Improving Health Equity and Outcomes for Children and Adolescents: The Role of School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs).

School-based health centers (SBHCs) provide a critical point of access to youth in low-resource communities. By providing a combination of primary care, reproductive health, mental health, vision, dental, and nutrition services, SBHCs improve the health, wellbeing, and academic achievement of the students they serve. SBHCs operate in collaboration with schools and community primary care providers to optimize the management of chronic health conditions and other health concerns that may result in suboptimal scholastic achievement and other quality of life measures. Conveniently located in or near school buildings and providing affordable, child- and adolescent-focused care, SBHCs reduce barriers to youth accessing high quality health care. SBHCs provide essential preventive care services such as comprehensive physical examinations and immunizations to students without a primary care provider, assist in the management of chronic health conditions such as asthma, and provide reproductive and sexual health services such as the provision of contraceptives, screening and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and management of pregnancy. Additionally, some SBHCs provide vision screenings, dental care, and nutrition counseling to students who may not otherwise access these services. SBHCs have been demonstrated to be a cost-effective model of health care delivery, reducing both health care and societal costs related to illness, disability, and lost productivity.

Race and ethnicity are inadequate predictors of ambulatory visit length and utilization of preventive services.

Health disparities can be experienced by any disadvantaged group who has limited access to healthcare or decreased quality of care. Quality of care can be measured by physician-patient communication measures such as length of visit, health outcomes, patient satisfaction, or by the services one receives such as screening or health education. This study aims to determine the relationship between length of physician-patient encounter, number of preventive services, ethnicity, and race. This study utilizes data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) from 2007 to 2016. Visits with a single diagnosis were selected. Visits with the five most frequent diagnoses were selected by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth or Tenth Revision (ICD-9/ICD-10) classification. The primary outcome is time spent with a physician in minutes and the number of preventive services provided represented by the Preventive Service Index (PSI). Of 255,916 visits, non-white individuals made up 16.2% (95% Confidence Interval 15.9-16.4) while Latinos represented 13.4% (95%CI 13.2-13.6) of individuals. Multivariate analysis revealed minimal differences in visit length in race and ethnic groups regardless of diagnosis. Greater PSI was associated with individuals less than 43 years old (Odds Ratio (OR) 2.0, 95% CI 1.8-2.3, p =< 0.0001), those who reside in metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.1-1.4, p = 0.006), non-white individuals (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.1-1.3, p = 0.004), and those with private insurance (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1-1.4, p =< 0.0001). Race and ethnicity do not predict length of time with a physician regardless of diagnosis. Age, race, location within a metropolitan area, and insurance are significant but minimal predictors of receiving preventive services in the rank-order leading five most frequent diagnoses. This large, population-based study highlights improvements in the distribution of healthcare services from previous studies.

Race and gender disparities in preventive health activity engagement of older adults in the southeastern United States.

A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine preventive-health-activity engagement in community-dwelling older adults participating in student-led health screenings in east Alabama. From 2017-2019, health professions students conducted health screenings at 23 community and independent living sites to assess medical and social needs of adults. Clients' responses to questions regarding vaccinations (flu/pneumonia/shingles), cancer screenings (colon/sex-specific), and other (dental/vision) screenings were aggregated to create a preventive health behavior (prevmed) score. Chi-square, t-tests, and regression analyses were conducted. Data from 464 adults ages 50-99 (72.9±10.1) years old were analyzed. The sample was 71.3% female, 63.1% Black/African American (BA), and 33.4% rural. Linear regression indicated BA race (p=0.001), currently unmarried (p=0.030), no primary care provider (p<0.001) or insurance (p=0.010), age <65 years (p=0.042) and assessment at a residential site (p=0.037) predicted lower prevmed scores. Social factors predict preventive health activity engagement in community-dwelling adults in east Alabama, indicating several opportunities to improve health outcomes.

The role of sociodemographic, psychosocial, and behavioral factors in the use of preventive healthcare services in children and adolescents: results of the KiGGS Wave 2 study.

BACKGROUND: In Germany, various preventive services are offered to children and adolescents. These include regular standardized examinations (so called U/J examinations) and several vaccinations. Although strongly recommended, most of them are not mandatory. Our aim is to identify factors associated with the use of U/J examinations and vaccination against diphtheria, hepatitis B, Hib, pertussis, polio, and tetanus. While previous research has focused on sociodemographic factors, we also include socioeconomic, behavioral, and psychosocial factors. METHODS: We analyzed cross-sectional data from 15,023 participants (aged 0-17 years) of the nationwide representative KiGGS Wave 2 Survey. Participation in U/J examinations was assessed using a questionnaire, filled out by participants and/or their parents. Information on vaccination status was drawn from the participants' vaccination booklets. To identify relevant determinants for the use of preventive examinations and vaccinations, unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models were employed with up to 16 different independent variables. RESULTS: Various independent variables showed an association with the use of preventive services. Higher socioeconomic status, absence of migration background, and lower household size were associated with significantly higher utilization of U examinations. Parents' marital status, area of residence, behavioral and psychosocial factors yielded insignificant results for most U/J examinations. Higher vaccination rates were found for children with no migration background, with residence in eastern Germany, lower household size, and with married parents. CONCLUSION: This study attempted to depict the influence of sociodemographic, psychosocial, and behavioral factors on the use of several preventive services. Our results indicate that predominantly sociodemographic variables influence the use of preventive services. Further efforts should be made to investigate the interplay of different determinants of healthcare use in children and adolescents.

Exploring Preventive Health Care Utilization Among Black/African American Men.

Black/African American (BAA) men have the lowest life expectancy among other major demographic groups in the United States, with BAA male mortality rates 40% higher than their White male counterparts. Despite known benefits of preventive health care utilization, BAA men are 43% more likely to use the emergency department for usual care. Many intersecting factors like medical mistrust and religion have been identified as common barriers BAA men face in health care utilization with few studies exploring factors that impact their current preventive health care utilization. In addition, BAA men's perceptions of health and ability to identify or seek help have always been disproportionately lower than other racial groups despite higher rates of preventable diseases. Using the tenets of the Andersen Healthcare Utilization Model, this cross-sectional study of 176 BAA men explores BAA men's current preventive health care practices while examining the intersection of predisposing, enabling, and need factors on BAA men's preventive health care utilization. While it is well known that higher income levels and higher education positively influence health care utilization, the intersection of religious affiliation and higher levels of medical mistrust was associated with BAA men's decreased engagement with health care as religion posed as a buffer to health care utilization. This study demonstrated that BAA men's perception of health differed by sexual orientation, educational status, and income. However, across all groups the participants' perspective of their health was not in alignment with their current health outcomes. Future studies should evaluate the impact of masculine norms as potential enabling factors on BAA men's preventive health care utilization.

Structural Sexism and Preventive Health Care Use in the United States.

Preventive health care use can reduce the risk of disease, disability, and death. Thus, it is critical to understand factors that shape preventive care use. A growing body of research identifies structural sexism as a driver of population health, but it remains unknown if structural sexism is linked to preventive care use and, if so, whether the relationship differs for women and men. Gender performance and gendered power and resource allocation perspectives lead to competing hypotheses regarding these questions. This study explores the relationship between structural sexism and preventive care in gender-stratified, multilevel models that combine data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System with state-level data (N = 425,454). We find that in states with more structural sexism, both men and women were less likely to seek preventive care. These findings support the gender performance hypothesis for men and the gendered power and resource allocation hypothesis for men and women.

Arizona Department of Health Prevention Services' Work to Advance Health Equity Starts With an Assessment of Its Own Organizational Culture.

OBJECTIVE: To identify skills, organizational practices, and infrastructure needed to address health equity. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We developed an anonymous online staff survey to assess how to address health equity and policy implications and develop a baseline for future initiatives. We distributed invitations to all Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) Division of Prevention Services (DPS) state- and non-state-designated employees in February 2021. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Employee self-reported perceptions of how agency, division, and programs address health inequities; information about (1) organizational and individual traits needed to support our ability to implement effective health equity-focused work and (2) processes to enable improved organizational and workforce capacities; and implications for strategic planning. RESULTS: Seventy-eight percent (N = 123) of eligible staff participated. Overall, we identified 21 of 28 organizational and 17 of 31 workforce capacities needing significant improvement. Organizational capacities were "Institutional commitment to address health inequities" (described using 6 elements), "Hiring to address health inequities" (2 elements), "Structure that supports true community partnerships" (3 elements), "Support staff to address health inequities" (4 elements), "Transparent and inclusive communication" (4 elements), "Community accessible data and planning" (1 element), and "Streamlined administrative process" (1 element). Workforce capacities were "Knowledge of public health framework" (4 elements), "Understand the social, environmental, and structural determinants of health" (1 element), "Community knowledge" (1 element), "Leadership" (4 elements), "Collaboration skills" (3 elements), "Community organizing" (3 elements), and "Problem-solving ability" (1 element). Using survey results, groups of staff identified change needed, specific actions, and training and communication to increase employee understanding. Proposed activities focused on data/evaluation, program planning/contracts, communications, personnel development, and community engagement. CONCLUSIONS: This survey allowed ADHS to establish a baseline of staff knowledge of the ADHS and DPS organizational commitment to address health inequities; results show us what areas to focus on to strengthen our capacity to achieve better outcomes; and improve health and wellness for all Arizonans.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pediatric Preventive Health Care Among North Carolina Children Enrolled in Medicaid.

BACKGROUND: Children enrolled in private insurance had reduced preventive health care during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, the impact of the pandemic on children enrolled in Medicaid has been minimally described. METHODS: We used an administrative claims database from North Carolina Medicaid to evaluate the rates of well-child visits and immunization administration for children ≤14 months of age, and used a quasi-Poisson regression model to estimate the rate ratio (RR) of each outcome during the pandemic period (3/15/2020 through 3/15/2021) compared with the pre-pandemic period (3/15/2019 through 3/14/2020). RESULTS: We included 83 442 children during the pre-pandemic period and 96 634 children during the pandemic period. During the pre-pandemic period, 405 295 well-child visits and 715 100 immunization administrations were billed; during the pandemic period, 287 285 well-child visits and 457 144 immunization administrations were billed. The rates of well-child visits (RR 0.64; 95% CI, 0.64-0.64) and vaccine administration (RR 0.55; 95% CI, 0.55-0.55) were lower during the pandemic compared with the pre-pandemic period. CONCLUSIONS: The rates of well-child visits and immunization administrations among North Carolina children enrolled in public insurance substantially decreased during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Women's Clinical Preventive Services: Closing the Gaps and Implementing in Practice.

Evidence-based clinical preventive services have the potential to reduce morbidity and mortality and optimize health. The Affordable Care Act mandates coverage without cost-sharing for several clinical preventive services. The Women's Preventive Services Initiative (WPSI) has worked to and continues to identify gaps in recommended preventive services for women. The WPSI Well-Woman Chart and the accompanying Clinical Summary Tables can be used at the point of care to ensure women are offered and receive all the preventive services recommended for their age and circumstance.

Preventive care recommendations to promote health equity.

BACKGROUND: Avoidable disparities in health outcomes persist in Canada despite substantial investments in a publicly funded health care system that includes preventive services. Our objective was to provide preventive care recommendations that promote health equity by prioritizing effective interventions for people experiencing disadvantages. METHODS: The guideline was developed by a primary care provider-patient panel, with input from a patient-partner panel with diverse lived experiences. After selecting priority topics, we searched for systematic reviews and recent randomized controlled trials of screening and other relevant studies of screening accuracy and management efficacy. We used the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach to develop recommendations and followed the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE II) reporting guidance. We managed competing interests using the Guideline International Network principles. The recommendations were externally reviewed by content experts and circulated for endorsement by national stakeholders. RECOMMENDATIONS: We developed 15 screening and other preventive care recommendations and 1 policy recommendation on improving access to primary care. We recommend prioritized outreach for colorectal cancer screening starting at age 45 years and for cardiovascular disease risk assessment, to help address inequities and promote health. Specific interventions that should be rolled out in ways that address inequities include human papillomavirus (HPV) self-testing, HIV self-testing and interferon-γ release assays for tuberculosis infection. Screening for depression, substance use, intimate partner violence and poverty should help connect people experiencing specific disadvantages with proven interventions. We recommend automatic connection to primary care for people experiencing disadvantages. INTERPRETATION: Proven preventive care interventions can address health inequities if people experiencing disadvantages are prioritized. Clinicians, health care organizations and governments should take evidence-based actions and track progress in promoting health equity across Canada.

Preventive Healthcare Screening Completion Among Midlife and Older Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face several barriers to healthcare, making them less likely to receive numerous routine preventive health screenings. Preventive healthcare is a critical aspect to maintaining health and wellness, particularly for people with complex health needs. This study examines individual- and state-level factors associated with mammogram and colonoscopy screenings in mid- and later-life foradults with IDD receiving state services. Multilevel logistic regression models analyzed data from the 2012-2013 and 2018-2019 waves of the National Core Indicators In-Person Survey (NCI-IPS). Results indicated that factors such as age, living situation, transportation access, and community involvement were associated with completion of both preventive screenings. Medicaid expansion was associated with a significantly greater likelihood of completing a colonoscopy screening only among younger persons in the sample (i.e., in their 50s). These findings may have implications for completion of preventive health screenings for adults with IDD.

The Use of Preventive Health Care in Asian Americans: The Cross-level Interactions between Individual and Neighborhood Factors in the United States.

The present study explored how individual- and neighborhood-level factors contribute to predicting the use of preventive health care in a sample of Asian Americans. The cross-level interaction between individual- and neighborhood-level factors was also examined. We found a significant interaction between individual-level health insurance coverage and neighborhood health care providers' availability. Those who were uninsured and living in areas with limited health care provider availability (bottom 20%) were the most disadvantaged. This study adds to the growing literature on the effect of neighborhood-level factors on health care as sources of disparities. For health care policy, identifying individuals without health insurance coverage and living in a neighborhood with limited health care providers should be a priority to diminish disparities in access to care.

Study protocol for the ROSE Scale-Up Study: Informing a decision about ROSE as universal postpartum depression prevention.

PURPOSE: To examine the effectiveness, cost-outcome, equity, scalability, and mechanisms of the Reach Out, Stay strong, Essentials for mothers of newborns (ROSE) postpartum depression prevention (PPD) program as universal versus selective or indicated prevention. BACKGROUND: The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) currently recommends PPD prevention for pregnant people at risk of PPD (i.e., selective/indicated prevention). However, universal prevention may be more scalable, equitable, and cost-beneficial. DESIGN: Effectiveness of ROSE for preventing PPD among people at risk is known. To assess ROSE as universal prevention, we need to determine the effectiveness of ROSE among all pregnant people, including those screening negative for PPD risk. We will enroll 2320 pregnant people, assess them with commonly available PPD risk prediction tools, randomize everyone to ROSE or enhanced care as usual, and assess ROSE as universal, selective, and indicated prevention in terms of: (1) effectiveness (PPD prevention and functioning), (2) cost-benefit, (3) equity (PPD cases prevented by universal prevention that would not be prevented under selective/indicated for minority vs. non-Hispanic white people), (4) quantitative and qualitative measures of scalability (from 98 agencies previously implementing ROSE), (5) ROSE mechanisms across risk levels. We will integrate results to outline pros and cons of the three prevention approaches (i.e., universal, selective, indicated). CONCLUSION: This will be the first trial to assess universal vs. selective/indicated PPD prevention. Trial design illustrates a novel, efficient way to make these comparisons. This trial, the largest PPD prevention trial to date, will examine scalability, an understudied area of implementation science.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on inequalities in preventive health screenings: Trends and implications for U.S. population health.

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted population well-being in the United States, exacerbating existing racial and socioeconomic inequalities in health and mortality. Importantly, as the pandemic disrupted the provision of vital preventive health screenings for cardiometabolic diseases and cancers, more research is needed to understand whether this disruption had an unequal impact across racialized and socioeconomic lines. We draw on the 2019 and 2021 National Health Interview Survey to explore whether the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to racialized and schooling inequalities in the reception of preventive screenings for cardiometabolic diseases and cancers. We find striking evidence that Asian Americans, and to a lesser extent Hispanic and Black Americans, reported decreased reception of many types of cardiometabolic and cancer screenings in 2021 relative to 2019. Moreover, we find that across schooling groups, those with a bachelor's degree or higher experienced the greatest decline in screening reception for most cardiometabolic diseases and cancers, and those with less than a high school degree experienced the greatest decline in screening reception for diabetes. Findings have important implications for health inequalities and U.S. population health in the coming decades. Research and health policy attention should be directed toward ensuring that preventive health care is a key priority for public health, particularly among socially marginalized groups who may be at increased risk of delayed diagnosis for screenable diseases.

National, State-Level, and County-Level Prevalence Estimates of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Self-Reporting a Lifetime Diagnosis of Depression - United States, 2020.

Depression is a major contributor to mortality, morbidity, disability, and economic costs in the United States (1). Examining the geographic distribution of depression at the state and county levels can help guide state- and local-level efforts to prevent, treat, and manage depression. CDC analyzed 2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data to estimate the national, state-level, and county-level prevalence of U.S. adults aged ≥18 years self-reporting a lifetime diagnosis of depression (referred to as depression). During 2020, the age-standardized prevalence of depression among adults was 18.5%. Among states, the age-standardized prevalence of depression ranged from 12.7% to 27.5% (median = 19.9%); most of the states with the highest prevalence were in the Appalachian* and southern Mississippi Valley† regions. Among 3,143 counties, the model-based age-standardized prevalence of depression ranged from 10.7% to 31.9% (median = 21.8%); most of the counties with the highest prevalence were in the Appalachian region, the southern Mississippi Valley region, and Missouri, Oklahoma, and Washington. These data can help decision-makers prioritize health planning and interventions in areas with the largest gaps or inequities, which could include implementation of evidence-based interventions and practices such as those recommended by The Guide to Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

High Deductible Health Plans and Use of Free Preventive Services Under the Affordable Care Act.

The Affordable Care Act aimed to increase use of preventive services by eliminating cost-sharing to consumers. However, patients may be unaware of this benefit or they may not seek preventive services if they anticipate that the cost of potential diagnostic or treatment services will be too high, both more likely among those in high deductible health plans. We used nationally representative private health insurance claims (100% sample of IBM® MarketScan®) for the United States from 2006 to 2018, restricting the data to enrollment and claims for non-elderly adults who were enrolled for the full plan year. The cross-sectional sample (185 million person-years) is used to describe trends in preventive service use and costs from 2008 through 2016. The cohort sample (9 million people) focuses on the elimination of cost-sharing for certain high-value preventive services in late 2010, requiring continuous enrollment across 2010 and 2011. We examine whether HDHP enrollment is associated with use of eligible preventive services using semi-parametric difference-in-differences to account for endogenous plan selection. Our preferred model implies that HDHP enrollment was associated with a reduction of the post-ACA change in any use of eligible preventive services by 0.2 percentage points or 12.5%. Cancer screenings were unaffected but HDHP enrollment was associated with smaller increases in wellness visits, immunizations, and screening for chronic conditions and sexually transmitted infections. We also find that the policy was ineffective at reducing out-of-pocket costs for the eligible preventive services, likely due to implementation issues.

A Scoping Review of Economic Evaluations to Inform the Reorientation of Preventive Health Services in Australia.

The Australian National Preventive Health Strategy 2021-2030 recommended the establishment of evidence-based frameworks to enable local public health services to identify strategies and interventions that deliver value for money. This study aimed to review the cost-effectiveness of preventive health strategies to inform the reorientation of local public health services towards preventive health interventions that are financially sustainable. Four electronic databases were searched for reviews published between 2005 and February 2022. Reviews that met the following criteria were included: population: human studies, any age or sex; concept 1: primary and/or secondary prevention interventions; concept 2: full economic evaluation; context: local public health services as the provider of concept 1. The search identified 472 articles; 26 were included. Focus health areas included mental health (n = 3 reviews), obesity (n = 1), type 2 diabetes (n = 3), dental caries (n = 2), public health (n = 4), chronic disease (n = 5), sexual health (n = 1), immunisation (n = 1), smoking cessation (n = 3), reducing alcohol (n = 1), and fractures (n = 2). Interventions that targeted obesity, type 2 diabetes, smoking cessation, and fractures were deemed cost-effective, however, more studies are needed, especially those that consider equity in priority populations.