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Xie W, Berlowitz JB, Raquib R, Harlow AF, Benjamin EJ, Bhatnagar A, Stokes AC. Association of cigarette and electronic cigarette use patterns with all-cause mortality: A national cohort study of 145,390 US adults. Prev Med 2024; 182:107943. [PMID: 38552720 PMCID: PMC11039355 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2024.107943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2023] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE While e-cigarette use is associated with adverse cardiopulmonary health effects, the mortality risks associated with e-cigarette use alone and combined with smoking remain unexamined. METHODS Data between 2014 and 2018 were obtained from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), an annual cross-sectional survey of US adults. All-cause mortality and date of death were obtained via linkage of the NHIS to the National Death Index through December 31, 2019. A 6-category composite cigarette (never, former, current) and e-cigarette (current, non-current) exposure variable was created. We examined the association of cigarette and e-cigarette use patterns with all-cause mortality using adjusted Cox models. RESULTS Among 145,390 participants (79,294 women [51.5%]; 60,560 aged 18-44 [47.4%]), 5220 deaths were observed over a median follow-up of 3.5 years (508,545 total person-years). Dual use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes was associated with higher mortality risk compared with non-current e-cigarette use in combination with never smoking (hazard ratio [HR] 2.44; 95% CI, 1.90-3.13) and had a risk that did not differ from current exclusive smoking (HR, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.83-1.37). Current e-cigarette use in combination with former smoking was associated with a lower mortality risk than current exclusive cigarette smoking (HR 0.64; 95% CI, 0.41-0.99). CONCLUSIONS The addition of e-cigarette use to smoking does not reduce mortality risk compared with exclusive smoking. However, transitioning completely from cigarettes to e-cigarettes may be associated with mortality risk reduction. Further research is needed to verify these findings in larger cohorts and over longer periods of follow-up.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wubin Xie
- Population and Global Health, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Jonathan B Berlowitz
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rafeya Raquib
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alyssa F Harlow
- University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Emelia J Benjamin
- Department of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Aruni Bhatnagar
- Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Andrew C Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
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Paglino E, Stokes AC. Excess Mortality as a Tool to Monitor the Evolution of Health Emergencies: Choices, Challenges, and Future Directions. Am J Public Health 2024:e1-e4. [PMID: 38603664 DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2024.307661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Eugenio Paglino
- Eugenio Paglino is with the Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Andrew C. Stokes is with the Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA
| | - Andrew C Stokes
- Eugenio Paglino is with the Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Andrew C. Stokes is with the Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA
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Xie W, Hsu HE, Shafer PR, Podolsky MI, Stokes AC. Metabolic Disease and The Risk of Post-COVID Conditions: A Retrospective Cohort Study. medRxiv 2024:2024.03.26.24304845. [PMID: 38585713 PMCID: PMC10996723 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.26.24304845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Objective To examine the influence of having a baseline metabolic disorder (diabetes, hypertension, and/or obesity) on the risk of developing new clinical sequelae potentially related to SARS-CoV-2 in a large sample of commercially insured adults in the US. Design setting and participants Deidentified data were collected from the IBM/Watson MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters (CCAE) Databases and Medicare Supplemental and Coordination of Benefits (MDCR) Databases from 2019 to 2021. A total of 839,344 adults aged 18 and above with continuous enrollment in the health plan were included in the analyses. Participants were grouped into four categories based on their COVID-19 diagnosis and whether they had at least one of the three common metabolic disorders at baseline (diabetes, obesity, or hypertension). Measures and methods ICD-10-CM codes were used to determine new symptoms and conditions after the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection, defined as ending 21 days after initial diagnosis date, or index period for those who did not have a COVID-19 diagnosis. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to create comparable reference groups. Cox proportional hazard models were conducted to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Results Among the 772,377 individuals included in the analyses, 36,742 (4.8%) without and 20,912 (2.7%) with a baseline metabolic disorder were diagnosed with COVID-19. On average, COVID-19 patients with baseline metabolic disorders had more 2.4 more baseline comorbidities compared to those without baseline metabolic disorders. Compared to adults with no baseline metabolic condition, the risks of developing new clinical sequelae were highest among COVID-19 patients with a baseline metabolic condition (HRs ranging from 1.51 to 3.33), followed by those who had a baseline metabolic condition but with no COVID-19 infection (HRs ranging from 1.33 to 2.35), and those who had COVID-19 but no baseline metabolic condition (HRs ranging from 1.34 to 2.85). Conclusions In a large national cohort of commercially insured adults, COVID-19 patients with a baseline metabolic condition had the highest risk of developing new clinical sequelae post-acute infection phase, followed by those who had baseline metabolic condition but no COVID-19 infection and those who had COVID-19 but no baseline metabolic disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wubin Xie
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Heather E. Hsu
- Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Pediatric Health Services Research, Department of Pediatrics, Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine at Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Paul R. Shafer
- Department of Health Law, Policy, and Management, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Meghan I. Podolsky
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Andrew C. Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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Paglino E, Lundberg DJ, Wrigley-Field E, Zhou Z, Wasserman JA, Raquib R, Chen YH, Hempstead K, Preston SH, Elo IT, Glymour MM, Stokes AC. Excess natural-cause mortality in US counties and its association with reported COVID-19 deaths. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2313661121. [PMID: 38300867 PMCID: PMC10861891 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2313661121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 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] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
In the United States, estimates of excess deaths attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic have consistently surpassed reported COVID-19 death counts. Excess deaths reported to non-COVID-19 natural causes may represent unrecognized COVID-19 deaths, deaths caused by pandemic health care interruptions, and/or deaths from the pandemic's socioeconomic impacts. The geographic and temporal distribution of these deaths may help to evaluate which explanation is most plausible. We developed a Bayesian hierarchical model to produce monthly estimates of excess natural-cause mortality for US counties over the first 30 mo of the pandemic. From March 2020 through August 2022, 1,194,610 excess natural-cause deaths occurred nationally [90% PI (Posterior Interval): 1,046,000 to 1,340,204]. A total of 162,886 of these excess natural-cause deaths (90% PI: 14,276 to 308,480) were not reported to COVID-19. Overall, 15.8 excess deaths were reported to non-COVID-19 natural causes for every 100 reported COVID-19 deaths. This number was greater in nonmetropolitan counties (36.0 deaths), the West (Rocky Mountain states: 31.6 deaths; Pacific states: 25.5 deaths), and the South (East South Central states: 26.0 deaths; South Atlantic states: 25.0 deaths; West South Central states: 24.2 deaths). In contrast, reported COVID-19 death counts surpassed estimates of excess natural-cause deaths in metropolitan counties in the New England and Middle Atlantic states. Increases in reported COVID-19 deaths correlated temporally with increases in excess deaths reported to non-COVID-19 natural causes in the same and/or prior month. This suggests that many excess deaths reported to non-COVID-19 natural causes during the first 30 mo of the pandemic in the United States were unrecognized COVID-19 deaths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugenio Paglino
- Department of Sociology and Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Dielle J. Lundberg
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA02118
- Department of Health Systems and Population Health, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA98195
| | - Elizabeth Wrigley-Field
- Department of Sociology and Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN55455
| | - Zhenwei Zhou
- Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA02118
| | | | - Rafeya Raquib
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA02118
| | - Yea-Hung Chen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, CA94158
| | | | - Samuel H. Preston
- Department of Sociology and Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Irma T. Elo
- Department of Sociology and Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - M. Maria Glymour
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA02118
| | - Andrew C. Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA02118
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Berry KM, Stokes AC, Morris KJ, Raquib RV, Wrigley-Field E. Disparities in All-Cause Mortality Beyond the Acute Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the US. JAMA Netw Open 2024; 7:e2356869. [PMID: 38376845 PMCID: PMC10879948 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.56869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/21/2024] Open
Abstract
This cross-sectional study examines all-cause mortality in the US between March 2018 and May 2023 by sex, race and ethnicity, metropolitan status, and region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlyn M. Berry
- Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis
- Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
| | - Andrew C. Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Keeley J. Morris
- Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis
| | - Rafeya V. Raquib
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Elizabeth Wrigley-Field
- Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
- Department of Sociology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
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Brennan AT, Lauren E, Bor J, George JA, Chetty K, Mlisana K, Dai A, Khoza S, Rosen S, Stokes AC, Raal F, Hibberd P, Alexanian SM, Fox MP, Crowther NJ. Gaps in the type 2 diabetes care cascade: a national perspective using South Africa's National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) database. BMC Health Serv Res 2023; 23:1452. [PMID: 38129852 PMCID: PMC10740239 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-023-10318-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 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] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Research out of South Africa estimates the total unmet need for care for those with type 2 diabetes mellitus (diabetes) at 80%. We evaluated the care cascade using South Africa's National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) database and assessed if HIV infection impacts progression through its stages. METHODS The cohort includes patients from government facilities with their first glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) or plasma glucose (fasting (FPG); random (RPG)) measured between January 2012 to March 2015 in the NHLS. Lab-diagnosed diabetes was defined as HbA1c ≥ 6.5%, FPG ≥ 7.0mmol/l, or RPG ≥ 11.1mmol/l. Cascade stages post diagnosis were retention-in-care and glycaemic control (defined as an HbA1c < 7.0% or FPG < 8.0mmol/l or RPG < 10.0mmol/l) over 24-months. We estimated gaps at each stage nationally and by people living with HIV (PLWH) and without (PLWOH). RESULTS Of the 373,889 patients tested for diabetes, 43.2% had an HbA1c or blood glucose measure indicating a diabetes diagnosis. Amongst those with lab-diagnosed diabetes, 30.9% were retained-in-care (based on diabetes labs) and 8.7% reached glycaemic control by 24-months. Prevalence of lab-diagnosed diabetes in PLWH was 28.6% versus 47.3% in PLWOH. Among those with lab-diagnosed diabetes, 34.3% of PLWH were retained-in-care versus 30.3% PLWOH. Among people retained-in-care, 33.8% of PLWH reached glycaemic control over 24-months versus 28.6% of PLWOH. CONCLUSIONS In our analysis of South Africa's NHLS database, we observed that 70% of patients diagnosed with diabetes did not maintain in consistent diabetes care, with fewer than 10% reaching glycemic control within 24 months. We noted a disparity in diabetes prevalence between PLWH and PLWOH, potentially linked to different screening methods. These differences underscore the intricacies in care but also emphasize how HIV care practices could guide better management of chronic diseases like diabetes. Our results underscore the imperative for specialized strategies to bolster diabetes care in South Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alana T Brennan
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
- Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Evelyn Lauren
- Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jacob Bor
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jaya A George
- Wits Diagnostic Innovation Hub, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Kamy Chetty
- National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Koleka Mlisana
- Academic Affairs, Research & Quality Assurance, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Andrew Dai
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Boston University, Boston, USA
| | - Siyabonga Khoza
- National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Chemical Pathology, University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Health Sciences, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Sydney Rosen
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Andrew C Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Frederick Raal
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Patricia Hibberd
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Matthew P Fox
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nigel J Crowther
- National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Chemical Pathology, University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Health Sciences, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Wills TA, Xie W, Stokes AC. Issues for Studies on E-cigarettes and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder. Am J Prev Med 2023; 65:1196-1197. [PMID: 37981346 DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2023.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas A Wills
- Cancer Prevention in the Pacific Program, University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, Hawaii
| | - Wubin Xie
- Population and Global Health, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Andrew C Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
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8
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Erhabor J, Boakye E, Obisesan O, Osei AD, Tasdighi E, Mirbolouk H, DeFilippis AP, Stokes AC, Hirsch GA, Benjamin EJ, Rodriguez CJ, El Shahawy O, Robertson RM, Bhatnagar A, Blaha MJ. E-Cigarette Use Among US Adults in the 2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey. JAMA Netw Open 2023; 6:e2340859. [PMID: 37921768 PMCID: PMC10625038 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.40859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Importance After the initial disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is unclear how patterns of e-cigarette use in the US have changed. Objective To examine recent patterns in current and daily e-cigarette use among US adults in 2021. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study used data from the 2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) database. The BRFSS is the largest national telephone-based survey of randomly sampled adults in the US. Adults aged 18 years or older, residing in 49 US states (all except Florida), the District of Columbia, and 3 US territories (Guam, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands), were included in the data set. Data analysis was performed in January 2023. Main Outcomes and Measures The main outcome was age-adjusted prevalence of current and daily e-cigarette use overall and by participant characteristics, state, and territory. Descriptive statistical analysis was conducted, applying weights to account for population representation. Results This study included 414 755 BRFSS participants with information on e-cigarette use. More than half of participants were women (51.3%). In terms of race and ethnicity, 0.9% of participants were American Indian or Alaska Native, 5.8% were Asian, 11.5% were Black, 17.3% were Hispanic, 0.2% were Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, 62.2% were White, 1.4% were of multiple races or ethnicities, and 0.6% were of other race or ethnicity. Individuals aged 18 to 24 years comprised 12.4% of the study population. The age-standardized prevalence of current e-cigarette use was 6.9% (95% CI, 6.7%-7.1%), with almost half of participants using e-cigarettes daily (3.2% [95% CI, 3.1%-3.4%]). Among individuals aged 18 to 24 years, there was a consistently higher prevalence of e-cigarette use, with more than 18.6% reporting current use and more than 9.0% reporting daily use. Overall, among individuals reporting current e-cigarette use, 42.2% (95% CI, 40.7%-43.7%) indicated former combustible cigarette use, 37.1% (95% CI, 35.6%-38.6%) indicated current combustible cigarette use, and 20.7% (95% CI, 19.7%-21.8%) indicated never using combustible cigarettes. Although relatively older adults (aged ≥25 years) who reported current e-cigarette use were more likely to report former or current combustible cigarette use, younger adults (aged 18-24 years) were more likely to report never using combustible cigarettes. Notably, the proportion of individuals who reported current e-cigarette use and never using combustible cigarettes was higher in the group aged 18 to 20 years (71.5% [95% CI, 66.8%-75.7%]) compared with those aged 21 to 24 years (53.0% [95% CI, 49.8%-56.1%]). Conclusion and Relevance These findings suggest that e-cigarette use remained common during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among young adults aged 18 to 24 years (18.3% prevalence). Notably, 71.5% of individuals aged 18 to 20 years who reported current e-cigarette use had never used combustible cigarettes. These results underscore the rationale for the implementation and enforcement of public health policies tailored to young adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Erhabor
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Baltimore, Maryland
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Ellen Boakye
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Baltimore, Maryland
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, Texas
| | | | - Albert D. Osei
- Department of Medicine, MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Erfan Tasdighi
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Hassan Mirbolouk
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Andrew P. DeFilippis
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, Texas
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Andrew C. Stokes
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, Texas
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Glenn A. Hirsch
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, Texas
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado
| | - Emelia J. Benjamin
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, Texas
- Cardiovascular Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Carlos J. Rodriguez
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, Texas
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, New York
| | - Omar El Shahawy
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, Texas
- Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Rose Marie Robertson
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, Texas
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Aruni Bhatnagar
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, Texas
- University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky
| | - Michael J. Blaha
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Baltimore, Maryland
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, Texas
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Benade M, Mchiza Z, Raquib RV, Prasad SK, Yan LD, Brennan AT, Davies J, Sudharsanan N, Manne-Goehler J, Fox MP, Bor J, Rosen SB, Stokes AC. Health systems performance for hypertension control using a cascade of care approach in South Africa, 2011-2017. PLOS Glob Public Health 2023; 3:e0002055. [PMID: 37676845 PMCID: PMC10484448 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0002055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
Hypertension is a major contributor to global morbidity and mortality. In South Africa, the government has employed a whole systems approach to address the growing burden of non-communicable diseases. We used a novel incident care cascade approach to measure changes in the South African health system's ability to manage hypertension between 2011 and 2017. We used data from Waves 1-5 of the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS) to estimate trends in the hypertension care cascade and unmet treatment need across four successive cohorts with incident hypertension. We used a negative binomial regression to identify factors that may predict higher rates of hypertension control, controlling for socio-demographic and healthcare factors. In 2011, 19.6% (95%CI 14.2, 26.2) of individuals with incident hypertension were diagnosed, 15.4% (95%CI 10.8, 21.4) were on treatment and 7.1% had controlled blood pressure. By 2017, the proportion of individuals with diagnosed incident hypertension had increased to 24.4% (95%CI 15.9, 35.4). Increases in treatment (23.3%, 95%CI 15.0, 34.3) and control (22.1%, 95%CI 14.1, 33.0) were also observed, translating to a decrease in unmet need for hypertension care from 92.9% in 2011 to 77.9% in 2017. Multivariable regression showed that participants with incident hypertension in 2017 were 3.01 (95%CI 1.77, 5.13) times more likely to have a controlled blood pressure compared to those in 2011. Our data show that while substantial improvements in the hypertension care cascade occurred between 2011 and 2017, a large burden of unmet need remains. The greatest losses in the incident hypertension care cascades came before diagnosis. Nevertheless, whole system programming will be needed to sufficiently address significant morbidity and mortality related to having an elevated blood pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariet Benade
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Zandile Mchiza
- Non-Communicable Disease Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
- School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa
| | - Rafeya V. Raquib
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Sridevi K. Prasad
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Lily D. Yan
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Alana T. Brennan
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Justine Davies
- Department of Global Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Nikkil Sudharsanan
- Heidelberg Institute for Global Health, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jennifer Manne-Goehler
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Matthew P. Fox
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Jacob Bor
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Sydney B. Rosen
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Andrew C. Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
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Chen R, Charpignon ML, Raquib RV, Wang J, Meza E, Aschmann HE, DeVost MA, Mooney A, Bibbins-Domingo K, Riley AR, Kiang MV, Chen YH, Stokes AC, Glymour MM. Excess Mortality With Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementias as an Underlying or Contributing Cause During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the US. JAMA Neurol 2023; 80:919-928. [PMID: 37459088 PMCID: PMC10352932 DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2023.2226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Importance Adults with Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD) are particularly vulnerable to the direct and indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Deaths associated with ADRD increased substantially in pandemic year 1. It is unclear whether mortality associated with ADRD declined when better prevention strategies, testing, and vaccines became widely available in year 2. Objective To compare pandemic-era excess deaths associated with ADRD between year 1 and year 2 overall and by age, sex, race and ethnicity, and place of death. Design, Setting, and Participants This time series analysis used all death certificates of US decedents 65 years and older with ADRD as an underlying or contributing cause of death from January 2014 through February 2022. Exposure COVID-19 pandemic era. Main Outcomes and Measures Pandemic-era excess deaths associated with ADRD were defined as the difference between deaths with ADRD as an underlying or contributing cause observed from March 2020 to February 2021 (year 1) and March 2021 to February 2022 (year 2) compared with expected deaths during this period. Expected deaths were estimated using data from January 2014 to February 2020 fitted with autoregressive integrated moving average models. Results Overall, 2 334 101 death certificates were analyzed. A total of 94 688 (95% prediction interval [PI], 84 192-104 890) pandemic-era excess deaths with ADRD were estimated in year 1 and 21 586 (95% PI, 10 631-32 450) in year 2. Declines in ADRD-related deaths in year 2 were substantial for every age, sex, and racial and ethnic group evaluated. Pandemic-era ADRD-related excess deaths declined among nursing home/long-term care residents (from 34 259 [95% PI, 25 819-42 677] in year 1 to -22 050 [95% PI, -30 765 to -13 273] in year 2), but excess deaths at home remained high (from 34 487 [95% PI, 32 815-36 142] in year 1 to 28 804 [95% PI, 27 067-30 571] in year 2). Conclusions and Relevance This study found that large increases in mortality with ADRD as an underlying or contributing cause of death occurred in COVID-19 pandemic year 1 but were largely mitigated in pandemic year 2. The most pronounced declines were observed for deaths in nursing home/long-term care settings. Conversely, excess deaths at home and in medical facilities remained high in year 2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruijia Chen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco
| | - Marie-Laure Charpignon
- Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
| | - Rafeya V. Raquib
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jingxuan Wang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco
| | - Erika Meza
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco
| | - Hélène E. Aschmann
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco
| | - Michelle A. DeVost
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco
| | - Alyssa Mooney
- Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco
| | - Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco
- Editor in Chief, JAMA
| | - Alicia R. Riley
- Department of Sociology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz
| | - Mathew V. Kiang
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Yea-Hung Chen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco
| | - Andrew C. Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - M. Maria Glymour
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
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11
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Harlow AF, Xie W, Goghari AR, Lundberg DJ, Raquib RV, Berlowitz JB, Stokes AC. Sociodemographic Differences in E-Cigarette Uptake and Perceptions of Harm. Am J Prev Med 2023; 65:356-365. [PMID: 36924804 PMCID: PMC10440280 DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2023.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Revised: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION This study aimed to evaluate socioeconomic and racial/ethnic differences in e-cigarette uptake and harm perceptions about e-cigarettes among adults who smoke cigarettes in the U.S. METHODS Five waves of the U.S. Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study (2013-2019) were used to assess transitions from exclusive cigarette smoking to (1) exclusive e-cigarette use, (2) dual use, and (3) nonuse of either product (N=7,172). Analyses (conducted in 2022) estimated differences in transitions and e-cigarette harm perceptions by race/ethnicity, income, and education. RESULTS Hispanic (OR=0.32; 95% CI=0.18, 0.54) and Black (OR=0.38; 95% CI=0.22, 0.65) adults were less likely than White adults to transition from exclusive cigarette to exclusive e-cigarette use after 1 year. Adults with a bachelor's degree (versus those with less than high school) (OR=2.57; 95% CI=1.49, 4.45) and adults making ≥$100,000/year (versus those making <$10,000) (OR=3.61; 95% CI=2.10, 6.22) were more likely to transition from exclusive cigarette to exclusive e-cigarette use. Hispanic and Black adults and those with lower income and education were more likely to perceive e-cigarettes as equally or more harmful than cigarettes, which in turn was associated with lower odds of transitioning from exclusive cigarette smoking to exclusive e-cigarette use (OR=0.62; 95% CI=0.47, 0.81). CONCLUSIONS Adults who were Hispanic, were Black, and/or had lower SES were less likely to use e-cigarettes to quit cigarettes. Findings provide preliminary evidence that differences in harm perceptions may contribute to disparities in e-cigarette transitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa F Harlow
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California.
| | - Wubin Xie
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Aboli R Goghari
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Dielle J Lundberg
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Rafeya V Raquib
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jonathan B Berlowitz
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Andrew C Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
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12
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Luck AN, Elo IT, Preston SH, Paglino E, Hempstead K, Stokes AC. COVID-19 and All-Cause Mortality by Race, Ethnicity, and Age Across Five Periods of the Pandemic in the United States. Popul Res Policy Rev 2023; 42:71. [PMID: 37780841 PMCID: PMC10540502 DOI: 10.1007/s11113-023-09817-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Racial/ethnic and age disparities in COVID-19 and all-cause mortality during 2020 are well documented, but less is known about their evolution over time. We examine changes in age-specific mortality across five pandemic periods in the United States from March 2020 to December 2022 among four racial/ethnic groups (non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic Asian) for ages 35+. We fit Gompertz models to all-cause and COVID-19 death rates by 5-year age groups and construct age-specific racial/ethnic mortality ratios across an Initial peak (Mar-Aug 2020), Winter peak (Nov 2020-Feb 2021), Delta peak (Aug-Oct 2021), Omicron peak (Nov 2021-Feb 2022), and Endemic period (Mar-Dec 2022). We then compare to all-cause patterns observed in 2019. The steep age gradients in COVID-19 mortality in the Initial and Winter peak shifted during the Delta peak, with substantial increases in mortality at working ages, before gradually returning to an older age pattern in the subsequent periods. We find a disproportionate COVID-19 mortality burden on racial and ethnic minority populations early in the pandemic, which led to an increase in all-cause mortality disparities and a temporary elimination of the Hispanic mortality advantage at certain age groups. Mortality disparities narrowed over time, with racial/ethnic all-cause inequalities during the Endemic period generally returning to pre-pandemic levels. Black and Hispanic populations, however, faced a younger age gradient in all-cause mortality in the Endemic period relative to 2019, with younger Hispanic and Black adults in a slightly disadvantageous position and older Black adults in a slightly advantageous position, relative to before the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anneliese N. Luck
- Department of Sociology and Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Irma T. Elo
- Department of Sociology and Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Samuel H. Preston
- Department of Sociology and Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Eugenio Paglino
- Department of Sociology and Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | | | - Andrew C. Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, USA
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13
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Tasdighi E, Jha KK, Dardari ZA, Osuji N, Rajan T, Boakye E, Hall ME, Rodriguez CJ, Stokes AC, El Shahawy O, Benjamin EJ, Bhatnagar A, DeFilippis AP, Blaha MJ. Investigating the association of traditional and non-traditional tobacco product use with subclinical and clinical cardiovascular disease: The Cross-Cohort Collaboration-Tobacco working group rationale, design, and methodology. Tob Induc Dis 2023; 21:89. [PMID: 37427074 PMCID: PMC10326890 DOI: 10.18332/tid/166517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
While the impact of combustible cigarette smoking on cardiovascular disease (CVD) is well-established, the longitudinal association of non-traditional tobacco products with subclinical and clinical CVD has not been fully explored due to: 1) limited data availability; and 2) the lack of well-phenotyped prospective cohorts. Therefore, there is the need for sufficiently powered well-phenotyped datasets to fully elucidate the CVD risks associated with non-cigarette tobacco products. The Cross-Cohort Collaboration (CCC)-Tobacco is a harmonized dataset of 23 prospective cohort studies predominantly in the US. A priori defined variables collected from each cohort included baseline characteristics, details of traditional and non-traditional tobacco product use, inflammatory markers, and outcomes including subclinical and clinical CVD. The definitions of the variables in each cohort were systematically evaluated by a team of two physician-scientists and a biostatistician. Herein, we describe the method of data acquisition and harmonization and the baseline sociodemographic and risk profile of participants in the combined CCC-Tobacco dataset. The total number of participants in the pooled cohort is 322782 (mean age: 59.7 ± 11.8 years) of which 76% are women. White individuals make up the majority (73.1%), although there is good representation of other race and ethnicity groups including African American (15.6%) and Hispanic/Latino individuals (6.4%). The prevalence of participants who never smoked, formerly smoked, and currently smoke combustible cigarettes is 50%, 36%, and 14%, respectively. The prevalence of current and former cigar, pipe, and smokeless tobacco is 7.3%, 6.4%, and 8.6%, respectively. E-cigarette use was measured only in follow-up visits of select studies, totaling 1704 former and current users. CCC-Tobacco is a large, pooled cohort dataset that is uniquely designed with increased power to expand knowledge regarding the association of traditional and non-traditional tobacco use with subclinical and clinical CVD, with extension to understudied groups including women and individuals from underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erfan Tasdighi
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Baltimore, United States
| | - Kunal K. Jha
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Baltimore, United States
| | - Zeina A. Dardari
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Baltimore, United States
| | - Ngozi Osuji
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Baltimore, United States
| | - Tanuja Rajan
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Baltimore, United States
| | - Ellen Boakye
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Baltimore, United States
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, United States
| | - Michael E. Hall
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, United States
- Department of Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, United States
| | - Carlos J. Rodriguez
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, United States
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, United States
| | - Andrew C. Stokes
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, United States
- Department of Global Health, School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, United States
| | - Omar El Shahawy
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, United States
- Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, United States
| | - Emelia J. Benjamin
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, United States
- Cardiovascular Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, United States
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, United States
| | - Aruni Bhatnagar
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, United States
- School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, United States
| | - Andrew P. DeFilippis
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, United States
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, United States
| | - Michael J. Blaha
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Baltimore, United States
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, United States
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14
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Boakye E, Erhabor J, Obisesan O, Tasdighi E, Mirbolouk M, Osuji N, Osei AD, Lee J, DeFilippis AP, Stokes AC, Hirsch GA, Benjamin EJ, Robertson RM, Bhatnagar A, El Shahawy O, Blaha MJ. Comprehensive review of the national surveys that assess E-cigarette use domains among youth and adults in the United States. Lancet Reg Health Am 2023; 23:100528. [PMID: 37497394 PMCID: PMC10366460 DOI: 10.1016/j.lana.2023.100528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Surveillance of e-cigarette use among different population groups is important for the timely implementation and evaluation of tobacco regulatory policies. In this review, we identified 13 nationally representative, repeatedly conducted epidemiologic surveys that assess e-cigarette use among U.S. youth and/or adults and have been instrumental in e-cigarette surveillance. These surveys included National Youth Tobacco Survey, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, Monitoring the Future Survey, International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project (ITC) Youth Tobacco and Vaping Survey, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, National Health Interview Survey, Tobacco Use Supplement of the Current Population Survey, Health Information National Trends Survey, Tobacco Products and Risk Perception Surveys, ITC Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, National Survey on Drug Use and Health, and Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health. These surveys vary in scope and detail, with their unique strengths and the regulatory questions that can be answered using each survey data. We also highlighted the gaps in these surveys and made recommendations for improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Boakye
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Baltimore, MD, USA
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - John Erhabor
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Baltimore, MD, USA
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | | | - Erfan Tasdighi
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - Ngozi Osuji
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pittsburg Medical Center, Pittsburg, PA, USA
| | - Albert D. Osei
- Department of Medicine, MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jieun Lee
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Andrew P. DeFilippis
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Andrew C. Stokes
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Glenn A. Hirsch
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Emelia J. Benjamin
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rose Marie Robertson
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Aruni Bhatnagar
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Omar El Shahawy
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michael J. Blaha
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Baltimore, MD, USA
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
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15
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Paglino E, Lundberg DJ, Zhou Z, Wasserman JA, Raquib R, Luck AN, Hempstead K, Bor J, Preston SH, Elo IT, Stokes AC. Monthly excess mortality across counties in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, March 2020 to February 2022. Sci Adv 2023; 9:eadf9742. [PMID: 37352359 PMCID: PMC10289647 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf9742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
Excess mortality is the difference between expected and observed mortality in a given period and has emerged as a leading measure of the COVID-19 pandemic's mortality impact. Spatially and temporally granular estimates of excess mortality are needed to understand which areas have been most impacted by the pandemic, evaluate exacerbating factors, and inform response efforts. We estimated all-cause excess mortality for the United States from March 2020 through February 2022 by county and month using a Bayesian hierarchical model trained on data from 2015 to 2019. An estimated 1,179,024 excess deaths occurred during the first 2 years of the pandemic (first: 634,830; second: 544,194). Overall, excess mortality decreased in large metropolitan counties but increased in nonmetropolitan counties. Despite the initial concentration of mortality in large metropolitan Northeastern counties, nonmetropolitan Southern counties had the highest cumulative relative excess mortality by July 2021. These results highlight the need for investments in rural health as the pandemic's rural impact grows.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugenio Paglino
- Department of Sociology and Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Dielle J. Lundberg
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Health Systems and Population Health, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Zhenwei Zhou
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Rafeya Raquib
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Anneliese N. Luck
- Department of Sociology and Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Jacob Bor
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Samuel H. Preston
- Department of Sociology and Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Irma T. Elo
- Department of Sociology and Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Andrew C. Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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16
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Erhabor J, Boakye E, Osuji N, Obisesan O, Osei AD, Mirbolouk H, Stokes AC, Dzaye O, El-Shahawy O, Rodriguez CJ, Hirsch GA, Benjamin EJ, DeFilippis AP, Robertson RM, Bhatnagar A, Blaha MJ. Psychosocial stressors and current e-cigarette use in the youth risk behavior survey. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:1080. [PMID: 37280552 PMCID: PMC10242777 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-16031-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 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] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND This study explores the association between psychosocial stressors and current e-cigarette use among adolescents in the United States. METHODS We used data from 12,767 participants in the 2019 National Youth Risk Behavioral Survey to examine the association between psychosocial stressors (bullying, sexual assault, safety-related absence from school, depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, physical altercation, and weapon threats) and past-30-day e-cigarette use using multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models. We examined the association for each stressor and then as a burden score (0-7). To compare the strength of the association between stressors and current e-cigarette use to current combustible cigarette use, we additionally examined the association between each stressor and current combustible cigarette use. RESULTS Approximately 32.7% reported current e-cigarette use. The weighted prevalence of current e-cigarette use was higher among individuals who experienced stressors than those who did not. For example, bullying (43.9% vs. 29.0%). Similar prevalence patterns were seen among other stressors. Individuals who experienced stressors had significantly higher adjusted odds of current e-cigarette use than those who did not (OR [Odds Ratio] range: 1.47-1.75). Similarly, individuals with higher burden scores had a higher prevalence (zero [20.5%], one [32.8%], two [41.4%], three [49.6%], four to seven [60.9%]) and higher odds of current e-cigarette use (OR range: 1.43-2.73) than those with a score of zero. The strength of the association between the stressors and e-cigarette use was similar to that between the stressors and combustible cigarette use. CONCLUSION The study demonstrates a significant association between psychosocial stressors and adolescent e-cigarette use, highlighting the potential importance of interventions, such as targeted school-based programs that address stressors and promote stress management, as possible means of reducing adolescent e-cigarette use. Future research directions include exploring underlying mechanisms linking stressors to e-cigarette use and evaluating the effectiveness of interventions addressing stressors in reducing adolescent e-cigarette use.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Erhabor
- Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins, 600 N Wolfe St, Blalock 524, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Ellen Boakye
- Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins, 600 N Wolfe St, Blalock 524, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Ngozi Osuji
- Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins, 600 N Wolfe St, Blalock 524, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | | | - Albert D Osei
- Department of Medicine, MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Hassan Mirbolouk
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Andrew C Stokes
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Omar Dzaye
- Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins, 600 N Wolfe St, Blalock 524, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Omar El-Shahawy
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Carlos J Rodriguez
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, NY, USA
| | - Glenn A Hirsch
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Emelia J Benjamin
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Cardiovascular Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Andrew P DeFilippis
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Rose Marie Robertson
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Aruni Bhatnagar
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Michael J Blaha
- Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins, 600 N Wolfe St, Blalock 524, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA.
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
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17
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Erhabor J, Boakye E, Osuji N, Obisesan O, Osei AD, Mirbolouk H, Stokes AC, Dzaye O, El-Shahawy O, Rodriguez CJ, Hirsch GA, Benjamin EJ, DeFilippis AP, Robertson RM, Bhatnagar A, Blaha MJ. Patterns of tobacco product use and substance misuse among adolescents in the United States. Prev Med Rep 2023; 33:102207. [PMID: 37223579 PMCID: PMC10201858 DOI: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2023.102207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Among adolescents, sole use is the most common pattern of e-cigarette use. However, concurrent use of e-cigarettes with other tobacco products is not uncommon and may be associated with high-risk behaviors. We used data from 12,767 participants in the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey to examine the patterns of tobacco product use among youth in the US. First, we examined the prevalence of e-cigarette-specific patterns of tobacco use (nonuse[no tobacco product use], sole use[sole e-cigarette use], dual-use[e-cigarette and one other tobacco product], and poly use[e-cigarette and two or more other tobacco products]). Then, using multivariable Poisson regression, we assessed how the tobacco use patterns were associated with the misuse of nine substances of abuse (alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, hallucinogens, heroin, inhalants, injectables, and methamphetamines). 62.9% of youth reported nonuse of any tobacco product. The weighted prevalence of sole e-cigarette use, dual use, and poly use was 23.2%, 4.2%, and 3.3%, respectively. Across all the substances explored, the prevalence was highest among poly users, followed by dual users, sole users, and non-users. Compared to non-users, sole, dual, and poly users had 7.8(95 %CI:6.1-10.0), 14.3(95 %CI:10.8-18.8), and 19.7(95 %CI:15.0-25.9) times higher adjusted prevalence of reporting past-30-day binge drinking, after adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and depressive symptoms. This pattern was seen across all the different substances explored. These findings highlight the high prevalence of substance misuse among youth who use tobacco products and the need to educate and counsel on substances of abuse among this population, particularly among poly-tobacco users.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Erhabor
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Baltimore, MD, USA
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Ellen Boakye
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Baltimore, MD, USA
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Ngozi Osuji
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - Albert D. Osei
- Department of Medicine, MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Hassan Mirbolouk
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Andrew C. Stokes
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Omar Dzaye
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Omar El-Shahawy
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Carlos J. Rodriguez
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, NY, USA
| | - Glenn A. Hirsch
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Emelia J. Benjamin
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Cardiovascular Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Andrew P. DeFilippis
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Rose Marie Robertson
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Aruni Bhatnagar
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Michael J. Blaha
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Baltimore, MD, USA
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
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18
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Bor J, Stokes AC, Raifman J, Venkataramani A, Bassett MT, Himmelstein D, Woolhandler S. Missing Americans: Early death in the United States-1933-2021. PNAS Nexus 2023; 2:pgad173. [PMID: 37303714 PMCID: PMC10257439 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
We assessed how many US deaths would have been averted each year, 1933-2021, if US age-specific mortality rates had equaled the average of 21 other wealthy nations. We refer to these excess US deaths as "missing Americans." The United States had lower mortality rates than peer countries in the 1930s-1950s and similar mortality in the 1960s and 1970s. Beginning in the 1980s, however, the United States began experiencing a steady increase in the number of missing Americans, reaching 622,534 in 2019 alone. Excess US deaths surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching 1,009,467 in 2020 and 1,090,103 in 2021. Excess US mortality was particularly pronounced for persons under 65 years. In 2020 and 2021, half of all US deaths under 65 years and 90% of the increase in under-65 mortality from 2019 to 2021 would have been avoided if the United States had the mortality rates of its peers. In 2021, there were 26.4 million years of life lost due to excess US mortality relative to peer nations, and 49% of all missing Americans died before age 65. Black and Native Americans made up a disproportionate share of excess US deaths, although the majority of missing Americans were White.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Bor
- To whom correspondence should be addressed:
| | - Andrew C Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, 801 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Julia Raifman
- Department of Health Law, Policy, and Management, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Atheendar Venkataramani
- Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, 3641 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Medical Ethics and Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania, 423 Guardian Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Mary T Bassett
- François-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Center for Health and Human Rights, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - David Himmelstein
- Hunter College, City University of New York, 695 Park Avenue New York, NY 10065, USA
- Cambridge Health Alliance, Harvard Medical School, 1493 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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Booras A, Wiener RS, Maccarone J, Stokes AC, Fetterman JL, Hamburg NM, Singh J, Bulekova K, Kathuria H. A Longitudinal Study of Perceptions of the Massachusetts Menthol Ban and Its Impact on Smoking Behaviors among Marginalized Individuals. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2023; 20:ijerph20105790. [PMID: 37239518 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20105790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Menthol cigarettes have had a profound adverse effect on public health. On 1 June 2020, Massachusetts became the first state to ban the sale of menthol cigarettes. We explored how perceptions of the ban and smoking behaviors changed over time among a group of 27 individuals who smoked menthol cigarettes at our safety-net hospital. In a convergent mixed methods study, we administered questionnaires and interviews simultaneously at two timepoints: 1 month pre-ban and 6 months post-ban. Pre-ban, we assessed perceptions of the ban and anticipated smoking behaviors after the ban. Post-ban, we assessed participants' actual smoking behaviors and elicited suggestions to avoid unintended consequences that might undermine intended policy effects. Several respondents perceived the Massachusetts ban as positive because it could promote smoking cessation, prevent youth initiation, and mitigate unfair targeting of socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Others perceived the ban as an overreach of government policy, financially motivated, and unfairly targeting the Black community. Many continued to smoke menthol cigarettes obtained outside Massachusetts. Individuals suggested promoting tobacco treatment for people affected by the ban and a national ban to circumvent out-of-state purchasing of menthol cigarettes. Our findings suggest that in order to be most effective, healthcare systems must promote tobacco treatment and ensure that treatment is accessible to all individuals affected by the ban.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Booras
- The Pulmonary Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine (BUSM), Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Renda Soylemez Wiener
- The Pulmonary Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine (BUSM), Boston, MA 02118, USA
- Center for Healthcare Organization & Implementation Research, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA 02130, USA
- National Center for Lung Cancer Screening, Veterans Health Administration, Washington, DC 20422, USA
| | - Jennifer Maccarone
- The Pulmonary Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine (BUSM), Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Andrew C Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Jessica L Fetterman
- Evans Department of Medicine and Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine (BUSM), Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Naomi M Hamburg
- Evans Department of Medicine and Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine (BUSM), Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Johar Singh
- Research Computing Services, Information Services & Technology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Katia Bulekova
- Research Computing Services, Information Services & Technology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Hasmeena Kathuria
- The Pulmonary Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine (BUSM), Boston, MA 02118, USA
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20
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Lundberg DJ, Wrigley-Field E, Cho A, Raquib R, Nsoesie EO, Paglino E, Chen R, Kiang MV, Riley AR, Chen YH, Charpignon ML, Hempstead K, Preston SH, Elo IT, Glymour MM, Stokes AC. COVID-19 Mortality by Race and Ethnicity in US Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Areas, March 2020 to February 2022. JAMA Netw Open 2023; 6:e2311098. [PMID: 37129894 PMCID: PMC10155069 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.11098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Importance Prior research has established that Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black residents in the US experienced substantially higher COVID-19 mortality rates in 2020 than non-Hispanic White residents owing to structural racism. In 2021, these disparities decreased. Objective To assess to what extent national decreases in racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 mortality between the initial pandemic wave and subsequent Omicron wave reflect reductions in mortality vs other factors, such as the pandemic's changing geography. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for COVID-19 deaths from March 1, 2020, through February 28, 2022, among adults aged 25 years and older residing in the US. Deaths were examined by race and ethnicity across metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and the national decrease in racial and ethnic disparities between initial and Omicron waves was decomposed. Data were analyzed from June 2021 through March 2023. Exposures Metropolitan vs nonmetropolitan areas and race and ethnicity. Main Outcomes and Measures Age-standardized death rates. Results There were death certificates for 977 018 US adults aged 25 years and older (mean [SD] age, 73.6 [14.6] years; 435 943 female [44.6%]; 156 948 Hispanic [16.1%], 140 513 non-Hispanic Black [14.4%], and 629 578 non-Hispanic White [64.4%]) that included a mention of COVID-19. The proportion of COVID-19 deaths among adults residing in nonmetropolitan areas increased from 5944 of 110 526 deaths (5.4%) during the initial wave to a peak of 40 360 of 172 515 deaths (23.4%) during the Delta wave; the proportion was 45 183 of 210 554 deaths (21.5%) during the Omicron wave. The national disparity in age-standardized COVID-19 death rates per 100 000 person-years for non-Hispanic Black compared with non-Hispanic White adults decreased from 339 to 45 deaths from the initial to Omicron wave, or by 293 deaths. After standardizing for age and racial and ethnic differences by metropolitan vs nonmetropolitan residence, increases in death rates among non-Hispanic White adults explained 120 deaths/100 000 person-years of the decrease (40.7%); 58 deaths/100 000 person-years in the decrease (19.6%) were explained by shifts in mortality to nonmetropolitan areas, where a disproportionate share of non-Hispanic White adults reside. The remaining 116 deaths/100 000 person-years in the decrease (39.6%) were explained by decreases in death rates in non-Hispanic Black adults. Conclusions and Relevance This study found that most of the national decrease in racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 mortality between the initial and Omicron waves was explained by increased mortality among non-Hispanic White adults and changes in the geographic spread of the pandemic. These findings suggest that despite media reports of a decline in disparities, there is a continued need to prioritize racial health equity in the pandemic response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dielle J. Lundberg
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Health Systems and Population Health, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle
| | - Elizabeth Wrigley-Field
- Department of Sociology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
- Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
| | - Ahyoung Cho
- Center for Antiracist Research, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Political Science, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Rafeya Raquib
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Elaine O. Nsoesie
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
- Center for Antiracist Research, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Eugenio Paglino
- Department of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
- Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
| | - Ruijia Chen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Mathew V. Kiang
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - Alicia R. Riley
- Department of Sociology, University of California, Santa Cruz
| | - Yea-Hung Chen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Marie-Laure Charpignon
- Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
| | | | - Samuel H. Preston
- Department of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
- Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
| | - Irma T. Elo
- Department of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
- Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
| | - M. Maria Glymour
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Andrew C. Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
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21
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Berlowitz JB, Xie W, Harlow AF, Blaha MJ, Bhatnagar A, Benjamin EJ, Stokes AC. Cigarette‒E-cigarette Transitions and Respiratory Symptom Development. Am J Prev Med 2023; 64:556-560. [PMID: 36470837 PMCID: PMC10033326 DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2022.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION E-cigarette use is associated with pulmonary inflammation, functional respiratory changes, and chronic lung disease. Most population-level E-cigarette research has utilized point-in-time measures of E-cigarette exposures, which may not generalize to adults who transition between cigarettes and E-cigarettes. METHODS Data obtained from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health study were collected from 2013 to 2019 and analyzed in 2022. Three observations were created per respondent, with exposure intervals assessed over Waves 1-2, 2-3, and 3-4. Each wave of the exposure interval was classified as nonuse, exclusive E-cigarette use, exclusive smoking, or dual use, producing 16 possible cigarette‒E-cigarette transitions. The association between transitions and both dry nighttime cough and wheeze symptom development during follow-up were assessed using mixed-effects Poisson models. RESULTS Among 33,231 observations from 13,528 unique participants, transitioning from nonuse to exclusive E-cigarette use was associated with 1.62 times higher incidence rate of wheeze (incident rate ratio=1.62; 95% CI=1.12, 2.34) than persistent nonuse. There was no change in reported dry nighttime cough (incident rate ratio=0.84; 95% CI=0.52, 1.35) or wheeze (incident rate ratio=0.87; 95% CI=0.52, 1.46) in individuals who switched from cigarettes to E-cigarettes, whereas transitioning from dual use to E-cigarette use was associated with large reductions in both symptoms (incident rate ratio=0.58; 95% CI=0.39, 0.87 and incident rate ratio=0.36; 95% CI=0.20, 0.63, respectively). CONCLUSIONS E-cigarette initiation among nonusers is associated with increased respiratory morbidity. Further research should assess the risks and benefits of E-cigarette‒assisted cigarette cessation given the reduction in symptom development rates among dual use to E-cigarette switchers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan B Berlowitz
- From the Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts; Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Wubin Xie
- From the Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Alyssa F Harlow
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Michael J Blaha
- Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Aruni Bhatnagar
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
| | - Emelia J Benjamin
- Department of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Andrew C Stokes
- From the Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
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22
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Luck AN, Stokes AC, Hempstead K, Paglino E, Preston SH. Associations between mortality from COVID-19 and other causes: A state-level analysis. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0281683. [PMID: 36877692 PMCID: PMC9987806 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND During the COVID-19 pandemic, the high death toll from COVID-19 was accompanied by a rise in mortality from other causes of death. The objective of this study was to identify the relationship between mortality from COVID-19 and changes in mortality from specific causes of death by exploiting spatial variation in these relationships across US states. METHODS We use cause-specific mortality data from CDC Wonder and population estimates from the US Census Bureau to examine relationships at the state level between mortality from COVID-19 and changes in mortality from other causes of death. We calculate age-standardized death rates (ASDR) for three age groups, nine underlying causes of death, and all 50 states and the District of Columbia between the first full year of the pandemic (March 2020-February 2021) and the year prior (March 2019-February 2020). We then estimate the relationship between changes in cause-specific ASDR and COVID-19 ASDR using linear regression analysis weighted by the size of the state's population. RESULTS We estimate that causes of death other than COVID-19 represent 19.6% of the total mortality burden associated with COVID-19 during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. At ages 25+, circulatory disease accounted for 51.3% of this burden while dementia (16.4%), other respiratory diseases (12.4%), influenza/pneumonia (8.7%) and diabetes (8.6%) also contribute. In contrast, there was an inverse association across states between COVID-19 death rates and changes in death rates from cancer. We found no state-level association between COVID-19 mortality and rising mortality from external causes. CONCLUSIONS States with unusually high death rates from COVID-19 experienced an even larger mortality burden than implied by those rates alone. Circulatory disease served as the most important route through which COVID-19 mortality affected death rates from other causes of death. Dementia and other respiratory diseases made the second and third largest contributions. In contrast, mortality from neoplasms tended to decline in states with the highest death rates from COVID-19. Such information may help to inform state-level responses aimed at easing the full mortality burden of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anneliese N. Luck
- Department of Sociology and Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Andrew C. Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | | | - Eugenio Paglino
- Department of Sociology and Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Samuel H. Preston
- Department of Sociology and Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
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23
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Brennan AT, Nattey C, Kileel EM, Rosen S, Maskew M, Stokes AC, Fox MP, Venter WD. Change in body weight and risk of hypertension after switching from efavirenz to dolutegravir in adults living with HIV: evidence from routine care in Johannesburg, South Africa. EClinicalMedicine 2023; 57:101836. [PMID: 36816348 PMCID: PMC9932660 DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.101836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI) dolutegravir is recommended in World Health Organization guidelines, but is associated with weight gain. We evaluated weight change in patients switching from efavirenz to dolutegravir in first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Johannesburg, South Africa. METHODS We conducted a prospective cohort study of adults (≥16 years) of black African ancestry with HIV who initiated ART between January 2010-December 2020. Patients were propensity score-matched 1:1 (unexposed i.e. remaining on efavirenz: exposed i.e. switched from efavirenz to dolutegravir) on sex, age, months on ART, first ART regimen, haemoglobin, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, viral load and CD4 count. We used linear regression to assess the effect of switching from efavirenz to dolutegravir on weight change and hypertension 12 months after exposure. FINDINGS We matched 794 patients switching to dolutegravir to 794 remaining on efavirenz. Exposed patients had a higher mean change in weight (1.78 kg; 95% confidence interval (CI):1.04,2.52 kg) from start of follow-up to 12 months vs. unexposed. We also found a 14.2 percentage point increase (95% CI: 10.6,17.7) in the risk of hypertension in those exposed to dolutegravir vs those that remained on efavirenz. INTERPRETATION In a real-world population, patients gained more weight and were at higher risk of hypertension after switching from efavirenz to dolutegravir than those remaining on efavirenz. Longer follow-up is needed, however, to determine if INSTI-associated weight gain is associated with changes in non-communicable disease risk over the long-term, or whether weight gain is sustained, as seen in clinical trials. FUNDING This study has been made possible by the generous support of the American People and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), under the terms of cooperative agreement cooperative Agreement 72067419CA00004. In addition to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) 1K01MH105320-01A1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alana T. Brennan
- Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Corresponding author. Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, 801 Massachusetts Avenue, Crosstown Center, 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02119, USA.
| | - Cornelius Nattey
- Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Emma M. Kileel
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sydney Rosen
- Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mhairi Maskew
- Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Andrew C. Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Matthew P. Fox
- Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Willem D.F. Venter
- Ezintsha, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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24
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Xie W, Johnston SS, Waggoner JR, Doshi ID, Stokes AC. Bariatric surgery and weight loss in the short- and long-term: Evidence from NHANES 2015-2018. Clin Obes 2023; 13:e12563. [PMID: 36444393 PMCID: PMC10078337 DOI: 10.1111/cob.12563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The present study aimed to examine short- and long-term weight change in a nationally representative sample of US adults who reportedly underwent bariatric surgery. Individuals aged 20-64 at survey from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2015-2018 were included in the analyses (n = 6776). The primary comparison groups include 62 participants who underwent bariatric surgery, 1531 eligible but did not receive surgery, and 5183 not eligible for bariatric surgery. After adjusting for demographic characteristics and comorbidity, adults who reported receiving bariatric surgery were 5.0 times (4.0-6.0) more likely to achieve at least 20% weight loss from maximum weight relative to those who were eligible but reported no surgery. The likelihood appeared to be higher when surgery was performed within 10 years (short-term, PR 5.5, 95% CI: 4.0, 7.0) relative to surgeries that were performed for 10 or more years (long-term, PR 3.6, 95% CI: 2.0, 5.3). In this nationally representative sample of US adults, respondents who received bariatric surgery achieved substantial and significant weight loss compared with those who were eligible and did not receive bariatric surgery. Weight loss appeared to be most apparent in the short term and persisted over the long term.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wubin Xie
- School of Public HealthBoston UniversityBostonMassachusettsUSA
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Wrigley-Field E, Berry KM, Stokes AC, Leider JP. COVID-19 Vaccination and Racial/Ethnic Inequities in Mortality at Midlife in Minnesota. Am J Prev Med 2023; 64:259-264. [PMID: 36653101 PMCID: PMC9622467 DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2022.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Revised: 07/31/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Recent research underscores the exceptionally young age distribution of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. compared with that of international peers. This paper characterizes how high levels of COVID-19 mortality at midlife ages (45-64 years) are deeply intertwined with continuing racial inequity in COVID-19 mortality. METHODS Mortality data from Minnesota in 2020-2022 were analyzed in June 2022. Death certificate data (COVID-19 deaths N=12,771) and published vaccination rates in Minnesota allow vaccination and mortality rates to be observed with greater age and temporal precision than national data. RESULTS Black, Hispanic, and Asian adults aged <65 years were all more highly vaccinated than White populations of the same ages during most of Minnesota's substantial and sustained Delta surge and all the subsequent Omicron surges. However, White mortality rates were lower than those of all other groups. These disparities were extreme; at midlife ages (ages 45-64 years), during the Omicron period, more highly vaccinated populations had COVID-19 mortality that was 164% (Asian-American), 115% (Hispanic), or 208% (Black) of White COVID-19 mortality at these ages. In Black, Indigenous, and People of Color populations as a whole, COVID-19 mortality at ages 55-64 years was greater than White mortality at 10 years older. CONCLUSIONS This discrepancy between vaccination and mortality patterning by race/ethnicity suggests that if the current period is a pandemic of the unvaccinated, it also remains a pandemic of the disadvantaged in ways that can decouple from vaccination rates. This result implies an urgent need to center health equity in the development of COVID-19 policy measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Wrigley-Field
- Department of Sociology, College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
| | - Kaitlyn M Berry
- Division of Epidemiology & Community Health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Andrew C Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Jonathon P Leider
- Division of Health Policy & Management, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
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Paglino E, Lundberg DJ, Zhou Z, Wasserman JA, Raquib R, Hempstead K, Preston SH, Elo IT, Stokes AC. Differences Between Reported COVID-19 Deaths and Estimated Excess Deaths in Counties Across the United States, March 2020 to February 2022. medRxiv 2023:2023.01.16.23284633. [PMID: 36712059 PMCID: PMC9882565 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.16.23284633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Accurate and timely tracking of COVID-19 deaths is essential to a well-functioning public health surveillance system. The extent to which official COVID-19 death tallies have captured the true toll of the pandemic in the United States is unknown. In the current study, we develop a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate monthly excess mortality in each county over the first two years of the pandemic and compare these estimates to the number of deaths officially attributed to Covid-19 on death certificates. Overall, we estimated that 268,176 excess deaths were not reported as Covid-19 deaths during the first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, which represented 23.7% of all excess deaths that occurred. Differences between excess deaths and reported COVID-19 deaths were substantial in both the first and second year of the pandemic. Excess deaths were less likely to be reported as COVID-19 deaths in the Mountain division, in the South, and in nonmetro counties. The number of excess deaths exceeded COVID-19 deaths in all Census divisions except for the New England and Middle Atlantic divisions where there were more COVID-19 deaths than excess deaths in large metro areas and medium or small metro areas. Increases in excess deaths not assigned to COVID-19 followed similar patterns over time to increases in reported COVID-19 deaths and typically preceded or occurred concurrently with increases in reported COVID-19 deaths. Estimates from this study can be used to inform targeting of resources to areas in which the true toll of the COVID-19 pandemic has been underestimated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugenio Paglino
- Department of Sociology and Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Dielle J. Lundberg
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA
- Department of Health Systems and Population Health, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA
| | - Zhenwei Zhou
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA
| | | | - Rafeya Raquib
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA
| | | | - Samuel H. Preston
- Department of Sociology and Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Irma T. Elo
- Department of Sociology and Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Andrew C. Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA
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Xie W, C. Stokes A. Reply to Campagna and Caci: Taking for Granted Conclusions from Studies that Cannot Prove Causality of Respiratory Symptoms and Vaping. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2022; 206:1568-1569. [PMID: 35921657 PMCID: PMC9757085 DOI: 10.1164/rccm.202207-1452le] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Wubin Xie
- Boston University School of Public HealthBoston, Massachusetts
| | - Andrew C. Stokes
- Boston University School of Public HealthBoston, Massachusetts,American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction CenterDallas, Texas,Corresponding author (e-mail: )
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Harlow AF, Stokes AC, Brooks DR, Benjamin EJ, Leventhal AM, McConnell RS, Barrington‐Trimis JL, Ross CS. Prospective association between e-cigarette use frequency patterns and cigarette smoking abstinence among adult cigarette smokers in the United States. Addiction 2022; 117:3129-3139. [PMID: 35913015 PMCID: PMC9804676 DOI: 10.1111/add.16009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
AIMS To estimate the association of longitudinal patterns of e-cigarette use with cigarette smoking abstinence, after accounting for time-dependent confounding and selection bias. DESIGN Secondary analysis of longitudinal national cohort data. Using marginal structural models and four waves of the population assessment of tobacco and health (wave 1, 2013-14; wave 2, 2014-15; wave 3, 2015-16; wave 4, 2016-18), we estimated the association of vaping frequency across waves 2 and 3 with 12-month sustained cigarette smoking abstinence at wave 4, adjusting for time-dependent confounders at waves 1 and 2 and selection bias due to drop-out with inverse probability of treatment and censoring weights. SETTING United States. PARTICIPANTS/CASES A total of 5699 adults (18+ years) who smoked cigarettes and did not vape at wave 1. MEASUREMENTS The exposure was vaping frequency at waves 2 and 3 (non-use, non-daily use, daily use), representing nine possible combinations of vaping frequency across two waves. Non-use at both waves was the exposure reference group. The primary outcome was sustained 12-month cigarette smoking abstinence at wave 4. FINDINGS Among 5699 adults who smoked cigarettes at wave 1, a total of 560 (9.8%) reported smoking abstinence at wave 4. Compared with nonuse at both waves, daily vaping at both waves [risk ratio (RR) = 3.82, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.59-5.64] and non-use at wave 2 followed by daily vaping at wave 3 (RR = 2.50, 95% CI = 1.66-3.77) were positively associated with smoking abstinence; non-daily vaping at both waves was inversely associated with smoking abstinence (RR = 0.28, 95% CI = 0.11-0.75). Results persisted after accounting for misclassification of e-cigarette use and cigarette smoking abstinence and after restricting to participants with plans to quit smoking. CONCLUSIONS In a US cohort of adult smokers, longitudinal patterns of vaping frequency appear to predict smoking abstinence, even after accounting for several sources of systematic error. Consistent daily vaping is associated with increased chances of cigarette smoking abstinence, while consistent non-daily vaping is associated with decreased chances of smoking abstinence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa F. Harlow
- University of Southern California, Department of Population and Public Health SciencesInstitute for Addiction ScienceLos AngelesCAUSA,Department of EpidemiologyBoston University School of Public HealthBostonMAUSA
| | - Andrew C. Stokes
- Department of Global HealthBoston University School of Public HealthBostonMAUSA
| | - Daniel R. Brooks
- Department of EpidemiologyBoston University School of Public HealthBostonMAUSA
| | - Emelia J. Benjamin
- Department of EpidemiologyBoston University School of Public HealthBostonMAUSA,Department of MedicineBoston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical CenterBostonMAUSA
| | - Adam M. Leventhal
- University of Southern California, Department of Population and Public Health SciencesInstitute for Addiction ScienceLos AngelesCAUSA
| | - Rob S. McConnell
- University of Southern California, Department of Population and Public Health SciencesInstitute for Addiction ScienceLos AngelesCAUSA
| | - Jessica L. Barrington‐Trimis
- University of Southern California, Department of Population and Public Health SciencesInstitute for Addiction ScienceLos AngelesCAUSA
| | - Craig S. Ross
- Department of EpidemiologyBoston University School of Public HealthBostonMAUSA
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Boden LI, Asfaw A, Busey A, Tripodis Y, O'Leary PK, Applebaum KM, Stokes AC, Fox MP. Increased all-cause mortality following occupational injury: a comparison of two states. Occup Environ Med 2022; 79:816-823. [PMID: 36253089 PMCID: PMC10124819 DOI: 10.1136/oemed-2022-108481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 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] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To measure the impact of lost-time occupational injuries on all-cause mortality in Washington State and, using the same data elements and study design, to determine whether the estimated impact was similar to previous estimates for New Mexico. METHODS We linked injuries in the Washington workers' compensation system with Social Security Administration data on earnings and mortality. We estimated Cox survival models of mortality for women and men with lost-time compared with medical-only injuries, adjusting for age, pre-injury earnings and industry. We used quantitative bias analysis to account for confounding by pre-injury smoking and obesity. RESULTS The estimated mortality HR was 1.24 for women (95% CI 1.21 to 1.28) and 1.22 for men (95% CI 1.20 to 1.24). After adjusting for unmeasured pre-injury smoking and obesity, the estimated HR for women was 1.10, 95% simulation interval (SI) 1.00 to 1.21; for men, it was 1.15, 95% SI 1.04 to 1.27. CONCLUSIONS All-cause mortality for Washington workers with lost-time injuries was higher than for those with medical-only injuries. Estimated HRs for Washington were consistent with those previously estimated for New Mexico, a less populous state with lower median wages and a different workers' compensation insurance mechanism. This suggests that the relationship between workplace injury and long-term mortality may be generalisable to other US states. These findings support greater efforts to enhance safety and to investigate factors that improve postinjury employment opportunities and long-term health. This association should be examined in additional locations, with different study conditions, or using additional data on pre-injury risk factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leslie I Boden
- Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Abay Asfaw
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Andrew Busey
- NERA Economic Consulting, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Yorghos Tripodis
- Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Paul K O'Leary
- Office of Retirement and Disability Policy, U.S. Social Security Administration, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Katie M Applebaum
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, George Washington University, Milken Institute School of Public Health, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Andrew C Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Matthew P Fox
- Departments of Epidemiology and Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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30
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Paglino E, Lundberg DJ, Zhou Z, Wasserman JA, Raquib R, Luck AN, Hempstead K, Bor J, Preston SH, Elo IT, Stokes AC. Monthly excess mortality across counties in the United States during the Covid-19 pandemic, March 2020 to February 2022. medRxiv 2022:2022.04.23.22274192. [PMID: 35547848 PMCID: PMC9094106 DOI: 10.1101/2022.04.23.22274192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Excess mortality is the difference between expected and observed mortality in a given period and has emerged as a leading measure of the overall impact of the Covid-19 pandemic that is not biased by differences in testing or cause-of-death assignment. Spatially and temporally granular estimates of excess mortality are needed to understand which areas have been most impacted by the pandemic, evaluate exacerbating and mitigating factors, and inform response efforts, including allocating resources to affected communities. We estimated all-cause excess mortality for the United States from March 2020 through February 2022 by county and month using a Bayesian hierarchical model trained on data from 2015 to 2019. An estimated 1,159,580 excess deaths occurred during the first two years of the pandemic (first: 620,872; second: 538,708). Overall, excess mortality decreased in large metropolitan counties, but increased in nonmetro counties, between the first and second years of the pandemic. Despite the initial concentration of mortality in large metropolitan Northeast counties, beginning in February 2021, nonmetro South counties had the highest cumulative relative excess mortality. These results highlight the need for investments in rural health as the pandemic's disproportionate impact on rural areas continues to grow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugenio Paglino
- Department of Sociology and Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Dielle J. Lundberg
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA
- Department of Health Systems and Population Health, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA
| | - Zhenwei Zhou
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA
| | | | - Rafeya Raquib
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA
| | - Anneliese N. Luck
- Department of Sociology and Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | | | - Jacob Bor
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA
| | - Samuel H. Preston
- Department of Sociology and Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Irma T. Elo
- Department of Sociology and Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Andrew C. Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA
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Aschmann HE, Riley AR, Chen R, Chen YH, Bibbins-Domingo K, Stokes AC, Glymour MM, Kiang MV. Dynamics of racial disparities in all-cause mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2210941119. [PMID: 36126098 PMCID: PMC9546535 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2210941119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
As research documenting disparate impacts of COVID-19 by race and ethnicity grows, little attention has been given to dynamics in mortality disparities during the pandemic and whether changes in disparities persist. We estimate age-standardized monthly all-cause mortality in the United States from January 2018 through February 2022 for seven racial/ethnic populations. Using joinpoint regression, we quantify trends in race-specific rate ratios relative to non-Hispanic White mortality to examine the magnitude of pandemic-related shifts in mortality disparities. Prepandemic disparities were stable from January 2018 through February 2020. With the start of the pandemic, relative mortality disadvantages increased for American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN), Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander (NHOPI), and Black individuals, and relative mortality advantages decreased for Asian and Hispanic groups. Rate ratios generally increased during COVID-19 surges, with different patterns in the summer 2021 and winter 2021/2022 surges, when disparities approached prepandemic levels for Asian and Black individuals. However, two populations below age 65 fared worse than White individuals during these surges. For AIAN people, the observed rate ratio reached 2.25 (95% CI = 2.14, 2.37) in October 2021 vs. a prepandemic mean of 1.74 (95% CI = 1.62, 1.86), and for NHOPI people, the observed rate ratio reached 2.12 (95% CI = 1.92, 2.33) in August 2021 vs. a prepandemic mean of 1.31 (95% CI = 1.13, 1.49). Our results highlight the dynamic nature of racial/ethnic disparities in mortality and raise alarm about the exacerbation of mortality inequities for Indigenous groups due to the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hélène E. Aschmann
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158
| | - Alicia R. Riley
- Department of Sociology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064
| | - Ruijia Chen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158
| | - Yea-Hung Chen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158
| | - Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158
| | - Andrew C. Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118
| | - M. Maria Glymour
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158
| | - Mathew V. Kiang
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94304
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32
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Harlow AF, Cho J, Tackett AP, McConnell RS, Leventhal AM, Stokes AC, Barrington-Trimis JL. Motivations for E-cigarette use and associations with vaping frequency and smoking abstinence among adults who smoke cigarettes in the United States. Drug Alcohol Depend 2022; 238:109583. [PMID: 35907310 PMCID: PMC9994580 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2022.109583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Revised: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In observational studies, vaping daily is positively associated with cigarette smoking abstinence, while non-daily vaping is associated with less smoking abstinence (versus no e-cigarette use). It remains unknown whether cigarette smokers who vape daily have different motivations for using e-cigarettes than those who vape non-daily. METHODS Using latent class analysis and 10 self-reported reasons for vaping, we identified sub-groups of participants based on vaping motivations among 1544 adult (≥18 y) dual users of e-cigarettes and cigarettes at wave 4 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (2016-2018). We examined the association of motivation sub-groups with vaping frequency at wave 4, and subsequent cigarette smoking abstinence at wave 5 (2018-2019). Additional analyses examined the association of vaping frequency with smoking abstinence before and after adjustment for motivation sub-groups. RESULTS Four distinct sub-groups of e-cigarette users emerged, including 54 % of participants who were "Vaping Enthusiasts", 20 % who vaped for "Convenience and Social Acceptability", 10 % classified as "Experimenters", and 16 % who vaped for "Quitting Smoking and Harm Reduction." The Convenience and Social Acceptability sub-group were less likely than "Vaping Enthusiasts" (AOR=0.29, 95 %CI[0.20-0.42]) and "Quitting Smoking and Harm Reduction" (AOR=0.41, 95 %CI[0.24-0.71]) classes to vape daily (versus non-daily). Sub-groups were not associated with smoking abstinence after one year. Adjustment for motivation sub-groups did not attenuate a positive association of daily vaping with smoking abstinence. CONCLUSIONS Cigarette smokers who vaped for convenience and social acceptability were less frequent e-cigarette users than those with other vaping motivations. Vaping motivations were not associated with subsequent smoking abstinence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa F Harlow
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, 1845 N. Soto Street, Los Angeles, CA 90032, USA.
| | - Junhan Cho
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, 1845 N. Soto Street, Los Angeles, CA 90032, USA
| | - Alayna P Tackett
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, 1845 N. Soto Street, Los Angeles, CA 90032, USA
| | - Rob S McConnell
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, 1845 N. Soto Street, Los Angeles, CA 90032, USA
| | - Adam M Leventhal
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, 1845 N. Soto Street, Los Angeles, CA 90032, USA
| | - Andrew C Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Jessica L Barrington-Trimis
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, 1845 N. Soto Street, Los Angeles, CA 90032, USA
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Chen YH, Riley AR, Duchowny KA, Aschmann HE, Chen R, Kiang MV, Mooney AC, Stokes AC, Glymour MM, Bibbins-Domingo K. COVID-19 mortality and excess mortality among working-age residents in California, USA, by occupational sector: a longitudinal cohort analysis of mortality surveillance data. Lancet Public Health 2022; 7:e744-e753. [PMID: 36057273 PMCID: PMC9433054 DOI: 10.1016/s2468-2667(22)00191-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, workers in essential sectors had higher rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 mortality than those in non-essential sectors. It is unknown whether disparities in pandemic-related mortality across occupational sectors have continued to occur during the periods of SARS-CoV-2 variants and vaccine availability. METHODS In this longitudinal cohort study, we obtained data from the California Department of Public Health on all deaths occurring in the state of California, USA, from Jan 1, 2016, to Dec 31, 2021. We restricted our analysis to residents of California who were aged 18-65 years at time of death and died of natural causes. We classified the occupational sector into nine essential sectors; non-essential; or unemployed or without an occupation provided on the death certificate. We calculated the number of COVID-19 deaths in total and per capita that occurred in each occupational sector. Separately, using autoregressive integrated moving average models, we estimated total, per-capita, and relative excess natural-cause mortality by week between March 1, 2020, and Nov 30, 2021, stratifying by occupational sector. We additionally stratified analyses of occupational risk into counties with high versus low vaccine uptake, categorising high-uptake regions as counties where at least 50% of the population were fully vaccinated according to US guidelines by Aug 1, 2021. FINDINGS From March 1, 2020, to Nov 30, 2021, 24 799 COVID-19 deaths were reported in residents of California aged 18-65 years and an estimated 28 751 (95% prediction interval 27 853-29 653) excess deaths. People working in essential sectors were associated with higher COVID-19 deaths and excess deaths than were those working in non-essential sectors, with the highest per-capita COVID-19 mortality in the agriculture (131·8 per 100 000 people), transportation or logistics (107·1 per 100 000), manufacturing (103·3 per 100 000), facilities (101·1 per 100 000), and emergency (87·8 per 100 000) sectors. Disparities were wider during periods of increased infections, including during the Nov 29, 2020, to Feb 27, 2021, surge in infections, which was driven by the delta variant (B.1.617.2) and occurred during vaccine uptake. During the June 27 to Nov 27, 2021 surge, emergency workers had higher COVID-19 mortality (113·7 per 100 000) than workers from any other sector. Workers in essential sectors had the highest COVID-19 mortality in counties with low vaccination uptake, a difference that was more pronounced during the period of the delta infection surge during Nov 29, 2020, to Feb 27, 2021. INTERPRETATION Workers in essential sectors have continued to bear the brunt of high COVID-19 and excess mortality throughout the pandemic, particularly in the agriculture, emergency, manufacturing, facilities, and transportation or logistics sectors. This high death toll has continued during periods of vaccine availability and the delta surge. In an ongoing pandemic without widespread vaccine coverage and with anticipated threats of new variants, the USA must actively adopt policies to more adequately protect workers in essential sectors. FUNDING US National Institute on Aging, Swiss National Science Foundation, and US National Institute on Drug Abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yea-Hung Chen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Alicia R Riley
- Department of Sociology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Kate A Duchowny
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Hélène E Aschmann
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Ruijia Chen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Mathew V Kiang
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Alyssa C Mooney
- Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Andrew C Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - M Maria Glymour
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
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Abstract
Objective: Assess the association of BMI and BMI change with mortality. Methods: Using data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS) on participants born mainly in 1939 (n=4922), we investigated the associations between various measures of BMI across the life course (age 54 BMI; age 65 BMI; age 72 BMI; lifetime maximum BMI; BMI change between ages 54 and 65; BMI change between ages 65 and 72) and mortality. We also assessed whether these associations are mediated by late life health. Results: BMI at age 54 was more strongly associated with late life mortality than BMI at older ages. The association between BMI change and mortality varied based on the timing of weight change. Health at age 72, particularly self-rated health, diabetes, and physical functioning, mediated the observed associations. Conclusion: Knowing older people's weight at midlife and how their weight has changed may be more important in assessing late life mortality risk than their current weight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlyn M. Berry
- University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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Harlow AF, Fetterman JL, Ross CS, Robertson RM, Bhatnagar A, Benjamin EJ, Stokes AC. Association of device type, flavours and vaping behaviour with tobacco product transitions among adult electronic cigarette users in the USA. Tob Control 2022; 31:e10-e17. [PMID: 33479031 PMCID: PMC8292448 DOI: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2020-055999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [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] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Few studies assess whether electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) device characteristics or flavours impact longitudinal patterns of cigarette and e-cigarette use. DESIGN We examined data from waves 2-4 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study (2014-2018). Among adult (≥18 years) current e-cigarette users at wave 2 who were current smokers (dual users; n=1759) and former smokers (exclusive e-cigarette users; n=470), we classified participants into four use patterns at wave 3 (~12 months later) and wave 4 (~24 months later): (1) dual use of e-cigarettes and cigarettes; (2) exclusive cigarette smoking; (3) exclusive e-cigarette use; (4) non-use of both products. We used multinomial logistic regression to assess correlates of changing use patterns at 24 months, relative to no change, adjusting for sociodemographic factors. RESULTS At 24 months, 26.5% of baseline exclusive e-cigarette users, and 9% of baseline dual users, abstained from both vaping and smoking. Participants who vaped non-tobacco flavours (vs tobacco flavours), and used refillable tank or modifiable devices (vs disposable, cartridges and other devices) were less likely to transition to non-use of both products and to exclusive cigarette smoking. Baseline daily vaping (vs non-daily) was positively associated with exclusive e-cigarette use at 24 months for baseline daily cigarette smokers, but negatively associated with exclusive e-cigarette use and non-use of both products at 24 months for baseline non-daily smokers. CONCLUSIONS Non-tobacco flavours, daily vaping and modifiable e-cigarette devices may help some smokers abstain from cigarette smoking via transitioning to exclusive e-cigarette use, but are also associated with ongoing exclusive e-cigarette use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa F Harlow
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jessica L Fetterman
- Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Craig S Ross
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rose Marie Robertson
- Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, American Heart Association, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Aruni Bhatnagar
- Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
| | - Emelia J Benjamin
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Andrew C Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Lundberg DJ, Cho A, Raquib R, Nsoesie EO, Wrigley-Field E, Stokes AC. Geographic and Temporal Patterns in Covid-19 Mortality by Race and Ethnicity in the United States from March 2020 to February 2022. medRxiv 2022:2022.07.20.22277872. [PMID: 35898347 PMCID: PMC9327633 DOI: 10.1101/2022.07.20.22277872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Prior research has established that American Indian, Alaska Native, Black, Hispanic, and Pacific Islander populations in the United States have experienced substantially higher mortality rates from Covid-19 compared to non-Hispanic white residents during the first year of the pandemic. What remains less clear is how mortality rates have changed for each of these racial/ethnic groups during 2021, given the increasing prevalence of vaccination. In particular, it is unknown how these changes in mortality have varied geographically. In this study, we used provisional data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) to produce age-standardized estimates of Covid-19 mortality by race/ethnicity in the United States from March 2020 to February 2022 in each metro-nonmetro category, Census region, and Census division. We calculated changes in mortality rates between the first and second years of the pandemic and examined mortality changes by month. We found that when Covid-19 first affected a geographic area, non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic populations experienced extremely high levels of Covid-19 mortality and racial/ethnic inequity that were not repeated at any other time during the pandemic. Between the first and second year of the pandemic, racial/ethnic inequities in Covid-19 mortality decreased-but were not eliminated-for Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black, and non-Hispanic AIAN residents. These inequities decreased due to reductions in mortality for these populations alongside increases in non-Hispanic white mortality. Though racial/ethnic inequities in Covid-19 mortality decreased, substantial inequities still existed in most geographic areas during the pandemic's second year: Non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic AIAN, and Hispanic residents reported higher Covid-19 death rates in rural areas than in urban areas, indicating that these communities are facing serious public health challenges. At the same time, the non-Hispanic white mortality rate worsened in rural areas during the second year of the pandemic, suggesting there may be unique factors driving mortality in this population. Finally, vaccination rates were associated with reductions in Covid-19 mortality for Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black, and non-Hispanic white residents, and increased vaccination may have contributed to the decreases in racial/ethnic inequities in Covid-19 mortality observed during the second year of the pandemic. Despite reductions in mortality, Covid-19 mortality remained elevated in nonmetro areas and increased for some racial/ethnic groups, highlighting the need for increased vaccination delivery and equitable public health measures especially in rural communities. Taken together, these findings highlight the continued need to prioritize health equity in the pandemic response and to modify the structures and policies through which systemic racism operates and has generated racial health inequities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ahyoung Cho
- Center for Antiracist Research, Boston University
- Department of Political Science, Boston University
| | - Rafeya Raquib
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health
| | - Elaine O. Nsoesie
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health
- Center for Antiracist Research, Boston University
| | | | - Andrew C. Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health
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Mauer N, Geldsetzer P, Manne-Goehler J, Davies JI, Stokes AC, McConnell M, Ali MK, Winkler V, Sudharsanan N. Longitudinal evidence on treatment discontinuation, adherence, and loss of hypertension control in four middle-income countries. Sci Transl Med 2022; 14:eabi9522. [PMID: 35857627 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abi9522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Managing hypertension is a highly dynamic process, yet current evidence on hypertension control in middle-income countries (MICs) is largely based on cross-sectional data. Using multiple waves of population-based cohort data from four MICs (China, Indonesia, Mexico, and South Africa), we undertook a longitudinal investigation into how individuals with hypertension move through care over time. We classified adults aged 40 years and over (N = 8527) into care stages at both baseline and follow-up waves and estimated the probability of transitioning between stages using Poisson regression models. Over a 5- to 9-year follow-up period, only around 30% of undiagnosed individuals became diagnosed [Mexico, 27% (95% confidence interval: 23%, 31%); China, 30% (26%, 33%); Indonesia, 30% (28%, 32%); and South Africa, 36% (31%, 41%)], and one in four untreated individuals became treated [Indonesia, 11% (10%, 12%); Mexico, 24% (20%, 28%); China, 26% (23%, 29%); and South Africa, 33% (29%, 38%)]. The probability of reaching blood pressure (BP) control was lower [Indonesia, 2% (1%, 2%); China, 9% (7%, 11%); Mexico, 12% (9%, 14%); and South Africa, 24% (20%, 28%)] regardless of treatment status. A substantial proportion of individuals discontinued treatment [Indonesia, 70% (67%, 73%); China, 36% (32%, 40%); Mexico, 34% (29%, 39%); and South Africa, 20% (15%, 25%)], and most individuals lost BP control by follow-up [Indonesia, 92% (89%, 96%); Mexico, 77% (71%, 83%); China, 76% (69%, 83%); and South Africa 45% (36%, 54%)]. Our results highlight that policies solely aimed at improving diagnosis or initiating treatment may not lead to long-term hypertension control improvements in MICs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Mauer
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.,European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, 1060 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Pascal Geldsetzer
- Division of Primary Care and Population Health, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.,Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Jennifer Manne-Goehler
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit, School of Public Health, University of Witwatersrand, 2193 Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Justine I Davies
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit, School of Public Health, University of Witwatersrand, 2193 Johannesburg, South Africa.,Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Andrew C Stokes
- Center for Global Health and Development, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Margaret McConnell
- Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Mohammed K Ali
- Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.,Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Volker Winkler
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nikkil Sudharsanan
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.,Professorship of Behavioral Science for Disease Prevention and Health Care, Technical University of Munich, 80992 Munich, Germany
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Harlow AF, Stokes AC, Brooks DR, Benjamin EJ, Barrington-Trimis JL, Ross CS. e-Cigarette Use and Combustible Cigarette Smoking Initiation Among Youth: Accounting for Time-Varying Exposure and Time-Dependent Confounding. Epidemiology 2022; 33:523-532. [PMID: 35394965 PMCID: PMC9156560 DOI: 10.1097/ede.0000000000001491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [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: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Youth e-cigarette use is associated with the initiation of combustible cigarette smoking, but prior studies have rarely accounted for time-varying measures of e-cigarette exposure or time-dependent confounding of e-cigarette use and smoking initiation. METHODS Using five waves of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (2013-2019), we estimated marginal structural models with inverse probability of treatment and censoring weights to examine the association between time-varying e-cigarette initiation and subsequent cigarette smoking initiation among e-cigarette- and cigarette-naïve youth (12-17 years) at baseline. Time-dependent confounders used as predictors in inverse probability weights included tobacco-related attitudes or beliefs, mental health symptoms, substance use, and tobacco-marketing exposure. RESULTS Among 9,584 youth at baseline, those who initiated e-cigarettes were 2.4 times as likely to subsequently initiate cigarette smoking as youth who did not initiate e-cigarettes (risk ratio = 2.4, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.1, 2.7), after accounting for time-dependent confounding and selection bias. Among youth who initiated e-cigarettes, more frequent vaping was associated with greater risk of smoking initiation (risk ratio ≥3 days/month = 1.8, 95% CI = 1.4, 2.2; 1-2 days/month = 1.2; 95% CI = 0.93, 1.6 vs. 0 days/month). Weighted marginal structural model estimates were moderately attenuated compared with unweighted estimates adjusted for baseline-only confounders. At the US population level, we estimated over half a million youth initiated cigarette smoking because of prior e-cigarette use over follow-up. CONCLUSIONS The association between youth vaping and combustible cigarette smoking persisted after accounting for time-dependent confounding. We estimate that e-cigarette use accounts for a considerable share of cigarette initiation among US youth. See video abstract at, http://links.lww.com/EDE/B937.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa F. Harlow
- University of Southern California, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Los Angeles, CA
- Boston University School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Boston, MA
| | - Andrew C. Stokes
- Boston University School of Public Health, Department of Global Health, Boston, MA
| | - Daniel R. Brooks
- Boston University School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Boston, MA
| | - Emelia J. Benjamin
- Boston University School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Boston, MA
- Boston University School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston, MA
| | | | - Craig S. Ross
- Boston University School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Boston, MA
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39
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Chen YH, Stokes AC, Aschmann HE, Chen R, DeVost S, Kiang MV, Koliwad S, Riley AR, Glymour MM, Bibbins-Domingo K. Excess natural-cause deaths in California by cause and setting: March 2020 through February 2021. PNAS Nexus 2022; 1:pgac079. [PMID: 35832865 PMCID: PMC9272175 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Excess mortality has exceeded reported deaths from Covid-19 during the pandemic. This gap may be attributable to deaths that occurred among individuals with undiagnosed Covid-19 infections or indirect consequences of the pandemic response such as interruptions in medical care; distinguishing these possibilities has implications for public health responses. In the present study, we examined patterns of excess mortality over time and by setting (in-hospital or out-of-hospital) and cause of death using death certificate data from California. The estimated number of excess natural-cause deaths from 2020 March 1 to 2021 February 28 (69,182) exceeded the number of Covid-19 diagnosed deaths (53,667) by 29%. Nearly half, 47.4% (32,775), of excess natural-cause deaths occurred out of the hospital, where only 28.6% (9,366) of excess mortality was attributed to Covid-19. Over time, increases or decreases in excess natural non-Covid-19 mortality closely mirrored increases or decreases in Covid-19 mortality. The time series were positively correlated in out-of-hospital settings, particularly at time lags when excess natural-cause deaths preceded reported Covid-19 deaths; for example, when comparing Covid-19 deaths to excess natural-cause deaths in the week prior, the correlation was 0.73. The strong temporal association of reported Covid-19 deaths with excess out-of-hospital deaths from other reported natural-cause causes suggests Covid-19 deaths were undercounted during the first year of the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yea-Hung Chen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, 550 16th St, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Andrew C Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Hélène E Aschmann
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, 550 16th St, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Ruijia Chen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, 550 16th St, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Shelley DeVost
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, 550 16th St, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Mathew V Kiang
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Suneil Koliwad
- Department of Medicine, and Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94117, USA
| | - Alicia R Riley
- Department of Sociology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - M Maria Glymour
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, 550 16th St, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, 550 16th St, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
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40
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Chen R, Aschmann HE, Chen YH, Glymour MM, Bibbins-Domingo K, Stokes AC, Kiang MV. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Estimated Excess Mortality From External Causes in the US, March to December 2020. JAMA Intern Med 2022; 182:776-778. [PMID: 35532918 PMCID: PMC9086931 DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2022.1461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
This cross-sectional study examines racial and ethnic disparities in estimated excess deaths from homicide, suicide, transportation, and drug overdoses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruijia Chen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Hélène E Aschmann
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Yea-Hung Chen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco
| | - M Maria Glymour
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco
| | | | - Andrew C Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health
| | - Mathew V Kiang
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford University School of Medicine
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Boakye E, Osuji N, Erhabor J, Obisesan O, Osei AD, Mirbolouk M, Stokes AC, Dzaye O, El Shahawy O, Hirsch GA, Benjamin EJ, DeFilippis AP, Robertson RM, Bhatnagar A, Blaha MJ. Assessment of Patterns in e-Cigarette Use Among Adults in the US, 2017-2020. JAMA Netw Open 2022; 5:e2223266. [PMID: 35867060 PMCID: PMC9308055 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.23266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Updated data on the patterns of e-cigarette use among adults in the US are needed. OBJECTIVE To examine recent patterns in current and daily e-cigarette use among US adults. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This repeated cross-sectional study used data from the 2017, 2018, and 2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a nationally representative state-based survey of noninstitutionalized US adults. A total of 994 307 adults 18 years and older who were living in states and territories that provided data on e-cigarette use in 2017 (53 states and territories), 2018 (36 states and Guam), and 2020 (42 states and Guam) were included. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The weighted prevalence of current (past 30 days) and daily e-cigarette use was estimated for each year, and changes in prevalence from 2017 to 2020 were assessed, first overall and then stratified by participant characteristics, including state or territory of residence. RESULTS Among 994 307 adults from states with data on e-cigarette use, 429 370 individuals (weighted 51.3% female) were participants in the 2017 survey, 280 184 (weighted 52.1% female) were participants in the 2018 survey, and 284 753 (weighted 52.1% female) were participants in the 2020 survey. The weighted proportions of young adults aged 18 to 24 years were 12.6% in 2017, 11.8% in 2018, and 11.9% in 2020. Across all 3 years, 17 035 participants (weighted, 1.0%) were American Indian or Alaska Native, 22 313 (weighted, 4.6%) were Asian, 75 780 (weighted, 12.2%) were Black, 72 190 (weighted, 15.1%) were Hispanic, 4817 (weighted, 0.2%) were Native Hawaiian, 757 140 (weighted, 65.1%) were White, 20 332 (weighted, 1.3%) were multiracial, and 6245 (weighted, 0.5%) were of other races and/or ethnicities. The prevalence of current e-cigarette use was 4.4% (95% CI, 4.3%-4.5%) in 2017, which increased to 5.5% (95% CI, 5.4%-5.7%) in 2018 and decreased slightly to 5.1% (95% CI, 4.9%-5.3%) in 2020. The recent decrease, though modest, was observed mainly among young adults aged 18 to 20 years (from 18.9% [95% CI, 17.2%-20.7%] to 15.6% [95% CI, 14.1%-17.1%]; P = .004). However, the prevalence of daily e-cigarette use increased consistently from 1.5% (95% CI, 1.4%-1.6%) in 2017 to 2.1% (95% CI, 2.0%-2.2%) in 2018 and 2.3% (95% CI, 2.2%-2.4%) in 2020. Among young adults aged 21 to 24 years, there was a slight, albeit insignificant, increase in the prevalence of current e-cigarette use (from 13.5% [95% CI, 12.3%-14.7%] to 14.5% [95% CI, 13.2%-15.9%]; P = .28) but a significant increase in the prevalence of daily e-cigarette use (from 4.4% [95% CI, 3.8%-5.1%] to 6.6% [95% CI, 5.6%-7.6%]; P < .001) between 2018 and 2020. State-level patterns in the prevalence of current e-cigarette use were heterogeneous, with states like Massachusetts (from 5.6% [95% CI, 4.8%-6.5%] to 4.1% [95% CI, 3.1%-5.3%]; P = .03) and New York (from 5.4% [95% CI, 4.9%-5.9%] to 4.1% [95% CI, 3.5%-4.7%]; P = .001) recording significant decreases between 2018 and 2020. In contrast, Guam (from 5.9% [95% CI, 4.5%-7.9%] to 11.4% [95% CI, 8.7%-14.8%]; P = .002) and Utah (from 6.1% [95% CI, 5.5%-6.7%] to 7.2% [95% CI, 6.5%-8.0%]; P = .02) recorded significant increases in current e-cigarette use over the same period. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this study, a slight decrease in the prevalence of current e-cigarette use was found between 2018 and 2020; this decrease was mainly observed among young adults aged 18 to 20 years. In contrast, daily e-cigarette use consistently increased, particularly among young adults aged 21 to 24 years. This increase in daily use suggests greater nicotine dependence among those who use e-cigarettes, warranting continued surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Boakye
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Ngozi Osuji
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - John Erhabor
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, Texas
| | | | - Albert D. Osei
- Department of Medicine, MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland
| | | | - Andrew C. Stokes
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, Texas
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Omar Dzaye
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Omar El Shahawy
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, Texas
- Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York
| | - Glenn A. Hirsch
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, Texas
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado
| | - Emelia J. Benjamin
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, Texas
- Cardiovascular Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Andrew P. DeFilippis
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, Texas
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Rose Marie Robertson
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, Texas
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Aruni Bhatnagar
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, Texas
- Department of Medicine, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky
| | - Michael J. Blaha
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, Texas
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Wrigley-Field E, Berry KM, Stokes AC, Leider JP. "Pandemic of the unvaccinated"? At midlife, white people are less vaccinated but still at less risk of Covid-19 mortality in Minnesota. medRxiv 2022:2022.03.02.22271808. [PMID: 35291300 PMCID: PMC8923115 DOI: 10.1101/2022.03.02.22271808] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Introduction Recent research underscores the exceptionally young age distribution of Covid-19 deaths in the United States compared with international peers. This brief characterizes how high levels of Covid mortality at midlife ages (45-64) are deeply intertwined with continuing racial inequity in Covid-19 mortality. Methods Mortality data from Minnesota in 2020-2022 were analyzed in June 2022. Death certificate data and published vaccination rates in Minnesota allow vaccination and mortality rates to be observed with greater age and temporal precision than national data. Results Black, Hispanic, and Asian adults under age 65 were all more highly vaccinated than white populations of the same ages during most of Minnesota's substantial and sustained Delta surge and all of the subsequent Omicron surge. However, white mortality rates were lower than those of all other groups. These disparities were extreme; at midlife ages (ages 45-64), during the Omicron period, more highly-vaccinated populations had COVID-19 mortality that was 164% (Asian-American), 115% (Hispanic), or 208% (Black) of white Covid-19 mortality at these ages. In Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) populations as a whole, Covid-19 mortality at ages 55-64 was greater than white mortality at 10 years older. Conclusions This discrepancy between vaccination and mortality patterning by race/ethnicity suggests that, if the current period is a "pandemic of the unvaccinated," it also remains a "pandemic of the disadvantaged" in ways that can decouple from vaccination rates. This result implies an urgent need to center health equity in the development of Covid-19 policy measures.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kaitlyn M. Berry
- Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health
| | - Andrew C. Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health
| | - Jonathon P. Leider
- Division of Health Policy and Management, University of Minnesota School of Public Health
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Rezk-Hanna M, Warda US, Stokes AC, Fetterman J, Li J, Macey PM, Darawad M, Song Y, Ben Taleb Z, Brecht ML, Benowitz NL. Associations of Smokeless Tobacco Use With Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Insights From the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study. Nicotine Tob Res 2022; 24:1063-1070. [PMID: 34999825 PMCID: PMC9199939 DOI: 10.1093/ntr/ntab258] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Cigarette smoking is strongly associated with the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, evidence is limited as to whether smokeless tobacco (ST) use is associated with CVD. AIMS AND METHODS Using data from 4347 adults in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study (2013-2014), we compared geometric mean concentrations of CVD-related harm biomarkers and biomarkers of exposure among exclusive ST users and exclusive cigarette smokers-in relation to recent nicotine exposure-and never tobacco users, adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, body mass index, and CVD. Biomarker levels among exclusive ST users who were former established cigarette smokers were compared with exclusive cigarette smokers. RESULTS Compared with cigarette smokers, ST users had significantly higher concentrations of total nicotine equivalents (TNE) but lower concentrations of inflammatory (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, intercellular adhesion molecule, fibrinogen) and oxidative stress (8-isoprostane) biomarkers (all p < .05). Biomarker levels among ST users were similar to never smokers. ST users who were former cigarette smokers had lower levels of inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers and biomarkers of exposure (cadmium, lead, 1-hydroxypyrene, acrylonitrile, and acrolein), compared with cigarettes smokers (p < .05), despite having higher TNE levels (p < .05). Among cigarette smokers, but not among ST users, inflammatory biomarkers and TNE were highly correlated. CONCLUSIONS ST use is not associated with increases in biomarkers of CVD-related harm and exposure, compared with never smokers, despite exposure to nicotine at levels higher than those observed among cigarette smokers. These findings support the concept that increases in CVD risk among cigarette smokers is caused primarily by constituents of tobacco smoke other than nicotine. IMPLICATIONS Despite having higher levels of nicotine and compared with exclusive cigarette smokers, exclusive ST users (including those who were former cigarette smokers) had significantly lower concentrations of inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers, comparable to levels observed among never tobacco users. These findings suggest that increases in CVD risk among cigarette smokers is caused primarily by tobacco constituents other than nicotine and that switching to ST is likely associated with lower CVD risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Rezk-Hanna
- School of Nursing, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Umme Shefa Warda
- School of Nursing, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Andrew C Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jessica Fetterman
- Evans Department of Medicine and Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jian Li
- School of Nursing, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Paul M Macey
- School of Nursing, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Yeonsu Song
- School of Nursing, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ziyad Ben Taleb
- Department of Kinesiology, College of Nursing and Health Innovation, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
| | - Mary-Lynn Brecht
- School of Nursing, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Neal L Benowitz
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
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44
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Xie W, Tackett AP, Berlowitz JB, Harlow AF, Kathuria H, Galiatsatos P, Fetterman JL, Cho J, Blaha MJ, Hamburg NM, Robertson RM, DeFilippis AP, Hall ME, Bhatnagar A, Benjamin EJ, Stokes AC. Association of Electronic Cigarette Use with Respiratory Symptom Development among U.S. Young Adults. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2022; 205:1320-1329. [PMID: 35089853 PMCID: PMC9873120 DOI: 10.1164/rccm.202107-1718oc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [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] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Rationale: Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use is highly prevalent among young adults. However, longitudinal data assessing the association between e-cigarette use and respiratory symptoms are lacking. Objectives: To determine whether e-cigarette use is associated with the development of respiratory symptoms in young adults. Methods: Data are derived from the PATH (Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health) study waves 2 (2014-2015), 3 (2015-2016), 4 (2016-2018), and 5 (2018-2019). Young adults aged 18-24 years at baseline with no prevalent respiratory disease or symptoms were included in the analyses. Binary logistic regression models with a generalized estimating equation were used to estimate time-varying and time-lagged associations of e-cigarette use during waves 2-4, with respiratory symptom development approximately 12 months later at waves 3-5. Measurements and Main Results: The per-wave prevalence of former and current e-cigarette use was 15.2% and 5.6%, respectively. Former e-cigarette use was associated with higher odds of developing any respiratory symptom (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-1.39) and wheezing in the chest (aOR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.08-1.83) in multivariable adjusted models. Current e-cigarette use was associated with higher odds for any respiratory symptom (aOR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.06-1.65) and wheezing in the chest (aOR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.06-2.14). Associations persisted among participants who never smoked combustible cigarettes. Conclusions: In this nationally representative cohort of young adults, former and current e-cigarette use was associated with higher odds of developing wheezing-related respiratory symptoms, after accounting for cigarette smoking and other combustible tobacco product use.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alayna P. Tackett
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | | | - Alyssa F. Harlow
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Panagis Galiatsatos
- Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Jessica L. Fetterman
- Evans Department of Medicine
- Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute, School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Junhan Cho
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Michael J. Blaha
- Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Naomi M. Hamburg
- Evans Department of Medicine
- Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute, School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Rose Marie Robertson
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Andrew P. DeFilippis
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Michael E. Hall
- Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, School of Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi; and
| | - Aruni Bhatnagar
- Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
| | - Emelia J. Benjamin
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
- Evans Department of Medicine
- Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute, School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Andrew C. Stokes
- Department of Global Health
- American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, Texas
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45
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Boakye E, Obisesan OH, Uddin SMI, El-Shahawy O, Dzaye O, Osei AD, Benjamin EJ, Stokes AC, Robertson RM, Bhatnagar A, Blaha MJ. Corrigendum to "Cannabis vaping among adults in the United States: Prevalence, trends, and association with high-risk behaviors and adverse respiratory conditions" [Preventive Medicine 153 (2021) 106800]. Prev Med 2022; 159:107052. [PMID: 35450724 PMCID: PMC9847013 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2022.107052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Boakye
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Baltimore, MD, USA; The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Olufunmilayo H Obisesan
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Baltimore, MD, USA; The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - S M Iftekhar Uddin
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Baltimore, MD, USA; The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Omar El-Shahawy
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Omar Dzaye
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Albert D Osei
- Department of Medicine, MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Emelia J Benjamin
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Cardiovascular Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Andrew C Stokes
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rose Marie Robertson
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Aruni Bhatnagar
- The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA; University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Michael J Blaha
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Baltimore, MD, USA; The American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
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46
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Berlowitz JB, Xie W, Harlow AF, Hamburg NM, Blaha MJ, Bhatnagar A, Benjamin EJ, Stokes AC. E-Cigarette Use and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Longitudinal Analysis of the PATH Study (2013-2019). Circulation 2022; 145:1557-1559. [PMID: 35514292 PMCID: PMC9362726 DOI: 10.1161/circulationaha.121.057369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan B. Berlowitz
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Wubin Xie
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alyssa F. Harlow
- University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Naomi M. Hamburg
- Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael J. Blaha
- Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Aruni Bhatnagar
- Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Emelia J. Benjamin
- Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Andrew C. Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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47
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Paglino E, Lundberg DJ, Cho A, Wasserman JA, Raquib R, Luck AN, Hempstead K, Bor J, Elo IT, Preston SH, Stokes AC. Excess all-cause mortality across counties in the United States, March 2020 to December 2021. medRxiv 2022. [PMID: 35547848 DOI: 10.1101/2022.06.29.222770652022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Official Covid-19 death counts have underestimated the mortality impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States. Excess mortality, which compares observed deaths to deaths expected in the absence of the pandemic, is a useful measure for assessing the total effect of the pandemic on mortality levels. In the present study, we produce county-level estimates of excess mortality for 3,127 counties between March 2020 and December 2021. We fit two hierarchical linear models to county-level death rates from January 2015 to December 2019 and predict expected deaths for each month during the pandemic. We compare observed deaths to these estimates to obtain excess deaths for each county-month. An estimated 936,911 excess deaths occurred during 2020 and 2021, of which 171,168 (18.3%) were not assigned to Covid-19 on death certificates as an underlying cause of death. Urban counties in the Far West, Great Lakes, Mideast, and New England experienced a substantial mortality disadvantage in 2020, whereas rural counties in these regions had higher mortality in 2021. In the Southeast, Southwest, Rocky Mountain, and Plains regions, there was a rural mortality disadvantage in 2020, which was exacerbated in 2021. The proportion of excess deaths assigned to Covid-19 was lower in 2020 (76.3%) than in 2021 (87.0%), suggesting that a larger fraction of excess deaths was assigned to Covid-19 later in the pandemic. However, in rural areas and in the Southeast and Southwest a large share of excess deaths was still not assigned to Covid-19 during 2021. SIGNIFICANCE Deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic have been primarily monitored through death certificates containing reference to Covid-19. This approach has missed more than 170,000 deaths related to the pandemic between 2020 and 2021. While the ascertainment of Covid-19 deaths improved during 2021, the full effects of the pandemic still remained obscured in some regions. County-level estimates of excess mortality are useful for studying geographic inequities in the mortality burden associated with the pandemic and identifying specific regions where the full mortality burden was significantly underreported (i.e. Southeast). They can also be used to inform resource allocation decisions at the federal and state levels and encourage uptake of preventive measures in communities with low vaccine uptake.
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48
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Berning P, Huang L, Razavi AC, Boakye E, Osuji N, Stokes AC, Martin SS, Ayers JW, Blaha MJ, Dzaye O. Association of Online Search Trends With Vaccination in the United States: June 2020 Through May 2021. Front Immunol 2022; 13:884211. [PMID: 35514956 PMCID: PMC9066639 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.884211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Stagnating COVID-19 vaccination rates and vaccine hesitancy remain a threat to public health. Improved strategies for real-time tracking and estimation of population-level behavior regarding vaccinations are needed. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether online search trends for COIVD-19 and influenza mirror vaccination rates. State-level weekly fraction of online searches for top vaccination-related search terms and CDC vaccination data were obtained from June 1, 2020, to May 31, 2021. Next, trends in online search and vaccination data for COVID-19 and influenza were analyzed for visual and quantitative correlation patterns using Spearman’s rank correlation analysis. Online searches in the US for COVID-19 vaccinations increased 2.71-fold (95% CI: 1.98-3.45) in the 4 weeks after the FDA emergency authorization compared to the precedent 4 weeks. In March-April 2021, US online searches reached a plateau that was followed by a decline of 83.3% (95% CI: 31.2%-135.3%) until May 31, 2021. The timing of peaks in online searches varied across US states. Online searches were strongly correlated with vaccination rates (r=0.71, 95% CI: 0.45 - 0.87), preceding actual reported vaccination rates in 44 of 51 states. Online search trends preceded vaccination trends by a median of 3.0 weeks (95% CI: 2.0-4.0 weeks) across all states. For influenza vaccination searches, seasonal peaks in September-October between 2016-2020 were noted. Influenza search trends highly correlated with the timing of actual vaccinations for the 2019-2020 (r=0.82, 95% CI: 0.64 – 0.93) and 2020-2021 season (r=0.91, 95% CI: 0.78 – 0.97). Search trends and real-world vaccination rates are highly correlated. Temporal alignment and correlation levels were higher for influenza vaccinations; however, only online searches for COVID-19 vaccination preceded vaccination trends. These findings indicate that US online search data can potentially guide public health efforts, including policy changes and identifying geographical areas to expand vaccination campaigns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Berning
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Muenster, Muenster, Germany
| | - Leu Huang
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Department of Radiology and Neuroradiology, Charité, Berlin, Germany
| | - Alexander C Razavi
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Emory Center for Heart Disease Prevention, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Ellen Boakye
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Ngozi Osuji
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Andrew C Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Seth S Martin
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - John W Ayers
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Michael J Blaha
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Omar Dzaye
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Department of Radiology and Neuroradiology, Charité, Berlin, Germany
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49
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Abstract
This cross-sectional study examines age-specific COVID-19 mortality rates in the US from March 2020 to October 2021 by sex and race and ethnicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irma T. Elo
- Deparment of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
| | - Anneliese Luck
- Deparment of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Andrew C. Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Wubin Xie
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Samuel H. Preston
- Deparment of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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50
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Ackley CA, Lundberg DJ, Ma L, Elo IT, Preston SH, Stokes AC. County-level estimates of excess mortality associated with COVID-19 in the United States. SSM Popul Health 2022. [PMID: 35018297 DOI: 10.1101/2021.04.23.21255564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. has been largely monitored using death certificates containing reference to COVID-19. However, prior analyses reveal that a significant percentage of excess deaths associated with the pandemic were not directly assigned to COVID-19. In this study, we estimated a generalized linear model of expected mortality based on historical trends in deaths by county of residence between 2011 and 2019. We used the results of the model to generate estimates of excess mortality and excess deaths not assigned to COVID-19 in 2020 for 1470 county sets in the U.S. representing 3138 counties. Across the country, we estimated that 438,386 excess deaths occurred in 2020, among which 87.5% were assigned to COVID-19. Some regions (Mideast, Great Lakes, New England, and Far West) reported the most excess deaths in large central metros, whereas other regions (Southwest, Southeast, Plains, and Rocky Mountains) reported the highest excess mortality in nonmetro areas. The proportion assigned to COVID-19 was lowest in large central metro areas (79.3%). Regionally, the proportion of excess deaths assigned to COVID-19 was lowest in the Southeast (81.6%), Southwest (82.6%), Far West (83.7%), and Rocky Mountains (86.7%). Across the regions, the number of excess deaths exceeded the number of directly assigned COVID-19 deaths in most counties. The exception to this pattern occurred in New England, which reported more directly assigned COVID-19 deaths than excess deaths in metro and nonmetro areas. Many county sets had substantial numbers of excess deaths that were not accounted for in direct COVID-19 death counts. Estimates of excess mortality at the local level can inform the allocation of resources to areas most impacted by the pandemic and contribute to positive behavior feedback loops, such as increases in mask-wearing and vaccine uptake.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dielle J Lundberg
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lei Ma
- Department of Economics, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Irma T Elo
- Department of Sociology and Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Samuel H Preston
- Department of Sociology and Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Andrew C Stokes
- Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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