Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Jan 2023
Long-term effects of the interruption of the Dutch breast cancer screening program due to COVID-19: A modelling study.
Due to COVID-19, the Dutch breast cancer screening program was interrupted for three months with uncertain long-term effects. The aim of this study was to estimate the long-term impact of this interruption on delay in detection, tumour size of screen-detected breast cancers, and interval cancer rate. After validation, the micro-simulation model SiMRiSc was used to calculate the effects of interruption of the breast cancer screening program for three months and for hypothetical interruptions of six and twelve months. ⋯ A 19% increase in interval cancer rate was found between last screening before and first screening after interruption compared to no interruption. Hypothetical interruptions of six and twelve months resulted in larger increases in interval cancer rate of 38% and 78% between last screening before and first screening after interruption, respectively, and an increase in middle-sized tumours in first screening after interruption of 26% and 47%, respectively. In conclusion, the interruption of the Dutch screening program is not expected to result in a long-term delay in detection or clinically relevant change in tumour size of screen-detected cancers, but only affects the interval cancer rate between last screening before and first screening after interruption.
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Preventive medicine · Jan 2023
Post-pandemic policy imperatives to stem violence against women in China.
Violence against women is rampant in China. Even though meaningful strides have been made in the country, it remains disturbingly common for men to assault women-verbally or physically, who may or may not be their partners-in broad daylight in China. To make the situation worse, COVID-19, along with its restrictions, has both undermined women's ability to escape from abuse or violence and society's ability to provide timely help to victims. In light of the rising violence against women post-COVID, in this paper, we discuss the policy imperatives for countries like China to establish effective guardrails and support systems to protect women from the dehumanizing and destabilizing crime that is violence against women-a social malaise that not only harms and undermines the safety of society's daughters, mothers, and grandmothers, but also the integrity of local communities and social contract, let along shared humanity and global solidarity at large.
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Preventive medicine · Jan 2023
Examining beliefs and information-seeking behaviors of young adults aged 20-39 to help inform cancer prevention communication.
Successfully reaching young adults with cancer early detection information is urgently important given the rising rates of cancer in this age group. We sought to describe to describe the 'when, who, where, what and how' of young adult cancer information seeking and how it differs from that of older participants. We analyzed information seeking and beliefs among young adult (aged 20-39 years) and middle aged and older (aged 40-75 years) respondents to the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) 5, cycle 4 (N = 2784). ⋯ They were more trusting of cancer information from government organizations than older adults (p = .019). Communicators may be able to better persuade young adults with early detection information framed around cherished values. Though respondents of all ages were most likely to choose protecting family as their top value, young adults valued happiness over safeguarding their health more than middle aged and older adults.
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Preventive medicine · Jan 2023
Prevalence of and disparities in adolescents' susceptibility to novel oral nicotine products marketed as "tobacco-free".
Non-therapeutic, novel oral nicotine products are convenient, discreet to use, and flavored, with increasing sales in the United States. It is unclear whether these products appeal predominantly to adolescents already susceptible to inhalable nicotine products, or whether they attract adolescents who would not otherwise use nicotine. This study examined prevalence and correlates of susceptibility to inhalable and oral nicotine product use among adolescents. ⋯ Lower-socioeconomic status (SES) and sexual minority adolescents were more susceptible to oral (ORs = 1.76-1.87; ps < 0.05) and both products (ORs = 1.32-1.88; ps < 0.05), compared to higher-SES and heterosexual adolescents. Adolescents in Southern California may be more susceptible to e-cigarettes than other nicotine/tobacco products. However, appreciable numbers may be susceptible to oral nicotine products, including some youth who might not otherwise use nicotine and youth from populations historically impacted by tobacco-related health disparities.
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Preventive medicine · Jan 2023
Colorectal cancer screening in a safety-net health system: The intersectional impact of race, ethnicity, language, and mental health.
Though rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening continue to improve with increased advocacy and awareness, there are numerous disparities that continue to be defined within different health systems and populations. We aimed to define associations between patients' socio-demographic characteristics and CRC screening in a well-resourced safety-net health system. A retrospective review was performed from 2018 to 2019 of patients between 50 and 75-years-old who had a primary care visit within the last two years. ⋯ In multivariable analysis, most other races (Black, Asian, and Hispanic), ethnicities, and languages had significantly higher odds of screening, ranging from 20% to 55% higher, when White, North American/European, English-speakers are used as reference. In a well-resourced safety-net health system, patients who were non-White, non-North American/European, and non-English-speaking, had higher odds of CRC screening. This data from a unique health system may better guide screening outreach and implementation strategies in historically under-resourced communities, leading to strategies for equitable colorectal cancer screening.