Substance use and help seeking as coping behaviors among parents and unpaid caregivers of adults in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, caregiving responsibilities may have been associated with increased substance use. To characterize substance use to cope with stress and willingness to seek help among (i) parents, (ii) unpaid caregivers of adults, and (iii) parent-caregivers. Data were analyzed for 10,444 non-probabilistic internet-based survey respondents of the COVID-19 Outbreak Public Evaluation (COPE) initiative (5227 females, 5217 males).

Adolescents' Adverse Childhood Experiences, Poor Mental Health, and Substance Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Purpose: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) increase the risk for poor mental health (MH) and substance use. We describe relationships between adolescents' ACEs, substance use, and poor MH occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of data among U.

Sexually Transmitted Infection and HIV Testing and Diagnosis Among 15- to 44-Year-Old Patients With and Without Opioid Use Disorder.

Background: The association between illicit opioid use and prescription opioid misuse and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) has not been examined recently. Our study aimed to explore differences in STI/HIV care, and delivery of recommended testing and diagnoses among patients with and without opioid use disorder (OUD).

Methods: Using 2019 MarketScan commercial claims data, we identified 15- to 44-year-old male and female patients, to assess the percentages of STI/HIV diagnoses (using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification ) and screening (using Current Procedure Terminology codes) among patients with or without OUD diagnoses codes.

Using Transformer-Based Topic Modeling to Examine Discussions of Delta-8 Tetrahydrocannabinol: Content Analysis.

Background: Delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is a psychoactive cannabinoid found in small amounts naturally in the cannabis plant; it can also be synthetically produced in larger quantities from hemp-derived cannabidiol. Most states permit the sale of hemp and hemp-derived cannabidiol products; thus, hemp-derived delta-8 THC products have become widely available in many state hemp marketplaces, even where delta-9 THC, the most prominently occurring THC isomer in cannabis, is not currently legal. Health concerns related to the processing of delta-8 THC products and their psychoactive effects remain understudied.

Rationale for the Development of a Traumatic Brain Injury Case Definition for the Pilot National Concussion Surveillance System.

Background: Current methods of traumatic brain injury (TBI) morbidity surveillance in the United States have primarily relied on hospital-based data sets. However, these methods undercount TBIs as they do not include TBIs seen in outpatient settings and those that are untreated and undiagnosed. A 2014 National Academy of Science Engineering and Medicine report recommended that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) establish and manage a national surveillance system to better describe the burden of sports- and recreation-related TBI, including concussion, among youth.

Refinement of a Preliminary Case Definition for Use in Traumatic Brain Injury Surveillance.

Objective: Current methods used to measure incidence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) underestimate its true public health burden. The use of self-report surveys may be an approach to improve these estimates. An important step in public health surveillance is to define a public health problem using a case definition.

The Role of Level of Play in Concussions in High School Athletes.

Objectives: To examine level of play (LOP) as a risk factor for concussion severity and recovery-related outcomes among high school athletes, stratified by sex, and among boys, by sport (football, non-football male sports).

Design/setting: Secondary analysis of data collected through the High School Reporting Information Online surveillance system for academic years 2007-2008 through 2018-2019.

Participants: A total of 9916 concussions were reported between the academic years 2007-2008 and 2018-2019 from 9 sports (5189 from football; 2096 from non-football male sports; 2631 from female sports).

Randomized Evaluation of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention HEADS UP Concussion Education Materials for Youth Sport Coaches.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) HEADS UP youth sports coach materials are the most widely adopted form of concussion education for coaches across the United States-reaching millions of youth sports coaches over the last decade. These materials focus on concussion symptom identification, response, and management (e.g.

Parent-Child communication about concussion: what role can the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's HEADS UP concussion in youth sports handouts play?

Background: Concussion education for parents/guardians (hereafter referred to as parents) has the potential to play an important role in youth athlete concussion safety. The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) HEADS UP handout on parent-child communication about concussion.

Methods: YMCA branches from 15 associations from across the United States were randomized to CDC HEADS UP intervention condition or education as usual control condition using a cluster randomization strategy.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Overdose: Lessons From Overdose Data to Action.

Introduction: Adverse childhood experiences and overdose are linked in a cycle that affects individuals and communities across generations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Overdose Data to Action cooperative agreement supports a comprehensive public health approach to overdose prevention and response activities across the U.S.

The evolution of the overdose epidemic and CDC's research response: a commentary.

The United States drug overdose epidemic has reached an all-time high, with 2020 provisional mortality data indicating that over 90,000 lives were lost to drug overdose in the 12-months ending in December 2020. The overdose epidemic has evolved over time with respect to the substances involved in overdose deaths and also with respect to the geographic distribution and epidemiology of deaths involving specific substances. Thus, a nimble approach to addressing the epidemic and preventing future overdoses is needed.

Mental Health Among Parents of Children Aged <18 Years and Unpaid Caregivers of Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic - United States, December 2020 and February-⁠March 2021.

Early during the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly two thirds of unpaid caregivers of adults reported adverse mental or behavioral health symptoms, compared with approximately one third of noncaregivers (1). In addition, 27% of parents of children aged <18 years reported that their mental health had worsened during the pandemic (2). To examine mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic among U.

Differences in Head Impact Exposures Between Youth Tackle and Flag Football Games and Practices: Potential Implications for Prevention Strategies.

Background: Interventions designed to reduce the risk for head impacts and concussion in youth football have increased over the past decade; however, understanding of the role of regular game play on head impact exposure among youth tackle and flag football athletes is currently limited.

Purpose: To explore head impact exposure among youth tackle and flag football athletes (age range, 6-14 years) during both practices and games.

Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.

Costs of Nonfatal Traumatic Brain Injury in the United States, 2016.

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious public health problem in the United States. Each year, TBIs substantially contribute to health care costs, which vary by severity. This is important to consider given the variability in recovery time by severity.

Substance Use and Sports- or Physical Activity-Related Concussions Among High School Students.

History of concussion is associated with substance use. Data from the 2017 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey ( = 14,765) were used in this study to examine associations between sports- or physical activity-related concussions and current cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use among high school students, and whether other factors moderate those associations. In addition to having played on a sports team, potential moderators examined included persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, hours of sleep, and serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions.

Prevalence of Concussion-Related Policies and Practices Among Public School Districts in the United States, 2012 and 2016.

Background: Beginning in 2009, there was an increase in the number of states with laws addressing 3 different components of youth sports-related concussion prevention and management: concussion education, removal from play, and medical clearance requirements before allowing an athlete to return to play. Schools are an important setting to implement policies and practices related to concussions, as many youth participate in organized sports through school venues.

Objective: To examine whether the prevalence of concussion-related policies and practices adopted by school districts changed from 2012 to 2016.

Assessment of HEADS UP online training as an educational intervention for sports officials/athletic trainers.

Background: Sports- and recreation-related concussions are a common injury among children. Sports officials (SOs) and athletic trainers (ATs) are integral to setting the stage for safe play and managing concussions when they occur, and significant numbers of both groups have completed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's HEADS UP online concussion training course. However, the utility of the course for these audiences has not been assessed.

Characteristics of Concussion in Elementary School-Aged Children: Implications for Clinical Management.

Objective: To comprehensively characterize the clinical presentation and course of care for concussion among 5- to 11-year-old children, identifying preinjury and injury factors potentially influencing clinical outcomes.

Study Design: A single-institution retrospective cohort study using electronic health record data from children ages 5- to 11 years with a concussion from July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2015. Electronic health record data were abstracted for a 20% random sample of 292 patients.

Examination of sports and recreation-related concussion among youth ages 12-17: results from the 2018 survey.

: This paper sought to examine the frequency of self-reported sports- and recreation-related (SRR) concussion, as well as care-seeking behaviors and potential activity restrictions after concussions, in a sample of youth.: A sample of 845 youth ages 12-17 years responded to the web-based survey in 2018. The survey measured the frequency of self-reported lifetime SRR concussion, the setting of their most recent SRR concussion, whether a doctor or nurse evaluated them, and the types of activity restrictions they experienced.

An Examination of 4 Questions Assessing Self-reported Concussions Among High School Students Participating in Team Sports.

Objective: Current prevalence estimates of youth sports-related concussions are inconsistent because of variation in methodology and potentially unreported concussions.

Methods: In 2013, Connecticut, Ohio, and Utah each added different questions that assessed self-reported concussions to the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Two questions referenced recognition of a concussion by the student, 1 referenced identification by a doctor, and 1 referenced suspicion by a coach.

Effectiveness of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention HEADS UP coaches' online training as an educational intervention.

Background: Concussions are common among youth athletes. Responsibility for the recognition and management of concussion is often put on coaches. To equip coaches with appropriate knowledge and skills, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched the HEADS UP: Concussion in Youth Sports online training.