Preventable Emergency Department Utilization Among Patients With Foster Care History Compared to Patients Without Foster Care History.

Emergency department (ED) utilization for preventable reasons by patients with foster care history is unexplored. Medical records of ED encounters from primary care patients were pulled from a southwestern children's hospital system. Necessity of ED encounter was categorized using the New York University- ED Algorithm into emergent, intermediate, or non-emergent.

Exploring adolescent contraceptive counseling: A hypothetical daughter scenario.

Objectives: We aimed to describe contraceptive methods used by clinicians who counsel adolescents to create an aggregate perspective which could be shared with patients. We also explored which method clinicians would recommend to a hypothetical daughter to identify associations between clinicians who had used long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) and potential recommendations.

Methods: An online survey was sent to pediatric and adolescent gynecology academic societies and fellowship/division directors to share with their clinicians.

Toward Tailored and Targeted Communication for the Promotion of Firearm Safety: A Qualitative Study With Firearm Retailers.

Firearm injury is a major yet understudied public health issue in the U.S. This qualitative study explored firearm retailers' perspectives to inform messaging and communication approaches to promote firearm safety among the gun owning population.

More to Offer Than Direct Clinical Benefit: FDA's Vaccine Licensure Process Ignores Population Health and Social Determinants of Disease.

The current US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensure process underestimates the potential benefits of vaccines at both the individual and population levels by considering only direct clinical outcomes of vaccination. While all approved vaccines do protect the person who takes them from poor clinical outcomes for a specific infectious disease, many vaccines also have the potential to offer measurable, direct nonclinical benefits. For example, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccinations for school-aged children may prevent school absenteeism.

Characteristics of parents who think intrauterine devices or contraceptive implants are "best" for their daughter: An exploratory analysis in Dallas, Texas.

Objective: To explore characteristics of parents who prefer an intrauterine device (IUD) or implant compared to all other contraceptive methods.

Study Design: Parents with an adolescent daughter completed a cross-sectional survey. The outcome evaluated the parent's perceived "best" contraceptive method for their daughter using bivariate statistics and multivariable modeling.

Healthcare utilization among children with a history of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome: A matched cohort study.

Objectives: Compare longitudinal healthcare utilization patterns in children with and without a history of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS).

Study Design: A retrospective matched cohort study was conducted using billing data extracted from between 2003 and 2016 in North Texas hospitals. The sample included 595 pediatric patients diagnosed with NOWS (i.

Possible substance use disorders among first responders during the COVID-19 era: a quasi-experimental study of personal and residential vulnerability.

During the COVID-19 pandemic possible substance use disorders (SUD) were exacerbated from increased stress and isolation. Experiences of symptomology differ widely by occupations. The objectives were to determine if there is a temporal relationship between COVID-19 vulnerability and possible SUDs among first responders, and to examine the association with neighborhood vulnerability.

Restricting Tobacco Retail Outlets Around Middle and High Schools as a Way to Reduce Tobacco Marketing Disparities: A Simulation Study.

Introduction: Communities with more people of color and economically disadvantaged residents are disproportionately exposed to tobacco marketing from tobacco companies. This study examined if banning tobacco retail outlets (TROs) within 1000 ft of schools would reduce these marketing disparities through a greater reduction in the amount of tobacco advertising around schools in these communities.

Methods: Data from objectively audited advertisement data from 106 convenience stores and gas stations around 42 middle and high schools located in the four major metropolitan areas of Texas were linked with schools' enrollment data.

Trends and Correlates of Breakthrough Infections With SARS-CoV-2.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) delta variant has been hypothesized to decrease the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines. Factors associated with infections with SARS-CoV-2 after vaccination are unknown. In this observational cohort study, we examined two groups in Harris County, Texas: (1) individuals with positive Nucleic Acid Amplification test between 12/14/2020 and 9/30/2021 and (2) the subset of individuals fully vaccinated in the same time period.

Identifying violence against persons at a safety-net hospital: Evidence from the first 6 months of implementation.

Objective: To examine the prevalence and predictors of screening for violence against persons and victim service utilization within an integrated safety-net health system.

Study Setting: Emergency Department (ED) at Parkland Hospital-Dallas County's largest safety-net provider of services for minority and underinsured and uninsured patients.

Study Design: Prospective, longitudinal study during the first 6 months of a universal violence against persons screener.

Acceptability of a real-time notification of stress and access to self-help therapies among law enforcement officers.

Background: Law enforcement officers (LEOs) are exposed to chronic stress throughout the course of their shift, which increases the risk of adverse events. Although there have been studies targeting LEO safety through enhanced training or expanded equipment provisions, there has been little attempt to leverage personal technology in the field to provide real-time notification of LEO stress. This study tests the acceptability of implementing of a brief, smart watch intervention to alleviate stress among LEOs.

Importance of primary care for underserved cancer patients with multiple chronic conditions.

Purpose: To understand the impact of pre-existing conditions on healthcare utilization among under- and uninsured patients in the transition from cancer treatment to post-treatment survivorship.

Methods: Using electronic health record data, we constructed a cohort of patients seen in an integrated county health system between 1/1/2010 and 12/31/2016. Six hundred thirty-one adult patients diagnosed with non-metastatic breast or colorectal cancer during this period (cases) were matched 1:1 on sex and Charlson comorbidity index to non-cancer patients who had at least two chronic conditions and with at least one visit to the health system during the study period (controls).

The Chronic Health Effects of Work-Related Stressors Experienced by Police Communications Workers.

Background: Law enforcement communications (i.e., 911 dispatch and call takers) is a challenging and stressful occupation.

COVID-19 related employment change is associated with increased alcohol consumption during the pandemic.

: The COVID-19 pandemic has had sweeping impacts on income and employment. Previous research has indicated that loss of employment is associated with mental illness and increased alcohol consumption. However, no studies have explored this relationship in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

Benign, Borderline, and Malignant Pediatric Adnexal Masses: A 10-Year Review.

Study Objective: To investigate the incidence, clinical features, tumor markers, radiologic findings, types of surgeries, and histologies for adnexal masses in female pediatric and adolescent patients.

Design: Retrospective chart review.

Setting: Children's Health in Dallas and Plano, Texas from 2009 to 2018.

Healthcare Utilization Patterns Among Children With a History of Child Protective Services Investigations.

Purpose: Examine whether children with a prior child protective services (CPS) investigation had different healthcare utilization compared to children without a history of CPS investigations.

Methods: The Children's Health Assessment and Planning Survey assessed 6,492 primary caregivers of children ages 0-17 years residing in North Texas in 2015. Caregivers reported prior CPS investigations and child healthcare utilization (emergency department [ED] use, unmet medication needs, and unmet medical care needs).

A Simulation of the potential impact of restricting tobacco retail outlets around middle and high schools on tobacco advertisements.

Objective: To examine (1) if tobacco retail outlets (TROs) closer to middle and high schools have more tobacco advertisements than TROs farther away and (2) the potential impact of two place-based tobacco control strategies on tobacco advertisements: a simulated ban of TROs (1) within 1000ft of schools and (2) within 500 ft of other TROs.

Methods: TROs within half-mile of 53 middle and high schools in the four largest Metropolitan areas in Texas were audited for all tobacco marketing. ArcGIS was used for mapping and grouping TROs by distance from the schools and simulating the ban.

Longer time spent at home during COVID-19 pandemic is associated with binge drinking among US adults.

The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced and exacerbated stressors (., job loss, poor mental health) for adults across the United States (US) since the first statewide shelter-in-place order on March 19, 2020. Limited research has evaluated if, and how, pandemic-related stressors are associated with changes in alcohol consumption and binge drinking.

Trends in Family Violence Are Not Causally Associated with COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Orders: a Commentary on Piquero et al.

COVID-19 has caused a wave of research publications in academic and pre-print outlets which have resulted in several high-profile retractions. While the breadth of emerging research has been instrumental in understanding and curbing the global pandemic in near real-time, unfortunately manuscripts with major methodological challenges have fallen through the cracks. In this perspective, we illustrate this issue in light of a recent manuscript by Piquero et al.

Changes in intimate partner violence during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA.

The objective of this study is to describe intimate partner violence (IPV) severity and types of victimization during the early states of the COVID19 pandemic. A survey was distributed through social media and email distribution lists. The survey was open for 14 days in April 2020 and 2441 participated.