American journal of preventive medicine
-
Year 2021 had the highest number firearm suicide deaths in U.S. history, with veterans representing 62.4% of firearm suicide deaths. The study objective is to understand motivations for firearm ownership, storage practices, history of mental health disorders and suicide risk in servicemembers, as reported by family members. ⋯ Ownership for safety/protection and the presence of clinically significant anxiety predicted unsecured firearm storage practices. Future research examining motivations for gun ownership for safety/protection, anxiety, and unsecured storage practices may help target interventions to prevent suicide.
-
The mortality, long-term morbidity, and exacerbated healthcare needs due to firearm injury in the U.S. are significant and growing. However, the relationship between exposure to a nonfatal firearm injury and long-term emergency department (ED) utilization is poorly understood. This study estimates the association between exposure to a nonfatal firearm injury and ED utilization in the subsequent year. ⋯ Nonfatal firearm-related injuries contribute to preventable harm, health inequity, and increased ED utilization.
-
Although health insurance is a critical tool for well-being across the life course, few studies have explored the long-term health implications of shifts in insurance coverage. This study examined whether changes in insurance types from adolescence to early midlife were associated with early midlife self-rated health. ⋯ Health insurance statuses from adolescence to early midlife, specifically having or switching into public insurance, may be associated with poorer health in early midlife among individuals who were adolescents in the early 1990s. More research is needed to explore how insurance reform such as the Children's Health Insurance Program may have mitigated this association in future cohorts.
-
Prepandemic data suggests that methamphetamine-related mortality and opioid coinvolvement have been increasing in the U.S. However, there was a staggering number of U.S. drug overdose deaths in 2020 and 2021, particularly among males. An updated examination of sex-specific trends in methamphetamine-related mortality, the extent to which these deaths may be driven by the heroin and fentanyl coinvolvement, and whether this coinvolvement might explain the disproportionate number of male methamphetamine deaths is warranted. ⋯ Increasing methamphetamine-related mortality among males and females has been accompanied by a dramatic increase in the proportion of heroin and/or synthetic opioid coinvolvement among both sexes. Robust harm reduction efforts are needed to mitigate these increases, particularly for people who couse stimulants and opioids.