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UKnowledge > College of Public Health > Journal of Appalachian Health > Vol. 6 (2024) > Iss. 3

 

Corresponding Author

Brittany L. Smalls, PhD, MHSA

2195 Harrodsburg Road, Suite 125

Lexington, KY 40504

P: (859) 323-4916

Email: Brittany.smalls@uky.edu

Author Affiliations

  1. Brittany L. Smalls, PhD, MHSA: Associate professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine and Center for Health Equity Transformation, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky (Lexington KY); E-mail: brittany.smalls@uky.edu; ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3727-346X
  2. Adebola Adegboyega, PhD, RN: Assistant professor, College of Nursing, University of Kentucky; ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8764-6589
  3. Courtney Ortz, MSW, PhD: Post-doctoral scholar, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky
  4. Ellen Combs, MD: Medical student, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky
  5. Md. Tofial Azam, PhD: Doctoral student, Center for Health Equity Transformation, College of Medicine, and Department of Biostatistics, University of Kentucky; ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1310-4269
  6. Philip M. Westgate, PhD: Interim chair and professor, Center for Health Equity Transformation, College of Medicine, and Department of Biostatistics, University of Kentucky; ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2991-268X
  7. Nancy E. Schoenberg, PhD: Community–based researcher, Center for Health Equity Transformation, College of Medicine, and Department of Behavioral Sciences, University of Kentucky

Author Area of Expertise

BLS is a health services and health inequities researcher focusing on rural communities

AA is a community-based and health inequities researcher

CO is a community-based researcher, gerontologist, and social worker

EC is a medical student working with BLS for research experience

MTA was a doctoral student in biostatistics under the supervision of PMW

NES is a senior health inequities and community-based researcher, provided funding for this study, and is a senior investigator in rural health

Abstract

Introduction: Appalachian populations have some of the highest rates of overdose and comorbidity, all of which are considered risk factors for and contributors to chronic pain.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the associations of comorbidity, disability (physical limitations), and depression with chronic pain among a community-based sample of Appalachian adults living with diabetes.

Methods: This study used baseline data to conduct a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data (n=356). Data included sociodemographic, disability (physical limitations), chronic pain, and depression measures. These data were collected and analyzed from 2017–2019. Multiple logistic regression was used to investigate the association between comorbidity, disability, depression, and chronic pain.

Results: Participants were predominantly non Hispanic white (98.0%), women (64.6%), and had a mean age of 64.2 years. Comorbidity (p=.044), physical limitations (pp

Implications: Chronic pain affects physical and psychosocial health among those diagnosed with diabetes who live in rural Appalachian communities. Alleviating chronic pain could have a synergistic benefit to healthy functioning.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.13023/jah.0603.07

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Smalls BL, Adegboyega A, Ortz C, Combs E, Azam MT, Westgate PM, Schoenberg NE. Assessing chronic pain among adults diagnosed with diabetes residing in rural Appalachia. J Appalach Health 2024;6(3):79-92. DOI: https://doi.org/10.13023/jah.0603.07

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