The Data and Research Center: Creating a Secure, Scalable, and Sustainable Ecosystem for Biomedical Research.

The Research Program's Data and Research Center (DRC) was established to help acquire, curate, and provide access to one of the world's largest and most diverse datasets for precision medicine research. Already, over 500,000 participants are enrolled in , 80% of whom are underrepresented in biomedical research, and data are being analyzed by a community of over 2,300 researchers. The DRC created this thriving data ecosystem by collaborating with engaged participants, innovative program partners, and empowered researchers.

Marked Disparities in COVID-19 Vaccination among US Children and Adolescents by Racial/Ethnic, Socioeconomic, Geographic, and Health Characteristics, United States, December 2021 - April 2022.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a substantial adverse impact on the health and well-being of populations in the United States (US) and globally. Although COVID-19 vaccine disparities among US adults aged ≥18 years are well documented, COVID-19 vaccination inequalities among US children are not well studied. Using the recent nationally representative data, we examine disparities in COVID-19 vaccination among US children aged 5-17 years by a wide range of social determinants and parental characteristics.

Perinatal Acetaminophen Exposure and Childhood Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Exploring the Role of Umbilical Cord Plasma Metabolites in Oxidative Stress Pathways.

Oxidative stress mechanisms may explain associations between perinatal acetaminophen exposure and childhood attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We investigated whether the changes in umbilical cord plasma amino acids needed to synthesize the antioxidant glutathione and in the oxidative stress biomarker 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine may explain the association between cord plasma acetaminophen and ADHD in the Boston Birth Cohort (BBC). Mother-child dyads were followed at the Boston Medical Center between 1998 and 2018.

Social Determinants of Health Associated with Mental Health Among U.S. Mothers with Children Aged 0-5 Years.

Maternal mental illness is a significant public health problem during the perinatal period and beyond. Little is known about how social determinants of health (SDOH) affect maternal mental health. We used cross-sectional data from the 2016 to 2017 National Survey of Children's Health with 19,127 mothers of a nationally representative sample of U.

Global Ranking of COVID-19-Related Mortality by Country using a Novel Pandemic Efficiency Index (PEI).

The world is currently witnessing a dramatic disruption of everyday life owing to the rapid progression of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. As the pandemic evolves, there is an urgent need to better understand its epidemiology, characterize its potential impact, and identify mitigatory strategies to avert pandemic-related mortality. There is a need for a tool or algorithm to evaluate the extent to which public health policy and/or economic preparedness measures are effectively averting COVID-19 related mortality.

Maternal and Child Health Bureau's Autism Research Program.

Objectives: To provide an overview and quantitatively demonstrate the reach of the Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau autism research program.

Methods: We reviewed program reports and internal data from 59 autism research grantees. The US federal Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee's strategic plan questions were used as a framework to highlight the contributions of the autism research program in advancing the field.

Current and Emerging Issues in Global Health: An Introduction to Special Journal Collection.

We are thrilled to present this special collection of articles entitled "." This special collection pursued three main goals. First, the collection presents an opportunity for innovation.

Association of Cord Plasma Biomarkers of In Utero Acetaminophen Exposure With Risk of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder in Childhood.

Importance: Prior studies have raised concern about maternal acetaminophen use during pregnancy and increased risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in their children; however, most studies have relied on maternal self-report.

Objective: To examine the prospective associations between cord plasma acetaminophen metabolites and physician-diagnosed ADHD, ASD, both ADHD and ASD, and developmental disabilities (DDs) in childhood.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This prospective cohort study analyzed 996 mother-infant dyads, a subset of the Boston Birth Cohort, who were enrolled at birth and followed up prospectively at the Boston Medical Center from October 1, 1998, to June 30, 2018.

Father's Health Status and Inequalities in Physical and Mental Health of U.S. Children: A Population-Based Study.

Father-and-child-health risk relationship is poorly studied and understood. We examine the impact of father's physical and mental health status and sociodemographic characteristics on the physical and mental outcomes of U.S.

Association Between Maternal Exposure to Lead, Maternal Folate Status, and Intergenerational Risk of Childhood Overweight and Obesity.

Importance: The first pediatric lead screening typically occurs at 1-year well-child care visits. However, data on the extent of maternal lead exposure and its long-term consequences for child health are lacking.

Objective: To investigate the associations between maternal red blood cell (RBC) lead levels and intergenerational risk of overweight or obesity (OWO) and whether adequate maternal folate status is associated with a reduction in OWO risk.

Prenatal Risk Factors and Perinatal and Postnatal Outcomes Associated With Maternal Opioid Exposure in an Urban, Low-Income, Multiethnic US Population.

Importance: The opioid epidemic increasingly affects pregnant women and developing fetuses, resulting in high rates of neonatal abstinence syndrome. However, longitudinal studies that prospectively observe newborns with neonatal abstinence syndrome or with maternal opioid use and examine their long-term physical and neurodevelopmental outcomes are lacking.

Objective: To examine prenatal risk factors associated with maternal opioid use during pregnancy and the short-term and long-term health consequences on their children.

Mentoring, Bullying, and Educational Outcomes Among US School-Aged Children 6-17 Years.

Background: Ensuring the optimum development of all children and their attainment of age-appropriate educational outcomes is of great interest to public health researchers and professionals. Bullying and mentoring have opposite effects on child development and educational attainment. Mentoring exerts protective effects on youths against risky behaviors; however, the protective effects of community-oriented natural or informal mentoring on educational outcomes and bullying are largely underexplored.

Geographic, Racial/Ethnic, and Sociodemographic Disparities in Parent-Reported Receipt of Family-Centered Care among US Children.

This study examined geographic, racial/ethnic, and sociodemographic disparities in parental reporting of receipt of family-centered care (FCC) and its components among US children aged 0-17 years. We used the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children's Health to estimate the prevalence and odds of not receiving FCC by covariates. Based on parent report, 33.

Exclusive Breastfeeding and Under-Five Mortality, 2006-2014: A Cross-National Analysis of 57 Low- and-Middle Income Countries.

Background: Few studies have examined the long-term, cross-national, and population-level impacts of exclusive breastfeeding on major global child health indicators. We investigated the overall and independent associations between exclusive breastfeeding and under-five mortality in 57 low- and-middle-income countries.

Methods: Data were obtained from the latest World Health Organization, United Nations, and United Nations Children's Fund databases for 57 low- and middle-income countries covering the periods 2006-2014.

Widening Geographical Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease Mortality in the United States, 1969-2011.

Objectives: This study examined trends in geographical disparities in cardiovascular-disease (CVD) mortality in the United States between 1969 and 2011.

Methods: National vital statistics data and the National Longitudinal Mortality Study were used to estimate regional, state, and county-level disparities in CVD mortality over time. Log-linear, weighted least squares, and Cox regression were used to analyze mortality trends and differentials.

Increasing Area Deprivation and Socioeconomic Inequalities in Heart Disease, Stroke, and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality Among Working Age Populations, United States, 1969-2011.

Objectives: We examined the extent to which area- and individual-level socioeconomic inequalities in cardiovascular-disease (CVD), heart disease, and stroke mortality among United States men and women aged 25-64 years changed between 1969 and 2011.

Methods: National vital statistics data and the National Longitudinal Mortality Study were used to estimate area- and individual-level socioeconomic gradients in mortality over time. Rate ratios and log-linear and Cox regression were used to model mortality trends and differentials.

Widening Socioeconomic and Racial Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease Mortality in the United States, 1969-2013.

Objectives: This study examined trends and socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in the United States between 1969 and 2013.

Methods: National vital statistics data and the National Longitudinal Mortality Study were used to estimate racial/ethnic and area- and individual-level socioeconomic disparities in CVD mortality over time. Rate ratios and log-linear regression were used to model mortality trends and differentials.

Overcoming Challenges in Conducting Clinical Trials in Minority Populations: Identifying and Testing What Works.

Participation in clinical trials is one of the greatest gifts that humanity can give to the fields of medicine and public health. Clinical trials are central in public health's mission to advance drug discovery. The enrollment and retention of participants, especially minority populations, is one of the most practical challenges of successfully implementing a clinical trial.

Global Inequalities in Youth Mortality, 2007-2012.

Objectives: There is limited cross-national research on youth mortality. We examined age-and gender-variations in all-cause mortality among youth aged 15-34 years across 52 countries.

Methods: Using the 2014 WHO mortality database, mortality rates for all countries were computed for the latest available year between 2007 and 2012.

Ebola Virus Disease Epidemic: What Can the World Learn and Not Learn from West Africa?

With over 4,500 deaths and counting, and new cases identified in two developed countries that are struggling and faltering in their handling of the epidemic, the 2014 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) epidemic is unlike any of its kind ever encountered. The ability of some poor, resource-limited, developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa to efficiently handle the epidemic within their shores provides some lessons learned for the global health community. Among others, the 2014 EVD epidemic teaches us that it is time to put the "P" back in public and population health around the world.

Global Health Donor Presence, Variations in HIV/AIDS Prevalence, and External Resources for Health in Developing Countries in Africa and Asia.

Objective: The presence of multiple global health aid organizations in donor recipient countries at any point in time has led to arguments for and against aid coordination and aid pluralism. Little data, however, exist to empirically demonstrate the relationship between donor presence and longitudinal disease outcomes in donor-recipient countries. We examined the association between global health donor presence and changes in HIV/AIDS prevalence in 14 developing countries: 12 in Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, Burkina Faso and Mali) and compared them with two developing countries in Asia (India and Vietnam).

Widening Socioeconomic, Racial, and Geographic Disparities in HIV/AIDS Mortality in the United States, 1987-2011.

This study examined the extent to which socioeconomic and racial and geographic disparities in HIV/AIDS mortality in the United States changed between 1987 and 2011. Census-based deprivation indices were linked to county-level mortality data from 1987 to 2009. Log-linear, least-squares, and Poisson regression were used to model mortality trends and differentials.

Global Inequalities in Cervical Cancer Incidence and Mortality are Linked to Deprivation, Low Socioeconomic Status, and Human Development.

Objectives: This study examined global inequalities in cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates as a function of cross-national variations in the Human Development Index (HDI), socioeconomic factors, Gender Inequality Index (GII), and healthcare expenditure.

Methods: Age-adjusted incidence and mortality rates were calculated for women in 184 countries using the 2008 GLOBOCAN database, and incidence and mortality trends were analyzed using the WHO cancer mortality database. Log-linear regression was used to model annual trends, while OLS and Poisson regression models were used to estimate the impact of socioeconomic and human development factors on incidence and mortality rates.