American journal of preventive medicine
-
Comparative Study
Electronic Health Records versus Survey Small Area Estimates for Public Health Surveillance.
Electronic health records (EHRs) are increasingly being leveraged for public health surveillance. EHR-based small area estimates (SAEs) are often validated by comparison to survey data such as the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). However, survey and EHR-based SAEs are expected to differ. In this cross-sectional study, SAEs were generated using MDPHnet, a distributed EHR-based surveillance network, for all Massachusetts municipalities and zip code tabulation areas (ZCTAs), compared to BRFSS PLACES SAEs, and reasons for differences explored. ⋯ EHR-based SAEs tended to be higher than BRFSS and more variable. Possible explanations include detection of undiagnosed cases and over-classification using EHR data, and under-reporting within BRFSS. Both EHR and survey-based surveillance have strengths and limitations that should inform their preferred uses in public health surveillance.
-
The sexual and reproductive health of cisgender women with HIV is essential for overall health and well-being. Nationally representative estimates of sexual and reproductive health outcomes among women with HIV were assessed in this study. ⋯ Many women with HIV did not receive important sexual and reproductive health services, and many experienced unintended pregnancies, miscarriages/stillbirths, or induced abortions. Disparities in some sexual and reproductive health outcomes were observed by certain social determinants of health. Improving sexual and reproductive health outcomes and reducing disparities among women with HIV could be addressed through a multipronged approach that includes expansion of safety net programs that provide sexual and reproductive health service coverage.
-
This study aimed to determine the association between changes in age distribution and maternal mortality rates (MMR) in a subset of the United States between 2014 and 2021. ⋯ MMR increased significantly from 2014 to 2021 with rapid increase after 2019. However, older age of birthing individuals explained only a minority of the increased MMR in both periods. The greatest contribution to MMR arose from increases in age-specific MMR.
-
Coadministering COVID-19 and influenza vaccines is recommended by public health authorities and intended to improve uptake and convenience; however, the extent of vaccine coadministration is largely unknown. Investigations into COVID-19 and influenza vaccine coadministration are needed to describe compliance with newer recommendations and to identify potential gaps in the implementation of coadministration. ⋯ Among Medicare beneficiaries vaccinated against COVID-19, influenza vaccination was high, but coadministration of the 2 vaccines was low. Future work should explore which factors explain variation in the decision to receive coadministered vaccines.
-
Allostatic load (AL) is a significant marker of aging, associated with disease and mortality. Research has elucidated the impact of education and income on AL. However, the roles of wealth and discrimination in contributing to AL and shaping AL disparities remain underexplored. This study aimed to investigate the association between wealth and AL, while also examining the independent contributions of education, income, wealth, and everyday discrimination in shaping AL disparities. ⋯ Education, income, wealth, and experiences of discrimination may independently contribute to AL and partially explain Black-White disparities in AL. There is a need to elucidate the underlying mechanisms governing these relationships, particularly wealth, and extend the research to additional social determinants of racial health disparities.