Article archive / August 1, 2014
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 12. Source pages: 13.
Dr. Karen Kopera-Frye Health Predictors in Disease Self-Management Dr. Ron Harris
Dr. Karen Kopera-Frye, the Joseph A. Biedenharn Endowed Chair in Gerontology at the University of Louisiana Monroe and interim head of the Department of Gerontology, Sociology, and Political Science will present “Tobacco and Alcohol Use as Predictors of Health Outcomes in an Intervention Program.” The work is part of the session on “Adult Development and Aging,” and presented with co-author Dr. Ronald Harris.
Researchers worked with the program of the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Elderly Affairs and several state agencies who implemented the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program. This program is a structured intervention that emphasizes patient self-management for chronic health conditions and one that has been shown to have beneficial effects. Multiple regression indicated that the program helped in all outcomes examined. Researchers also found that tobacco use predicted poorer self-rated health, less energy, and increased healthcare use but also less communication with physicians. Alcohol use predicted decreased exercise behaviors.
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