Association of individual and neighborhood socioeconomic status with outcomes of a smoking cessation intervention provided in the lung cancer screening setting.

Background: Lung cancer screening (LCS) offers a teachable moment for smoking cessation. This study assesses whether individual- or neighborhood-level SES is associated with tobacco abstinence and completion of a smoking cessation intervention in the LCS context.

Methods: Secondary analysis of a clinical trial (NCT03611881) that tested the effectiveness of smoking cessation treatment for smokers scheduled for LCS (N = 615) in eastern Massachusetts, USA from 2019 to 2024.

COVID-19 Concerns and Depression Among Older Adults: Does Race/Ethnic Status Moderate the Association?

This study examined the association between COVID-19 concerns and depression among adults in later life. We also examined whether race/ethnic status moderated this relationship. This study used data from the 2020 Using the 8-item CES-D scale, we defined probable depression as having three or more depressive symptoms.

Using Pod Based e-Cigarettes and Nicotine Pouches to Reduce Harm for Adults With Low Socioeconomic Status Who Smoke: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Introduction: Alternative Nicotine Delivery Systems (ANDS) such as e-cigarettes (EC) and oral nicotine pouches (ONP) may facilitate the substitution of smoking for those unwilling to quit. This pilot study assesses the harm-reduction potential of EC and ONP among smokers with low socioeconomic status (SES).

Aims And Methods: Adults who smoked daily in the past 6 months, had a household income < 250% federal poverty level and had no intention of quitting smoking in the next 30 days were randomized 2:2:1 to 8 weeks of 5% nicotine EC; 4 mg ONP or assessment-only control (CC).

Late-life food insecurity and cognition: exploring timing, duration, and mechanisms among older Mexican adults.

Background: Food insecurity (FI) remains a global public health problem. FI is more prevalent in low-and middle-income countries than high-income countries. FI is related with worse cognitive outcomes including cognitive function, cognitive decline, and cognitive impairment.

Education and cognitive function among older adults in Brazil and Mexico.

Unlabelled: Education is protective against cognitive impairment. We used nationally representative data from Mexico and Brazil to assess the association between education and cognitive function. The sample included adults ≥ 50 years from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI) and the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS).

Correlates of smoking during COVID-19 in the LGBTQI + cancer survivor population.

Purpose: Stressors brought on by the pandemic may have further encouraged lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex plus (LGBTQI +) cancer survivors to smoke. The purpose of this study is to examine factors associated with smoking among LGBTQI + cancer survivors during the pandemic.

Methods: We used a secondary data analysis of OUT: The National Cancer Survey.

Change in E-cigarette risk perception and smoking behavior of Black and Latinx individuals who smoke.

Introduction: Trends in knowledge and beliefs about e-cigarette (EC) harm have been changing. Our study examined whether change in risk perception of ECs predicts cigarettes smoked per week (CPW) among Black and Latinx individuals who smoke enrolled in an EC switching randomized clinical trial (RCT).

Methods: We analyzed data from one arm of a 6-week EC RCT of individuals who smoke attempting to switch to nicotine salt pod system ECs (n = 110; Black, n = 57; Latinx, n = 53).

COVID-19-Related Stressors and Clinical Mental Health Symptoms in a Northeast US Sample.

Unlabelled: Research has linked specific COVID-19-related stressors to the mental health burden, yet most previous studies have examined only a limited number of stressors and have paid little attention to their clinical significance. This study tested the hypothesis that individuals who reported greater COVID-19-related stressors would be more likely to have elevated levels of anxiety, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and serious psychological distress.

Methods: An online survey was administered to a convenience sample from 18 June to 19 July 2020, in US states that were most affected by COVID-19 infections and deaths at the time.

Adherence to COVID-19 Guidelines among Current, Former, and Never Smokers.

In this paper, we explore the adherence patterns to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 mitigation guidelines among current, former, and never smokers. We used an online cross-sectional survey of adults 18 years or older in 5 northeastern states of the US (N=1084). Unadjusted analyses revealed that current smokers reported lower adherence to the CDC guidelines than former smokers (27.

Associations between alcohol and cannabis use before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results of a community survey.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted individuals around the world, creating unprecedented challenges. Due to lockdowns and social distancing measures, many people have turned to contactless modes of obtaining alcohol and other substances (e.g.

Socioeconomic status across the life course and smoking cessation among older adult smokers in the U.S.

Introduction: Socioeconomic status (SES) at different stages of the life course impacts late-life health. However, whether SES across the life course impacts smoking cessation in late-life is not known.

Purpose: Assess how life course SES impacts smoking cessation among older smokers.

Medical Mistrust, Perceived Discrimination, and Race: a Longitudinal Analysis of Predictors of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in US Adults.

The current manuscript has two aims. First, we examined whether race and ethnicity, perceived discrimination, medical mistrust, and other demographic factors were predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and vaccine behavior. Second, we sought to assess whether medical mistrust and perceived discrimination mediate the relationship between race and ethnicity and vaccine behavior.

The Role of Financial Strain and Educational Attainment on Smoking Abstinence of African Americans and Whites Who Smoke.

Objective: To examine if reduced financial strain and higher educational attainment would confer less advantage for successful cessation among African Americans than for White individuals.

Design: A secondary data analysis of the Quit2Live study, a smoking cessation intervention for individuals who smoke.

Setting: Recruited participants from a metropolitan city in the Midwest.

Short- and Long-Term Cigarette and Tobacco Abstinence Among Daily and Nondaily Older Smokers.

Introduction: There is mixed evidence regarding whether older (vs. younger) smokers are more or less likely to quit smoking. We examined how age is associated with cigarette and all tobacco product abstinence and the potential moderating effects of smoking frequency.

The effect of race/ethnicity and adversities on smoking cessation among U.S. adult smokers.

Introduction: Black and Hispanic individuals in the US experience more socioeconomic adversities that are associated with disparities in tobacco use and cessation than White individuals. This study examined if racial/ethnic differences in smoking abstinence were mediated by socioeconomic (SES) adversities.

Methods: Data from 7,101 established smokers were identified in Wave 1 (2013-2014) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) and followed to Wave 4 (2016-2018).

Imputation Procedures for Cognitive Variables in the Mexican Health and Aging Study: Evaluating the Bias from Excluding Participants with Missing Data.

Non-response of cognitive data in cohort studies is a barrier to cognitive aging research. We describe the procedures for the imputation of non-responses for cognitive data in the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS). Data came from the 2001-2015 MHAS waves.

Effect of Demographic and Health Dynamics on Cognitive Status in Mexico between 2001 and 2015: Evidence from the Mexican Health and Aging Study.

Sources of health disparities such as educational attainment, cardiovascular risk factors, and access to health care affect cognitive impairment among older adults. To examine the extent to which these counteracting changes affect cognitive aging over time among Mexican older adults, we examine how sociodemographic factors, cardiovascular diseases, and their treatment relate to changes in cognitive function of Mexican adults aged 60 and older between 2001 and 2015. Self and proxy respondents were classified as dementia, cognitive impairment no dementia (CIND), and normal cognition.

Social Engagement and Cognitive Function of Older Adults in Mexico and the United States: How Universal Is the Interdependence in Couples?

Objectives: Increased social engagement in older adults has been linked to positive cognitive outcomes; however, it is unclear if the social engagement of husbands and wives influences their own cognition as well as each other's cognition. Moreover, it is unknown if any such patterns persist in different country contexts.

Methods: Data from the 2001 Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS) and the 2000 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) were combined, and comparable samples of married couples without cognitive impairment at baseline were drawn.

Malnutrition Risk among Older Mexican Adults in the Mexican Health and Aging Study.

Few studies assess the malnutrition risk of older Mexican adults because most studies do not assess nutritional status. This study proposes a modified version of the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) to assess the risk of malnutrition among older Mexicans adults in the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS). Data comes from the 2012, 2015, and 2018 waves of the MHAS, a nationally representative study of Mexicans aged 50 and older.

The Effect of Diabetes on the Cognitive Trajectory of Older Adults in Mexico and the United States.

Objectives: To study the impact of diabetes on the long-term cognitive trajectories of older adults in 2 countries with different socioeconomic and health settings, and to determine whether this relationship differs by cognitive domains. This study uses Mexico and the United States to confirm if patterns hold in both populations, as these countries have similar diabetes prevalence but different socioeconomic conditions and diabetes-related mortality.

Methods: Two nationally representative cohorts of adults aged 50 years or older are used: the Mexican Health and Aging Study for Mexico and the Health and Retirement Study for the United States, with sample sizes of 18,810 and 26,244 individuals, respectively, followed up for a period of 14 years.

High-Cost Hospitalizations Among Elderly Patients With Cancer.

Purpose: Health care costs are driven by a small proportion of patients, and it is important to identify their characteristics to effectively manage their health care needs. We examined characteristics associated with high-cost inpatient visits of elderly patients with cancer using a national sample.

Methods: We identified 574,367 inpatient visits of individuals age 65 years or older with a cancer diagnosis using the 2014 National Inpatient Sample data, an all-payer sample of inpatient stays in the United States.

Health Care Expenditures and Utilization Among Older Mexican Adults.

Examine differences in health care utilization and out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures among older Mexican adults in 2001 and 2012, and identify individual characteristics associated with utilization and expenditures in both years. Data from the 2001 and 2012 cross-sections of the Mexican Health and Aging Study were utilized. Outcomes included nights spent in the hospital, medical/outpatient procedures, and OOP expenditures with these services.

Disparities in Adolescent and Young Adult Sarcoma Survival: Analyses of the Texas Cancer Registry and the National SEER Data.

Purpose: Examine disparities in survival for adolescents and young adults (AYAs) diagnosed with bone and soft tissue sarcomas in Texas compared with national estimates.

Methods: AYAs with sarcomas diagnosed between 1995 and 2012 at ages 15-39 years were identified from the Texas Cancer Registry (TCR) and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. Patient demographic, treatment, and clinical characteristics were compared between TCR and SEER using chi-squared tests.

Modifiable health-related factors (smoking, physical activity and body mass index) and health care use and costs among adult cancer survivors.

Objective: To examine the associations between modifiable health-related factors, such as smoking, low physical activity and higher body mass index (BMI), and annual health care visits and expenditures among adult cancer survivors in the United States.

Methods: Using data from the 2010-2014 Medical Expenditures Panel Survey, we identified 4920 cancer survivors (aged 18-64 years) and a matched comparison group. Our outcomes were number of annual health care visits [i.