Parkinson's Disease and the Gut Microbiome in Rural California.

Background: Increasing evidence connects the gut microbiome to Parkinson's disease (PD) etiology, but little is known about microbial contributions to PD progression and its clinical features.

Objective: We aim to explore the association between the gut microbiome with PD, and the microbial association with PD-specific clinical features.

Methods: In a community-based case-control study of 96 PD patients and 74 controls, microbiome data were obtained from 16S rRNA gene sequencing of fecal samples, and analyzed for microbial diversity, taxa abundance, and predicted functional pathways that differed in PD patients and controls, and their association with PD-specific features (disease duration, motor subtypes, L-DOPA daily dose, and motor function).

Measuring Asian hate: Discordant reporting of race-based hate incidents and unfair treatment and association with measures of wellbeing.

Background: During COVID-19, anti-Asian discrimination increased in attention. Hate and unfair treatment are related but do not completely overlap. We expect those who report a hate incident would also report race-based unfair treatment, yet feelings of social desirability or self-blame may lead to under-reporting of unfair treatment.

Cigarette, electronic cigarette, and marijuana use among young adults under policy changes in California.

Introduction: Since 2016, California has implemented a series of policies, including prohibiting the sale of tobacco products and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) to persons under 21, cigarette tax increase, and recreational marijuana legalization. The study aims to examine the use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and marijuana among young adults (ages 18-25) and their associations with other factors in the context of these policy changes.

Methods: We used the data from the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) 2017-2018 to compare the rates of using cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and marijuana separately or any use of the three.

Lost on the frontline, and lost in the data: COVID-19 deaths among Filipinx healthcare workers in the United States.

Background: Filipinx Americans working in healthcare are at risk for COVID-19 death but lack consistent mortality data on healthcare worker deaths. The lack of disaggregated data for Asian subgroups proliferates anti-Asian structural racism as the needs of high-risk groups are systematically undetected to merit a proper public health response. We work around this aggregated data problem by examining how the overrepresentation of Filipinxs in healthcare contributes to COVID-19 mortality among Asian American populations.

Learning to love ourselves again: Organizing Filipinx/a/o scholar-activists as antiracist public health praxis.

A critical component for health equity lies in the inclusion of structurally excluded voices, such as Filipina/x/o Americans (FilAms). Because filam invisibility is normalized, denaturalizing these conditions requires reimagining power relations regarding whose experiences are documented, whose perspectives are legitimized, and whose strategies are supported. in this community case study, we describe our efforts to organize a multidisciplinary, multigenerational, community-driven collaboration for FilAm community wellness.

Reductions in NO and emergency room visits associated with California's goods movement policies: A quasi-experimental study.

Introduction: This study examines whether the "Emission Reduction Plan for Ports and Goods Movement" in California reduced air pollution exposures and emergency room visits among California Medicaid enrollees with asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Method: We created a retrospective cohort of 5608 Medicaid enrollees from ten counties in California with data from 2004 to 2010. We grouped the patients into two groups: those living within 500 m of goods movement corridors (ports and truck-permitted freeways), and control areas (away from the busy truck or car permitted highways).

Differential associations of homelessness with emergency department visits and hospitalizations by race, ethnicity, and gender.

Objective: To investigate the differential associations of homelessness with emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations by race, ethnicity, and gender.

Data Sources: California Medicaid enrollment and claims.

Study Design: We identified beneficiaries experiencing homelessness (BEH) and those who did not (NBEH) using diagnosis and place of service codes and residential addresses.

Cervical cancer prevention in Africa: A policy analysis.

Background: Cervical cancer is a major public health challenge in Africa. We analyzed the presence and content of policies for the primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of cervical cancer in Africa, to identify areas of opportunity for policy strengthening in the region most affected by cervical cancer globally.

Methods: We searched for publicly-available policy documents among countries in Africa.

A Systematic Literature Review of Health Center Efforts to Address Social Determinants of Health.

Health centers (HCs) play a crucial and integral role in addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) among vulnerable and underserved populations, yet data on SDOH assessment and subsequent actions is limited. We conducted a systematic review to understand the existing evidence of integration of SDOH into HC primary-care practices. Database searches yielded 3,516 studies, of which 41 articles met the inclusion criteria.

The Relative Contribution of Social Determinants of Health Among Health Resources and Services Administration-Funded Health Centers.

Frameworks for identifying and assessing social determinants of health (SDOH) are effective for developing long-term societal policies to promote health and well-being, but may be less applicable in clinical settings. The authors compared the relative contribution of a specific set of SDOH indicators with several measures of health status among patients served by health centers (HCs). The 2014 Health Center Patient Survey was used to identify a sample of HC patient adults 18 years and older that reported the HC as their usual source of care ( = 5024).

Preventing, but Not Caring for, Adolescent Pregnancies? Disparities in the Quality of Reproductive Health Care in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Purpose: There is concern that adolescents experience worse quality of health care than older women. We compare quality of reproductive health services (family planning and antenatal care) for adolescents (<20 years) versus adult women (≥25 years), in four sub-Saharan African countries.

Methods: In total, 2,342 family planning visits and 8,600 antenatal care visits were analyzed from Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Senegal, and Tanzania.

Intersection of complexity and high utilization among health center patients aged 18 to 64 years.

Objectives: Existing literature indicates that multimorbidity, mental health (MH) conditions, substance use disorders (SUDs), and social determinants of health are hallmarks of high-need, high-cost patients. Health Resources and Services Administration-funded health centers (HCs) provide care to nearly 30 million patients, but data on their patients' complexity and utilization patterns are limited. We identified subgroups of HC patients based on latent concepts of complexity and utilization.

How Has Access to Care for Medi-Cal Enrollees Fared Relative to Employer-Sponsored Insurance 4 Years After the Affordable Care Act Expansion?

Background: The number of Californians covered by Medi-Cal increased more than 50% between 2013 and 2018, largely due to expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This rapid expansion of Medicaid rolls prompted concerns that Medi-Cal enrollees would face greater difficulty accessing health care.

Objective: Examine whether gaps in access to care between Medi-Cal and employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) present in 2013 (prior to ACA implementation) had changed by 2018 (several years post implementation).

Life Satisfaction and Social and Emotional Support Among Asian American Older Adults.

Background: Little data exist on the well-being of older adults from Asian American (AA) communities.

Methods: Using data from the 2018 California Health Interview Survey, we examined 2 well-being metrics among AAs and AA subgroups (Korean, Filipino, Vietnamese, Chinese) 65 years and older.

Results: AA older adults reported lower life satisfaction and not having needed social and emotional support compared with all other race/ethnicities.

Trends in access to care among rural patients served at HRSA-funded health centers.

Purpose: Nearly one-fifth of Americans live in rural areas and experience multiple socioeconomic and health disparities. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-funded health centers (HCs) provide comprehensive primary care in rural communities. However, no prior research has examined trends in access to care in rural HC patients.

Measuring social capital of hospital management boards in European hospitals: A validation study on psychometric properties of a questionnaire for Chief Executive Officers.

Background: The commitment of hospital managers plays a key role in decisions regarding investments in quality improvement (QI) and the implementation of quality improvement systems (QIS). With regard to the concept of social capital, successful cooperation and coordination among hospital management board members is strongly influenced by commonly shared values and mutual trust. The purpose of this study is to investigate the reliability and validity of a survey scale designed to assess Social Capital within hospital management boards (SOCAPO-B) in European hospitals.

Overview of Ten Child Mental Health Clinical Outcome Measures: Testing of Psychometric Properties with Diverse Client Populations in the U.S.

While many standardized assessment measures exist to track child mental health treatment outcomes, the degree to which such tools have been adequately tested for reliability and validity across race, ethnicity, and class is uneven. This paper examines the corpus of published tests of psychometric properties for the ten standardized measures used in U.S.

The effect of data aggregation on estimations of nurse staffing and patient outcomes.

Objective: To examine how estimates of the association between nurse staffing and patient length of stay (LOS) change with data aggregation over varying time periods and settings, and statistical controls for unobserved heterogeneity.

Data Sources/study Setting: Longitudinal secondary data from October 2002 to September 2006 for 215 intensive care units and 438 general acute care units at 143 facilities in the Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system.

Research Design: This retrospective observational study used unit-level panel data to analyze the association between nurse staffing and LOS.

Housing Insecurity Among Latinxs.

Latinxs are vulnerable to experiencing housing insecurity and less likely to receive public benefits, such as health insurance, which can impact a household's economic resources. We inform homelessness prevention by examining the association of social risks and healthcare access with housing insecurity for Latinxs. Our sample consisted of 120,362 participants under the age of 65, of which 17.

The Other US Border: Health Insurance Coverage Among Latino Immigrants In Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico is a US territory and a popular destination for Latino immigrants in the Caribbean. Even with few language and cultural barriers, however, many Latino immigrants in Puerto Rico are uninsured. Using data from the 2014-19 Puerto Rico Community Survey, we examined inequities in health insurance coverage for non-Puerto Rican Latinos ages 18-64 living in Puerto Rico according to citizenship status and Latino subgroup (Dominican, Cuban, Mexican, and other Latino).

The Impact of COVID-19 on Diverse Older Adults and Health Equity in the United States.

Older adults are most at risk of negative COVID-19 outcomes and consequences. This study applies the World Health Organization's Health Inequity Causal Model to identify different factors that may be driving the higher observed hospitalizations and deaths among older adults of color compared to non-Latinx Whites in the United States. We used multiple data sets, including the US Census American Community Survey and PULSE COVID data, along with published reports, to understand the social context of older adults, including income distributions by race and ethnicity, household composition and potential COVID-19 exposure to older adults by working family members.

Effect of Training Pediatric Clinicians in Human Papillomavirus Communication Strategies on Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Rates: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Missed opportunities for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination during pediatric health care visits are common.

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of online communication training for clinicians on missed opportunities for HPV vaccination rates overall and at well-child care (WCC) visits and visits for acute or chronic illness (hereafter referred to as acute or chronic visits) and on adolescent HPV vaccination rates.

Design, Setting, And Participants: From December 26, 2018, to July 30, 2019, a longitudinal cluster randomized clinical trial allocated practices to communication training vs standard of care in staggered 6-month periods.