Publications by authors named "Keenan A Pituch"

Background And Objectives: Falls are an increasing problem among older adults. Older adults' self-report of falls is the primary method of fall risk identification. However, up to 72% of Medicare beneficiaries who have fallen do not report falls and fall-related injuries to their healthcare providers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

First, to examine the effects of household food insecurity discordance status on adolescent antisocial behavior. Second, to determine if adolescents' gender moderates the association between household food insecurity discordance and adolescent antisocial behavior. Cross-sectional data of Latino parents and adolescents from the same household were collected in Tulsa, Oklahoma, between January 1, 2013, and January 1, 2014.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Compassion fatigue and satisfaction impact nurses' patient care. Resilience acts as a mediator between protective organizational practices and mental health.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the mediating effect of resilience among nurses during the recent emerging infectious disease outbreak, the COVID-19 pandemic.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Although dysregulated inflammation has been postulated as a biological mechanism associated with post-acute sequelae of severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection (PASC) and shown to be a correlate and an outcome of PASC, it is unclear whether inflammatory markers can prospectively predict PASC risk. We examined the association of leukocyte count and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) concentrations, measured ~25 years prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, with PASC, PASC severity, and PASC-associated cognitive outcomes at follow-up among postmenopausal women.

Methods: Using biomarker data from blood specimens collected during pre-pandemic enrollment (1993-1998) and data on 1,237 Women's Health Initiative participants who completed a COVID-19 survey between June 2021 and February 2022, we constructed multivariable regression models that controlled for pertinent characteristics.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: To examine whether within-person changes in total, regional and organ fat were associated with within-person changes in type 2 diabetes (T2D)-related biomarkers following interventions.

Methods: A secondary analysis from a randomised trial among Latino youth (30 males, 25 females) aged 12-16 years with obesity. The study sample combined participants randomised to either lifestyle intervention (N = 39) or usual care (N = 16).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * The study will follow 300 participants with chronic low back pain, assessing factors like sleep disturbances and pain, using various methods over 12 months to identify their impact on developing multiple COPCs.
  • * The research aims to analyze how sleep and circadian rhythm issues relate to pain intensity, psychological distress, and the spread of pain across the body, potentially guiding future treatment and prevention approaches for these conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic affected infant sleep by looking at family distress, parental insomnia, and infants' negative emotions.
  • A total of 70 parents with infants under one year old participated, providing data through various surveys assessing pandemic impact and sleep quality.
  • Findings indicated that increased family distress related to the pandemic negatively impacted infant sleep, primarily through heightened negative emotions in infants, highlighting the need to focus on family well-being during crises.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To examine the associations of cardiorespiratory fitness with executive function, episodic memory, and global cognition and sex differences in these associations in community-dwelling older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

Design: A cross-sectional study using baseline data from the aerobic exercise and cognitive training (ACT) trial.

Setting: The ACT trial conducted exercise testing in an exercise laboratory and data collections in a research facility.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: To identify subgroups of patients with distinct chemotherapy-induced vomiting (CIV) profiles; determine how these subgroups differ on several demographic, clinical, and symptom characteristics; and evaluate factors associated with chemotherapy-induced nausea and CIV profiles.

Sample & Setting: Adult patients (N = 1,338) receiving cancer chemotherapy.

Methods & Variables: Data were collected on demographic, clinical, and symptom characteristics.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Alzheimer's disease (AD) disproportionately affects Latinos, particularly Mexican Americans, potentially due to the link with type 2 diabetes (T2D) which is a known risk factor for AD.
  • This study analyzed health data from the Health and Aging Brain Study: Health Disparities (HABS-HD) to compare associations between T2D and Alzheimer's biomarkers in Mexican Americans versus non-Hispanic Whites.
  • Results indicated significant differences in blood glucose, HbA1c levels, T2D diagnosis rates, and various Alzheimer's biomarkers, with HbA1c showing a positive association with neurofilament light (NfL) levels in Mexican Americans, unlike in non-Hispanic Whites.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Objectives: The primary aim of this Stage IB randomized controlled trial (RCT) was to test the preliminary effects of a dual-task exergaming telerehabilitation intervention on cognition and aerobic fitness, compared to aerobic exercise (AEx) only and attention control (stretching) in older adults with subjective cognitive decline.

Research Design And Methods: This RCT randomized 39 participants on a 2:1:1 allocation ratio to supervised exergame (n = 20), AEx (n = 11), and stretching (n = 8) for 12 weeks. The dual-task exergaming was concurrent moderate-intensity cycling and BrainFitRx cognitive telerehabilitation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Latent inhibition occurs when exposure to a stimulus prior its direct associative conditioning impairs learning. Results from naturalistic studies suggest that latent inhibition disrupts the learning of dental fear from aversive associative conditioning and thereby reduces the development of dental phobia. Although theory suggests latent inhibition occurs because pre-exposure changes the expected relevance and attention directed to the pre-exposed stimulus, evidence supporting these mechanisms in humans is limited.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study examines how the COVID-19 pandemic affects nurses, particularly regarding compassion fatigue (CF) and compassion satisfaction (CS), which can influence their job performance and well-being.
  • Data from nurses in the U.S., Japan, and South Korea showed that higher resilience leads to lower burnout and secondary traumatic stress, while higher intention to leave the profession correlates with increased burnout and stress.
  • Recommendations include enhancing organizational support, providing proper personal protective equipment (PPE), and developing resilience programs to improve nurses' mental health during crises.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Dental anxiety often stems from direct fear conditioning, but exposure to dental stimuli beforehand may reduce this fear through a phenomenon called latent inhibition, which is still not well understood.
  • This study will enroll healthy volunteers aged 6 to 35 to investigate how pre-exposure to dental stimuli affects fear responses in a controlled virtual reality setting while measuring pain sensitivity.
  • The goal is to identify the mechanisms behind reduced fear acquisition and retention to improve dental phobia prevention strategies, ultimately enhancing both dental and overall health outcomes for individuals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection. HPV can infect both females and males, and it can cause many cancers, including anal, cervical, vaginal, vulvar, and penile cancers. HPV vaccination rates are lower than vaccination rates within other national vaccination programs, despite its importance.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * A study with 492 participants used latent profile analysis to categorize different levels of DRA based on factors like self-perceived risk and preparedness for future care.
  • * Four distinct profiles emerged, revealing that age and psychological functioning affect one's anxiety about dementia, with younger individuals showing the least anxiety and preparedness while older adults exhibited the most.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Chronic conditions need ongoing care, and the COVID-19 pandemic may have disrupted this access, particularly for Americans aged 50 and older.
  • A survey conducted during the pandemic revealed that individuals with an established primary care provider were significantly more likely to access healthcare and medications.
  • Factors such as age, income, and caregiving responsibilities influenced healthcare access, with older individuals and those with higher incomes having better access, while those with caregiving duties and social isolation faced challenges.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cultural stereotypes that equate aging with decreased competence and increased forgetfulness have persisted for decades. Stereotype threat (ST) refers to the psychological discomfort people experience when confronted by a negative, self-relevant stereotype in a situation where their behavior could be construed as confirming that belief. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships of ST on memory performance in older adults over 24 months.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: To describe changes in sleep patterns during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, develop profiles according to these patterns, and assess sociodemographic, economic, COVID-19 related, and sleep and mental health factors associated with these profiles.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A 25-minute online survey was distributed worldwide through social media from 5/21/2020 to 7/1/2020.

Measurements: Participants reported sociodemographic/economic information, the impact of the pandemic on major life domains, insomnia and depressive symptoms, and changes in sleep midpoint, time-in-bed, total sleep time (TST), sleep efficiency (SE), and nightmare and nap frequency from prior to during the pandemic.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: In this secondary analysis we tested whether 12 h of Senior WISE (Wisdom Is Simply Exploration) memory or health training with older adults would produce better outcomes by gender in perceptions of anxiety and bodily pain and whether the effects of the Senior WISE training on pain were mediated by anxiety.

Design: An implemented Phase III randomized clinical trial with follow up for 24 months in Central Texas. The sample was mostly female (79%), 71% Caucasian, 17% Hispanic, and 12% African American with an average age of 75 and 13 years of education.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine factors associated with nurses' resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected in the latter half of 2020 from 904 nurses across Japan, Republic of Korea, Republic of Turkey, and the United States. The questionnaire included the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 10, plus demographics and 20 questions about practice environment, workplace safety concerning infection control, COVID-related experience, and organizational support.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The first COVID-19 case in the US was diagnosed late January 2020. In the subsequent months, cases grew exponentially. By March 2020, SARS-CoV-2 (the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19) was a global pandemic and the US declared a national emergency.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Older adults have been identified as a high-risk population for COVID-19 by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Though well-intentioned, this nonspecific designation highlights stereotypes of older adults as frail and in need of protection, exacerbating negative age-based stereotypes that can have adverse effects on older adults' well-being. Healthcare stereotype threat (HCST) is concern about being judged by providers and receiving biased medical treatment based on stereotypes about one's identity - in this case age.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has been a source of worry for many, but older adults have been identified as more vulnerable to serious cases and may therefore feel more concerned about the virus. We assessed whether COVID-19 worry was related to indicators of mental health and preparedness for future care, in an adult lifespan sample.

Method: An online study ( = 485; age 18-82,  = 49.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF