Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Jan 2024
Prevalence of lifestyle-related behavioral information in claims data in the U.S.
Given their association with varying health risks, lifestyle-related behaviors are essential to consider in population-level disease prevention. Health insurance claims are a key source of information for population health analytics, but the availability of lifestyle information within claims data is unknown. Our goal was to assess the availability and prevalence of data items that describe lifestyle behaviors across several domains within a large U.S. claims database. ⋯ Our study demonstrates the feasibility of using claims data to identify key lifestyle behaviors. Additional research is needed to confirm the accuracy and validity of our approach and determine its use in population-level disease prevention.
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Preventive medicine · Jan 2024
SARS-CoV-2 vaccination uptake in six ethnic groups living in Amsterdam, the Netherlands: A registry-based study within the HELIUS cohort.
Ethnic minority groups have experienced a disproportionate burden of COVID-19, and should therefore be especially encouraged to receive SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. This study compared first-dose uptake of the primary SARS-CoV-2 vaccination series across six ethnic groups in Amsterdam, the Netherlands in 2021. ⋯ Prevention strategies should continue tailoring to specific ethnic groups to encourage vaccination uptake and reduce barriers to vaccination.
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Preventive medicine · Jan 2024
Allostatic load and risk of invasive breast cancer among postmenopausal women in the U.S.
Allostatic load can reflect the body's response to chronic stress. However, little is known about the association between allostatic load and risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. This study used a large prospective cohort in the United States to examine the relationship between allostatic load and invasive breast cancer risk, and to evaluate the relationship by racial and ethnic identity and breast cancer subtypes. ⋯ In this study, we found that higher allostatic load was significantly associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women.
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Preventive medicine · Jan 2024
Racial differences in knowledge, attitudes, and sources of information about germline cancer genetic testing in the U.S.A.: An analysis of the health information National Trends Survey System.
To understand racial disparities in germline cancer genetic testing and the role of prior knowledge, attitudes, and sources of information. ⋯ NHB and Hispanic groups face unequal access to information about genetic testing. There are significant race-based differences in information sources. These differences could be used to promote equitable access to cancer genetic testing.
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Preventive medicine · Jan 2024
Beyond the waves: Unraveling pandemic outcomes with genomic insights and immunity analysis - Evidence from 14 countries.
Although the World Health Organization and many governments have recategorized COVID-19 as a generally mild to moderately severe disease, consecutive pandemic waves driven by immune escape variants have underscored the need for timely and accurate prediction of the next outbreak. Nevertheless, little attention has been paid to translating genomic data and infection- and vaccine-induced immunity into direct estimates. ⋯ By leveraging readily accessible pre-outbreak genomic and epidemiologic data, our results not only substantiate the predictive potential of early variant fractions but also propose that immunity acquired through infection alone may not sufficiently mitigate transmission. Conversely, a rapid and widespread vaccination initiative appears to be correlated with a decrease in disease incidence.