Andrew O Westfall
Biographic Data
| ID | 5547485 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Andrew O Westfall |
| GIVEN NAMES | Andrew |
| FAMILY NAME | O Westfall |
| SIGNATURE | WESTFALL A O |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Alabama at Birmingham |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-0468-4695 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 22 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 0 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 22 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2000 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2020 |
| H-INDEX | 0 |
Racial disparities and factors associated with prescription for smoking cessation medications among smokers receiving routine clinical care for HIV
Factors associated with prescription of smoking cessation medication (SCM), including the impact of race, have not been well described among a large population of people living with HIV (PLWH) engaged in routine clinical care. Our study investigated whether there are racial differences between African-American and White PLWH regarding SCM prescription and sought to identify other factors associated with these prescriptions at a large HIV clinic i…
Ryan White HIV/Aids program recipients more likely than non-recipients to be retained in care using six different retention measures
Retention in care (RiC) is crucial for maintaining HIV health. We examined the relationship between receipt of Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) supplementary services and six different measures of RiC among 2,288 adults living with HIV who received HIV primary care services at a large, academically-affiliated HIV/AIDS clinic in the southeastern United States in 2016. The independent variable of interest was RWHAP supplementary services, which …
HIV-related stigma, depression, and social support are associated with health-related quality of life among patients newly entering HIV care
Entering HIV care is a vulnerable time for newly diagnosed individuals often exacerbating psychosocial difficulties, which may contribute to poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL) ultimately influencing health behaviors including ART adherence, the driver of viral load suppression. Understanding HRQOL in people newly entering HIV care is critical and has the potential to guide practice and research. This exploratory cross-sectional study exa…
Are missed- and kept-visit measures capturing different aspects of retention in HIV primary care
The literature recognizes six measures of retention in care, an integral component of the HIV Continuum of Care. Given prior research showing that different retention measures are differentially associated with HIV health outcomes (e.g., CD4 count and viral suppression), we hypothesized that different groups of people living with HIV (PLWH) would also have differential retention outcomes based on the retention measure applied. We conducted a cros…
Predictors of smoking cessation among people living with HIV receiving routine clinical care
People living with HIV (PLWH) have a higher prevalence of smoking and are less likely to quit smoking than the general population. Few studies involving a large sample of PLWH receiving routine care have evaluated factors associated with smoking cessation. This retrospective longitudinal cohort study evaluated factors associated with smoking cessation among PLWH from 2007 to 2018. Of 1,714 PLWH smokers included in the study, 27.6% reported quitti…
Mental health disorders and alcohol use are associated with increased likelihood of smoking relapse among people living with HIV attending routine clinical care
Our study underscores the high prevalence of smoking relapse that exists among PLWH after they quit smoking. Successful engagement in mental health care may enhance efforts to reduce relapse in the underserved populations of PLWH
A measure to assess HIV treatment readiness among adolescents and young adults
HIV infections among adolescents and young adults continue to grow and clinical guidelines recommend the immediate start of life-saving antiretroviral therapy (ART). Unfortunately, suboptimal medication adherence among youth is common and can lead to poorer health outcomes as well as onward transmission of HIV to sexual partners. Clinical tools to assess treatment readiness are needed and can assist with adherence intervention strategies for yout…
Suboptimal Retention in Care Among Recently Released Prisoners
A Randomized Pilot Trial of a Novel Behavioral Intervention for Chronic Pain Tailored to Individuals with HIV
Tobacco Use and Sustained Viral Suppression in Youth Living with HIV
Prevalence odds ratio versus prevalence ratio: choice comes with consequences
Odds ratio, risk ratio, and prevalence ratio are some of the measures of association which are often reported in research studies quantifying the relationship between an independent variable and the outcome of interest. There has been much debate on the issue of which measure is appropriate to report depending on the study design. However, the literature on selecting a particular category of the outcome to be modeled and/or change in reference gr…
Reported Church Attendance at the Time of Entry into HIV Care is Associated with Viral Load Suppression at 12 Months
Preliminary outcomes of a pilot physical therapy program for HIV-infected patients with chronic pain
Chronic pain in HIV-infected individuals is common and often undertreated. Physical therapy (PT) is an evidence-based nonpharmacologic treatment for chronic pain. Our objective is to present the results of a pilot PT program in an HIV pain/palliative care clinic, which is embedded within a Ryan White-funded multidisciplinary HIV primary care clinic. Medical records of HIV-infected patients participating in a PT program between November 2012 and J…
Predictors of HIV Disclosure in Infected Persons Presenting to Establish Care
The Contribution of Missed Clinic Visits to Disparities in HIV Viral Load Outcomes
Objectives. We explored the contribution of missed primary HIV care visits (“no-show”) to observed disparities in virological failure (VF) among Black persons and persons with injection drug use (IDU) history. Methods. We used patient-level data from 6 academic clinics, before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Health Resources and Services Administration Retention in Care intervention. We employed staged multivariable logistic re…
Factors Associated with Missed Psychiatry Visits in an Urban HIV Clinic
Measuring Retention in HIV Care
BACKGROUND: Measuring retention in HIV primary care is complex, as care includes multiple visits scheduled at varying intervals over time. We evaluated 6 commonly used retention measures in predicting viral load (VL) suppression and the correlation among measures. METHODS: Clinic-wide patient-level data from 6 academic HIV clinics were used for 12 months preceding implementation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Health Resources a…
Missed Visits and Mortality among Patients Establishing Initial Outpatient HIV Treatment
BACKGROUND: Dramatic increases in the number of patients requiring linkage to treatment for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are anticipated in response to updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention HIV testing recommendations that advocate routine, opt-out HIV testing. METHODS: A retrospective analysis nested within a prospective HIV clinical cohort study evaluated patients who established initial outpatient treatment for HIV…
Improving the Prediction of Medication Compliance
INTRODUCTION: Administrative claims data have a limited ability to identify persons with high compliance to oral bisphosphonates. We tested whether adding information on compliance with other drugs used to treat chronic, asymptomatic conditions would improve the predictive ability of administrative data to identify adherent individuals. METHODS: Using data from a large, US healthcare organization, we identified new bisphosphonate users and their …
Years of Life Lost Due to Obesity
CONTEXT: Public health officials and organizations have disseminated health messages regarding the dangers of obesity, but these have not produced the desired effect. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the expected number of years of life lost (YLL) due to overweight and obesity across the life span of an adult. DESIGN, SETTING, AND SUBJECTS: Data from the (1) US Life Tables (1999); (2) Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III; 1988…
Patient-perceived barriers to antiretroviral adherence
New antiretroviral (ARV) regimens require strict adherence if optimal suppression of HIV is to be maintained. This study is a theory-based examination of racial differences in patient-perceived barriers and reported ARV adherence. Participants (N=149) completed the Patient Medication Adherence Questionnaire (PMAQ), measuring adherence and perceived barriers to adherence. Adherence was defined as a self-report of 100% adherence in the past four we…
Health-related Quality of Life and Virologic outcomes in an HIV Clinic
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Health-related Quality of Life and Virologic outcomes in an HIV Clinic
Patient-perceived barriers to antiretroviral adherence
New antiretroviral (ARV) regimens require strict adherence if optimal suppression of HIV is to be maintained. This study is a theory-based examination of racial differences in patient-perceived barriers and reported ARV adherence. Participants (N=149) completed the Patient Medication Adherence Questionnaire (PMAQ), measuring adherence and perceived barriers to adherence. Adherence was defined as a self-report of 100% adherence in the past four we…
Years of Life Lost Due to Obesity
CONTEXT: Public health officials and organizations have disseminated health messages regarding the dangers of obesity, but these have not produced the desired effect. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the expected number of years of life lost (YLL) due to overweight and obesity across the life span of an adult. DESIGN, SETTING, AND SUBJECTS: Data from the (1) US Life Tables (1999); (2) Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III; 1988…
Missed Visits and Mortality among Patients Establishing Initial Outpatient HIV Treatment
BACKGROUND: Dramatic increases in the number of patients requiring linkage to treatment for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are anticipated in response to updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention HIV testing recommendations that advocate routine, opt-out HIV testing. METHODS: A retrospective analysis nested within a prospective HIV clinical cohort study evaluated patients who established initial outpatient treatment for HIV…
Improving the Prediction of Medication Compliance
INTRODUCTION: Administrative claims data have a limited ability to identify persons with high compliance to oral bisphosphonates. We tested whether adding information on compliance with other drugs used to treat chronic, asymptomatic conditions would improve the predictive ability of administrative data to identify adherent individuals. METHODS: Using data from a large, US healthcare organization, we identified new bisphosphonate users and their …
Measuring Retention in HIV Care
BACKGROUND: Measuring retention in HIV primary care is complex, as care includes multiple visits scheduled at varying intervals over time. We evaluated 6 commonly used retention measures in predicting viral load (VL) suppression and the correlation among measures. METHODS: Clinic-wide patient-level data from 6 academic HIV clinics were used for 12 months preceding implementation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Health Resources a…
Factors Associated with Missed Psychiatry Visits in an Urban HIV Clinic
Preliminary outcomes of a pilot physical therapy program for HIV-infected patients with chronic pain
Chronic pain in HIV-infected individuals is common and often undertreated. Physical therapy (PT) is an evidence-based nonpharmacologic treatment for chronic pain. Our objective is to present the results of a pilot PT program in an HIV pain/palliative care clinic, which is embedded within a Ryan White-funded multidisciplinary HIV primary care clinic. Medical records of HIV-infected patients participating in a PT program between November 2012 and J…
Predictors of HIV Disclosure in Infected Persons Presenting to Establish Care
The Contribution of Missed Clinic Visits to Disparities in HIV Viral Load Outcomes
Objectives. We explored the contribution of missed primary HIV care visits (“no-show”) to observed disparities in virological failure (VF) among Black persons and persons with injection drug use (IDU) history. Methods. We used patient-level data from 6 academic clinics, before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Health Resources and Services Administration Retention in Care intervention. We employed staged multivariable logistic re…
Prevalence odds ratio versus prevalence ratio: choice comes with consequences
Odds ratio, risk ratio, and prevalence ratio are some of the measures of association which are often reported in research studies quantifying the relationship between an independent variable and the outcome of interest. There has been much debate on the issue of which measure is appropriate to report depending on the study design. However, the literature on selecting a particular category of the outcome to be modeled and/or change in reference gr…
Reported Church Attendance at the Time of Entry into HIV Care is Associated with Viral Load Suppression at 12 Months
Tobacco Use and Sustained Viral Suppression in Youth Living with HIV
Suboptimal Retention in Care Among Recently Released Prisoners
A Randomized Pilot Trial of a Novel Behavioral Intervention for Chronic Pain Tailored to Individuals with HIV
Predictors of smoking cessation among people living with HIV receiving routine clinical care
People living with HIV (PLWH) have a higher prevalence of smoking and are less likely to quit smoking than the general population. Few studies involving a large sample of PLWH receiving routine care have evaluated factors associated with smoking cessation. This retrospective longitudinal cohort study evaluated factors associated with smoking cessation among PLWH from 2007 to 2018. Of 1,714 PLWH smokers included in the study, 27.6% reported quitti…
Mental health disorders and alcohol use are associated with increased likelihood of smoking relapse among people living with HIV attending routine clinical care
Our study underscores the high prevalence of smoking relapse that exists among PLWH after they quit smoking. Successful engagement in mental health care may enhance efforts to reduce relapse in the underserved populations of PLWH
A measure to assess HIV treatment readiness among adolescents and young adults
HIV infections among adolescents and young adults continue to grow and clinical guidelines recommend the immediate start of life-saving antiretroviral therapy (ART). Unfortunately, suboptimal medication adherence among youth is common and can lead to poorer health outcomes as well as onward transmission of HIV to sexual partners. Clinical tools to assess treatment readiness are needed and can assist with adherence intervention strategies for yout…
Racial disparities and factors associated with prescription for smoking cessation medications among smokers receiving routine clinical care for HIV
Factors associated with prescription of smoking cessation medication (SCM), including the impact of race, have not been well described among a large population of people living with HIV (PLWH) engaged in routine clinical care. Our study investigated whether there are racial differences between African-American and White PLWH regarding SCM prescription and sought to identify other factors associated with these prescriptions at a large HIV clinic i…
Ryan White HIV/Aids program recipients more likely than non-recipients to be retained in care using six different retention measures
Retention in care (RiC) is crucial for maintaining HIV health. We examined the relationship between receipt of Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) supplementary services and six different measures of RiC among 2,288 adults living with HIV who received HIV primary care services at a large, academically-affiliated HIV/AIDS clinic in the southeastern United States in 2016. The independent variable of interest was RWHAP supplementary services, which …
HIV-related stigma, depression, and social support are associated with health-related quality of life among patients newly entering HIV care
Entering HIV care is a vulnerable time for newly diagnosed individuals often exacerbating psychosocial difficulties, which may contribute to poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL) ultimately influencing health behaviors including ART adherence, the driver of viral load suppression. Understanding HRQOL in people newly entering HIV care is critical and has the potential to guide practice and research. This exploratory cross-sectional study exa…
Are missed- and kept-visit measures capturing different aspects of retention in HIV primary care
The literature recognizes six measures of retention in care, an integral component of the HIV Continuum of Care. Given prior research showing that different retention measures are differentially associated with HIV health outcomes (e.g., CD4 count and viral suppression), we hypothesized that different groups of people living with HIV (PLWH) would also have differential retention outcomes based on the retention measure applied. We conducted a cros…
Medicine (22 works) · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions (16 works) · Family medicine (14 works) · Internal Medicine (10 works) · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk (9 works) · Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV (8 works) · Psychiatry (8 works) · Demography (7 works) · HIV-related health complications and treatments (6 works) · Logistic regression (6 works)