Ivermectin and the odds of hospitalization due to COVID-19: evidence from a quasi-experimental analysis based on a public intervention in Mexico City

ObjectiveTo measure the effect of Mexico City’s population-level intervention –an ivermectin-based Medical Kit – – in hospitalizations during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsA quasi-experimental research design with a Coarsened Exact Matching method using administrative data from hospitals and phone-call monitoring. We estimated logistic-regression models with matched observations adjusting by age, sex, COVID severity, and comorbidities. For robustness checks separated the effect of the kit from phone medical monitoring; changed the comparison period; and subsetted the sample by hospitalization occupancy,ResultsWe found a significant reduction in hospitalizations among patients who received the ivermectin-based medical kit; the range of the effect is 52%- 76% depending on model specification.ConclusionsThe study supports ivermectin-based interventions to assuage the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health system.

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Physician-related predictors of referral for multidisciplinary paediatric obesity management: a population-based study

Family Practice ◽

10.1093/fampra/cmab019 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Nicole D Gehring ◽

Maryam Kebbe ◽

Sarah Rathwell ◽

Arnaldo Perez ◽

Chenhui Peng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Management Strategies ◽

Family Physicians ◽

Population Level ◽

Population Based ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Obesity Management ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

Physician Characteristics ◽

Paediatric Obesity ◽

Multivariable Regression

Abstract Background It is recommended that primary care-based physicians refer children with overweight and obesity to multidisciplinary paediatric obesity management, which can help to improve weight and health. Objective To determine predictors of referral to multidisciplinary paediatric obesity management. Methods This retrospective, population-level study included physicians who could refer 2–17 years old with a body mass index ≥85th percentile to one of three multidisciplinary paediatric obesity management clinics in Alberta, Canada. Physician demographic and procedural data were obtained from Practitioner Claims and Provider Registry maintained by Alberta Health from January 2014 to December 2017. Physician characteristics were compared based on whether they did or did not refer children for obesity management. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models analysed associations between physician characteristics and referral making. Results Of the 3863 physicians (3468 family physicians, 395 paediatricians; 56% male; 49.3 ± 12.2 years old; 22.3 ± 12.6 years since graduation) practicing during the study period, 1358 (35.2%) referred at least one child for multidisciplinary paediatric obesity management. Multivariable regression revealed that female physicians (versus males) [odds ratio (OR): 1.68, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.46–1.93; P < 0.0001], paediatricians (versus family physicians) (OR: 4.89, 95% CI: 3.85–6.21; P < 0.0001) and urban-based physicians (versus non-urban-based physicians) (OR: 2.17, 95% CI: 1.79–2.65; P < 0.0001) were more likely to refer children for multidisciplinary paediatric obesity management. Conclusions Approximately one-third of family physicians and paediatricians referred children for multidisciplinary paediatric obesity management. Strategies are needed to improve referral practices for managing paediatric obesity, especially among male physicians, family physicians and non-urban-based physicians as they were less likely to refer children.

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Population-level effects of diet, lifestyle, and health environment on obesity and non-communicable diseases in India

10.21203/rs.2.16683/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Kuhu Joshi ◽

Devesh Roy ◽

Lora Iannotti ◽

Aishwarya Nagar ◽

Avinash Kishore

Keyword(s):

Urban Areas ◽

Population Level ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Lifestyle Changes ◽

Exact Matching ◽

Rapid Urbanization ◽

Rural And Urban Areas ◽

Rural And Urban ◽

Linear Probability ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background: Obesity is rising in developing countries like India and is associated with an increase in cardiometabolic problems. Rising incomes, rapid urbanization, and mechanization have induced lifestyle changes like consumption of more obesogenic foods and sedentary habits at work and leisure, contributing to a transition from under- to over-nutrition. This study maps the prevalence of adult (15-49 years) overweight and obesity across regions and socioeconomic groups in India, and estimates its association with lifestyle, health environment, dietary patterns, diabetes, and hypertension.Methods: We employ a combination of 3 latest nationally representative datasets with over 700,000 adults. We use a linear probability regression model to identify the correlates of overweight/obesity and their relative magnitudes. We use intra-household regression to identify differences between men and women and coarsened exact matching to causally estimate the impact of obesity on diabetes and hypertension.Results: Overweight/obesity rates have increased across all states, in rural and urban areas, and for all wealth levels. Women are more likely to be overweight/obese than men, even in the same household. Improved health environment (toilets, piped water, clean cooking fuel), urban jobs, television watching, and processed snacks increase the risk of overweight/obesity. Adults who are overweight/obese have a 5.6% higher risk of diabetes and a 9.7% higher risk of hypertension.Conclusions: Our results underscore the need for policy intervention to reduce the burden of obesity and NCD’s in India.

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Predictors of modern contraceptive use among women and men in Uganda: a population-level analysis

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-034675 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. e034675 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Amrita Namasivayam ◽

Sarah Lovell ◽

Sarah Namutamba ◽

Philip J Schluter

Keyword(s):

Family Planning ◽

Contraceptive Use ◽

Unmet Need ◽

Secondary Data ◽

Population Level ◽

Modern Contraceptive ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

Modern Contraceptive Use

Objective(s)Despite substantial and rapid improvements in contraceptive uptake in Uganda, many women continue to have unmet need for contraception. As factors affecting contraceptive use are dynamic and complex, this study seeks to identify current predictors and provide effect size estimates of contraceptive use among women and men in Uganda.Study designA nationally representative cross-sectional population survey, using secondary data from Uganda’s 2016 Demographic and Health Survey. Stratified by sex, weighted bivariable and multivariable logistic regression models were derived from a suite of potential predictor variables. Predictive abilities were assessed via 10-fold cross-validated area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs).SettingUganda.ParticipantsAll women aged 15–49 years who were permanent residents of the selected households or stayed in the household the night before the survey were eligible to participate. In one-third of the sampled households, all men aged 15–54 years who met the same residence criteria were also eligible.Primary outcome measuresModern contraceptive use.ResultsOverall, 4914 (26.6%) women and 1897 (35.6%) men reported using a modern contraceptive method. For women and men, both demographic and proximate variables were significantly associated with contraceptive use, although notable differences in effect sizes existed between sexes—especially for age, level of education and parity. Predictively, the multivariable model was acceptable for women with AUC=0.714 (95% CI 0.704 to 0.720) but less so for men with AUC=0.654 (95% CI 0.636 to 0.666).Conclusion(s)Contemporary significant predictors of contraceptive use among women and men were reported, thereby enabling key Ugandan subpopulations who would benefit from more targeted family planning initiatives to be identified. However, the acceptable AUC for women and modest AUC for men suggest that other important unmeasured predictors may exist. Nonetheless, these evidence-based findings remain important for informing future programmatic and policy directions for family planning in Uganda.

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Gender and Public Organization: A Quasi-Experimental Examination of Inclusion on Experiencing and Reporting Wrongful Behavior in the Workplace

Public Personnel Management ◽

10.1177/0091026019836196 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 49 (1) ◽

pp. 3-28 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Helen H. Yu ◽

David Lee

Keyword(s):

Organizational Culture ◽

Sexual Harassment ◽

Federal Law ◽

Exact Matching ◽

Data Set ◽

Sexual Discrimination ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Values And Beliefs ◽

Quasi Experimental ◽

Female Officers

Most public organizations share values and beliefs and socially constructed patterns of action that guide the behavior of their employees, resulting in their unique organizational culture. Existing literature on police organizations describes an unmistakable culture that celebrates masculine values and a social structure that exists purposely and specifically to repress female officers. Using a survey data set of 1,114 female federal law enforcement officers, this research employs coarsened exact matching to examine perceived inclusion and its effects on women experiencing disrespect by male colleagues and incidences of sexual harassment and sexual discrimination. In addition, reporting behavior is captured for female officers who experience wrongful conduct. The study finds that women who report working in an inclusive organizational culture are less likely to experience pervasive negative attitudes from their male colleagues or occurrences of sexual harassment and sexual discrimination. However, the existence of an inclusive organizational culture did not show a significant difference in reporting sexual harassment or sexual discrimination if women experienced such wrongful behavior.

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0863 Age-categorized Trends In Self-reported Sleep Duration For The Non-institutionalized U.s. Civilian Population From 2004-2013: Considerations Of Racial/ethnic Variations

SLEEP ◽

10.1093/sleep/zsaa056.859 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 43 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. A329-A329

Author(s):

M Christina ◽

O M Bubu ◽

T Donley ◽

J Blanc ◽

E Oji ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sleep Duration ◽

Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽

Population Level ◽

Racial Categories ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

Short Sleep ◽

Using Data ◽

Study Participants ◽

Ethnic Variations ◽

Racial Ethnic

Abstract Introduction We examined age-categorized trends in self-reported sleep duration using data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) 2004-2013 and explored how these trends may vary based on individuals’ race/ethnicity. Methods Study participants were aged 18-85 (N=258,158). Sleep duration within a 24-hour period on average was categorized as ≤ 6hrs (short-sleep), 7-8 hours (adequate-sleep), and ≥ 9hrs (long-sleep). Age was categorized as 18 - <26, 26 - <65 and 65 - 85. Racial categories included non-Hispanic Whites (NHW), Blacks/African Americans (AAs) and Hispanics. Adjusted multinomial logistic regression models examined trends in self-reported sleep duration across age-categories and assessed race/ethnic differences in these trends. Results Mean sleep duration (hrs.) across all years was 7.4, 7.0, and 7.5, for ages 18 - <26, 26 - <65 and 65 - 85, respectively and was relatively stable from 2004-2013. However, compared to individuals ages 18 - <26, those categorized as ages 26 - <65 were 55% more likely to be short sleepers while those ages 65 - 85 were 20% less likely to be short sleepers (P < .001 for all). Mean sleep duration was 7.2hrs, for NHW and 7.1hrs for AAs and Hispanics, and showed increasing trend toward short sleep beginning in 2007 through 2013 (P <.01 for trend). In the age 18 - <26 category, compared to whites, blacks and Hispanics were 35% and 29% more likely to be short sleepers, respectively. In the age 26 - <65 category, compared to whites, blacks and Hispanics were 35% and 21% more likely to be short sleepers, respectively. In the age 65 - 85 category, compared to whites, blacks were 19% more likely to be short sleepers (P < .001 for all). Conclusion Continued surveillance of population-level sleep trends among minority populations is essential as growing race/ethnic (age specific) disparities in self-reported sleep duration may have consequences for racial/ethnic health disparities. Support NIH/NIA/NHLBI (L30-AG064670, CIRAD P30AG059303 Pilot, T32HL129953, R01AG056531, R25HL105444, R25NS094093, K07AG05268503, R01HL142066, K23HL125939)

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A novel approach to assessing memory at the population level: vulnerability to semantic interference

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610209991657 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 22 (5) ◽

pp. 785-794 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Beth E. Snitz ◽

David A. Loewenstein ◽

Chung-Chou H. Chang ◽

Ching-Wen Lee ◽

Joni Vander Bilt ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Reading Ability ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

Community Setting ◽

Population Level ◽

Female Gender ◽

Semantic Interference ◽

Clinical Dementia Rating ◽

Everyday Functioning ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

Interference Test

ABSTRACTBackground: There is increasing interest in identifying novel cognitive paradigms to help detect preclinical dementia. Promising results have been found in clinical settings using the Semantic Interference Test (SIT), a modification of an existing episodic memory test (Fuld Object Memory Evaluation) that exploits vulnerability to semantic interference in Alzheimer's disease. It is not yet known how broadly this work will generalize to the community at large.Methods: Participants aged ≥65 years from the Monongahela-Youghiogheny Healthy Aging Team (MYHAT) were administered the SIT at study entry. Independent of neuropsychological assessment, participants were rated on the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale, based on reported loss of cognitively driven everyday functioning. In individuals free of dementia (CDR <1), the concurrent validity of the SIT was assessed by determining its association with CDR using multiple logistic regression models, with CDR 0 (no dementia) vs. 0.5 (possible dementia) as the outcome and the SIT test variables as predictors.Results: Poorer performance on all SIT variables but one was associated with higher CDR reflecting possible dementia (Odds Ratios 2.24–4.79). Younger age and female gender also conferred a performance advantage. Years of education and reading ability (a proxy for quality of education) evidenced a very weak association with SIT performance.Conclusions: The SIT shows promise as a valid, novel measure to identify early preclinical dementia in a community setting. It has potential utility for assessment of persons who may be illiterate or of low education. Finally, we provide normative SIT data stratified by age which may be utilized by clinicians or researchers in future investigations.

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Testing the Effectiveness of Enhanced Alcohol Warning Labels and Modifications Resulting From Alcohol Industry Interference in Yukon, Canada: Protocol for a Quasi-Experimental Study

JMIR Research Protocols ◽

10.2196/16320 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. e16320 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Kate Vallance ◽

Timothy Stockwell ◽

David Hammond ◽

Simran Shokar ◽

Nour Schoueri-Mychasiw ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Experimental Study ◽

Study Design ◽

Real World ◽

Local Governments ◽

Public Awareness ◽

Population Level ◽

Warning Labels ◽

Intervention Site ◽

Alcohol Industry ◽

Quasi Experimental

Background Alcohol warning labels are a promising, well-targeted strategy to increase public awareness of alcohol-related health risks and support more informed and safer use. However, evidence of their effectiveness in real-world settings remains limited and inconclusive. Objective This paper presents a protocol for a real-world study examining the population-level impact of enhanced alcohol warning labels with a cancer message; national drinking guidelines; and standard drink information on attention, processing, and alcohol-related behaviors among consumers in Canada. Postimplementation modifications to the original protocol due to interference by national alcohol industry representatives are also described. Methods This quasi-experimental study involved partnering with local governments in two northern Canadian territories already applying alcohol warning labels on alcohol containers for sale in liquor stores. The study tested an 8-month intervention consisting of three new enhanced, rotating alcohol warning labels in an intervention site (Whitehorse, Yukon) relative to a comparison site (Yellowknife, Northwest Territories) where labelling practices would remain unchanged. Pre-post surveys were conducted at both sites to measure changes in awareness and processing of label messages, alcohol-related knowledge, and behaviors. Liquor store transaction data were collected from both sites to assess changes in population-level alcohol consumption. The intervention was successfully implemented for 1 month before it was halted due to complaints from the alcohol industry. The government of the intervention site allowed the study to proceed after a 2-month pause, on the condition that the cancer warning label was removed from rotation. Modifications to the protocol included applying the two remaining enhanced labels for the balance of the intervention and adding a third wave of surveys during the 2-month pause to capture any impact of the cancer label. Results This study protocol describes a real-world quasi-experimental study that aimed to test the effectiveness of new enhanced alcohol warning labels as a tool to support consumers in making more informed and safer alcohol choices. Alcohol industry interference shortly after implementation compromised both the intervention and the original study design; however, the study design was modified to enable completion of three waves of surveys with cohort participants (n=2049) and meet the study aims. Conclusions Findings from this study will directly inform alcohol labelling policies in Canada and internationally and provide further insight into the alcohol industry’s attempts to disrupt research in this area. Additional unimpeded real-world evaluations of enhanced alcohol warning labels are recommended. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR1-10.2196/16320

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Impact of Safe@Home on Placement and Permanency Outcomes: Results of a quasi-experimental study

10.31219/osf.io/4pkdm ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sarah Kaye ◽

Lucia Miranda Reyes

Keyword(s):

Experimental Study ◽

Home Care ◽

Exact Matching ◽

Clark County ◽

Permanency Outcomes ◽

Historical Comparison ◽

Out Of Home Care ◽

Quasi Experimental ◽

Case Closure ◽

Home Placement

The purpose of this study was to rigorously test the effectiveness of Safe@Home, an in-home parent skill-based intervention implemented in Clark County, Nevada. Safe@Home is designed to prevent out-of-home placement for children at imminent risk of placement (Placement Prevention population) and minimize time in out-of-home care for children already in foster care (Reunification population). This paper presents a retrospective, longitudinal, quasi-experimental study that examined placement and permanency outcomes of Safe@Home. Using Coarsened Exact Matching (CEM), children who received Safe@Home were matched to a historical comparison group of children served before Safe@Home was available in their community. All children in the study were determined by Clark County Department of Family Services to be unsafe and in need of immediate intervention. Children were matched based on age, race/ethnicity, previous in-home or out-of-home child welfare case, and safety threats Matched study samples demonstrated strong baseline equivalence. Children who received Safe@Home experienced a significantly lower rate of out-of-home placements, substantially higher rate of permanency with a parent, fewer days in out-of-home care, and shorter time to case closure. There was no effect of Safe@Home on post-permanency outcomes of maltreatment after case closure and re-entry. Large favorable placement prevention effects were sustained for 12 months after the end of Safe@Home.

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The power of linked data: Evaluating diverse multi-program projects designed to reduce welfare dependence

International Journal for Population Data Science ◽

10.23889/ijpds.v3i5.1079 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 3 (5) ◽

Author(s):

Jenny Povey ◽

Janeen Baxter ◽

Christopher Ambrey ◽

Guyonne Kalb ◽

David Ribar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Administrative Data ◽

Vulnerable Groups ◽

Social Characteristics ◽

Exact Matching ◽

Social Interventions ◽

Lack Of Information ◽

Key Characteristics ◽

Quasi Experimental ◽

Welfare Dependence ◽

Program Characteristics

This presentation showcases the innovative use of linked government administrative data in Australia to evaluate a range of diverse social interventions aimed at supporting vulnerable groups to achieve economic independence. The interventions were developed and funded as part of the Australian Priority Investment Approach to Welfare, an approach supported by actuarial analyses of administrative data designed to deliver targeted support for groups at-risk of long-term welfare dependence. In 2018, the Australian Government, commissioned an impact evaluation to assess the effectiveness of the approach in achieving its intended outcomes. The evaluation is based on analyses of linked administrative data to assess the extent to which the new interventions enabled pathways out of welfare dependence. Our presentation will outline the strengths and weaknesses of using government administrative data to evaluate the outcomes. Strengths include easy comparison across diverse programs designed to achieve the same goals; reduced respondent reporting burdens; robust quasi-experimental techniques such as a matching design based on exact matching on a few key characteristics and/or propensity score matching on a broad range of pre-program characteristics; and evidence-based investment practice decisions. Weaknesses include the adoption of an observational rather than experimental design and the lack of information on some social characteristics such as orientations to work, attitudes and social values. The presentation not only assesses the compilation of administrative data used for the first time to evaluate multi-program projects, it will also describe how these data feed into visual interactive dashboards used to monitor the outcomes of the interventions.

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Assessment of the Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on population level interest in Skincare: Evidence from a google trends-based Infodemiology study

10.1101/2020.11.16.20232868 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hasan Symum ◽

Md. F. Islam ◽

Habsa K. Hiya ◽

Kh M. Ali Sagor

Keyword(s):

Time Series ◽

Moving Average ◽

Arima Model ◽

Population Level ◽

Interrupted Time Series ◽

Interrupted Time Series Analysis ◽

Search Volume ◽

Quasi Experimental ◽

Relative Search Volume ◽

The Impact

AbstractBackgroundCOVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented disruption of daily life including the pattern of skin related treatments in healthcare settings by issuing stay-at-home orders and newly coronaphobia around the world.ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate whether there are any significant changes in population interest for skincare during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsFor the skincare, weekly RSV data were extracted for worldwide and 23 counties between August 1, 2016, and August 31, 2020. Interrupted time-series analysis was conducted as the quasi-experimental approach to evaluate the longitudinal effects of COVID-19 skincare related search queries. For each country, autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model relative search volume (RSV) time series and then testing multiple periods simultaneously to examine the magnitude of the interruption. Multivariate linear regression was used to estimate the correlation between countries’ relative changes in RSV with COVID-19 confirmed cases/ per 10000 patients and lockdown measures.ResultsOut of 23 included countries in our study, 17 showed significantly increased (p<0.01) RSVs during the lockdown period compared with the ARIMA forecasted data. The highest percentage of increments occurs in May and June 2020 in most countries. There was also a significant correlation between lockdown measures and the number of COVID-19 cases with relatives changes in population interests for skincare.ConclusionUnderstanding the trend and changes in skincare public interest during COVID-19 may assist health authorities to promote accessible educational information and preventive initiatives regarding skin problems.

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