Experimental Forum 2: Two Years After the 2020 Food and Drug Administration Guidance on E-Cigarette Flavors

Putatively, flavorings afford adult cigarette smokers options to switch to vaping.1 But the flavorings are also perceived to be attractive to people who have never smoked cigarettes, with particular concern about nicotine initiation by underage youths.2 In particular, the flavor and type of device on which nicotine use is initiated may influence later nicotine dependence in young adults.3 In the United States, three broad classes of vaping device are common: (1) single-unit disposable devices roughly equivalent to a pack of cigarettes;(2) homemade devices with, for example, customizable nicotine liquid tanks, batteries, and mouthpieces;and (3) devices with a rechargeable battery and replaceable cartridges containing nicotine liquid. Creating complicated relationships, and further limiting possible benefits to smoking cessation in the public health audience's eyes, Altria (formerly Philip Morris) purchased a major stake in JUUL in 2018. In addition to stay-at-home mandates, fear of contracting the respiratory illness was noted to increase motivation to quit cigarette smoking.8 Interestingly, e-cigarette users also reported greater quit attempts (41 %) than did cigarette smokers (26%) because of COVID-19 fears.9 In addition, various state and local prohibitions against public vaping and fluctuations in product cost have also occurred. Because of changes in sampling necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, data quality in large population-based surveys remains an area of active investigation, including potential discontinuities that could limit comparisons overtime. [...]we note that one or two time points since the Guidance was released may not portend sustained changes in behavior.

The Future of the Public Health Data Dashboard

[...]a dashboard analyst can easily provide visualizations of epidemiological models that predict disease transmission dynamics based on some set of preidentified metrics-information that is useful to a policymaker or public health official but has less utility to a private citizen trying to determine their individual risk level based on contact with their social networks. [...]we are in an era in which vast amounts of surveillance data are being rapidly collected and quickly integrated in dashboards. For calculating population denominator rates, most dashboards use residential population, but during mass social disturbances, migration is a common feature. Besides rate calculation, there could be closer attention paid to what is the unit of intervention or action. [...]short, mobile-friendly videos and storytelling are powerful paradigms that reach large audiences and can help people

Countering Hesitancy and Misinformation on Side Effects to Complete the Course of COVID Vaccination.

It has been well-documented that concerns about side effects prevent many from soliciting immunization. And family medicine providers play a key role in addressing concerns about COVID vaccines. However, there are few documented examples of the decision-making process regarding second shots after the emergence of a concerning and previously unknown side effect. Therefore, we present a case where a primary care provider and patient worked together to analyze real-time adverse event data on post-vaccination shingles to decide whether to receive the second dose.

Development and Application of an Interdisciplinary Rapid Message Testing Model for COVID-19 in North Carolina.

INTRODUCTION: From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, public health officials have sought to develop evidence-based messages to reduce COVID-19 transmission by communicating key information to media outlets and the public. We describe the development of an interdisciplinary rapid message testing model to quickly create, test, and share messages with public health officials for use in health campaigns and policy briefings. METHODS: An interdisciplinary research team from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assembled in March 2020 to assist the state health department in developing evidence-based messages to influence social distancing behaviors in the state. We developed and iteratively executed a rapid message testing model; the components of the 4-step model were message creation, survey development, survey administration, and analysis and presentation to health department officials. The model was executed 4 times, each during a 7-day period in April and May, and each subsequent survey included new phrasing and/or messaging informed by the previous week's survey. A total of 917 adults from North Carolina participated in the 4 surveys. RESULTS: Survey participants rated messages focused on protecting oneself and others higher than messages focused on norms and fear-based approaches. Pairing behaviors with motivations increased participants' desire to social distance across all themes and subgroups. For example, adding "Protect your grandmother, your neighbor with cancer, and your best friend with asthma," to messaging received a 0.9-point higher score than the base message, "Stay 6 feet apart from others when out in public." PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Our model to promote social distancing in North Carolina during the COVID-19 pandemic can be used for rapid, iterative message testing during public health emergencies.

Public attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination: The role of vaccine attributes, incentives, and misinformation.

While efficacious vaccines have been developed to inoculate against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; also known as COVID-19), public vaccine hesitancy could still undermine efforts to combat the pandemic. Employing a survey of 1096 adult Americans recruited via the Lucid platform, we examined the relationships between vaccine attributes, proposed policy interventions such as financial incentives, and misinformation on public vaccination preferences. Higher degrees of vaccine efficacy significantly increased individuals' willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, while a high incidence of minor side effects, a co-pay, and Emergency Use Authorization to fast-track the vaccine decreased willingness. The vaccine manufacturer had no influence on public willingness to vaccinate. We also found no evidence that belief in misinformation about COVID-19 treatments was positively associated with vaccine hesitancy. The findings have implications for public health strategies intending to increase levels of community vaccination.

Take-home dosing experiences among persons receiving methadone maintenance treatment during COVID-19.

PURPOSE: Methadone maintenance treatment is a life-saving treatment for people with opioid use disorders (OUD). The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has introduced many concerns surrounding access to opioid treatment. In March 2020, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) issued guidance allowing for the expansion of take-home methadone doses. We sought to describe changes to treatment experiences from the perspective of persons receiving methadone at outpatient treatment facilities for OUD. METHODS: We conducted an in-person survey among 104 persons receiving methadone from three clinics in central North Carolina in June and July 2020. Surveys collected information on demographic characteristics, methadone treatment history, and experiences with take-home methadone doses in the context of COVID-19 (i.e., before and since March 2020). RESULTS: Before COVID-19, the clinic-level percent of participants receiving any amount of days' supply of take-home doses at each clinic ranged from 56% to 82%, while it ranged from 78% to 100% since COVID-19. The clinic-level percent of participants receiving a take-homes days' supply of a week or longer (i.e., ≥6 days) since COVID-19 ranged from 11% to 56%. Among 87 participants who received take-homes since COVID-19, only four reported selling their take-home doses. CONCLUSIONS: Our study found variation in experiences of take-home dosing by clinic and little diversion of take-home doses. While SAMSHA guidance should allow expanded access to take-home doses, adoption of these guidelines may vary at the clinic level. The adoption of these policies should be explored further, particularly in the context of benefits to patients seeking OUD treatment.