American journal of preventive medicine
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The purpose of this study is to explore how the associations between importance of religion and recent suicide ideation, recent suicide attempt, and lifetime suicide attempt vary by sexual orientation. ⋯ Religion-based services for mental health and suicide prevention may not benefit gay/lesbian, bisexual, or questioning individuals. Religion-based service providers should actively assure their services are open and supportive of gay/lesbian, bisexual, or questioning individuals.
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Globalization via free trade and investment agreements is often implicated in the obesity pandemic. Concerns center on how free trade and investment agreements increase population exposure to unhealthy, high-calorie diets, but existing studies preclude causal conclusions. Few studies of free trade and investment agreements and diets isolated their impact from confounding changes, and none examined any effect on caloric intake, despite its critical role in the etiology of obesity. This study addresses these limitations by analyzing a unique natural experiment arising from the exceptional circumstances surrounding the implementation of the 1989 Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement. ⋯ The Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement was associated with a substantial rise in calorie availability in Canada. U.S. free trade and investment agreements can contribute to rising obesity and related diseases by pushing up caloric intake.
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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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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.