Public health reports
-
Public health reports · May 2018
Improved Health and Insurance Status Among Cigarette Smokers After Medicaid Expansion, 2011-2016.
The high concentration of smokers among subgroups targeted by the Affordable Care Act and the historically worse health and lower access to health care among smokers warrants an evaluation of how Medicaid expansion affects smokers. We evaluated the impact of Medicaid expansion on smoking behavior, access to health care, and health of low-income adults, and we compared outcomes of all low-income people with outcomes of low-income current smokers by states' Medicaid expansion status. ⋯ Greater improvements among low-income smokers in Medicaid expansion states compared with nonexpansion states could influence future smoking behaviors and warrant longer-term monitoring. Additionally, health and insurance gains among low-income smokers in expansion states suggest the potential for Medicaid expansion to improve health among smokers compared with nonsmokers.
-
Public health reports · Sep 2017
Use of Nicotine in Electronic Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Delivery Systems by US Adults, 2015.
Nicotine in electronic nicotine and non-nicotine delivery systems (ENDS/ENNDS) may present a risk of harm to those with cardiovascular disease and the fetuses of pregnant women. We assessed the extent to which adult users of ENDS/ENNDS used these products with nicotine. ⋯ Of 399 adult ENDS/ENNDS users who were current smokers, 337 (80.7%) used ENDS/ENNDS containing nicotine, whereas only 29 of 71 (36.9%) ENDS/ENNDS users who were never smokers used ENDS/ENNDS containing nicotine. Assessments of the population health impact of ENDS/ENNDS use among never smokers should take into account the extent to which use involves nicotine.
-
Public health reports · Sep 2017
CDC Screening Recommendation for Baby Boomers and Hepatitis C Virus Testing in the US Military Health System.
Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the most common blood-borne infection in the United States, with an estimated 2.7 to 3.9 million cases as of 2014. In August 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended 1-time HCV testing of all baby boomers. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine the proportion of people screened for HCV in the US Department of Defense Military Health System before and after the CDC screening recommendation for baby boomers and (2) assess whether certain patient or system factors were associated with screening for HCV before and after August 2012. ⋯ Interventions should be implemented to increase awareness and knowledge of the current national HCV testing recommendation among baby boomers to seek out testing and health care providers to perform screening.
-
Public health reports · Sep 2017
Awareness, Possession, and Use of Take-Home Naloxone Among Illicit Drug Users, Vancouver, British Columbia, 2014-2015.
Although take-home naloxone (THN) programs are integral in strategies to prevent overdose deaths among opioid users, the uptake of THN among people who use drugs (PWUD) (including non-opioid users) is unknown. The objectives of this study were to determine awareness, possession, and use of THN among PWUD in Vancouver, Canada, and identify barriers to adopting this strategy. ⋯ Efforts to improve knowledge of and participation in the THN program may contribute to reduced opioid overdose mortality in Vancouver.
-
Public health reports · Jul 2017
Use of Emergency Department Data to Monitor and Respond to an Increase in Opioid Overdoses in New Hampshire, 2011-2015.
Opioid-related overdoses and deaths in New Hampshire have increased substantially in recent years, similar to increases observed across the United States. We queried emergency department (ED) data in New Hampshire to monitor opioid-related ED encounters as part of the public health response to this health problem. ⋯ Opioid-related ED encounters in New Hampshire increased substantially from 2011 to 2015. Data from New Hampshire's ED syndromic surveillance system provided timely situational awareness to public health partners to support the overall response to the opioid epidemic.