American journal of preventive medicine
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Multicenter Study
Availability of Safety-net Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinical Services in the U.S., 2018.
Safety-net sexually transmitted disease services can prevent transmission of sexually transmitted disease. This study assesses the availability of safety-net sexually transmitted disease clinical services across the U.S. ⋯ One-third of local health departments reported no safety-net sexually transmitted disease services or were not aware of the services, and availability of specific services varied. Without an expansion of resources, local health departments might explore collaborations with healthcare systems and innovations in testing to expand sexually transmitted disease services.
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Educational councils and medical societies recommend that medical students learn to recognize and care for victims of sex trafficking. Previous research has found that healthcare providers are one of the few professionals to interact with sex trafficking victims during exploitation. This review evaluates currently published curricular and extracurricular U. ⋯ A limited published sex trafficking curriculum exists for medical student learners. Future research evaluating unpublished curricula within U. S. medical schools is necessary to coordinate efforts for standardized and robust sex trafficking education.
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Suicide risk increases with age, and evidence exists for the underdiagnosis and undertreatment of suicide risk in older adults. Recent data suggest that many U.S. adults who die from suicide do not have a known mental health condition. This study compares the characteristics and precipitating circumstances of geriatric suicide decedents with and without known mental illnesses. ⋯ Most older adults who die from suicide do not have a known mental health condition. The rapidly growing U.S. geriatric population calls for more effective methods to identify and treat at-risk older adults, particularly those who are male.
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Physical activity is known to be inversely associated with cigarette smoking among young people. However, evidence is not clear about the association between physical activity and e-cigarette use. Young people who otherwise lead a healthy lifestyle are attracted to e-cigarettes for nicotine or flavor consumption given the low harm perceptions associated with e-cigarette use. This is of concern given the potentially serious adverse health consequences of some forms of e-cigarette use. This study tested the hypotheses that increased physical activity is associated with lower levels of cigarette and e-cigarette use, both cross-sectionally and prospectively. ⋯ The prospective association between increased physical activity at baseline and higher e-cigarette use 6 months later is of concern. More research is needed to determine if this finding is replicable. Some plausible reasons for the observed associations are discussed.
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Affirmative health care is imperative to address health and mental health disparities faced by transgender communities. Yet, transgender help-seekers experience discrimination that precludes their access to and participation in care. This study uses latent class analysis to examine patterns of healthcare discrimination among transgender help-seekers. Predictors of class membership are investigated to identify subpopulations at highest risk for healthcare discrimination. ⋯ Experiences of healthcare discrimination are not homogeneous across transgender help-seekers. Predictors of the latent classes indicated that transgender help-seekers holding an additional marginalized identity may be at higher risk for healthcare discrimination or care from providers with limited trans-competence. Targeted engagement and education interventions might improve these transgender help-seekers' access to and connections with care.