Journal of women's health
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Journal of women's health · Apr 2024
Trends in Health Care Coverage and Out-Of-Pocket Cost Barriers: A Gender Comparison.
Objective: The presence of disparities in access to health care and insurance coverage can have a tremendous impact on health care outcomes. Programs like the Affordable Care Act were implemented to improve health care access and to address the existing inequities. The objective of this study was to identify any disparities that exist between males and females regarding health care coverage and out-of-pocket cost to health care. ⋯ Most respondents, 77.6%, were White (Non-Hispanic). Across the 6-year period, females were more likely to have health insurance but with out-of-pocket costs that served as a barrier to their medical care (adjusted odds ratios with 95% CI from 2013 to 2018 were 1.36 [1.29-1.43], 1.38 [1.32-1.46], 1.31 [1.24-1.38], 1.33 [1.26-1.40], and 1.32 [1.25-1.40], respectively). Conclusions: Females were more likely than males to indicate an out-of-pocket cost barrier to medical care despite having health insurance.
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Journal of women's health · Apr 2024
The Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Preterm Delivery: A Latent Class Approach.
Background: Racial and socioeconomic status (SES) disparities in preterm delivery (PTD) have existed in the United States for decades. Disproportionate maternal exposures to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) may increase the risk for adverse birth outcomes. Moreover, racial and SES disparities exist in the prevalence of ACEs, underscoring the need for research that examines whether ACEs contribute to racial and SES disparities in PTD. ⋯ Race and SES did not predict LCM. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that ACEs may not impact PTD risk in previously hypothesized ways. Future research should assess the impact of ACEs on the probability of having live birth pregnancies as well as the role of potential protective factors in mitigating the impact of ACEs on PTD.
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Journal of women's health · Apr 2024
Sex Differences in Postinjury Health Profiles Among U.S. Military Personnel Following Deployment-Related Concussion.
Background: Women in the U. S. military are now authorized to serve in direct combat occupations. This may increase their risk of combat injuries, such as concussion, in future conflicts. ⋯ S. service members differ by sex following deployment-related concussion, particularly with a higher burden of multimorbidity among women than men, which may require interdisciplinary care. Women also had higher odds of membership in the back pain profile and lower odds in the tinnitus/memory loss profile than men. To prepare for future military operations where women may have greater exposure to combat, continued research elucidating health-related sex differences after deployment-related concussion is imperative.
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Journal of women's health · Apr 2024
Assessing Patient Acceptance of an Automated Algorithm to Identify Ciswomen for HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis.
The use of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in cisgender women (ciswomen) lags far behind their need. Data elements from the electronic medical record (EMR), including diagnosis of a sexually transmitted infection (STI), can be incorporated into automated algorithms for identifying clients who are most vulnerable to HIV and would benefit from PrEP. However, it is unknown how women feel about the use of such technology. ⋯ The majority were comfortable with the use of this algorithm, but their comfort level dropped when asked about the algorithm identifying them specifically. Ciswomen had mixed feelings about the use of an automated HIV risk algorithm, citing it as a potentially helpful and empowering tool for women, yet raising concerns about invasion of privacy and potential racial bias. Clinics must balance the benefits of using an EMR-based algorithm for ciswomen with their concerns about privacy and bias to improve PrEP uptake among particularly vulnerable women.