Public health reports
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Public health reports · Jan 2019
Graduation and Academic Placement of Underrepresented Racial/Ethnic Minority Doctoral Recipients in Public Health Disciplines, United States, 2003-2015.
Given public health's emphasis on health disparities in underrepresented racial/ethnic minority communities, having a racially and ethnically diverse faculty is important to ensure adequate public health training. We examined trends in the number of underrepresented racial/ethnic minority (ie, non-Hispanic black, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander) doctoral graduates from public health fields and determined the proportion of persons from underrepresented racial/ethnic minority groups who entered academia. ⋯ Stakeholders should consider targeted programs to increase the number of racial/ethnic minority faculty members in academic public health fields.
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Drug overdose is now the leading cause of injury death in the United States. Most overdose fatalities involve opioids, which include prescription medication, heroin, and illicit fentanyl. Current data reveal that the overdose crisis affects all demographic groups and that overdose rates are now rising most rapidly among African Americans. ⋯ We argue that framing the crisis from a public health perspective requires considering the interaction of multiple determinants, including structural factors (eg, poverty and racism), the inadequate management of pain, and poor access to addiction treatment and harm-reduction services (eg, syringe services). We propose a novel ecological framework for harmful opioid use that provides multiple recommendations to improve public health and clinical practice, including improved data collection to guide resource allocation, steps to increase safer prescribing, stigma-reduction campaigns, increased spending on harm reduction and treatment, criminal justice policy reform, and regulatory changes related to controlled substances. Focusing on these opportunities provides the greatest chance of making a measured and sustained impact on overdose and related harms.
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Public health reports · Nov 2018
Sociodemographic Factors Associated With Engagement in Diabetes Self-management Education Among People With Diabetes in the United States.
Research outside the United States shows that certain subgroups of patients (eg, those who are older, male, of low socioeconomic status, and uninsured) are less likely than others to report receiving diabetes self-management education (DSME); however, less is known about DSME uptake in the United States. We examined sociodemographic, patient, and behavioral characteristics associated with DSME in a nationally representative sample. ⋯ Increasing public health interventions aimed at educating people with diabetes about self-management could improve outcomes.
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Public health reports · Nov 2018
Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Influenza Vaccination Coverage Among US Adolescents, 2010-2016.
Although research suggests racial/ethnic disparities in influenza vaccination and mortality rates, few studies have examined racial/ethnic trends among US adolescents. We used national cross-sectional data to determine (1) trends in influenza vaccination rates among non-Hispanic white (hereinafter, white), non-Hispanic black (hereinafter, black), and Hispanic adolescents over time and (2) whether influenza vaccination rates among adolescents varied by race/ethnicity. ⋯ Targeted interventions are needed to improve adolescent influenza vaccination rates and reduce racial/ethnic disparities in adolescent vaccination coverage.