Evaluating the Implementation of a Tobacco-Free Policy across the 30 Institutions of the University System of Georgia

Background: Tobacco use continues to be the leading cause of preventable death, not only within the United States but now globally. Research shows that health promotion has helped to educate individuals of the harms and risks associated with usage, but tobacco control policies help to prevent individuals from initiating use and assist others with cessation, and especially help protect nonsmokers from the adverse effects of secondhand smoke. These types of policies are particularly increasing on college and university campuses, as seen with the October 2014 adoption of a 100% tobacco and smoke-free policy on the campuses of the 30 institutions that constitute the University System of Georgia (USG). This evaluation studied the development and implementation of a system-wide tobacco and smoke-free policy, examining the effectiveness of multiple intervention components adopted to prevent and control tobacco use by students, faculty, and staff. Methodology for Proposed Plan and Products: The USG worked to develop an education campaign prior to the official implementation of the tobacco-free policy, creating signage, communications, promotional student and faculty videos, and two websites to provide policy information as well as implementation resources and cessation material. The USG also organized a Tobacco-Free Kick-Off Meeting, providing institutional leadership with a forum to address any questions or concerns. One individual from each institution (n= 30 individuals) then participated in a survey addressing the strategies used throughout implementation, for the purpose of collecting information on support and success six months post-policy adoption. Results indicated that the majority of institutions actively communicated the new policy (n=29; 96.7%), used signage (n=27; 90%) and accessed the website (n=24; 80%). Employees positively supported the policy (n=28; 93.3%), reporting substantial compliance on campus (n= 22; 73.3%) and sufficient support from the USG (n=24; 80%). Discussion: It appears that the system-wide implementation of the tobacco-free policy was supported and successful on campuses. Further evaluation research is necessary to assess more long-term impacts of the policy, specifically health-related outcomes for faculty, staff, and students as well as methods customized to the growing concern of e-cigarettes on campus. This implementation analysis and evaluation provides further support to the national tobacco-free campus initiative with a unique system-wide perspective

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vaccination uptake in the United States and strategies to recover and improve vaccination rates: A review

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted routine healthcare delivery, causing declines in CDC-recommended vaccination rates across the life-course in the United States (US). Ensuring protection against disease outbreaks and associated morbidity and mortality depends on improving vaccine coverage rates (VCRs) and uptake. The authors conducted a targeted literature review to assess the pandemic’s effects on routine vaccination rates across different populations, evaluating VCR recovery and improvement efforts. The review highlights articles published with data measuring or evaluating VCR decline across the US during the COVID-19 pandemic from January 2020 to April 2022, associated health impacts, and policy and programmatic strategies to recover routine VCRs. While vaccination rates stagnated or declined across some populations pre-pandemic, the review indicated there were further VCR declines in 2020 and 2021 compared to 2019 across numerous CDC-recommended vaccines, ages, and geographies, with some vaccines and sub-populations disproportionally impacted. The review additionally identified declines in patient healthcare visit frequency and increases in morbidity and mortality associated with vaccine-preventable disease (VPD) complications. Reviewed publications highlighted multifaceted strategies that could aid in recovering VCRs. Overall, findings demonstrate a significant reduction in VCRs across all age groups and highlight promising solutions to inform vaccine uptake efforts and ensure broader protection against VPDs

Neuropsychological function in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic disease characterized by repetitive, unwanted intrusive thoughts and ritualistic behaviors. Studies of neuropsychological functions in OCD have documented deficits in several cognitive domains, particularly with regard to visuospatial abilities, executive functioning, and motor speed. The objective of the present study was to investigate systematically the cognitive functioning of OCD patients who were free of medication and comorbid psychiatric disorders. In the present study, 72 OCD patients were compared with 54 healthy controls on their performance in a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale were administered to the patients, and a semistructured interview form was used to evaluate the demographic features of the patients and control subjects. Overall, widespread statistically significant differences were found in tests related to verbal memory, global attention and psychomotor speed, and visuospatial and executive functions indicating a poorer performance of the OCD group. A closer scrutiny of these results suggests that the OCD group has difficulty in using an effective learning strategy that might be partly explained by their insufficient mental flexibility and somewhat poor planning abilities. © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Prevention of Influenza Hospitalization Among Adults in the United States, 2015-2016: Results From the US Hospitalized Adult Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Network (HAIVEN)

BACKGROUND: Evidence establishing effectiveness of influenza vaccination for prevention of severe illness is limited. The US Hospitalized Adult Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Network (HAIVEN) is a multiyear test-negative case-control study initiated in 2015-2016 to estimate effectiveness of vaccine in preventing influenza hospitalization among adults. METHODS: Adults aged ≥18 years admitted to 8 US hospitals with acute respiratory illness and testing positive for influenza by polymerase chain reaction were cases; those testing negative were controls. Vaccine effectiveness was estimated with logistic regression adjusting for age, comorbidities, and other confounding factors and stratified by frailty, 2-year vaccination history, and clinical presentation. RESULTS: We analyzed data from 236 cases and 1231 controls; mean age was 58 years. More than 90% of patients had ≥1 comorbidity elevating risk of influenza complications. Fifty percent of cases and 70% of controls were vaccinated. Vaccination was 51% (95% confidence interval [CI], 29%-65%) and 53% (95% CI, 11%-76%) effective in preventing hospitalization due to influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 and influenza B virus infection, respectively. Vaccine was protective for all age groups. CONCLUSIONS: During the 2015-2016 US influenza A(H1N1)pdm09-predominant season, we found that vaccination halved the risk of influenza-association hospitalization among adults, most of whom were at increased risk of serious influenza complications due to comorbidity or age