American journal of preventive medicine
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Salutogenic effects of volunteering and helping activities have been well recognized in the pre-COVID-19 era. This study examines associations between helping others as well as additional volunteer activities during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and 6 psychological distress and well-being outcomes one year later. ⋯ Helping and volunteering during the COVID-19 pandemic likely led to positive experiences. However, a negative impact on psychological distress of the same activities was also noted.
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Exclusive breastfeeding is advantageous for infant neurodevelopment. Nevertheless, insufficient human milk supply in exclusively breastfed infants may elevate the risk of neonatal jaundice, which can potentially result in neurological harm. Whether mothers should adhere to exclusive breastfeeding in infants with neonatal jaundice remains unclear. ⋯ Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months is beneficial to the neurodevelopment of infants, especially in those with severe neonatal jaundice.
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This study assesses disparities in medications for opioid use disorder in adults with opioid use disorder and examines the associations between state-level COVID-19 lockdown and telehealth policies and medications for opioid use disorder utilization rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. ⋯ Monthly medications for opioid use disorder rates increased during the pandemic, with higher rates in men, White individuals, and residents of the Northeast region. States with policies permitting telehealth prescribing of controlled substances also had higher medications for opioid use disorder rates, supporting a future expansion of medications for opioid use disorder-related telehealth to improve access to care.
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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality increased during the initial years of the COVID-19 pandemic, but whether these trends endured in 2022 is unknown. This analysis describes temporal trends in CVD death rates from 2010 to 2022 and estimates excess CVD deaths from 2020 to 2022. ⋯ Despite stabilization of the public health emergency, declines in CVD mortality rates reversed in 2020 and remained high in 2022, representing almost a decade of lost progress and over 228,000 excess CVD deaths. Findings underscore the importance of prioritizing prevention and management of CVD to improve outcomes.