Estimating the Prevalence of Injection Drug Use Among Acute Hepatitis C Cases From a National Surveillance System: Application of Random Forest-Based Multiple Imputation.

BACKGROUND: Injection drug use (IDU) is a major contributor to the syndemic of viral hepatitis, human immunodeficiency virus, and drug overdose. However, information on IDU is frequently missing in national viral hepatitis surveillance data, which limits our understanding of the full extent of IDU-associated infections. Multiple imputation by chained equations (MICE) has become a popular approach to address missing data, but its application for IDU imputation is less studied. METHODS: Using the 2019-2021 National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System acute hepatitis C case data and publicly available county-level measures, we evaluated listwise deletion (LD) and 3 models imputing missing IDU data through MICE: parametric logistic regression, semi-parametric predictive mean matching (PMM), and nonparametric random forest (RF) (both standard RF [sRF] and fast implementation of RF [fRF]). RESULTS: The estimated IDU prevalence among acute hepatitis C cases increased from 63.5% by LD to 65.1% by logistic regression, 66.9% by PMM, 76.0% by sRF, and 85.1% by fRF. Evaluation studies showed that RF-based MICE imputation, especially fRF, has the highest accuracy (as measured by smallest raw bias, percent bias, and root mean square error) and highest efficiency (as measured by smallest 95% confidence interval width) compared to LD and other models. Sensitivity analyses indicated that fRF remained robust when data were missing not at random. CONCLUSION: Our analysis suggested that RF-based MICE imputation, especially fRF, could be a valuable approach for addressing missing IDU data in the context of population-based surveillance systems like National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System. The inclusion of imputed IDU data may enhance the effectiveness of future surveillance and prevention efforts for the IDU-driven syndemic.

Syndemic Psychosocial Conditions among Youth Living with HIV: a Latent Class Analysis.

Drug use, mental distress, and other psychosocial factors threaten HIV care for youth living with HIV (YLWH). We aimed to identify syndemic psychosocial patterns among YLWH and examine how such patterns shape HIV outcomes. Using baseline data from 208 YLWH enrolled in an HIV treatment adherence intervention, we performed latent class analysis on dichotomized responses to 9 psychosocial indicators (enacted HIV stigma; clinical depression and anxiety; alcohol, marijuana, and illicit drug misuse; food and housing insecurity; legal history). We used multinomial logistic regression to assess latent class-demographic associations and the automatic Bolck-Croon-Hagenaars method to assess HIV outcomes by class. Mean age of participants was 21 years; two thirds identified as cis male, 60% were non-Hispanic Black, and half identified as gay. Three classes emerged: "Polydrug-Socioeconomic Syndemic" (n = 29; 13.9%), "Distress-Socioeconomic Syndemic" (n = 35, 17.1%), and "Syndemic-free" (n = 142, 69.0%). Older, unemployed non-students were overrepresented in the "Polydrug-Socioeconomic Syndemic" class. Missed/no HIV care appointments was significantly higher in the "Polydrug-Socioeconomic Syndemic" class (81.4%) relative to the "Syndemic-free" (32.8%) and "Distress-Socioeconomic Syndemic" (31.0%) classes. HIV treatment nonadherence was significantly higher in the "Polydrug-Socioeconomic Syndemic" class (88.5%) relative to the "Syndemic-free" class (59.4%) but not the "Distress-Socioeconomic Syndemic" class (70.8%). Lack of HIV viral load suppression was non-significantly higher in the "Polydrug-Socioeconomic Syndemic" class (29.7%) relative to the "Syndemic-free" (16.2%) and "Distress-Socioeconomic Syndemic" (15.4%) classes. Polydrug-using, socioeconomically vulnerable YLWH are at risk for adverse HIV outcomes, warranting tailored programming integrated into extant systems of HIV care.

Steatotic liver disease and HIV: an agenda for 2030.

People living with HIV are particularly susceptible to developing metabolic disorders, including metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and other forms of SLD. However, people living with HIV have been historically excluded from clinical trials and large cohort studies of SLD. Therefore, our understanding of the risk factors and natural history of SLD in this population is poor. Moreover, relevant knowledge gaps on the epidemiology and barriers for adequate health care, such as stigma, hamper adequate responses to the ongoing HIV and SLD syndemic. This Viewpoint provides a comprehensive perspective on how to tackle SLD in people living with HIV by examining the role of social determinants of health in the development of liver disease and metabolic syndrome comorbidities among this population, emphasising the importance of prioritising SLD management, summarising the most urgent needs in the field, and offering recommendations for advancing research to fill key data gaps and protect liver health of people living with HIV.

The social evolution of COVID-19: pandemics as total social facts.

The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented global event in recent history. Beginning with an initial outbreak in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, the virus spread rapidly across the globe, causing millions of deaths and triggering an unprecedented health, economic, and social crisis. The initial response to the outbreak in many countries was the implementation of social distancing measures, including the closure of schools and businesses, the cancellation of mass events, and the banning of travel. These measures were aimed at reducing the virus' spread and preventing health systems from being overwhelmed by the numerous severe COVID-19 cases. However, these measures also had a devastating economic impact, especially on precarious workers and freelancers, as well as those who were unable to work from home. As the pandemic (also considered a syndemic or synergistic epidemic) dragged on, countries adopted more flexible approaches to dealing with the virus, adopting mitigation measures rather than social distancing measures. These included the use of masks, testing and contact tracing, and the opening of businesses and schools with the implementation of additional safety measures. This paper highlights the social consequences of the pandemic, ultimately arguing that it is a total social fact (from the French fait social total), based on Marcel Mauss' categorization, since it encompassed and impacted all facets of human life.

Coronary heart disease and tuberculosis: an unnoticed syndemia. Review of literature and management proposal.

Tuberculosis is an increasing disease that affects about one-third of the global population. In line with the rise of tuberculosis, cardiovascular disease has shown a similar trend, with ischemic coronary heart disease becoming the leading cause of death worldwide. Based on the literature, a relationship can be drawn between tuberculosis and ischemic coronary heart disease through their shared multiple risk factors and a possible pathophysiological substrate linking them. The presentation of these two conditions reported so far is varied: it has been found as the onset of acute coronary syndrome in patients with active tuberculosis, the progressive development of coronary atherosclerosis in patients with latent tuberculosis, among others. Given this possible link and the progressive increase in their incidence rates, we can assert that we are facing an unnoticed syndemic, with their concurrent management posing a challenge due to significant pharmacological interactions. The purpose of this review is to clarify this possible link, propose an approach for diagnosis, and provide a treatment algorithm for the entire spectrum of coronary disease coexisting with tuberculosis according to the current available literature.

La tuberculosis es una enfermedad que viene en aumento y que afecta cerca de un tercio de la población mundial. En consonancia con el aumento de la tuberculosis, la enfermedad cardiovascular ha tenido un comportamiento similar, de este grupo, la cardiopatía coronaria isquémica se ha convertido en la principal causa de muerte en todo el mundo. Se podría extraer, en base a la literatura, una relación entre la tuberculosis y la cardiopatía coronaria isquémica a través de que comparten múltiples factores de riesgo en común y desde un posible sustrato fisiopatológico que las vincula. La forma conjunta de presentación de estas dos entidades reportada hasta el momento es variada: se ha encontrado como debut de un síndrome coronario agudo en pacientes con tuberculosis activa, el desarrollo progresivo de aterosclerosis coronaria en pacientes con tuberculosis latente, entre otras. Dado este posible vínculo y el aumento progresivo de sus tasas de incidencia podemos afirmar que estamos ante una sindemia inadvertida, siendo su manejo conjunto un desafío por las grandes interacciones farmacológicas. El propósito de esta revisión es esclarecer este posible vínculo, plantear un enfoque para el diagnóstico, así como suministrar un algoritmo de tratamiento de todo el espectro de la enfermedad coronaria que coexiste con la tuberculosis de acuerdo con la literatura actual disponible.

Guided internet-based LGBTQ-affirmative cognitive-behavioral therapy: A randomized controlled trial among sexual minority men in China.

OBJECTIVE: LGBTQ-affirmative cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) addresses minority stress to improve sexual minority individuals' mental and behavioral health. This treatment has never been tested in high-stigma contexts like China using online delivery. METHOD: Chinese young sexual minority men (n = 120; ages 16-30; HIV-negative; reporting depression and/or anxiety symptoms and past-90-day HIV-transmission-risk behavior), were randomized to receive 10 sessions of culturally adapted asynchronous LGBTQ-affirmative internet-based CBT (ICBT) or weekly assessments only. The primary outcome included HIV-transmission-risk behavior (i.e., past-30-day condomless anal sex). Secondary outcomes included HIV social-cognitive mechanisms (e.g., condom use self-efficacy), mental health (e.g., depression), and behavioral health (e.g., alcohol use), as well as minority stress (e.g., acceptance concerns), and universal (e.g., emotion regulation) mechanisms at baseline and 4- and 8-month follow-up. Moderation analyses examined treatment efficacy as a function of baseline stigma experiences and session completion. RESULTS: Compared to assessment only, LGBTQ-affirmative ICBT did not yield greater reductions in HIV-transmission-risk behavior or social-cognitive mechanisms. However, LGBTQ-affirmative ICBT yielded greater improvements in depression (d = -0.50, d = -0.63) and anxiety (d = -0.51, d = -0.49) at 4- and 8-month follow-up, respectively; alcohol use (d = -0.40) at 8-month follow-up; and certain minority stress (e.g., internalized stigma) and universal (i.e., emotion dysregulation) mechanisms compared to assessment only. LGBTQ-affirmative ICBT was more efficacious for reducing HIV-transmission-risk behavior for participants with lower internalized stigma (d = 0.42). Greater session completion predicted greater reductions in suicidality and rumination. CONCLUSIONS: LGBTQ-affirmative ICBT demonstrates preliminary efficacy for Chinese young sexual minority men. Findings can inform future interventions for young sexual minority men in contexts with limited affirmative supports.

Women's Perceived HIV Stigma and Testing in Stann Creek District, Belize: A Population-Representing, Mixed-Methods Study.

Stigma affects adversely the HIV prevention continuum and care cascade. Our population-based, mixed-methods study aimed to assess women's perceived HIV stigma and discriminatory attitudes, and their relation with HIV testing in a high-prevalence area in Belize. This population-representing household survey in the mixed urban-rural setting of Stann Creek District, Belize, collected data from 236 women age 15 to 49 years. We analyzed HIV testing rates, HIV prevention and transmission knowledge, perceived stigma manifestations, and participant attitudes. Concurrently, a nested qualitative component of study cognitive interviews with a purposive sample of 23 women explored HIV stigma in their community. A vast majority of women (96%) perceived HIV stigma manifestations in their communities as pervasive and a deterrent to people from testing. Discriminatory attitudes (16% believe children with HIV should not attend school) and HIV misconceptions (53% fear acquiring HIV through saliva) tended to be more common in nonurban areas and among women with less formal education. Stigma persisted even with high HIV testing rates among women. Qualitative findings triangulated survey results and, taken together, suggest that prejudices held against people with HIV led to avoidance of HIV preventive measures such as testing and status disclosure, fueled by a strong distrust of the medical care system regarding confidentiality of HIV test results. Misconceptions about HIV and stigmatizing attitudes remain pervasive among women in Stann Creek, Belize. Health literacy, stigma interventions, and expansion of routine confidential testing to include men are needed to address the HIV and stigma syndemic in Belize.

The syndemic effect of COVID-19 and racial discrimination on suicide risk for Black emerging adults: Examining a model of radical healing.

Suicide is a leading cause of death among Black emerging adults. The concurrent effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and racial discrimination were projected to exacerbate suicide vulnerability for Black Americans. The purpose of the present study was to utilize a risk-resilience model to examine the effects of racial discrimination and COVID-related stress on suicide risk for Black emerging adults, as well as the moderating effect of three central components of radical healing: critical consciousness, resilience, and cultural authenticity. Study participants included 521 Black emerging adults between the ages of 18 and 29 (51.6% male; Mage = 24.6, SD = 2.6) who completed measures evaluating symptoms of racial discrimination, COVID-related stress, suicide risk, and psychological well-being. After controlling for age, gender, socioeconomic status, and general stress, structural equation modeling analyses revealed unique and interactive effects of racial discrimination, COVID-related stress, and culturally relevant protective factors on suicide risk for Black emerging adults. These findings provide preliminary insight into novel risk and protective factors that influence suicide risk for Black emerging adults. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

HIV and Substance Use Disorders.

Over 1.2 million Americans aged 13 years and older have been diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). While HIV incidence has been declining since 2017, the risk of HIV acquisition and transmission persists among persons who use drugs via injection drug use and unprotected sexual intercourse associated with substance use. Untreated substance use disorder (SUD) is associated with poor adherence to HIV antiretroviral therapy, poor HIV outcomes, and increased risk for HIV acquisition. Herein, we describe the intertwined syndemic of HIV and SUD, as well as treatment strategies and evidence-based public health efforts to engage and retain persons who use drugs into care.

Unraveling the multiple chronic conditions patterns among people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia: A machine learning approach to incorporate synergistic interactions.

INTRODUCTION: Most people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (ADRD) also suffer from two or more chronic conditions, known as multiple chronic conditions (MCC). While many studies have investigated the MCC patterns, few studies have considered the synergistic interactions with other factors (called the syndemic factors) specifically for people with ADRD. METHODS: We included 40,290 visits and identified 18 MCC from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center. Then, we utilized a multi-label XGBoost model to predict developing MCC based on existing MCC patterns and individualized syndemic factors. RESULTS: Our model achieved an overall arithmetic mean of 0.710 AUROC (SD = 0.100) in predicting 18 developing MCC. While existing MCC patterns have enough predictive power, syndemic factors related to dementia, social behaviors, mental and physical health can improve model performance further. DISCUSSION: Our study demonstrated that the MCC patterns among people with ADRD can be learned using a machine-learning approach with syndemic framework adjustments. HIGHLIGHTS: Machine learning models can learn the MCC patterns for people with ADRD. The learned MCC patterns should be adjusted and individualized by syndemic factors. The model can predict which disease is developing based on existing MCC patterns. As a result, this model enables early specific MCC identification and prevention.

O mar que habita em mim: estratégias de comunicação sobre o trabalho da pesca artesanal de mulheres das águas / The sea that lives in me: communication strategies about the artisanal fishing work of women from the Waters / El mar que habita en mí: estrategias de comunicación sobre el trabajo pesquero artesanal de las mujeres de las aguas

As pescadoras artesanais do litoral de Pernambuco enfrentam os impactos das indústrias, do derramamento de petróleo e da pandemia de covid-19, conformando uma sindemia que agrava as vulnerabilidades socioe-conômicas, ambientais e sanitárias. Objetivou-se demonstrar que estratégias de comunicação e divulgação científica, como a cartilha "Saúde das mulheres das águas" e o documentário O mar que habita em mim, são importantes por promoverem a democratização do conhecimento. Trata-se de pesquisa-ação do tipo etnográfica para identificar aspectos do trabalho e da vida. Participaram 34 pescadoras, mediante grupos focais, oficina de fluxograma laboral, vivência do trabalho da pesca, análise e produção de estratégias. Esses materiais demonstram a relação saúde doença no trabalho da pesca enfatizando narrativas sobre deter-minação social da saúde. As estratégias comunicativas provocaram interesse da sociedade, promoveram debate e contribuíram para a consciência de profissionais/gestores de saúde sobre os povos das águas e as situações nos territórios.

Artisanal fisherwomen of Pernambuco face the impacts of the industries, of an oil spill and of the covid-19 pandemic, forming a syndemic that aggravates socioeconomic, environmental and health vulnerabilities. The objective was to demonstrate that scientific communication and dissemination strategies, such as the booklet "Saúde das mulheres das águas" and the documentary O mar que habita em mim, promote knowledge. This is an ethnographic type of action research to identify aspects of work and life. A total of 34 artisanal fisherwomen participated, in focus groups, labor flowchart workshop, experience of fishing work, analysis and production of strategies. These materials demonstrate the health disease relationship in fishing work, emphasizing the narratives of the fisherwomen about the social determination of their health. The communicative strategies provoked society's interests, promoted the debate and contributed to the awareness of professionals and health managers about the health of water's people and situations in the territories.

Pescadoras artesanales de pernambucano enfrentan impactos de industrias, derrame de petróleo y la pandemia de covid-19, formando una sindemia que agrava vulnerabilidades socioeconómicas, ambientales y de salud. El objetivo fue demostrar que las estrategias de comunicación y divulgación científica, como el folleto "'Salud das mujeres das aguas" y el documentario El mar que habita en mí, democratizan el conocimiento. Tiene abordaje de investigación-acción, etnográfica, para identificar aspectos del trabajo y la vida. Participaron 34 pescadoras en grupos focales, taller del flujo de trabajo, vivencia del trabajo en la pesca, análisis y elaboración de estrategias. Estos materiales demuestran la relación salud enfermedad en el trabajo pesquero, enfatizando narrativas sobre la determinación social de la salud. Las estrategias comu-nicativas despertaron el interés de la sociedad, promovieron el debate y contribuyeron a la sensibilización de los profesionales/gestores de la salud sobre los pueblos de las aguas y las situaciones de los territorios.

Severe coinfection of dengue and malaria: A case report.

Key Clinical Message: In countries like Sudan, where several infectious diseases are prevalent, health care providers should not be satisfied with initial detection of a single pathogen and whenever it is feasible, they should investigate coinfections. Infections with high mortality or severe morbidity should be prioritized during the differential diagnosis particularly for diseases with similar clinical manifestations to reduce the death and disability rates. However, this requires substantial improvement in the diagnostic capacity. Abstract: Here we report a case of dengue and malaria coinfection from the southeast region of Sudan, bordering Ethiopia and Eritrea. A 25-year-old male from Sudan presented with symptoms of fever, chills, vomiting, and muscle and joint pain. Laboratory investigations confirmed a coinfection of dengue and malaria, which is assumingly not uncommon in areas heavily syndemic with several diseases but it is severely under-detected, underreported, and underestimated. The case has fully recovered after the supportive care for dengue and chemotherapy treatment for malaria. In such a case, it was important to monitor the patient's recovery and the treatment outcome through clinical indicators and laboratory parameters to update the treatment course whenever needed, according to response. The increasing burden and outbreaks of vector-borne diseases including dengue and malaria in Sudan, indicates the need for improving the implementation of the global vector control response that established by the World Health Organization. Additionally, the increasing prevalent of coinfections is urging substantial improvement in the diagnostic capacity in endemic countries.

Double burden of malnutrition among women of reproductive age: Trends and determinants over the last 15 years in India.

INTRODUCTION: Double burden of malnutrition (DBM) has been recognized by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as an emerging Global Syndemic characterized by the simultaneous occurrence of both undernutrition and overnutrition. Women of the reproductive age group (15 to 49 years) are disproportionately affected by DBM and are at high risk of continuing the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition. This study aims to assess the changing trends and determinants of DBM among women of the reproductive age group in India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used data from three rounds of National Family Health Surveys (NFHS-3,4,5) conducted in years 2005-06, 2015-16, and 2019-2021. Descriptive statistics and Poisson regression analysis were done using weights with log link function. RESULTS: The prevalence of anaemia, underweight and overweight/obesity was 57.2%, 18.6% and 24% respectively. The combined burden of underweight and anaemia has declined by 46% (21.6% to 11.7%), whereas the combined burden of overweight/obesity and anaemia has increased by 130% (5.4% to 12.4%) in the past 15 years. The prevalence of DBM, which includes both underweight and overweight/obesity with anaemia was 24.1% in 2021, a decline of 11% in 15 years. Women who were younger, rural, less educated, poor and middle class, and women living in the eastern, western and southern regions of India had higher risk for being underweight with anaemia and lower risk for developing overweight/obesity with anaemia. CONCLUSION: The significant decrease in underweight yet enormous increase in overweight/obesity over the past 15 years with the persistence of anaemia in both ends of the nutritional spectrum is characteristic of the new nutritional reality emphasizing the need to address malnutrition in all its forms. It is critical to consider geography and a population specific, double-duty targeted intervention to holistically address the risk factors associated with DBM and accomplish India's commitment to the global agenda of Sustainable Development Goals-2030.

Addressing anti-Black racism within public health in North America: a scoping review.

OBJECTIVES: The syndemic that is COVID-19 and the disproportionate policing of Black communities have recently generated mass social consciousness of the anti-Black racism (ABR) pervading health, social, and cultural institutions. However, little is known about the implementation of public health measures addressing ABR in an evolving pandemic context. The objective of this scoping review is to provide an overview of public health initiatives undertaken to address ABR across North American jurisdictions between December 2019 and June 2022. METHODS: A search for public health initiatives was conducted in June 2021 across MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, EBSChost, CINAHL, SocINDEX, and Google.ca. Included initiatives were those focussing on Black, African diasporic, or African American communities in the North American context. Community-led action, as well as initiatives in primary healthcare care, academic journals, and those broadly focused on racialized communities, were excluded from this review. SYNTHESIS: Seventy-five articles were included in this review, suggesting that ABR emerged as a public health priority. Strategies and action plans to address structural ABR were the most common types of initiatives observed (n = 21), followed by programs or interventions (n = 16), budget allocations or investments (n = 8), task forces (n = 7), guidance and recommendations for organizational capacity (n = 8), action-oriented declarations of ABR as a public health crisis (n = 8), and legislation and mandates (n = 7). Initiatives were largely cross-cutting of two or more socioeconomic themes (n = 23), while organizational change was also common (n = 16). Gaps in the current literature include a lack of community participation and outcome measurement for actions identified, which limit institutional accountability to communities of interest. CONCLUSION: This research provides insights on public health accountability to social justice. This research outlines activities in upstream interventions, organizational transformation, and resource allocation in shaping anti-racist change, and require evaluation and input from those whom initiatives are intended to serve.

The Risk Factors Associated with the Prevalence of Multimorbidity of Anaemia, Malaria, and Malnutrition among Children Aged 6-59 Months in Nigeria.

In the last ten years, multimorbidity in children under the age of five years has become an emerging health issue in developing countries. The study of multimorbidity of anaemia, malaria, and malnutrition (MAMM) among children in Nigeria has not received significant attention. This study aims to investigate what risk factors are associated with the prevalence of multimorbidity among children aged 6 to 59 months in Nigeria. This study used two nationally representative cross-sectional surveys, the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey and the 2018 National Human Development Report. A series of multilevel mixed-effect ordered logistic regression models were used to investigate the associations between child/parent/household variables (at level 1), community-related variables (at level 2) and area-related variables (at level 3), and the multimorbidity outcome (no disease, one disease only, two or more diseases). The results show that 48.3% (4917/10,184) of the sample of children aged 6-59 months display two or more of the disease outcomes. Being a female child, the maternal parent having completed higher education, the mother being anaemic, the household wealth quintile being in the richest category, the proportion of community wealth status being high, the region being in the south, and place of residence being rural were among the significant predictors of MAMM (p < 0.05). The prevalence of MAMM found in this study is unacceptably high. If suitable actions are not urgently taken, Nigeria's ability to actualise SDG-3 will be in grave danger. Therefore, suitable policies are necessary to pave the way for the creation/development of integrated care models to ameliorate this problem.

Tuberculosis and diabetes mellitus: The complexity of the comorbid interactions.

The double burden of tuberculosis (TB) and diabetes mellitus (DM) represents a major public health challenge that demands urgent and integrated approaches. The interplay between these two chronic conditions presents unique clinical and public health management challenges, as well as social and economic implications. We explored the bidirectional relationship between TB and DM, emphasizing how DM increases susceptibility to TB and complicates its management, while TB may exacerbate glycemic control in diabetic patients. This review underscores the challenges associated with the management of both diseases, obstacles in screening TB patients for DM and TB preventive therapy for DM since inadequate glycemic control can impact treatment outcomes. Several studies have investigated the disease interplay; however, the results have been equivocal, and this may be exerting negative impacts on the disease prevention and treatment. TB-diabetes comorbidity has been linked to poor treatment outcomes whereas TB prevention in people with DM at present is a dilemma. In addition to highlighting how urgent it is to address this comorbidity, this review offers a road map for better prevention, treatment, and control of several factors underlying the TB-diabetes syndemic interaction.

The lifestyle health index in the context of COVID-19 mortality and vaccination in the United States: A syndemic not to be repeated.

Public health, personal/community health behaviors, health care delivery, and the scientific community have all been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and are consequently poised to consider substantial paradigm shifts that will enhance disease prevention and public health resilience. The current analysis compares the newly developed Lifestyle Health Index (LHI) to U.S. county-level COVID-19 vaccination, infection, and mortality rates. We linked Centers of Disease Control PLACES, the U.S. Community Profile Report, and Nationhood lab databases through common zip-code identifiers to determine the association between county-level LHI scores and COVID-19 outcomes and vaccination status against the backdrop of U.S. regions with distinct cultural phenotypes. There was a statistically significant relationship between a poor LHI, lower COVID-19 vaccination rates and higher COVID-19 infection and mortality rates. There were clear differences in outcomes across the U.S. regions, suggesting distinct regional cultural characteristics may significantly influence health behaviors and outcomes. In the U.S., a syndemic comprising unhealthy lifestyle, chronic disease, and COVID-19 resulted in unnecessary hospitalizations and deaths. Politicization of the pandemic, socioeconomic inequity and regional cultural values meaningfully contributed to the uneven distribution of poor outcomes during this syndemic. Components of the syndemic were avoidable and should not be repeated. Condensed Abstract: The unhealthy lifestyle - chronic disease - COVID-19 U.S. syndemic resulted in unnecessary hospitalizations and deaths. Politicization of the pandemic, socioeconomic inequity and regional cultural values meaningfully contributed to the uneven distribution of poor outcomes during this syndemic. Components of the syndemic were avoidable and should not be repeated.

A data-driven approach to implementing the HPTN 094 complex intervention INTEGRA in local communities.

BACKGROUND: HIV burden in the US among people who inject drugs (PWID) is driven by overlapping syndemic factors such as co-occurring health needs and environmental factors that synergize to produce worse health outcomes among PWID. This includes stigma, poverty, and limited healthcare access (e.g. medication to treat/prevent HIV and for opioid use disorder [MOUD]). Health services to address these complex needs, when they exist, are rarely located in proximity to each other or to the PWID who need them. Given the shifting drug use landscapes and geographic heterogeneity in the US, we evaluate a data-driven approach to guide the delivery of such services to PWID in local communities. METHODS: We used a hybrid, type I, embedded, mixed method, data-driven approach to identify and characterize viable implementation neighborhoods for the HPTN 094 complex intervention, delivering integrated MOUD and HIV treatment/prevention through a mobile unit to PWID across five US cities. Applying the PRISM framework, we triangulated geographic and observational pre-implementation phase data (epidemiological overdose and HIV surveillance data) with two years of implementation phase data (weekly ecological assessments, study protocol meetings) to characterize environmental factors that affected the viability of implementation neighborhoods over time and across diverse settings. RESULTS: Neighborhood-level drug use and geographic diversity alongside shifting socio-political factors (policing, surveillance, gentrification) differentially affected the utility of epidemiological data in identifying viable implementation neighborhoods across sites. In sites where PWID are more geographically dispersed, proximity to structural factors such as public transportation and spaces where PWID reside played a role in determining suitable implementation sites. The utility of leveraging additional data from local overdose and housing response systems to identify viable implementation neighborhoods was mixed. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that data-driven approaches provide a contextually relevant pragmatic strategy to guide the real-time implementation of integrated care models to better meet the needs of PWID and help inform the scale-up of such complex interventions. This work highlights the utility of implementation science methods that attend to the impact of local community environmental factors on the implementation of complex interventions to PWID across diverse drug use, sociopolitical, and geographic landscapes in the US. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClincalTrials.gov, Registration Number: NCT04804072 . Registered 18 February 2021.