Preventive medicine
-
Preventive medicine · Sep 2024
Tweeting environmental pollution: Analyzing twitter language to uncover its correlation with county-level obesity rates in the United States.
Environmental pollution has been linked to obesogenic tendencies. Using environmental-related posts from Twitter (now known as X) from U.S. counties, we aim to uncover the association between Twitter linguistic data and U.S. county-level obesity rates. ⋯ Although Twitter users are a subset of the general population, incorporating environmental-related tweets and county-level obesity rates and using a novel language analysis technique make this study unique. Our results indicated that Twitter users engaging in more active dialog about environmental concerns might exhibit healthier lifestyle practices, contributing to reduced obesity rates.
-
Limited research examines birth defects from maternal or paternal firefighting exposure. This study aims to assess if maternal or paternal occupational exposure to firefighting during periconception is associated with offspring birth defects. ⋯ Offspring of paternal firefighters may have similar or slightly lower birth defect odds compared to offspring of non-firefighters. Limited data was available for assessing maternal firefighting outcomes. Future studies should prioritize studies using occupational exposure matrices to limit misclassification of exposure.
-
Preventive medicine · Sep 2024
Precarious employment and mental health in the United States: Results from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), 2008-2021.
To measure associations between employment precarity and mental health among United States (US) workers. ⋯ Increasing levels of employment precarity were associated with poor/fair self-rated mental health, findings potentially indicative of a dose-response relationship between the two. These nationally representative findings suggest employment precarity is an important social determinant of mental health. Future research could investigate how best to mitigate the negative effects of precarity on workers' lives and well-being, particularly regarding mental health.
-
Preventive medicine · Sep 2024
The impact of residential environment on stroke onset and its spatial heterogeneity: A multiscale exploration in Shanghai.
Stroke is a worldwide concern due to its high disability and mortality rates, especially in many countries entering ageing societies. This study aims to understand the spatial heterogeneity of stroke onset and residential environment influence scopes from multiscale. ⋯ MGWR analyses individual components across multiple bandwidths, revealing geographical disparities in the impact of elements that would otherwise be undetected on a global scale. Environmental factors have a limited impact on the onset of stroke. When society is faced with both heavy ageing and fiscal constraints, some of the blue-green space budgets can be scaled back to invest in more secure facilities.
-
Preventive medicine · Sep 2024
The optimization of harm reduction services in Massachusetts through the use of GIS: Location-allocation analyses, 2019-2021.
Fatal opioid-related overdoses (OOD) continue to be a leading cause of preventable death across the US. Opioid Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution programs (OENDs) play a vital role in addressing morbidity and mortality associated with opioid use, but access to such services is often inequitable. We utilized a geographic information system (GIS) and spatial analytical methods to inform prioritized placement of OEND services in Massachusetts. ⋯ Our analyses identified key areas of Massachusetts with greatest need for OEND services. Further, these results demonstrate the utility of using spatial epidemiological methods to inform public health recommendations.