{"title":"Association Between Caring for a Disabled Adult and Spousal Caregiver's Chronic Disease: Evidence from a National Study in China.","authors":"Rixiang Xu, Guiyue Ma, Lijiangshan Hua, Yulian Liu, Tingyu Mu, Dandan Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.amepre.2025.107734","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2025.107734","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Spousal caregiving for disabled adults poses health risks, yet few studies address chronic diseases among caregivers of middle-aged and older spouses. This study explores the impact of caregiving on caregivers' chronic disease.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, we included 10,090 spousal caregivers of disabled individuals aged ≥45, categorized into current, previous and no-caregiving groups across 2015-2020 waves, and recorded caregiving duration. Chronic diseases (e.g., hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes), their counts, and covariates (including sex, age, education level, location, number of children, internet use, drinking and smoking status, physical activity and social activities) were obtained from the 2020 wave. Binary logistic regression assessed the relationship between caregiving status and chronic diseases, while zero-inflated negative binomial regression analyzed caregiving status and duration on disease counts. Analyses were conducted in October 2024.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>54.55% of the participants were men, and the mean age was 59.35 ± 8.60 years. The current and previous caregiving groups were more likely to have chronic diseases, particularly arthritis and heart disease, compared to the no-caregiving group. Chronic disease counts were also higher in these groups. Longer caregiving duration also was associated with increased disease counts in both the current and previous caregiving groups.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Caregiving for disabled middle-aged and older adults is associated with a higher prevalence and greater number of chronic diseases among caregivers. Caregiving duration is also positively associated with chronic disease counts. Tailored health policies and support systems are crucial for improving caregivers' health and care quality for disabled individuals in China.</p>","PeriodicalId":50805,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Preventive Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"107734"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144200750","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yinfen Xu, Qiyuan Lv, Yi Liu, Yimo Li, Fenfen Gao, Dan Zhou, Huilin Ji, Ruoting Ge, Jiahe Tian, Yun Lai, Linhui Zhu, Yuxin Chen, Rui Liu, Xiaodong Liu, Shumei Ma, Fang Shi
{"title":"Association of long-term blood pressure with frailty progression in older adults: a prospective cohort study.","authors":"Yinfen Xu, Qiyuan Lv, Yi Liu, Yimo Li, Fenfen Gao, Dan Zhou, Huilin Ji, Ruoting Ge, Jiahe Tian, Yun Lai, Linhui Zhu, Yuxin Chen, Rui Liu, Xiaodong Liu, Shumei Ma, Fang Shi","doi":"10.1016/j.amepre.2025.107735","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2025.107735","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Hypertension is associated with an increased risk of frailty; however, the role of cumulative blood pressure (CBP) and blood pressure variability (BPV) in frailty remains underexplored. This study aims to investigate the association between long-term blood pressure and the progression of frailty in older adults.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study analyzed data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. Cox regression and linear mixed-effects model were used to assess the association between long-term blood pressure and frailty.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The longitudinal study included 3,758 participants. The highest quartiles of cumulative systolic blood pressure (CSBP), cumulative diastolic blood pressure (CDBP), systolic blood pressure variability (SBPV), diastolic blood pressure variability (DBPV), and pulse pressure variability (PPV) were associated with an increased risk of frailty. Specifically, the HR (95% CI) for the highest quartiles compared to the lowest were 1.228 (1.067-1.413) for CSBP, 1.201 (1.044-1.382) for CDBP, 1.220 (1.066-1.396) for SBPV, 1.224 (1.099-1.440) for DBPV, and 1.250 (1.090-1.432) for PPV. CBP and BPV exhibited significant interactions with time in frailty index (FI) progression. The highest quartile of CSBP showed an annual FI increase of 0.018 compared to the lowest quartile, while CDBP (β: 0.012), SBPV (β: 0.012), and PPV (β: 0.014) were also associated with the FI progression.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Higher CBP and BPV are associated with an increased FI over time. In adults aged ≥65 years, CBP and BPV may serve as early indicators of frailty. These findings highlight the need for a stratified approach to frailty management that considers long-term blood pressure patterns in older adults.</p>","PeriodicalId":50805,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Preventive Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"107735"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144200751","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Eliana E. Kim BA , Irena Cenzer PhD , Francis J. Graham BA , Jasmine Kang MPH , Sei J. Lee MD, MAS , Alison S. Rustagi MD, PhD
{"title":"Time to Benefit for Lung Cancer Screening: A Systematic Review and Survival Meta-Analysis","authors":"Eliana E. Kim BA , Irena Cenzer PhD , Francis J. Graham BA , Jasmine Kang MPH , Sei J. Lee MD, MAS , Alison S. Rustagi MD, PhD","doi":"10.1016/j.amepre.2025.107736","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.amepre.2025.107736","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography reduces lung cancer mortality in the long term but carries immediate risks. Guidelines recommend screening persons whose life expectancy exceeds the screening test’s time to benefit, defined as the time from screening initiation to first observed benefit. This study aimed to estimate the time to benefit for lung cancer screening to prevent lung cancer mortality.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Randomized controlled trials of lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography were identified from two prior systematic reviews and an updated search to December 3, 2023. Studies that reported lung cancer mortality were included. For each study, independent Weibull survival curves were fitted and Markov chain Monte Carlo simulations were generated to estimate the absolute risk reduction at different time points. Time to benefit was determined as the time at which absolute risk reduction thresholds (ARR=0.0005, 0.001, 0.002) were crossed. These estimates were pooled using a random-effects meta-analysis model.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of eight randomized controlled trials comprising 88,526 participants were included. Enrollment age ranged from age 50 to 70 years; follow-up duration ranged from 7.3 to 12.3 years. For every 1,000 persons screened, 3.4 years (95%=CI 2.2, 5.1) passed before 1 death from lung cancer was prevented (ARR=0.001). The time to prevent one lung cancer death per 2,000 persons screened (ARR=0.0005) was 2.2 years (95% CI=1.4, 3.4); per 500 persons screened (ARR=0.002), it was 5.2 years (95%=CI 3.7, 7.3).</div></div><div><h3>Discussion</h3><div>Lung cancer screening is most appropriate for older adults at high risk of lung cancer with a life expectancy greater than 3.4 years.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50805,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Preventive Medicine","volume":"69 2","pages":"Article 107736"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144188454","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Adam Gaffney, David U Himmelstein, Samuel L Dickman, Lenore Azaroff, Danny McCormick, Steffie Woolhandler
{"title":"Healthcare Access among Pregnant Women in States with and without Abortion Restrictions.","authors":"Adam Gaffney, David U Himmelstein, Samuel L Dickman, Lenore Azaroff, Danny McCormick, Steffie Woolhandler","doi":"10.1016/j.amepre.2025.107671","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2025.107671","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50805,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Preventive Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"107671"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144250596","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
John D Heintzman, Jorge Kaufmann, Jennifer A Lucas, Brian Chan, Carlos Rodriguez, Dave Boston, Miguel Marino
{"title":"A cohort study of statin prescribing among the uninitiated pre and post the 2013 ACC/AHA guideline change by race, ethnicity and language.","authors":"John D Heintzman, Jorge Kaufmann, Jennifer A Lucas, Brian Chan, Carlos Rodriguez, Dave Boston, Miguel Marino","doi":"10.1016/j.amepre.2025.107659","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2025.107659","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The 2013 American College of Cardiology (ACC)/ American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines to manage atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) expanded eligibility for medication. To better understand the guidelines' impact on those who should have been on a statin all along, we performed a cohort study of patients eligible-for-but-never-prescribed statins before the guideline change, evaluating statin eligibility or prescription after the guideline change by race, ethnicity, and preferred language.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We used 2012-2020 electronic health record data from low-income patients in community health centers (CHCs) in 14 states to evaluate statin eligibility and prescriptions in patients aged 40-75 years, using multivariable generalized estimating equation logistic regression, accounting for clustering of patients within clinics, adjusted for patient demographics, overall healthcare utilization, and comorbidities.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In our sample (N=13,669), Black and most Latino patients were more likely eligible for statins post-guideline change than non-Hispanic whites. All minority groups in our study (except English-preferring Latino patients ≤ 65) were more likely than white adults to receive a statin post-guideline change if eligible. Spanish-preferring Latino patients had the highest prevalence of statin prescriptions. Patients age ≥65 had high eligibility (85% overall), but a statin prescription prevalence of 50% overall.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>In CHCs, racial and ethnic minority patients, especially Spanish-preferring Latinos, may receive statin prescriptions more than white patients. Further work can help elucidate these trends to aid physicians in effectively and equitably managing ASCVD risk across minority populations as they age.</p>","PeriodicalId":50805,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Preventive Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"107659"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144133274","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Roy Wade Jr. MD, PhD, MPH, MSHP , Carolyn Smith-Brown , Leslie Lieberman MSW , Mary Clare Reidy MPH , Peter F. Cronholm MD, MSCE, FAAFP , Joel A. Fein MD, MPH , Lee M. Pachter DO , Christine M. Forke PhD, MSN, CRNP, CPNP-PC
{"title":"Expanding the Concept of Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Decade of Insights","authors":"Roy Wade Jr. MD, PhD, MPH, MSHP , Carolyn Smith-Brown , Leslie Lieberman MSW , Mary Clare Reidy MPH , Peter F. Cronholm MD, MSCE, FAAFP , Joel A. Fein MD, MPH , Lee M. Pachter DO , Christine M. Forke PhD, MSN, CRNP, CPNP-PC","doi":"10.1016/j.amepre.2025.107660","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.amepre.2025.107660","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50805,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Preventive Medicine","volume":"69 2","pages":"Article 107660"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144132150","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amanda M. Palmer PhD , Reid DeMass MS , Alana M. Rojewski PhD , Evan M. Bagley PhD , Matthew J. Carpenter PhD , Tracy T. Smith PhD , Benjamin A. Toll PhD
{"title":"Augmented Doses of Nicotine Replacement Therapy: Feasibility for Dual Cigarette and E-Cigarette Cessation","authors":"Amanda M. Palmer PhD , Reid DeMass MS , Alana M. Rojewski PhD , Evan M. Bagley PhD , Matthew J. Carpenter PhD , Tracy T. Smith PhD , Benjamin A. Toll PhD","doi":"10.1016/j.amepre.2025.107664","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.amepre.2025.107664","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Dual use of combustible cigarettes and e-cigarettes is common and has harmful health effects. Many who dual use want to quit, but there are no empirically supported dual cessation interventions. High-dose nicotine replacement therapy is effective for treating heavy smoking and may be applied to treating dual use of combustible cigarettes and e-cigarettes.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>In this pilot feasibility trial, individuals using both combustible cigarettes and e-cigarettes who wanted to quit were randomly assigned to a 28-day supply of nicotine replacement therapy in one of 3 doses: Standard (21mg patch, <em>qd</em> + 4mg lozenge prn [minimum of 5, up to 20/day]); Mid (21mg patch + 14mg patch + 4mg lozenge [5–30/day]), or High (2 × 21mg patches + 4mg lozenges [5–40/day]). Participants reported combustible cigarette and e-cigarette use daily throughout treatment and 1-month follow-up.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Participants enrolled in the study (N=46 from 2023 to 2024, analyzed 2025) had high nicotine dependence and most completed study procedures. Participants in the Mid group reported using nicotine replacement therapy on more days relative to the other groups. Participants in Mid and High reported numerically higher 7-day point-prevalence dual abstinence at end of treatment (13% for both groups vs 6% Standard) and follow-up (33% for both groups vs 0% Standard). Generaelized estimating equation models showed a significantly higher likelihood of abstinence on a given day for the Mid and High groups relative to Standard (<em>p</em>s<0.05).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Augmented doses of nicotine replacement therapy are a feasible, promising treatment for dual cessation of combustible cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Future research should evaluate this approach in a more rigorous, fully powered trial.</div></div><div><h3>Trial Registration</h3><div>This study is registered at <span><span>www.clinicaltrials.gov</span><svg><path></path></svg></span> NCT06087328.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50805,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Preventive Medicine","volume":"69 2","pages":"Article 107664"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144132025","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Erin S. Rogers DrPH , Christina N. Wysota PhD , Scott E. Sherman MD, MPH
{"title":"Tobacco Spending Among Low-Income Older Adults in the United States, 2021–2023","authors":"Erin S. Rogers DrPH , Christina N. Wysota PhD , Scott E. Sherman MD, MPH","doi":"10.1016/j.amepre.2025.107661","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.amepre.2025.107661","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Spending on tobacco products may exacerbate health-related financial hardship experienced by low-income older adults. This study examined tobacco spending and the relationship between tobacco use and non-tobacco spending among low-income older adults in the U.S.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Using pooled 2021–2023 Consumer Expenditure Survey data, 1,983 single-person households (aged ≥65 years, with income <200% of the federal poverty level) were analyzed. Descriptive statistics summarized quarterly expenditures and budget shares for tobacco and nontobacco goods. Generalized linear and fractional logit models compared non-tobacco expenditures and budget shares between people who use (versus do not use) tobacco, controlling for sociodemographic covariates.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Overall, 10.6% of respondents reported tobacco spending. Respondents who used tobacco spent an average of $305.0 (SD=303.4) per quarter on tobacco (7.8% of their total budget). Compared to respondents that did not use tobacco, respondents that used tobacco spent significantly more per quarter on alcohol ($54.8 vs $22.0, <em>p</em><0.001) and significantly less per quarter on food ($783.9 vs $837.0, <em>p</em><0.01), housing ($1,754.5 vs $2,189.7, <em>p</em><0.05), health care ($564.0 vs $720.2, <em>p</em><0.05), and clothing ($47.8 vs $64.7, <em>p</em><0.05). Similarly, respondents that used tobacco spent a significantly greater portion of their budget on alcohol (1.3% vs 0.4%, <em>p</em><0.001) and a significantly lower portion on food (19.6% vs 19.7%, <em>p</em><0.05), housing (38.8% vs 43.4%, <em>p</em><0.01), health care (14.7% vs 16.8%, <em>p</em><0.01), and other expenses (2.0% vs 3.9%, <em>p</em><0.01).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Tobacco spending and its complementary alcohol spending may reduce low-income older adults' expenditures on food, housing and health care.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50805,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Preventive Medicine","volume":"69 2","pages":"Article 107661"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144132542","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xiang Gao PhD, MPH, MD , Steven R. Horbal PhD, MPH , Kathryn G. Burford PhD , Aurelian Bidulescu PhD, MPH, MD
{"title":"Alcohol Use Mediates the Association Between Sexual Dating Violence Victimization and Attempted Suicide Among U.S. High School Students","authors":"Xiang Gao PhD, MPH, MD , Steven R. Horbal PhD, MPH , Kathryn G. Burford PhD , Aurelian Bidulescu PhD, MPH, MD","doi":"10.1016/j.amepre.2025.107663","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.amepre.2025.107663","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>High school students experiencing sexual dating violence may use alcohol as a coping mechanism for trauma, emotional pain, and stress from victimization, increasing the risk of suicide attempts due to impaired judgment. Few studies have investigated how alcohol consumption influences the association between sexual dating violence and the likelihood of attempted suicide. We assessed the mediating role of alcohol use in this association.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We analyzed cross-sectional data of weighted 10,875 U.S. high school students from the 2021 pooled Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance dataset. We performed multivariable logistic regression analyses to assess associations between sexual dating violence and the likelihood of attempted suicide. We also conducted the four-way decomposition mediation analyses. Data were analyzed in 2024.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Sexual dating violence was significantly associated with attempted suicide in the overall high school student sample (AOR=4.85, <em>p</em><0.001), with stronger effects observed in subgroups, including males, 11th and 12th graders, and Black or African Americans. Alcohol use attributed 29.29% of the total effect of sexual dating violence victimization on attempted suicide, with 4.11% attributed to alcohol use only, and 25.18% to both interactions (between sexual dating violence victimization and alcohol use) and mediation (alcohol use).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Sexual dating violence is associated with suicide attempts among high school students overall and across subgroups. Alcohol use plays a critical mediating role, indicating the need for targeted alcohol-specific interventions to reduce suicide risk, particularly among high-risk groups such as male students, younger cohorts, and racial/ethnic minorities. Prioritizing alcohol interventions among these vulnerable populations may address health disparities in suicide attempts and enhance suicide prevention efforts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50805,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Preventive Medicine","volume":"69 2","pages":"Article 107663"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144129050","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Daopeng Duan, Wenning Sun, Jin Hao, Shuwen Bi, Siqian Zhang, Longrui Zou, Zexuan Yu, Shiju Dong, Jiajia Li
{"title":"Mediating role of health behaviors in income-related health inequalities: evidence from socioeconomically deprived rural areas of China.","authors":"Daopeng Duan, Wenning Sun, Jin Hao, Shuwen Bi, Siqian Zhang, Longrui Zou, Zexuan Yu, Shiju Dong, Jiajia Li","doi":"10.1016/j.amepre.2025.107658","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2025.107658","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Existing evidence from high-income countries suggests that higher income is associated with better health outcomes through health-promoting behaviors. However, limited evidence exists regarding income-related health inequalities mediated by health behaviors in low- and middle-income countries. This study focuses on socioeconomically deprived rural areas of China and examines how health behaviors contribute to the association between income and health.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In 2023, a cross-sectional study comprising 6,674 participants was conducted in rural Shandong, China, using a stratified cluster random sampling method. Income was measured using annual per capita net household income. Health behaviors included smoking, overdrinking, teeth brushing, fruit and vegetable consumption, and physical activity. Health status was assessed using the self-rated health (SRH) scale, the activities of daily living (ADLs) scale and EuroQol-5 Dimension (EQ5D). The ordinary least squares (OLS) method was adopted to examine the associations among income, health behaviors and health status after controlling for confounding factors. The non-parametric bootstrapping method was employed to further explore the mediating role of health behaviors in income-related health inequalities.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Income was positively associated with SRH, ADLs, EQ5D, and three positive behaviors including teeth brushing, fruit consumption, and physical activity, but was also positively correlated with overdrinking. Mediation analysis revealed that health behaviors mediated 35.05% (SRH), 67.90% (ADLs), and 72.08% (EQ5D) of the association between income and health status.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study has shown income-related inequalities in both health and health behaviors in socioeconomically deprived rural areas of China. The health behaviors mediated the association between income and health status.</p>","PeriodicalId":50805,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Preventive Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"107658"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144121449","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}