American journal of preventive medicine
-
Concurrent use of prescription opioids with gabapentinoids may pose risks of serious drug interactions. Yet, little is known about the trends in and patient characteristics associated with concurrent opioid-gabapentinoid use among older Medicare opioid users with chronic noncancer pain. ⋯ Concurrent opioid-gabapentinoid use among older Medicare beneficiaries with chronic noncancer pain and prescription opioids has increased significantly between 2011 and 2018. Future studies are warranted to investigate the impact of concurrent use on outcomes in older patients. Interventions that reduce inappropriate concurrent use may target older patients with identified characteristics.
-
Equitable COVID-19 vaccine access is imperative to mitigating negative COVID-19 impacts among racial/ethnic minorities. U.S. racial/ethnic minorities have lower COVID-19 vaccination rates than Whites despite higher COVID-19 death/case rates. The Veterans Health Administration provides the unique context of a managed care system with few access barriers. This study evaluates race/ethnicity as a predictor of Veterans Health Administration COVID-19 vaccination. ⋯ In the Veterans Health Administration, compared with the general U.S. population, COVID-19 vaccine receipt is higher among most racial/ethnic minority groups than Whites, suggesting reduced vaccination barriers . The Indian Health Service may provide a safety net for American Indian/Alaska Native populations. Addressing vaccination access barriers in non-Veterans Health Administration settings can potentially reduce racial/ethnic disparities.
-
Review Meta Analysis
Mobile Health Applications and Medication Adherence of Patients With Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Current evidence has revealed the beneficial effects of mobile health applications on systolic and diastolic blood pressure. However, there is still no solid evidence of the underlying factors for these outcomes, and hypertension treatment is performed mainly by medication intake. This study aims to analyze the impacts of health applications on medication adherence of patients with hypertension and understand the underlying factors. ⋯ There is evidence that mobile health applications can improve medication adherence in patients with hypertension, with broad heterogeneity between studies on the topic. The use of mobile health applications conceivably leads to ancillary improvements inherent to better medication adherence.
-
Review Meta Analysis
Effects of Gamified Smartphone Applications on Physical Activity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to examine the impacts of standalone gamified smartphone application-delivered interventions on physical activity. ⋯ Using gamified smartphone applications as standalone interventions may increase physical activity. Future research could investigate the impacts of gamified applications on physical activity by isolating the role of specific single or clustered groups of application features.
-
Health disparities among racial and ethnic and socioeconomic groups are pervasive, and the COVID-19 pandemic has not been an exception. This study explores the key demographic and socioeconomic factors related to racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 vaccination coverage. ⋯ This paper identified the key factors related to racial and ethnic disparities in adult vaccination coverage. The variables that explained the largest portions of the disparities were age, education, employment, and income. The study findings can help to inform efforts to increase equitable vaccine access and engage various segments of the population to prevent the further exacerbation of COVID-19 health disparities.