American journal of preventive medicine
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention allocates funds annually to jurisdictions nationwide for sexually transmitted infection prevention activities. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of federal sexually transmitted infection prevention funding for reducing rates of reported sexually transmitted infections. ⋯ The significant inverse associations between federal sexually transmitted infection prevention funding and rates of reported chlamydia and gonorrhea suggest that federally funded sexually transmitted infection prevention activities have a discernable effect on reducing the burden of sexually transmitted infections. The reported sexually transmitted infection rate in a given year depends more on prevention funding in previous years than on prevention funding in the current year, demonstrating the importance of accounting for lagged funding effects.
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Comparative Study
A National Comparison of Suicide Among Medicaid and Non-Medicaid Youth.
In the U.S., youth enrolled in Medicaid experience more risk factors for suicide, such as mental illness, than youth not enrolled in Medicaid. To inform a national suicide prevention strategy, this study presents suicide rates in a sample of youth enrolled in Medicaid and compares them with rates in the non-Medicaid population. ⋯ The population-based profile of suicide among youth enrolled in Medicaid differs from the profile of youth not enrolled in Medicaid, confirming the importance of Medicaid as a "boundaried" suicide prevention setting.
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Determining whether the prevalence of gun ownership is associated with youth suicide is critical to inform policy to address this problem. The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between the prevalence of household gun ownership in a state and that state's rate of youth suicide. ⋯ Because states with high levels of household gun ownership are likely to experience higher youth suicide rates, these states should be especially concerned about implementing programs and policies to ameliorate this risk.
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This study describes characteristics of nonfatal self-inflicted injuries and incidence of repeat self-inflicted injuries among a large convenience sample of youth (aged 10-24 years) with Medicaid or commercial insurance. ⋯ Approximately one in ten youth repeated self-inflicted injury within 1 year and nearly half of youth with clinically treated self-inflicted injuries never received care in hospitals or emergency departments. Physicians and families should be aware of risk factors for repeat self-inflicted injury, including mental health comorbidities. Multilevel strategies are needed to prevent youth self-inflicted injuries.
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Local Wellness Policies are school-district documents containing guidelines for schools to promote nutrition/physical activity. In cross-sectional studies, schools with wellness committees are more likely to implement Local Wellness Policies. This prospective cohort study examines associations between wellness committee status over time and change in Local Wellness Policy implementation using a biennial, statewide survey. ⋯ Forming and maintaining wellness committees encourages Local Wellness Policy implementation and should be a recommended strategy for school wellness promotion.