American journal of preventive medicine
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Increased insurance coverage and access to health care can increase identification of undiagnosed HIV infection and use of HIV prevention services such as pre-exposure prophylaxis. This study investigates whether the Medicaid expansions facilitated by the Affordable Care Act had these effects. ⋯ Medicaid expansions were associated with increases in the percentage of people living with HIV who are aware of their status and pre-exposure prophylaxis use. Expanding public health insurance may be an avenue for curbing the HIV epidemic.
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Improving the utilization of preventive care among adolescents is important for achieving individual-level and population-level health goals. The Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set reports data submitted by managed care health plans, capturing a large number of individuals in the U.S. ⋯ Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set measures can help public health officials to monitor progress toward health goals, such as Healthy People 2020, and identify poorly performing health plans and types of preventive services in greatest need of improvement. States using Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set or Health Plan Accreditation were associated with better performance in some adolescent measures, which suggests that health plan accountability may have a role in achieving health outcomes and could be an important area for future research.
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E-cigarette use increased dramatically among U.S. students during 2017-2019, and school plays an important role in preventing and reducing youth substance use. This study examines the prevalence and correlates of self-reported youth observation of e-cigarette use on school grounds. ⋯ E-cigarette use is common on school grounds, and youth observation of vaping in schools may increase the risk of initiating tobacco use in the future. School vaping policy and education programs are needed to curb youth e-cigarette use.