Public health reports
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Public health reports · Nov 2020
Sexual and Gender Minority Status and Firearms in the Household: Findings From the 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Surveys, California and Texas.
Although lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people have a higher prevalence of reporting a lifetime suicide attempt than non-LGBT people, suicide prevention research on access to lethal means (eg, firearms) among LGBT people is limited. Our study examined (1) the presence of firearms in the home and (2) among respondents with firearms in the home, the storage of firearms as stored unloaded, stored as loaded and locked, or stored as loaded and unlocked. ⋯ Further research is needed to examine whether lower odds of firearms in the home are protective against suicide deaths among LGB populations.
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Public health reports · Nov 2020
Use of E-Cigarettes and Self-Reported Lung Disease Among US Adults.
Initially marketed for smoking cessation, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are commonly regarded as safer than combustible cigarettes because they usually contain less nicotine and do not use combustion. However, few studies have examined the health effects of e-cigarettes. The objective of this study was to examine whether e-cigarette use had a differential effect on the prevalence of lung disease among current, former, and never tobacco users. ⋯ People who have never smoked combustible cigarettes should refrain from starting e-cigarettes, because e-cigarettes carry a significant risk of lung disease independent of tobacco smoking. Additional prospective research into the harmful effects of e-cigarettes would help to further elucidate this link.
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Public health reports · Nov 2020
Racial/Ethnic Differences in Cancers Attributable to Preventable Infectious Agents in Texas, 2015.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified 13 infectious agents as carcinogenic or probably carcinogenic to humans. We aimed to estimate the percentage (ie, population-attributable fraction) and number of incident cancer cases in Texas in 2015 that were attributable to oncogenic infections, overall and by race/ethnicity. ⋯ Preventable oncogenic infections contribute to cancer incidence in Texas and may affect racial/ethnic minority groups disproportionately. Infection control and prevention should be stressed as an important component of cancer prevention.