Holocaust Experience and Mortality Patterns: 4-Decade Follow-up in a Population-Based Cohort
AbstractResearch on mortality associated with exposure to the Holocaust is relevant for a better understanding of the effects of genocides on survivors. To our knowledge, previous studies have not investigated the long-termcause-specific mortality of Holocaust survivors. We compared mortality rates among Israelis born in European countries controlled by the Nazis during World War II with those among Israelis of European descent who did not have this exposure. Records of 22,671 people (45% women; 5,042 survivors) from the population-based Jerusalem Perinatal Study (1964 –1976) were linked to the Israeli Population Registr...
Source: American Journal of Epidemiology - February 10, 2021 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
The Impact of Epidemiology on Fertility and Prenatal Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic
We present a review of epidemiologic studies published between March and December 2020 that have directly informed prenatal and fertility care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite a significant increase in our knowledge base over the past year, many questions remain about the impact of COVID-19 on conception, pregnancy, fetal development, and lactation. In the future, a commitment toward inclusion of pregnant persons and those attempting pregnancy in the design of observational and interventional trials is necessary to gain earlier insights about outcomes and assist providers and patients in making data-driven decisions. ...
Source: American Journal of Epidemiology - February 10, 2021 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Interpregnancy Interval and Subsequent Severe Maternal Morbidity: A 16-Year Population-Based Study From California
In this study, longer IPI was associated with increased risk of SMM, which may be partly attributed to interpregnancy health. (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology)
Source: American Journal of Epidemiology - February 5, 2021 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Do deaths of despair move together? county-level mortality changes by sex and urbanization, 1990 –2017
Editor ’s note: An invited commentary on this article appears on page 1172, and the authors' response is published on page 1175. (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology)
Source: American Journal of Epidemiology - February 4, 2021 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Invited Commentary: Do Small Cause-of-Death Correlations Throw Into Question the Notion of a Collective “Deaths of Despair” Phenomenon?
AbstractSince the turn of the 21st century, during which White mortality has been rising, there has been a sharp increase in only 3 causes of death: drug use, alcohol use, and suicide. Because all 3 of these causes conjure notions of anguish and hopelessness, they have been conceptualized as a collective “deaths of despair” phenomenon. Simon and Masters (Am J Epidemiol. 2021;190(6)1169-1171) challenge this conceptualization by asking whether these 3 causes are empirically associated with each other. Their analyses produce small correlations, which lead them to call into question that the 3 causes are part of a unified ...
Source: American Journal of Epidemiology - February 4, 2021 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Simon and Masters Respond to “Small Correlations Among Deaths of Despair”
We thank Siddiqi and Sod-Erdene (1) for a thoughtful discussion of our paper (2). Given that the “deaths of despair” (DOD) perspective (3 –5) first emerged as a backend theory to explain empirical anomalies in US mortality trends (i.e., rising midlife mortality among White Americans), it is important to investigate the “empirical uniformities” advanced by the theory’s central assumptions (6, p. 39). Indeed, proponents of other middle-range theories have welcomed and responded to empirical tests of their core claims (e.g., Fundamental Cause Theory (7 –11)). In our analyses, we considered the central DOD claim ...
Source: American Journal of Epidemiology - February 4, 2021 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Invited Commentary: Quantitative Bias Analysis Can See the Forest for the Trees
AbstractThe accompanying article by Jiang et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2021;190(9):1830 –1840) extends quantitative bias analysis from the realm of statistical models to the realm of machine learning algorithms. Given the rooting of statistical models in the spirit of explanation and the rooting of machine learning algorithms in the spirt of prediction, this extension is thought-prov oking indeed. Some such thoughts are expounded upon here. (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology)
Source: American Journal of Epidemiology - February 1, 2021 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Jiang et al. Respond to “Quantitative Bias Analysis”
National Institute of Mental Health10.13039/1000000251R01 MH1095071R01 MH110453-01A1U.S. National Library of Medicine10.13039/100000092R01LM013049 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology)
Source: American Journal of Epidemiology - February 1, 2021 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Addressing Measurement Error in Random Forests Using Quantitative Bias Analysis
This study highlights the utility of applying quantitative bias analysis in machine learning to quantify the impact of measurement error on study res ults. (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology)
Source: American Journal of Epidemiology - February 1, 2021 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Re: “association of mammography screening with a reduction in breast cancer mortality: a modeling study using population-based data from 2 french departments”
The publication of a modeling study using population-based data from 2 French departments to claim that “323 (95% [credible interval]: 172, 1,088) and 338 (95% [credible interval]: 172, 1,516) women needed to be invited for screening every 2 years from ages 50 to 74 years to prevent 1 breast cancer death” (1) deserved comment. (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology)
Source: American Journal of Epidemiology - January 18, 2021 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
The authors reply
We read with interest the letter to the editor (1) about our article (2) and we would like to reply to the following criticisms. (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology)
Source: American Journal of Epidemiology - January 18, 2021 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Impacts of Medicaid Expansion Before Conception on Prepregnancy Health, Pregnancy Health, and Outcomes
We examined associations between preconception exposure to Medicaid expansion and measures of prepregnancy health, pregnancy health, and pregnancy outcomes using a difference-in-differences empirical approach. Increased Medicaid eligibility was not associated with improvements in prepregnancy or pregnancy health measures and did not reduce the prevalence of adverse birth outcomes (e.g., prevalence of preterm birth increased by 0.1 percentage point (95% confidence interval: −0.2, 0.3)). Increasing Medicaid eligibility alon e may be insufficient to improve prepregnancy or pregnancy health and birth outcomes. Preconception ...
Source: American Journal of Epidemiology - January 11, 2021 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Invited Commentary: Medicaid Policy and Pregnancy Outcomes —Toward a Reproductive Autonomy Framework
AbstractThe Medicaid program covers more than 70 million people and is the largest single health insurance payer for pregnancy and delivery in the United States. In this issue of theJournal, Margerison et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2021;190(8):1488 –1498) investigate the extent to which expansion of Medicaid coverage to nonpregnant low-income adults under the Affordable Care Act may have improved prepregnancy or birth outcomes. They found that Medicaid expansions by states were not associated with changes in prepregnancy health, including sm oking and obesity. Similarly, there were no changes in preterm birth or small or large...
Source: American Journal of Epidemiology - January 11, 2021 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Margerison et al. Respond to “Medicaid Policy and Reproductive Autonomy”
Expansion of Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act has increased the percentage of reproductive-age women who report having health insurance by at least 9 percentage points overall, with higher increases among women without dependent children (1,2). Yet, in our study (3), we found that expanded Medicaid eligibility during the year prior to conception was not associated with improvements in prepregnancy or pregnancy health and did not reduce the prevalence of adverse birth outcomes. These “null” findings are consistent with prior reports that expansion of Medicaid to womenduring pregnancy also did not reduce t...
Source: American Journal of Epidemiology - January 11, 2021 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Active Surveillance of the Safety of Medications Used During Pregnancy
AbstractThe scientific community relies on postmarketing approaches to define the risk of using medications in pregnancy because information available at the time of drug approval is limited. Most studies carried out in pregnancy focus on a single outcome or selected outcomes. However, women must balance the benefit of treatment against all possible adverse effects. We aimed to apply and evaluate a tree-based scan statistic data-mining method (TreeScan; Martin Kulldorff, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts) as a safety surveillance approach that allows for simultaneous evaluation of a comprehensive range of adver...
Source: American Journal of Epidemiology - January 11, 2021 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
