The present study investigates whether a virtual reality (VR) intervention can influence pain catastrophizing, pain self-efficacy and other pain-related measures reported during a cold-pressor experience. Forty-five healthy participants underwent two consecutive cold-pressor trials, one using VR and one without VR exposure, in counterbalanced order. The VR intervention encouraged participants t...

OBJECTIVES Using linked administrative data, to validate Medicare coverage estimates among adults aged 65 or older from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), and to assess the impact of a recently added Medicare probe question on the validity of these estimates. DATA SOURCES Linked 2005 NHIS and Master Beneficiary Record and Payment History Update System files from the Social Security ...

OBJECTIVE To examine trends in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes and related conditions in Asian Americans compared with non-Hispanic whites. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We analyzed data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) from 1997 to 2008 to construct a nationally representative sample of 230,503 U.S. adults aged ≥ 18 years. Of these adults, 11,056 identified themselves as Asia...

OBJECTIVES There is growing interest in engaging patients in healthcare research, which raises important questions about the factors that may promote such engagement. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between patient characteristics and three aspects of patient engagement in the medical research process: awareness, interest, and actual participation. METHODS Cross-secti...

INTRODUCTION Response rates for the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) have declined in recent years. The response rate in 1993 was approximately 72%; in 2006, the response rate was approximately 51%. To assess the impact of this decline on the quality of BRFSS estimates, we compared selected health and risk factor estimates from BRFSS with similar estimates from the National He...

OBJECTIVE The goal of this research was to identify the fraction of deaths attributable to diabetes in the United States. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We estimated population attributable fractions (PAF) for cohorts aged 30-84 who were surveyed in the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) between 1997 and 2009 (N = 282,322) and in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)...

BACKGROUND Little is known regarding the epidemiology of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) in racial and ethnic minorities in the United States. This study was designed to comprehensively evaluate the current prevalence of CRS across various treatment settings to identify possible disparities in health care access and use between racial and ethnic populations. METHODS The National Health Intervie...

Using the advances in computing power, software and hardware technologies, virtual reality (VR), and gaming applications have the potential to address clinical challenges for a range of disabilities. VR-based games can potentially provide the ability to assess and augment cognitive and motor rehabilitation under a range of stimulus conditions that are not easily controllable and quantifiable in...

In this paper we present the results of a study to determine the effect and efficacy of a Virtual Reality game designed to elicit movements of the upper extremity. The study is part of an on-going research effort to explore the use of Virtual Reality as a means of improving the effectiveness of therapy for children with motor impairments. The current study addresses the following questions: 1. ...

Virtual reality (VR) surgery simulation is an emerging teaching tool to train residents in cataract surgery. The widespread adoption of virtual surgery has been limited, however, by high costs and the absence of standardized curricula and evidence demonstrating the impact of VR training on resident surgical outcomes. We outline a resident virtual cataract surgery course--freely accessible onlin...