American journal of preventive medicine
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Not enough is known about the epidemiology of opioid poisoning to tailor interventions to help address the growing opioid crisis in the U.S. The objective of this study is to expand the current understanding of opioid poisoning through the use of data analytics to evaluate geographic, temporal, and sociodemographic differences of opioid poisoning- related hospital visits in a region of New York State with high opioid poisoning rates. ⋯ Findings highlight the changing demographics of the opioid poisoning epidemic and utility of data analytics tools to identify regions and patient populations to focus interventions. These population identification techniques can be applied in other communities and interventions.
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This study presents a framework for identifying "high-risk" days for asthma attacks associated with elevated concentrations of criteria pollutants using local information to warn citizens on days when the concentrations differ from Environmental Protection Agency Air Quality Index (AQI) warnings. Studies that consider the unique mixture of pollutants and the health data specific to a city provide additional information for asthma self-management. This framework is applied to air pollution and asthma data to identify supplemental warning days in Houston, Texas. ⋯ Houston uses this framework to identify supplemental air quality warnings to improve asthma self-management. Supplemental days reflect risk lower than the National Ambient Air Quality Standards and consecutive poor air quality days, differing from the AQI.
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Many service providers report concerns that questions about adverse events may upset clients. Studies indicate that most survey respondents answer sensitive questions without experiencing distress, although little is known about the prevalence or correlates of clients' discomfort when they are asked similar questions by direct care providers, such as home visitors. ⋯ Results indicated that most clients in home visiting programs tolerated an adverse childhood experience questionnaire well. The findings point to clients who may be more likely to report discomfort and highlight an important association between client and provider discomfort.
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Prescription opioids were responsible for approximately 17,000 deaths in the U.S. in 2016. One in five prescription opioid deaths also involve alcohol. Drinkers who misuse prescription opioids (i.e., use without a prescription or use only for the experience or feeling it causes) are at a heightened risk of overdose. However, little is known about the relationship between drinking patterns and prescription opioid misuse. ⋯ More than half of the 4.2 million people who misused prescription opioids during 2012-2014 were binge drinkers, and binge drinkers had nearly twice the odds of misusing prescription opioids, compared with nondrinkers. Widespread use of evidence-based strategies for preventing binge drinking might reduce opioid misuse and overdoses involving alcohol.
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American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth are more likely to smoke than non-Native youth. The aim of this study is to compare tobacco product use among youth by AI/AN race and region over time to identify populations and geographies of higher risk. ⋯ The prevalence of AI/AN youth cigarette, cigar, and smokeless tobacco use is significantly higher than that of non-Native youth. Tobacco control efforts to address AI/AN cigarette use disparities may consider those younger than 13 years.