American journal of preventive medicine
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This study assesses disparities in medications for opioid use disorder in adults with opioid use disorder and examines the associations between state-level COVID-19 lockdown and telehealth policies and medications for opioid use disorder utilization rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. ⋯ Monthly medications for opioid use disorder rates increased during the pandemic, with higher rates in men, White individuals, and residents of the Northeast region. States with policies permitting telehealth prescribing of controlled substances also had higher medications for opioid use disorder rates, supporting a future expansion of medications for opioid use disorder-related telehealth to improve access to care.
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Prior studies have shown that, compared to non-disabled women, women with disabilities have a higher burden of preconception mental and physical health risks that are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. This cross-sectional study assesses how the extent of disability relates to pre-pregnancy health risks. ⋯ Disabled women, especially those with more difficulty, are vulnerable to preconception health risks that could potentially be mitigated before conception. These findings highlight the need for enhanced efforts to support preconception health of disabled women.
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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality increased during the initial years of the COVID-19 pandemic, but whether these trends endured in 2022 is unknown. This analysis describes temporal trends in CVD death rates from 2010 to 2022 and estimates excess CVD deaths from 2020 to 2022. ⋯ Despite stabilization of the public health emergency, declines in CVD mortality rates reversed in 2020 and remained high in 2022, representing almost a decade of lost progress and over 228,000 excess CVD deaths. Findings underscore the importance of prioritizing prevention and management of CVD to improve outcomes.
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There are meager individual-level data on long-term predictors of firearm suicide. ⋯ Prevention efforts are needed to lower long-term firearm suicide risk among adolescent males with high stereotypic masculinity and those interested in military or police service. Potential protective effects of competitive sports participation and socialization to long guns through hunting require further study.
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Exploring sociodemographic effect modification is important to provide evidence for developing targeted recommendations and reducing health inequalities. This study evaluated how sociodemographic factors including age, sex, race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) modify the association between leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and all-cause and major cause-specific mortality. ⋯ Sociodemographic factors significantly modified the associations between LTPA and mortality. The health benefits of sufficient LTPA were smaller in younger individuals, males, Hispanic adults or those of low SES. These findings can help identify target populations for promotion of physical activity to reduce health inequalities and the development of physical activity guidelines.