COVID-19 highlights the need to improve resilience and equity in managing small-scale fisheries.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the fragility of global and domestic seafood markets. We examined the main impacts and responses of the small-scale fisheries (SSF) sector, and found that mitigation and preparedness strategies should be prioritised to boost resilience in SSF. We provide five policy options and considerations: (1) improving access to insurance and financial services; (2) strengthening local and regional markets and supporting infrastructure; (3) recognising fisheries as an essential service; (4) integrating disaster risk management into fisheries management systems; and (5) investing in Indigenous and locally-led fisheries management.

Holding the Line - Mental Well-Being, Stressors, and Coping in Crisis Supporters.

Crisis supporters can experience numerous stressors in their role that can impact their own mental well-being. The area remains underexplored in research, particularly relating to substance use, and new trends in the role such as working remotely or the impact of providing chat-based support. This study identifies crisis support-related stressors, as well as levels of mental well-being and substance use, and factors associated with mental well-being.

Childhood traumatic experiences and vaping among Australian adolescents: A prospective investigation.

Introduction: Childhood traumatic experiences (CTE) have been identified as a robust risk factor for a range of substance use behaviours. However, little is known about their association with adolescent vaping. We explored prospective associations between CTEs and vaping among a sample of Australian adolescents.

Differences in COVID-19 Vaccination and Experiences among Patients with Hypertension in Colombia and Jamaica during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, hypertensive patients had increased infection and healthcare disruption in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with limited vaccine access. The objective of this report is to describe COVID-19 experiences and vaccination uptake among hypertensive patients in Colombia and Jamaica. A cross-sectional study of patients with hypertension was conducted in primary care clinics in both countries between 2021 and 2022.

Identifying Who Benefits the Most from a Community Health Worker-Led Multicomponent Intervention for Hypertension.

Background: Uncontrolled hypertension is a major public health challenge in low- and middle-income countries. The Hypertension Control Program in Argentina (HCPIA) showed that a community health worker-led multicomponent intervention was effective for blood pressure (BP) reduction in resource-limited settings, but whether the intervention was equally effective across participant subgroups is unknown.

Objective: To identify participants who benefit the most from the HCPIA BP control intervention.

Estimating the societal cost of heroin dependence in an Australian population engaged in treatment or harm reduction services.

Introduction: Heroin dependence is a public health concern in Australia. High mortality rates, increased risk of physical/mental health comorbidities and increased risk of social issues contribute to a high personal and societal cost. The aim of this paper is to understand the societal cost of heroin dependence in an Australian population.

Optimal Antihypertensive Systolic Blood Pressure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Systolic blood pressure (SBP) lowering reduces major cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality. However, the optimal target for SBP lowering remains controversial.

Methods: We included trials with random allocation to an SBP <130 mm Hg treatment target and CVD as the primary outcome.

Co-occurring experiences of traumatic events and substance use among young people.

Objective: Harmful substance use among young people is concerningly prevalent. Substance use disorder (SUD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) frequently co-occur in treatment settings and are well researched among adults but lacking among young community cohorts. The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence and relationship between substance use, SUD, trauma, and PTSD among a community sample of young people in Australia.

Role of Health Care Professionals in the Success of Blood Pressure Control Interventions in Patients With Hypertension: A Meta-Analysis.

Background: Globally, only 13.8% of patients with hypertension have their blood pressure (BP) controlled. Trials testing interventions to overcome barriers to BP control have produced mixed results.

Low Risk of Cardiac Complications During Long-Term Follow-Up of Opioid Dependence.

Objectives: To prospectively assess rates of QT prolongation, arrhythmia, syncope, and sudden cardiac death (SCD) in a cohort of people with heroin dependence.

Methods: To estimate rates of QT prolongation, arrhythmia, and syncope, a subcohort (n = 130) from the Australian Treatment Outcomes Study, a prospective longitudinal cohort study of 615 people with heroin dependence, underwent medical history, venepuncture, and ECG at the 18- to 20-year follow-up.To estimate rates of SCD, probabilistic matching for the entire cohort was undertaken with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare National Death Index.

Barriers and Facilitators to Improving Cardiovascular Health in Churches with Predominantly Black Congregations.

Objective: Black communities bear a disproportionate burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Barriers and facilitators for improving cardiovascular health (CVH) in churches with predominantly black congregations were explored through a qualitative needs assessment.

Methods: Four focus groups with church members (n=21), 1 with wellness coordinators (n=5), and 1 with primary care providers (n=4) and 7 individual interviews with church leaders were completed in New Orleans and Bogalusa, Louisiana.

Perceived Religious Influence on Health Is Associated with Beneficial Health Behaviors in Members of Predominantly Black Churches.

Background: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, and Black populations are disproportionately affected. Black populations also have high rates of religiosity, which may be an important health motivator, but mechanisms are unclear.

Objective: We examined the relationship between perceived religious influence on health and cardiovascular health behaviors, risk factors, and confidence participating in medical care in Black church congregants.

Engaging Predominantly Black Churches in an Intervention to Improve Cardiovascular Health and Reduce Racial Inequities.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality in the United States and disproportionately impacts Black adults. Effective implementation of interventions to improve cardiovascular health in the Black community is needed to reduce health inequities. The Church-Based Health Intervention to Eliminate Health Inequalities in Cardiovascular Health (CHERISH) study is implementing interventions recommended by the 2019 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guideline on the primary prevention of CVD in Black communities to improve cardiovascular health and reduce health disparities.

Five-Year Cumulative Cardiovascular Health and Clinical Events in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease: The CRIC Study.

Background: Higher cardiovascular health (CVH) score is associated with lower risks of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality in the general population. However, it is unclear whether cumulative CVH is associated with CVD, end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), and death in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Methods And Results: Among individuals from the prospective CRIC (Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort) Study, we used the percentage of the maximum possible CVH score attained from baseline to the year 5 visit to calculate cumulative CVH score.

The Health4Life e-health intervention for modifying lifestyle risk behaviours of adolescents: secondary outcomes of a cluster randomised controlled trial.

Objectives: To investigate the effectiveness of a school-based multiple health behaviour change e-health intervention for modifying risk factors for chronic disease (secondary outcomes).

Study Design: Cluster randomised controlled trial.

Setting, Participants: Students (at baseline [2019]: year 7, 11-14 years old) at 71 Australian public, independent, and Catholic schools.

Defining Meaningful Change in Antihypertensive Medication Adherence in Adults with Established Hypertension: Implications for Clinical Practice.

Uncontrolled hypertension and low antihypertensive medication adherence remain significant clinical challenges. There is a critical need to detect meaningful change in adherence in clinical settings. The authors determined that a ≥2-point change in the 4-item Krousel-Wood Medication Adherence Scale score represents meaningful change in antihypertensive medication adherence.

Differences in COVID-19 Vaccination and Experiences among Patients with Hypertension in Colombia and Jamaica during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: COVID-19 vaccination and shielding targeted hypertensive patients in low and middle income countries. We describe the COVID-19 experiences of hypertensive patients in Colombia and Jamaica and discuss factors associated with vaccine acceptance.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2021 and February 2022 in 4 randomly selected primary care clinics in Colombia and 10 primary care clinics in Jamaica.

Neighborhood-level social determinants of health and cardioprotective behaviors among church members in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Background: Favorable neighborhood-level social determinants of health (SDoH) are associated with lower cardiovascular disease risk. Less is known about their influence on cardioprotective behaviors. We evaluated the associations between neighborhood-level SDoH and cardioprotective behaviors among church members in Louisiana.

Circulating MicroRNA-19 and cardiovascular risk reduction in response to weight-loss diets.

Objective: MicroRNA-19 (miR-19) plays a critical role in cardiac development and cardiovascular disease (CVD). We examined whether change in circulating miR-19 was associated with change in CVD risk during weight loss.

Methods: This study included 509 participants with overweight or obesity from the 24-month weight-loss diet intervention study (the POUNDS Lost trial) and with available data on circulating miR-19a-3p and miR-19b-3p at baseline and 6 months.

Is post-traumatic stress disorder a risk factor for development of opioid use disorder among individuals with chronic non-cancer pain? A systematic review.

Introduction: There is emerging evidence that posttraumatic-stress disorder may have mediating effects in development of chronic-non-cancer-pain and opioid-use-disorder independently, but its impact on the development of opioid-use-disorder in people with chronic-non-cancer pain is still unclear.

Objectives: (i) Estimate the risk of opioid-use-disorder among individuals with chronic-non-cancer-pain and posttraumatic-stress disorder, relative to those with chronic-non-cancer-pain only, and (ii) identify potential correlates of opioid-use-disorder among people with chronic-non-cancer-pain and posttraumatic-stress disorder.

Methods: This systematic review was conducted as per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

Merging trait-based ecology and regime shift theory to anticipate community responses to warming.

Anthropogenic warming is altering species abundance, distribution, physiology, and more. How changes observed at the species level alter emergent community properties is an active and urgent area of research. Trait-based ecology and regime shift theory provide complementary ways to understand climate change impacts on communities, but these two bodies of work are only rarely integrated.

Adherence to Plant-Based Diets and Risk of CKD Progression and All-Cause Mortality: Findings From the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) Study.

Rationale & Objective: Studies have shown that generally healthy individuals who consume diets rich in plant foods have a lower risk of incident chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular disease. This study investigated the prospective associations of plant-based diets with the risk of CKD progression and all-cause mortality in individuals with CKD.

Study Design: Prospective cohort study.