scholarly journals Socioeconomic Status and Determinants of Pediatric Antibiotic Use

2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-41
Author(s):  
Andrew McGurn ◽  
Brittany Watchmaker ◽  
Kaavya Adam ◽  
Jeff Ni ◽  
Piotr Babinski ◽  
...  

Introduction. Evidence suggests that early-life antibiotic use can alter gut microbiome, predisposing children to obesity. The obesity epidemic has a disproportionate effect on individuals from lower socioeconomic status (SES). Thus, this study aims to explore the link between SES and antibiotic use. Design. We performed a retrospective cohort study of all babies born at and receiving 2 or more outpatient visits at a large, suburban health system in Illinois (United States) between 2007 and 2017. We collected data on zip code as a proxy for SES and antibiotic use in the first year of life. We also obtained comorbid diagnosis codes, race/ethnicity, gender, and number of inpatient, outpatient, and emergency department visits. Results. A total of 7224 patients met our study criteria. Children from low-poverty areas received a lifetime average of 4.28 prescriptions, while those from high-poverty neighborhoods received an average of 3.31 prescriptions. This was statistically significant in our unadjusted analysis but not after adjusting for covariates. Children from high-poverty areas were significantly more likely to receive more antibiotics at 48 hours, 1 week, and 1 month of life in our unadjusted analysis, but not after adjusting for covariates. In our unadjusted and adjusted analyses, children from high-poverty areas were significantly more likely to have received antibiotics at 1 week of life. Conclusion. The relationship between SES and antibiotic use warrants further investigation to help elucidate possible causes of the disproportionate impact obesity has in low-income communities.

2014 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 422-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans W. Klar ◽  
Curtis A. Brewer

Purpose – In this paper, the authors present a case study of successful school leadership at County Line Middle School. The purpose of the paper is to identify how particular leadership practices and beliefs were adapted to increase student achievement in this rural, high-poverty school in the southeastern USA. Design/methodology/approach – After purposefully selecting this school, the authors adapted interview protocols, questionnaires, and analysis frameworks from the International Successful School Principalship Project to develop a multi-perspective case study of principal leadership practices at the school. Findings – The findings illustrate the practices which led to students at this school, previously the lowest-performing in the district, achieving significantly higher on state standardized tests, getting along “like a family,” and regularly participating in service learning activities and charity events. A particularly interesting finding was how the principal confronted the school's negative self-image and adapted common leadership practices to implement a school-wide reform that suited its unique context. Research limitations/implications – While the findings of the study explicate the specific ways the principal adapted leadership strategies to enhance student learning, this study also highlights the need to understand how principals become familiar with their community's needs, cultures, norms, and values, and exercise leadership in accordance with them. Practical implications – The case offers an example of the need for context-responsive leadership in schools. In particular, it illustrates how this principal enacted leadership strategies that successfully negotiated what Woods (2006) referred to as the changing politics of the rural. To realize this success, the principal utilized his understanding of this low income, rural community to guide his leadership practices. Critically, part of this understanding included the ways the community was connected to and isolated from dominant sub-urban and urban societies, and how to build enthusiasm and capacity through appeals to local values. Originality/value – While it is widely acknowledged that school leaders need to consider their school and community contexts when making leadership decisions, less research has focussed on understanding how this can be achieved. This case provides rich examples of how this was accomplished in a rural, high-poverty middle school.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 232596712110067
Author(s):  
Lambert T. Li ◽  
Carlin Chuck ◽  
Steven L. Bokshan ◽  
Brett D. Owens

Background: Patients are commonly evaluated at the emergency department (ED) with acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears, but providers without orthopaedics training may struggle to correctly diagnose these injuries. Hypothesis: It was hypothesized that few patients would be diagnosed with an ACL tear while in the ED and that these patients would be of lower socioeconomic status and more likely to have public insurance. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: The 2017 State Ambulatory Surgery and Services Database (SASD) and State Emergency Department Database (SEDD) from the state of Florida were utilized in this study. Cases with Current Procedural Terminology code 29888 (arthroscopically aided ACL reconstruction [ACLR]) were selected from the SASD, and data from the SEDD were matched to patients who had an ED visit for a knee injury within 120 days before ACLR. Chi-square analysis was used to test for differences in patient and surgical variables between the ED visit and nonvisit patient groups. A generalized linear model was created to model the effect of ED visit on total cost for an ACL injury. Results: While controlling for differences in patient characteristics and concomitant procedure usage, a visit to the ED added $4587 in total cost ( P < .001). The ED visit cohort contained a greater proportion of patients with Medicaid (20.2% vs 9.1%), patients who were Black (18.4% vs 10.3%), and patients in the lowest income quartile (34.4% vs 25.0%) ( P < .001 for all). In the ED visit cohort, 14.4% of patients received an allograft versus 10.1% in the non-ED visit cohort ( P = .001) despite having a similar mean age. An ACL sprain was diagnosed in only 29 of the 645 (4.5%) patients who visited the ED. Conclusion: Utilizing the ED for care after an ACL injury was expensive, averaging a $4587 increase in total cost associated with ACLR. However, patients rarely left with a definitive diagnosis, with only 4.5% of patients who underwent ACLR being correctly diagnosed with an ACL tear in the ED. This additional cost was levied disproportionately on patients of low socioeconomic status and patients with Medicaid.


Author(s):  
Kayley D. McCubbin ◽  
John W. Ramatowski ◽  
Esther Buregyeya ◽  
Eleanor Hutchinson ◽  
Harparkash Kaur ◽  
...  

AbstractSince the introduction of antibiotics into mainstream health care, resistance to these drugs has become a widespread issue that continues to increase worldwide. Policy decisions to mitigate the development of antimicrobial resistance are hampered by the current lack of surveillance data on antibiotic product availability and use in low-income countries. This study collected data on the antibiotics stocked in human (42) and veterinary (21) drug shops in five sub-counties in Luwero district of Uganda. Focus group discussions with drug shop vendors were also employed to explore antibiotic use practices in the community. Focus group participants reported that farmers used human-intended antibiotics for their livestock, and community members obtain animal-intended antibiotics for their own personal human use. Specifically, chloramphenicol products licensed for human use were being administered to Ugandan poultry. Human consumption of chloramphenicol residues through local animal products represents a serious public health concern. By limiting the health sector scope of antimicrobial resistance research to either human or animal antibiotic use, results can falsely inform policy and intervention strategies. Therefore, a One Health approach is required to understand the wider impact of community antibiotic use and improve overall effectiveness of intervention policy and regulatory action.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. e048020
Author(s):  
Yinjie Zhu ◽  
Ming-Jie Duan ◽  
Hermien H. Dijk ◽  
Roel D. Freriks ◽  
Louise H. Dekker ◽  
...  

ObjectivesStudies in clinical settings showed a potential relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and lifestyle factors with COVID-19, but it is still unknown whether this holds in the general population. In this study, we investigated the associations of SES with self-reported, tested and diagnosed COVID-19 status in the general population.Design, setting, participants and outcome measuresParticipants were 49 474 men and women (46±12 years) residing in the Northern Netherlands from the Lifelines cohort study. SES indicators and lifestyle factors (i.e., smoking status, physical activity, alcohol intake, diet quality, sleep time and TV watching time) were assessed by questionnaire from the Lifelines Biobank. Self-reported, tested and diagnosed COVID-19 status was obtained from the Lifelines COVID-19 questionnaire.ResultsThere were 4711 participants who self-reported having had a COVID-19 infection, 2883 participants tested for COVID-19, and 123 positive cases were diagnosed in this study population. After adjustment for age, sex, lifestyle factors, body mass index and ethnicity, we found that participants with low education or low income were less likely to self-report a COVID-19 infection (OR [95% CI]: low education 0.78 [0.71 to 0.86]; low income 0.86 [0.79 to 0.93]) and be tested for COVID-19 (OR [95% CI]: low education 0.58 [0.52 to 0.66]; low income 0.86 [0.78 to 0.95]) compared with high education or high income groups, respectively.ConclusionOur findings suggest that the low SES group was the most vulnerable population to self-reported and tested COVID-19 status in the general population.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thiago S. Torres ◽  
Lara E. Coelho ◽  
Kelika A. Konda ◽  
E. Hamid Vega-Ramirez ◽  
Oliver A. Elorreaga ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Despite efforts to stop HIV epidemic in Latin America, new HIV cases continue to increase in the region especially among young MSM (YMSM). This study aims to assess if sociodemographic characteristics are associated with self-reported HIV positive status among YMSM from three Latin American countries. Methods Cross-sectional web-based survey advertised on dating apps (Grindr and Hornet) and Facebook in Brazil, Mexico and Peru. For this analysis, we included YMSM aged 18–24 years who self-reported their HIV status. We used multivariable logistic regression models for each country separately to verify if sociodemographic characteristics (race, education and income) were associated with HIV self-reported status after adjusting for behavior characteristics (sexual attraction and steady partner). Results Among 43,687 MSM who initiated the questionnaire, 27,318 (62.5%) reported their HIV status; 7001 (25.6%) of whom were YMSM. Most YMSM (83.4%) reported an HIV test in the past year, and 15.7% reported an HIV positive status in Peru, 8.4% in Mexico and 7.7% in Brazil. In adjusted models, low-income was associated with higher odds of self-reported HIV positive status in Brazil (aOR = 1.33, 95%CI: 1.01–1.75) and Peru (aOR = 1.56, 95%CI: 1.02–2.40), but not in Mexico. Lower education was associated with higher odds of self-reported HIV positive status only in Brazil (aOR = 1.35, 95%CI: 1.05–1.75). Conclusions In this large, cross-country study, self-reported HIV positive status among YMSM was high. Lower socioeconomic status was associated with higher odds of self-reported HIV positive status in Brazil and Peru. There is an urgent need for HIV prevention interventions targeting YMSM, and efforts to address low-income YMSM are especially needed in Peru and Brazil.


2012 ◽  
Vol 97 (Suppl 2) ◽  
pp. A12-A12
Author(s):  
M. v. Stuijvenberg ◽  
J. Stam ◽  
P. Sauer ◽  

2021 ◽  
pp. 238008442110356
Author(s):  
D.J. Gaskin ◽  
H. Zare ◽  
R. McCleary ◽  
O. Kanwar ◽  
A.L. Davis

Objective: To identify predictors of unmet dental needs for adults 18 y of age or older in the United States. Method: Using the Aday and Andersen framework and data from the 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), we ran logistic regression to estimate predictors for adults of not having a dental visit within 5 y and having lost any teeth using a national sample of 155,060 survey respondents. Results: Results showed that predisposing factors (age, race/ethnicity, gender, and educational attainment) and enabling factors (income and health insurance status) are important predictors for losing teeth due to decay or gum disease. Men, the elderly, and less educated and low-income residents were less likely to have seen a dentist within the past 5 y and more likely to have lost their permanent teeth. Compared to non-Hispanic White adults, Hispanics adults were more likely to have had a dental visit within the past 5 y. Unmet dental needs varied across states. People living in states with extensive Medicaid dental care benefit coverage were less likely to lose their teeth and more likely to have had a dental visit within the past 5 y. Conclusion: Efforts to improve oral health should address unmet dental needs of men and adults with low socioeconomic status. Studying the variation between state oral health care programs could further our understanding of how public policy can improve population oral health. Knowledge Transfer Statement: Men, non-Hispanic Blacks, mixed and other race minorities, and low socioeconomic status adults are most at risk of unmet dental needs. States can address these needs by expanding Medicaid coverage for adults.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. e757
Author(s):  
Andrea Ines Ciplea ◽  
Annette Langer-Gould ◽  
Anna Stahl ◽  
Sandra Thiel ◽  
Annette Queisser-Wahrendorf ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo determine whether potential breast milk exposure to interferon-beta (IFN-β) or glatiramer acetate (GA) is safe for the infant.MethodsWe identified 74 infants born to 69 women with MS who breastfed under IFN-β (n = 39), GA (n = 34), or both (n = 1). Women had been enrolled into the German Multiple Sclerosis and Pregnancy Registry during pregnancy. Data were obtained from standardized, telephone-administered questionnaires completed by the mother during pregnancy and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postpartum and the infant's take-home medical record.ResultsThe median duration of exposed breastfeeding was 8.5 months (wide interquartile range: 4.9–12.7 months). Physical growth curves during the first year of life were consistent with national, sex-specific growth curves. Median body measurements were consistent with national medians. Most children (n = 71, 96%) had normal motor and language development. Gross motor delay was reported in 3 children, of whom 1 remained delayed at last follow-up (3.9 years old) and 2 were normal by 0.9 and 4.1 years old. The proportion of children hospitalized at least once (girls n = 2, 7%, and boys n = 6, 14%) and the proportion of children with at least one episode of systemic antibiotic use during the first year of life (girls n = 7, 23%, and boys n = 8, 18%) are consistent with national averages.ConclusionPotential breast milk exposure to IFN-β or GA did not increase the risk of common adverse infant outcomes in the first year of life. Taken together with the benefits of breastfeeding and low biological plausibility of risk, women with MS who wish to resume IFN-β or GA postpartum can be encouraged to breastfeed.


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