High Education, Low Returns: Financial Literacy Challenges for African Americans and Hispanics.

Background: Education is widely regarded as a key driver of financial literacy, yet racial and ethnic disparities persist. Even among highly educated individuals, African American and Hispanic populations may face challenges in financial literacy, likely due to structural racism and socioeconomic inequalities that diminish the benefits of education. This study examines the relationship between education and financial literacy among African American and Hispanic individuals compared to their White counterparts, focusing on how structural factors contribute to these disparities.

Substance Misuse Among Medical Students, Resident Physicians, and Fellow Physicians: A Review With Focus on the United States' Population.

Substance misuse among medical trainees is a serious ongoing concern. The goal of this review is to describe the contributing factors leading to substance misuse among medical trainees, the consequences for those with substance misuse issues, and explore potential interventions and policy changes to address the issue. There are demographic characteristics that contribute to a higher likelihood of substance misuse including race, sex, relationship status, and year of training.

Educated but on Social Security Disability Insurance: Minorities' Diminished Returns.

Background: Educational attainment is widely regarded as a key predictor of economic and social outcomes in later life, including the likelihood of receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). According to the Minorities' Diminished Returns (MDRs) theory, however, the benefits of education may be less pronounced for racial and ethnic minorities compared to non-Latino Whites. This study investigates whether the effects of education on the likelihood of receiving SSDI differ by race and ethnicity, focusing on Black and Latino Americans.

When Common Becomes Normal: Weaker Association Between Neighborhood Stress and Body Mass Index Among Black Adolescents Compared to White Adolescents.

Objective: This study explores the relationship between neighborhood stress and Body Mass Index (BMI) in adolescents, while also examining whether this association differs between Black and White adolescents.

Methods: Data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study were analyzed using linear regression models to examine the association between neighborhood stress (defined as a composite score based on three items measuring perceived safety and neighborhood fear) and BMI in adolescents, controlling for demographic and socioeconomic variables. We tested models both with and without interaction terms to assess whether race moderated the association.

Educated but Unhealthy? Examining Minorities' Diminished Returns.

Background: Educational attainment is known to improve self-rated health; however, research suggests that these benefits may be less pronounced for racial and ethnic minority groups. The Minorities' Diminished Returns (MDRs) theory posits that the protective effects of resources such as education are weaker for marginalized populations, such as Black and Latino individuals, compared to their White counterparts.

Objective: This study aims to investigate racial and ethnic disparities in the association between years of schooling and self-rated health among U.

Twice-Yearly Lenacapavir for HIV Prevention in Men and Gender-Diverse Persons.

Background: Twice-yearly subcutaneous lenacapavir has been shown to be efficacious for prevention of HIV infection in cisgender women. The efficacy of lenacapavir for preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in cisgender men, transgender women, transgender men, and gender-nonbinary persons is unclear.

Methods: In this phase 3, double-blind, randomized, active-controlled trial, we randomly assigned participants in a 2:1 ratio to receive subcutaneous lenacapavir every 26 weeks or daily oral emtricitabine-tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (F/TDF).

Donor Human Milk Fat Content Is Associated with Maternal Body Mass Index.

Donor human milk is increasingly being utilized for both preterm and term infants when mother's milk is unavailable. With the rising prevalence of maternal overweight and obesity, it is crucial to evaluate the relationship between maternal body mass index and the fat and energy content of donor human milk. To assess the impact of maternal body mass index on human milk fat content.

In-Person versus Virtual CEASE Smoking Cessation Interventions.

Background: Smoking cessation interventions are critical for underserved populations, particularly among low-income individuals who may benefit from tailored support. However, the effectiveness of different intervention formats remains unclear, particularly as virtual and hybrid models gain popularity.

Aims: This study compares the effectiveness of three smoking cessation intervention arms in a quasi-experimental design: Self-help group (Arm 1), In-person group (Arm 2), and Virtual/hybrid group (Arm 3).

Black-White Gap Across Levels of Educational Childhood Opportunities: Findings from the ABCD Study.

Objective: This study examines racial disparities in educational outcomes-including reading proficiency, grade point average (GPA), school discrimination, and school disciplinary actions-across regions with different levels of educational childhood opportunity index (COI). Our aim is to explore how these racial gaps between Black and White students vary in areas with differing educational opportunities. We hypothesize that higher COI is associated with smaller academic achievement gaps but may also correspond with greater racial bias in unfair school treatment.

Social Determinants of Successful Smoking Cessation: An Eight-Year Analysis of Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Data.

Background: Smoking cessation is a crucial public health goal due to its substantial impact on reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with tobacco use. However, significant disparities in smoking cessation success persist across socioeconomic groups in the United States.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine differences in smoking cessation rates among daily smokers based on race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES) using data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study, spanning waves 1 to 6 (eight years).

Smokers with Multiple Chronic Disease Are More Likely to Quit Cigarette.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the relationship between the presence of chronic medical conditions and cessation among U.S. adults who use combustible tobacco.

Quantitative Intersectionality Scoring System (QISS): Opportunities for Enhancing Predictive Modeling, Comparative Analysis, Health Needs Assessment, and Policy Evaluation.

Intersectionality has significantly enhanced our understanding of how overlapping social identities-such as race, ethnicity, gender, sex, class, and sexual orientation-interact to shape individual experiences. However, despite its theoretical importance, much of the existing literature has relied on qualitative approaches to define and study intersectionality, limiting its application in predictive modeling, comparative analysis, and policy development. This paper introduces the concept of Quantitative Intersectionality Scoring System (QISS), a novel approach that assigns numerical scores to intersecting identities, thereby enabling a more systematic and data-driven analysis of intersectional effects.

A Qualitative Assessment of South Africa's Central Chronic Medication Dispensing and Distribution Program for Differentiated Antiretroviral Therapy Delivery in Umlazi Township, South Africa: Client Perspectives after 12 Months of Participation.

South Africa's Central Chronic Medicine Dispensing and Distribution (CCMDD) program provides community-based medication delivery for clinically stable people with HIV (PWH) on antiretroviral therapy (ART). To evaluate CCMDD implementation, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 60 PWH enrolled in CCMDD for at least 12 months. In a directed content analysis based on the Practical, Robust Implementation and Sustainability Model (PRISM) implementation science framework, key themes were compared with qualitative data collected from PWH enrolling in CCMDD at an earlier time-point.

A Pilot Study of a Sibling-Based Online Intervention to Increase PrEP Uptake and Willingness Among Latino MSM.

This study explored the feasibility and acceptability of Entre Herman@s, a novel sibling-based intervention designed to engage siblings to increase PrEP utilization among Latino men who have sex with men (LMSM). Siblings were trained in rudimentary motivational interviewing skills to uncover, evoke, and strengthen their brother's motivation to use PrEP, using the constructs of the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills (IMB) model for health behavior change. This pilot demonstrated high feasibility, meeting recruitment, retention, and intervention completion targets.

Poland, Public Health, Chaplains, Clergy, Mindfulness and Prayer.

This issue commences with a bibliometric analysis of the top 100 most cited articles on religion. It then presents the first of a two-part series relating to research from Poland and progresses to examine the relevance of religion and spirituality to public health. Finally, this issue revisits the long-established and productive discipline of healthcare chaplaincy and various factors relating to parish clergy.

Oncogenic Alterations, Race, and Survival in US Veterans with Metastatic Prostate Cancer Undergoing Somatic Tumor Next Generation Sequencing.

Purpose: National guidelines recommend next generation sequencing (NGS) of tumors in patients diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa) to identify potential actionable alterations. We sought to describe the spectrum and frequency of alterations in PCa-related genes and pathways, as well as associations with self-identified race/ethnicity, and overall survival in US Veterans.

Patients And Methods: This retrospective cohort study included Non-Hispanic Black (NHB) and Non-Hispanic white (NHW) Veterans with mPCa who obtained NGS through the Veterans Affairs National Precision Oncology Program.

Underrepresentation of Black Men in Physician Assistant and Associate Training.

Importance: The underrepresentation of Black men in the health care workforce, particularly among physician assistants and associates (PAs), represents a missed opportunity to alleviate shortages of health care professionals and enhance workforce diversity. Increasing the number of Black men in the training pipeline could significantly benefit education, patient care, and overall health outcomes.

Objective: To analyze patterns from 2013 to 2021 among Black men applying to and matriculating into PA programs and compare these figures with the age-specific US population of Black men.

Split-Luciferase Reassembly Assay to Measure Endoplasmic Reticulum-Mitochondria Contacts in Live Cells.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-mitochondria contact sites play a critical role in cell health and homeostasis, such as the regulation of Ca and lipid homeostasis, mitochondrial dynamics, autophagosome and mitophagosome biogenesis, and apoptosis. Failure to maintain normal ER-mitochondrial coupling is implicated in many neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and hereditary spastic paraplegia. It is of considerable significance to explore how the dysregulation of ER-mitochondrial contacts could lead to cell death and whether repairing these contacts to the normal level could ameliorate neurodegenerative conditions.

Tobacco Susceptibility Explains Diminished Returns of Family Income on Black Adolescents' Tobacco Initiation.

Background: Minorities' Diminished Returns (MDRs) theory posits that socioeconomic resources have weaker protective effects on health and behavior for racial and ethnic minorities compared to Whites. This study examines whether tobacco susceptibility, defined as curiosity, intention, and openness to future tobacco use, mediates the diminished returns of family income on tobacco initiation among Black adolescents.

Methods: Data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study were analyzed.

Higher Neighborhood Crime Rates Don't Always Predict Early Initiation of Tobacco, Marijuana, and Alcohol.

Background: The initiation of substance use during adolescence is a significant public health concern with long-term implications. Structural and environmental factors, such as community-level crime statistics related to drug offenses, are often assumed to influence the likelihood of substance use among youth. However, the relationship between these environmental crime indicators and early substance use initiation in adolescents is not well understood.

Role of Impulsivity in Explaining Social Gradient in Youth Tobacco Use Initiation: Does Race Matter?

Background: Socioeconomic status (SES) is traditionally viewed as a protective factor against impulsivity and subsequent tobacco use in youth. The prevailing model suggests that higher SES is associated with lower impulsivity, which in turn reduces the likelihood of future tobacco use. However, this pathway may not hold uniformly across racial groups due to differences in impulsivity and the phenomenon of Minorities' Diminished Returns (MDRs), where the protective effects of SES, such as educational attainment, tend to be weaker or even reversed for Black youth compared to their White counterparts.