American journal of preventive medicine
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Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a significant public health concern. This study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of fecal immunochemical test (FIT) screening on CRC incidence and mortality, leveraging the scale of over 1.5 million randomly selected Taiwanese and more than 11.7 million person-years of follow-up. ⋯ This large-scale study validates the efficacy of FIT screening in reducing CRC incidence and mortality. It offers a nuanced understanding of how various screening statuses impact CRC risks, thus providing valuable insights for public health strategies aimed at CRC prevention.
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Multimorbidity, the presence of two or more long-term health conditions in the same individual, is an emerging epidemic associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Continued drinking concurrent with alcohol-related chronic conditions, particularly with multimorbidity, is likely to further elevate health risk. This study aimed to examine the associations of multimorbidity among diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and cancer with drinking, and moderation of these associations by age. ⋯ Alcohol interventions to reduce drinking with multimorbidity, particularly among heavy-drinking men under age 50, are warranted.
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Over 30 million U.S. working adults use tobacco, and tobacco use varies by occupation. Limited information is available on employment characteristics and tobacco use prevalence. The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence of current tobacco use by employment characteristics and occupation group among U.S. working adults. ⋯ Current tobacco use varied according to employment characteristics and occupation group. Findings from this study could inform workplace tobacco cessation interventions and policies (e.g., access to paid sick leave or insurance coverage) to better support tobacco cessation and overall worker health.
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Obesity affects four in ten US adults. One of the most prevalent health-related social risk factors in the US is housing instability, which is also associated with cardiovascular health outcomes, including obesity. The objective of this research brief is to examine the association between housing instability with obesity status among a representative sample of insured adults across seven integrated health systems. ⋯ Among a representative cohort of insured adults, this study suggested increasing levels of housing instability are associated with increasing levels of obesity. Future research should further explore the temporal, longitudinal, and independent association of housing instability with obesity.