Beyond Food Assistance: A Scoping Review Examining Associations of Nonfood Social Safety Net Programs in the United States With Food Insecurity and Nutrition Outcomes.

Objective: To conduct a scoping review to summarize the state of the evidence on associations between participation in nonfood social safety net programs (eg, income assistance, housing assistance) in the United States and food- and nutrition insecurity-related outcomes.

Background: Food and nutrition insecurity are persistent public health challenges in the United States that increase chronic disease risk and exacerbate health disparities. Several food assistance programs enhance food and nutrition security.

Menstrual cycle characteristics across the reproductive lifespan and cognitive function in midlife women.

Background: Menstrual cycle characteristics are potential indicators of hormonal exposures and may also signal cardiovascular disease risk factors, both of which are relevant to cognitive health. However, there is scarce epidemiological evidence on the association between cycle characteristics and cognitive function.

Objectives: We studied the associations of menstrual cycle characteristics at three stages of a woman's reproductive lifespan with cognitive function in midlife.

Multi-ancestry genome-wide association analyses: a comparison of meta- and mega-analyses in the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome (HAPO) study.

Background: There is increasing need for effective incorporation of high-dimensional genetics data from individuals with varied ancestry in genome-wide association (GWAS) analyses. Classically, multi-ancestry GWAS analyses are performed using statistical meta-analysis to combine results conducted within homogeneous ancestry groups. The emergence of cosmopolitan reference panels makes collective preprocessing of GWAS data possible, but impact on downstream GWAS results in a mega-analysis framework merits investigation.

Distribution of opioid analgesics by community racial/ethnic and socioeconomic profiles, 2011-2021.

Rapid declines in opioid analgesics dispensed in American communities since 2011 raise concerns about inadequate access to effective pain management among patients for whom opioid therapies are appropriate, especially for those living in racial/ethnic minority and socioeconomically deprived communities. Using 2011 to 2021 national data from the Automated Reports and Consolidated Ordering System and generalized linear models, this study examined quarterly per capita distribution of oxycodone, hydrocodone, and morphine (in oral morphine milligram equivalents [MMEs]) by communities' racial/ethnic and socioeconomic profiles. Communities (defined by 3-digit-zip codes areas) were classified as "majority White" (≥50% self-reported non-Hispanic White population) vs "majority non-White.

High-dimensional multiple imputation (HDMI) for partially observed confounders including natural language processing-derived auxiliary covariates.

Multiple imputation (MI) models can be improved with auxiliary covariates (AC), but their performance in high-dimensional data remains unclear. We aimed to develop and compare high-dimensional MI (HDMI) methods using structured and natural language processing (NLP)-derived AC in studies with partially observed confounders. We conducted a plasmode simulation with acute kidney injury as outcome and simulated 100 cohorts with a null treatment effect, incorporating creatinine labs, atrial fibrillation (AFib), and other investigator-derived confounders in the outcome generation.

The cost-effectiveness of vaccination against COVID-19 illness during the initial year of vaccination.

Background: Substantial investments by government programs and private health plans subsidized the costs of COVID-19 vaccine doses and vaccine administration. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of vaccination against COVID-19 illness during the initial year of COVID-19 vaccination (2021).

Methods: Using a simulation model, we projected outcomes for hypothetical cohorts of US adults aged 18 and older, stratified by age and risk status for complications, comparing vaccination and no vaccination in the context of recommended concomitant prevention strategies (e.

Physical behaviours during pregnancy may alter the association of maternal insulin sensitivity with neonatal adiposity: a prospective pre-birth cohort of mother-child pairs.

Background: Lower maternal insulin sensitivity during pregnancy is associated with greater fetal adiposity. Physical activity can improve insulin sensitivity, but it is not known if physical behaviours influence the known association of maternal insulin sensitivity with offspring adiposity. This study aimed to investigate the moderating impact of physical behaviours on this association.

Approaches to Incorporation of Preferences into Health Economic Models of Genomic Medicine: A Critical Interpretive Synthesis and Conceptual Framework.

Introduction: Genomic medicine has features that make it preference sensitive and amenable to model-based health economic evaluation. Preferences of patients, caregivers, and clinicians related to the uptake and delivery of genomic medicine technologies and services that are not captured in health state utility weights can affect the intervention's cost-effectiveness and budget impact. However, there is currently no established or agreed-on approach for integrating preference information into economic evaluations.

Outpatient surgical institutions in the rural United States: Trends from 2010 to 2020.

Background: The volume and proportion of surgeries occurring in outpatient settings has increased. However, the growth and distribution of outpatient surgical institutions, namely ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and hospital-based outpatient surgical departments (HOPDs), remains understudied in rural areas.

Methods: We used descriptive statistics and a multivariate logistic regression to assess the growth and distribution of ASCs and HOPDs in rural areas from 2010 to 2020, leveraging the Area Health Resources Files and American Community Survey.

Finding a constrained number of predictor phenotypes for multiple outcome prediction.

Background: Prognostic models help aid medical decision-making. Various prognostic models are available via websites such as MDCalc, but these models typically predict one outcome, for example, stroke risk. Each model requires individual predictors, for example, age, lab results and comorbidities.

Effectiveness of behavioural and psychological interventions for managing obesity in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis framed using minimal important difference estimates based on GRADE guidance to inform a clinical practice guideline.

Objective: Conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of behavioural and psychological interventions for managing paediatric obesity.

Methods: Eligible studies, published between 1985 and 2022, included 0 to 18 year olds with outcomes reported ≥3 months post-baseline, including patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), cardiometabolic and anthropometric outcomes, and adverse events (AEs). We pooled data using a random effects model and assessed certainty of evidence (CoE) related to minimally important difference estimates for outcomes using GRADE.

Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and epigenetic age acceleration in children.

Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution has been associated with epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) in adults, but its impact on children remains less understood. This study analyzed data from 457 children (mean age: 7.9 years) in the Project Viva cohort (2007-2010, eastern Massachusetts, USA).

Associations of maternal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance plasma concentrations during pregnancy with offspring polycystic ovary syndrome and related characteristics in project viva.

Background: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may impact ovarian folliculogenesis and steroidogenesis, but whether prenatal exposure may impact offspring reproductive health is unknown. This study examines the extent to which maternal PFAS plasma concentrations during pregnancy are associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and related characteristics in female offspring.

Methods: We studied 322 mother-daughter pairs in Project Viva, a Boston-area longitudinal pre-birth cohort enrolled 1999-2002.

Subtypes of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Are Differentially Associated With Newborn and Childhood Metabolic Outcomes.

Objective: Subtypes of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) based on insulin sensitivity and secretion have been described. We addressed the hypothesis that GDM subtypes are differentially associated with newborn and child anthropometric and glycemic outcomes.

Research Design And Methods: Newborn and child (age 11-14 years) outcomes were examined in 7,970 and 4,160 mother-offspring dyads, respectively, who participated in the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome Study (HAPO) and Follow-Up Study.

Genetic Test Utilization and Cost among Families of Children Evaluated for Genetic Conditions: An Analysis of USA Commercial Claims Data.

Introduction: Healthcare payers in the USA increasingly cover genetic testing, including exome sequencing (ES), for pediatric indications. Analysis of claims data enables understanding of utilization and costs in real-world settings. The objective of this study was to describe genetic test utilization, diagnostic outcomes, and costs for children who received ES as well as for those who received less comprehensive forms of genetic testing, along with their families.

Association of Medicaid Accountable Care Organizations and postpartum mental health care utilization.

Objective: To examine the association of Massachusetts Medicaid Accountable Care Organization (ACO) implementation with changes in mental health care utilization in the postpartum period.

Study Setting And Design: We examine care for people with a birth covered by Medicaid or private insurance. We used a difference-in-differences design to compare differences before and after Medicaid ACO implementation for those with Medicaid versus those with private insurance.

Adjusting for Selection Bias Due to Missing Eligibility Criteria in Emulated Target Trials.

Target trial emulation (TTE) is a popular framework for observational studies based on electronic health records (EHR). A key component of this framework is determining the patient population eligible for inclusion in both a target trial of interest and its observational emulation. Missingness in variables that define eligibility criteria, however, presents a major challenge towards determining the eligible population when emulating a target trial with an observational study.