Media attention and policy response: 21st century chemical regulation in the USA

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kira J M Matus ◽  
Marie N Bernal
Keyword(s):  
Policy Change ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
State Level ◽  
Scientific Development ◽  
Policy Action ◽  
Chemical Risk ◽  
Media Attention ◽  
Chemical Hazards ◽  
The Usa

Abstract This article explores the relationship between media coverage of chemical hazards, scientific understandings of chemical risk, and policy change in the USA at the state level from 1990 to 2010. We observe that media coverage compounded by scientific development, especially in relation to a greater understanding of chemical hazards and approaches to its management, affected public perception of health and environmental risk, aiding in a shift of expectations about necessary levels of statutory protection from the states. We also note the emergence of effective framings of chemical risk around impacts on vulnerable populations, such as children, where media attention and policy action created important coalitions of support. The resulting increased state-, county-, and city-level policy action eventually led to support and momentum policy change at the federal level. This study helps to clarify how media attention to chemical hazards may play an important role in influencing eventual policy responses and risk management approaches.

scholarly journals ПІДГОТОВКА ФАХІВЦІВ АГАРНОЇ ГАЛУЗІ В УКРАЇНІ ТА США: ПОРІВНЯЛЬНИЙ АСПЕКТ

2020 ◽  
pp. 263-273
Author(s):  
Наталія Олійник ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Research Training ◽  
State Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
World Market ◽  
Scientific Development ◽  
Important Place ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Usa

The main problems of personnel training in Ukraine and the USA are considered in the article. It is noted that considerable attention is paid to the scientific staff of the agricultural universities. The purpose of this article is to identify the main components of training future professionals in the US agrarian industry. The objectives are to identify the main factors influencing the identification of the major components of training of future specialists in the agrarian industry in the United States, and to identify key areas for improving the research training of future farmers. It is noted that research activities play an important place in American education institutions; they are aimed at improving the work of agribusiness and gaining a leading position in the world market of production and sale of agricultural products. Students can independently pursue a scientific specialization and obtain a certificate of the right to engage in scientific activities after graduation from the US agricultural institutions. The program of training future specialists in agriculture provides studying of mandatory disciplines and additional ones, special scientific courses. The main requirements for a young specialist include the ability to work both independently and in a team, communication skills; knowledge of management and economics; free computer skills to process materials and control biological and chemical processes in their projects. The main areas of work contributing to the development of the US agricultural sector and highlighting the main pressing issues of scientific development of Ukraine are support for universities and their projects at the state level, updating the material and technical base of universities, international cooperation between universities, research and development funding and support for young scientists.

scholarly journals Psychedelic Mushrooms in the USA: Knowledge, Patterns of Use, and Association With Health Outcomes

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Matzopoulos ◽  
Robert Morlock ◽  
Amy Morlock ◽  
Bernard Lerer ◽  
Leonard Lerer
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
General Mental Health ◽  
The Usa

Introduction: Popular media coverage of psychedelics use, growing research into this class of compounds for psychiatry and decriminalization initiatives, are transforming the public perception of psychedelics. However, little is known about levels of knowledge and psychedelic mushroom (PM) use among American adults.Methods: We examined PM use and various measures of health status, quality of life, and self-reported mental health outcome measures obtained through a national on-line, cross-sectional survey of adults with a demographic composition representative of the US adult population by region, gender, age, and race (weighted N = 251,297,495) from November 2020–March 2021.Results: General mental health and well-being were popular reasons for PM use (63.6%), although use for medically-diagnosed (31.8%) and self-diagnosed (19.0%) conditions was also common. PM users reported more depression and anxiety as reflected in higher GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores. Factors predictive of PM use included being male [OR 1.54 95%CI 1.09–2.15] and having higher Charlson Comorbidity Index scores [OR 1.42; 95%CI 1.22–1.65]. Self-reported PM use was less likely among participants with health insurance [OR = 0.50 (0.35–0.72)], increased age [OR = 0.92 (0.90–0.93)] and, relative to those living in the west US census region, living in the northeast [OR = 0.27 (0.15–0.50)], midwest [OR = 0.34 (0.20–0.56)], and south [OR = 0.38 (0.26–0.55)].Discussion and Conclusions: A significant number of Americans are already “self-medicating” with PM and as growing positive media coverage of psychedelics drives public interest in the health benefits of PM, this number will increase. The association between PM use and poor mental health requires further research to inform policy.

scholarly journals Association Between Actual and Perceived U.S. COVID-19 Policies and Preventive Behavior

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meng Li ◽  
Helen Colby
Keyword(s):  
Public Perception ◽  
State Level ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Actual State ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Gender And Education ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Better Than

Abstract Background COVID-19 related policies in the USA can be confusing: some states, but not others, implemented mask mandates mid-pandemic, and states reopened their economies to different levels with different timelines after initial shutdowns. Purpose The current research asks: How well does the public’s perception of such policies align with actual policies, and how well do actual versus perceived policies predict the public’s mask-wearing and social distancing behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic? Methods We conducted a preregistered cross-sectional study among 1,073 online participants who were representative of the U.S. population on age, gender, and education on Monday–Tuesday, July 20–21, 2020. We asked participants which locations they visited in the past weekend, and their mask-wearing and social distancing behaviors at each location. We also measured participants’ beliefs about their state’s policies on mask mandate and business opening and obtained objective measures of these policies from publicly available data. Results Perception about the existence of mask mandate was 91% accurate in states with a mask mandate but only 46% accurate in states without one. Perception of state reopening level did not correlate with policy. It was the perceived but not actual state mask mandate that positively predicted both mask-wearing and social distancing, controlling for state COVID-19 cases, demographic factors, and participants’ numeracy and COVID-19 history. Conclusions The public’s perception of state-level mask mandates erred on the side of assuming there is one. Perception of reopening is almost completely inaccurate. Paradoxically, public perception that a mask mandate exists predicts preventive behaviors better than actual mandates.

Policy Action on Obesity Mostly at State Level

2007 ◽  
Vol 40 (16) ◽  
pp. 39
Author(s):  
MARY ELLEN SCHNEIDER
Keyword(s):  
State Level ◽  
Policy Action

scholarly journals Utilization of preimplantation genetic testing in the USA

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaitlyn Roche ◽  
Catherine Racowsky ◽  
Joyce Harper
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Testing ◽  
Older Women ◽  
State Level ◽  
Oocyte Retrieval ◽  
Preimplantation Genetic Testing ◽  
Annual Increase ◽  
Younger Women ◽  
Live Birth Rates ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Usa

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the use of preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) and live birth rates (LBR) in the USA from 2014 to 2017 and to understand how PGT is being used at a clinic and state level. Methods This study accessed SART data for 2014 to 2017 to determine LBR and the CDC for years 2016 and 2017 to identify PGT usage. Primary cycles included only the first embryo transfer within 1 year of an oocyte retrieval; subsequent cycles included transfers occurring after the first transfer or beyond 1 year of oocyte retrieval. Results In the SART data, the number of primary PGT cycles showed a significant monotonic annual increase from 18,805 in 2014 to 54,442 in 2017 (P = 0.042) and subsequent PGT cycles in these years increased from 2946 to 14,361 (P = 0.01). There was a significant difference in primary PGT cycle use by age, where younger women had a greater percentage of PGT treatment cycles than older women. In both PGT and non-PGT cycles, the LBR per oocyte retrieval decreased significantly from 2014 to 2017 (P<0001) and younger women had a significantly higher LBR per oocyte retrieval compared to older women (P < 0.001). The CDC data revealed that in 2016, just 53 (11.4%) clinics used PGT for more than 50% of their cycles, which increased to 99 (21.4%) clinics in 2017 (P< 0.001). Conclusions A growing number of US clinics are offering PGT to their patients. These findings support re-evaluation of the application for PGT.

The impact of labor freedom on geographic cost of living differentials

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 385-395
Author(s):  
Richard Cebula ◽  
James E. Payne ◽  
Donnie Horner ◽  
Robert Boylan
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
State Level ◽  
The State ◽  
Annual Data ◽  
Significant Finding ◽  
Cost Of Living ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of labor market freedom on state-level cost of living differentials in the USA using cross-sectional data for 2016 after allowing for the impacts of economic and quality of life factors. Design/methodology/approach The study uses two-stage least squares estimation controlling for factors contributing to cost of living differences across states. Findings The results reveal that an increase in labor market freedom reduces the overall cost of living. Research limitations/implications The study can be extended using panel data and alternative measures of labor market freedom. Practical implications In general, the finding that less intrusive government and greater labor freedom are associated with a reduced cost of living should not be surprising. This is because less government intrusion and greater labor freedom both inherently allow markets to be more efficient in the rationalization of and interplay with forces of supply and demand. Social implications The findings of this and future related studies could prove very useful to policy makers and entrepreneurs, as well as small business owners and public corporations of all sizes – particularly those considering either location in, relocation to, or expansion into other markets within the USA. Furthermore, the potential benefits of the National Right-to-Work Law currently under consideration in Congress could add cost of living reductions to the debate. Originality/value The authors extend the literature on cost of living differentials by investigating whether higher amounts of state-level labor market freedom act to reduce the states’ cost of living using the most recent annual data available (2016). That labor freedom has a systemic efficiency impact on the state-level cost of living is a significant finding. In our opinion, it is likely that labor market freedom is increasing the efficiency of labor market transactions in the production and distribution of goods and services, and acts to reduce the cost of living in states. In addition, unlike previous related studies, the authors investigate the impact of not only overall labor market freedom on the state-level cost of living, but also how the three sub-indices of labor market freedom, as identified and measured by Stansel et al. (2014, 2015), impact the cost of living state by state.

scholarly journals Rationing, racism and justice: advancing the debate around ‘colourblind’ COVID-19 ventilator allocation

2021 ◽  
pp. medethics-2020-106856
Author(s):  
Harald Schmidt ◽  
Dorothy E Roberts ◽  
Nwamaka D Eneanya
Keyword(s):  
Medical Knowledge ◽  
State Level ◽  
Standard Of Care ◽  
Black Communities ◽  
Racial Justice ◽  
Life Saving ◽  
Black Patients ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Alternative Measures ◽  
The Way

Withholding or withdrawing life-saving ventilators can become necessary when resources are insufficient. In the USA, such rationing has unique social justice dimensions. Structural elements of dominant allocation frameworks simultaneously advantage white communities, and disadvantage Black communities—who already experience a disproportionate burden of COVID-19-related job losses, hospitalisations and mortality. Using the example of New Jersey’s Crisis Standard of Care policy, we describe how dominant rationing guidance compounds for many Black patients prior unfair structural disadvantage, chiefly due to the way creatinine and life expectancy are typically considered.We outline six possible policy options towards a more just approach: improving diversity in decision processes, adjusting creatinine scores, replacing creatinine, dropping creatinine, finding alternative measures, adding equity weights and rejecting the dominant model altogether. We also contrast these options with making no changes, which is not a neutral default, but in separate need of justification, despite a prominent claim that it is simply based on ‘objective medical knowledge’. In the regrettable absence of fair federal guidance, hospital and state-level policymakers should reflect on which of these, or further options, seem feasible and justifiable.Irrespective of which approach is taken, all guidance should be supplemented with a monitoring and reporting requirement on possible disparate impacts. The hope that we will be able to continue to avoid rationing ventilators must not stand in the way of revising guidance in a way that better promotes health equity and racial justice, both to be prepared, and given the significant expressive value of ventilator guidance.

The EVALI outbreak and tobacco sales in the USA, 2014–2020

2021 ◽  
pp. tobaccocontrol-2021-056807
Author(s):  
Alex C Liber ◽  
Zachary Cahn ◽  
Megan C Diaz ◽  
Emily Donovan ◽  
Donna Vallone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electronic Cigarettes ◽  
State Level ◽  
Product Distribution ◽  
Us States ◽  
Regulatory Policies ◽  
Tobacco Sales ◽  
Panel Regressions ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Total Sales

BackgroundThe E-cigarette, or Vaping Product-Use Associated Lung Injury (EVALI) Outbreak of 2019 hospitalised thousands and killed dozens of people in the USA and raised perceptions of the dangers posed to health by electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). These illnesses along with continued increases in youth vaping rates lead to the passage of many state and federal laws intended to curtail the sale of flavoured e-cigarettes. Little is known about the impact of these events on US e-cigarette and cigarette retail sales.MethodsUsing Nielsen Scantrack sales data from January 2014 to January 2020 for 23 US states, we evaluate the effect of the EVALI outbreak. First-differenced state-panel regressions tracking unit sales of total-level and category-level e-cigarettes and cigarette sales controlling for price, Tobacco 21 policy coverage, product distribution, seasonality, EVALI-attributable deaths, and state-level e-cigarette policies affecting the availability of e-cigarettes (non-tobacco flavoured and total) were employed.ResultsDollar sales of e-cigarettes declined 29% from their pre-EVALI peak by January 2020. Total sales of e-cigarettes declined in response to EVALI deaths and the total e-cigarette sales ban put in place in Massachusetts adopted in its wake. Cigarette sales were largely unchanged by either the direct or indirect policy effects of the EVALI outbreak, except for in Massachusetts, where cigarette sales—particularly those smoked by young people—rose temporarily after a total ban on e-cigarette sales.ConclusionSales of e-cigarettes declined in response to the EVALI outbreak and from the most restrictive regulatory policies that were adopted in response, while sales of cigarettes were affected less.

How far are we from understanding corruption? The effect of cultural distance on corruption perception

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Szymanski ◽  
Ivan Valdovinos ◽  
Evodio Kaltenecker
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Differences ◽  
International Business ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Cultural Distance ◽  
State Level ◽  
Generalized Least Squares ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Corruption Perception ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to examine the relationship between cultural distances between countries and their scores in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI), which is the most commonly used measure of corruption in international business (IB) research. Design/methodology/approach The authors applied fixed-effect (generalized least squares) statistical modeling technique to analyze 1,580 year-country observations. Findings The authors found that the CPI score is determined to a large extent by cultural distances between countries, specifically the distance to the USA and to Denmark. Research limitations/implications CPI is often used as a sole measure of state-level corruption in IB research. The results show that the measure is significantly influenced by cultural differences and hence it should be applied with great caution, preferably augmented with other measures. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to look at cultural distances as determinants of CPI score. The authors empirically test whether the CPI is culturally biased.

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