Publications -- Amy Raines-Milenkov
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12503/31885
This collection is limited to articles published under the terms of a creative commons license or other open access publishing agreement since 2016. It is not intended as a complete list of the author's works.
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Item Willingness of a Multiethnic Immigrant Population to Donate Biospecimens for Research Purposes(Springer Nature, 2021-07-26) Raines-Milenkov, Amy; Felini, Martha; Baker, Eva; Acharya, Rushil; Longanga Diese, Elvis; Onsa, Sara; Iang, Hlawn; Abdi, Anab; Akpan, Idara N.; Hussain, Arbaz; Wagner, Teresa; Hughes, JonathanThis cross-sectional study explores the willingness to donate biospecimens for research purposes among six refugee communities in North Texas (spanning Myanmar, Central Africa, Somalia, Nepal, Arabic speaking countries, and others). Participants were asked four questions about biospecimen donation: (1) previously asked to donate, (2) ever agreed to donate, (3) willingness to donate for future research, and (4) what samples they would be willing to donate. Most participants (77%) were willing to donate biosamples for medical research; 58% were willing to donate samples. Fewer refugees from Somalia were willing to donate compared to immigrants from Myanmar, Central Africa, and Nepal (p < 0.01). Participants in the older age group (40 + years) were 3.2 times more likely to be willing for donation of biospecimens than the younger ones (OR 3.22, 95% CI 1.22, 8.55). Findings suggest refugees' willingness to participate in biospecimen donation which support intentional inclusion of multicultural populations into medical research.Item Uptake of cancer screenings among a multiethnic refugee population in North Texas, 2014-2018(PLOS, 2020-03-30) Raines-Milenkov, Amy; Felini, Martha; Baker, Eva; Acharya, Rushil; Longanga Diese, Elvis; Onsa, Sara; Fernando, Shane I.; Chor, HolyBACKGROUND: Refugees are less likely than US born populations to receive cancer screenings. Building Bridges is a community health worker prevention program designed to increase refugee's cancer screening uptake. The purpose of this cross sectional analysis was to assess differences in uptake of cervical, breast, liver, and colorectal screens across six cultural groups. METHODS: Data was abstracted in 2018 for this analysis. Participants were categorized into six cultural groups (Myanmar, Central Africa, Bhutan, Somalia, Arabic Speaking Countries, and Other) to assess differences in sociodemographic measures and screening uptake. Uptake proportions were calculated for each cancer type (cervical, breast, liver, and colon) among eligible participants, by gender and cultural group. Differences in uptake across groups were assessed using stratified analysis and logistic regression. Prevalence odds ratios (POR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for each group to assess the association between screening completion and cultural group. FINDINGS: 874 refugees were asked about cancer screening history. The majority of participants were either 'never had been screened' or 'not up-to-date' for every cancer screening. Among age eligible, 82% had no prior pap exam within the past 3 years, 81% had no prior mammogram within the past year, 69% didn't know their Hepatitis B status and 87% never had a colon cancer screening. Overall, higher uptake of all types of cancer screenings was observed in Myanmar and Bhutanese groups, except colon cancer screening which was higher among Central African Region and Arabic Speaking participants. CONCLUSION: Screening uptake varied by ethnic group and screening type. The program reached an under and never screened population, however, the proportion of refugees who received a cancer screening remained low compared to the US population. Diversity within refugee communities requires adaptation to specific cultural and linguistic needs to include new Americans in cancer elimination efforts.