The Measure of Poverty: A Boston Indicators Project Special Report

Examines Boston's poverty rate by race/ethnicity, family structure, education, and geography; income inequality; demand for safety-net programs; and how the high cost of living and budget cuts affect vulnerable households and those below the poverty line

City of Ideas: Reinventing Boston's Innovation Economy: The Boston Indicators Report 2012

Analyzes indicators of the city's economic, social, and technological progress; potential for creating innovative solutions to global and national challenges; and complexities, disparities, and weaknesses in the indicators and innovation economy paradigm

Evidence for cross-protection but not type-replacement over the 11 years after human papillomavirus vaccine introduction

Examination of cross-protection and type replacement after human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine introduction is essential to guide vaccination recommendations and policies. The aims of this study were to examine trends in non-vaccine-type HPV: 1) genetically related to vaccine types (to assess for cross-protection) and 2) genetically unrelated to vaccine types (to assess for type replacement), among young women 13-26 years of age during the 11 years after HPV vaccine introduction. Participants were recruited from a hospital-based teen health center and a community health department for four cross-sectional surveillance studies between 2006 and 2017. Participants completed a survey that assessed sociodemographic characteristics and behaviors, and cervicovaginal swabs were collected and tested for 36 HPV genotypes. We determined changes in proportions of non-vaccine-type HPV prevalence and conducted logistic regression to determine the odds of infection across the surveillance studies, propensity-score adjusted to control for selection bias. Analyses were stratified by vaccination status. Among vaccinated women who received only the 4-valent vaccine (n = 1,540), the adjusted prevalence of HPV types genetically related to HPV16 decreased significantly by 45.8% (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.48, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.31-0.74) from 2006-2017, demonstrating evidence of cross-protection. The adjusted prevalence of HPV types genetically related to HPV18 did not change significantly (14.2% decrease, AOR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.56-1.21). The adjusted prevalence of HPV types genetically unrelated to vaccine types did not change significantly (4.2% increase, AOR = 1.09, CI = 0.80-1.48), demonstrating no evidence of type replacement. Further studies are needed to monitor for cross-protection and possible type replacement after introduction of the 9-valent HPV vaccine

Boston's Education Pipeline: A Report Card

Assesses the city's progress in creating an effective and equitable education pipeline from early childhood through college or postsecondary training. Examines demographic and outcome data and risk and prevention factors, and notes areas for improvement

Epidemiology of Any and Vaccine-Type Anogenital Human Papillomavirus Among 13-26-Year-Old Young Men After HPV Vaccine Introduction

PURPOSE: The aims of this study were to determine prevalence of and factors associated with any human papillomavirus (HPV) and vaccine-type HPV among young men after vaccine introduction, stratified by vaccination status. METHODS: Young men were recruited from clinical sites from 2013 to 2015, completed a survey, and were tested for 36 anogenital HPV types. We determined factors associated with ≥1 HPV type among all participants, and vaccine-type HPV (HPV6, 11, 16, and/or 18) among all, vaccinated and unvaccinated participants, using multivariable regression. RESULTS: Mean age was 21.5 years and 26% had received at least one HPV vaccine dose. HPV prevalence was lower in vaccinated versus unvaccinated young men (50.5% vs. 62.6%, p = .03). HPV positivity was discordant by anogenital site. At both sites, 59.4% were positive for ≥1 HPV type and 26.0% for ≥1 4-valent vaccine type. In multivariable logistic regression, factors associated with ≥1 HPV type among all participants were frequency of oral sex (odds ratio [OR] = 1.80, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.00-3.24), recent smoking (OR = 1.84, CI = 1.17-2.90), and sexually transmitted infection history (OR = 1.56, CI = 1.02-2.38). Factors associated with vaccine-type HPV among all participants were white versus black race (OR = 1.91, CI = 1.10-3.34) and gonorrhea history (OR = 2.52, CI = 1.45-4.38); among vaccinated participants were private versus Medicaid insurance (OR = 5.6, CI = 1.46-20.4) and private versus no insurance (OR = 15.9, CI = 3.06-83.3); and among unvaccinated participants was gonorrhea history (OR = 1.83, CI = 1.03-3.24). CONCLUSIONS: Anogenital HPV prevalence was high and vaccination rates low among young men 2-4 years after vaccine introduction, underscoring the urgency of increasing vaccination rates and vaccinating according to national guidelines

Tempest in a teapot: A systematic review of HPV vaccination and risk compensation research

There has been some concern among parents and in the media that vaccinating children against human papillomavirus could be seen as giving children permission to engage in risky sexual behaviors (also known as sexual disinhibition). Several studies have found this concern to be unfounded but there have been no attempts to synthesize the relevant studies in order to assess if there is evidence of sexual disinhibition. The aim of this study was to synthesize recent literature examining sexual behaviors and biological outcomes (e.g., sexually transmitted infections) post-HPV vaccination. We reviewed literature from January 1, 2008-June 30, 2015 using PubMed, CINAHL, and Embase with the following search terms: [(sex behavior OR sex behavior OR sexual) AND (human papillomavirus OR HPV) AND (vaccines OR vaccine OR vaccination)] followed by a cited reference search. We included studies that examined biological outcomes and reported behaviors post-vaccination in both males and females. Studies were reviewed by title and abstract and relevant studies were examined as full-text articles. We identified 2,503 articles and 20 were eventually included in the review. None of the studies of sexual behaviors and/or biological outcomes found evidence of riskier behaviors or higher rates of STIs after HPV vaccination. Instead, the studies found that vaccinated compared to unvaccinated individuals were less likely to report vaginal intercourse without a condom (OR = 0.5; 95%CI = 0.4-0.6) and non-use of contraception (OR = 0.27; 95%CI = 0.15-0.48) and unvaccinated participants had higher rates of Chlamydia (OR = 2.3; 95%CI = 1.06-5.00). These results should be reassuring to parents and health care providers

Care pathways during a child's final illness in rural South Africa: Findings from a social autopsy study.

BACKGROUND: Half of under-5 deaths in South Africa occur at home, however the reasons remain poorly described and data on the care pathways during fatal childhood illness is limited. This study aimed to better describe care-seeking behavior in fatal childhood illness and to assess barriers to healthcare and modifiable factors that contribute to under-5 deaths in rural South Africa. METHODS: We conducted a social autopsy study on all under-5 deaths in two rural South African health and demographic surveillance system sites. Descriptive analyses based on the Pathways to Survival Framework were used to characterise how caregivers move through the stages of seeking and providing care for children during their final illness and to identify modifiable factors that contributed to death. FINDINGS: Of 53 deaths, 40% occurred outside health facilities. Rates of antenatal and perinatal preventative care-seeking were high: over 70% of mothers had tested for HIV, 93% received professional assistance during delivery and 79% of children were reportedly immunised appropriately for age. Of the 48 deaths tracked through the stages of the Pathways to Survival Framework, 10% died suddenly without any care, 23% received home care of whom 80% had signs of severe or possibly severe illness, and 85% sought or attempted to seek formal care outside the home. Although half of all children left the first facility alive, only 27% were referred for further care. CONCLUSIONS: Modifiable factors for preventing deaths during a child's final illness occur both inside and outside the home. The most important modifiable factors occurring inside the home relate to caregivers' recognition of illness and appreciation of urgency in response to the severity of the child's symptoms and signs. Outside the home, modifiable factors relate to inadequate referral and follow-up by health professionals. Further research should focus on identifying and overcoming barriers to referral

Risk perceptions, sexual attitudes, and sexual behavior after HPV vaccination in 11-12 year-old girls

OBJECTIVES: Among 11-12 year-old girls who received the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, we explored, over the subsequent 30 months: (1) trajectories of knowledge about HPV/HPV vaccines and vaccine-related risk perceptions; (2) whether knowledge and risk perceptions impacted sexual attitudes and sexual experience; (3) whether mothers, clinicians, and media influenced girls' risk perceptions, attitudes, and behavior. METHODS: Girls and mothers (n=25dyads) completed separate, semi-structured interviews within 2 days of, and 6, 18, and 30 months after, their first HPV vaccine dose. Knowledge, risk perceptions related to HPV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and attitudes about sexual behaviors were assessed. Sexual experience was assessed at girls' 30 month interviews. Clinicians completed interviews at baseline. Transcribed interviews were analyzed using framework analysis. RESULTS: Girls' baseline knowledge was poor but often improved with time. Most girls (n=18) developed accurate risk perceptions about HPV but only half (n=12) developed accurate risk perceptions about other STIs by 30 months. The vast majority of girls thought that safer sex was still important, regardless of knowledge, risk perceptions, or sexual experience. Girls whose HPV knowledge was high at baseline or increased over time tended to articulate accurate risk perceptions; those who were able to articulate accurate risk perceptions tended to report not having initiated sexual activity. Girls whose mothers demonstrated higher knowledge and/or communication about HPV vaccination tended to articulate accurate risk perceptions, whereas clinicians and media exposure did not appear to influence risk perceptions. CONCLUSIONS: Higher knowledge about HPV vaccines among mothers and girls was linked with more accurate risk perceptions among girls. Clinicians may play an important role in providing education about HPV vaccines to mothers and girls