RTI International Research Publications

Hoerger, T.J., Segel, J.E., Zhang, P., & Sorensen, S.W. (September 2009). RTI Press Publication No. MR-0013-0909.

The CDC-RTI Diabetes Cost-Effective Model accurately assesses representations of the progression of diabetes and can be used to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of potential diabetes prevention and treatment programs, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International, University of Michigan School of Public Health, and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

The researchers simulated outcomes from the model with outcomes from 24 published trials, measuring incidence of diabetes, renal disease, neuropathy, retinopathy, cardiovascular disease and mortality. The model results were generally close to published outcomes.

Soplop, J.C., Wetterberg, A., Indriartoto, I., De Leon Pellecer, M.J., Ligorria Goicolea, T., & Roman-Lacayo, M.A. (September 2009). RTI Press Publication No. OP-0002-0909.

When compared with independent corporate initiatives, corporate social responsibility funds come closer to meeting country development goals through collaborations with public partners, according to a paper by researchers at RTI International and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The researchers suggest that these public-private partnerships can further improve outcomes if project beneficiaries are directly involved. The authors propose strategies for ensuring a balance between partner priorities, avoiding frustrations with divergent organizational cultures, and incorporating beneficiary participation that can improve alignment of corporate social responsibility activities with development priorities and thereby increase their impact.

Montgomery, E.T., Cheng, H., van der Straten, A., Chidanyika, A.C., Lince, N., Blanchard, K., & et al. (Sep 2009). AIDS and Behavior, Online First.

Southern African women reported being very comfortable with using the diaphragm and lubricant gel in a trial to evaluate the effectiveness of those products in reducing HIV among African women, according to a new study led by researchers at RTI International, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of California San Francisco, University of Zimbabwe-University of California San Francisco Research Collaborative Program in Women’s Health, Ibis Reproductive Health, Perinatal HIV Research Unit, Medical Research Council, and the University of California Berkeley.

The study, which included almost 2,500 women at five Southern African clinics for up to two years, found that 95 percent of participants rated the diaphragm highly, and those who did so , those who openly disclosed use with their partner and those who perceived their partner approved of the diaphram and gel, were more likely to consistently use it.

Krishnan, S., Rocca, C.H., Hubbard, A.E., Subbiah, K., Edmeades, J., & Padian, N.S. (Oct 2009). Social Science and Medicine, Article in Press, Corrected Proof.

Although having a job may enhance women's empowerment and financial stability, a new study finds that young married women who live in urban low income communities in India and are employed face an increased risk of domestic violence (being hit, kicked or beaten by their husband).

The study was conducted by researchers at RTI International's Women's Global Health Imperative, University of California-Berkeley, Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore, and International Center for Research on Women, and funded by a grant from the United States Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The researchers also found that husbands who have difficulty maintaining a job are more likely to be physically violent to their wives. The research examined the association between spousal employment status and physical domestic violence in Bangalore.

Halpern, M.T., & Taylor, H. (Oct 2009). International Journal of Public Health, Online First.

The majority of smokers worldwide support smoking bans in the workplace, according to a new study by RTI International and Harris Interactive.

The study surveyed more than 3,500 employees who smoke and more than 1,400 employers (both smokers and nonsmokers) in 14 counties about their attitudes toward workplace smoking and cessation. The results showed that 74 percent of smoking employees and 87 percent of employers felt that the workplace should be smoke free.

Fishbein, D., Warner, T., Krebs, C., Trevarthen, N., Flannery, B., & Hammond, J. (Nov 2009). Child Maltreatment, 14 (4):299-315.

Personal stressors such as abuse and neglect, as well as school and parental stressors, are associated with at least one neurocognitive function deficit among Latino children, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International.

The study looked at more than 500 mostly Latino children 10 to 12 years of age and found that children who were neglected had IQ deficits and misattributed emotion, and children who were physically abused were lacking in problem solving skills.

Talbird, S.E., Brogan, A.J., & Winiarski, A.P. (Nov 2009). American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 37 (5):381-388.

Postexposure prophylaxis with an anti-viral like Tamiflu has cost-effectiveness ratios similar to vaccines for preventing the flu in children, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International.

The study modeled costs and health outcomes for postexposure prophylaxis compared with no prophylaxis for children aged 1-12 years who were exposed to a household index case of influenza.