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Background: Metabolic dysfunction‐associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and alcohol consumption have both increased in recent years, and there is debate as to whether nonheavy alcohol use is safe in MASLD. We analyzed the association between different nonheavy alcohol use patterns and at‐risk liver fibrosis among individuals with MASLD. Methods: We conducted a cross‐sectional study of 1072 eligible National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey participants with MASLD who reported nonheavy alcohol consumption. We used vibration‐controlled transient elastography to define the primary outcome of at‐risk liver fibrosis as >8.2 kPa (stage F2‐F4). Multivariable logistic regression models were used to determine the association of different alcohol consumption patterns (average drinks/day, drinking days/week, weekly alcohol intake, type of alcoholic beverage) and at‐risk hepatic fibrosis, controlling for demographic/socioeconomic, lifestyle/dietary, and metabolic risk factors. Results: Exclusive liquor or cocktail drinkers had a 5.02‐fold odds of at‐risk fibrosis (95% CI: 1.15–21.95) compared with non‐drinkers when controlling for potential confounders. While consuming an average of 2 drinks/day, ≥3 drinking days/week, or 1–3 drinks/week appeared to have a lower association with at‐risk fibrosis when controlling for demographic/socioeconomic risk factors, the association was not present after controlling for lifestyle/dietary and metabolic risk factors. Conclusions: There is an association between exclusive liquor/cocktail consumption and at‐risk liver fibrosis in patients with MASLD who report nonheavy alcohol consumption. In a nationally representative sample of US adults with metabolic dysfunction‐associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), exclusive liquor or cocktail consumption is associated with a 5.02‐fold increased risk of liver fibrosis among nonheavy alcohol users. Nonheavy alcohol use overall was not associated with F2 or greater liver fibrosis after adjusting for confounders. Our findings highlight the need to investigate subcategories of drinking behavior that may lead to liver fibrosis even among those without heavy drinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of access to care on the uptake of low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) lung cancer screening among a diverse sample of screening-eligible patients. Methods: We utilized a cross-sectional study design. Our sample included patients evaluated for lung cancer screening at a large academic medical center (AMC) between 2015 and 2017 who met 2013 USPSTF guidelines for LDCT screening eligibility. The completion of LDCT screening (yes, no) was the primary dependent variable. The independent variable was access to care (insurance type, living within the AMC service area). We utilized binary logistic regression analyses to examine the influence of access to care on screening completion after adjusting for demographic factors (age, sex, race) and smoking history (current smoking status, smoking pack-year history). Results: A total of 1,355 individuals met LDCT eligibility criteria, and of those, 29.8% ( n = 404) completed screening. Regression analysis results showed individuals with Medicaid insurance (OR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.03-2.22), individuals living within the AMC service area (OR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.21-2.40), and those aged 65-74 years (OR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.12-1.98) had higher odds of receiving LDCT lung cancer screening. Lower odds of screening were associated with having Medicare insurance (OR, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.22-0.41) and out-of-pocket (OR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.15-0.47). Conclusion: Access to care was independently associated with lowered screening rates. Study results are consistent with prior research identifying the importance of access factors on uptake of cancer early detection screening behaviors., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Li, Matthews, Kao, Lin, Bahhur and Dowling.)