Intersectional Approaches to Minority Aging Research
AbstractPurpose of ReviewGrowing racial/ethnic diversity among America ’s older adults necessitates additional research specifically focused on health and well-being among aging minoritized populations. Although Black and Latinx adults in the USA tend to face worse health outcomes as they age, substantial evidence points to unexpected health patterns (e.g., the race paradox in mental health, the Latino health paradox) that challenge our understanding of health and aging among these populations. In this review, we demonstrate the value of intersectionality theory for clarifying these health patterns and highlight the ways...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - January 10, 2023 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Differences and Disparities in Ageism Affecting Older US Adults: a Review
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThis review summarizes findings from quantitative research studies published between 2010 and 2022 providing insight on sociodemographic differences and disparities in ageism among US adults ages 50 and older.Recent FindingsAcross 21 studies, disparities in ageism were more consistently found such that those who were older (57% of studies), with less education (64%), and of lower socioeconomic status (100%) reported more ageism than their counterparts. Amount of ageism did not differ by sex in the majority (71%) of studies. Findings regarding race/ethnicity were mixed. Other possible differences in...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - December 29, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Approaches to Measuring Cannabis Use in Injury Research: Beyond Drug Detection
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThis review examines the challenges of measuring the effect of acute cannabis use as it relates to injury risk. This is relevant for researchers, particularly those studying drug-impaired driving, and practitioners such as those measuring impairment in workplaces or at the roadside.Recent FindingsEmerging research clarifies the challenges of linking drug levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the body to the level of psychomotor and neurocognitive impairment, given individual differences in drug effects and tolerance. Without knowing more about the individual, such as information about the pattern...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - December 13, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Do Changes to the Alcohol Retail Environment Reduce Interpersonal Violence?
AbstractPurpose of ReviewTo summarize recent research on the alcohol retail environment (sales, policies, availability) and interpersonal violence (assault, intimate partner violence, sexual assault), including methods utilized, theoretical frameworks employed, and associations by types of alcohol environmental exposure and violence.Recent FindingsStudies continue to demonstrate that reducing alcohol availability directly and indirectly lowers rates of interpersonal violence. Many of the 30 studies used state-of-the-art analytic methods and study designs. Few studies examined heterogeneity by minoritized identities or betw...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - November 18, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
External Comparator Groups Derived from Real-world Data Used in Support of Regulatory Decision Making: Use Cases and Challenges
AbstractReal-world data (RWD) from electronic health records (EHRs) and administrative claims databases are used increasingly to generate real-world evidence (RWE). RWE is used to support clinical evidence packages for medicines that inform decision-makers. In this review of current issues in the use of RWD-derived external comparator groups to support regulatory filings, we assess a series of topics that generally apply across many disease indications. However, most of the examples and illustrations focus on the oncology clinical research setting. T he topics include an overview of current uses of RWD in drug developmen...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - November 14, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Uses of mHealth in Injury Prevention and Control: a Critical Review
AbstractPurpose of ReviewsThe purpose of this review was to summarize the current state of the literature on the use of “mHealth” (the use of mobile devices for health promotion) for injury prevention and control.Recent FindingsmHealth is being used to measure, predict, and prevent the full spectrum of injuries. However, most literature remains preliminary or in a pilot stage. Use of best-of-class design principles (e.g., user-centered design, theory-based development) is uncommon, and wide-scale dissemination of effective monitoring or intervention tools is rare.SummarymHealth for injury prevention holds promise, but ...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - November 9, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Aging in Rural Communities
AbstractPurpose of ReviewPopulation aging is occurring worldwide, particularly in developed countries such as the United States (US). However, in the US, the population is aging more rapidly in rural areas than in urban areas. Healthy aging in rural areas presents unique challenges. Understanding and addressing those challenges is essential to ensure healthy aging and promote health equity across the lifespan and all geographies. This review aims to present findings and evaluate recent literature (2019 –2022) on rural aging and highlight future directions and opportunities to improve population health in rural communitie...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - November 9, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Sensitivity Analyses for Unmeasured Confounders
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThis review expands on sensitivity analyses for unmeasured confounding techniques, demonstrating state-of-the-art methods as well as specifying which should be used under various scenarios, depending on the information about a potential unmeasured confounder available to the researcher.Recent FindingsMethods to assess how sensitive an observed estimate is to unmeasured confounding have been developed for decades. Recent advancements have allowed for the incorporation of measured confounders in these assessments, updating the methods used to quantify the impact of an unmeasured confounder, whether s...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - November 8, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Registry Data in Injury Research: Study Designs and Interpretation
AbstractPurpose of ReviewInjury data is frequently captured in registries that form a census of 100% of known cases that meet specified inclusion criteria. These data are routinely used in injury research with a variety of study designs. We reviewed study designs commonly used with data extracted from injury registries and evaluated the advantages and disadvantages of each design type.Recent FindingsRegistry data are suited to 5 major design types: (1) Description, (2) Ecologic (with ecologic cohort as a particularly informative sub-type), (3) Case –control (with location-based and culpability studies as salient subtypes...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - October 20, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Examining the Linkage Between Social Support and Gender-Based Violence Among Women and Girls in Humanitarian Settings: a Systematic Review of the Evidence
AbstractPurpose of the reviewHumanitarian crises inherently exacerbate strains on social support and risks of gender-based violence (GBV), especially for women and girls. However, little is known in regard to the linkage between social support and GBV in humanitarian settings. This systematic review sheds light on this scientific gap by synthesizing evidence examining the role, measurement, and impact of social support and GBV among women and girls in humanitarian settings.Recent findingsFollowing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a total of 21 articles were include...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - October 18, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Environmental Risk Factors for Childhood Central Nervous System Tumors: an Umbrella Review
AbstractPurpose of ReviewChildhood central nervous system tumors (cCNSt) are the most common solid tumors in individuals under 20 years old, yet environmental risk factors are not well established. Therefore, we conducted an umbrella review to summarize the current literature on risk factors related to cCNSt.Recent FindingsChildhood exposure to ionizing radiation from medical devices was the strongest risk factor. There was evidence of positive associations with several other factors, including maternal age, birth weight, and pesticide exposure. Conversely, maternal folic acid supplementation during pregnancy and having ...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - October 14, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Trauma- and Violence-Informed Care: Orienting Intimate Partner Violence Interventions to Equity
AbstractPurposeof ReviewIntimate partner violence (IPV) is a complex traumatic experience that often co-occurs, or is causally linked, with other forms of structural violence and oppression. However, few IPV interventions integrate this social-ecological perspective. We examine trauma- and violence-informed care (TVIC) in the context of existing IPV interventions as an explicitly equity-oriented approach to IPV prevention and response.Recent FindingsSystematic reviews of IPV interventions along the public health prevention spectrum show mixed findings, with those with a theoretically grounded, structural approach that inte...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - October 3, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Causal Inference with Case-Only Studies in Injury Epidemiology Research
AbstractPurpose of ReviewWe review the application and limitations of two implementations of the “case-only design” in injury epidemiology with example analyses of Fatality Analysis Reporting System data.Recent FindingsThe term “case-only design” covers a variety of epidemiologic designs; here, two implementations of the design are reviewed: (1) studies to uncover etiological heterogeneity and (2) studies to measure exposure effect modification. These two designs produce results that require different interpretations a nd rely upon different assumptions. The key assumption of case-only designs for exposure effect m...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - September 29, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Examining Barriers and Opportunities of Conducting Genome-Wide Association Studies in Developing Countries
AbstractPurpose of ReviewGenome-wide association studies (GWASs) allow correlations between genetic variations and diseases that will benefit the field of public health in developing countries. It is considered to be the primary step toward a journey from gene discovery to improving health outcomes of individuals. The aim of this manuscript was to examine barriers and opportunities of conducting GWASs in selected developing nations by considering a holistic set of elements including demand, resources, implementation/practicality, and adaptation.Recent FindingsConsideration of various aforementioned elements shows that whil...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - August 25, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
Outdoor Air Pollution and Pregnancy Loss: a Review of Recent Literature
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThis review summarizes recent literature about the impacts of outdoor air pollution on pregnancy loss (spontaneous abortion/miscarriage and stillbirth), identifies challenges and opportunities, and provides recommendations for actions.Recent FindingsBoth short- and long-term exposures to ubiquitous air pollutants, including fine particulate matter < 2.5 and < 10 μm, may increase pregnancy loss risk. Windows of susceptibility include the entire gestational period, especially early pregnancy, and the week before event. Vulnerable subpopulations were not consistently explored, but s...
Source: Current Epidemiology Reports - August 24, 2022 Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research
