American journal of preventive medicine
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Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of injury death in the U.S. Restrictive alcohol policies protect against crashes involving alcohol above the legal blood alcohol concentration of 0.08%. Characteristics of motor vehicle crash fatalities involving blood alcohol concentrations below the limit and their relationships to alcohol control policies have not been well characterized. ⋯ The number of lower blood alcohol concentration fatalities is substantial. States with more restrictive alcohol policies tend to have reduced odds of lower blood alcohol concentration motor vehicle crashes than states with weaker policies.
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Susceptibility, or openness to smoking, is a predictor of future smoking. This study examines within-gender racial/ethnic differences in smoking susceptibility over historical time (1999-2018) and developmental age (11-18 years). ⋯ Twenty-year racial/ethnic differences in smoking susceptibility were evident, particularly among girls, but were mostly equivalent between genders over developmental age. Targeting susceptible adolescents with gender-, race/ethnic-, and age-tailored prevention efforts may prevent or delay adolescents' transition to tobacco use and reduce tobacco-related disparities.
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This analysis evaluates trends in cervical lesions with human papillomavirus 16/18 detected by area-based measures of race, ethnicity, and poverty during 2008-2015. ⋯ Differences were observed in declines in the proportion of human papillomavirus 16/18 lesions by area-based measures since the introduction of human papillomavirus vaccines, with greater and earlier declines in areas with fewer residents living in poverty and racial minorities. Ongoing human papillomavirus vaccine impact monitoring is necessary to track differences by sociodemographic characteristics.
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This study examines the association between current e-cigarette use at baseline and regular cigarette smoking at follow-up among U.S. youth. ⋯ Current e-cigarette use among U.S. youth is associated with higher odds of transitioning to regular cigarette smoking, likely reflecting robust transitions rather than experimentation. These results suggest that promoting e-cigarettes as the current practice for tobacco harm reduction will likely have the unintended consequence of initiating youth cigarette smokers.
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Exposure to violence victimization may help explain disparities of substance use among gender-nonconforming youth (i.e., those whose gender expression differs from societal expectations). ⋯ School-based substance use prevention programs may benefit from strategies that support gender diversity and reduce violence victimizations experienced by gender-nonconforming students, by providing a safe and supportive school environment.