Articles: health.
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The lack of adequate diverse representation (racially, socioeconomically, gender, second career applicants, student parents, etc.) within secondary education in the United States has proven to be a challenging and complex, multifaceted problem, and despite ongoing efforts, one that continues to remain unsolved. These disparities are well known and documented at all levels of education. The Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences is the nation's only fully federally funded medical school and capitalizes on the preexisting diversity and exceptional training already existing within the U.S. military's enlisted force through the Enlisted to Medical Degree Preparatory Program (EMDP2). This study aims to investigate how a novel program at a unique military medical school influences medical school class cohorts. ⋯ Students with prior military experience have a significant impact on our institutions medical school classes. These students provide mentorship and professionalism to their fellow classmates. This study helps educators understand the perspectives and challenges faced by prior-service medical students and appreciate how to use the prior experience of these unique prior-service members to benefit the entire class.
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Rapid opioid reduction or discontinuation among high-dose long-term opioid therapy patients (HD-LTOT) is associated with increased risk of heroin use, overdose, opioid use disorder, and mental health crises. We examined the association of residential segregation and healthcare access with rapid opioid reduction or discontinuation among HD-LTOT patients, and examined effect measure modification of individual-level characteristics. ⋯ Healthcare providers need to address potential biases towards patients living in underserved and marginalized communities and intersectionality with mental health stigma by prioritizing training and education in delivering unbiased care during opioid tapering.
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To examine recent changes in the birth prevalence of cerebral palsy in Australia; to examine the functional mobility of children with cerebral palsy by residential remoteness. ⋯ The birth prevalence of cerebral palsy declined markedly in Australia during 1995-2016, reflecting the effects of advances in maternal and perinatal care. Our findings highlight the need to provide equitable, culturally safe access to antenatal services for women, and to health and disability services for people with cerebral palsy, across Australia.
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To investigate the number of mental health-related hospitalisations of adolescents (12-17 years) in South Australia by level of contact with the child protection system (0-11 years). ⋯ About 45% of mental health-related hospitalisations of 12-17-year-old adolescents were of people who had had contact with child protection services by the age of 11 years, although only 15.5% of all adolescents had histories of child protection contact. The trauma associated with a history of child protection can have longer term sequelae, and this should be considered when adolescents are hospitalised with mental health conditions.
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Rural America faces an alarming obesity crisis, with residents experiencing significantly higher rates of obesity due to socioeconomic disparities, limited access to healthcare, and structural challenges such as food deserts and insufficient healthcare infrastructure. This perspective addresses these pressing issues by proposing targeted, evidence-based interventions to reduce obesity in rural communities. ⋯ R. 1577, the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act, to alleviate financial barriers to treatment, including intensive behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy; and (3) leveraging community-based programs, including the National Rural Obesity and Chronic Disease Initiative, the CDC's High Obesity Program, and the Delta Body and Soul initiative, to improve access to healthy foods and promote physical activity through local collaborations, education, and infrastructure enhancements. By implementing these comprehensive strategies, we aim to make obesity treatments and healthy lifestyle choices more accessible, ultimately reducing obesity rates, improving health outcomes, and enhancing the overall quality of life for rural residents across the USA.