower-income participants, higher-income participants had lower odds of behavior change (OR: 0.46; p = .01) with a regret lottery. CONCLUSION: Financial incentives designed using concepts from behavioral economics were effective for promoting health behavior change. There were no large and consistent relationships between the effectiveness of financial incentives and observable demographic characteristics. Second-order examinations of incentive structure suggest potential relationships among the effectiveness of financial incentives, incentive structure, and the demographic characteristics of race and income.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine whether adherence to self-care modalities for breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) predicts BCRL outcomes among 128 breast cancer survivors who participated in the 12-mo physical activity and lymphedema trial. DESIGN: This was a prospective cohort study. Adherence to ten BCRL self-care modalities, as recommended in the clinical practice guidelines for the management of BCRL, was assessed by a questionnaire at baseline. BCRL outcomes assessed at baseline and 12 mos included volumetry, circumferences, bioimpedence spectroscopy, the Norman lymphedema survey, and therapist-defined lymphedema exacerbations requiring treatment. Generalized linear models were used to estimate the relationship between adherence to BCRL self-care modalities and the likelihood of experiencing a BCRL outcome. RESULTS: Adherence to BCRL self-care activities did not predict experiencing any BCRL outcomes at 12 mos. Levels of adherence to BCRL self-care modalities did not predict a 5% or greater decrease in interlimb volume (Ptrend = 0.79), 5% or greater decrease in the sum of interlimb arm circumferences (Ptrend = 0.47), 10% or greater decrease in bioimpedence spectroscopy (Ptrend = 0.83), 1 or greater decrease in self-reported lymphedema symptoms (Ptrend = 0.91), or therapist-defined lymphedema exacerbation requiring treatment (Ptrend = 0.84). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that levels of BCRL self-care adherence do not predict BCRL outcomes among breast cancer survivors with stable lymphedema who were followed for 12 mos.

BACKGROUND: Our objective was to assess longitudinal health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients treated with radiotherapy for gynecologic malignancy and assess the relationship of psychosocial encounters on HRQoL. METHODS: Women with gynecologic malignancy were prospectively enrolled and HRQoL assessed before, during, and after radiotherapy treatment using validated measures. Treatment and demographic information were reviewed. Mixed-effects models were used to assess changes in quality of life (QoL) over time and association of psychologist and social worker encounters with overall QoL as well as subdomains of QoL. RESULTS: Fifty-two women were enrolled and 41 completed at least one assessment. Fatigue (p=0.008), nausea (p=0.001), feeling ill (p=0.007), and being bothered by side effects (p<0.001) worsened on treatment with subsequent improvement. By follow-up, patients reported increased functional well-being (FWB) with significant decrease in worry (p=0.003), increase in enjoyment of things usually done for fun (p=0.003) and increase in contentment (p=0.047). Twenty-three patients had at least one interaction with a social worker or psychologist during treatment. Each additional interaction was associated with a 2.12 increase in FWB score from before to after treatment (p=0.002), and 1.74 increase from on to after treatment (p= 0.011). Additional interactions were not significantly associated with changes in overall FACT score (p=0.056) or SWB (p=0.305). CONCLUSIONS: Patient-reported HRQoL significantly worsened during radiotherapy treatment with subsequent improvement, affirming transiency of treatment-induced toxicities. Our preliminary study suggests that clinically-recommended psychological and social work interventions have potential value with respect to improving patient QoL during radiotherapy. Larger studies are needed to validate our findings.

IMPORTANCE: Hypertension is prevalent among patients with psoriasis. The effect of psoriasis and its severity on hypertension control is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between uncontrolled blood pressure and psoriasis, both overall and according to objectively measured psoriasis severity, among patients with diagnosed hypertension. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Population-based cross-sectional study nested in a prospective cohort drawn from The Health Improvement Network (THIN), an electronic medical records database broadly representative of the general population in the United Kingdom. The study population included a random sample of patients with psoriasis (n = 1322) between the ages of 25 and 64 years in THIN who were included in the Incident Health Outcomes and Psoriasis Events prospective cohort and their age- and practice-matched controls without psoriasis (n = 11,977). All included patients had a diagnosis of hypertension; their psoriasis diagnosis was confirmed and disease severity was classified by their general practitioners. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Uncontrolled hypertension was defined as a systolic blood pressure of 140 mm Hg or higher or a diastolic blood pressure of 90 mm Hg or higher based on the blood pressure recorded closest in time to the assessment of psoriasis severity. RESULTS: There was a significant positive dose-response relationship between uncontrolled hypertension and psoriasis severity as objectively determined by the affected body surface area in both unadjusted and adjusted analyses that controlled for age, sex, body mass index, smoking and alcohol use status, presence of comorbid conditions, and current use of antihypertensive medications and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.97; 95% CI, 0.82-1.14 for mild psoriasis; aOR, 1.20; 95% CI, 0.99-1.45 for moderate psoriasis; and aOR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.08-2.04 for severe psoriasis; P = .01 for trend). The likelihood of uncontrolled hypertension among psoriasis overall was also increased, although not statistically significantly so (aOR, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.98-1.24). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Among patients with hypertension, psoriasis was associated with a greater likelihood of uncontrolled hypertension in a dose-dependent manner, with the greatest likelihood observed among those with moderate to severe psoriasis defined by 3% or more of the body surface area affected. Our data suggest a need for more effective blood pressure management, particularly among patients with more severe psoriasis.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to quantify the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) among patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriasis without known PsA compared with the general population after adjusting for traditional cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS: A population-based longitudinal cohort study from 1994 to 2010 was performed in The Health Improvement Network (THIN), a primary care medical record database in the UK. Patients aged 18-89 years of age with PsA, RA or psoriasis were included. Up to 10 unexposed controls matched on practice and index date were selected for each patient with PsA. Outcomes included cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accidents and the composite outcome (MACE). Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate the HRs for each outcome adjusted for traditional risk factors. A priori, we hypothesised an interaction between disease status and disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) use. RESULTS: Patients with PsA (N=8706), RA (N=41 752), psoriasis (N=138 424) and unexposed controls (N=81 573) were identified. After adjustment for traditional risk factors, the risk of MACE was higher in patients with PsA not prescribed a DMARD (HR 1.24, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.49), patients with RA (No DMARD: HR 1.39, 95% CI 1.28 to 1.50, DMARD: HR 1.58, 95% CI 1.46 to 1.70), patients with psoriasis not prescribed a DMARD (HR 1.08, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.15) and patients with severe psoriasis (DMARD users: HR 1.42, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.73). CONCLUSIONS: Cardiovascular risk should be addressed with all patients affected by psoriasis, PsA or RA.