American journal of preventive medicine
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Minimum price laws, which set a price below which a product cannot be sold, are a promising but understudied strategy for reducing the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. New York City has implemented a minimum price law for tobacco products and could consider this policy for sugar-sweetened beverages. This study projects the impacts of a sugar-sweetened beverage minimum price law among New York City adults, with effects of a sugar-sweetened beverage excise tax examined for comparison. ⋯ Excise taxes and minimum price laws for sugar-sweetened beverages could both reduce New York City adults' sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and obesity prevalence and narrow sociodemographic disparities in obesity.
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With concerns about tobacco use being a risk factor for severe disease from COVID-19, understanding nicotine- and tobacco-use patterns is important for preventive efforts. This study aims to understand changes in combustible cigarette and E-cigarette use among U.S. adults. ⋯ Cigarette and E-cigarette use patterns varied in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most cigarette smokers and E-cigarette users perceived product use as increasing COVID-19‒related health risks, and this was associated with attempts to quit. Some cigarette smokers, especially those reporting higher stress, increased product use. Proactive provision of cessation support to smokers and E-cigarette users may help mitigate the stress-related increases in product use during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The U.S. has a higher adolescent pregnancy rate than other industrialized countries. School-based health centers can improve access to contraceptives among youth, which can prevent unplanned pregnancies. This cross-sectional study examines the characteristics and predictors of contraceptive provision at school-based health centers in 2016-2017 and changes in and barriers to provision between 2001 and 2017. ⋯ School-based health centers are an evidence-based model for providing contraceptives to adolescents but not enough are providing direct access. Understanding the predictors, characteristics, and barriers influencing the provision of contraceptives at school-based health centers may help to expand the number doing so.
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The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act eliminated cost sharing for preventive services, including colorectal cancer screening for individuals aged 50-75 years with private health insurance. This study examines the impact of the Affordable Care Act's removal of cost sharing for colorectal cancer screening on colorectal cancer incidence and mortality. ⋯ The elimination of cost sharing for colorectal cancer screening due to the Affordable Care Act was associated with a decrease in age-, race/ethnicity-, and sex-adjusted colorectal cancer incidence and colorectal cancer‒related mortality, implying that policies that remove barriers to screening, particularly financial burden from cost sharing, can result in improved colorectal cancer outcomes.
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Risk factors for accidental drug poisonings in children are poorly understood, including the association with maternal substance use. This study seeks to determine whether maternal substance use disorders before birth are associated with the future risk of accidental drug poisonings in young children. ⋯ Maternal substance use disorders before childbirth may be markers of future risk of drug poisonings in young children.