Objectives. To estimate the effect of influenza vaccination disparities. Methods. We compared symptomatic influenza cases between Black and White races in 2 scenarios: (1) race- and age-specific vaccination coverage and (2) equal vaccination coverage. We also compared differences in household composition between races. We used the Framework for Reconstructing Epidemiological Dynamics, an agent-based

Without perspectives of low-wage workers in studies of worker health and well-being, researchers cannot comprehensively assess occupational health and health equity impacts of workplace exposures and interventions. Researchers and practitioners have noted particular challenges in engaging low-wage workers in worksite-based health survey research, yet little scholarship has described strategies for

Objectives. To provide a legal epidemiology review of state-level policies that regulate the direct delivery of recreational and medical cannabis in the United States. Methods. We conducted a comprehensive review to identify all relevant policies as of July 1, 2024. Specifically, we developed a coding scheme to capture laws governing (1) direct delivery of recreational cannabis, (2) licensing for direct

Objectives. To (1) compare responses to 2 survey questions designed to measure sexual orientation and (2) understand how variation in responses is associated with mental health. Methods. Data were from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity, Socioeconomic Status, and Health Across the Life Course (SOGI-SES) study (2020-2021) in

Objectives. To examine whether, through interactions with preexisting socioeconomic status vulnerabilities, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated exposure to firearm violence among communities with a legacy of redlining (i.e., grading the creditworthiness of neighborhoods based on their sociodemographic composition). Methods. We used an exogenous population threshold whereby the Home Owners Loan Corporation

Stephen Smith launched a 40-year effort to bring trees to New York City streets in 1872, the year he founded the American Public Health Association (APHA). Smith argued that street trees would mitigate the adverse health effects of Manhattan's summer heat and help purify the air. The young APHA endorsed Smith's position and gave trees a prominent role in urban sanitation, but public health turned away

Objectives. To examine the prevalence of cannabis use among US workers using data from the US Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) during 2016 to 2020. Methods. We analyzed past 30-day cannabis use among US workers. We calculated weighted prevalence and adjusted prevalence ratios (APRs) of cannabis use for working adults by industry groups, occupation groups, and sociodemographic characteristics

Objectives. To examine trends in young adult self-reported driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI-A), cannabis (DUI-C), and simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use (DUI-AC) in a state with legalized nonmedical cannabis use from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods. We used logistic regression and annual statewide data from the Washington Young Adult Health Survey to assess DUI behaviors

For public health protection, informed decision-making relies on having a robust foundation of evidence concerning risks and their prevention. Application of an evidence-based framework depends on the availability of pertinent, scientifically sound data generated by well-directed and valid research endeavors. In this essay, we address the current state of research in humans and the evidential base

Objectives. To examine whether local cannabis policies and retail availability are associated with cannabis use and problematic cannabis use (PCU) among adolescents in Northern California. Methods. The sample comprised adolescents aged 13 to 17 years screened for past-year cannabis use during well-child visits in 2021. Exposures included local bans on cannabis storefront retailers, policy protectiveness

Objectives. To characterize regulatory practices related to nonmedical cannabis warning labels in states across the United States that have legalized retail nonmedical cannabis. Methods. In March 2024, we conducted a content analysis of regulations for nonmedical cannabis warning labels required on product packages in 20 states where, as of March 2024, adults could legally purchase nonmedical cannabis

Objectives. To characterize cannabis-related disorder medical encounter trends in the US Medicare population during 2017 to 2022. Methods. We conducted a descriptive study, which included 56 624 432 beneficiaries aged 65 years or older and 10 247 953 aged 18 to 64 years with disability. All were continuously enrolled in Medicare (Fee-for-Service or Advantage) for 183 or more days before the first day

Objectives. To investigate characteristics of data reported in US medical cannabis registries across states. Methods. Data included 2021 medical cannabis registry reports from 34 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia (hereafter, states) with active medical cannabis programs. The data from the reports were manually coded into domains and subcategories, including information related to patients

Objectives. To compare pregnancy-related mortality ratios (PRMRs) associated with COVID-19 by race/ethnicity, by region of residence, and in states with and without Medicaid expansion. Methods. We used 2020-2021 data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research in our analysis. We stratified PRMRs by race/ethnicity, census regions, and

Despite tobacco cessation medications being a first-line treatment for quitting smoking, a majority of Medicaid programs require health care providers to obtain prior authorization before prescribing them. We examined the impact of Colorado's Medicaid program removing its prior authorization requirement for these drugs on their use and estimated the additional number of Coloradoans who used these therapies

Objectives. To quantify the prevalence, correlates, and impacts of displacement because of natural disasters in the United States. Methods. We pooled data across 10 independent survey samples from the Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey from December 2022 to September 2023. Survey questions asked about displacement from home because of natural disasters, duration of displacement, and impacts of disasters

Objectives. To inventory and describe trends in proposal and enactment of US sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) policies at state, local, and Tribal levels, 2014-2023. Methods. We systematically searched 6 policy databases in 2021 (updated May 2023) using SSB-related search terms, identifying additional policies through snowball and online searches and a survey of food-policy experts. We reviewed 10 821

In 2020, the Office of Minority Health (OMH) funded the establishment of the National COVID-19 Resiliency Network (NCRN) to engage priority communities that included African American, American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian, Hispanic, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander persons to aggregate culturally relevant messages, education tools, and national data sources. A mobile application and Web site supported

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated socioeconomic and racial disparities. Because of the institution's commitment to health equity, Morehouse School of Medicine, one of four Historically Black College and University (HBCU) medical schools, took the leadership role in addressing disparities by becoming a community vaccination provider. With vaccines registered, ordered, and received from the Georgia Department

Objectives. To analyze births and birth intendedness after long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) removal among Medicaid-insured women. Methods. We linked all Delaware women with a Medicaid-covered LARC removal in 2012 to 2020 (n = 8047) to birth records and to Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) pregnancy intendedness survey responses (n = 241). Results. Births within 3 years

Objectives. To determine whether the Communities That HEAL (CTH) intervention is effective in increasing naloxone distribution compared with usual care. Methods. The HEALing (Helping to End Addiction Long-Term) Communities Study (HCS) is a cluster-randomized, parallel-arm, wait-list controlled implementation science trial testing the impact of the CTH intervention on increasing the use of evidence-based

Objectives. To estimate the odds of having cognitive difficulties among Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) American adults and compare these odds with those of White, Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN), and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander adults nationally and in the 4 states with the largest MENA populations (California, New York, Michigan, and Texas)

Objectives. To describe 4 unique models of operationalizing wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in jails of graduated sizes and different architectural designs. Methods. We summarize how jails of Cook County, Illinois (average daily population [ADP] 6000); Fulton County, Georgia (ADP 3000); Middlesex County, Massachusetts (ADP 875); and

Interventions designed to address COVID-19 needed to be rapidly scaled up to the population level, and to address health equity by reaching historically marginalized populations most affected by the pandemic (e.g., racial/ethnic minorities and rural and low socioeconomic status populations). From February 2021 to June 2022, SCALE-UP Utah used text messaging interventions to reach 107 846 patients from

Objectives. To assess multilevel factors associated with variation in COVID-19 vaccination rates in a US network of community health centers. Methods. Using multilevel logistic regression with electronic health record data from ADVANCE (Accelerating Data Value Across a National Community Health Center Network; January 1, 2022-December 31, 2022), we assessed associations between health care delivery

Objectives. To assess the relationship between doula utilization and health outcomes of females enrolled in Medicaid-affiliated plans in the United States. Methods. In this retrospective, observational cohort study, we used Medicaid claims data from a national health insurer to compare health outcomes between females who used and who did not use a doula (2014-2023). We conducted propensity score matching

The California Department of State Hospitals and Department of Public Health collaborated to develop infection control programs in five inpatient psychiatric hospitals in response to COVID-19. In the retrospective observational study described here, conducted from March 2020 through February 2023, we calculated seven-day rolling averages of COVID-19 cases overlaid with key interventions, communication

Objectives. To test whether countermarketing messages for sugary drinks lead to lower intentions to consume sugary drinks and less perceived weight stigma than health education messages. Methods. In August 2023, we conducted an online randomized controlled trial with US adults (n = 2169). We assessed the effect of countermarketing messages, health education messages, and neutral control messages on

Objectives. To estimate changes in medical cannabis patient activity after Canada's recreational cannabis legalization. Methods. I used linear regressions of interrupted times series models to analyze medical cannabis patient registrations per 10 000 residents, purchases per 100 registrations, and packages per purchase in Canada's 10 provinces between April 2017 and December 2022. I tested relationships

Objectives. To determine whether job postings from employers seeking master of public health (MPH) graduates require skills aligning with Council on Education in Public Health (CEPH) competencies. Methods. I analyzed a data set of 70 343 job postings in the United States for MPH graduates from Lightcast, a data vendor that collects, cleans, and analyzes millions of job postings per year. I contrasted