Unlocking Public Health

JOURNAL |Health Equity

THE BIG MESSAGE | Most abortions in the United States are medication abortions, but misinformation about medication abortion is common and awareness is low. This study evaluated data from a pilot intervention to increase knowledge of medication abortion in Black and Latinx women in Georgia using a culturally tailored, three-minute animated video. Participants that watched the video had a significant increase in knowledge, which shows that culturally tailored interventions using media can be effective in increasing awareness and knowledge of medication abortion among diverse audiences.

ROLLINS AUTHOR(S) | Hayley McMahon

JOURNAL | The Lancet Regional Health

THE BIG MESSAGE | Using pharmacy data, researchers looked at the number of PrEP users across different regions, races, ethnicities, and sexes between 2012 and 2021. PrEP use went up among all groups over the course of the study period. However, the PrEP-to-need ratio (a measure of PrEP usage relative to a population’s HIV risk) showed that uptake is not equitable between those groups. To increase equitable uptake of PrEP and decrease new HIV infections, it is important that interventions focus on getting PrEP to the populations who need it the most.

ROLLINS AUTHOR(S) | Patrick Sullivan, DVM; Stephanie DuBose; Jodie Guest, PhD; Aaron Siegler, PhD

JOURNAL  | JAMA Network Open

THE BIG MESSAGE | Black women in the United States are much more likely than white women to die from breast cancer. Using data from the Georgia Cancer Registry, researchers studied the effect of low neighborhood socio-economic status (also known as neighborhood deprivation) on breast cancer mortality. They found that there was an association between the two for non-Hispanic white women, but not for non-Hispanic Black women. More research is needed to understand why neighborhood deprivation increases breast cancer mortality only for some racial and ethnic groups. .

ROLLINS AUTHOR(S) | Lauren Barber, PhD; Maret Maliniak, PhD; Leah Moubadder; Dayna Johnson, PhD; Jeffrey Switchenko, PhD; Kevin Ward, PhD; Lauren McCullough, PhD

JOURNAL | Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health

THE BIG MESSAGE | A Rollins team investigated whether cardiovascular events caused by PM2.5 (fine particulate matter that are 2.5 microns or less in diameter) exposure were affected by the social and economic factors in the census tract where an individual lived. The association between PM2.5 exposure and cardiovascular events was stronger in Missouri census tracts with higher poverty levels in both rural and urban areas. This study highlights the socioeconomic conditions that could be the most useful for policymakers to address in order to reduce incidents of PM2.5-related cardiovascular disease.

ROLLINS AUTHOR(S) | Zachary McCann, PhD; Howard Chang, PhD; Rohan D’Souza; Noah Scovronick, PhD; Stefanie Ebelt, ScD

JOURNAL |Birth Defects Research

THE BIG MESSAGE | Some research suggests that exposure to water disinfection by-products could contribute to neural tube defects. Using interview reports from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study and public water system monitoring data, researchers investigated this link. They found some associations between exposure to certain disinfection by-products and neural tube defects, but the results were inconclusive. More individual-level exposure data is needed to strengthen future research into this potential association.

ROLLINS AUTHOR(S) | S Vijaya Kancherla, PhD

JOURNAL |Archives of Sexual Behavior

THE BIG MESSAGE | Southeast Asia has a high prevalence of sexual violence, and youth getting their information about sex through media can contribute to the issue. Key informants from schools and youth organizations in Vietnam shared that, recently, youth have gained increased access to media about sex because of technology. Some of that media includes incorrect or inappropriate information, and some depicts coercive or violent sexual activity that prompts imitation. Comprehensive sexual health curricula in Vietnam should respond by adapting to this media landscape and focusing on sexual violence prevention.

ROLLINS AUTHOR(S) | Katherine Anderson; Irina Bergenfeld; Kathryn Yount, PhD

JOURNAL |BMC Health Services Research

THE BIG MESSAGE | Access to family planning services can be a barrier for people with low incomes. Researchers interviewed low-income people who may become pregnant in suburban Georgia to learn about what influenced the family planning services they sought throughout their lives. They learned that access to contraceptives was often affected by their affordability, which tended to change over the course of a person’s life. It is important to consider the fluid nature of affordability and the multi-level factors that influence it in future contraceptive access research and policy.

ROLLINS AUTHOR(S) | Anna Newton-Levinson, PhD; Sarah Blake, PhD; Jessica Sales, PhD

JOURNAL |Gut Microbes

THE BIG MESSAGE |In middle-income countries with a high burden of bacterial disease, young children are often exposed to and colonized by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Researchers explored breastfeeding during the first 16 months of a child’s life as a possible solution. Exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of life did not lower their risk of colonization, but continuing to breastfeed past the first six months, even after the children started to eat solid food, did. These findings support the implementation of policies that support breastfeeding as a possible tool to help stop the global spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

ROLLINS AUTHOR(S) | Maya Nadimpalli, PhD