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Piltch-Loeb R, James R, Albrecht SS, Buttenheim AM, Dowd JB, Kumar A, Jones M, Leininger LJ, Simanek A, Aronowitz S. What Were the Information Voids? A Qualitative Analysis of Questions Asked by Dear Pandemic Readers between August 2020-August 2021. J Health Commun 2023; 28:25-33. [PMID: 37390014 DOI: 10.1080/10810730.2023.2214986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Abstract
In the current infodemic, how individuals receive information (channel), who it is coming from (source), and how it is framed can have an important effect on COVID-19 related mitigation behaviors. In light of these challenges presented by the infodemic, Dear Pandemic (DP) was created to directly address persistent questions related to COVID-19 and other health topics in the online environment. This is a qualitative analysis of 3806 questions that were submitted by DP readers to a question box on the Dear Pandemic website between August 30, 2020 and August 29, 2021. Analyses resulted in four themes: the need for clarification of other sources; lack of trust in information; recognition of possible misinformation; and questions on personal decision-making. Each theme reflects an unmet informational need of Dear Pandemic readers, which may be reflective of the broader informational gaps in our science communication efforts.This study highlights the role of an ad hoc risk communication platform in the current environment and uses questions submitted to the Dear Pandemic question box to identify informational needs of DP readers over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings may help clarify how organizations addressing health misinformation in the digital space can contribute to timely, responsive science communication and improve future communication efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael Piltch-Loeb
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- DearPandemic.org, Madison, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Sandra S Albrecht
- DearPandemic.org, Madison, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Alison M Buttenheim
- DearPandemic.org, Madison, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Family and Community Health, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jennifer Beam Dowd
- DearPandemic.org, Madison, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Aparna Kumar
- DearPandemic.org, Madison, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Thomas Jefferson University College of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Malia Jones
- DearPandemic.org, Madison, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Community & Environmental Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Lindsey J Leininger
- DearPandemic.org, Madison, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Amanda Simanek
- DearPandemic.org, Madison, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Foundational Sciences, Chicago Medical School and Michael Reese Foundation Center for Health Equity Research, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Shoshana Aronowitz
- DearPandemic.org, Madison, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Family and Community Health, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Woo JM, Simanek A, O’Brien KM, Parks C, Gaston S, Auer PL, Konkel RH, Jackson CL, Meier HC, Sandler DP. Latent Class Models of Early-life Trauma and Incident Breast Cancer. Epidemiology 2022; 33:729-738. [PMID: 35580243 PMCID: PMC9378657 DOI: 10.1097/ede.0000000000001507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Psychosocial trauma has been hypothesized to influence breast cancer risk, but little is known about how co-occurring traumas-particularly during early life-may impact incidence. We examine the relationship between multiple measures of early-life trauma and incident breast cancer. METHODS The Sister Study is a prospective cohort study of US women (n = 50,884; enrollment 2003-2009; ages 35-74). Of 45,961 eligible participants, 3,070 developed invasive breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ through 2017. We assessed trauma before age 18 using previously studied measures (cumulative score, individual trauma type, and substantive domain) and a six-class latent variable to evaluate co-occurring traumas. We accounted for missing data using multiple imputation and estimated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using Cox proportional-hazards models. RESULTS Approximately 49% of participants reported early-life trauma. Using the latent class variable approach, breast cancer hazard was higher among participants who had sexual trauma or household dysfunction (HR = 1.1; CI = 0.93, 1.3) or moderate (HR = 1.2; CI = 0.99, 1.4) but not high trauma (HR = 0.66; CI = 0.44, 0.99) compared to low trauma. Breast cancer HRs associated with sexual early-life trauma or household dysfunction were elevated for pre- and postmenopausal breast cancer and by estrogen receptor status. We found no effect modification by race-ethnicity. Estimated effects were attenuated with report of constant childhood social support. CONCLUSIONS Breast cancer incidence varied by latent patterns of co-occurring early-life trauma. Models capturing childhood social support and trauma patterning, rather than cumulative or discrete indicators, may be more meaningful in breast cancer risk assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer M.P. Woo
- Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Amanda Simanek
- Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Katie M. O’Brien
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Christine Parks
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Symielle Gaston
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Paul L. Auer
- Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Rebecca Headley Konkel
- Helen Bader School of Social Welfare, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Chandra L. Jackson
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
- Intramural Program, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Helen C.S. Meier
- Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Dale P. Sandler
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
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Stebbins RC, Noppert GA, Yang YC, Dowd JB, Simanek A, Aiello AE. Association Between Immune Response to Cytomegalovirus and Cognition in the Health and Retirement Study. Am J Epidemiol 2021; 190:786-797. [PMID: 33094810 DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwaa238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2020] [Revised: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic infections and the subsequent immune response have recently been shown to be risk factors for cognitive decline and Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD). While some studies have shown an association between cytomegalovirus (CMV), a chronic and highly prevalent infection, and cognition and/or ADRD, these studies have been limited by nonrepresentative and small samples. Using 2016 data on 5,617 adults aged 65 years or more from the Health and Retirement Study, we investigated the cross-sectional associations of both CMV serostatus and immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody response with cognitive function using linear regression models adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and educational attainment. We further investigated potential effect-measure modification by educational attainment. Overall, both CMV seropositivity and higher IgG antibody response were associated with lower cognitive function, though the relationship was not statistically significant in adjusted models. Among participants with less than a high school diploma, CMV seropositivity and being in the first tertile of IgG response, relative to seronegative persons, were associated with lower scores on the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (-0.56 points (95% confidence interval: -1.63, 0.52) and -0.89 points (95% confidence interval: -2.07, 0.29), respectively), and the relationship was attenuated among those with higher education. Our results suggest that CMV may be a risk factor for cognitive impairment, particularly among persons with fewer educational resources.
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Noppert GA, Feinstein L, Dowd JB, Stebbins RC, Zang E, Needham BL, Meier HCS, Simanek A, Aiello AE. Pathogen burden and leukocyte telomere length in the United States. Immun Ageing 2020; 17:36. [PMID: 33292353 PMCID: PMC7677839 DOI: 10.1186/s12979-020-00206-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prior studies in humans have suggested that telomere shortening may be accelerated by infection, but research on multiple pathogens and use of large population-based study samples has been limited. We estimated cross-sectional associations between seropositivity to five persistent pathogens (Herpes Simplex Virus Type-1 (HSV-1), Herpes Simplex Virus Type-2 (HSV-2), cytomegalovirus (CMV), Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori), and Hepatitis B) as well as total pathogen burden and leukocyte telomere length. Data were derived from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2000) for individuals 20-49 years of age, N = 1708. We analyzed the influence of each pathogen separately, a pathogen count score and a latent class model of pathogen burden on log telomere length using linear regression models, adjusted for covariates. RESULTS Individuals in a latent pathogen burden class characterized by high probabilities of infection with HSV-1, CMV, and H. pylori, had significantly decreased log telomere length (- 0.30 [95% CI: - 0.36, - 0.24]) compared to those in a latent class characterized by low probabilities of all five infections. There were limited significant associations using other pathogen measures. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that infection with specific combinations of pathogens may be one mechanism contributing to accelerated cellular senescence with possible origins early in the life course.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace A Noppert
- Social Environment and Health, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
- Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 123 West Franklin St., Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, USA.
| | - Lydia Feinstein
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 123 West Franklin St., Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, USA
- Social & Scientific Systems, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Jennifer B Dowd
- Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science, Department of Sociology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Rebecca C Stebbins
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 123 West Franklin St., Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, USA
| | - Emma Zang
- Department of Sociology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Helen C S Meier
- Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Amanda Simanek
- Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Allison E Aiello
- Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 123 West Franklin St., Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, USA.
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 123 West Franklin St., Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, USA.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND The pathophysiology of preeclampsia remains unclear. The disorder is heterogeneous, and the pathophysiology may vary by subtype. Identification of relevant biomarkers will help to better elucidate the pathophysiologic basis of each preeclampsia subtype. Blood type may be a biomarker that allows risk identification for preeclampsia. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations among maternal ABO blood type and preeclampsia subtype and fetal growth restriction (FGR). METHOD Medical records of 126 women with early-onset preeclampsia (≤33 6/7 weeks' gestation), 126 women with late-onset preeclampsia (≥34 0/7 weeks' gestation), and 259 controls who gave birth between January 2012 and June 2016 were retrospectively abstracted from a large suburban tertiary referral center in South Central Pennsylvania for this hospital-based case-control study. RESULTS Women with AB blood type had >3 times the odds of late-onset preeclampsia (odds ratio [ OR] = 3.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) = [1.02, 11.05]) compared to those with O blood type. Among women with early-onset preeclampsia, those with B blood type had 5 times the odds of having a growth-restricted fetus than did women with O blood type ( OR = 5.44, 95% CI [1.65, 17.94]). DISCUSSION Our findings suggest that AB blood type may be an important risk factor for late-onset preeclampsia and that among women with early-onset preeclampsia, those with B blood type have increased odds of FGR. These findings warrant further study in women and their offspring to identify the pathophysiologic processes that may link ABO blood type, preeclampsia subtype, and FGR.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Theodore Bell
- 3 WellSpan Health, Emig Research Center, York, PA, USA
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Simanek A, Dowd J, Aiello A. The association between vitamin D deficiency, folate deficiency and seropositivity to persistent pathogens among U.S. children. Int J Infect Dis 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2010.02.554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
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