American journal of preventive medicine
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Universal Basic Income (UBI) policies have the potential to promote a wide range of public health objectives by providing those who qualify with direct cash payments. One overlooked mechanism of particular importance to health researchers is the possibility that guaranteed income might increase consultation of primary and preventive care (e.g., annual doctors' visits; regular vaccination against infectious disease) by providing people with both the time and monetary resources to do so, thereby improving general health. ⋯ Enhanced UBI payments ought to be thought about as a form of health policy, as they have the potential to advance a wide range of health objectives related to preventive care.
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More Americans died in 2021 from drug overdose than from vehicle accidents and firearms combined. Unlike earlier phases, the current epidemic is marked by its disproportionate impact on communities of color. This report investigates regional and substance-specific variations in racial disparities to generate possible insights into the various forces shaping these trends. ⋯ The opioid epidemic continues to expand, with particularly rapid acceleration in racially minoritized communities. The growing role of stimulants in opioid overdose deaths is a racialized phenomenon disproportionately impacting Black and Native Americans. Wide variation in state-level disparities suggest that structural racism impacts health in regionally specific ways, highlighting the need for regional solutions.
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The aim of this study is to assess 10-year trends (2010-2020) in household secondhand smoke exposure in Hong Kong adolescents from inside their own homes and from their neighbors and analyze changes by SES. ⋯ Household secondhand smoke exposure in Hong Kong adolescents has increased in recent years, with persistent socioeconomic disparities and a widening in 2018. Targeted policies, such as home smoking bans, are needed to protect adolescents from secondhand smoke exposure and reduce socioeconomic disparities.