American journal of preventive medicine
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Review
Social Needs Resource Connections: A Systematic Review of Barriers, Facilitators, and Evaluation.
Healthcare organizations increasingly are screening patients for social needs (e.g., food, housing) and referring them to community resources. This systematic mixed studies review assesses how studies evaluate social needs resource connections and identifies patient- and caregiver-reported factors that may inhibit or facilitate resource connections. ⋯ This synthesis of barriers and facilitators indicates areas where healthcare organizations may have agency to improve the efficacy of social needs screening and referral interventions. The authors also recommend that resource connection measures be explicitly defined and focus on whether participants received new resources and whether their social needs were addressed.
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Non-Hispanic Black infants experience disproportionately high risks of low birth weight compared with non-Hispanic White infants, particularly among mothers with high educational attainment and greater socioeconomic advantage. This study investigates how maternal early-life disadvantage contributes to ongoing racial birth weight inequities among U.S. college‒educated mothers, specifically declining birth weights with age among non-Hispanic Black mothers. ⋯ Early-life disadvantage modifies whether and how college-educated mothers experience birth weight decline with older age. The effects of early-life contexts and embedded racial inequities on maternal health inequities and differential weathering warrant further public health attention.
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Poverty broadly and financial stress owing to housing insecurity specifically are associated with an increased risk of child maltreatment. Therefore, it is possible that a program designed to increase access to affordable housing such as the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program could reduce child maltreatment. The purpose of this study is to examine the association of the availability of housing units through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program with the rates of child maltreatment reports, including reports for physical abuse and neglect, at the state and county levels. ⋯ Increasing access to affordable housing may be an effective strategy to reduce child maltreatment at both the state and county levels.
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The aim of this study is to evaluate the temporal trends in systolic blood pressure control over 18 months after blood pressure‒lowering drug initiation in the U.S. ⋯ In the U.S., only 30%-50% of the population are achieving sustainable blood pressure control over 18 months after blood pressure‒lowering drug initiation, with no indication of improvement in control over the last decade.
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The rates of syphilis among pregnant women and infants have increased in recent years, particularly in the U.S. South. Although state policies require prenatal syphilis testing, recent screening rates comparable across Southern states are not known. The purpose of this study is to measure syphilis screening among Medicaid enrollees with delivery in states in the U.S. South. ⋯ Despite state laws requiring syphilis screening during pregnancy, screening was much lower than 100%, and states varied in syphilis screening rates among Medicaid enrollees. Findings indicate that access to Medicaid in the first trimester is associated with higher rates of syphilis screening and that efforts to improve access to screening in practice settings are needed.