Study underscores social factors of low breast cancer screening in the US

Researchers examine social determinants of health, health inequities

Peer-Reviewed Publication

FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY

 

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RESEARCHERS FROM FAU'S SCHMIDT COLLEGE OF MEDICINE EXAMINED SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH AND HEALTH INEQUITIES IN BREAST CANCER SCREENING IN WOMEN AGED 40 AND OLDER IN THE U.S. 

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CREDIT: ALEX DOLCE, FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY

There is a pressing need to explore and understand which social determinants of health (SDOH) and health inequities act as significant influential factors that contribute to low breast cancer screening behaviors in the United States.

Health disparities have been consistently associated with delayed screening, which then contributes to higher mortality rates among both Hispanic and Black populations. Moreover, poverty, lack of education, neighborhood disadvantage, residential segregation, racial discrimination, lack of social support and social isolation also play a role in the breast cancer stage at diagnosis.

Researchers from Florida Atlantic University’s Schmidt College of Medicine conducted a scoping review of 72 peer-reviewed observational studies published between 2013 and 2023 to identify the major SDOH that hinder breast cancer screening in women aged 40 and older in the U.S. They focused on race/ethnicity, employment, education, food security, insurance status, housing and access to quality health care.

Results, published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, showed that among the various SDOH identified, those related to socioeconomic status exhibited the highest frequency. Specifically, factors such as income, education level, employment status, birthplace/citizenship, acculturation/years lived in the U.S., marital status, social support and number of children were among the key elements.

Access to health care emerged as a statistically significant theme (61 percent of the studies), with sub-categories such as insurance status, accessibility of health care services and providers, insurance coverage, access to mammography facilities, insurance co-payments, time from breast cancer diagnosis to first treatment, travel time to clinic and county uninsured rate.

Insurance status was the most reported sub-categorical factor of access to quality health care. Many of the studies in the review demonstrated a strong association between a lack of health insurance and a lower rate of breast cancer screening.

“One of the most influential roles of social determinants of health lies within the realm of equitable access,” said Lea Sacca, Ph.D., senior author and an assistant professor in the Department of Population Health and Social Medicine, FAU Schmidt College of Medicine. “Results from our research could inform future evidence-based interventions aimed at addressing the underlying factors contributing to low screening rates for breast cancer in the country.” 

Race/ethnicity, sex/gender and sexual orientation were additional factors reported. Fifty-eight percent of the studies showed statistical significance in the social and community context category, with the highest sub-categories being age and ethnicity. Ethnic minority women, with the exception of those identifying as Asian, had a lower likelihood of being screened and Black women experienced a higher risk of diagnosis upon first screening. White bisexual women had significantly lower mammography rates than white heterosexual women, while mammography rates were significantly higher for bisexual Black women than for heterosexual Black women.

Language was the third highest issue, highlighting its significance as an influential factor of screening behavior. In addition, 38 percent of the studies exhibited statistical significance in the economic stability category, with income level (27 percent) being the most common sub-categorical indicator emphasized. Women with estimated household incomes greater than $38,100 have been found to have rates of repeat mammography higher than those of women below $25,399.

Both high levels of poverty and impoverished rural regions were associated with lower screening rates. In addition to household income, food security was another influential factor of mammography rates. 

“When women are forced to choose between feeding their families and pursuing preventive care, mammography becomes more of a luxury than lifesaving care,” said Sacca. “Women facing food insecurity have a 54 percent lower likelihood of getting a mammogram.”

Thirty-three percent of the articles showed statistical significance in education access and quality as strong indicators of mammography rate, with the highest level of education completed acting as the strongest sub-categorical factor.

Location, transportation, housing, county poverty rate, internet access, area deprivation index, diversity index, perceived discrimination, health beliefs and trust in health care providers/systems and cultural and religious beliefs also were cited in the review. For example, fatalism-emphasizing religions (fate or destiny), were associated with less screening adherences and maintenance of modesty did not prove a significant limitation for women receiving mammograms.

“Improving patient-provider communication, addressing perceived discrimination and improving trust in the health care system is necessary to improve screening rates across all demographics,” said Sacca. “Additionally, structural efforts to improve health insurance coverage, language proficiency and transportation services could be beneficial. These steps will need to involve the local community to develop community-tailored educational campaigns to reinforce the importance of establishing regular mammogram screenings.”

Study co-authors are FAU second-year medical students Vama Jhumkhawala; Diana Lobaina; Goodness Okwaraji; Yasmine Zerrouki; Sara Burgoa; Adeife Marciniak; Sebastian Densley; Meera Rao; and a post-graduate biology student, Daniella Diaz, FAU Charles E. Schmidt College of Science; and Michelle Knecht, librarian, FAU Schmidt College of Medicine.

- FAU -

About the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine:

FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine is one of approximately 156 accredited medical schools in the U.S. The college was launched in 2010, when the Florida Board of Governors made a landmark decision authorizing FAU to award the M.D. degree. After receiving approval from the Florida legislature and the governor, it became the 134th allopathic medical school in North America. With more than 70 full and part-time faculty and more than 1,300 affiliate faculty, the college matriculates 64 medical students each year and has been nationally recognized for its innovative curriculum. To further FAU’s commitment to increase much needed medical residency positions in Palm Beach County and to ensure that the region will continue to have an adequate and well-trained physician workforce, the FAU Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine Consortium for Graduate Medical Education (GME) was formed in fall 2011 with five leading hospitals in Palm Beach County. The Consortium currently has five Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited residencies including internal medicine, surgery, emergency medicine, psychiatry, and neurology.

 

About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students across six campuses located along the southeast Florida coast. In recent years, the University has doubled its research expenditures and outpaced its peers in student achievement rates. Through the coexistence of access and excellence, FAU embodies an innovative model where traditional achievement gaps vanish. FAU is designated a Hispanic-serving institution, ranked as a top public university by U.S. News & World Report and a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.

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JOURNAL

Frontiers in Public Health

DOI

10.3389/fpubh.2024.1354717 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Literature review

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

ocial determinants of health and health inequities in breast cancer screening: a scoping review

 

Study reveals social media usage impacts the desire to undergo cosmetic procedures

Findings help explain the increased frequency with which patients have sought these treatments during the COVID-19 pandemic

Peer-Reviewed Publication

BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, March 4, 2024
Contact: Gina DiGravio, 617-358-7838, ginad@bu.edu

Study Reveals Social Media Usage Impacts the Desire to Undergo Cosmetic Procedures

Findings help explain the increased frequency with which patients have sought these treatments during the COVID-19 pandemic

(Boston)—Social media platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram have been pivotal in perpetuating “selfie” culture, whereby an individual takes and shares a photo of themselves. Globally, social media usage has been increasing, with at least 3.5 billion using social media in 2019. As of 2018 the average adult was spending 6.3 hours per day on an internet connected device. A particularly troubling consequence of an increase in social media usage is the effect it has on body perception and self-esteem.

 

The angle of the “selfie” photographs taken for social media often distorts facial features in a way that leads to dissatisfaction.4 Medical professionals have reported a phenomenon of “snapchat dysmorphia,” whereby patients seeking cosmetic procedures attempt to emulate filtered and edited versions of themselves.

 

A new study by researchers at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine has found that time spent on social media and the use of photo-editing applications correlates with a person's desire to undergo cosmetic procedures, and likely led to the increase in cosmetic visits seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also found patients who followed and engaged with celebrities and influencers on social media, as well as following and engaging with plastic surgery, dermatology or other accounts showing the results of cosmetic procedures on social media significantly influences the desire to have a cosmetic procedure done.

 

“While there was an increase in cosmetic focus during the COVID pandemic, until now there has not been data highlighting a clear link or factors that made patients more or less likely to participate in cosmetic treatments,” explained corresponding author Neelam Vashi, MD, associate professor of dermatology at the school and director of the Boston University Cosmetic and Laser Center at Boston Medical Center.

The researchers asked patients at a dermatology clinic to complete surveys (October 2019 through June 2021) regarding their social media usage as well as their desire to undergo cosmetic procedures. After reviewing these surveys, they found that the number of hours individuals spent using Snapchat and/or Instagram every day had a statistically significant difference in the belief that media or social media had influenced their desire to have a cosmetic procedure done.

 

Furthermore, they found a statistically significant difference between the use of photo editing applications such as FaceTune, Lightroom, or SnapSeed to edit photos before sharing selfies on social media and thoughts about undergoing a surgical or non-surgical cosmetic procedure.

 

According to the researcher, this study indicates that practitioners ought to discuss social media usage with their patients to better understand the desire to undergo cosmetic procedures. “Quality care begins with quality conversations, and we hope this study encourages providers to ask about all aspects of a patient's life to better understand their motivations and goals of care,” said Vashi.

These findings appear online in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology.

 

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METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic On Patient Social Media Use and Acceptance of Cosmetic Procedures

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

1-Mar-2024

Novel material degrades a widely used antibiotic that contaminates water

An electrode with films of iridium dioxide and niobium oxide on a titanium substrate removed molecules of the drug levofloxacin, considered an emerging pollutant.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO

 

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THE STUDY OBTAINED EXCELLENT RESULTS IN TERMS OF DEGRADING THE DRUG IN SIMULATED AND REAL WATER SAMPLES 

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CREDIT: CDMF

Levofloxacin is a widely used antibiotic prescribed to treat pneumonia, bacterial rhinosinusitis, bacterial prostatitis, pyelonephritis, urinary tract infections, skin disorders and skin structure infections, among other conditions. The drug is prevalent in aqueous environments owing to its low degradability in wastewater treatment plants and is therefore considered an emerging pollutant.

In light of its high toxicity and possible endocrine-disrupting effects, widespread consumption of levofloxacin makes its impact on the environment particularly harmful. Researchers at several universities and institutions in São Paulo state (Brazil) have joined forces to develop ways of removing it from aqueous environments or converting it to biodegradable by-products with low toxicity.

Funded by FAPESP (projects 14/50945-4 and 17/11986-5), the study obtained excellent results, degrading the antibiotic in simulated and real water samples with the aid of an electrode comprising iridium dioxide and niobium oxide films on a titanium substrate.

The results are described in an article published in the journal Electrochimica Acta.

The films were obtained by the modified Pechini method, and the electrode, after morphological, structural and electrochemical characterization, was used to degrade the antibiotic using different processes, including electrolysis and photoelectrolysis. The material displayed excellent photoelectrocatalytic activity and stability, as well as a large electrochemically active surface area. The results were considered highly satisfactory, with promising prospects for treatment and removal of organic pollutants in water.

The authors of the article include Lucia Helena Mascaro, a professor at the University of São Carlos (UFSCar), co-principal investigator at the Center for Development of Functional Materials (CDMF), and a researcher at the Center for Innovation in New Energies (CINE).

CDMF is a Research, Innovation and Dissemination Center (RIDC) established by FAPESP at UFSCar. CINE is an Engineering Research Center (ERC) supported by FAPESP and Shell.

About São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)

The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) is a public institution with the mission of supporting scientific research in all fields of knowledge by awarding scholarships, fellowships and grants to investigators linked with higher education and research institutions in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. FAPESP is aware that the very best research can only be done by working with the best researchers internationally. Therefore, it has established partnerships with funding agencies, higher education, private companies, and research organizations in other countries known for the quality of their research and has been encouraging scientists funded by its grants to further develop their international collaboration. You can learn more about FAPESP at www.fapesp.br/en and visit FAPESP news agency at www.agencia.fapesp.br/en to keep updated with the latest scientific breakthroughs FAPESP helps achieve through its many programs, awards and research centers. You may also subscribe to FAPESP news agency at http://agencia.fapesp.br/subscribe.

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JOURNAL

Electrochimica Acta

DOI

10.1016/j.electacta.2023.143586 

ARTICLE TITLE

Effective photoelectrocatalysis of levofloxacin antibiotic with Ti/IrO2single bondNb2O5 in environmental samples

SwRI develops low-emission natural-gas-fueled hybrid truck

SwRI-designed medium-duty truck demonstrated a 25% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions with hybrid natural gas powertrain

 NEWS RELEASE 4-MAR-2024

SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE

 

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SWRI DEVELOPED AND DEMONSTRATED A STATE-OF-THE-ART NATURAL GAS-FUELED/HYBRID POWERTRAIN FOR MEDIUM- AND HEAVY-DUTY APPLICATIONS. THE MEDIUM-DUTY NATURAL GAS HYBRID DEMONSTRATION TRUCK REDUCED GREENHOUSE GASES BY 25% RELATIVE TO STANDARD DIESEL-POWERED TRUCKS.

 

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CREDIT: IMAGES/VIDEOS MAY BE USED BY THE PUBLIC FOR EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.

SAN ANTONIO — March 4, 2024 — Southwest Research Institute has developed a natural-gas-fueled medium-duty truck outfitted with a hybrid powertrain that achieved a 25% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) over standard diesel powertrains. The vehicle uses an SwRI-designed, spark-ignited natural gas engine coupled with a hybrid powertrain and a 40-kilowatt-hour battery pack.

The project was awarded by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in 2021 as part of a larger $11 million program to promote the development of advanced natural gas vehicle technologies. Isuzu Motors, Woodward Inc. and South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) also collaborated on, and helped fund, the project.

Using a commercially available medium-duty diesel truck as a baseline for fuel economy and carbon dioxide emissions, the team aimed to develop a new natural gas engine/hybrid powertrain to achieve the best balance of fuel consumption, energy savings, air quality improvement and total cost of ownership.

“The problem with most natural gas engines is that they are usually derived from a diesel engine platform that has been highly optimized for burning diesel fuel,” said Ryan Williams, manager of the spark-ignited engine section in SwRI’s Powertrain Engineering Division. “For this program, our team completely redesigned the cylinder head around a modern gasoline engine better suited for natural gas. This design approach produced much faster combustion, which opened new pathways for higher efficiency.”The demonstration vehicle integrates a “P2” or hybrid architecture that places a 100 kW electric motor between the engine and the transmission, powered by a 40 kWh battery.

This configuration enables seamless switching between an EV mode, engine-only mode or a combined hybrid mode depending on vehicle speed and power demands.

“Our engine runs as efficiently as a conventional diesel engine, but it produces 12% less carbon dioxide due to the lower carbon content of the natural gas fuel,” Williams said. “The addition of the hybrid powertrain allows us to turn off the engine for large portions of the operating cycle for additional CO2 reductions. We have shown a 25% reduction in GHG emissions under typical city driving conditions.”

In addition to the greenhouse gas reductions, the program also targeted a significant reduction in tailpipe NOx emissions. Current regulations limit total NOx emissions to 0.2 grams per horsepower-hour, but future regulations to be phased in by 2027 will require 80-90% reductions. Using a standard three-way catalyst, the vehicle demonstrated compliance with the most stringent standard of 0.02 g/hp-hr.

Learn more about SwRI at https://www.swri.org/technical-divisions/powertrain-engineering.

The demonstration vehicle integrates a “P2” or hybrid architecture that places a 100 kW electric motor between the engine and the transmission powered by a 40 kWh battery. This configuration enables seamless switching between an EV mode, engine-only mode or a combined hybrid mode depending on vehicle speed and power demands.

CREDIT

Southwest Research Institute

Associations of medical debt with health status, premature death, and mortality in the US

About The Study: The findings of this study of 2,943 counties suggest that medical debt is associated with worse health status, more premature deaths, and higher mortality rates at the county level in the U.S. Therefore, policies increasing access to affordable health care, such as expanding health insurance coverage, may improve population health. 

Authors: Xuesong Han, Ph.D., of the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, is the corresponding author. 

To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ 

(doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.54766)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

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Embed this link to provide your readers free access to the full-text article 

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About JAMA Network Open: JAMA Network Open is an online-only open access general medical journal from the JAMA Network. On weekdays, the journal publishes peer-reviewed clinical research and commentary in more than 40 medical and health subject areas. Every article is free online from the day of publication. 

 

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JOURNAL

JAMA Network Open

 

Dr. Schooley's call to action: Elevating phage therapy trials through strategic translational research

Meeting Announcement

MITOCHONDRIA-MICROBIOTA TASK FORCE

 

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IN HIS TALK AT TARGETING PHAGE THERAPY 2024, PROF. SCHOOLEY WILL DISCUSS CRITICAL STRATEGIES FOR INTEGRATING TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH INTO CLINICAL TRIALS IN PHAGE THERAPY, ENSURING THEIR SUCCESS AND IMPACT.
 

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CREDIT: TARGETING PHAGE THERAPY 2024

The 7th World Conference on Targeting Phage Therapy is being organized on June 20-21, 2024 at Corinthia Palace Malta.

Robert T. Schooley, M.D., Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, and Co-Director of the Center for Innovative Phage Applications and Therapeutics and member of the Executive Committee for the University of California Disaster Resilience Network, will introduce Phage Therapy 2024 with a key note talk titled "Phage Therapeutics 2024: Essential Translational Research Components for Clinical Trials.

Dr. Schooley will highlight the pivotal moment that phage therapy research finds itself in. With Phase 2 studies transitioning to Phase 3 trials, he stresses the critical need for a unified approach in integrating translational research components into clinical trials to ensure their success and meaningfulness.

Dr. Schooley critiques the current trend in trial design, which often aims narrowly at achieving clinical endpoints for regulatory approval, yet lacks the depth to provide insights or guidance should the trial not meet its objectives.

He references the instructive case of one study, which, despite its failure, offered valuable lessons due to its comprehensive assessment approach. This study revealed significant insights post hoc, such as issues with microbiology, phage-phage antagonism, and dilution effects, which were not addressed upfront. These revelations underscore the necessity of including detailed evaluations in clinical trials to verify that phages reach the infection site in effective quantities and intervals, to monitor the development of resistance during the study, and to assess the impact of phage-specific antibodies on treatment efficacy.

Dr. Schooley's message is a call to action for the phage therapy research community to adopt a more thorough and insightful approach in clinical trials. This includes the implementation of substudies to document key aspects of phage therapy application and the development of consensus protocols for evaluating phage-specific immunity, pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) relationships, and phage resistance mechanisms. Such measures are vital for understanding why certain therapeutic interventions succeed or fail, enabling researchers to refine and improve treatment strategies.

In advocating for this approach, Dr. Schooley highlights a fundamental challenge: the repetition of past mistakes due to a lack of comprehensive analysis and learning from failed trials. Without addressing this issue, the field risks stagnation, unable to leverage cumulative experience to accelerate progress. His passionate plea underscores the importance of not just aiming for short-term successes in phage therapy research but also building a robust and insightful framework that enhances the field's overall efficacy and resilience.

To learn more about Targeting Phage Therapy 2024 program and speakers, please visit: www.phagetherapy-site.com 

SEE

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=PHAGES

 https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=BIOPHAGES

 https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=PHAGE

 https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=BACTERIOPHAGE

 

WVU research shows government regulation of jobs hinders workers and consumers

Occupational licensing’s impact on the workforce

Peer-Reviewed Publication

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY

 

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AUDIOLOGISTS, LIKE MANY OTHER PROFESSIONALS IN THE UNITED STATES, MUST BE LICENSED TO DO THEIR JOBS. TO ILLUMINATE THE CONSEQUENCES OF OCCUPATIONAL LICENSING, A NEW DATABASE FROM THE WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY KNEE REGULATORY RESEARCH CENTER BREAKS DOWN THE LICENSING REQUIREMENTS — FEES, EXAMS, EDUCATION AND MORE — FOR AUDIOLOGY AND 49 OTHER PROFESSIONS, STATE BY STATE.

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CREDIT: WVU PHOTO/DAVIDSON CHAN

Audiologists, auctioneers and crane operators have one thing in common: they can’t legally do their jobs without licenses that create professional obstacles and hike prices, according to the West Virginia University Knee Regulatory Research Center.

In a paper for The Journal of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy, WVU researchers introduced a new database that reveals occupational licensing’s impact on the workforce. The database encompasses state regulations on 50 jobs across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with represented professions ranging from acupuncturist to interior designer to nuclear medicine technician to shampoo assistant.

Contributors to the paper included Knee RRC members Conor Norris, assistant director; Edward Timmons, director; and Ethan Kelley and Troy Carneal, legislative analysts.

“We have stronger evidence that licensing reduces the supply of professionals than that it ensures quality,” Norris said. “Professional licenses increase the cost and time to enter a licensed profession. As a result, consumers pay higher prices for services.

“At the RRC, our aim is to enhance transparency and facilitate policy discussions about occupational licensing. This database is key to that effort because it enables comparisons of standards across different states.”

The Center is housed within the WVU John Chambers College of Business and Economics.

Licensing is a form of regulation that imposes specific requirements on people before they can legally practice certain professions. In the 1950s, the percentage of licensed workers in the U.S. was around 5%. Now, it’s up to 22%. The point of occupational licensing is to improve quality of services and ensure consumer safety, but according to Norris, results are mixed.

While more than 1,000 professions are estimated to require a license in at least one state, there is no definitive count and no complete list of every profession licensed in every state. Norris said individual states don’t even display lists of the professions they license, along with requirements, in one central location. Policymakers are often unaware of licensing laws in other states.

Other databases of licensed occupations do exist. For instance, the Institute of Justice publishes a detailed, wide-ranging list of licensing requirements, but that resource focuses on low- and moderate-skilled professions, omitting many skilled professions, including in health care. The RRC database provides information about more than 30 health care careers and incorporates details absent from other collections, such as requirements like citizenship, English proficiency and good moral character.

The RRC database also includes information about transferring licenses between states. Because licenses are only valid at the state level, licensure makes it more difficult for workers to move from one state to another. State policies like endorsement or reciprocity may reduce that burden.  

As a test case, the researchers used the database to contrast licensing standards for audiologists across different states. Audiology is not included in any other occupational databases or research, Norris said, even though licensing requirements can vary widely from state to state. For example, in Pennsylvania, audiologists pay a licensing fee of $50, while in Minnesota are charged up to $544. A master’s degree is required in 19 states, while 32 states require audiologists to hold a doctorate. Seven states have minimum age requirements for audiologists, 17 states require them to be U.S. citizens, four require them to speak English proficiently and 19 require them to have good moral character.

“Far more workers are affected by licensing than other labor market institutions like labor unions or minimum wage laws,” Timmons said. “Unlike these other laws, licensing mainly focuses on service professions and ones that typically offer avenues for entrepreneurship.

“Our data not only catalogs specific licensing requirements, it exposes their effects. We can now estimate, for instance, if licensing fees restrict the supply of workers. We can estimate the effect of education requirements and exams on the quality of professionals and their services. And citizenship requirements and English language proficiency are especially useful for understanding licensing’s effect on immigrants.”

Timmons and Norris said the RRC will check and update the data every year and there are plans to add more professions.

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JOURNAL

Journal of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy

DOI

10.1108/JEPP-05-2023-0047 

ARTICLE TITLE

Introducing a new state-level occupational licensing requirement database

 

The health and economic impact of youth violence in the United States reached $122 billion in 2020

New research in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine estimates the cost of homicides and nonfatal assaults of young people in the US

Peer-Reviewed Publication

ELSEVIER

Ann Arbor, March 4, 2024 – In 2020, the cost of youth violence in the United States was approximately $122 billion, according to new research in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier. The study quantifies the economic toll of homicides and nonfatal assaults of young people ages 10–24 years, differentiating by injury mechanism (e.g., firearms, stabbings, and other methods). Youth homicide cost the US an estimated $86 billion, of which firearm homicides contributed $78 billion. Nonfatal assault injuries among youth cost $36 billion. 

Lead investigator Elizabeth M. Parker, PhD, Division of Violence Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, explains, “We lose young people to violence every day in this country. Violence is a leading cause of injury and death among American youth. It affects all types of communities across our country, causing pain and suffering to individuals, families, and communities. The high economic cost is an important measure of the widespread problem of youth violence. Understanding it helps us grasp the broader consequences of violence and the critical importance of violence prevention programs, policies, and practices. We hope identifying the economic implications of youth violence will encourage active engagement and contribute to building safer communities for all.”

The investigators used data from the CDC’s publicly available Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) to analyze homicides and nonfatal assaults resulting in emergency department visits among youth ages 10–24 years in 2020, as well as analyze the average economic cost of those injuries. The estimate includes costs for medical care, lost work, and reduced quality of life but does not include costs to the criminal justice system.

The study segmented the data by the injury mechanism or cause (e.g., firearms, stabbings, etc.), which distinguishes it from other recent research on youth violence. Injuries from firearms and stabbing accounted for 96% of youth homicides.

The findings highlight the importance of developing and implementing programs to address risk factors and prevent youth violence.

Dr. Parker adds, “Youth violence is preventable. We know there are strategies that work to prevent violence and ease the pain, suffering, and economic burden associated with youth nonfatal assault and homicide. CDC developed Resources for Action that describe strategies with the best available evidence to help communities and states focus their violence prevention efforts to ensure safer and healthier communities for all.”

These evidence-based approaches include but are not limited to, early childhood home visitation programs, preschool enrichment with family engagement, mentoring or after-school programs, street outreach, and community norm change campaigns.

 

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JOURNAL

American Journal of Preventive Medicine

DOI

10.1016/j.amepre.2023.12.019 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

The Health and Economic Impact of Youth Violence by Injury Mechanism