Robert M Brackbill
Biographic Data
| ID | 2345360 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Robert M Brackbill |
| GIVEN NAMES | Robert M |
| FAMILY NAME | Brackbill |
| SIGNATURE | BRACKBILL R M |
| AFFILIATIONS | New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-0518-0330 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 25 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 37 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 25 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1993 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
The Association between Socioeconomic Status and Race/Ethnicity with Home Evacuation of Lower Manhattan Residents following the 9/11/2001 World Trade Center Disaster
On 11 September 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) killed nearly three thousand people and exposed hundreds of thousands of rescue and recovery workers, passersby, area workers, and residents to varying amounts of dust and smoke. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani ordered the emergency evacuation of Lower Manhattan below Canal Street, but not all residents evacuated. Previous studies showed that those who did not evacuate had a h…
Exposure to the World Trade Center disaster and test performance among New York City public school students over time, 1998–2003
The World Trade Center (WTC) disaster exposed children to environmental toxins and emotional traumas. WTC exposure health effects have been well-documented; impacts on education outcomes, which have been associated with health over the life course, have not. We examined the WTC disaster's impact on math and English language arts (ELA) exams among New York City (NYC) public school students. Student-level data for 3rd graders in 1998–99 were obtain…
Scientific Value of the Sub-Cohort of Children in the World Trade Center Health Registry
The World Trade Center Health Registry (WTCHR) was established in 2002 as a public health resource to monitor the health effects from the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster. We evaluated the representativeness of the WTC youth population (<18 years on 11 September 2001) by comparing the distributions of age, gender, race/ethnic groups, and income to 2000 census data for the matched geographic area, including distance from disaster. There were 2379…
Combining Three Cohorts of World Trade Center Rescue/Recovery Workers for Assessing Cancer Incidence and Mortality
Three cohorts including the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), the World Trade Center Health Registry (WTCHR), and the General Responder Cohort (GRC), each funded by the World Trade Center Health Program have reported associations between WTC-exposures and cancer. Results have generally been consistent with effect estimates for excess incidence for all cancers ranging from 6 to 14% above background rates. Pooling would increase sampl…
World Trade Center Exposure and Posttraumatic Growth
We evaluated the presence of posttraumatic growth (PTG) among survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attack and how indicators of psychosocial well-being, direct 9/11-related exposure, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) relate to PTG. PTG was examined among 4934 participants using the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI). A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to determine if the original factor structure of the PTGI fits our data and…
The Intentional Self-Medication of 9/11-Related PTSD Symptoms with Alcohol
The self-medication hypothesis may explain the co-morbidity of affective and substance use disorders. Research shows increased prevalence, frequency, and intensity of binge drinking and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among those directly exposed to the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC), however, little is known about PTSD symptomology and intentional self-medication with alcohol (ISMA) among this group. We used WTC Hea…
Injury Severity and Psychological Distress Sustained in the Aftermath of the Attacks of 11 September 2001 Predict Somatic Symptoms in World Trade Center Health Registry Enrollees Sixteen Years Later
The World Trade Center attacks of 11 September 2001 (9/11) have been associated with the subsequent development of chronic diseases. Few studies have investigated the burden of somatic symptoms on attack victims, or the association of such symptoms with exposure to the 9/11 attacks. World Trade Center Health Registry (Registry) enrollees who were present south of Chambers Street during or immediately after the 9/11 attacks and who provided consis…
Characterizing Mental Health Treatment Utilization among Individuals Exposed to the 2001 World Trade Center Terrorist Attacks 14–15 Years Post-Disaster
Following the World Trade Center (WTC) attacks in New York City (NYC) on 11 September 2001 (9/11), thousands in NYC experienced significant stress reactions and disorders, presenting an immediate need for counseling and treatment. While other studies documented post-9/11 mental health treatment utilization, none have data more than two years post-disaster. We used data from 35,629 enrollees of the WTC Health Registry, a longitudinal cohort study …
An Assessment of Long-Term Physical and Emotional Quality of Life of Persons Injured on 9/11/2001
Fifteen years after the disaster, the World Trade Center Health Registry (Registry) conducted The Health and Quality of Life Survey (HQoL) assessing physical and mental health status among those who reported sustaining an injury on 11 September 2001 compared with non-injured persons. Summary scores derived from the Short Form-12 served as study outcomes. United States (US) population estimates on the Physical Component Score (PCS-12) and Mental C…
Residential Exposures
Thousands of lower Manhattan residents sustained damage to their homes following the collapse of the Twin Towers on 11 September 2001. Respiratory outcomes have been reported in this population. We sought to describe patterns of home damage and cleaning practices in lower Manhattan and their impacts on respiratory outcomes among World Trade Center Health Registry (WTCHR) respondents. Data were derived from WTCHR Wave 1 (W1) (9/2003−11/2004) and W…
Pulmonary Fibrosis among World Trade Center Responders
Dust created by the collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC) towers on 9/11 included metals and toxicants that have been linked to an increased risk of pulmonary fibrosis (PF) in the literature. Little has been reported on PF among WTC responders. This report used self-reported physician diagnosis of PF with an unknown sub-type to explore the association between levels of WTC dust exposure and PF. We included 19,300 WTC responders, enrolled in th…
Comparing life satisfaction and functioning 15 years after September 11, 2001 among survivors with and without injuries
PTSD and comorbid depression
Findings indicate that self-efficacy may be more important to the severity and chronicity of PTSD symptoms than social support. Multivariate comparisons suggest that PTSD with comorbid depression is a presentation of trauma-dependent psychopathologies, as opposed to depression alone following trauma, which was independent of trauma exposure and may be secondary to the traumatic event and posttraumatic response. Implications for assessment and tre…
Comorbidity amplifies the effects of post-9/11 posttraumatic stress disorder trajectories on health-related quality of life
Ten years post-9/11 physical and mental health comorbidities have a substantial impact on the PTSD trajectories and HRQOL association. The need for early identification and treatment of PTSD and comorbidity should be emphasized to potentially improve HRQOL
Psychological Distress in Parents and School-Functioning of Adolescents
Poor school-functioning can be indicative of parent and adolescent mental health and adolescent behavior problems. This study examined 472 adolescents enrolled in the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Registry, with a two-step path analysis, using regression-based models, to unravel the relationships between parent and adolescent mental health, adolescent behavior problems, and adolescent unmet healthcare need (UHCN) on the outcome school-functioni…
Reproductive Outcomes Following Maternal Exposure to the Events of September 11, 2001, at the World Trade Center, in New York City
Objectives. To estimate associations between exposure to the events of September 11, 2001, (9/11) and low birth weight (LBW), preterm delivery (PD), and small size for gestational age (SGA). Methods. We matched birth certificates filed in New York City for singleton births between 9/11 and the end of 2010 to 9/11-related exposure data provided by mothers who were World Trade Center Health Registry enrollees. Generalized estimating equations estim…
Unmet mental health care need 10–11 years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks
A significant proportion of individuals exposed to the WTC attacks with depression or PTSD 10 years later reported an UMHCN, and individuals with more severe and disabling conditions, those who lacked health insurance, and those with low levels of social support were particularly vulnerable
Mental health of those directly exposed to the World Trade Center disaster
Co-occurring Lower Respiratory Symptoms and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder 5 to 6 Years After the World Trade Center Terrorist Attack
Objectives. We have described the epidemiology of co-occurring lower respiratory symptoms (LRS) and probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 5 to 6 years after exposure to the 9/11 disaster. Methods. We analyzed residents, office workers, and passersby (n = 16 363) in the World Trade Center Health Registry. Using multivariable logistic regression, we examined patterns of reported respiratory symptoms, treatment sought for symptoms, diagnosed…
Asthma and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms 5 to 6 Years Following Exposure to the World Trade Center Terrorist Attack
CONTEXT: The World Trade Center Health Registry provides a unique opportunity to examine long-term health effects of a large-scale disaster. OBJECTIVE: To examine risk factors for new asthma diagnoses and event-related posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms among exposed adults 5 to 6 years following exposure to the September 11, 2001, World Trade Center (WTC) terrorist attack. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Longitudinal cohort study with wave 1…
An Overview of 9/11 Experiences and Respiratory and Mental Health Conditions among World Trade Center Health Registry Enrollees
To date, health effects of exposure to the September 11, 2001 disaster in New York City have been studied in specific groups, but no studies have estimated its impact across the different exposed populations. This report provides an overview of the World Trade Center Health Registry (WTCHR) enrollees, their exposures, and their respiratory and mental health outcomes 2-3 years post-9/11. Results are extrapolated to the estimated universe of people…
Retention in Methadone Maintenance Treatment Programs, Connecticut and Massachusetts, 1990 – 1993
The goal of this study was to identify factors associated with six- and 12-month retention in methadone maintenance treatment programs (MMTPs) in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Data was obtained from 674 participants, clinic records, and clinic staff. Ethnographic and logistic regression analyses were conducted. Overall, 69% and 48% of the clients remained in treatment at six months and 12 months, respectively. The MMTPs were categorized as eithe…
The epidemiology of walking for exercise
The relative contribution of walking to overall leisure-time physical activity participation rates was studied among respondents from the 45 states that participated in the 1990 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (n = 81,557). The percentages of low income, unemployed, and obese persons who engaged in leisure-time physical activity (range = 51.1% to 57.7%) were substantially lower than the percentage among the total adult population (70.3…
Valdiserri and Colleagues Respond
Valdiserri and Colleagues Respond Ronald O. Valdiserri, David R. Holtgrave, and Robert M. Brackbill E GoodmanCopyRight https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.84.5.868 Published Online: October 07, 2011
American adults' knowledge of HIV testing availability
OBJECTIVES. Understanding client needs, knowledge, and preferences about services is necessary to ensure that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) counseling and testing programs are accessible. This study addressed knowledge of HIV testing availability. METHODS. To study American adults' knowledge of HIV testing availability, we collected data during 1990 by random digit-dialing telephone surveys of adults residing in 44 states and the District of…
The epidemiology of walking for exercise
The relative contribution of walking to overall leisure-time physical activity participation rates was studied among respondents from the 45 states that participated in the 1990 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (n = 81,557). The percentages of low income, unemployed, and obese persons who engaged in leisure-time physical activity (range = 51.1% to 57.7%) were substantially lower than the percentage among the total adult population (70.3…
An Overview of 9/11 Experiences and Respiratory and Mental Health Conditions among World Trade Center Health Registry Enrollees
To date, health effects of exposure to the September 11, 2001 disaster in New York City have been studied in specific groups, but no studies have estimated its impact across the different exposed populations. This report provides an overview of the World Trade Center Health Registry (WTCHR) enrollees, their exposures, and their respiratory and mental health outcomes 2-3 years post-9/11. Results are extrapolated to the estimated universe of people…
Reproductive Outcomes Following Maternal Exposure to the Events of September 11, 2001, at the World Trade Center, in New York City
Objectives. To estimate associations between exposure to the events of September 11, 2001, (9/11) and low birth weight (LBW), preterm delivery (PD), and small size for gestational age (SGA). Methods. We matched birth certificates filed in New York City for singleton births between 9/11 and the end of 2010 to 9/11-related exposure data provided by mothers who were World Trade Center Health Registry enrollees. Generalized estimating equations estim…
Mental health of those directly exposed to the World Trade Center disaster
American adults' knowledge of HIV testing availability
OBJECTIVES. Understanding client needs, knowledge, and preferences about services is necessary to ensure that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) counseling and testing programs are accessible. This study addressed knowledge of HIV testing availability. METHODS. To study American adults' knowledge of HIV testing availability, we collected data during 1990 by random digit-dialing telephone surveys of adults residing in 44 states and the District of…
American adults' knowledge of HIV testing availability
OBJECTIVES. Understanding client needs, knowledge, and preferences about services is necessary to ensure that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) counseling and testing programs are accessible. This study addressed knowledge of HIV testing availability. METHODS. To study American adults' knowledge of HIV testing availability, we collected data during 1990 by random digit-dialing telephone surveys of adults residing in 44 states and the District of…
Valdiserri and Colleagues Respond
Valdiserri and Colleagues Respond Ronald O. Valdiserri, David R. Holtgrave, and Robert M. Brackbill E GoodmanCopyRight https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.84.5.868 Published Online: October 07, 2011
The epidemiology of walking for exercise
The relative contribution of walking to overall leisure-time physical activity participation rates was studied among respondents from the 45 states that participated in the 1990 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (n = 81,557). The percentages of low income, unemployed, and obese persons who engaged in leisure-time physical activity (range = 51.1% to 57.7%) were substantially lower than the percentage among the total adult population (70.3…
Retention in Methadone Maintenance Treatment Programs, Connecticut and Massachusetts, 1990 – 1993
The goal of this study was to identify factors associated with six- and 12-month retention in methadone maintenance treatment programs (MMTPs) in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Data was obtained from 674 participants, clinic records, and clinic staff. Ethnographic and logistic regression analyses were conducted. Overall, 69% and 48% of the clients remained in treatment at six months and 12 months, respectively. The MMTPs were categorized as eithe…
An Overview of 9/11 Experiences and Respiratory and Mental Health Conditions among World Trade Center Health Registry Enrollees
To date, health effects of exposure to the September 11, 2001 disaster in New York City have been studied in specific groups, but no studies have estimated its impact across the different exposed populations. This report provides an overview of the World Trade Center Health Registry (WTCHR) enrollees, their exposures, and their respiratory and mental health outcomes 2-3 years post-9/11. Results are extrapolated to the estimated universe of people…
Asthma and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms 5 to 6 Years Following Exposure to the World Trade Center Terrorist Attack
CONTEXT: The World Trade Center Health Registry provides a unique opportunity to examine long-term health effects of a large-scale disaster. OBJECTIVE: To examine risk factors for new asthma diagnoses and event-related posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms among exposed adults 5 to 6 years following exposure to the September 11, 2001, World Trade Center (WTC) terrorist attack. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Longitudinal cohort study with wave 1…
Co-occurring Lower Respiratory Symptoms and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder 5 to 6 Years After the World Trade Center Terrorist Attack
Objectives. We have described the epidemiology of co-occurring lower respiratory symptoms (LRS) and probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 5 to 6 years after exposure to the 9/11 disaster. Methods. We analyzed residents, office workers, and passersby (n = 16 363) in the World Trade Center Health Registry. Using multivariable logistic regression, we examined patterns of reported respiratory symptoms, treatment sought for symptoms, diagnosed…
Mental health of those directly exposed to the World Trade Center disaster
Unmet mental health care need 10–11 years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks
A significant proportion of individuals exposed to the WTC attacks with depression or PTSD 10 years later reported an UMHCN, and individuals with more severe and disabling conditions, those who lacked health insurance, and those with low levels of social support were particularly vulnerable
Reproductive Outcomes Following Maternal Exposure to the Events of September 11, 2001, at the World Trade Center, in New York City
Objectives. To estimate associations between exposure to the events of September 11, 2001, (9/11) and low birth weight (LBW), preterm delivery (PD), and small size for gestational age (SGA). Methods. We matched birth certificates filed in New York City for singleton births between 9/11 and the end of 2010 to 9/11-related exposure data provided by mothers who were World Trade Center Health Registry enrollees. Generalized estimating equations estim…
Comorbidity amplifies the effects of post-9/11 posttraumatic stress disorder trajectories on health-related quality of life
Ten years post-9/11 physical and mental health comorbidities have a substantial impact on the PTSD trajectories and HRQOL association. The need for early identification and treatment of PTSD and comorbidity should be emphasized to potentially improve HRQOL
Psychological Distress in Parents and School-Functioning of Adolescents
Poor school-functioning can be indicative of parent and adolescent mental health and adolescent behavior problems. This study examined 472 adolescents enrolled in the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Registry, with a two-step path analysis, using regression-based models, to unravel the relationships between parent and adolescent mental health, adolescent behavior problems, and adolescent unmet healthcare need (UHCN) on the outcome school-functioni…
PTSD and comorbid depression
Findings indicate that self-efficacy may be more important to the severity and chronicity of PTSD symptoms than social support. Multivariate comparisons suggest that PTSD with comorbid depression is a presentation of trauma-dependent psychopathologies, as opposed to depression alone following trauma, which was independent of trauma exposure and may be secondary to the traumatic event and posttraumatic response. Implications for assessment and tre…
Characterizing Mental Health Treatment Utilization among Individuals Exposed to the 2001 World Trade Center Terrorist Attacks 14–15 Years Post-Disaster
Following the World Trade Center (WTC) attacks in New York City (NYC) on 11 September 2001 (9/11), thousands in NYC experienced significant stress reactions and disorders, presenting an immediate need for counseling and treatment. While other studies documented post-9/11 mental health treatment utilization, none have data more than two years post-disaster. We used data from 35,629 enrollees of the WTC Health Registry, a longitudinal cohort study …
An Assessment of Long-Term Physical and Emotional Quality of Life of Persons Injured on 9/11/2001
Fifteen years after the disaster, the World Trade Center Health Registry (Registry) conducted The Health and Quality of Life Survey (HQoL) assessing physical and mental health status among those who reported sustaining an injury on 11 September 2001 compared with non-injured persons. Summary scores derived from the Short Form-12 served as study outcomes. United States (US) population estimates on the Physical Component Score (PCS-12) and Mental C…
Residential Exposures
Thousands of lower Manhattan residents sustained damage to their homes following the collapse of the Twin Towers on 11 September 2001. Respiratory outcomes have been reported in this population. We sought to describe patterns of home damage and cleaning practices in lower Manhattan and their impacts on respiratory outcomes among World Trade Center Health Registry (WTCHR) respondents. Data were derived from WTCHR Wave 1 (W1) (9/2003−11/2004) and W…
Pulmonary Fibrosis among World Trade Center Responders
Dust created by the collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC) towers on 9/11 included metals and toxicants that have been linked to an increased risk of pulmonary fibrosis (PF) in the literature. Little has been reported on PF among WTC responders. This report used self-reported physician diagnosis of PF with an unknown sub-type to explore the association between levels of WTC dust exposure and PF. We included 19,300 WTC responders, enrolled in th…
Comparing life satisfaction and functioning 15 years after September 11, 2001 among survivors with and without injuries
World Trade Center Exposure and Posttraumatic Growth
We evaluated the presence of posttraumatic growth (PTG) among survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attack and how indicators of psychosocial well-being, direct 9/11-related exposure, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) relate to PTG. PTG was examined among 4934 participants using the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI). A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to determine if the original factor structure of the PTGI fits our data and…
The Intentional Self-Medication of 9/11-Related PTSD Symptoms with Alcohol
The self-medication hypothesis may explain the co-morbidity of affective and substance use disorders. Research shows increased prevalence, frequency, and intensity of binge drinking and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among those directly exposed to the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC), however, little is known about PTSD symptomology and intentional self-medication with alcohol (ISMA) among this group. We used WTC Hea…
Injury Severity and Psychological Distress Sustained in the Aftermath of the Attacks of 11 September 2001 Predict Somatic Symptoms in World Trade Center Health Registry Enrollees Sixteen Years Later
The World Trade Center attacks of 11 September 2001 (9/11) have been associated with the subsequent development of chronic diseases. Few studies have investigated the burden of somatic symptoms on attack victims, or the association of such symptoms with exposure to the 9/11 attacks. World Trade Center Health Registry (Registry) enrollees who were present south of Chambers Street during or immediately after the 9/11 attacks and who provided consis…
Combining Three Cohorts of World Trade Center Rescue/Recovery Workers for Assessing Cancer Incidence and Mortality
Three cohorts including the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), the World Trade Center Health Registry (WTCHR), and the General Responder Cohort (GRC), each funded by the World Trade Center Health Program have reported associations between WTC-exposures and cancer. Results have generally been consistent with effect estimates for excess incidence for all cancers ranging from 6 to 14% above background rates. Pooling would increase sampl…
Exposure to the World Trade Center disaster and test performance among New York City public school students over time, 1998–2003
The World Trade Center (WTC) disaster exposed children to environmental toxins and emotional traumas. WTC exposure health effects have been well-documented; impacts on education outcomes, which have been associated with health over the life course, have not. We examined the WTC disaster's impact on math and English language arts (ELA) exams among New York City (NYC) public school students. Student-level data for 3rd graders in 1998–99 were obtain…
Scientific Value of the Sub-Cohort of Children in the World Trade Center Health Registry
The World Trade Center Health Registry (WTCHR) was established in 2002 as a public health resource to monitor the health effects from the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster. We evaluated the representativeness of the WTC youth population (<18 years on 11 September 2001) by comparing the distributions of age, gender, race/ethnic groups, and income to 2000 census data for the matched geographic area, including distance from disaster. There were 2379…
The Association between Socioeconomic Status and Race/Ethnicity with Home Evacuation of Lower Manhattan Residents following the 9/11/2001 World Trade Center Disaster
On 11 September 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) killed nearly three thousand people and exposed hundreds of thousands of rescue and recovery workers, passersby, area workers, and residents to varying amounts of dust and smoke. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani ordered the emergency evacuation of Lower Manhattan below Canal Street, but not all residents evacuated. Previous studies showed that those who did not evacuate had a h…
Medicine (24 works) · Environmental health (15 works) · Psychiatry (14 works) · Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research (13 works) · Demography (11 works) · Occupational Health and Performance (11 works) · Internal Medicine (9 works) · Psychology (9 works) · Gerontology (8 works) · Injury Epidemiology and Prevention (8 works)