Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Aug 2024
Fighting behavior, conflict perceptions, and firearm access among U.S. adolescents in a pediatric emergency department.
Prior evidence demonstrates that both firearm access and fighting can predict future violence and injury in adolescents. We aimed to examine associations between firearm access with fighting behavior and conflict perception in a sample of adolescents in an urban emergency department (ED) setting. ⋯ Those perceiving continued conflict after a fight were more likely to report access to firearms and endorse retaliation; however, they were more likely to want to report the fight to law enforcement. These findings highlight the potential for more comprehensive ED risk assessment to reduce retaliation and reinjury for adolescents reporting fighting behavior.
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Preventive medicine · Aug 2024
Co-occurring conditions during pregnancy and hospitalizations in the first year postpartum among persons with opioid use disorder.
Pregnant persons with opioid use disorder (OUD) face a multitude of comorbid conditions that may increase the risk of adverse drug and health outcomes. This study characterizes typologies of comorbidities among pregnant persons with OUD and assesses the associations of these typologies with hospitalizations in the first year postpartum. ⋯ Findings highlight the need for long-term, multidisciplinary healthcare delivery interventions to address comorbidities and prevent adverse postpartum outcomes.
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Preventive medicine · Aug 2024
Does later school start improve adolescents' sleep and substance use?: A quasi-experimental study.
A later school start time policy has been recommended as a solution to adolescents' sleep deprivation. We estimated the impacts of later school start times on adolescents' sleep and substance use by leveraging a quasi-experiment in which school start time was delayed in some regions in South Korea. ⋯ Our findings suggest that policies that increase sleep in adolescents may have positive effects on health behaviors, but additional efforts may be required to sustain positive impacts over time. Physicians and education and health policymakers should consider the long-term effects of later school start times on adolescent health and well-being.
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Preventive medicine · Aug 2024
Impact of body mass index and examination type on utilization of screening programs: A big data study.
To investigate the relationship between Body Mass Index (BMI) and adherence to recommended screening tests, addressing gaps in previous literature by utilizing a large cohort, while considering longitudinal changes in weight and the type of screening. ⋯ Our findings suggest that individuals with overweight and obesity are less likely to undergo screenings involving intimate physical examinations, potentially due to weight stigma and discomfort. This avoidance behavior may contribute to increased morbidity rates in these populations. Interventions addressing weight stigma, improving access to care, and enhancing patient engagement are warranted.
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Preventive medicine · Aug 2024
Association between ethnicity, language and metformin prescriptions in U.S. community health center patients with diabetes.
Metformin treatment is a recommended first-line medication for patients with type 2 diabetes. Latino patients are subject to factors that may modify their level of diabetes care, including medication prescription. We evaluated the odds of and times to metformin prescription among non-Latino whites, English-preferring Latinos, and Spanish-preferring Latinos with diabetes. ⋯ Our analysis of metformin prescription patterns among non-Latino whites, English-preferring Latinos, and Spanish-preferring Latinos did not suggest a lower or slower tendency to prescribe metformin in Latino patients. Understanding disparities in diabetes diagnosis may require further investigation of medication adherence barriers, diet and exercise counseling, and multi-level influences on diabetes outcomes in Latino patients.