Vaccine Hesitancy among Immigrants: A Narrative Review of Challenges, Opportunities, and Lessons Learned.

(1) Background: Vaccination reluctance is a major worldwide public health concern as it poses threats of disease outbreaks and strains on healthcare systems. While some studies have examined vaccine uptake within specific countries, few provide an overview of the barriers and trends among migrant groups. To fill this knowledge gap, this narrative review analyzes immunization patterns and vaccine hesitancy among immigrant populations.

Predicting COVID-19 Vaccination Intentions to Inform Evidence-Based Messaging for Building Vaccine Confidence Among Rural Americans.

Purpose: Examine possible message topics to promote rural vaccination using psychosocial antecedents of vaccination.

Design: Cross-sectional survey administered by Research America, Inc.

Setting: West Virginia (WV).

Factors associated with transitions in tobacco product use states among young adults aged 18-29 years.

Background And Objectives: This study examined young adults' tobacco use transitions based on their past 30-day use states, and identified factors associated with their transitions.

Methods: Participants (N = 12377) were young adults aged 18-29 years at Wave 1 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study. Self-reported tobacco use states were categorized by the number of past-month use days (0, 1-4, 5-8, 9-12, 13-30 days) for cigarettes, electronic cigarettes [e-cigarettes], traditional cigars, filtered cigars, cigarillos, smokeless tobacco (SLT), and hookah.

Community-engaged research in vascular surgery: An approach to decrease amputation disparities and effect population-level change.

Community-engaged research (CEnR) is a powerful tool to create sustainable and effective change in health outcomes. CEnR engages community members as equal partners, amplifying their voices and priorities by including them throughout the research process. Such engagement increases the relevance and meaning of research, improves the translation of research findings into sustainable health policy and practice, and ultimately enhances mutual trust among academic, clinical, and community partners for ongoing research partnership.

Longitudinal transitions in adolescent polytobacco use across waves 1-4 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health study.

Aims: This study aims to identify adolescent patterns of polytobacco use and measure transitions between patterns over time.

Design: Longitudinal analysis using data derived from waves 1-4 (2013-18) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study. Transitions in tobacco use patterns were examined via latent transition analysis, and then, socio-demographic characteristics were used to predict transitions via logistic regression.

Telemedicine versus in-Person Primary Care: Impact on Visit Completion Rate in a Rural Appalachian Population.

Introduction: The use of telemedicine increased during the global Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Rural populations often struggle with adequate access to care while simultaneously experiencing multiple health disparities. Yet, telemedicine use during the COVID-19 pandemic has been understudied on its effect on visit completion in rural populations.

Perceptions and Expectations of School-Based Professionals Surrounding School-Based Mindfulness Training in Appalachia During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study.

Background: School-based professionals often report high burnout, particularly in geographic areas like Appalachia, where school-aged children are exposed to high levels of adverse childhood experiences, which may be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. While school-based mindfulness trainings can reduce burnout, their efficacy is influenced by the expectations of intervention personnel ahead of implementation. The present study assessed expectations and perceptions of a school-based mindfulness training among school personnel in 21 Appalachian schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Transitions in tobacco use profiles among adolescents: Results from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study waves 3 and 4.

Introduction: Despite increases in adolescents' polytobacco use, little work has utilized recent national data to examine transitions in polytobacco use over time or predictors of such transitions.

Methods: Data derived from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study. Participants used at least one tobacco product (cigarettes, electronic cigarettes [ECIGs], traditional cigars, cigarillos, filtered cigars, snus, smokeless tobacco [SLT], hookah) at Wave 3 (W3; 2015-2016) or 4 (W4; 2016-2018) and had Wave 1 (W1) data (N = 1072; M= 13.

Reimagining Rural: Shifting Paradigms About Health and Well-Being in the Rural United States.

Rural health disparities have attracted increased national attention, compelling an expanded focus on rural health research. In this article, we deconstruct the definitions and narratives of "rural" communities and suggest that a paradigm shift is needed that centers the complexity and strength of rural places. We discuss the relevance of health equity frameworks, implementation science, and community-engaged approaches to promote rural well-being.

Predicting Adolescent Electronic Cigarette Use: Differences by Never, Ever, and Current Users.

Objective: Rising rates of adolescent electronic cigarette (ECIG) use is concerning because it can lead to adverse health outcomes and increased risk behavior. There are known predictors of ever versus never ECIG use, but less are known about risk factors for ever versus current use of ECIGs. Problem behavior theory (PBT) was used to evaluate possible risk factors for different ECIG use status.

Timing of smoking cessation treatment integrated into outpatient treatment with medications for opioid use disorder: Feasibility trial.

Introduction: Cigarette smoking rates among individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) are notoriously high and may be improved by considering the timing of treatment integration for these two substances. The current study examined the feasibility of a method for assessing the timing of integrating smoking cessation pharmacotherapy within three different phases of outpatient treatment with medication for OUD (MOUD).

Methods: Seventy-four buprenorphine-maintained smokers were enrolled in a quasi-experimental study across three MOUD treatment phases: 0-90 (Phase 1), 91-365 (Phase 2), and > 365 days of MOUD treatment (Phase 3).

Usability testing of an electronic health application for patient activation on weight management.

Background: Obesity is a leading public health concern in the United States. One promising method for enhancing patient activation to engage in health promoting behaviors is with technology in the primary care setting. The primary purpose of this study was to test the usability of a patient activation tool, called mWRAPPED, for weight management during primary care wait times.

Personality and impulsivity as predictors of tobacco use among emerging adults: A latent class analysis.

The tobacco industry markets their products toward emerging adults (18-29), with the goal of increasing use among this age group. To inform prevention efforts, researchers are investigating how specific demographic and psychological traits may predict tobacco initiation and continuation. Participants were 578 incoming university freshmen from the Appalachian region.

Amplifying Expertise in Rural West Virginia through Project ECHO: Impactful Partnerships and Community-Engagement.

Background: Limited specialty care access is a major contributor to rural health disparities. Extensions for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) is an innovative training and education strategy to address the need for trained specialty care in rural areas, such as West Virginia (WV). This article describes the successful implementation of ECHO projects in diverse subject areas facilitated by unique partnerships between the WV Clinical and Translational Science Institute (WVCTSI) and its practice partners.

Geographic isolation predicts tobacco product use among youth: A latent class analysis.

Purpose: The purpose of the current study was to evaluate associations between geographic rurality and tobacco use patterns among adolescents.

Methods: High school students (N = 566) from north-central Appalachia reported on their lifetime and/or current use of cigarettes, electronic cigarettes (ECIGs), cigars, and smokeless tobacco. Geographic rurality was measured via the Isolation scale, whereby residential ZIP Codes determined the degree to which respondents have access to health-related resources.

Measurement of cigarette smoking: Comparisons of global self-report, returned cigarette filters, and ecological momentary assessment.

Prior work suggests that prospective measurement of cigarette use may be more reliable and valid than retrospective self-reports. Despite several studies comparing retrospective and prospective methods, there are a myriad of prospective methods that have not been directly compared, including spent cigarette filters that are returned to the laboratory by participants and diary logs of cigarette use on an electronic device via ecological momentary assessment. The current secondary data analysis compared the reliability of retrospective global self-report, returned cigarette filters, and electronic diary logs among a sample of cigarette smokers that also use smokeless tobacco (SLT; N = 51) over two consecutive weeks.

Incorporating oral bioaccessibility into human health risk assessment due to potentially toxic elements in extractive waste and contaminated soils from an abandoned mine site.

The waste rock, tailings and soil around an abandoned mine site in Gorno (northwest Italy) contain elevated concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTE) exceeding the permissible limits for residential uses. Specifically, the maximum concentrations of As, Cd, Pb, and Zn were 107 mg/kg, 340 mg/kg, 1064 mg/kg, and 148 433 mg/kg, respectively. A site-specific human health risk assessment (HHRA) was conducted for residential and recreational exposure scenarios, using an approach based on Risk Based Corrective Action (RBCA) method, refined by incorporating oral bioaccessibility data.

Cigarette smokers' concurrent use of smokeless tobacco: dual use patterns and nicotine exposure.

Background: The concurrent use of cigarettes with other tobacco products, such as smokeless tobacco (SLT), is increasingly common. Extant work with cigarette smokers who also use SLT is based heavily on retrospective reports and between-group comparisons. The purpose of this study was to assess prospectively the patterns of dual users' product use and nicotine exposure on days when cigarettes were smoked exclusively (single use) versus concurrently with SLT (dual use).

Piloting a clinical laboratory method to evaluate the influence of potential modified risk tobacco products on smokers' quit-related motivation, choice, and behavior.

Research methods are needed that can predict whether the availability of potential modified risk tobacco products (MRTPs) may influence smokers' quit-related motivation, choice, and behavior. This pilot study assessed the primary outcomes of feasibility and adherence to address this need using an electronic cigarette (ECIG) as a model MRTP. Cigarette smokers were randomly assigned to use only their own brand of cigarettes (OB-only) or a second-generation ECIG (18 ng/ml nicotine) plus their OB cigarettes (ECIG+OB) ad libitum for four weeks.

A Comparison of Rural and Academic Training Environments for Third-Year Medical Students on a Family Medicine Rotation.

Background And Objectives: Medical students have been training in rural environments for many years. However, there is sparse research demonstrating that training in a rural environment provides an equivalent learning experience to training in an academic medical setting. This study addresses that gap by comparing student performance after training in rural or community environment versus an academic setting while completing the family medicine clerkship.

A Latent Class Analysis of the Co-occurrence of Risk Behaviors among Adolescents.

In this study, we examined the co-occurrence of multiple health-risk behaviors to determine whether there are any differences in the pattern of co-occurrence by sex. We conducted latent class analysis using the national 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Survey data for the overall sample, and separately by sex (N = 13,583). Over half of the sample (53%) belonged to the low risk subgroup (Class 1).

Linking oral bioaccessibility and solid phase distribution of potentially toxic elements in extractive waste and soil from an abandoned mine site: Case study in Campello Monti, NW Italy.

Oral bioaccessibility and solid phase distribution of potentially toxic elements (PTE) from extractive waste streams were investigated to assess the potential human health risk posed by abandoned mines. The solid phase distribution along with micro-X-ray fluorescence (micro-XRF) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis were also performed. The results showed that the total concentrations of PTE were higher in <250 μm size fractions of waste rock and soil samples in comparison to the <2 mm size fractions.

Extractive waste management: A risk analysis approach.

Abandoned mine sites continue to present serious environmental hazards because the heavy metals associated with extractive waste are continuously released into the environment, where they threaten human life and the environment. Remediating and securing extractive waste are complex, lengthy and costly processes. Thus, in most European countries, a site is considered for intervention when it poses a risk to human health and the surrounding environment.