American journal of preventive medicine
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Although there is evidence of disparities in breast cancer screening for women with mental illness in the U.S., there is a dearth of studies examining this association in the United Kingdom, where health care is provided free at the point of access. This population-based study examines the influence of mental illness, as assessed by the uptake of psychotropic medications, on breast screening uptake in the United Kingdom. ⋯ These findings confirm the existence of significant disparities in breast screening uptake for women with mental illness. Targeted interventions are warranted to prevent avoidable breast cancer deaths in these individuals, especially given the increasing prevalence of mental illness.
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African Americans are disproportionately affected by high blood pressure, which may be associated with exposure to air pollutants, such as fine particulate matter and ozone. ⋯ Positive associations were observed between ozone and systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and mean arterial pressure, and inverse associations between fine particulate matter and systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and mean arterial pressure in an African American population with high (56%) prevalence of hypertension. Effect sizes were small and may not be clinically relevant.
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Public health and organized medicine have operated somewhat independently of each other since the early 1900s. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the necessity of healing any divide between organized medicine and state and local health officials seems self-evident. Using the recommendations abstracted from a 2005 article by Dr. Ronald Davis, "Marriage Counseling for Medicine and Public Health," this cross-sectional study explores the formal relationships that existed between state-level public health and medical practice across the U.S. at the end of 2019. ⋯ Survey results illustrate a desire for reconciliation, but poor implementation of recommended strategies aimed at building a healthy marriage between the 2 sectors. More formal efforts are needed among state medical and public health organizations to capitalize on the current climate of rapprochement. The burden of COVID-19 on the national health system could provide a worthy cause around which these efforts would coalesce.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Tips From Former Smokers® campaign encourages smokers to get help with quitting smoking by promoting 1-800-QUIT-NOW. Campaign advertisements featuring an offer of help with obtaining free cessation medication aired nationally on radio for 2 weeks in 2016. Similar advertisements aired nationally on TV for 3 weeks in 2017. The comparison period of 2016 radio campaign and 2017 TV campaign was used to examine the characteristics of quitline registrants by a media referral source (TV or radio). ⋯ The findings suggest that the demographic profiles of quitline registrants vary significantly based on how registrants hear about the quitline (via radio or TV). These differences in the characteristics of registrants can help inform the tobacco control mass media purchasing strategies and may enable media efforts to target the specific subgroups of smokers in a better way.
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Increased insurance coverage and access to health care can increase identification of undiagnosed HIV infection and use of HIV prevention services such as pre-exposure prophylaxis. This study investigates whether the Medicaid expansions facilitated by the Affordable Care Act had these effects. ⋯ Medicaid expansions were associated with increases in the percentage of people living with HIV who are aware of their status and pre-exposure prophylaxis use. Expanding public health insurance may be an avenue for curbing the HIV epidemic.