American journal of preventive medicine
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Policymakers have suggested and implemented work requirements for safety-net programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). If these work requirements impact program participation, they may lead to greater food insecurity. This paper investigates the effects of implementing the work requirement for the SNAP on emergency food assistance usage. ⋯ Individuals who lose SNAP eligibility owing to the work requirement remain in need of assistance and seek other sources of food. SNAP work requirements thus increase the burden on emergency food assistance programs. Work requirements for other programs may also lead to increased emergency food assistance use.
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Women with previous gestational diabetes are at high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) is a widely disseminated lifestyle intervention to prevent Type 2 diabetes. Although NDPP programs are open to adults of any age, participants are usually older adults. Effectiveness among younger women with previous gestational diabetes is largely unknown. ⋯ Diverse younger women with previous gestational diabetes attending the NDPP had one third greater attendance and twice as much weight loss as other NDPP participants but represented a much smaller proportion of enrollees. Thus, the NDPP appears to be a beneficial but underutilized resource for this high-risk population.
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The Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends testing all pregnant women for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and testing HBsAg-positive pregnant women for hepatitis B virus deoxyribonucleic acid (HBV DNA). HBsAg-positive pregnant persons are recommended by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases to receive regular monitoring, including alanine transaminase (ALT) and HBV DNA and antiviral therapy for active hepatitis and to prevent perinatal HBV transmission if HBV DNA level is >200,000 IU/mL. ⋯ This study suggests that as many as half a million (∼14%) pregnant persons who gave birth each year were not tested for HBsAg to prevent perinatal transmission. More than 50% of HBsAg-positive persons did not receive the recommended HBV-directed monitoring tests during pregnancy and after delivery.
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Novel strategies are needed to address barriers to COVID-19 vaccination among people experiencing homelessness (PEH), a population that faces increased COVID-19 risk. Although growing evidence suggests that financial incentives for vaccination are acceptable to PEH, their impact on uptake is unknown. This study aimed to assess whether offering $50 gift cards was associated with the uptake of the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine among PEH in Los Angeles County. ⋯ Financial incentives may be an effective tool for increasing vaccine uptake among PEH, but important ethical considerations must be made to avoid coercion of vulnerable populations.
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The Nutrition Environment Measurement Survey (NEMS) measures were developed to assess the consumer food environment in stores and restaurants. NEMS tools have been widely used in research and adapted for diverse settings and populations in the 15 years since they were created. This systematic review examines the use and adaptations of these measures and what can be learned from published studies using NEMS tools. ⋯ NEMS measures have played an important role in the growth of research on food environments and have helped researchers to explore the relationships among healthy food availability, demographic variables, eating behaviors, health outcomes, and intervention-driven changes in food environments. The food environment is constantly changing, so NEMS measures should continue to evolve. Researchers should document data quality of modifications and use in new settings.