scholarly journals Geographic disparities and socio-demographic predictors of pertussis risk in Florida

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11902
Author(s):  
Corinne B. Tandy ◽  
Agricola Odoi
Keyword(s):  
Resource Allocation ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Geographic Distribution ◽  
Temporal Changes ◽  
County Level ◽  
Spatial Clusters ◽  
Geographic Disparities ◽  
Demographic Predictors ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Over Time

Background Pertussis is a toxin-mediated respiratory illness caused by Bordetella pertussis that can result in severe complications and death, particularly in infants. Between 2008 and 2011, children less than 3 months old accounted for 83% of the pertussis deaths in the United States. Understanding the geographic disparities in the distribution of pertussis risk and identifying high risk geographic areas is necessary for guiding resource allocation and public health control strategies. Therefore, this study investigated geographic disparities and temporal changes in pertussis risk in Florida from 2010 to 2018. It also investigated socioeconomic and demographic predictors of the identified disparities. Methods Pertussis data covering the time period 2010–2018 were obtained from Florida HealthCHARTS web interface. Spatial patterns and temporal changes in geographic distribution of pertussis risk were assessed using county-level choropleth maps for the time periods 2010–2012, 2013–2015, 2016–2018 and 2010–2018. Tango’s flexible spatial scan statistics were used to identify high-risk spatial clusters which were displayed in maps. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was used to identify significant predictors of county-level risk. Residuals of the OLS model were assessed for model assumptions including spatial autocorrelation. Results County-level pertussis risk varied from 0 to 116.31 cases per 100,000 people during the study period. A total of 11 significant (p < 0.05) spatial clusters were identified with risk ratios ranging from 1.5 to 5.8. Geographic distribution remained relatively consistent over time with areas of high risk persisting in the western panhandle, northeastern coast, and along the western coast. Although county level pertussis risks generally increased from 2010–2012 to 2013–2015, risk tended to be lower during the 2016–2018 time period. Significant predictors of county-level pertussis risk were rurality, percentage of females, and median income. Counties with high pertussis risk tended to be rural (p = 0.021), those with high median incomes (p = 0.039), and those with high percentages of females (p < 0.001). Conclusion There is evidence that geographic disparities exist and have persisted over time in Florida. This study highlights the application and importance of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology and spatial statistical/epidemiological tools in identifying areas of highest disease risk so as to guide resource allocation to reduce health disparities and improve health for all.

scholarly journals Federal Crop Insurance and the Disincentive to Adapt to Extreme Heat

2015 ◽  
Vol 105 (5) ◽  
pp. 262-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis Annan ◽  
Wolfram Schlenker
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Crop Insurance ◽  
The United States ◽  
Extreme Heat ◽  
County Level ◽  
Significant Progress ◽  
Insurance Program ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Potential Losses ◽  
Over Time

Despite significant progress in average yields, the sensitivity of corn and soybean yields to extreme heat has remained relatively constant over time. We combine county-level corn and soybeans yields in the United States from 1989-2013 with the fraction of the planting area that is insured under the federal crop insurance program, which expanded greatly over this time period as premium subsidies increased from 20 percent to 60 percent. Insured corn and soybeans are significantly more sensitive to extreme heat that uninsured crops. Insured farmers do not have the incentive to engage in costly adaptation as insurance compensates them for potential losses.

scholarly journals Geographic disparities and temporal changes of diabetes prevalence and diabetes self-management education program participation in Florida

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0254579
Author(s):  
Md Marufuzzaman Khan ◽  
Shamarial Roberson ◽  
Keshia Reid ◽  
Melissa Jordan ◽  
Agricola Odoi
Keyword(s):  
Geographic Distribution ◽  
Management Education ◽  
Scan Statistics ◽  
Diabetes Prevalence ◽  
Self Management ◽  
County Level ◽  
Participation Rates ◽  
Geographic Disparities ◽  
Central Florida ◽  
Diabetes Outcomes

Background Although Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) programs are recommended to help reduce the burden of diabetes and diabetes-related complications, Florida is one of the states with the lowest DSME participation rates. Moreover, there is evidence of geographic disparities of not only DSME participation rates but the burden of diabetes as well. Understanding these disparities is critical for guiding control programs geared at improving participation rates and diabetes outcomes. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to: (a) investigate geographic disparities of diabetes prevalence and DSME participation rates; and (b) identify predictors of the observed disparities in DSME participation rates. Methods Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data for 2007 and 2010 were obtained from the Florida Department of Health. Age-adjusted diabetes prevalence and DSME participation rates were computed at the county level and their geographic distributions visualized using choropleth maps. Significant changes in diabetes prevalence and DSME participation rates between 2007 and 2010 were assessed and counties showing significant changes were mapped. Clusters of high diabetes prevalence before and after adjusting for common risk factors and DSME participation rates were identified, using Tango’s flexible spatial scan statistics, and their geographic distribution displayed in maps. Determinants of the geographic distribution of DSME participation rates and predictors of the identified high rate clusters were identified using ordinary least squares and logistic regression models, respectively. Results County level age-adjusted diabetes prevalence varied from 4.7% to 17.8% while DSME participation rates varied from 26.6% to 81.2%. There were significant (p≤0.05) increases in both overall age-adjusted diabetes prevalence and DSME participation rates from 2007 to 2010 with diabetes prevalence increasing from 7.7% in 2007 to 8.6% in 2010 while DSME participation rates increased from 51.4% in 2007 to 55.1% in 2010. Generally, DSME participation rates decreased in rural areas while they increased in urban areas. High prevalence clusters of diabetes (both adjusted and unadjusted) were identified in northern and central Florida, while clusters of high DSME participation rates were identified in central Florida. Rural counties and those with high proportion of Hispanics tended to have low DSME participation rates. Conclusions The findings confirm that geographic disparities in both diabetes prevalence and DSME participation rates exist. Specific attention is required to address these disparities especially in areas that have high diabetes prevalence but low DSME participation rates. Study findings are useful for guiding resource allocation geared at reducing disparities and improving diabetes outcomes.

scholarly journals State- and County-Level COVID-19 Public Health Orders in California: Constructing a Dataset and Describing Their Timing, Content, and Stricture

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy D. Goldhaber-Fiebert ◽  
Alexander F. Holsinger ◽  
Erin Holsinger ◽  
Elizabeth Long
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Search Strategy ◽  
Initial Assessment ◽  
County Level ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Rate Of Increase ◽  
Pharmaceutical Interventions ◽  
Over Time

AbstractWithout vaccines, non-pharmaceutical interventions have been the most widely used approach to controlling the spread of COVID-19 epidemics. Various jurisdictions have implemented public health orders as a means of reducing effective contacts and controlling their local epidemics. Multiple studies have examined the effectiveness of various orders (e.g. use of face masks) for epidemic control. However, orders occur at different timings across jurisdictions and some orders on the same topic are stricter than others. We constructed a county-level longitudinal data set of more than 1,700 public health orders issues by California and its 58 counties pertaining to its 40 million residents. First, we describe methods used to construct the dataset that enables the characterization of the evolution over time of California state- and county-level public health orders dealing with COVID-19 from January 1, 2020 through November 30, 2020. Public health orders are both an interesting and important outcome in their own right and also a key input into analyses looking at how such orders may impact COVID-19 epidemics. To construct the dataset, we developed and executed a search strategy to identify COVID-19 public health orders over this time period for all relevant jurisdictions. We characterized each identified public health order in terms of the timing of when it was announced, went into effect and (potentially) expired. We also adapted an existing schema to describe the topic(s) each public health order dealt with and the level of stricture each imposed, applying it to all identified orders. Finally, as an initial assessment, we examined the patterns of public health orders within and across counties, focusing on the timing of orders, the rate of increase and decrease in stricture, and on variation and convergence of orders within regions.

scholarly journals Transmission of COVID-19 in the state of Georgia, United States: Spatiotemporal variation and impact of social distancing

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuke Wang ◽  
Casey Siesel ◽  
Yangping Chen ◽  
Ben Lopman ◽  
Laura Edison ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Reproduction Number ◽  
The State ◽  
County Level ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Serial Interval ◽  
June July ◽  
And Control ◽  
Over Time

SummaryBackgroundBeginning in early February 2020, COVID-19 spread across the state of Georgia, leading to 258,354 cumulative cases as of August 25, 2020. The time scale of spreading (i.e., serial interval) and magnitude of spreading (i.e., Rt or reproduction number) for COVID-19, were observed to be heterogenous by demographic characteristics, region and time period. In this study, we examined the COVID-19 transmission in the state of Georgia, United States.MethodsDuring February 1 to July 13, 2020, we identified 4080 transmission pairs using contact information from reports of COVID-19 cases from the Georgia Department of Public Health. We examined how various transmission characteristics were affected by disease symptoms, demographics (age, gender, and race), and time period (during shelter-in-place and after reopening). In addition, we estimated the time course of reproduction numbers during early February–mid-June for all 159 counties in the state of Georgia, using a total of 118,491 reported COVID-19 cases.FindingsOver this period, the serial interval appeared to decrease from 5.97 days in February–April to 4.40 days in June–July. With regard to age, transmission was assortative and patterns of transmission changed over time. COVID-19 mainly spread from adults to all age groups; transmission among and between children and the elderly was found less frequently. Younger adults (20– 50 years old) were involved in the majority of transmissions occurring during or after reopening subsequent to the shelter-in-place period. By mid-July, two waves of COVID-19 transmission were apparent, separated by the shelter-in-place period in the state of Georgia. Counties around major cities and along interstate highways had more intense transmission.InterpretationThe transmission of COVID-19 in the state of Georgia had been heterogeneous by area and changed over time. The shelter-in-place was not long enough to sufficiently suppress COVID-19 transmission in densely populated urban areas connected by major transportation links. Studying local transmission patterns may help in predicting and guiding states in prevention and control of COVID-19 according to population and region.FundingEmory COVID-19 Response Collaborative.Research in contextEvidence before this studyThe ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused 37,109,581 cases and 1,070,355 deaths worldwide as of October 11, 2020. We searched PubMed for articles published on and before October 11, 2020 using keywords “novel coronavirus”, “SARS–nCoV–2”, “COVID-19”, “transmission”, “serial interval”, “reproduction number”, and “shelter-in-place”. Few published studies have estimated the serial interval but no study was found that examined the time-varying serial interval. Few studies have examined the transmission patterns between groups with different characteristics. And no study has examined the timevarying reproduction number for COVID-19 and impact of shelter-in-place order at the county level in the United States.Added value of this studyTo our knowledge, this is the first study showing the multiple aspects of COVID-19 transmission, including serial interval, transmission patterns between age, gender, or race groups, and spatiotemporal patterns, based on data from 118,491 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 4080 tracked pairs of infector and infectee. We found that during February–July the serial interval for symptom onset shortened, and the major contribution to the spread of COVID-19 shifted to younger ages (from 40–70 years old in February–April to 20–50 years old in June–July). We also found three to four weeks of the shelter-in-place slowed transmission but was insufficient to prevent transmission into urban and peri-urban counties connected with major transportation.Implications of all the available evidenceThe contracting serial intervals and increasing spread by younger generation show the COVID-19 transmission at county level changes over time. The spatiotemporal patterns of transmission in county level further provide important evidence to guide effective COVID-19 prevention and control measures (e.g., shelter-in-place) in different areas.

Systems change for suicide prevention among adolescents: a rural Wisconsin county approach

2020 ◽  
pp. injuryprev-2019-043525
Author(s):  
Sara Kohlbeck ◽  
Nicole Fumo ◽  
Stephen Hargarten
Keyword(s):  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
Systems Change ◽  
Risk Behaviour ◽  
County Level ◽  
The Past ◽  
Behavioural Health ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Over Time ◽  
State Suicide Rate

BackgroundSuicide is the tenth leading cause of death in Wisconsin. Between the years 2012 and 2016, rural counties in Wisconsin had statistically significantly higher rates of suicide than urban counties. Counties in northern and western Wisconsin have some of the highest rates of suicide, with several counties having rates nearly double the state suicide rate for the same time period.Study aimThis study investigates the utility of a systems-level, primary prevention suicide prevention strategy in reducing suicide in a rural Wisconsin county. This project focuses upstream to promote behavioural health resiliency and decrease risk factors for suicide.ResultsCounty-level suicide rates decreased over time. Youth Risk Behaviour Survey results demonstrate that the percentage of students in the high school who report that they have an adult in the school to turn to for support increased by 11%. In addition, the number of students reporting a suicide attempt over the past 12 months decreased from 8.4% to 7.2%. Trust among project partners remained above 75% across the three survey timepoints, and the results demonstrated that power became more equally dispersed over time. There was an increase in community knowledge in where to go for help in an emotional crisis.DiscussionSystems change to prevent suicide is a complex undertaking but can affect change at the county level. In our study county, we learnt that a strong implementation body (our Partnership Council) and buy-in from key partners is essential in creating change at the systems level.

High-Risk Youth Behaviors Decreasing Over Time

2008 ◽  
Vol 42 (7) ◽  
pp. 26-27
Author(s):  
MARY ELLEN SCHNEIDER
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
High Risk Youth ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Youth Behaviors

Industry Specialization by Auditors

1999 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris E. Hogan ◽  
Debra C. Jeter
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Market Share ◽  
Scale Economies ◽  
The Other ◽  
Industry Specialization ◽  
Audit Market ◽  
Audit Firms ◽  
Regulated Industries ◽  
Concentration Levels ◽  
Over Time

Dramatic changes in recent years in the audit market suggest the timeliness of an investigation of trends in auditor concentration and an extension of prior research (e.g., Danos and Eichenseher 1982). In recent press, large audit firms have claimed that specialization is a goal of increasing importance. Peat Marwick, for example, has restructured along industry lines, claiming to be recruiting professionals for national teams of multidisciplinary experts organized to “focus on the same industry to serve clients optimally.” On the other hand, litigation concerns might prompt auditors to diversify their risks by diversifying their clientele. In this study, we examine trends in industry specialization from 1976 to 1993 and the industry factors which may affect specialization; whether market share increases are greater for audit firms classified as specialists; and whether the nation's largest audit firms have increased their market share in the industries which they have identified as their focus industries. We find evidence that concentration levels have increased over this period, consistent with the claims of the large audit firms. We find that auditor concentration levels are higher in regulated industries, in more concentrated industries and in industries experiencing rapid growth, but lower in industries with a high risk of litigation. Levels of concentration have increased over time in nonregulated industries providing evidence that scale economies or superior efficiencies of heavy-involvement auditors are not limited to regulated industries but extend to nonregulated industries as well. We also find that for the audit firms classified as market leaders at the beginning of the year, market share has increased over time, whereas market share has declined for firms with a smaller share at the beginning of the year. This suggests that there are returns to investing in specialization.

Earnings Management and Capital Resource Allocation: Evidence from China's Accounting-Based Regulation of Rights Issues

2004 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 645-665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin C. W. Chen ◽  
Hongqi Yuan
Keyword(s):  
Resource Allocation ◽  
Earnings Management ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Return On Equity ◽  
Rights Issue ◽  
Rights Issues ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Do So

From 1996 to 1998, listed companies in China were required to achieve a minimum return on equity (ROE) of 10 percent in each of the previous three years before they could apply for permission to issue additional shares. As a result of this rule, there was a heavy concentration of ROEs in the area just above 10 percent. We show that the Chinese regulators appear to have scrutinized firms using excess amounts of nonoperating income to reach the 10 percent hurdle. In addition, their ability to do so seems to have improved over time, which allows them to be better able to identify firms that subsequently performed better. However, many firms were still able to gain rights issue approval through excess nonoperating income. We show that these firms subsequently underperformed other approved firms that did not use the same practice, indicating that the Chinese regulators' objective of guiding capital resources toward the well-performing sectors is partially compromised by earnings management.

scholarly journals Temporal changes in DNA methylation and RNA expression in a small song bird: within- and between-tissue comparisons

BMC Genomics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Lindner ◽  
Irene Verhagen ◽  
Heidi M. Viitaniemi ◽  
Veronika N. Laine ◽  
Marcel E. Visser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Temporal Changes ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Gene Body ◽  
Cpg Site ◽  
Repeated Sampling ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Background DNA methylation is likely a key mechanism regulating changes in gene transcription in traits that show temporal fluctuations in response to environmental conditions. To understand the transcriptional role of DNA methylation we need simultaneous within-individual assessment of methylation changes and gene expression changes over time. Within-individual repeated sampling of tissues, which are essential for trait expression is, however, unfeasible (e.g. specific brain regions, liver and ovary for reproductive timing). Here, we explore to what extend between-individual changes in DNA methylation in a tissue accessible for repeated sampling (red blood cells (RBCs)) reflect such patterns in a tissue unavailable for repeated sampling (liver) and how these DNA methylation patterns are associated with gene expression in such inaccessible tissues (hypothalamus, ovary and liver). For this, 18 great tit (Parus major) females were sacrificed at three time points (n = 6 per time point) throughout the pre-laying and egg-laying period and their blood, hypothalamus, ovary and liver were sampled. Results We simultaneously assessed DNA methylation changes (via reduced representation bisulfite sequencing) and changes in gene expression (via RNA-seq and qPCR) over time. In general, we found a positive correlation between changes in CpG site methylation in RBCs and liver across timepoints. For CpG sites in close proximity to the transcription start site, an increase in RBC methylation over time was associated with a decrease in the expression of the associated gene in the ovary. In contrast, no such association with gene expression was found for CpG site methylation within the gene body or the 10 kb up- and downstream regions adjacent to the gene body. Conclusion Temporal changes in DNA methylation are largely tissue-general, indicating that changes in RBC methylation can reflect changes in DNA methylation in other, often less accessible, tissues such as the liver in our case. However, associations between temporal changes in DNA methylation with changes in gene expression are mostly tissue- and genomic location-dependent. The observation that temporal changes in DNA methylation within RBCs can relate to changes in gene expression in less accessible tissues is important for a better understanding of how environmental conditions shape traits that temporally change in expression in wild populations.

Changes in survival characteristics ofDiplostomum spathaceumcercariae emerged from cadmium-exposedLymnaea stagnalis

2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.J. Morley ◽  
M. Crane ◽  
J.W. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Life Span ◽  
Lymnaea Stagnalis ◽  
Control Population ◽  
Survival Period ◽  
Parasite Transmission ◽  
Tail Loss ◽  
Diplostomum Spathaceum ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Potential Indicator ◽  
Over Time

AbstractThe effect of exposingLymnaea stagnalis(Gastropoda: Pulmonata), infected withDiplostomum spathaceum(Trematoda: Diplostomatidae), to 100 μg l−1cadmium for 7 days on survival characteristics (survival, tail loss, decaudized cercarial life-span) of emerged cercariae was investigated. Exposure ofL. stagnalisto cadmium resulted in significantly increasedD. spathaceumcercarial survival and an inhibited tail loss compared to controls. The normal parallel relationship which exists over time between decreasing cercarial survival and increasing tail loss in controls was changed in cercariae from cadmium-exposed hosts with an increased proportion of cercarial deaths occurring without tail loss. The decaudized cercarial life-span over the survival period of the cercarial population did not significantly change. However comparisons between individuals decaudized during the initial 24 h time period with those which were decaudized during the final period of cercarial survival showed a significantly altered life span which did not occur in the control population. As a potential indicator of penetration ‘fitness’ comparisons were also undertaken between control and exposed cercariae decaudized during the initial 24 h time period, which revealed that the decaudized cercarial life-span from the exposed hosts was significantly different from controls. This may have important implications for the ability of cercariae to migrate through the tissues of their target host. The importance and relevance of these results to parasite transmission are discussed.

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