Social isolation as a determinant of mental health among hybrid employees in the United States.

Background: A knowledge gap exists in understanding the role of social isolation as a determinant of mental health among hybrid employees during the COVID-19 era.

Methods: Using 2024 Household Pulse Survey data, we investigated the relationship between social isolation and mental health among US hybrid employees. We assessed depression symptoms using the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 and anxiety symptoms using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2.

Structural Determinants of Health Literacy Among Formerly Incarcerated Individuals: Insights From the Survey of Racism and Public Health.

Background: Formerly incarcerated individuals (FIIs) encounter difficulties with covering the cost of dental and medical care, adhering to medication regimens, and receiving fair treatment from health care providers. Yet, no published research has examined modifiable pathways to increase FIIs' health literacy (HL), which is essential for addressing the health needs of this vulnerable population.

Objective: The aim of this article is to examine neighborhood characteristics (neighborhood deprivation, racial and economic polarization, and residential segregation) and public assistance program enrollment as structural determinants of limited health literacy (LHL) among FIIs.

Three Underused Statistical Methods in Social Epidemiology: Multiple Informant Models, Fractional Regression, and Restricted Mean Survival Time.

We recommend three well-established yet underused statistical methods in social epidemiology: Multiple Informant Models (MIMs), Fractional Regression Model (FRM), and Restricted Mean Survival Time (RMST). MIMs improve how we identify critical windows of exposure over time. FRM addresses the inadequacies of ordinary least squares and logistic regression when dealing with fractional outcomes that are naturally proportions or rates, thereby accommodating data at the boundaries of the unit interval without requiring transformations.

Racial segregation and genomics-related knowledge, self-efficacy, perceived importance, and communication among medically underserved patients.

Purpose: There is limited research on the relationship between structural environmental factors and genomics-related knowledge, self-efficacy, perceived importance, and communication. We examined the potential impact of racial segregation on these genomics-related outcomes among medically underserved patients.

Methods: We analyzed data from a sample of 546 patients recruited from a primary care clinic in St.

An Immediate but Fleeting Interest in MPH Programs After the Onset of COVID-19: An Interrupted Time-Series Analysis.

Objectives: The relationship between the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and interest in master of public health (MPH) programs is unknown. We examined trends in MPH application rates for 31 MPH concentrations and specifically for the MPH concentration in epidemiology and differences by race and ethnicity before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: We constructed a quasi-experimental design to examine trends in MPH application rates from academic years 2015-2016 through 2022-2023 by using Centralized Application Service for Schools and Programs of Public Health data.

Determinants of Breast Cancer Screening Adherence During the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Cohort at Increased Inherited Cancer Risk in the United States.

Background: We examined neighborhood characteristics concerning breast cancer screening annual adherence during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: We analyzed 6673 female patients aged 40 or older at increased inherited cancer risk in 2 large health care systems (NYU Langone Health [NYULH] and the University of Utah Health [UHealth]). Multinomial models were used to identify predictors of mammogram screening groups (non-adherent, pre-pandemic adherent, pandemic period adherent) in comparison to adherent females.

Associations between perceived discrimination over the life course, subjective social status, and health literacy: A racial/ethnic stratification analysis.

Objective: To analyze the relationship between perceived discrimination over the life course, social status, and limited health literacy (HL).

Methods: 5040 adults who participated in the 2023 Survey of Racism and Public Health. We applied stratified multilevel models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics.

Uptake of Cancer Genetic Services for Chatbot vs Standard-of-Care Delivery Models: The BRIDGE Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Increasing numbers of unaffected individuals could benefit from genetic evaluation for inherited cancer susceptibility. Automated conversational agents (ie, chatbots) are being developed for cancer genetics contexts; however, randomized comparisons with standard of care (SOC) are needed.

Objective: To examine whether chatbot and SOC approaches are equivalent in completion of pretest cancer genetic services and genetic testing.

Racial Composition of Past and Current Social Environments and Health Literacy.

Background: Research is needed to understand the impact of social determinants of health on health literacy throughout the life course. This study examined how racial composition of multiple past and current social environments was related to adults' health literacy.

Methods: In this study, 546 adult patients at a primary care clinic in St.

Racial Composition of Social Environments Over the Life Course Using the Pictorial Racial Composition Measure: Development and Validation Study.

Background: Studies investigating the impact of racial segregation on health have reported mixed findings and tended to focus on the racial composition of neighborhoods. These studies use varying racial composition measures, such as census data or investigator-adapted questions, which are currently limited to assessing one dimension of neighborhood racial composition.

Objective: This study aims to develop and validate a novel racial segregation measure, the Pictorial Racial Composition Measure (PRCM).

Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression for Social Epidemiologic Research.

Background: Little attention has been devoted to framing multiple continuous social variables as a "mixture" for social epidemiologic analysis. We propose using the Bayesian kernel machine regression analytic framework that yields univariate, bivariate, and overall exposure mixture effects.

Methods: Using data from the 2023 Survey of Racism and Public Health, we conducted a Bayesian kernel machine regression analysis to study several individual, social, and structural factors as an exposure mixture and their relationships with psychological distress among individuals with at least one police arrest.

Detecting univariate, bivariate, and overall effects of drug mixtures using Bayesian kernel machine regression.

Innovative analytic approaches to drug studies are needed to understand better the co-use of opioids with non-opioids among people using illicit drugs. One approach is the Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR), widely applied in environmental epidemiology to study exposure mixtures but has received far less attention in substance use research. To describe the utility of the BKMR approach to study the effects of drug substance mixtures on health outcomes.

Racial and Ethnic Composition of Departments of Health Policy & Management and Health Education & Behavioral Sciences.

The diversity of racial/ethnic representation in the health services and policy research (HSPR) workforce plays a crucial role in addressing the health needs of underserved populations. We assessed changes (between 2012 and 2022) in the racial/ethnic composition of students and faculty from departments of Health Policy & Management (HPM) and Health Education & Behavioral Sciences (HEBS) among the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health member institutions. We analyzed annual data from over 40 institutions that reported student and faculty data in 2012 and 2022 within each department.

Love after lockup: examining the role of marriage, social status, and financial stress among formerly incarcerated individuals.

Background: Upon reintegration into society, formerly incarcerated individuals (FIIs) experience chronic financial stress due to prolonged unemployment, strained social relationships, and financial obligations. This study examined whether marriage and perceived social status can mitigate financial stress, which is deleterious to the well-being of FIIs. We also assessed whether sociodemographic factors influenced financial stress across marital status.

Enhanced family history-based algorithms increase the identification of individuals meeting criteria for genetic testing of hereditary cancer syndromes but would not reduce disparities on their own.

Objective: This study aimed to 1) investigate algorithm enhancements for identifying patients eligible for genetic testing of hereditary cancer syndromes using family history data from electronic health records (EHRs); and 2) assess their impact on relative differences across sex, race, ethnicity, and language preference.

Materials And Methods: The study used EHR data from a tertiary academic medical center. A baseline rule-base algorithm, relying on structured family history data (structured data; SD), was enhanced using a natural language processing (NLP) component and a relaxed criteria algorithm (partial match [PM]).

Pubertal progression in relation to peripubertal exposure to organochlorine chemicals in a cohort of Russian boys.

Background: Peripubertal concentrations of serum dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have demonstrated associations with altered age of pubertal onset and sexual maturity in boys, but associations with pubertal progression have received less attention.

Methods: The Russian Children's Study is a prospective cohort of 516 boys enrolled in 2003-2005 at age 8 or 9 and followed annually up to 19 years of age. Serum concentrations of dioxin-like toxic equivalents (TEQs), polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and non-dioxin-like PCBs (NDL-PCBs) and whole blood lead levels (BLLs) were quantified from blood samples collected at study entry (age 8-9).

Longitudinal association of prepubertal urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations with pubertal progression among a cohort of boys.

Background: Epidemiological studies have reported associations of anti-androgenic phthalate metabolite concentrations with later onset of male puberty, but few have assessed associations with progression.

Objectives: We examined the association of prepubertal urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations with trajectories of pubertal progression among Russian boys.

Methods: At enrollment (ages 8-9 years), medical history, dietary, and demographic information were collected.

Single-world intervention graphs for defining, identifying, and communicating estimands in clinical trials.

Confusion often arises when attempting to articulate target estimand(s) of a clinical trial in plain language. We aim to rectify this confusion by using a type of causal graph called the Single-World Intervention Graph (SWIG) to provide a visual representation of the estimand that can be effectively communicated to interdisciplinary stakeholders. These graphs not only display estimands, but also illustrate the assumptions under which a causal estimand is identifiable by presenting the graphical relationships between the treatment, intercurrent events, and clinical outcomes.

Investigation of interest in and timing preference for cancer predisposition testing and expanded carrier screening among women of reproductive age.

Objective: To examine cognitive, relational, and social predictors of interest in and timing preference for cancer predisposition testing (CPT) and expanded carrier screening (ECS) offered in routine gynecologic care for women of reproductive age.

Methods: Women between 20 and 35 years old who were currently pregnant or had a prior pregnancy ( = 351) completed an online survey. Bivariate and multivariable analyses were used to identify significant predictors of women's interest in and timing preference for CPT and ECS.

Racial and Ethnic Composition of Students, Graduates, and Faculty in Environmental Health Sciences, 2011 to 2021.

The lack of diversity among the environmental health sciences (EHS) workforce has been an ongoing concern. However, limited research exists on the racial and ethnic composition of EHS students and faculty over time. We analyzed 2011 and 2021 data on EHS students, graduates, and faculty to compare changes in the racial and ethnic composition among Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health-member institutions.

The impact of correlated exposures and missing data on multiple informant models used to identify critical exposure windows.

There has been heightened interest in identifying critical windows of exposure for adverse health outcomes; that is, time points during which exposures have the greatest impact on a person's health. Multiple informant models implemented using generalized estimating equations (MIM GEEs) have been applied to address this research question because they enable statistical comparisons of differences in associations across exposure windows. As interest rises in using MIMs, the feasibility and appropriateness of their application under settings of correlated exposures and partially missing exposure measurements requires further examination.