American journal of preventive medicine
-
Observational Study
Association Between Acute Exposure to Crime and Individual Systolic Blood Pressure.
Hypertension is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes and is geographically concentrated in urban underserved neighborhoods. This study examines the temporal-spatial association between individual exposure to violent crime and blood pressure. ⋯ Exposure to a violent crime event was associated with increased blood pressure, with gradient effects by both distance and time from exposure.
-
Sudden cardiac death is the main cause of death among firefighters. The goal of this study is to identify firefighters at risk for cardiovascular disease using coronary artery calcium screening. ⋯ A coronary artery calcium scan may identify the firefighters at increased risk for cardiovascular disease. A comprehensive cardiovascular disease prevention program implemented early in a firefighter's career may help reduce cardiovascular disease risk and thus death and disability in this high-risk population.
-
The U.S. Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion, which allowed states to expand Medicaid coverage to low-income adults beginning in 2014, has reduced the risk factors for child neglect and physical abuse, including parental financial insecurity, substance use, and untreated mental illness. This study examines the associations between Medicaid expansion and the rates of overall, first-time, and repeat reports of child neglect and physical abuse incidents per 100,000 children aged 0-5, 6-12, and 13-17 years. ⋯ Insurance expansions for low-income adults may reduce child neglect.
-
Stress from negative life events may be an important risk factor for chronic cardiometabolic conditions, which are increasingly prevalent among young adults. Support from personal networks is known to buffer stress from negative life events. Yet, evidence for these relationships among both young and older adults remains unclear. ⋯ Negative life events may be important risk factors for chronic cardiometabolic disease outcomes, particularly among young adults. Although there is no evidence of network support mediating the effects of negative life events, increases in network support were directly associated with chronic cardiometabolic outcomes.
-
Type 2 diabetes is a widespread, preventable illness. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has screening guidelines for diabetes prevention. The aim is to establish the extent to which U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's guidelines for prediabetes screening, diagnosis, and treatment are followed in a large health system and to identify missed opportunities for diabetes prevention. ⋯ Although a majority of eligible patients receive appropriate screening for prediabetes, diagnosis and treatment of patients who screen positive for prediabetes is not common practice. Future research and policy may benefit from a focus on classifying diabetes prevention as a quality metric and incentivizing behaviors consistent with diabetes prevention.