Three Underused Statistical Methods in Social Epidemiology: Multiple Informant Models, Fractional Regression, and Restricted Mean Survival Time.

We recommend three well-established yet underused statistical methods in social epidemiology: Multiple Informant Models (MIMs), Fractional Regression Model (FRM), and Restricted Mean Survival Time (RMST). MIMs improve how we identify critical windows of exposure over time. FRM addresses the inadequacies of ordinary least squares and logistic regression when dealing with fractional outcomes that are naturally proportions or rates, thereby accommodating data at the boundaries of the unit interval without requiring transformations.

The Continuing Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Diabetic Retinopathy Screenings.

Purpose: This retrospective observational study of health claims data seeks to quantify the prolonged impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on DR screening rates in central Massachusetts.

Methods: Retrospective claims data from the UMass Memorial Managed Care Network were collected for the years of 2018-2022. Comprehensive and DR screening exams were identified using CPT codes for patients with diabetes.

Risk factors associated with functional esophageal disorders (FED) versus gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Introduction: Despite the high prevalence of typical symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), approximately 30% of patients have functional esophageal disorders (FED) on ambulatory reflux monitoring, which may include reflux hypersensitivity (RH; defined as physiologic acid exposure but temporally correlated symptoms of reflux), or functional heartburn (FH; defined as physiologic acid exposure and negative symptom correlation). There are limited epidemiological data characterizing these conditions. We investigated demographic and socioeconomic factors as well as medical comorbidities which may predispose to FED versus pathologic GERD.

The measurement of racism in health inequities research.

There is limited literature on the measures and metrics used to examine racism in the health inequities literature. Health inequities research is continuously evolving, with the number of publications increasing over time. However, there is limited knowledge on the best measures and methods to examine the impact of different levels of racism (institutionalized, personally mediated, and internalized) on health inequities.