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2.
J Am Vet Med Assoc ; 261(12): 1810-1819, 2023 12 01.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37918112

OBJECTIVE: To understand veterinarian and cat owner perspectives on antimicrobial use in cats, reasons for prescribing cefovecin, and barriers to improving antimicrobial stewardship, including veterinarian and cat owner perspectives of giving oral medication to cats. SAMPLE: 21 New York veterinarians and 600 cat owners across the US. METHODS: Cat owners were surveyed about their preferences for and experiences in giving oral medications to cats and their experiences with antimicrobials specifically. Veterinarians were interviewed about antimicrobial use decisions in cats, benefits and drawbacks of cefovecin, and their perspectives on antimicrobial resistance. RESULTS: Many veterinarians reported feeling pressure to prescribe antimicrobials, while 41% of cat owners reported requesting antimicrobials. Although veterinarians are aware of the downsides of prescribing cefovecin, many prescribed cefovecin in situations where an antimicrobial was not needed or cefovecin may not have been the best choice. Veterinarians thought that 20% of cat owners could not give oral medications, but < 10% of cat owners had a cat that was impossible to medicate. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The disconnect between veterinarians' assessment of and cat owners' reported abilities in administering oral medication may contribute to cefovecin use. Demonstrating for cat owners how to give oral medication may help improve compliance and reduce the use of parenteral long-acting formulations. Structural and educational interventions are needed to address other contributors to inappropriate antimicrobial use. This research provides the specific considerations about barriers and motivations for cat owners and veterinarians that are required to guide strategic, tailored interventions for both audiences to advance stewardship.


Anti-Infective Agents , Cat Diseases , Veterinarians , Cats , Animals , Humans , Cephalosporins/therapeutic use , Surveys and Questionnaires , Cat Diseases/drug therapy , Cat Diseases/prevention & control
3.
J Am Vet Med Assoc ; 261(12): 1769-1780, 2023 12 01.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37918117

Antimicrobial stewardship encompasses all the individual and collective actions that medical professionals take to preserve the efficacy of antimicrobials. It is a one-health problem, affecting animals and humans. The current state of antimicrobial use in cats, particularly (1) the overuse and improper use of cefovecin, which belongs to the third-generation cephalosporin class that is critically important to human health, and (2) use of antimicrobials when they are not needed, poses unsustainable risks of antimicrobial resistance. This paper describes the principles of antimicrobial stewardship and stewardship challenges faced by feline veterinarians, including (1) poor adherence to or awareness of antimicrobial use guidelines, (2) lack of access to affordable diagnostic tests and antibiograms, (3) lack of access to materials and tools for clients that may facilitate more sustainable antimicrobial use and help cat owners understand resistance risks, (4) underestimating the ability of cat owners to administer oral antimicrobials, and (5) limited time and resources to support stewardship efforts. Based on research described in this paper; an original research article by Cazer et al, JAVMA, December 2023; and a Currents in One Health article by Cobo-Angel et al, AJVR, December 2023, several solutions are proposed to advance antimicrobial stewardship in feline medicine. Many of these proposals were expressly requested by veterinarians interviewed in Cazer et al, JAVMA, December 2023. Education and training of veterinarians and cat owners is an essential step toward sustainable antimicrobial use, but it must be complemented with innovations in diagnostic testing, antimicrobial drug development, structural changes, and technological supports.


Anti-Infective Agents , Antimicrobial Stewardship , Veterinarians , Animals , Cats , Humans , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use
4.
Front Nutr ; 10: 1222610, 2023.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37731401

Introduction: COVID-19 acutely shocked both socio-economic and food systems in 2020. We investigated the impact of COVID-19 on production and consumption of gardened produce, backyard poultry, wild game and fish, and foraged mushrooms, berries, and other plants in New York State, aiming to understand crisis influenced food choice and motivations, including food security. Methods: We conducted an online, cross-sectional survey in October-December 2020 with a convenience sample of participants (n = 505) with an interest in gardening, poultry rearing, foraging, hunting, and/or fishing from six counties in upstate New York. We recruited through the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and other relevant email and social media pages. Results: Across the wild and backyard food production strategies, 4.0-14.3% of respondents reported engaging for the first time and 39.6-45.7% reported increased production (a little or a lot more), and 31.6-42.7% of respondents' production was the same as the previous year. Consumption of foods produced was widespread, including fruit and vegetables (97.6% of producers also consumed), backyard eggs (92.7%), and foraged foods (93.8%). For meats, a majority consumed backyard poultry meat (51.2%), wild-caught fish (69.7%), and wild game they hunted (80.1%). The frequency of consumption of fruit and vegetables (average of 13.5 times/month) and eggs (16.4 times/month) was very high, while average consumption of poultry meat, foraged foods, fish, and wild game ranged from 3.1 to 5.8 times/month. The number of respondents who reported "have more control over food availability" as motivation to produce all wild and backyard foods increased from 2019 to 2020 (p < 0.05 - p < 0.001). There was also a significant relationship between experiences of COVID-19 related hardship (i.e., food insecurity, income loss) with gardening and poultry-rearing (p ≤ 0.05), but not with other production methods or with consumption of wild and backyard foods. Discussion: Our findings help to locate wild and backyard foods within COVID-19 impacted food environments, and describe food security as a particularly relevant motivation, among others, reported by respondents in 2020. Given this, New York State service providers can use these findings to tailor current future support for households exerting control over their own food environments with wild and backyard foods, allowing the state to be better prepared for future crises.

5.
PLoS One ; 18(6): e0286806, 2023.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37352255

AIMS: A warning on e-cigarette packaging is one way the U.S. government can inform the public of known harms of e-cigarette use. Currently, the only required warning on these products is: "WARNING: This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical." This exploratory study aims to inform potential future investigations and FDA decisions regarding alternative warnings that may generate fear in addition to being intentionally informational. METHOD: Data were obtained from responses by 16 online focus groups with adult (N = 47, age range = 18-64) and youth (N = 32, age range 14-16) participants with various smoking and vaping experiences. We showed each focus group a set of hypothetical e-cigarette warning labels to determine how they respond to currently existing public statements that communicate information on the toxicity of ingredients in e-cigarettes, potential health risks, addiction to nicotine, and the uncertainty of the science regarding health effects of using these products. The focus group interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Transcripts were subjected to a multiphase coding process to identify common response themes. Codes derived from the Extended Parallel Processing Model were then applied to understand impact of potentially fear-inducing language by warning category and age group. RESULTS: For adults, all warnings-except those about addiction-gave rise to spontaneous danger control (intended) responses, such as quit intentions. Warnings highlighting cognitive and uncertain effects may be particularly promising for adult consumers of tobacco products because both gengerated danger control and response efficacy without evidence of fear control. However, responses also suggest that warnings risk discouraging some adults who use combustible cigarettes from transitioning to e-cigarettes for harm reduction. For youth, while evidence of response efficacy and danger control emerged among youth exposed to messages in all warning categories but one-addiction-unproductive reactions indicative of fear control were also prevalent among youth respondent across most warning types. On average, youth were more skeptical than adults about the harms of using e-cigarettes. POLICY IMPLICATIONS: Implications of study findings for the development of future effective e-cigarette warning messages are explored.


Behavior, Addictive , Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems , Tobacco Products , Humans , Adolescent , Adult , Young Adult , Middle Aged , Nicotine , Focus Groups , Fear , Tobacco Products/adverse effects , Product Labeling
6.
Socioecol Pract Res ; : 1-13, 2023 May 04.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37358965

In the United States, most floodplain relocation (or buyout) programs focus on moving homeowners, then deal separately with what happens with the land afterward. These programs typically divide processes for relocation planning, engagement, funding, and implementation from those related to post-buyout land management and restoration. The structural and operational conditions that lead to this separation of roles and responsibilities miss out on opportunities to create more synergistic socio-ecological strategies that may produce healthier outcomes for both people and the environment. In other domains, research shows that healthy people and healthy environments can co-create each other through more virtuous cycles. In this perspective essay, we argue that we can better create such virtuous cycles in floodplain relocation programs by integrally considering social and ecological components. Such efforts can encourage more people to decide to relocate, thereby creating more contiguous places to restore. They can also empower more residents to help steward these sites, an action that in turn helps heal and strengthen flood-affected communities. These arguments, while particular to the United States, have resonance for floodplain management and land use planning worldwide.

7.
Ticks Tick Borne Dis ; 14(3): 102124, 2023 05.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36764054

In the United States, tick-borne diseases (TBDs) are a major public health concern and a source of significant morbidity. To reduce tick-borne disease incidence, understanding factors associated with increased risk in humans for tick bites is necessary. These risk factors can include TBD knowledge, attitudes about prevention and care, and associated practices of individuals and their communities, including paying for preventive services. Our study focused on Long Island, New York, a region with high endemicity of ticks and TBDs. The purpose of our study was to identify gaps in the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding TBDs in residents of this region to inform priorities for TBD interventions. To this end, we performed a knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) survey and collected 803 responses from Long Island residents. Our survey results demonstrated that Long Island residents had a low to moderate level of knowledge regarding ticks and TBDs. Still, residents expressed concern regarding TBDs, with increased levels of concern associated with increased likelihood of paying for tick control and for practicing tick bite prevention strategies. Individuals with pets were more likely to practice these tick bite prevention strategies. Residents with more frequent exposure to ticks, with a history of TBD in their household, and with higher general concern over ticks were also more likely to pay for tick control services. These findings highlight gaps in resident knowledge, differences in attitudes towards tick preventative behavior, and potential factors affecting motivation towards implementing tick control measures, which can inform future public health messaging regarding tick bite prevention.


Tick Bites , Tick-Borne Diseases , Ticks , Animals , Humans , United States , Tick Bites/prevention & control , New York , Tick Control , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Tick-Borne Diseases/epidemiology , Tick-Borne Diseases/prevention & control
8.
J Dairy Sci ; 106(1): 132-150, 2023 Jan.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36333136

Concerns about antibiotic resistant infections in the United States have called for reduction of antibiotic use in livestock, including dairy cattle. Although effective in curbing antibiotic use, universal organic dairy farming would be impractical and unattainable due to its high land and premium demands. The US Department of Agriculture's organic certification, which completely eliminates antibiotic use in milk production, also raises animal welfare concerns, as it could discourage the use of antibiotics even to treat indicated diseases. Therefore, a proposed alternative for US consumers is a label indicating the responsible antibiotic use (RAU) - not complete elimination - that would minimize antibiotics more than conventional (unlabeled) milk and maximize animal welfare more than organic milk. Our goal was to determine consumers' (1) self-reported preference and (2) willingness to pay for this hypothetical RAU label of milk relative to existing substitutes in organic and unlabeled fluid milk. We conducted (1) a nationally representative survey of US adults and (2) a randomized non-hypothetical experimental Becker-Degroot-Marschak auction with real money and real milk. Although almost half of the survey participants (48.5%) responded that they would buy a RAU-labeled milk, consumers in the experimental auction refused to pay a significant premium for the milk compared with unlabeled milk (mean willingness to pay (95% confidence interval) per half-gallon: $1.92 ($1.65-$2.19) for RAU-labeled milk versus $1.86 ($1.58-$2.13) for unlabeled milk). These results suggest that consumers' survey-identified preferences for RAU-labeled milk could reflect either social desirability bias or a genuine preference for which, however, consumers simply will not pay a significant premium. The study provides preliminary data for future exploration of marketability of the proposed RAU label in the United States and demonstrates the benefits of using complementary survey and experimental auction approaches to understand the potential market for a new dairy product.


Consumer Behavior , Milk , Cattle , Animals , United States , Anti-Bacterial Agents , Animal Welfare , Surveys and Questionnaires
9.
Curr Dev Nutr ; 5(12): nzab135, 2021 Dec.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34934898

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic profoundly affected food systems including food security. Understanding how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted food security is important to provide support and identify long-term impacts and needs. OBJECTIVE: The National Food Access and COVID research Team (NFACT) was formed to assess food security over different US study sites throughout the pandemic, using common instruments and measurements. This study presents results from 18 study sites across 15 states and nationally over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A validated survey instrument was developed and implemented in whole or part through an online survey of adults across the sites throughout the first year of the pandemic, representing 22 separate surveys. Sampling methods for each study site were convenience, representative, or high-risk targeted. Food security was measured using the USDA 6-item module. Food security prevalence was analyzed using ANOVA by sampling method to assess statistically significant differences. RESULTS: Respondents (n = 27,168) indicate higher prevalence of food insecurity (low or very low food security) since the COVID-19 pandemic, compared with before the pandemic. In nearly all study sites, there is a higher prevalence of food insecurity among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), households with children, and those with job disruptions. The findings demonstrate lingering food insecurity, with high prevalence over time in sites with repeat cross-sectional surveys. There are no statistically significant differences between convenience and representative surveys, but a statistically higher prevalence of food insecurity among high-risk compared with convenience surveys. CONCLUSIONS: This comprehensive study demonstrates a higher prevalence of food insecurity in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. These impacts were prevalent for certain demographic groups, and most pronounced for surveys targeting high-risk populations. Results especially document the continued high levels of food insecurity, as well as the variability in estimates due to the survey implementation method.

10.
Prev Vet Med ; 194: 105428, 2021 Sep.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34271474

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) limits the ability to prevent and treat infection, making AMR one of the foremost threats to human and animal health. Animal agriculture's large use of antibiotics in food animals is an important factor in AMR. As such, policies to reduce antibiotic use and combat AMR in animal agriculture in the United States (US) have been in place or are developed. One key to the success of these policies in the US is understanding how a major stakeholder - veterinarians treating dairy cattle - perceive the scale of antibiotic use, the threat of AMR and the utility of antibiotic use policies. We interviewed 9 dairy veterinarians in New York State and conducted an iterative thematic analysis of their responses, through which five themes were identified: 1. veterinarians' views of the frequency and reasons for antibiotic misuse, 2. their ideas on reducing antibiotic use, 3. perceptions of AMR within the dairy industry, 4. view of organic farming and how it relates to animal welfare, and 5. the impact of consumers' beliefs on the dairy industry. Participants viewed antibiotic overuse as largely due to farmers' concern for the welfare of their cattle and desire to treat ailments swiftly. Interviewees believed that it was possible to reduce antibiotic use through regulation, such as the Veterinary Feed Directive and improved herd management activities, such as better colostrum management, culture-based mastitis treatment, and improved housing conditions. They did not view the dairy industry as a significant contributor to AMR, particularly when compared to the human medical industry. Interviewees also offered their (unsolicited) opinion on organic dairy farming in the US and expressed frustration with the limited treatment options available in organic dairy farming and how this dynamic may potentially compromise animal welfare. Finally, they commented on the impact of consumers' beliefs on the dairy industry, expressing frustration with how misinformation about the dairy industry has led to consumer driven changes. As consumer beliefs have an impact on the dairy industry, this influence could be leveraged to further decrease antibiotic use. These findings can help guide future efforts in veterinarian-client communication and the development and implementation of effective policies in New York State. These results also highlight the need for more quantitative research on antibiotic use in the dairy industry, as without this data it will be difficult to ascertain the true impact of policy interventions.


Anti-Bacterial Agents , Veterinarians , Animals , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Attitude , Cattle , Dairying , Female , Humans , New York
11.
Commun Monogr ; 87(1): 47-69, 2020.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32494106

This paper tests how the certainty or hypotheticality conveyed through language can be harnessed to enhance the effectiveness of targeted messaging about health risks. We conducted two experiments with adult smokers (n = 317) and middle school youth (n = 321) from low-income communities in the context of pictorial cigarette warning labels. We manipulated hypotheticality of risk through verb modality: 1. non-modal (present tense, e.g., smoking causes cancer), and modal/hypothetical (2. may, 3. can, and 4. will). For adult smokers, definitive (present tense) wording led to greater health risk beliefs, compared to hypothetical wording, among adult males but not females. For youth, contrary to what might seem intuitive, the more hypothetical may verb modality was more effective than the present tense language in promoting health risk beliefs. Among youth, greater health risk beliefs were also associated with reduced susceptibility to use cigarettes. No differences in negative affect by hypotheticality of language were found for either population. We discuss these findings in relation to the theoretical implications for the concept of hypotheticality and the application of construal level theory to strategic health communication.

12.
J Health Commun ; 25(5): 361-373, 2020 05 03.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32476624

Many emotional appeal theorists argue that negative affect and efficacy work together to promote adaptive behavioral responses to a threat, yet most research on cigarette warning label messages has not examined the intersection between negative affect, hope, and efficacy. The current study tests effects of exposure, at different points in a sequence, to an efficacy-focused warning label in the context of threat-focused warning labels. We conducted an online, between- and within-subjects experiment with 398 adult smokers, testing the effects of warning label exposure on negative affect, hope, efficacy beliefs, and intentions to quit. Exposure to the efficacy-focused "Quit" label aroused higher levels of reported hope and lower levels of reported negative affect than threat-focused labels. Negative affect increased with each additional exposure to a threat-focused warning label, regardless of the order in which respondents saw the "Quit" label. Exposure to the "Quit" label (within a larger set of three threat-focused labels) led to greater self-efficacy but did not influence response efficacy or intentions to quit. We conclude that "Quit" messaging on warning labels can inspire both hopeful feelings and efficacy beliefs. Future research should identify the optimal balance between threat-focused and hopeful quit messages.


Health Communication/methods , Product Labeling , Smokers/psychology , Smoking Cessation/psychology , Tobacco Products/adverse effects , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Emotions , Female , Humans , Intention , Male , Middle Aged , Self Efficacy , Smokers/statistics & numerical data , Young Adult
13.
PLoS One ; 15(5): e0232937, 2020.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32459799

Antibiotic resistance is a global problem affecting both human and animal health. Ensuring the strategic and effective use of antibiotics is paramount to combatting the emergence and spread of resistance. This study explored New York State (NYS) dairy farmers' perceptions regarding antibiotic use in dairy farming and antibiotic resistance. Dairy farmers' perceptions were assessed through semi-structured, in-person interviews. Twenty interviews with farm owners and/or managers of 15 conventional and five USDA certified organic dairy farms with 40 to 2,300 lactating cows were conducted. Thematic analysis was used to assess, compare and contrast transcripts for farmers' characterization of their beliefs, values, and concerns. Conventional dairy farmers had a low level of concern about the possible impacts of on-farm antibiotic resistance on human health and believed their antibiotic use was already judicious. Generally, they believed their cattle's health would suffer if antibiotic use were further curtailed. Conventional farmers expressed frustration over the possibility of more stringent governmental, milk cooperative, buyer, or marketer requirements for antibiotic use and associated animal welfare in the future. They attributed expanding regulations in part to misinformed consumer preferences, that farmers felt were influenced by the marketing of organic dairy products. Organic dairy farmers were generally more concerned about issues related to antibiotic resistance than conventional farmers. Both conventional and organic farmers placed emphasis on disease prevention through herd health management rather than treatment. In conclusion, the conventional NYS dairy farmers in this study were skeptical of the need for and benefits of reduced antibiotic use on their dairy farms. Interventions for farmers, delivered by a trusted source such as a veterinarian, that provide training about proper antibiotic use practices and information of possible financial benefits of refining antibiotic use may hold promise.


Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology , Dairying/methods , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Animal Husbandry/methods , Animal Welfare/economics , Animal Welfare/trends , Animals , Cattle , Cattle Diseases/prevention & control , Consumer Behavior , Farmers/psychology , Farms/trends , New York , Organic Agriculture/trends , Perception , Qualitative Research
14.
Soc Sci Med ; 211: 294-303, 2018 08.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29980116

RATIONALE: The United States courts have blocked the implementation of graphic warning labels on cigarette packages (GWLs). This decision was based, in part, on the premise that GWLs are unnecessarily emotional and are meant to scare rather than inform consumers about smoking's health effects. However, research in judgment and decision-making suggests these relationships are more complex. OBJECTIVE: In this article, we draw on several theoretical frameworks that lead to competing hypotheses about the relationships between negative affect, health risk beliefs, and quit intentions (among adult smokers) or susceptibility to start smoking (among non-smoking youth). METHOD: We tested these competing mediation models using data from two experiments with two populations each-adult smokers (Ns = 313 and 238) and primarily non-smoking middle-school youth (Ns = 340 and 237). Using mobile recruitment methods, we focused specifically on individuals from socioeconomically disadvantaged communities in rural and urban areas of the Northeastern United States. RESULTS: The best fitting model across all four datasets was one in which label-induced negative affect (a) directly predicted intentions/susceptibility but also (b) indirectly predicted intentions/susceptibility via risk beliefs. Although mediation analyses did not demonstrate significant serial mediation effects of label exposure on intentions/susceptibility through negative affect then risk beliefs, there was some evidence that label exposure indirectly promoted adults' quit intentions through negative affect. Additionally, negative affect consistently mediated the indirect effect of label exposure on strengthened risk beliefs among adults and youth. CONCLUSIONS: These results speak to the importance of negative affect in directly motivating adult smokers' quit intentions but also serving an informational function, directing adult smokers and non-smoking youth to accept the health risks of smoking.


Non-Smokers/psychology , Product Labeling/standards , Smokers/psychology , Adult , Female , Humans , Intention , Male , Middle Aged , New England , Non-Smokers/statistics & numerical data , Product Labeling/methods , Smokers/statistics & numerical data , Smoking/adverse effects , Smoking/psychology , Smoking Cessation/methods , Tobacco Products/adverse effects , United States
15.
Nicotine Tob Res ; 20(7): 859-866, 2018 06 07.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29126207

Introduction: Though the WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC) calls for the implementation of large graphic warning labels (GWLs) on cigarette boxes, the courts have blocked the implementation of 50% labels in the United States. We conducted an experiment to explore whether changing the size of GWLs is associated with changes in visual attention, negative affect, risk beliefs, and behavioral intentions. Method: We recruited adult smokers (N = 238) and middle-school youth (N = 237) throughout the state of New York in May 2016. We randomly assigned participants to one of three between-subject conditions (no GWL [control], 30% GWL, 50% GWL). Results: Adult and youth participants looked at the GWLs longer when the GWL covered 50% versus 30% of the pack's front. Increasing GWL size from 30% to 50% did not influence negative affect or risk beliefs, though both GWL sizes increased negative affect relative to the no-GWL control group. Exposure to 50% GWLs increased adult smokers' intentions to quit compared to no-GWL, but smokers exposed to 30% GWLs did not differ from control. There were no differences between 50% GWLs, 30% GWLs, and control on youth smoking susceptibility. Conclusions: Findings provide some evidence of the benefits of a 50% versus 30% GWL covering the front of the pack for adult smokers and at-risk youth from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds-though not on all outcomes. Implications: This research shows that 30% GWLs on cigarette packages increase negative affect relative to packages without front-of-package GWLs. Larger GWLs on cigarette packages (50% vs. 30%) increase visual attention to the warning and its pictorial content among low-SES smokers and at-risk youth but do not further increase negative affect. A 50% GWL increased adults' quit intention compared to no GWL at all, but we were underpowered to detect modest differences in quit intentions between a 50% and 30% GWL. Future work should thus continue to explore the boundary conditions under which relatively larger GWLs influence cognitive, affective, and behavioral outcomes.


Cigarette Smoking/psychology , Intention , Product Labeling , Smoking Cessation/psychology , Tobacco Products , Vulnerable Populations/psychology , Adolescent , Adult , Attention/physiology , Cigarette Smoking/adverse effects , Cigarette Smoking/prevention & control , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Photic Stimulation/methods , Product Labeling/methods , Product Packaging/methods , Smokers/psychology , Smoking Cessation/methods , Smoking Prevention/methods , Surveys and Questionnaires , Tobacco Products/adverse effects , United States/epidemiology , Young Adult
16.
Public Health Rep ; 132(6): 609-616, 2017.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29045797

The objective of this study was to evaluate the satisfaction with, and the feasibility and effectiveness of, a public health detailing project focused on increasing routine human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) screening of people aged 13-64 by primary care providers working in areas of Baltimore City, Maryland, with high rates of HIV transmission (defined as a mean geometric viral load of ≥1500 copies/mL per census tract). In public health detailing, trained public health professionals (ie, detailers) visit medical practice sites to meet with providers and site staff members, with the intention of influencing changes in clinical practice policy and/or behavior. During 2014, detailers made personal visits and gave HIV Testing Action Kits containing maps, educational and guideline documents, and resource lists to 166 providers and office managers at 85 primary care sites. At follow-up, 88 of 91 (96.7%) providers and 37 of 38 (97.4%) clinic managers were very satisfied or satisfied with the project. Of the 79 sites eligible at follow-up (ie, those that had not closed or merged with another practice), 76 (96.2%) had accepted at least 1 HIV Testing Action Kit, and 67 of 90 (74.4%) providers had increased their HIV screening. Public health detailing projects can be used to educate and support providers, establish relationships between providers and local health departments, and disseminate public health messages.


Consumer Behavior , HIV Infections/diagnosis , Mass Screening/organization & administration , Primary Health Care/organization & administration , Public Health Practice , Adolescent , Adult , Baltimore , Education, Continuing/organization & administration , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Practice Guidelines as Topic , Practice Patterns, Physicians' , Racial Groups , Sex Factors , Sexuality , Young Adult
17.
Soc Sci Med ; 182: 20-29, 2017 06.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28411524

Baltimore, Maryland ranks among U.S. cities with the highest incidence of HIV infection among men who have sex with men (MSM). HIV screening at sex partner meeting places or venues frequented by MSM with new diagnoses and/or high HIV viral load may reduce transmission by identifying and linking infected individuals to care. We investigated venue-based clustering of newly diagnosed MSM to identify high HIV transmission venues. HIV surveillance data from MSM diagnosed between October 2012-June 2014 and reporting ≥1 sex partner meeting place were examined. Venue viral load was defined according to the geometric mean viral load of the cluster of cases that reported the venue and classified as high (>50,000 copies/mL), moderate (1500-50,000 copies/mL), and low (<1500 copies/mL). 143 MSM provided information on ≥1 sex partner meeting place, accounting for 132 unique venues. Twenty-six venues were reported by > 1 MSM; of these, a tightly connected cluster of six moderate viral load sex partner meeting places emerged, representing 66% of reports. Small, dense networks of moderate to high viral load venues may be important for targeted HIV control among MSM.


HIV Infections/prevention & control , Sexual Behavior/psychology , Sexual and Gender Minorities/psychology , Social Support , Adolescent , Adult , Baltimore , Humans , Male , Mass Screening/methods , Mass Screening/standards , Middle Aged , Risk-Taking
18.
Sex Transm Dis ; 42(10): 549-53, 2015 Oct.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26372926

BACKGROUND: Sex partner meeting places may be important locales to access men who have sex with men (MSM) and implement targeted HIV control strategies. These locales may change over time, but temporal evaluations have not been performed. METHODS: The objectives of this study were to describe the frequency of report of MSM sex partner meeting places over time and to compare frequently reported meeting places in the past 5 years and past year among newly HIV-diagnosed MSM in Baltimore City, Maryland. Public health HIV surveillance data including partner services information were obtained for this study from the Baltimore City Health Department from May 2009 to June 2014. RESULTS: A total of 869 sex partner meeting places were reported, including 306 unique places. Bars/clubs (31%) and Internet-based sites (38%) were the most frequently reported meeting place types. Over the 5-year period, the percentage of bars/clubs decreased over time and the percentage of Internet-based sites increased over time. Among bars/clubs, 4 of 5 of those most frequently reported in the past 5 years were also most frequently reported in the most recent year. Among Internet-based sites, 3 of 5 of those most frequently reported in the past 5 years were also in the top 5 most frequently reported in the past year. CONCLUSION: This study provides a richer understanding of sex partner meeting places reported by MSM over time and information to health departments on types of places to access a population at high risk for HIV transmission.


Alcohol Drinking/psychology , HIV Infections/transmission , Homosexuality, Male/psychology , Risk-Taking , Sexual Behavior , Sexual Partners/psychology , Social Networking , Adult , Baltimore/epidemiology , Cross-Sectional Studies , HIV Infections/prevention & control , HIV Infections/psychology , Health Promotion , Humans , Internet , Male , Public Health , Social Behavior
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