YouTube as a Source of Information on Air Pollution: Significance for Community Health.

Air pollution is a pervasive global public health threat. The purpose of this study was to assess the content of 100 widely viewed English language YouTube videos on air pollution using the search term 'air pollution.' Content categories were created using comprehensive fact sheets and were coded as being present or not in each video. Cumulatively, the 100 videos sampled received 32,826,294 views and 303,692 likes, with averages of 328,263 and 3,068 respectively. The majority of videos (n = 72) were created by broadcast or internet-based news, 12 of the videos were created by professionals, 7 were created by a consumer and 9 were created by others. Three kinds of content were featured in a majority (> 50%) of the videos: "sources of pollution," "environmental impacts," and "solutions offered" and the videos covering each of these topics collectively garnered more than 26 million views and 249,000 likes. Independent one-tailed t-tests (α = 0.05) showed an association between covering sources of pollution and the number of views and likes. For both, videos featuring this content had a higher average number of views (467,391.08 vs. 80,924.03, p = .0383) and likes (4,450.78 vs. 647.03, p = .0383). Additionally, videos showing environmental impacts received more views than those that did not (547,901.49 vs. 80,585.43, p = .0373). This research can serve as a starting point to describe information being conveyed about an important global public health problem. Future research is needed to improve understanding about ways to utilize YouTube and other social media for public health education and advocacy to increase consumers' awareness and facilitate the informed decision-making process.

Wait Times for Scheduling Appointments for Prevention of Macrovascular and Microvascular Complications of Diabetes: Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes is a chronic disease that requires lifelong management and care, affecting around 422 million people worldwide and roughly 37 million in the United States. Patients newly diagnosed with diabetes must work with health care providers to formulate a management plan, including lifestyle modifications and regular office visits, to improve metabolic control, prevent or delay complications, optimize quality of life, and promote well-being. OBJECTIVE: Our aim is to investigate one component of system-wide access to timely health care for people with diabetes in New York City (NYC), namely the length of time for someone with newly diagnosed diabetes to obtain an appointment with 3 diabetes care specialists: a cardiologist, an endocrinologist, and an ophthalmologist, respectively. METHODS: We contacted the offices of 3 different kinds of specialists: cardiologists, endocrinologists, and ophthalmologists, by telephone, for this descriptive cross-sectional study, to determine the number of days required to schedule an appointment for a new patient with diabetes. The sampling frame included all specialists affiliated with any private or public hospital in NYC. The number of days to obtain an appointment with each specialist was documented, along with "time on hold" when attempting to schedule an appointment and the presence of online booking capabilities. RESULTS: Of the 1639 unique physicians affiliated with (private and public) hospitals in the 3 subspecialties, 1032 (cardiologists, endocrinologists, and ophthalmologists) were in active practice and did not require a referral. The mean wait time for scheduling an appointment was 36 (SD 36.4; IQR 12-51.5) days for cardiologists; 82 (SD 47; IQR 56-101) days for endocrinologists; and 50.4 (SD 56; IQR 10-72) days for ophthalmologists. The median wait time was 27 days for cardiologists, 72 days for endocrinologists, and 30 days for ophthalmologists. The mean time on hold while attempting to schedule an appointment with these specialists was 2.6 (SD 5.5) minutes for cardiologists, 5.4 (SD 4.3) minutes for endocrinologists, and 3.2 (SD 4.8) minutes for ophthalmologists, respectively. Over 46% (158/341) of cardiologists enabled patients to schedule an appointment on the web, and over 55% (128/228) of endocrinologists enabled patients to schedule an appointment on the web. In contrast, only approximately 25% (117/463) of ophthalmologists offered web-based appointment scheduling options. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate considerable variation in wait times between and within the 3 specialties examined for a new patient in NYC. Given the paucity of research on wait times for newly diagnosed people with diabetes to obtain an appointment with different specialists, this study provides preliminary estimates that can serve as an initial reference. Additional research is needed to document the extent to which wait times are associated with complications and the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of people served by different providers.

Micromobility Vehicles, Obstructions, and Rider Safety Behaviors in New York City Bike Lanes.

Micromobility vehicles (MMVs) have become increasingly popular, particularly in urban areas where infrastructure has improved in recent years to facilitate their use. The purpose of this study was to observe protected bike lanes in 10 zones of Manhattan, NYC to: (1) describe the MMVs in bike lanes by type, phone and helmet use; and (2) document MMV users' responses to obstructions. Approximately 1 in 4 of all riders (260/998) were wearing a helmet. Fewer than 2% were observed using a phone while moving. Fewer than 9% of Citi Bike users were wearing a helmet. In contrast, over one-third of non-Citi Bike users were wearing a helmet (228 of 670, 34.03%). This difference was determined to be significant by a chi-squared test (a = 0.05) with a p-value less than 0.0001. Of the 988 MMVs observed in this study, 398 (40.28%) were motorized and 590 (59.72%) were non-motorized. A similar proportion of users of motorized riders versus non-motorized vehicles were wearing a helmet (28.14%, 112/398 versus 24.41%, 144/590). A total of 232 riders (23.50%) encountered an obstruction in their bike lane. Of these obstructions in a bike lane, 82.33% (191/232) were a car/vehicle and 17.67% (41/232) was garbage. A large majority of riders (87.93%) reacted by riding into the traffic lane. These findings suggest that further research and local education, enforcement, and legislative efforts are needed to examine and implement best practices in the safe operation of MMVs, decreasing bike lane obstructions, promoting helmet use, and raising awareness of MMV legislation.

Discussing health while seeking community: A descriptive study of celiac disease on TikTok.

Background: For individuals suffering from chronic disease, more than being an information source for health information, social media serves as a dynamic forum for shared goals, emotional and practical support through the sharing of lived experiences. Aim: This study envisaged a content analysis of the 100 most widely-viewed English language videos related to celiac disease posted on TikTok. Methods: TikTok was searched using the hashtag #celiacdisease. This search term was chosen as it represented the broadest summation of the desired topic with the most views (80 million) of any related hashtag. The first 100 English language videos were selected. The video content was analyzed against predetermined descriptive categories, deductively derived content related to facts about celiac disease from a reliable source, and inductive content categories derived during the coding process. Results: The 100 videos included in this study received a total of 44,056,600 likes. The average number of likes across all videos was 440,566 with a standard deviation of 656,642.06. Two of the three categories were present in a majority (>50) of the videos. They were practical information on diet therapy management (n = 63) and challenges in managing celiac disease (n = 73). In both instances, videos featuring this content also garnered a majority of the likes, 74.18% and 82.9% respectively. Independent one-tailed t-tests (α = .05) returned significant results for the diagnosis-related information (p = .0390) and practical information in diet therapy management (p = .0358) categories. On average, videos that included diagnosis-related information received more likes than those that did not: 672,983.33 vs. 340,958.57. Similarly, the average number of likes was significantly higher for videos that included practical information on diet therapy management (518,715.87) vs. those that did not (307,500). Conclusions: This study further confirms the growing trend of people using social media to discuss health issues in a way that is free and easily accessible among communities with shared experiences. The long-term effects of using personal narratives as credible sources of behavioral change for health, medical, or professional resources can be further investigated.

#Climate Change on TikTok: A Content Analysis of Videos.

Current day youth have an important role in climate activism, as the decisions and policies made now will have long lasting impacts on the climate and sustainability. Climate change is becoming an increasing concern for younger generations. As such, the purpose of this study was to describe content related to climate change on TikTok. This study included 100 English-language videos related to climate change featured on TikTok. The hashtag #climatechange was chosen because it had the most views of any related hashtag at the time of the study. The number of views, comments, and likes were recorded for each video. Each video was also observed for the presence of predetermined content characteristics. The 100 videos sampled collectively received 205,551,200 views, 40, 203,400 likes, and 666,089 comments. Only eight of the 100 videos included information from a reputable source. Only three of the characteristics were featured in a majority (> 50) of the videos. These were, presents climate change as real (93), affected populations (76), and climate anxiety/frustration (57). Videos mentioning natural disasters garnered 63,453,100 (30.87%) views, 14,245,200 (35.43%) likes, and 236,493 (35.50%) comments. In all, 73 of the 100 videos mentioned at least one environmental impact. Videos including this theme earned 156,677,200 (76.22%) views, 32,000,700 (79.60%) likes, and 563,195 (84.55%) comments. Social media platforms such as TikTok are important tools for understanding popular opinion regarding public health issues such as global climate change. However, the presence of credible professionals is essential on platforms such as TikTok to increase the chances that messaging is as comprehensive as time allows, while also being scientifically sound.

Debate in Public Versus Independent Secondary Schools in New York City: Post-COVID-19 Health literacy and Equal Access to Basic Educational Opportunities.

Speech and debate (referred to hereafter as debate) has the potential to play an integral role in increasing the health literacy of secondary school students, yet we did not identify published studies examining the prevalence of debate programs in public and independent secondary schools. The purpose of this study was to describe the presence of debate in a probability sample of public and independent secondary schools in New York City (NYC) and explore whether there were differences in the availability of debate programs when schools were classified based on public versus independent status, school enrollment, borough location, and proportion of non-white students enrolled. The sampling frame was constructed using NYC Open Data for the public schools and the publicly available membership directory of the New York State Association of Independent Schools. This cross-sectional study included a ~ 30% random sample comprising 255 public and 17 independent secondary schools. To identify whether schools offered debate programs, school websites were reviewed and follow-up calls were conducted to verify the information online. Independent one-tailed t-tests (a = 0.05), showed that access to a debate program was associated with public/independent status (p = .0000), larger enrollment (p = .0046), borough location (p = .0392), and proportion of non-white students enrolled (p = .0000). Schools with a higher proportion of non-white students were less likely to offer debate programs. Compared with students in public schools, students attending independent schools were more than three times as likely to have debate opportunities. These findings have implications for health literacy and educational equity.

A Review of You Tube Content to Assess US Mental Health During the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Mental health concerns have increased in prevalence since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many turn to online resources for relevant information. The purpose of this study is to describe the availability of mental health information on YouTube, and to assess the relevance of the videos' content in relation to the actual need of the population. The 100 most-watched YouTube videos in English resulting from a YouTube search of "COVID-19" and "mental health" were evaluated. Of mental health conditions, anxiety and depression were mentioned in over 50% of the videos. A positive correlation was found between videos that mentioned anxiety and those that mentioned depression (p < 0.001). The numbers of videos focused on anxiety and depression were correlated with themes such as life stressors and social distancing (p < 0.05). Videos that did not make recommendations for dealing with stressors had more positive ratings than videos that did make such recommendations (p = 0.002). The content of YouTube videos addressing mental health issues during COVID-19 reflects the actual prevalence of specific mental health conditions during this same time period. Viewer ratings may be indicative of the public need for information about mental health conditions and validation for difficult experiences on social media sites. YouTube must be better utilized to disseminate information about mental illness.

Long Haul COVID-19 Videos on YouTube: Implications for Health Communication.

The term COVID-19 "long haul" originated on social media and was later studied by the scientific community. This study describes content related to persistent COVID-19 symptoms on YouTube. The 100 most viewed English-language videos identified with the keywords "COVID-19 long haul" were assessed for video origin, engagement, and content related to COVID-19 long-haul. The findings indicate that the majority of videos were uploaded by television or internet news (56%), followed by consumers (members of the public, 32%), health professionals (only 9%), and lastly by entertainment TV (non-news programs, 3%). Videos originating from entertainment TV were significantly more likely to be "liked" than videos from other sources. The most commonly mentioned long-haul symptoms in the videos were physical (fatigue, 73%; difficulty breathing/shortness of breath, 56%; and joint or muscle pain, 49%) and cognitive (difficulty thinking or concentrating; 69%). The case of COVID-19 long haul demonstrates that social media are significant fora whereon the public identify health concerns. It is necessary for healthcare professionals to assume an active and responsible role in social media.

Online News Coverage of COVID-19 Long Haul Symptoms.

A number of the people who have recovered from the acute effects of COVID-19 are facing long term sequelae from the infection. As the COVID-19 pandemic is still evolving, so is knowledge of the long-term effects of the virus on patients who still experience symptoms. Clearly, news media play a crucial role in distributing information and this distribution of information can, in turn, influence the actions of the public. The purpose of this study was to describe the content of news coverage of COVID-19 long haul symptoms currently posted on the internet. This study utilized Google News, a news aggregator service, and included the first 100 English language pieces of news. Video content and news article content were coded in depth for information on COVID-19 long haul symptoms. A total of 41% of news reports mentioned the length of time that the COVID-19 related symptoms persist. The length of time was reported to range from 1 month to more than 1 year. The symptom most commonly mentioned was tiredness or fatigue (74%), followed by difficulty breathing or shortness of breath (62 cases; 62%), and difficulty thinking or concentrating (50 cases; 50%). Other symptoms were mentioned less frequently. There were no statistically significant differences in any of the content including having video, written news reports, or both video and written news reports by source of the news reports based on consumer, professional, or television or internet-based news (p = .14). More complete coverage by online news media of the long-term effects of COVID-19 enhances public awareness of the post-acute syndromes, augments health providers' awareness of the range of chronic COVID-19 effects and the possibility of a second infection, increases the probability of patients' seeking and obtaining the proper care for their symptoms, and contributes to preventive actions for enhancing public health.

Social Media, Public Health, and Community Mitigation of COVID-19: Challenges, Risks, and Benefits.

Shortly after the first case reports in 2019, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. Early messages from trusted experts, which later proved to be inadequate or incorrect, highlight the need for continual adjustment of messages to the public as scientific knowledge evolves. During this time, social media exploded with greatly sought-after information, some of which was misinformation based on incomplete or incorrect facts or disinformation purposefully spread to advance a specific agenda. Because of the nature of social media, information, whether accurate or not at the time posted, lives on and remains accessible to the public even when its usefulness has been discredited. While the impact of mis/disinformation on COVID-19 risk-reducing behaviors is debatable, it is clear that social media has played a significant role in both extending the reach of COVID-19-related falsehoods and promoting evidence-based content. Over the last decade, social media has become a dominant source of information that consumers turn to for health information. A great deal of misinformation and disinformation has reached large numbers of social media users, which points to a need for the agencies of the US Public Health Service to create communications to convey accurate and current information and appeals that will actually be viewed. This viewpoint highlights the challenges, risks, and potential benefits that social media present in mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic.

DNA testing information on YouTube: Inadequate advice can mislead and harm the public.

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) DNA (i.e., genetic) testing has become very popular, with close to 30 million Americans having used these services. The 100 most widely viewed DNA YouTube testing videos were analyzed to determine whether they are providing adequate information for consumers. The top 100 videos had more than 300 million cumulative views, showing the popularity and reach of the information source. While many videos addressed the specimen collection process, family roots and ancestry, and the prospect of uncovering unexpected information about family or health leading to possible distress, almost none of the videos addressed accuracy or confidentiality issues, which are major issues of DNA testing. It is recommended that further information on those issues be made readily available, and more vigilant oversight by regulatory agencies be implemented. Such oversight should include monitoring what information is and is not readily provided by each company, and the veracity of information being communicated to existing and prospective consumers. We also recommend that for medical issues, clinical genetic testing, along with genetic counseling by genetic counselors, be the method of choice.

Candy, Snack Food, and Soda in the Checkout Lines of Stores Selling Products for Children in New York City.

While genetic and hormonal factors likely play a role in the development of obesity, lifestyle issues such as diet and physical activity are main contributors. Lifestyle issues are largely influenced by environmental factors, which pertain not only to access and availability, but exposure to opportunities for unplanned food and beverage purchases. The purpose of this study was to describe the extent to which candy, snack foods, and sugary beverages are available in checkout lines in a convenience sample retail chain stores in NYC that sell products for children. Non-probability, convenience sampling was used to select a total of 22 stores to visit in person. All stores were visited and the checkout lines were observed, capturing both the checkout style (single lane versus multiple lane; corralled or non-corralled), and the products (if any) being sold. Of the 22 stores surveyed, 17 (77.27%) sold at least one convenience food (candy and snacks), and/or sugary beverages. Among the stores that sell convenience food, nearly all (82.35%) sell candy, 100% of those with no corral-style line and 76.92% of those using a corral-style line. The findings from this study concur with prior research indicating that non-nutritious food items and sugary beverages have a presence at checkout areas of retail stores, thus driving the possibility for impulse buys. Exposure to messaging and ques are potentially influential on public health, and should be a point of reflection in terms of the kinds of policies that can support or hinder public health.

Coverage of Transmission of COVID-19 Information on Successive Samples of YouTube Videos.

Mitigating transmission of SARS-Co-2 virus is critical to stopping the COVID-19 pandemic. Messages about the pandemic on YouTube reach millions of people and should be a part of a more comprehensive strategy for educating the public to reduce transmission. We examined successive samples of the 100 most widely viewed YouTube videos regarding COVID-19 at three time points between January and June 2020 and examined characteristics of videos that specifically mentioned COVID-19 transmission. We described the cumulative and mean number of views, video length, and video source and assessed differences across the samples. Historical events and confirmed worldwide cases are compared with cumulative views of videos mentioning disease transmission over time. Across the three successive samples, views for all videos increased from ~ 125 million to over 560 million views, and from ~ 63 million to more than 273 million for those videos specifically mentioning disease transmission, respectively. This increase coincided with the increase in the worldwide number of cases and the occurrence of COVID-19 transmission informational milestones. Despite its importance for community mitigation, the majority of the widely viewed videos we sampled did not specifically mention disease transmission. Because of its very widespread reach, YouTube can be an effective way to communicate with the public, especially to those who have lower levels of reading literacy and who may be inclined to search for information on YouTube. Greater efforts are needed to more fully realize the potential of YouTube for educating the public about COVID-19 transmission.

Assessing the Readability of Covid-19 Testing Messages on the Internet.

The COVID-19 pandemic first became evident at the end of 2019, and because of the many unknown aspects of this emerging infectious disease, the internet quickly became a source of information for consumers. It is important for any vital information to be written unambiguously, and at a level that can be understood by all people regardless of education levels. The purpose of this study was to assess the readability of 50 sources of COVID19 testing information online. Only 6 websites out of 50 received an appropriate readability score on more than one assessment. One-sample, one-tailed t-tests (α = 0.05, df = 49) were used to see if the websites with information on COVID-19 testing are being written at appropriate reading levels. The resulting p-values indicate that each p-value recorded is substantially below 0.05, it is very unlikely that websites on this topic are being written at the recommended levels. Even the optimal messages on COVID-19 reflect a confusing and rapidly changing public health crisis, however if messages are kept simple and clear, individuals will have the best possible chance of optimizing behavioral mitigation strategies. These are compelling reasons for informational hosts to take necessary steps to ensure that messages are written in as simple terms as possible. To this end, it is suggested that internet sites dispersing COVID-19 testing information build in text analysis methods for all published messages, particularly those meant to inform best health practices in the time of a pandemic.

Information About COVID-19 Testing on College Websites in the New York City Metropolitan Area.

The continuing COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the Fall reopening plans among institutions of higher education (IHEs) in the United States (U.S.). While recommendations were made to conduct COVID-19 testing of students and staff, it is unclear as to what extent IHEs were able to engage in testing. IHEs also play a critical role in provision of accurate information related to COVID-19 to students and staff. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to assess available information on COVID-19 testing on IHEs' websites in the New York City (NYC) metropolitan area. IHEs' websites were screened for the presence of content related to COVID-19 testing. Larger institutions (> 10,000 students) were more likely than smaller institutions (≤ 5000 students) to provide information on how to make an appointment for COVID-19 testing (χ2(2) = 8.1, P < 0.05), and information on free testing (χ2(2) = 7.0, P < 0.05). Of 150 IHEs included, 124 (82.7%) IHE's reported testing data to the campus community, with the majority providing this data biweekly (62.9%). A total of 116 IHEs recorded at least one positive COVID-19 case among their students or staff during the Fall semester. Smaller-sized institutions reported a significantly lower number of cases than medium- (P < 0.001) and large-sized (P = 0.003) institutions. Additional differences related to testing modalities and provision of information were observed according to schools' state jurisdictions. Although geographically close, IHEs in the NYC metropolitan area did not provide information on COVID-19 testing in a uniform and comprehensive fashion, which may further contribute to public confusion.

COVID-19 Vaccination and Intention to Vaccinate Among a Sample of College Students in New Jersey.

Vaccines are critical for curtailing the COVID-19 pandemic and may represent an important tool for return to "normalcy" on college campuses in the Fall of 2021. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent of vaccination coverage and intention to vaccinate among college students. College students (N = 457) enrolled in the Spring 2021 semester at a university in New Jersey completed a cross-sectional survey. The survey collected information on demographics, COVID-19 and vaccination history, knowledge levels and sources of COVID-19 vaccine information, and vaccine attitudes. Multivariable regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with vaccination, and the intention to vaccinate among non-vaccinated students. Results indicate that 23% (n = 105) of participants reported being vaccinated already. Among non-vaccinated students, 52.8% indicated their intention to receive the vaccine when it is made available to college students. Students who were health care workers (adjusted odds ratio, aOR = 4.17, p < 0.001), had a family member who had received a COVID-19 vaccine (aOR = 5.03, p < 0.001), exhibited greater positive attitudes regarding vaccination (aOR = 1.12, p < 0.001), and received a seasonal flu vaccine (aOR = 1.97, p < 0.05) were more likely to have received the COVID-19 vaccine. Among non-vaccinated students, those who discussed COVID-19 vaccine information with others (aOR = 5.38, p < 0.001), and exhibited more overall positive attitudes regarding vaccination (aOR = 2.69, p < 0.001), were more likely to indicate their willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Findings of this study highlight the need for additional education and vaccine outreach aimed at promoting uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine among college students.

Readability of Cancer Clinical Trials Websites.

Clinical trials are critically important for the development of new cancer treatments. According to recent estimates, however, clinical trial enrollment is only about 8%. Lack of patient understanding or awareness of clinical trials is one reason for the low rate of participation. The purpose of this observational study was to evaluate the readability of cancer clinical trial websites designed to educate the general public and patients about clinical trials. Nearly 90% of Americans use Google to search for health-related information. We conducted a Google Chrome Incognito search in 2018 using the keywords "cancer clinical trial" and "cancer clinical trials." Content of the 100 cancer clinical trial websites was analyzed using an online readability panel consisting of Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Flesch Reading Ease, Gunning-Fog Index, Coleman-Liau Index, and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook scales. Reading level difficulty was assessed and compared between commercial versus non-commercial URL extensions. Content readability was found to be "difficult" (10.7 grade level). No significant difference in readability, overall, and between commercial and non-commercial URL extensions was found using 4/5 measures of readability; 90.9% of commercial versus 49.4% of non-commercial websites were written at a >10th grade (P = .013) using Gunning-Fog Index. Written cancer clinical trials content on the Internet is written at a reading level beyond the literacy capabilities of the average American reader. Improving readability to accommodate readers with basic literacy skills will provide an opportunity for greater comprehension that could potentially result in higher rates of clinical trial enrollment.

Coverage of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Online Versions of Highly Circulated U.S. Daily Newspapers.

With the proliferation of news and the abundance of unknowns, COVID-19 information became rife with rumors and infiltrated consumers with confusion and information overload. In situations like this, it is important to provide consumers with credible and reliable information about the pandemic which is affecting their lives and livelihoods. Articles about coronavirus published in online versions of USA Today online, Wall Street Journal online and NYTimes.com between January and March 2020 were identified. Only articles where the search terms appeared in the headline were included as it was considered a more effective approach to understanding the health communication trends for this outbreak. These criteria resulted in 5,285 articles published on this topic during this time. All articles were imported into Dedoose mixed-methods software for thematic analysis. The frequency of each identified theme appearing in reviewed articles was counted, together with excerpts illustrating the specific theme. Overall, the five most common themes appearing in reviewed articles were "financial impact of COVID-19" (11.6%), "stories of affected individuals" (7.0%), "death and death rates" (6.8%), "precaution recommendations for public" (6.2%), and "quarantine" (5.9%). The newspapers did not just report the numbers (number of infections, ventilators, deaths, economic losses) but they also reported the context of the pandemic, such as, impact on economy, efforts to slow the spread of infection, switch to working from home, presence of health disparities, scientific search for reliable COVID-19 tests, and effect on supply chains. News media play a vital role in enhancing understanding of pandemic, but also in shaping public response to public health messages.

Incidental Alcohol Appearances in Advertisements on City Buses in Manhattan, New York City: A Descriptive Study.

This paper describes incidental exposure to alcohol in advertisements on buses in Manhattan, New York City. From April to July 2019, researchers observed advertisements on all bus lines in Manhattan and coded the content of these advertisements, including the kinds of products and services advertised and whether alcoholic beverages or images were present. Despite a ban on direct alcohol beverage advertising within the Metropolitan Transit Authority in 2017 (and expanded in 2019), almost one in five of the 136 advertisements observed (n = 25) included incidental exposure to images of alcohol portrayed in a favorable way and/or associated with well-known movie stars and television personalities. Advertisements on city buses are unlike any other, as they traverse the city streets and create considerable exposure to residents, including youth. This study demonstrates that banning advertisements for alcohol will not necessarily restrict favorable images containing alcohol and that youth continue to be exposed to these images.

Communicating Mental Health Support to College Students During COVID-19: An Exploration of Website Messaging.

College counseling centers are assumed to play a vital role in addressing students' mental health needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to characterize the extent to which NYC metropolitan area school websites communicated to students their updated mental health service offerings, psychoeducational information related to COVID-19, and community-based resources after the abrupt end to on-campus services during the Spring semester. A total of 138 websites were analyzed. Overall, only half of the surveyed web pages provided information about remote counseling, and just under two thirds of schools (57.97%) had directions for students experiencing a mental health emergency. As predicted, enrollment size was associated with whether psychoeducation about mental health and COVID-19 and information about remote counseling were available on a school's website. In both cases, medium-sized schools were the most likely to have these resources available on their websites as compared to small and large-sized schools. College counseling center web pages should include robust and current information that targets schools' diverse student bodies.