Browsing by Subject "Young Adult"

Now showing 1 - 11 of 11

A cross-sectional study of latent tuberculosis infection, insurance coverage, and usual sources of health care among non-US-born persons in the United States
(Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc., 2021-02-19) Annan, Esther; Stockbridge, Erica L.; Katz, Dolly; Mun, Eun-Young; Miller, Thaddeus L.
ABSTRACT: More than 70% of tuberculosis (TB) cases diagnosed in the United States (US) occur in non-US-born persons, and this population has experienced less than half the recent incidence rate declines of US-born persons (1.5% vs 4.2%, respectively). The great majority of TB cases in non-US-born persons are attributable to reactivation of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). Strategies to expand LTBI-focused TB prevention may depend on LTBI positive non-US-born persons' access to, and ability to pay for, health care.To examine patterns of health insurance coverage and usual sources of health care among non-US-born persons with LTBI, and to estimate LTBI prevalence by insurance status and usual sources of health care.Self-reported health insurance and usual sources of care for non-US-born persons were analyzed in combination with markers for LTBI using 2011-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data for 1793 sampled persons. A positive result on an interferon gamma release assay (IGRA), a blood test which measures immunological reactivity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, was used as a proxy for LTBI. We calculated demographic category percentages by IGRA status, IGRA percentages by demographic category, and 95% confidence intervals for each percentage.Overall, 15.9% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 13.5, 18.7] of non-US-born persons were IGRA-positive. Of IGRA-positive non-US-born persons, 63.0% (95% CI = 55.4, 69.9) had insurance and 74.1% (95% CI = 69.2, 78.5) had a usual source of care. IGRA positivity was highest in persons with Medicare (29.1%; 95% CI: 20.9, 38.9).Our results suggest that targeted LTBI testing and treatment within the US private healthcare sector could reach a large majority of non-US-born individuals with LTBI. With non-US-born Medicare beneficiaries' high prevalence of LTBI and the high proportion of LTBI-positive non-US-born persons with private insurance, future TB prevention initiatives focused on these payer types are warranted.
A Tutorial on Cognitive Diagnosis Modeling for Characterizing Mental Health Symptom Profiles Using Existing Item Responses
(Springer Nature, 2022-02-04) Tan, Zhengqi; de la Torre, Jimmy; Ma, Wenchao; Huh, David; Larimer, Mary E.; Mun, Eun-Young
In research applications, mental health problems such as alcohol-related problems and depression are commonly assessed and evaluated using scale scores or latent trait scores derived from factor analysis or item response theory models. This tutorial paper demonstrates the use of cognitive diagnosis models (CDMs) as an alternative approach to characterizing mental health problems of young adults when item-level data are available. Existing measurement approaches focus on estimating the general severity of a given mental health problem at the scale level as a unidimensional construct without accounting for other symptoms of related mental health problems. The prevailing approaches may ignore clinically meaningful presentations of related symptoms at the item level. The current study illustrates CDMs using item-level data from college students (40 items from 719 respondents; 34.6% men, 83.9% White, and 16.3% first-year students). Specifically, we evaluated the constellation of four postulated domains (i.e., alcohol-related problems, anxiety, hostility, and depression) as a set of attribute profiles using CDMs. After accounting for the impact of each attribute (i.e., postulated domain) on the estimates of attribute profiles, the results demonstrated that when items or attributes have limited information, CDMs can utilize item-level information in the associated attributes to generate potentially meaningful estimates and profiles, compared to analyzing each attribute independently. We introduce a novel visual inspection aid, the lens plot, for quantifying this gain. CDMs may be a useful analytical tool to capture respondents' risk and resilience for prevention research.
Common Lung Microbiome Identified among Mechanically Ventilated Surgical Patients
(PLOS, 2016-11-29) Smith, Ashley D.; Zhang, Yan; Barber, Robert C.; Minshall, Christian T.; Huebinger, Ryan M.; Allen, Michael S.
The examination of the pulmonary microbiome in patients with non-chronic disease states has not been extensively examined. Traditional culture based screening methods are often unable to identify bacteria from bronchoalveolar lavage samples. The advancement of next-generation sequencing technologies allows for a culture-independent molecular based analysis to determine the microbial composition in the lung of this patient population. For this study, the Ion Torrent PGM system was used to assess the microbial complexity of culture negative bronchoalveolar lavage samples. A group of samples were identified that all displayed high diversity and similar relative abundance of bacteria. This group consisted of Hydrogenophaga, unclassified Bacteroidetes, Pedobacter, Thauera, and Acinetobacter. These bacteria may be representative of a common non-pathogenic pulmonary microbiome associated within this population of patients.
Comparison of Dietary Micronutrient Intakes by Body Weight Status among Mexican-American and Non-Hispanic Black Women Aged 19-39 Years: An Analysis of NHANES 2003-2014
(MDPI, 2019-11-20) Liu, Jialiang; Zhu, Xiangzhu; Fulda, Kimberly G.; Chen, Shande; Tao, Meng-Hua
The objective of the current study was to examine micronutrient intake from foods in women of childbearing age and to better understand potential nutritional problems varied by body weight status in minority women. A sample of women aged 19-39 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) 2003-2014 was analyzed. Dietary intakes of 13 micronutrients were estimated using the National Cancer Institute method. Mexican-American and non-Hispanic Black women were categorized into normal/under-weight, overweight, or obese groups according to their body mass index (BMI). Mexican-American and non-Hispanic Black women had lower dietary intakes for vitamins A, B2, B6, B12, and D, folate, calcium, and magnesium than non-Hispanic Whites. Among Mexican-Americans, obese women had the lowest dietary intake of vitamins A, B2, C and D. Obese non-Hispanic Black women had significantly lower dietary intakes of iron and zinc than their normal/under-weight counterparts. Comparable percentages (>30%) of Mexican-American and non-Hispanic Black women had dietary intake less than the Estimated Average Requirements (EARs) for several key nutrients including vitamin A, C and D, folate, calcium and magnesium, and the percentages varied by body weight status. These results indicate micronutrient inadequacies persist among and within racial/ethnic and body weight groups.
Dental visits in Medicaid-enrolled youth with mental illness: an analysis of administrative claims data
(BioMed Central Ltd., 2020-12-11) Stockbridge, Erica L.; Dhakal, Eleena; Griner, Stacey B.; Loethen, Abiah D.; West, Joseph F.; Vera, Joseph W.; Nandy, Karabi
BACKGROUND: State Medicaid plans across the United States provide dental insurance coverage to millions of young persons with mental illness (MI), including those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. There are significant oral health challenges associated with MI, and providing dental care to persons with MI while they are young provides a foundation for future oral health. However, little is known about the factors associated with the receipt of dental care in young Medicaid enrollees with MI. We aimed to identify mental and physical health and sociodemographic characteristics associated with dental visits among this population. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed administrative claims data from a Medicaid specialty health plan (September 2014 to December 2015). All enrollees in the plan had MI and were >/= 7 years of age; data for enrollees aged 7 to 20 years were analyzed. We used two-level, mixed effects regression models to explore the relationships between enrollee characteristics and dental visits during 2015. RESULTS: Of 6564 Medicaid-enrolled youth with MI, 29.0% (95% CI, 27.9, 30.1%) had one or more visits with a dentist or dental hygienist. Within youth with MI, neither anxiety (Adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.15, p = 0.111), post-traumatic stress disorder (AOR = 1.31, p = 0.075), depression (AOR = 1.02, p = 0.831), bipolar disorder (AOR = 0.97, p = 0.759), nor schizophrenia (AOR = 0.83, p = 0.199) was associated with dental visits in adjusted analyses, although having ADHD was significantly associated with higher odds of dental visits relative to not having this condition (AOR = 1.34, p < 0.001). Age, sex, race/ethnicity, language, and education were also significantly associated with visits (p < 0.05 for all). CONCLUSIONS: Dental utilization as measured by annual dental visits was lower in Medicaid-enrolled youth with MI relative to the general population of Medicaid-enrolled youth. However, utilization varied within the population of Medicaid-enrolled youth with MI, and we identified a number of characteristics significantly associated with the receipt of dental services. By identifying these variations in dental service use this study facilitates the development of targeted strategies to increase the use of dental care in - and consequently improve the current and long-term wellbeing of - the vulnerable population of Medicaid-enrolled youth with MI.
Food Choice Priorities Change Over Time and Predict Dietary Intake at the End of the First Year of College Among Students in the U.S
(MDPI, 2018-09-13) Vilaro, Melissa J.; Colby, Sarah E.; Riggsbee, Kristen; Zhou, Wenjun; Byrd-Bredbenner, Carol; Olfert, Melissa D.; Barnett, Tracey E.; Horacek, Tanya; Sowers, Morgan; Mathews, Anne E.
This study assessed food choice priorities (FCP) and associations with consumption of fruits and vegetables (FV), fiber, added sugars from non-beverage sources, and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) among college students. Freshmen from eight U.S. universities (N = 1149) completed the Food Choice Priorities Survey, designed for college students to provide a way to determine the factors of greatest importance regarding food choices, and the NCI Dietary Screener Questionnaire. Changes in FCP and dietary intake from fall 2015 to spring 2016 were assessed. Multiple regression models examined associations between FCP and log-transformed dietary intake, controlling for sex, age, race, and BMI. Participant characteristics and FCP associations were also assessed. FCP importance changed across the freshmen year and significantly predicted dietary intake. The most important FCP were price, busy daily life and preferences, and healthy aesthetic. Students who endorsed healthy aesthetic factors (health, effect on physical appearance, freshness/quality/in season) as important for food choice, consumed more FV and fiber and less added sugar and SSB. Busy daily life and preferences (taste, convenience, routine, ability to feel full) predicted lower FV, higher added sugar, and higher SSB consumption. Price predicted lower FV, higher SSB, and more added sugar while the advertising environment was positively associated with SSB intake. FCP and demographic factors explained between 2%(-)17% of the variance in dietary intake across models. The strongest relationship was between healthy aesthetic factors and SSB (B = -0.37, p < 0.01). Self-rated importance of factors influencing food choice are related to dietary intake among students. Interventions that shift identified FCP may positively impact students' diet quality especially considering that some FCP increase in importance across the first year of college.
Risk of psychological ill health and methods of organisational downsizing: a cross-sectional survey in four European countries
(BioMed Central Ltd., 2017-09-29) Andreeva, Elena; Brenner, M. Harvey; Theorell, Töres; Goldberg, Marcel
The manner in which organizational downsizing is implemented can make a substantial difference as to whether the exposed workers will suffer from psychological ill health. Surprisingly, little research has directly investigated this issue. We examined the likelihood of psychological ill health associated with strategic and reactive downsizing.|A cross-sectional survey included 1456 respondents from France, Sweden, Hungary and the United Kingdom: 681 employees in stable workplaces (reference group) and 775 workers from downsized companies. Reactive downsizing was exemplified by the exposures to compulsory redundancies of medium to large scale resulting in job loss or surviving a layoff while staying employed in downsized organizations. The workforce exposed to strategic downsizing was represented by surplus employees who were internally redeployed and supported through their career change process within a policy context of "no compulsory redundancy". Symptoms of anxiety, depression and emotional exhaustion were assessed in telephone interviews with brief subscales from Hospital Anxiety Scale (HADS-A), Hopkins Symptom Checklist (SCL-CD|We observed no increased risk of psychological ill health in the case of strategic downsizing. The number of significant associations with psychological ill health was the largest for the large-scale reactive downsizing: surviving a layoff was consistently associated with all three outcome measures; returning to work after the job loss experience was related to anxiety and depression, while persons still unemployed at interview had elevated odds of anxiety. After reactive medium-scale downsizing, unemployment at interview was the only exposure associated with anxiety and depression.|The manner in which organizational downsizing is implemented can be important for the psychological wellbeing of workers. If downsizing is unavoidable, it should be achieved strategically. Greater attention is needed to employment and health policies supporting the workers after reactive downsizing.
Smoking cessation and survival among people diagnosed with non-metastatic cancer
(BioMed Central Ltd., 2020-08-05) Barnett, Tracey E.; Lu, Yan; Gehr, Aaron W.; Ghabach, Bassam; Ojha, Rohit P.
BACKGROUND: We aimed to estimate the effects of smoking cessation on survival among people diagnosed with cancer. METHODS: We used data from a Comprehensive Community Cancer Program that is part of a large urban safety-net hospital system. Eligible patients were diagnosed with primary invasive solid tumors between 2013 and 2015, and were current smokers at time of diagnosis. Our exposure of interest was initiation of smoking cessation within 6 months of cancer diagnosis. We estimated inverse probability weighted restricted mean survival time (RMST) differences and risk ratio (RR) for all cause 3-year mortality. RESULTS: Our study population comprised 369 patients, of whom 42% were aged < 55 years, 59% were male, 44% were racial/ethnic minorities, and 59% were uninsured. The 3-year RMST was 1.8 (95% CL: - 1.5, 5.1) months longer for individuals who initiated smoking cessation within 6 months of cancer diagnosis. The point estimate for risk of 3-year mortality was lower for initiation of smoking cessation within 6 months of diagnosis compared with no initiation within 6 months (RR = 0.72, 95% CL: 0.37, 1.4). CONCLUSIONS: Our point estimates suggest longer 3-year survival, but the results are compatible with 1.5 month shorter or 5.1 longer 3-year overall survival after smoking cessation within 6 months of cancer diagnosis. Future studies with larger sample sizes that test the comparative effectiveness of different smoking cessation strategies are needed for more detailed evidence to inform decision-making about the effect of smoking cessation on survival among cancer patients. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: The benefits of smoking cessation after cancer diagnosis may include longer survival, but the magnitude of benefit is unclear.
State Cannabis Laws, Risk Perceptions, and Delta-8 THC Use among Young Adults
(2022-12) LoParco, Cassidy R.; Rossheim, Matthew; Walters, Scott T.; Zhou, Zhengyang
Background: Delta-8 THC, a federally unregulated psychoactive substance, has been rising in popularity. Although no prevalence data exist, calls to U.S. poison control have been increasing. Preliminary research indicates Google search trends relating to Delta-8 THC are higher in states where adult non-medical use of Delta-9 THC is not legal. Theoretical models posit that perceived risk is a theoretical antecedent of risk behavior. However, no research has examined associations between state cannabis laws, perceived risk, and Delta-8 THC use. Methods: Amazon MTURK was utilized to recruit participants aged 18-25-years-old to answer an online survey (n = 603 responses). Rigorous quality control methods were undertaken to ensure the quality of the data, resulting in a final analytic sample size of n = 166. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine whether the following factors were associated with the odds of using Delta-8 THC in the past year: 1) state Delta-8 THC laws, 2) state Delta-9 THC laws, 3) Delta-8 THC perceived susceptibility, 4) Delta-8 THC perceived severity, 5) Delta-9 THC perceived susceptibility, 6) Delta-9 THC perceived severity, and 7) past year Delta-9 THC use, adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, birth sex, and student status. Results: Almost one-quarter (22%) used Delta-8 THC in the past year. Associations between state cannabis laws (both Delta-8 and Delta-9 THC) and Delta-8 THC use were not statistically significant. Participants with higher levels of Delta-8 THC perceived susceptibility and Delta-9 THC perceived severity, and lower levels of Delta-8 THC perceived severity and Delta-9 THC perceived susceptibility, had significantly higher odds of using Delta-8 THC in the past year. Those who engaged in Delta-9 THC use in the past year had 14 times the odds of also engaging in Delta-8 THC use. Conclusions: This was the first study to examine how cannabis risk perceptions are associated with Delta-8 THC use. Findings indicated that most Delta-8 THC users were also users of Delta-9 THC, suggesting possible polysubstance use or substitution. Strong, statistically significant associations were observed between cannabis risk perceptions and Delta-8 THC use, which has important implications for harm reduction interventions. Future longitudinal research, with large nationally representative samples, is needed to fully understand associations and potential causality.
Trends in Magnesium Intake among Hispanic Adults, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2014
(MDPI, 2019-11-22) Liu, Jialiang; Huang, Yuhan; Dai, Qi; Fulda, Kimberly G.; Chen, Shande; Tao, Meng-Hua
This study aimed at examining trends in magnesium intake among U.S. Hispanic adults stratified by gender, Hispanic origins, age, and poverty income ratio (PIR) level. Data on 9304 Hispanic adults aged ≥20 years from eight National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cycles (1999-2014) were included in this study. For each cycle, survey-weighted mean dietary and total magnesium intakes were estimated. The prevalence of dietary and total magnesium intake below the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) was further estimated stratified by gender and age groups. Linear regression was used to test trend. Over the survey cycles, both dietary and total magnesium intakes were significantly increased among Hispanic adults. In the study period, magnesium intake tended to be lower in females, adults in other Hispanic-origin group, those aged ≥65 years old, and those with a PIR <1.0. The prevalence of magnesium intake inadequacy decreased among Hispanic adults; however, more than 70% of Hispanic males and females continued to have magnesium intake below the RDA in 2013-2014. From 1999/2000 to 2013/2014, despite several improvements in magnesium intake having been identified, additional findings showed insufficient intake in Hispanic males and females, suggesting the need to improve magnesium intake through diet and dietary supplementation for U.S. Hispanics.
Water T2 as an early, global and practical biomarker for metabolic syndrome: an observational cross-sectional study
(BioMed Central Ltd., 2017-12-19) Robinson, Michelle D.; Mishra, Ina; Deodhar, Sneha; Patel, Vipulkumar; Gordon, Katrina V.; Vintimilla, Raul; Brown, Kim; Johnson, Leigh A.; O'Bryant, Sid E.; Cistola, David P.
BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a highly prevalent condition that identifies individuals at risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Prevention of these diseases relies on early detection and intervention in order to preserve pancreatic beta-cells and arterial wall integrity. Yet, the clinical criteria for MetS are insensitive to the early-stage insulin resistance, inflammation, cholesterol and clotting factor abnormalities that characterize the progression toward type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis. Here we report the discovery and initial characterization of an atypical new biomarker that detects these early conditions with just one measurement. METHODS: Water T2, measured in a few minutes using benchtop nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometry, is exquisitely sensitive to metabolic shifts in the blood proteome. In an observational cross-sectional study of 72 non-diabetic human subjects, the association of plasma and serum water T2 values with over 130 blood biomarkers was analyzed using bivariate, multivariate and logistic regression. RESULTS: Plasma and serum water T2 exhibited strong bivariate correlations with markers of insulin, lipids, inflammation, coagulation and electrolyte balance. After correcting for confounders, low water T2 values were independently and additively associated with fasting hyperinsulinemia, dyslipidemia and subclinical inflammation. Plasma water T2 exhibited 100% sensitivity and 87% specificity for detecting early insulin resistance in normoglycemic subjects, as defined by the McAuley Index. Sixteen normoglycemic subjects with early metabolic abnormalities (22% of the study population) were identified by low water T2 values. Thirteen of the 16 did not meet the harmonized clinical criteria for metabolic syndrome and would have been missed by conventional screening for diabetes risk. Low water T2 values were associated with increases in the mean concentrations of 6 of the 16 most abundant acute phase proteins and lipoproteins in plasma. CONCLUSIONS: Water T2 detects a constellation of early abnormalities associated with metabolic syndrome, providing a global view of an individual's metabolic health. It circumvents the pitfalls associated with fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1c and the limitations of the current clinical criteria for metabolic syndrome. Water T2 shows promise as an early, global and practical screening tool for the identification of individuals at risk for diabetes and atherosclerosis.