Preventive medicine
-
Preventive medicine · Nov 2022
The association between E-cigarette use and Kratom use among US adults.
Kratom, an herbal substance with stimulant and opioid-like effects commonly used in capsules or powder to be ingested or brewed as a tea, has been gaining popularity in the United States (US). US e-cigarette use (i.e., vaping) has exponentially increased in recent years. Given the potential risks of kratom (e.g., poisonings) and the increasing prevalence of e-cigarette use, understanding the association between them is important to inform prevention strategies and regulatory policies. ⋯ Among all respondents, the estimated prevalence of past-year kratom use was 0.9% and an estimated 9.7% reported past-year e-cigarette use. Our multivariable model found those with e-cigarette use (vs. not) had 4.80 higher odds of using kratom in the past year (aOR = 4.80; 95% CI = 2.62, 8.80). These findings might help inform the need for continuing education for physicians and healthcare providers related to practice in managing patients with kratom use, future studies for regulatory policies on e-cigarettes (e.g., e-liquids), or other FDA policies related to kratom.
-
Preventive medicine · Nov 2022
Physical abuse in childhood and intimate partner violence in Peruvian women: A population-based survey, 2019.
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global health problem and a violation of individual rights. The objective of this study was to assess the association between physical child abuse and current IPV in women of childbearing age in Peru. An analytical cross-sectional analysis of the data from the 2019 Demographic and Family Health Survey was carried out. ⋯ After adjusting for the characteristics of the woman, the partner or husband, marriage or relationship and the home, it was observed that having experienced physical abuse during childhood increased the probability of experiencing emotional (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] 1.15; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09-1.21), physical (aPR 1.33; 95% CI: 1.20-1.47), sexual (aPR 1.57; 95% CI: 1.26-1.96) and any type of violence (aPR 1.15; 95% CI: 1.09-1.21) in adulthood. In conclusion, physical abuse during childhood is a public health issue in Peru. This study shows that women aged 15 to 49 who experienced physical abuse in childhood are more likely to experience intimate partner violence.
-
Preventive medicine · Nov 2022
Patterns of household gun ownership and firearm suicide among black men compared to white men.
Little is known about the patterns of household gun ownership among Black Americans, so little is known about the relationship between the patterns of Black household gun ownership and the patterns of Black firearm suicide. We analyze data from the 2001-2004 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, the first and last years for which a gun question was part of the core questions. ⋯ While gun ownership increases with age, adult male Black firearm suicide rates are highest in the younger age group-an age group that also has a high proportion of suicides that are firearm suicides. Differences in unadjusted demographic patterns in firearm suicide between Black men and White men cannot be explained by differences in the self-reported patterns of household gun ownership.
-
Preventive medicine · Nov 2022
Association between COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and trust in the medical profession and public health officials.
One's personal physician, national and state or local public health officials, and the broader medical profession play important roles in encouraging vaccine uptake for COVID-19. However, the relationship between trust in these experts and vaccine hesitancy has been underexplored, particularly among racial/minority groups where historic medical mistrust may reduce uptake. Using an April 2021 online sample of US adults (n = 3041) that explored vaccine hesitancy, regression models estimate levels of trust in each of these types of experts and between trust in each of these experts and the odds of being COVID-19 vaccine takers vs refusers or hesitaters. ⋯ For Hispanic respondents only, the odds of being a hesitater declined significantly when trust in the medical profession rose. Mistrust in the medical profession, one's doctor and national experts contributes to vaccine hesitancy. Mobilizing personal physicians to speak to their own patients may help.
-
Preventive medicine · Nov 2022
Associations of connectedness and parental behaviors with adolescent physical activity and mental health during COVID-19: A mediation analysis using the 2021 adolescent behaviors and experiences survey.
The purpose of this study was to examine the associations of connectedness and parental behaviors with adolescent physical activity (PA) and mental health during COVID-19. Participants were a representative sample of US high school students who completed the 2021 Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey (ABES; N = 7705; 50.4% female). ABES was completed online during the spring of 2021 and data were analyzed during the spring of 2022. ⋯ Parental emotional abuse directly associated with poorer mental health in Model 1 (β = -0.43, p < 0.001). Standardized indirect effects to better mental health mediated through higher PA were observed for school connectedness (IE = 0.017, p < 0.001) and virtual connectedness (IE = 0.007, p < 0.001) and indirect effects to lower PA mediated through poorer mental health were observed for parental emotional abuse (IE = -0.050, p < 0.001). Perceptions of school and virtual connectedness and parental emotional abuse both directly and indirectly impacted adolescent PA and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.