Moderating effects of socioeconomic status and geographical location on the Health4Life school-based intervention.

Objective: This study evaluated the moderating effects of socioeconomic status (SES) and geographical location on the efficacy of an eHealth school-based multiple health behaviour change intervention - Health4Life - in targeting alcohol and tobacco use, dietary intake, knowledge, behavioural intentions, and psychological distress over 24-months. Methods: Data from the Health4Life cluster-randomised controlled trial conducted from 2019 to 2021 in 71 Australian secondary schools were analysed (N=6639; baseline age 11-14yrs). Schools were from metropolitan (89%) and regional (11%) areas, and participants' SES was classified as low (15%), mid (37%), and high (48%) relative to the study population. Primary outcomes included alcohol and tobacco use, and a composite indicator of poor diet. Secondary outcomes were knowledge, behavioural intentions, and psychological distress. Latent growth models assessed moderating effects of SES and geographical location on between-group change over 24-months. Results: Geographical location moderated the intervention's effect on odds of reporting a poor diet (OR = 1.79, 95% CI = 1.32-2.43, p < 0.001) and diet-related behavioural intentions (OR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.56-0.89, p = 0.024) over time. Subset analyses indicated that intervention participants in regional areas had higher odds of reporting a poor diet (OR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.13-2.29, p = 0.008), while those in metropolitan areas had higher odds of improving diet-related behavioural intentions (OR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.01-1.27, p = 0.041), compared to the control group. No other significant moderation effects were observed. Conclusions: While significant disparities were generally not observed, the geographical differences in intervention effects on diet and diet-related intentions suggest that co-designed and tailored approaches may benefit disadvantaged adolescents to address the disproportionately high rates of lifestyle risk behaviours among these priority populations.

Evolving patterns of COVID-19 mortality in US counties: A longitudinal study of healthcare, socioeconomic, and vaccination associations.

The COVID-19 pandemic emphasized the need for pandemic preparedness strategies to mitigate its impacts, particularly in the United States, which experienced multiple waves with varying policies, population response, and vaccination effects. This study explores the relationships between county-level factors and COVID-19 mortality outcomes in the U.S. from 2020 to 2023, focusing on disparities in healthcare access, vaccination coverage, and socioeconomic characteristics. We conduct multi-variable rolling regression analyses to reveal associations between various factors and COVID-19 mortality outcomes, defined as Case Fatality Rate (CFR) and Overall Mortality to Hospitalization Rate (OMHR), at the U.S. county level. Each analysis examines the association between mortality outcomes and one of the three hierarchical levels of the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), along with other factors such as access to hospital beds, vaccination coverage, and demographic characteristics. Our results reveal persistent and dynamic correlations between various factors and COVID-19 mortality measures. Access to hospital beds and higher vaccination coverage showed persistent protective effects, while higher Social Vulnerability Index was associated with worse outcomes persistently. Socioeconomic status and vulnerable household characteristics within the SVI consistently associated with elevated mortality. Poverty, lower education, unemployment, housing cost burden, single-parent households, and disability population showed significant associations with Case Fatality Rates during different stages of the pandemic. Vulnerable age groups demonstrated varying associations with mortality measures, with worse outcomes predominantly during the Original strain. Rural-Urban Continuum Code exhibited predominantly positive associations with CFR and OMHR, while it starts with a positive OMHR association during the Original strain. This study reveals longitudinal persistent and dynamic factors associated with two mortality rate measures throughout the pandemic, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities. The findings emphasize the urgency of implementing targeted policies and interventions to address disparities in the fight against future pandemics and the pursuit of improved public health outcomes.

Refining the Universal, School-Based OurFutures Mental Health Program to Be Trauma Informed, Gender and Sexuality Diversity Affirmative, and Adherent to Proportionate Universalism: Mixed Methods Participatory Design Process.

BACKGROUND: Mental disorders are the leading cause of disease burden among youth. Effective prevention of mental disorders during adolescence is a critical public health strategy to reduce both individual and societal harms. Schools are an important setting for prevention; however, existing universal school-based mental health interventions have shown null, and occasionally iatrogenic, effects in preventing symptoms of common disorders, such as depression and anxiety. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to report the adaptation process of an established, universal, school-based prevention program for depression and anxiety, OurFutures Mental Health. Using a 4-stage process; triangulating quantitative, qualitative, and evidence syntheses; and centering the voices of young people, the revised program is trauma-informed; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, queer, questioning, and otherwise gender and sexuality diverse (LGBTQA+) affirmative; relevant to contemporary youth; and designed to tailor intervention dosage to those who need it most (proportionate universalism). METHODS: Program adaptation occurred from April 2022 to July 2023 and involved 4 stages. Stage 1 comprised mixed methods analysis of student evaluation data (n=762; mean age 13.5, SD 0.62 y), collected immediately after delivering the OurFutures Mental Health program in a previous trial. Stage 2 consisted of 3 focus groups with high school students (n=39); regular meetings with a purpose-built, 8-member LGBTQA+ youth advisory committee; and 2 individual semistructured, in-depth interviews with LGBTQA+ young people via Zoom (Zoom Video Communications) or WhatsApp (Meta) text message. Stage 3 involved a clinical psychologist providing an in-depth review of all program materials with the view of enhancing readability, improving utility, and normalizing emotions while retaining key cognitive behavioral therapy elements. Finally, stage 4 involved fortnightly consultations among researchers and clinicians on the intervention adaptation, drawing on the latest evidence from existing literature in school-based prevention interventions, trauma-informed practice, and adolescent mental health. RESULTS: Drawing on feedback from youth, clinical psychologists, and expert youth mental health researchers, sourced from stages 1 to 4, a series of adaptations were made to the storylines, characters, and delivery of therapeutic content contained in the weekly manualized program content, classroom activities, and weekly student and teacher lesson summaries. CONCLUSIONS: The updated OurFutures Mental Health program is a trauma-informed, LBGTQA+ affirmative program aligned with the principles of proportionate universalism. The program adaptation responds to recent mixed findings on universal school-based mental health prevention programs, which include null, small beneficial, and small iatrogenic effects. The efficacy of the refined OurFutures Mental Health program is currently being tested through a cluster randomized controlled trial with up to 1400 students in 14 schools across Australia. It is hoped that the refined program will advance the current stalemate in universal school-based prevention of common mental disorders and ultimately improve the mental health and well-being of young people in schools.

HIRA complex deposition of histone H3.3 is driven by histone tetramerization and histone-DNA binding.

The HIRA histone chaperone complex is comprised of four protein subunits: HIRA, UBN1, CABIN1, and transiently associated ASF1a. All four subunits have been demonstrated to play a role in the deposition of the histone variant H3.3 onto areas of actively transcribed euchromatin in cells. The mechanism by which these subunits function together to drive histone deposition has remained poorly understood. Here we present biochemical and biophysical data supporting a model whereby ASF1a delivers histone H3.3/H4 dimers to the HIRA complex, H3.3/H4 tetramerization drives the association of two HIRA/UBN1 complexes, and the affinity of the histones for DNA drives release of ASF1a and subsequent histone deposition. These findings have implications for understanding how other histone chaperone complexes may mediate histone deposition.

Accelerating implementation of adolescent digital health prevention programs: analysis of insights from Australian stakeholders.

Background: Chronic disease risk factors are increasing amongst adolescents, globally. Digital health prevention programs, which provide education and information to reduce chronic disease risk factors need to be equitable and accessible for all. For their success, multiple highly engaged stakeholders should be involved in development and implementation. This study aimed to evaluate stakeholders' support for, and perspectives on potential public health impact of digital health prevention programs for adolescents and potential pathways for future implementation. Methods: Qualitative semi-structured online interviews with stakeholders. Stakeholder mapping identified key individuals, groups and organizations across Australia that may influence the implementation of digital health prevention programs for adolescents. Recorded and transcribed interviews were analyzed within the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance (RE-AIM) Framework, using deductive content analysis. Findings: Nineteen interviews were conducted in 2023 with stakeholders from government, health, non-government organizations, youth services, education, community settings and others. Four overarching themes were identified: (i) existing digital health initiatives are not fit for purpose; (ii) the co-creation of digital health prevention programs is critical for successful implementation; (iii) digital health prevention programs must address equity and the unique challenges raised by technology and; (iv) system level factors must be addressed. Interpretation: Stakeholders broadly supported digital health prevention programs, yet raised unique insights to ensure that future programs create public health impact by improving chronic disease risk factors among adolescents. These insights can be applied in future development of digital health prevention programs for adolescents to strengthen widespread implementation.

Adolescents' trajectories of depression and anxiety symptoms prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic and their association with healthy sleep patterns.

The COVID-19 pandemic has seen a rise in anxiety and depression among adolescents. This study aimed to investigate the longitudinal associations between sleep and mental health among a large sample of Australian adolescents and examine whether healthy sleep patterns were protective of mental health in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We used three waves of longitudinal control group data from the Health4Life cluster-randomized trial (N = 2781, baseline Mage = 12.6, SD = 0.51; 47% boys and 1.4% 'prefer not to say'). Latent class growth analyses across the 2 years period identified four trajectories of depressive symptoms: low-stable (64.3%), average-increasing (19.2%), high-decreasing (7.1%), moderate-increasing (9.4%), and three anxiety symptom trajectories: low-stable (74.8%), average-increasing (11.6%), high-decreasing (13.6%). We compared the trajectories on sociodemographic and sleep characteristics. Adolescents in low-risk trajectories were more likely to be boys and to report shorter sleep latency and wake after sleep onset, longer sleep duration, less sleepiness, and earlier chronotype. Where mental health improved or worsened, sleep patterns changed in the same direction. The subgroups analyses uncovered two important findings: (1) the majority of adolescents in the sample maintained good mental health and sleep habits (low-stable trajectories), (2) adolescents with worsening mental health also reported worsening sleep patterns and vice versa in the improving mental health trajectories. These distinct patterns of sleep and mental health would not be seen using mean-centred statistical approaches.

Incorporating endogenous human behavior in models of COVID-19 transmission: A systematic scoping review.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic there was a plethora of dynamical forecasting models created, but their ability to effectively describe future trajectories of disease was mixed. A major challenge in evaluating future case trends was forecasting the behavior of individuals. When behavior was incorporated into models, it was primarily incorporated exogenously (e.g., fitting to cellphone mobility data). Fewer models incorporated behavior endogenously (e.g., dynamically changing a model parameter throughout the simulation). Methods: This review aimed to qualitatively characterize models that included an adaptive (endogenous) behavioral element in the context of COVID-19 transmission. We categorized studies into three approaches: 1) feedback loops, 2) game theory/utility theory, and 3) information/opinion spread. Findings: Of the 92 included studies, 72% employed a feedback loop, 27% used game/utility theory, and 9% used a model if information/opinion spread. Among all studies, 89% used a compartmental model alone or in combination with other model types. Similarly, 15% used a network model, 11% used an agent-based model, 7% used a system dynamics model, and 1% used a Markov chain model. Descriptors of behavior change included mask-wearing, social distancing, vaccination, and others. Sixty-eight percent of studies calibrated their model to observed data and 25% compared simulated forecasts to observed data. Forty-one percent of studies compared versions of their model with and without endogenous behavior. Models with endogenous behavior tended to show a smaller and delayed initial peak with subsequent periodic waves. Interpretation: While many COVID-19 models incorporated behavior exogenously, these approaches may fail to capture future adaptations in human behavior, resulting in under- or overestimates of disease burden. By incorporating behavior endogenously, the next generation of infectious disease models could more effectively predict outcomes so that decision makers can better prepare for and respond to epidemics. Funding: This study was funded in-part by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) MInD-Healthcare Program (1U01CK000536), the National Science Foundation (NSF) Modeling Dynamic Disease-Behavior Feedbacks for Improved Epidemic Prediction and Response grant (2229996), and the NSF PIPP Phase I: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Messaging and Modeling during Pandemics grant (2200256).

Training Law Enforcement Officers About Autism: Evaluation of Adding Virtual Reality or Simulation to a Traditional Training Approach.

Prevalence rates of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) across the globe and lifespan suggest that law enforcement officers (LEOs) are likely to interact with autistic people in their professional duties. In developed countries, LEOs have professional encounters with autistic individuals, and research strongly supports LEOs need training to increase their knowledge about autism and confidence interacting with autistic people. The purpose of the present study is to compare three training approaches with LEOs: (a) a training presentation alone (P), (b) a training presentation combined with virtual reality simulation (P + VR), and (c) a training presentation combined with in-vivo simulation (P + SIM). The primary outcomes are LEO knowledge of autism and self-reported confidence in responding to autism calls. The present study included 259 LEOS who completed a survey assessing autism knowledge and confidence in level of skill before and after participating in ASD-specific training for LEOs. Findings support that participant knowledge of autism and confidence in responding significantly increased for all LEOs equally across training conditions. Results support that formalized training in ASD significantly impacts LEO's knowledge of ASD and confidence responding to calls. As such, standardized training for LEOs is needed to assure appropriate knowledge and confidence when responding to calls involving autistic persons.

Challenges of COVID-19 Case Forecasting in the US, 2020-2021.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, forecasting COVID-19 trends to support planning and response was a priority for scientists and decision makers alike. In the United States, COVID-19 forecasting was coordinated by a large group of universities, companies, and government entities led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US COVID-19 Forecast Hub (https://covid19forecasthub.org). We evaluated approximately 9.7 million forecasts of weekly state-level COVID-19 cases for predictions 1-4 weeks into the future submitted by 24 teams from August 2020 to December 2021. We assessed coverage of central prediction intervals and weighted interval scores (WIS), adjusting for missing forecasts relative to a baseline forecast, and used a Gaussian generalized estimating equation (GEE) model to evaluate differences in skill across epidemic phases that were defined by the effective reproduction number. Overall, we found high variation in skill across individual models, with ensemble-based forecasts outperforming other approaches. Forecast skill relative to the baseline was generally higher for larger jurisdictions (e.g., states compared to counties). Over time, forecasts generally performed worst in periods of rapid changes in reported cases (either in increasing or decreasing epidemic phases) with 95% prediction interval coverage dropping below 50% during the growth phases of the winter 2020, Delta, and Omicron waves. Ideally, case forecasts could serve as a leading indicator of changes in transmission dynamics. However, while most COVID-19 case forecasts outperformed a naïve baseline model, even the most accurate case forecasts were unreliable in key phases. Further research could improve forecasts of leading indicators, like COVID-19 cases, by leveraging additional real-time data, addressing performance across phases, improving the characterization of forecast confidence, and ensuring that forecasts were coherent across spatial scales. In the meantime, it is critical for forecast users to appreciate current limitations and use a broad set of indicators to inform pandemic-related decision making.

The Health4Life e-health intervention for modifying lifestyle risk behaviours of adolescents: secondary outcomes of a cluster randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effectiveness of a school-based multiple health behaviour change e-health intervention for modifying risk factors for chronic disease (secondary outcomes). STUDY DESIGN: Cluster randomised controlled trial. SETTING, PARTICIPANTS: Students (at baseline [2019]: year 7, 11-14 years old) at 71 Australian public, independent, and Catholic schools. INTERVENTION: Health4Life: an e-health school-based multiple health behaviour change intervention for reducing increases in the six major behavioural risk factors for chronic disease: physical inactivity, poor diet, excessive recreational screen time, poor sleep, and use of alcohol and tobacco. It comprises six online video modules during health education class and a smartphone app. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Comparison of Health4Life and usual health education with respect to their impact on changes in twelve secondary outcomes related to the six behavioural risk factors, assessed in surveys at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and 12 and 24 months after the intervention: binge drinking, discretionary food consumption risk, inadequate fruit and vegetable intake, difficulty falling asleep, and light physical activity frequency (categorical); tobacco smoking frequency, alcohol drinking frequency, alcohol-related harm, daytime sleepiness, and time spent watching television and using electronic devices (continuous). RESULTS: A total of 6640 year 7 students completed the baseline survey (Health4Life: 3610; control: 3030); 6454 (97.2%) completed at least one follow-up survey, 5698 (85.8%) two or more follow-up surveys. Health4Life was not statistically more effective than usual school health education for influencing changes in any of the twelve outcomes over 24 months; for example: fruit intake inadequate: odds ratio [OR], 1.08 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.57-2.05); vegetable intake inadequate: OR, 0.97 (95% CI, 0.64-1.47); increased light physical activity: OR, 1.00 (95% CI, 0.72-1.38); tobacco use frequency: relative difference, 0.03 (95% CI, -0.58 to 0.64) days per 30 days; alcohol use frequency: relative difference, -0.34 (95% CI, -1.16 to 0.49) days per 30 days; device use time: relative difference, -0.07 (95% CI, -0.29 to 0.16) hours per day. CONCLUSIONS: Health4Life was not more effective than usual school year 7 health education for modifying adolescent risk factors for chronic disease. Future e-health multiple health behaviour change intervention research should examine the timing and length of the intervention, as well as increasing the number of engagement strategies (eg, goal setting) during the intervention. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12619000431123 (prospective).

Exploring the association between adolescent-perceived parental monitoring on dietary intake.

Parenting practices such as parental monitoring are known to positively impact dietary behaviours in offspring. However, links between adolescent-perceived parental monitoring and dietary outcomes have rarely been examined and never in an Australian context. This study investigated whether adolescent-perceived parental monitoring is associated with more fruit and vegetable, and less sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and junk food consumption in Australian adolescents. Cross-sectional data was collected as part of baseline measurement for a randomised controlled trial in 71 Australian schools in 2019. Self-reported fruit, vegetable, SSB and junk food intake, perceived parental monitoring and sociodemographic factors were assessed. Each dietary variable was converted to "not at risk/at risk" based on dietary guidelines, binary logistic regressions examined associations between dietary intake variables and perceived parental monitoring while controlling for gender and socio-economic status. The study was registered in ANZCTR clinical trials. The sample comprised 6053 adolescents (Mage = 12.7, SD = 0.5; 50.6% male-identifying). The mean parental monitoring score was 20.1/24 (SD = 4.76) for males and 21.9/24 (SD = 3.37) for females. Compared to adolescents who perceived lower levels of parental monitoring, adolescents reporting higher parental monitoring had higher odds of insufficient fruit (OR = 1.03; 95% CI = 1.02-1.05) and excessive SSB (OR = 1.07; 95% CI = 1.06-1.09) intake, but lower odds of excessive junk food (OR = 0.96; 95% CI = 0.95-0.98) and insufficient vegetable (OR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.96-0.99) intake. Adolescent dietary intake is associated with higher perceived parental monitoring; however, these associations for fruit and SSB differ to junk food and vegetable intake. This study may have implications for prevention interventions for parents, identifying how this modifiable parenting factor is related to adolescent diet has highlighted how complex the psychological and environmental factors contributing to dietary intake are.

The Planetary Child Health & Enterics Observatory (Plan-EO): A protocol for an interdisciplinary research initiative and web-based dashboard for mapping enteric infectious diseases and their risk factors and interventions in LMICs.

BACKGROUND: Diarrhea remains a leading cause of childhood illness throughout the world that is increasing due to climate change and is caused by various species of ecologically sensitive pathogens. The emerging Planetary Health movement emphasizes the interdependence of human health with natural systems, and much of its focus has been on infectious diseases and their interactions with environmental and human processes. Meanwhile, the era of big data has engendered a public appetite for interactive web-based dashboards for infectious diseases. However, enteric infectious diseases have been largely overlooked by these developments. METHODS: The Planetary Child Health & Enterics Observatory (Plan-EO) is a new initiative that builds on existing partnerships between epidemiologists, climatologists, bioinformaticians, and hydrologists as well as investigators in numerous low- and middle-income countries. Its objective is to provide the research and stakeholder community with an evidence base for the geographical targeting of enteropathogen-specific child health interventions such as novel vaccines. The initiative will produce, curate, and disseminate spatial data products relating to the distribution of enteric pathogens and their environmental and sociodemographic determinants. DISCUSSION: As climate change accelerates there is an urgent need for etiology-specific estimates of diarrheal disease burden at high spatiotemporal resolution. Plan-EO aims to address key challenges and knowledge gaps by making and disseminating rigorously obtained, generalizable disease burden estimates. Pre-processed environmental and EO-derived spatial data products will be housed, continually updated, and made publicly available for download to the research and stakeholder communities. These can then be used as inputs to identify and target priority populations living in transmission hotspots and for decision-making, scenario-planning, and disease burden projection. STUDY REGISTRATION: PROSPERO protocol #CRD42023384709.

A population level study on the determinants of COVID-19 vaccination rates at the U.S. county level.

Multiple COVID-19 vaccines were proven to be safe and effective in curbing severe illness, but despite vaccine availability, vaccination rates were relatively low in the United States (U.S.). To better understand factors associated with low COVID-19 vaccine uptake in the U.S., our study provides a comprehensive, data-driven population-level statistical analysis at the county level. We find that political affiliation, as determined by the proportion of votes received by the Republican candidate in the 2020 presidential election, has the strongest association with our response variable, the percent of the population that received no COVID-19 vaccine. The next strongest association was median household income, which has a negative association. The percentage of Black people and the average number of vehicles per household are positively associated with the percent unvaccinated. In contrast, COVID-19 infection rate, percentage of Latinx people, postsecondary education percentage, median age, and prior non-COVID-19 childhood vaccination coverage are negatively associated with percent unvaccinated. Unlike previous studies, we do not find significant relationships between cable TV news viewership or Twitter misinformation variables with COVID-19 vaccine uptake. These results shed light on some factors that may impact vaccination choice in the U.S. and can be used to target specific populations for educational outreach and vaccine campaign strategies in efforts to increase vaccination uptake.

Association between vaccination rates and COVID-19 health outcomes in the United States: a population-level statistical analysis.

BACKGROUND: Population-level vaccine efficacy is a critical component of understanding COVID-19 risk, informing public health policy, and mitigating disease impacts. Unlike individual-level clinical trials, population-level analysis characterizes how well vaccines worked in the face of real-world challenges like emerging variants, differing mobility patterns, and policy changes. METHODS: In this study, we analyze the association between time-dependent vaccination rates and COVID-19 health outcomes for 48 U.S. states. We primarily focus on case-hospitalization risk (CHR) as the outcome of interest, using it as a population-level proxy for disease burden on healthcare systems. Performing the analysis using Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) allowed us to incorporate real-world nonlinearities and control for critical dynamic (time-changing) and static (temporally constant) factors. Dynamic factors include testing rates, activity-related engagement levels in the population, underlying population immunity, and policy. Static factors incorporate comorbidities, social vulnerability, race, and state healthcare expenditures. We used SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance data to model the different COVID-19 variant-driven waves separately, and evaluate if there is a changing role of the potential drivers of health outcomes across waves. RESULTS: Our study revealed a strong and statistically significant negative association between vaccine uptake and COVID-19 CHR across each variant wave, with boosters providing additional protection during the Omicron wave. Higher underlying population immunity is shown to be associated with reduced COVID-19 CHR. Additionally, more stringent government policies are generally associated with decreased CHR. However, the impact of activity-related engagement levels on COVID-19 health outcomes varied across different waves. Regarding static variables, the social vulnerability index consistently exhibits positive associations with CHR, while Medicaid spending per person consistently shows a negative association. However, the impacts of other static factors vary in magnitude and significance across different waves. CONCLUSIONS: This study concludes that despite the emergence of new variants, vaccines remain highly correlated with reduced COVID-19 harm. Therefore, given the ongoing threat posed by COVID-19, vaccines remain a critical line of defense for protecting the public and reducing the burden on healthcare systems.

Vaping among young people-Our best defence is self-defence.

Use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes or 'vapes') has risen rapidly among young Australians in recent years. To combat this, on 2 May 2023, the Albanese Government announced a suite of reforms to reduce the desirability and accessibility of e-cigarettes to young people-including a ban on disposable e-cigarettes, restricting flavours, colours and nicotine content and requiring pharmaceutical-like packaging. While many have welcomed this announcement, the efficacy of such reforms in reducing the availability of e-cigarettes to young people remain to be seen, particularly given the current prescription-only model has done little to curb youth vaping. We argue that, in an uncertain landscape where e-cigarettes will likely remain accessible and desirable to young people, it is critical that we also upskill, empower and arm our young people with the skills, resilience, resources and knowledge to make informed and positive health decisions so that: (i) fewer young people opt to take up vaping (primary prevention); and (ii) among those who already do vape, more seek help earlier on to reduce or cease their use before dependency develops (secondary prevention). Schools are an ideal setting for the delivery of these programs, where they can be delivered en masse, integrated into existing alcohol and other drug programs and aligned with school curricula. Skills-based school prevention programs have demonstrated significant and sustained reductions in drug-related harms up to 7 years post-intervention. For as long as vapes remain widely available, desirable and purposefully marketed towards young people, we believe our best defence is self-defence.

Alcohol initiation before age 15 predicts earlier hazardous drinking: A survival analysis of a 7-year prospective longitudinal cohort of Australian adolescents.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Early alcohol use may predict later alcohol problems, but the magnitude of this effect and impact of delayed onset remain uncertain. This study measured age-based differences in progression from first full alcoholic drink to hazardous drinking in one of the largest and most recent prospective cohorts of Australian adolescents. DESIGN, SETTINGS, PARTICIPANTS AND MEASUREMENT: A 7-year (2012-19) prospective longitudinal cohort of 2082 Australian adolescents was established from the Climate and Preventure (cohort 1) and Climate Schools Combined (cohort 2) studies. Participants completed surveys annually from ages 13 to 20 years. Interval censored survival analyses were conducted with first episode of hazardous drinking [three or more on proxy Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C)] as the survival end-point, controlling for age, sex and mental health symptomatology. Onset of hazardous drinking was expressed as hazard ratios (HRs), and median survival time (years) was used to model first onset of hazardous alcohol use in survival curves. FINDINGS: Compared with those aged 15 or older, those who had their first full drink at 12 or younger had significantly elevated risk of hazardous drinking onset during the study period [log (HR): 9.3; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 7.0-12.0, P < 0.001]. Compared with those who had their first full drink at ages 13-14, those who delayed until 15 or older had significantly later onset of hazardous drinking; 1.63 years for males (95% CI = 1.31-1.92, P < 0.001) and 1.50 for females (95% CI = 1.15-1.81, P < 0.001), resulting in a median age of onset of hazardous drinking of > 19 for both sexes (male: 19.05 years, 95% CI = 18.74-19.38; female: 19.47 years, 95% CI = 19.19-19.75). First drink at ages 13-14 was associated with the earliest onset of hazardous drinking (males: 17.43 years; females: 17.98 years). CONCLUSIONS: In Australia, alcohol initiation prior to age 15 appears to be associated with an earlier onset of hazardous drinking than initiation after age 15.

The Planetary Child Health & Enterics Observatory (Plan-EO): a protocol for an interdisciplinary research initiative and web-based dashboard for mapping enteric infectious diseases and their risk factors and interventions in LMICs.

Background: Diarrhea remains a leading cause of childhood illness throughout the world that is increasing due to climate change and is caused by various species of ecologically sensitive pathogens. The emerging Planetary Health movement emphasizes the interdependence of human health with natural systems, and much of its focus has been on infectious diseases and their interactions with environmental and human processes. Meanwhile, the era of big data has engendered a public appetite for interactive web-based dashboards for infectious diseases. However, enteric infectious diseases have been largely overlooked by these developments. Methods: The Planetary Child Health and Enterics Observatory (Plan-EO) is a new initiative that builds on existing partnerships between epidemiologists, climatologists, bioinformaticians, and hydrologists as well as investigators in numerous low- and middle-income countries. Its objective is to provide the research and stakeholder community with an evidence base for the geographical targeting of enteropathogen-specific child health interventions such as novel vaccines. The initiative will produce, curate, and disseminate spatial data products relating to the distribution of enteric pathogens and their environmental and sociodemographic determinants. Discussion: As climate change accelerates there is an urgent need for etiology-specific estimates of diarrheal disease burden at high spatiotemporal resolution. Plan-EO aims to address key challenges and knowledge gaps by making rigorously obtained, generalizable disease burden estimates freely available and accessible to the research and stakeholder communities. Pre-processed environmental and EO-derived spatial data products will be housed, continually updated, and made publicly available to the research and stakeholder communities both within the webpage itself and for download. These inputs can then be used to identify and target priority populations living in transmission hotspots and for decision-making, scenario-planning, and disease burden projection. Study registration: PROSPERO protocol #CRD42023384709.

Potential Mediators of a School-Based Digital Intervention Targeting Six Lifestyle Risk Behaviours in a Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial of Australian Adolescents.

Lifestyle risk behaviours-physical inactivity, poor diet, poor sleep, recreational screen time, and alcohol and tobacco use-collectively known as the "Big 6" emerge during adolescence and significantly contribute to chronic disease development into adulthood. To address this issue, the Health4Life program targeted the Big 6 risk behaviours simultaneously via a co-designed eHealth school-based multiple health behaviour change (MHBC) intervention. This study used multiple causal mediation analysis to investigate some potential mediators of Health4Life's effects on the Big 6 primary outcomes from a cluster randomised controlled trial of Health4Life among Australian school children. Mediators of knowledge, behavioural intentions, self-efficacy, and self-control were assessed. The results revealed a complex pattern of mediation effects across different outcomes. Whilst there was a direct effect of the intervention on reducing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity risk, the impact on sleep duration appeared to occur indirectly through the hypothesised mediators. Conversely, for alcohol and tobacco use, both direct and indirect effects were observed in opposite directions cancelling out the total effect (competitive partial mediation). The intervention's effects on alcohol and tobacco use highlighted complexities, suggesting the involvement of additional undetected mediators. However, little evidence supported mediation for screen time and sugar-sweetened beverage intake risk. These findings emphasise the need for tailored approaches when addressing different risk behaviours and designing effective interventions to target multiple health risk behaviours. The trial was pre-registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12619000431123.