Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Jun 2022
Assault-related injuries reported to police and treated by healthcare providers in the United States.
Research suggests that assault-related injuries known by the police significantly differ from those known by healthcare providers, but the magnitude and nature of these differences are poorly understood. To address this gap, our study examined the empirical differences between assault-related injuries reported to police and treated by healthcare providers. In June of 2021, we analyzed the National Crime Victimization Survey (1993-2019) to estimate the prevalence of police reporting and healthcare use among 5093 nonfatal victimizations that caused injury and were either reported to the police or treated by healthcare in the United States. ⋯ Whether people with violent injuries used healthcare (v. only reported to police) and reported to police (v. only used healthcare) was significantly associated with 13 different person- and incident-level factors. The number and nature of assault-related injuries reported to law enforcement significantly differ from those treated by healthcare providers. Therefore, public health efforts to link police and healthcare data are warranted and recommended.
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Preventive medicine · Jun 2022
Increased nicotine vaping due to the COVID-19 pandemic among US young adults: Associations with nicotine dependence, vaping frequency, and reasons for use.
Previous research has not examined increased vaping because of the pandemic using a national sample of young adults (YAs), which is a critical gap because pandemic-related increases in vaping among YAs could have important implications for nicotine dependence, prolonged regular use, and using substances to cope with stress. We examined self-reported increased vaping attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic among YAs, and its associations with outcomes that have important implications for future nicotine use. Data came from the Monitoring the Future (MTF) Vaping Supplement. ⋯ Increased vaping (vs. decreased and/or no change) was significantly associated with nicotine dependence symptoms, current regular nicotine vaping, and vaping to relax, get high, and because of boredom. Self-reported increased vaping because of the pandemic was associated with increased risk for current nicotine dependence and frequent use. Increased vaping may have been a form of coping with pandemic-related stressors, which increases risk for future substance use problems.
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Preventive medicine · Jun 2022
Perceptions of the safety of vaccines and vaccine associated knowledge levels in Europe: A 2019 cross-sectional study in 28 countries.
Vaccination has saved millions of lives. Vaccine hesitancy was recently declared a major threat to health by the World Health Organisation. Sociodemographic variables and knowledge level about vaccines have been suggested previously to affect vaccine uptake. ⋯ An increasing number of people are seeking online sources for vaccination information, and this has implications with information accuracy and vaccine hesitancy. A considerable proportion of the adult population in the European Union and the United Kingdom was concerned about the safety or side effects of vaccines. Continued efforts to increase trust in vaccines both in whole populations and specific groups are needed.
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Preventive medicine · Jun 2022
Comparative predictors for cervical cancer screening in Southeast Michigan for Middle Eastern-North African (MENA), White and African American/black women.
The cervical cancer screening behaviors of Arab American women are not adequately understood, in part because Middle Eastern North African (MENA) descent is not a US Census category. Others have shown decreased cervical cancer screening in this race of women. Our primary aim is to evaluate the predictors of cervical cancer screening among MENA, White and Black women of southeast Michigan. ⋯ Religion was not associated with screening in any study population. Those of all races without insurance screened significantly less often than those with insurance. The barriers to cervical cancer screening among MENA women are not associated with religion but instead with lack of insurance and length of time residing in the US.
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Preventive medicine · Jun 2022
Association between self-rated health and venous thromboembolism in Malmö Preventive Program: A cohort study.
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) share some risk factors such as smoking, obesity, and dietary habits. Poor self-rated health (SRH) has been shown to be a predictor of arterial CVD and mortality for both men and women. The association between SRH and VTE has only been investigated in one previous Swedish study with a cohort that just contained women. This Swedish study did not show any significant associations between poor SRH and VTE in women. ⋯ In this cohort study, SRH was associated with VTE in women but not among men. The association was significant even when adjusting for well-known risk factors such as varicose veins, BMI and smoking.