American journal of preventive medicine
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People experiencing homelessness (PEH) are highly vulnerable to discrimination and violence, which impact physical and mental health. The study examines past-month discrimination and violence against PEH in Los Angeles County (LAC). ⋯ Study findings highlight the dangers of homelessness in the U.S., particularly for those who are unsheltered outdoors.
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Pandemic-era social and political tensions may have accelerated pre-existing trends in gun owner diversification and shifts toward protection from people as a primary reason for gun ownership. Specific ownership motivations may shape storage behaviors, use patterns, policy support, and perceptions of safety. This study's objective was to assess the importance of specific reasons for owning guns, including protection from whom and in what circumstances, among demographic subgroups of new and prior gun owners. ⋯ Concurrent, strongly held motivations may produce ambivalence or resistance to public health messaging that narrowly focuses on preventing violent firearm-related injury. Permissive firearm policies may compound behavioral ambivalence, exacerbating conditions that threaten collective safety and civic expression. These conditions call for more nuanced, multidimensional, societal efforts to assure collective safety.
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Successful delivery of the virtual Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) is influenced by a beneficiary's access to a computer and use of the Internet. ⋯ Approximately 30% of potentially MDPP-eligible beneficiaries (representing ∼6 million beneficiaries) lacked full digital access. Efforts to encourage enrollment in the virtual MDPP must address digital disparities for beneficiaries at-risk for type 2 diabetes.
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Dental care is a critical component of healthy aging; however, emerging evidence suggests that having been previously incarcerated is a risk factor for not using dental care services. This study investigates the relationship between prior incarceration and dental care among older adults and assesses whether wealth and dental insurance explain this relationship. ⋯ The findings offer new evidence that prior incarceration is a risk factor for lacking the ability to utilize dental care among older adults and suggest that broader consequences of incarceration for wealth accumulation and access to dental insurance underpin this relationship. These results suggest the urgent need to expand access to affordable dental care services for older adults with a history of incarceration.
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Quantifying the impact of smoking on life expectancy and the potential benefits of smoking cessation is crucial for motivating people who smoke to quit. While previous studies have attempted to estimate these effects, they were conducted more than a decade ago and did not include a significant demographic, people over 65 years old who smoke. ⋯ Quitting smoking early will avoid most years otherwise lost due to smoking. Even those who quit at ages 65 and above can still meaningfully increase their life expectancy.