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Background: Self-reported service use informs resource utilisation and cost estimates, though its validity for use within economic evaluations is uncertain., Objective: The aim of this study is to assess agreement in health resource-use measurement between self-reported and administrative data across different resource categories, over time and between different recall periods by subgroups among Australians living with psychosis., Methods: Data were obtained for 104 participants with psychotic disorders from a randomised controlled trial. Agreement between self-reported resource-use questionnaires and administrative data on community-based services and medication use was assessed through estimating differences of group mean number of visits and medications used and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) over multiple time periods., Results: ICC showed moderate agreement across most time periods for general practitioners, psychiatrists and mental health medications. No clear trends were discernible over time, between varying lengths of recall periods nor across participant subgroups., Conclusion: Despite poor agreement, when measuring visits to psychologists and other health professionals, small overall differences in group mean number of visits indicate that self-reported data may still be valid for use in economic evaluations in people living with psychosis., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Objectives: To assess the population health impact of high temperatures on workplace health and safety by estimating the burden of heat-attributable occupational injury in Australia., Study Design, Setting: Retrospective observational study; estimation of burden of occupational injury in Australia attributable to high temperatures during 2014-19, based on Safe Work Australia (work-related traumatic injury fatalities and workers' compensation databases) and Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data (Australian Burden of Disease Study and National Hospital Morbidity databases), and a meta-analysis of climate zone-specific risk data., Main Outcome Measure: Burden of heat-attributable occupational injuries as disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), comprising the numbers of years of life lived with disability (YLDs) and years of life lost (YLLs), nationally, by Köppen-Geiger climate zone, and by state and territory., Results: During 2014-19, an estimated 42 884 years of healthy life were lost to occupational injury, comprising 39 485 YLLs (92.1%) and 3399 YLDs (7.9%), at a rate of 0.80 DALYs per 1000 workers per year. A total of 967 occupational injury-related DALYs were attributable to heat (2.3% of occupational injury-related DALYs), comprising 890 YLLs (92%) and 77 YLDs (8%). By climate zone, the heat-attributable proportion was largest in the tropical Am (12 DALYs; 3.5%) and Aw zones (34 DALYs; 3.5%); by state and territory, the proportion was largest in New South Wales and Queensland (each 2.9%), which also included the largest numbers of heat-attributable occupational injury-related DALYs (NSW: 379 DALYs, 39% of national total; Queensland: 308 DALYs; 32%)., Conclusion: An estimated 2.3% of the occupational injury burden in Australia is attributable to high ambient temperatures. To prevent this burden increasing with global warming, adaptive measures and industry-based policies are needed to safeguard workplace health and safety, particularly in heat-exposed industries, such as agriculture, transport, and construction., (© 2023 The Authors. Medical Journal of Australia published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of AMPCo Pty Ltd.)

Background: With high temperature becoming an increasing health risk due to a changing climate, it is important to quantify the scale of the problem. However, estimating the burden of disease (BoD) attributable to high temperature can be challenging due to differences in risk patterns across geographical regions and data accessibility issues., Methods: We present a methodological framework that uses Köppen-Geiger climate zones to refine exposure levels and quantifies the difference between the burden observed due to high temperatures and what would have been observed if the population had been exposed to the theoretical minimum risk exposure distribution (TMRED). Our proposed method aligned with the Australian Burden of Disease Study and included two parts: (i) estimation of the population attributable fractions (PAF); and then (ii) estimation of the BoD attributable to high temperature. We use suicide and self-inflicted injuries in Australia as an example, with most frequent temperatures (MFTs) as the minimum risk exposure threshold (TMRED)., Results: Our proposed framework to estimate the attributable BoD accounts for the importance of geographical variations of risk estimates between climate zones, and can be modified and adapted to other diseases and contexts that may be affected by high temperatures., Conclusions: As the heat-related BoD may continue to increase in the future, this method is useful in estimating burdens across climate zones. This work may have important implications for preventive health measures, by enhancing the reproducibility and transparency of BoD research., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association.)

Background: In this study, we explored the factors that motivate food choice, and evaluated the psychometric properties and demographic correlates of the Eating Motivation (EATMOT) questionnaire in adults in the United States (US). Methods: This cross-sectional survey involved 905 adults in 6 sites across the US. The EATMOT questionnaire measures participants' self-reported motivations for food selection, demographic, and anthropometric data. Analyses included exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, correlations, Welch's t-tests, and logistic regressions. Results: We established a 3-factor model (health-related, emotional, and environmental/political motivations) as the best fit to the data (CFI = .983, RMSEA = .049, SRMR = .054). Gender differences were found within the 3 factors, as well as in the intercorrelations between factors. Higher levels of health-related motivations (B = .10, SE = .04, OR = 1.11 (95% CI: 1.03, 1.19), p = .006) were associated with increased reports of weight loss dieting, whereas higher levels of environmental/political motivations (B = -.09, SE = .04, OR = 0.91, p = .02) were associated with fewer reports of weight-loss dieting. Conclusion: An abbreviated version of the EATMOT scale is appropriate for use in a US sample and identifies 3 categories of factors that impact dietary choices. These factors may be important in building interventions to improve diets.

Objectives: Culinary interventions show promise in preventing obesity. The Cooking Up Energy (CUE) program aimed to improve weight status and attitudes held about healthy foods, as well as increase cooking self-efficacy and frequency of meal preparation, in children 6-12 years of age. Methods: We provided 10 one-hour long culinary and nutrition education sessions. We took pre- and post-program surveys along with height, weight, and waist circumference measurements. We invited parents to 2 evening sessions. We analyzed results for the entire group, and a subgroup of children who were overweight or obese at baseline. Results: We analyzed matched data (N = 65; 52% female; >60% minority; 43% overweight or obese). Mean BMI percentile and BMI z-score did not change significantly following program completion. However, BMI z-score in those who were overweight or obese, remained favorably constant, rather than rising. We found an increase in participation in meal preparation for all meals, along with robust attendance and favorable program evaluations. Participant cooking self-efficacy and attitudes remained largely unchanged. Conclusion: Favorable results for several factors were evident; however, they did not reach statistical significance. The program holds promise in influencing food-related behaviors that can buffer obesity risk in children; however these findings warrant further investigation.

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine risk factors for the acquisition of urinary tract infections (UTIs) and multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) in residents of skilled nursing facilities (SNFs)., Methods: Using the informational database provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a retrospective logistic regression was performed on 1,523 urine cultures from 12 SNFs located in Long Island, New York., Results: Of the 1,142 positive urine cultures, Escherichia coli was most prevalent. Additionally, 164 (14.4%) of the UTIs were attributed to an MDRO. In multivariate logistic regression, sex and overall quality rating predicted the occurrence of UTIs, whereas identification of MDROs was dependent on the level of nursing care received. The mean predicted probability of UTIs and receipt of contaminated samples was inversely dependent on the facility's rating, where the likelihood increased as overall quality ratings decreased., Conclusions: The CMS's quality rating system may provide some insight into the status of infection control practices in SNFs. The results of this study suggest that potential consumers should focus on the overall star ratings and the competency of the nursing staff in these facilities rather than on individual quality measures., (Copyright © 2016 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: We investigated the impact on body weight status and food-related behaviors following participation in the Cooking Up Energy® (CUE) Program., Methods: Children 7-11 years old attended 10 cooking/nutrition education sessions. Baseline and post-program weight, height and waist circumference measurements, frequency of participation in meal preparation and food frequency questionnaires were obtained. Data were analyzed for the entire group as well as a subgroup of overweight and obese participants., Results: Participants (N = 51) were predominately Latino (76%) and overweight (52%). Significant reduction in mean body mass index (BMI) percentile was found in the subgroup of overweight and obese participants (N = 27; p < .05). However, reduction in mean BMI z-score was non-significant. Reports of program enjoyment (98%) and an increased desire to cook more frequently at home (83%) were found; however, no significant increase in participation in meal preparation at home was found following program completion., Conclusion: The CUE program was well received by most participants, and there is indication that program participation has the potential to have a positive influence on body weight. However, more research is needed to explore ways to promote an increase in participation in food preparation at home by children.

Background: The U.S. population is aging at an unprecedented rate, resulting in an increased demand for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and long-term care. Residents of these facilities are at a high risk for pneumococcal disease or severe influenza-related illnesses and death. For these reasons, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services use influenza and pneumococcal vaccination rates as a quality measure in the assessment of SNFs, as complications related to these infections increase morbidity and mortality rates., Methods: Disparities have been reported amongst vaccination with increased rates in urban areas as compared to their non-urban counterparts. Statistical analyses were performed to compare influenza and pneumococcal vaccination in urban and non-urban SNFs to determine variables that may influence vaccination status., Results: Of the 15,639 nursing homes included in the study, 10,107 were in urban areas, while 5532 were considered non-urban. We found the percent of eligible and willing residents with up-to-date influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations increased with overall five-star ratings of SNFs. Somewhat paradoxically, although urban SNFs had higher mean overall five-star ratings, they showed lower rates of influenza and pneumococcal vaccination compared to non-urban SNFs. Ordinary least squares regression analysis comparing overall ratings, type of ownership, and geographic location by region yielded statistically significant results in which the overall rating, ownership-type and certificate-type favored urban SNFs (p < 0.001)., Conclusions: This is the first systematic and comparative analysis to use the Nursing Home Compare database to assess vaccine administration of urban and non-urban SNFs. The findings of this study may be used to encourage the development of programs to improve vaccination rates and the quality of care in these facilities.

We propose a calibrated dynamic model of food consumption choices and body weight to study changes in daily caloric intake, weight, and the away-from-home share of calories consumed by adult men and women in the U.S. during the period between 1971 and 2006. Calibration reveals substantial preference heterogeneity between men and women. For example, utility losses stemming from weight gains are ten times greater for women compared to men. Counterfactual experiments show that changes in food prices and household income account for half of the increase in weight of adult men, but only a small fraction of women's weight. We argue that quantitative models of food consumption choices and body weight have a unique role to play in future research in the economics of obesity., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To reduce intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in youths as a means to reduce obesity risk., Methods: Youths 5-14 years old attending a summer program were given a two-hour workshop addressing the sugar content in SSBs, the health risks from drinking SSBs, and hands-on preparation as well as tastings of low-sugar beverage alternatives. Data on usual intake of SSBs was obtained at baseline, and pre- and postprogram surveys were conducted to gauge change in knowledge and/or attitudes regarding SSBs., Results: There were 128 participants (63% male) in the program. SSBs were commonly consumed with over 80% reporting regular consumption (mean daily intake 17.9 ounces). Significant increase in knowledge regarding the sugar content of commonly consumed SSBs was achieved; however change in attitudes was not significant. The large majority of youths reported enjoying the workshop and intention to reduce intake of SSBs following program participation., Conclusion: SSBs are commonly consumed by youths. Knowledge regarding the sugar content of SSBs is easier to impart to youths than influencing attitudes held about these beverages. Long-term interventions that reach out to parents and address the widespread availability of SSBs are needed to influence resistant attitudes and beverage choosing behaviors in youths.