American journal of preventive medicine
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Dentists are a common source of opioid exposure. This study investigates the association between initial dental opioid prescription characteristics and subsequent persistent use and examines the rate of opioid overdose after initiation. ⋯ Among people who initiated a dentist-prescribed opioid, 1 in 23 experienced persistent use, and persistence was associated with the characteristics of the prescription. Prescribing lower doses, prescribing for shorter durations, and avoiding long-acting formulations may be an opportunity to lessen the risk of persistent opioid use.
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The purpose of this study is to quantify the immediate and anticipated effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on local travel in the U.S. ⋯ Unlike the other local travel modes, bicycling did not decrease during the pandemic and is anticipated to significantly increase. Investment in bicycle-safe infrastructure could sustain the anticipated increase in bicycling.
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Opioid use disorder has grown rapidly over the years and is a public health crisis in the U.S. Although opioid use disorder is widely studied, relatively little is known about it among older adults. The goal of this study is to gain a better understanding of opioid use disorder among older Medicare beneficiaries over time and across several sociodemographic dimensions. ⋯ The descriptive trends between 2013 and 2018 indicate that estimated opioid use disorder prevalence has increased greatly over the study period in all sociodemographic subgroups of older adults, highlighting an urgent challenge for public health professionals and gerontologists.
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Latinxs have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Latinx immigrants, in particular, face significant barriers to SARS-CoV-2 testing, including lack of insurance, language barriers, stigma, work conflicts, and limited transportation. ⋯ Community-based testing identified high levels of ongoing SARS-CoV-2 transmission among primarily Latinxs with limited English proficiency. During this period, the overall positivity rate at this community testing site was almost 10 times higher among Latinxs than among non-Hispanic Whites.
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This manuscript characterizes primary and secondary prevention research in humans and related methods research funded by NIH in 2012‒2019. ⋯ The number of new NIH awards classified as prevention research increased to 20.7% in 2019. New projects continued to focus on observational studies and secondary data analysis in 2018 and 2019. Additional research is needed to develop and test new interventions or develop methods for the dissemination of existing interventions, which address the leading risk factors, particularly in minority health and health disparities populations.