RTI International Research Publications

Ssengonzi, R. (2009 Mar). AIDS Care, 21 (3):309-314.

Elderly caregivers in Uganda face drastic disruptions of living arrangements, including prolonged travels and absences from their homes to care for the sick, according to a new study by a researcher at RTI International.

The study used qualitative data from elderly respondents in two Ugandan districts, Kamuli and Luwero, to examine changes in the household structure and living arrangements of people 50 years and above after they take on caregiving responsibilities for persons suffering from AIDS-related illnesses and orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS.

Williams, J., Herman-Stahl, M., Calvin, S.L., Pemberton, M., & Bradshaw, M. (2009 Mar 1). Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 100 (3):248-257.

Web-based alcohol interventions that are effective in lowering perceived social norms about the frequency and quantity of drinking may be a viable strategy for reducing alcohol consumption in military populations, according to researchers at RTI International.

Based on a study of active duty United States military personnel from eight bases, other types of mediation including perceived risks and benefits, readiness to change, and coping strategies, were not as effective as lowering perceived social norms about quantity and frequency of drinking alcohol.

Dimitropoulos, L., & Rizk, S. (2009 Mar). Health Affairs, 28 (2):428-434.

An interoperable system of health information exchange will have difficulty accommodating the current variation in policy requirements, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International.

The researchers found that it is important for organizations to come to agreement on a common set of widely shared policies. The three-year project included a collaboration of states and territories that examined the variation in organization-level practices, policies, and state laws governing the privacy and security of health information.

Rein, D.B., Wittenborn, J.S., Zhang, X., Honeycutt, A.A., Lesesne, S.B., & Saaddine, J. (2009). Archives of Ophthalmology, 127 (4):533-540.

Health care providers can expect a significant increase in age-related macular degeneration as the baby boom generation reaches retirement age, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The study predicts that the aging U.S. population over the next 40 years will lead to a large increase in early and advanced age-related macular degeneration. If used universally, existing medical treatments could reduce the expected number of cases of visual impairment and blindness attributable to age-related macular degeneration by as much as 35 percent.

Zule, W.A., Costenbader, E.C., Coomes, C.M., & Wechsberg, W.M. (2009 Apr). American Journal of Public Health, 99 Suppl 1:S180-S186.

Motivational interventions may be more effective than educational interventions at reducing alcohol use among persons with hepatitis C virus, according to a study by researchers at RTI International.

Reducing alcohol use among persons with HCV may slow disease progression and provide important health benefits. The study looked at 851 out-of-treatment injection drug users in North Carolina who were randomly assigned to either a six-session educational intervention or a 6-session motivational intervention. The results showed that participants assigned to the motivational intervention were significantly less likely to be drinking at the six-month follow-up.

Rein, D.B., Wittenborn, J.S., Lee, P.P., Wirth, K.E., Sorensen, S.W., Hoerger, T.J., & et al. (2009). Ophthalmology, 116 (5):823-832.

Current patterns of glaucoma care and treatment are a cost-effective way to slow or prevent vision loss and should be continued, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International, Duke University, Harvard University and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

The study found that routine patient assessment for glaucoma during scheduled visits to an eye care provider followed by the treatment of patients with detectable symptoms of glaucoma was cost-effective even when the entire costs of the eye assessment was attributed to glaucoma and when a conservative impact of treatment was assumed.

Marlow, N.M., Pavluck, A.L., Bian, J., Ward, E.M., & Halpern, M.T. (May 2009). RTI Press Publication No. RR-0005-0905.

Individuals who are uninsured or have insurance coverage through programs for low-income persons, such as Medicaid, are less likely to use cancer screening services and more likely to present with advanced stage cancer at diagnosis and have worse survival rates than those with private insurance, according to a literature review by researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina, The American Cancer Society, The Atlanta VA Medical Center, and RTI International.

The reviews included published literature from the past 10 years in the National Library of Medicine's Medline database. The researchers suggest that the benefits of extending appropriate insurance coverage to uninsured and underinsured individuals are likely to include reduced morbidity, improved quality of life, and increased survival, as well as a positive impact on overall health care and societal costs.