Rajiv Ulpe | Pennsylvania State University (original) (raw)
Papers by Rajiv Ulpe
American Journal of Gastroenterology
Background: Few data exist that thoroughly examine smoking behaviors of Asian American (AA) subgr... more Background: Few data exist that thoroughly examine smoking behaviors of Asian American (AA) subgroups in Maryland. Existing survey data on tobacco use among aggregated AAs in Maryland are too general and lack specificity. Objective: To investigate cultural, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing tobacco use among four major AA communities in Maryland. Methods: Four focus groups (total of 43 participants) were conducted in Asian Indian, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese communities to collect qualitative data on cultural, psychosocial, and environmental factors that influence tobacco use behaviors. Recommendations for the development of community-specific smoking cessation programs were discussed. We used MAXQDA to code emergent themes and analyze data. Results: Social smoking was described as an essential cultural component among all communities. There was a remarkable pattern of gender differences, where smoking among females was perceived to be a stigma. Military partic...
Journal of Community Health, 2015
The goal of this study was to examine colorectal cancer (CRC) screening practices and factors ass... more The goal of this study was to examine colorectal cancer (CRC) screening practices and factors associated with CRC screening among foreign-born South Asians living in the metropolitan New York-New Jersey area. Two hundred and eight men and women recruited from community settings in the New York and New Jersey metropolitan area completed a questionnaire that included demographics, CRC screening practices, health care access and practices, attitudes about the health care system, primary care physician support for CRC screening, cultural factors, and attitudes about CRC screening and CRC worry. Almost a third of the sample had not heard of any of CRC screening tests. Approximately 62 % of the sample had never had a CRC screening test and approximately 69 % of the sample was not currently on schedule with regard to CRC screening. When the relative contribution of significant correlates were evaluated, participants who had lived in the US for a longer time, who endorsed more CRC screening benefits, and who endorsed fewer CRC screening barriers were significantly more likely to have had CRC screening in the past. Participants who were more likely to use English in their daily life, who endorsed more CRC screening benefits, and endorsed fewer CRC screening barriers were more likely to be on schedule with regard to CRC screening. In conclusion, awareness of CRC screening and uptake of screening was low in this population of foreign-born South Asians. Interventions to promote CRC screening may benefit from targeting this subgroup of Asian Americans.
Journal of Oncology, 2011
As the most preventable cause of death in the world today, understanding tobacco use among one of... more As the most preventable cause of death in the world today, understanding tobacco use among one of the fastest growing ethnic/racial groups is warranted. We explore cigarette and smokeless tobacco (SLT) use among South Asians in NJ and the Northeast using the Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey. Overall, tobacco use rates among South Asians were similar or lower than the population. However, in NJ, South Asian males had the highest SLT rate (2.7%) and in the Northeast, White (AOR = 5.8, 95% CI = 3.7–9.4) and South Asian males (AOR = 4.0, 95% CI = 1.5–10.6) had significantly higher odds of current SLT use relative to non-White males. Tobacco use among South Asians was not homogeneous; Pakistanis are overrepresented among cigarette smokers while Indians are overrepresented among SLT users. Given the differential tobacco use among and within South Asian, disaggregating data to understand tobacco use behaviors is necessary to develop effective interventions for toba...
Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy, 2011
Introduction-This review examines the post-marketing experience with varenicline including case r... more Introduction-This review examines the post-marketing experience with varenicline including case reports, newer clinical trials and secondary analyses of large clinical datasets. Areas Covered-Varenicline has been shown to be an effective treatment in a broad range of tobacco users with medical, behavioral, and diverse demographic characteristics. The recent studies finding excellent safety and efficacy in groups of smokers with diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are particularly encouraging and call for increased use of this medication for smoking cessation. Despite case reports of serious neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients taking varenicline, including changes in behavior and mood, causality has not been established. Recent analyses of large datasets from clinical trials have not demonstrated that varenicline is associated with more depression or suicidality than other treatments for smoking cessation.
Expert opinion on pharmacotherapy, 2011
This review examines the postmarketing experience with varenicline, including case reports, newer... more This review examines the postmarketing experience with varenicline, including case reports, newer clinical trials and secondary analyses of large clinical datasets. Varenicline has been shown to be an effective treatment in a broad range of tobacco users with medical, behavioral and diverse demographic characteristics. Recent studies finding excellent safety and efficacy in groups of smokers with diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are particularly encouraging and call for increased use of this medication for smoking cessation. Despite case reports of serious neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients taking varenicline, including changes in behavior and mood, causality has not been established. Recent analyses of large datasets from clinical trials have not demonstrated that varenicline is associated with more depression or suicidality than other treatments for smoking cessation. Now that additional clinical trials in specific populations and observational studies o...
American Journal of Gastroenterology
Background: Few data exist that thoroughly examine smoking behaviors of Asian American (AA) subgr... more Background: Few data exist that thoroughly examine smoking behaviors of Asian American (AA) subgroups in Maryland. Existing survey data on tobacco use among aggregated AAs in Maryland are too general and lack specificity. Objective: To investigate cultural, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing tobacco use among four major AA communities in Maryland. Methods: Four focus groups (total of 43 participants) were conducted in Asian Indian, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese communities to collect qualitative data on cultural, psychosocial, and environmental factors that influence tobacco use behaviors. Recommendations for the development of community-specific smoking cessation programs were discussed. We used MAXQDA to code emergent themes and analyze data. Results: Social smoking was described as an essential cultural component among all communities. There was a remarkable pattern of gender differences, where smoking among females was perceived to be a stigma. Military partic...
Journal of Community Health, 2015
The goal of this study was to examine colorectal cancer (CRC) screening practices and factors ass... more The goal of this study was to examine colorectal cancer (CRC) screening practices and factors associated with CRC screening among foreign-born South Asians living in the metropolitan New York-New Jersey area. Two hundred and eight men and women recruited from community settings in the New York and New Jersey metropolitan area completed a questionnaire that included demographics, CRC screening practices, health care access and practices, attitudes about the health care system, primary care physician support for CRC screening, cultural factors, and attitudes about CRC screening and CRC worry. Almost a third of the sample had not heard of any of CRC screening tests. Approximately 62 % of the sample had never had a CRC screening test and approximately 69 % of the sample was not currently on schedule with regard to CRC screening. When the relative contribution of significant correlates were evaluated, participants who had lived in the US for a longer time, who endorsed more CRC screening benefits, and who endorsed fewer CRC screening barriers were significantly more likely to have had CRC screening in the past. Participants who were more likely to use English in their daily life, who endorsed more CRC screening benefits, and endorsed fewer CRC screening barriers were more likely to be on schedule with regard to CRC screening. In conclusion, awareness of CRC screening and uptake of screening was low in this population of foreign-born South Asians. Interventions to promote CRC screening may benefit from targeting this subgroup of Asian Americans.
Journal of Oncology, 2011
As the most preventable cause of death in the world today, understanding tobacco use among one of... more As the most preventable cause of death in the world today, understanding tobacco use among one of the fastest growing ethnic/racial groups is warranted. We explore cigarette and smokeless tobacco (SLT) use among South Asians in NJ and the Northeast using the Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey. Overall, tobacco use rates among South Asians were similar or lower than the population. However, in NJ, South Asian males had the highest SLT rate (2.7%) and in the Northeast, White (AOR = 5.8, 95% CI = 3.7–9.4) and South Asian males (AOR = 4.0, 95% CI = 1.5–10.6) had significantly higher odds of current SLT use relative to non-White males. Tobacco use among South Asians was not homogeneous; Pakistanis are overrepresented among cigarette smokers while Indians are overrepresented among SLT users. Given the differential tobacco use among and within South Asian, disaggregating data to understand tobacco use behaviors is necessary to develop effective interventions for toba...
Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy, 2011
Introduction-This review examines the post-marketing experience with varenicline including case r... more Introduction-This review examines the post-marketing experience with varenicline including case reports, newer clinical trials and secondary analyses of large clinical datasets. Areas Covered-Varenicline has been shown to be an effective treatment in a broad range of tobacco users with medical, behavioral, and diverse demographic characteristics. The recent studies finding excellent safety and efficacy in groups of smokers with diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are particularly encouraging and call for increased use of this medication for smoking cessation. Despite case reports of serious neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients taking varenicline, including changes in behavior and mood, causality has not been established. Recent analyses of large datasets from clinical trials have not demonstrated that varenicline is associated with more depression or suicidality than other treatments for smoking cessation.
Expert opinion on pharmacotherapy, 2011
This review examines the postmarketing experience with varenicline, including case reports, newer... more This review examines the postmarketing experience with varenicline, including case reports, newer clinical trials and secondary analyses of large clinical datasets. Varenicline has been shown to be an effective treatment in a broad range of tobacco users with medical, behavioral and diverse demographic characteristics. Recent studies finding excellent safety and efficacy in groups of smokers with diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are particularly encouraging and call for increased use of this medication for smoking cessation. Despite case reports of serious neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients taking varenicline, including changes in behavior and mood, causality has not been established. Recent analyses of large datasets from clinical trials have not demonstrated that varenicline is associated with more depression or suicidality than other treatments for smoking cessation. Now that additional clinical trials in specific populations and observational studies o...