Prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences of Parenting Women in Drug Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder.

Descriptive adverse childhood experience (ACE) prevalence data on parenting women seeking treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) is limited, despite this group being one of the fastest growing sub-populations of the opioid epidemic. The aim of this study was to: (1) determine prevalence of ACEs) in a population of parenting women in treatment for OUD, (2) characterize ACEs, and (3) compare study ACE data to Pennsylvania Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (PA BRFSS) to normalize study results. Between 2014 and 2018, ACEs were collected from parenting women (N = 152) enrolled in treatment for OUDs. Results showed on average women were 30.3 years of age (SD 4.6, range 22-41 years) non-Hispanic (87.0%), white (74.0%), and held a high school education or less (76.0%). The mean total ACE score was 4.3 (SD 2.3; range 0-8). Most women reported 4 ≥ ACEs (65.0%), while only 5.0% reported 0 ACEs. The current sample had higher mean ACE score (4.3 PSMDT vs. 1.4 PA BRFSS Data) than PA BRFSS Data. The burden of ACEs in parenting women in treatment for OUD is significant. Understanding the trauma parenting women in drug treatment have experienced, may support efforts to reduce stigma of this population. Public health intervention and policy work that is trauma proactive is needed to address this growing epidemic.

Health behaviors and health promotion/disease prevention perceptions of medical students.

Health promotion and disease prevention must be addressed in medical education, and the assessment of future physicians' health preventive perceptions and behaviors is a critical step in the process. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 512 medical students enrolled during the 1992-1993 academic year. Outcome measures were self-reported health behaviors and ratings of the importance of prevention. Overall, results indicated that the preponderance of respondents are engaging in healthy behaviors; however, some high-risk behaviors, such as drinking and driving and possible binge drinking, were reported by at least 15% of the respondents. Significant differences were detected regarding students' perceptions; a linear decreasing trend was noted with first-year students rating the importance of prevention the highest and fourth-year students rating it the lowest. Additionally, this study attempted to correlate health behaviors with perceptions. The results show significant relationships between student-reported behaviors and corresponding perceptions. Even though this cohort is healthy overall, some students are engaging in behaviors that are not conducive to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It is important to identify and address negative health behaviors in this population, not only in terms of personal health, but also in its effect on their interaction with future patient populations. The attrition of interest in prevention during undergraduate medical training is cause for concern; future clinical practice will be strongly motivated by their perceptions. Medical schools should identify health issues and assess preventive health perceptions among students in order to facilitate the adoption of preventive practices by future physicians. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH): health promotion, prevention, medical students, health behavior.

Medical surveillance practices of blue collar and white collar hazardous waste workers.

Given the occupational risks of hazardous waste workers, this study was conducted to explore possible differences in medical surveillance practices among blue and white collar workers. Demographic and medical surveillance data were collected from 636 white collar and 206 blue collar trainees, enrolled in health and safety training courses. Overall, 4.5% of the trainees reported being ill or injured because of hazardous substances. Significant differences (P < .0001) were noted between groups; blue collar trainees were more likely to have been ill or injured. Differences also existed for medical surveillance enrollment; 32% of the white collar trainees report enrollment compared to 19% of the blue collar trainees (P = .004). This study indicates that blue collar trainees are more likely to be injured and less likely to be enrolled in medical surveillance programs. Issues of illness and injury, as well as medical surveillance enrollment, must be addressed; ensuring that all workers receive medical surveillance needed to prevent occupational illness in the hazardous waste field.