American journal of preventive medicine
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Appreciating the accuracy and value of cancer screening is essential to informed decision making about screening. This study's objectives were to (1) examine people's beliefs about the accuracy and value of cancer screening, and (2) determine whether sociodemographics, cancer beliefs, and shared decision making are associated with these beliefs. ⋯ Educators, researchers, and clinicians should consider opportunities (e.g., through shared decision making) to improve the accuracy of individuals' beliefs about cancer screening.
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The U.S. is experiencing an opioid epidemic which is at least partially iatrogenic and fueled by both prescription and illicit misuse. This study provides a nationwide examination of opioid distribution patterns during the last decade. ⋯ With the exception of buprenorphine, used to treat an opioid use disorder, prescription opioid use has been decreasing over the past 5 years in the U.S. Further efforts are needed to continue to optimize the balance between appropriate opioid access for acute pain while minimizing diversion and treating opioid addiction.
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Contemporary state-specific estimates of mortality caused by cigarette smoking are important for tobacco control advocacy and healthcare planning in the U.S., but are currently lacking. ⋯ Cigarette smoking continues to cause a substantial proportion of deaths in every state, with the highest population-attributable fractions in Nevada and the South. The continuing high burden in states with longstanding tobacco control, like California, highlights the need for enhanced tobacco control in all states.
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The purpose of this study is to extend prior research on barriers to use of a prescription drug monitoring program by examining psychosocial correlates of intended use among physicians and pharmacists. ⋯ Interventions that target normative beliefs surrounding prescription drug monitoring program use and how to use prescription drug monitoring programs effectively are likely to be more effective than those that target professional obligations or moralize to the medical community.
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Over the past 2 decades, drug-related deaths have grown to be a major U.S. public health problem. County-level differences in drug-related mortality rates are large. The relative contributions of social determinants of health to this variation, including the economic, social, and healthcare environments, are unknown. ⋯ Drug-related mortality rates are not randomly distributed across the U.S. Future research should consider the specific pathways through which economic, social, and healthcare environments are associated with drug-related mortality.