Limited Role of Bots in Spreading Vaccine-Critical Information Among Active Twitter Users in the United States: 2017–2019

Objectives. To examine the role that bots play in spreading vaccine information on Twitter by measuring exposure and engagement among active users from the United States. Methods. We sampled 53 188 US Twitter users and examined who they follow and retweet across 21 million vaccine-related tweets (January 12, 2017–December 3, 2019). Our analyses compared bots to human-operated accounts and vaccine-critical tweets to other vaccine-related tweets. Results. The median number of potential exposures to vaccine-related tweets per user was 757 (interquartile range [IQR] = 168–4435), of which 27 (IQR = 6–169) were vaccine critical, and 0 (IQR = 0–12) originated from bots. We found that 36.7% of users retweeted vaccine-related content, 4.5% retweeted vaccine-critical content, and 2.1% retweeted vaccine content from bots. Compared with other users, the 5.8% for whom vaccine-critical tweets made up most exposures more often retweeted vaccine content (62.9%; odds ratio [OR] = 2.9; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.7, 3.1), vaccine-critical content (35.0%; OR = 19.0; 95% CI = 17.3, 20.9), and bots (8.8%; OR = 5.4; 95% CI = 4.7, 6.3). Conclusions. A small proportion of vaccine-critical information that reaches active US Twitter users comes from bots.

Download Full-text

Pregnancy-related weight among immigrant and US-born mothers: The role of nativity, maternal duration of residence, and age at arrival

Women s Health ◽

10.1177/17455065211003692 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 17 ◽

pp. 174550652110036

Author(s):

Tiffany L Green ◽

Muloongo Simuzingili ◽

Mandar Bodas ◽

Hong Xue

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Weight Gain ◽

Confidence Interval ◽

Gestational Weight Gain ◽

Odds Ratio ◽

The United States ◽

Duration Of Residence ◽

Gestational Weight ◽

Excessive Gestational Weight Gain

Objectives: The goals of this study were to examine the associations between nativity and pregnancy-related weight and to assess the associations between maternal duration of residence and age at arrival in the United States on pregnancy-related weight among immigrants. Methods: Using logistic regression and data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Birth Cohort, we assessed differences in preconception weight and gestational weight gain between US-born and immigrant women (N = 7000). We then analyzed differences in both outcomes by duration of residence among immigrants (n = 1850) and examined whether the identified relationships varied by age at arrival in the United States. Results: Compared to US-born mothers, immigrants were less likely to be classified as obese prior to pregnancy (odds ratio 0.435, 95% confidence interval, 0.321–0.590) or experience excessive gestational weight gain (odds ratio 0.757, 95% confidence interval, 0.614–0.978). Among the immigrant sub-sample, living in the United States for 10–15 years (odds ratio 2.737, 95% confidence interval, 1.459–5.134) or 16+ years was positively associated with both preconception obesity (odds ratio 2.918, 95% confidence interval, 1.322–6.439) and excessive gestational weight gain (odds ratio 1.683, 95% confidence interval, 1.012–2.797, 16+ years only). There was some evidence that the duration of residence was positively associated with preconception obesity, but only among women who had moved to the United States at age 18 years and older. Conclusion: In sum, while immigrants are less likely than US-born mothers to experience preconception obesity or excessive gestational weight gain, these outcomes vary among the former group by duration of US residence.

Download Full-text

Iron Packaging Regulations in the United States and Pediatric Morbidity: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Clinical Pediatrics ◽

10.1177/0009922819901010 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 59 (4-5) ◽

pp. 375-379 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

James B. Leonard ◽

Elizabeth Quaal Hines ◽

Wendy Klein-Schwartz

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Confidence Interval ◽

Retrospective Cohort Study ◽

Odds Ratio ◽

Retrospective Cohort ◽

Early Time ◽

The United States ◽

Morbidity And Mortality ◽

Pediatric Morbidity

Iron poisoning was a leading cause of pediatric morbidity and mortality. We sought to assess whether the removal of strict iron packaging requirements in 2003 resulted in an increase in iron-related morbidity and mortality in pediatric exposures. We performed a retrospective cohort study utilizing the National Poison Data System from 2000 to 2017. A total of 4110 exposures met inclusion criteria: 847 from before (2000-2003) and 3263 after removal of unit-dose package regulations (2004-2017). The incidence of any marker of severity (7.2% vs 3.8%; odds ratio = 0.51, 95% confidence interval = 0.37-0.69) and frequency of deferoxamine use were both higher in the early time period (2.6% vs 1.0%; odds ratio = 0.38, 95% confidence interval = 0.22-0.66). There was no difference in the frequency of key serious effects (acidosis, elevated transaminases, hypotension). Despite removal of iron packaging regulations in the United States, there continues to be a decrease in the incidence of severe iron exposures in children.

Download Full-text

CHARACTERISTICS OF NONTRAUMATIC SUBARACHNOID HEMORRHAGE IN THE UNITED STATES IN 2003

Neurosurgery ◽

10.1227/01.neu.0000306090.30517.ae ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 61 (6) ◽

pp. 1131-1138 ◽

Cited By ~ 71

Author(s):

Alisa M. Shea ◽

Shelby D. Reed ◽

Lesley H. Curtis ◽

Michael J. Alexander ◽

John J. Villani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ◽

Mortality Rate ◽

Confidence Interval ◽

Hospital Mortality ◽

Odds Ratio ◽

The United States ◽

National Database ◽

Endovascular Coiling ◽

Hospital Outcomes

Abstract OBJECTIVE Substantial progress has been made in the diagnosis and treatment of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). However, studies of SAH in the United States do not include information more recent than 2001, precluding analysis of shifts in treatment methods. We examined the epidemiology and in-hospital outcomes of nontraumatic SAH in the United States. METHODS We analyzed nationally representative data from the 2003 Nationwide Inpatient Sample of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project to determine demographic and hospital characteristics, treatments, and in-hospital outcomes of patients with nontraumatic SAH. RESULTS In 2003, there were an estimated 31,476 discharges for nontraumatic SAH among patients aged 17 years or older, or 14.5 discharges per 100,000 adults. The in-hospital mortality rate was 25.3%. Microvascular clipping was performed in 7513 discharges, or 23.9% of inpatients with nontraumatic SAH; endovascular coiling was performed in 2849 discharges (9.1%). Adjusted odds of treatment with either procedure were significantly higher in urban teaching hospitals compared with urban nonteaching hospitals (odds ratio, 1.62; 95% confidence interval, 1.00–2.62) or rural hospitals (odds ratio, 3.08; 95% confidence interval, 1.93–4.91). CONCLUSION The in-hospital mortality rate associated with nontraumatic SAH continues to exceed 25%. Although it is unclear how many patients with nontraumatic SAH were actually diagnosed with a cerebral aneurysm, this study suggests that less than one-third of patients hospitalized for SAH receive surgical or endovascular treatment. Prospective studies are needed to elucidate either what systematic coding error is occurring in the national database or why patients may not receive treatment to secure a ruptured aneurysm.

Download Full-text

The role of obesity in exceptionally slow US mortality improvement

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1716802115 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 115 (5) ◽

pp. 957-961 ◽

Cited By ~ 47

Author(s):

Samuel H. Preston ◽

Yana C. Vierboom ◽

Andrew Stokes

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Confidence Interval ◽

Cox Model ◽

The United States ◽

International Standards ◽

Social Security Administration ◽

Mortality Trends ◽

Cox Models ◽

Mortality Improvement

Recent studies have described a reduction in the rate of improvement in American mortality. The pace of improvement is also slow by international standards. This paper attempts to identify the extent to which rising body mass index (BMI) is responsible for reductions in the rate of mortality improvement in the United States. The data for this study were obtained from subsequent cohorts of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III, 1988–1994; NHANES continuous, 1999–2010) and from the NHANES linked mortality files, which include follow-up into death records through December 2011. The role of BMI was estimated using Cox models comparing mortality trends in the presence and absence of adjustment for maximum lifetime BMI (Max BMI). Introducing Max BMI into a Cox model controlling for age and sex raised the annual rate of mortality decline by 0.54% (95% confidence interval 0.45–0.64%). Results were robust to the inclusion of other variables in the model, to differences in how Max BMI was measured, and to how trends were evaluated. The effect of rising Max BMI is large relative to international mortality trends and to alternative mortality futures simulated by the Social Security Administration. The increase in Max BMI over the period 1988–2011 is estimated to have reduced life expectancy at age 40 by 0.9 years in 2011 (95% confidence interval 0.7–1.1 years) and accounted for 186,000 excess deaths that year. Rising levels of BMI have prevented the United States from enjoying the full benefits of factors working to improve mortality.

Download Full-text

In-hospital mortality among adults with autism spectrum disorder in the United States: A retrospective analysis of US hospital discharge data

Autism ◽

10.1177/1362361319855795 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 177-189 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Ilhom Akobirshoev ◽

Monika Mitra ◽

Robbie Dembo ◽

Emily Lauer

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽

Confidence Interval ◽

Hospital Mortality ◽

Odds Ratio ◽

The United States ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Adults With Autism ◽

Inpatient Hospital ◽

Spectrum Disorders

A retrospective data analysis using 2004–2014 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample was conducted to examine in-hospital mortality among adults with autism spectrum disorders in the United States compared to individuals in the general population. We modeled logistic regressions to compare inpatient hospital mortality between adults with autism spectrum disorders (n = 34,237) and age-matched and sex-matched controls (n = 102,711) in a 1:3 ratio. Adults with autism spectrum disorders had higher odds for inpatient hospital mortality than controls (odds ratio = 1.44, 95% confidence interval: 1.29–1.61, p < 0.001). This risk remained high even after adjustment for age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, number of comorbidities, epilepsy and psychiatric comorbidities, hospital bed size, hospital region, and hospitalization year (odds ratio = 1.51, 95% confidence interval: 1.33–1.72, p < 0.001). Adults with autism spectrum disorders who experienced in-hospital mortality had a higher risk for having 10 out of 27 observed Elixhauser-based medical comorbidities at the time of death, including psychoses, other neurological disorders, diabetes, hypothyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis collagen vascular disease, obesity, weight loss, fluid and electrolyte disorders, deficiency anemias, and paralysis. The results from the interaction of sex and autism spectrum disorders status suggest that women with autism spectrum disorders have almost two times higher odds for in-hospital mortality (odds ratio = 1.95, p < 0.001) than men with autism spectrum disorders. The results from the stratified analysis also showed that women with autism spectrum disorders had 3.17 times higher odds (95% confidence interval: 2.50–4.01, p < 0.001) of in-hospital mortality compared to women from the non–autism spectrum disorders matched control group; this difference persisted even after adjusting for socioeconomic, clinical, and hospital characteristics (odds ratio = 2.75, 95% confidence interval: 2.09–3.64, p < 0.001). Our findings underscore the need for more research to develop better strategies for healthcare and service delivery to people with autism spectrum disorders.

Download Full-text

Increase in Suicidal Thinking During COVID-19

Clinical Psychological Science ◽

10.1177/2167702621993857 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 216770262199385

Author(s):

Rebecca G. Fortgang ◽

Shirley B. Wang ◽

Alexander J. Millner ◽

Azure Reid-Russell ◽

Anna L. Beukenhorst ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Confidence Interval ◽

Social Isolation ◽

Odds Ratio ◽

The United States ◽

Suicidal Thinking ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Monitoring Study ◽

Before And After ◽

National Emergency

There is concern that the COVID-19 pandemic may cause increased risk of suicide. In the current study, we tested whether suicidal thinking has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and whether such thinking was predicted by increased feelings of social isolation. In a sample of 55 individuals recently hospitalized for suicidal thinking or behaviors and participating in a 6-month intensive longitudinal smartphone monitoring study, we examined suicidal thinking and isolation before and after the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a national emergency in the United States. We found that suicidal thinking increased significantly among adults (odds ratio [ OR] = 4.01, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [3.28, 4.90], p < .001) but not adolescents ( OR = 0.84, 95% CI = [0.69, 1.01], p = .07) during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Increased feelings of isolation predicted suicidal thinking during the pandemic phase. Given the importance of social distancing policies, these findings support the need for digital outreach and treatment.

Download Full-text

The Role of Gender and Sensation Seeking in Film Choice

Journal of Media Psychology Theories Methods and Applications ◽

10.1027/1864-1105.20.3.97 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 97-105 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Smita C. Banerjee ◽

Kathryn Greene ◽

Marina Krcmar ◽

Zhanna Bagdasarov ◽

Dovile Ruginyte

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Sensation Seeking ◽

Negative Mood ◽

Positive Mood ◽

The United States ◽

High Arousal ◽

Subject Design ◽

Happy Mood

This study demonstrates the significance of individual difference factors, particularly gender and sensation seeking, in predicting media choice (examined through hypothetical descriptions of films that participants anticipated they would view). This study used a 2 (Positive mood/negative mood) × 2 (High arousal/low arousal) within-subject design with 544 undergraduate students recruited from a large northeastern university in the United States. Results showed that happy films and high arousal films were preferred over sad films and low-arousal films, respectively. In terms of gender differences, female viewers reported a greater preference than male viewers for happy-mood films. Also, male viewers reported a greater preference for high-arousal films compared to female viewers, and female viewers reported a greater preference for low-arousal films compared to male viewers. Finally, high sensation seekers reported a preference for high-arousal films. Implications for research design and importance of exploring media characteristics are discussed.

Download Full-text