American journal of preventive medicine
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The often-cited Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate of 480,000 annual U.S. smoking-attributable deaths (SADs), including 439,000 first-hand smoke deaths, derives from 2005 to 2009 data. Since then, adult smoking prevalence has decreased by 40%, while the population has grown and the smoking population aged. An updated estimate is presented to determine whether the CDC figure remains accurate or has changed substantially. In addition, the likely annual smoking-related mortality toll is projected through 2035. ⋯ These findings suggest that the CDC estimate of the annual mortality burden of smoking remains valid. Despite U.S. population growth and the aging of the smoking population, substantial reductions in smoking will finally produce a steady, if gradual, decline in SADs beginning around 2030.
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Social norms play an important role in cannabis use; however, there is little evidence on how social norms change in jurisdictions that legalize cannabis. This study examined trends in social norms before and after legalization of nonmedical cannabis in Canada in 2018. ⋯ Social norms have remained relatively stable after nonmedical legalization in Canada, with only modest increases in comfort of using cannabis in different social settings. The findings may reflect widespread cannabis use in Canada prior to nonmedical legalization in 2018 as well as comprehensive restrictions on promotion and advertising.
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Violence is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among U.S. youth. More information on the health and economic burden of the most frequent assault mechanisms-or, causes (e.g., firearms, cut/pierce)-can support the development and implementation of effective public health strategies. Using nationally representative data sources, this study estimated the annual health and economic burden of U.S. youth violence by injury mechanism. ⋯ The lethality of assault injuries affecting youth when a weapon is explicitly or likely involved is high-firearms and cut/pierce injuries combined account for nearly all youth homicides compared to one-tenth of nonfatal assault injury ED visits. There are numerous evidence-based policies, programs, and practices to reduce the number of lives lost or negatively impacted by youth violence.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Social Acceptability of Health Behavior Posts on Social Media: An Experiment.
Social media sites like Twitter (now X) are increasingly used to create health behavior metrics for public health surveillance. Yet little is known about social norms that may bias the content of posts about health behaviors. Social norms for posts about four health behaviors (smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol, physical activity, eating food) on Twitter/X were evaluated. ⋯ Perceived social acceptability may be associated with the frequency and content of health behavior posts. Users of Twitter/X and other social media platform posts to estimate health behavior prevalence should account for potential estimation biases from perceived social acceptability of posts.
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Few studies have examined whether neighborhood deprivation is associated with severe maternal morbidity (SMM) in already socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Little is known about to what extent neighborhood deprivation accounts for Black-White disparities in SMM. This study investigated these questions among a statewide Medicaid-insured population, a low-income population with heightened risk of SMM. ⋯ Neighborhood deprivation may be used as an effective tool to identify at-risk individuals within a low-income population. Community-engaged interventions aiming at improving neighborhood conditions may be helpful to reduce both SMM prevalence and racial inequity in SMM.