Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Dec 2021
The impact of the Covid-19 crisis on socioeconomic differences in physical activity behavior: Evidence from the lifelines COVID-19 cohort study.
Covid-19 and measures to contain spreading the disease have led to changed physical activity behavior. This study aims to investigate the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and changes in the amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during the Covid-19 crisis. Using the Dutch Lifelines Covid-19 cohort study (n = 17,749), the amount of MVPA was measured at 15 time-points between March and December 2020, and compared with the amount before the Covid19 pandemic. ⋯ Most findings were consistent over the full research period. Socioeconomic inequalities in MVPA have increased during the Covid-19 pandemic, even when Covid-19 containment measures were relaxed. Our findings suggest that future public health policies need to increase efforts to improve physical activity behavior with an even larger focus on low SES groups.
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Preventive medicine · Dec 2021
Life''s Simple 7 and the risk of stroke in Finnish men: A prospective cohort study.
Population-wide preventive measures constitute important approaches towards reducing stroke risk and its associated burden. We sought to examine the association between American Heart Association's (AHA) Life's Simple7 (LS7) score and the risk of stroke in men. ⋯ LS7 was strongly, inversely and linearly associated with risk of total and ischaemic strokes among a middle-aged male Finnish population.
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Preventive medicine · Dec 2021
Prescription opioid use among women of reproductive age in the United States: NHANES, 2003-2018.
Women are prescribed opioids more often than men. Prescription opioid use among women of reproductive age is a public health concern because opioid use during pregnancy is associated with decreased prenatal care and increased risk of adverse perinatal and maternal outcomes. Recent prevalence estimates and correlates of prescription opioid use and long-term use among women of reproductive age are limited. ⋯ Correlates of prescription opioid use and long-term use included ages 35-44, non-Hispanic White, public insurance, and women with poor or fair health status. As policy makers and clinicians strive to reduce the negative impacts of the opioid epidemic, they should consider the demographic groups most likely to use prescription opioids long-term. Additionally, reductions in opioid prescribing should be balanced with increased availability of nonopioid therapies and monitoring for opioid use disorder.
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Preventive medicine · Dec 2021
Healthcare lobbying on upstream social determinants of health in the US.
Healthcare stakeholders are increasingly investing to address social determinants of health (SDOH) as they seek to improve health outcomes and reduce total healthcare costs in their communities. Policy heavily shapes SDOH, and healthcare lobbying on SDOH issues may offer large impacts through positive policy change. ⋯ Lobbying has been a missed opportunity for addressing SDOH. Healthcare organizations have the opportunity to expand their lobbying on upstream SDOH policy issues to increase the impact of their SDOH strategy and further improve population health.
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Preventive medicine · Dec 2021
Naloxone dispensing among the commercially insured population in the United States from 2015 to 2018.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain recommends that providers consider co-prescribing naloxone when factors that increase the risk of overdose are present. Naloxone is an opioid receptor antagonist that counteracts the effects of an opioid overdose. This paper explores trends in naloxone dispensing and out-of-pocket costs among commercially insured individuals in the United States. ⋯ Despite increases in naloxone dispensing from 2015 to 2018, the provision of naloxone to the commercially insured population remains low. Opportunities remain to increase the supply of naloxone to at-risk populations. Considering ways to reduce out-of-pocket costs associated with naloxone may be a potential strategy to increase access to this life-saving drug.