Frontiers in epidemiology最新文献

{"title":"Multiple imputation of missing data under missing at random: including a collider as an auxiliary variable in the imputation model can induce bias","authors":"Elinor Curnow, Kate Tilling, Jon E. Heron, Rosie P. Cornish, James R. Carpenter","doi":"10.3389/fepid.2023.1237447","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fepid.2023.1237447","url":null,"abstract":"Epidemiological studies often have missing data, which are commonly handled by multiple imputation (MI). In MI, in addition to those required for the substantive analysis, imputation models often include other variables (“auxiliary variables”). Auxiliary variables that predict the partially observed variables can reduce the standard error (SE) of the MI estimator and, if they also predict the probability that data are missing, reduce bias due to data being missing not at random. However, guidance for choosing auxiliary variables is lacking. We examine the consequences of a poorly chosen auxiliary variable: if it shares a common cause with the partially observed variable and the probability that it is missing (i.e., it is a “collider”), its inclusion can induce bias in the MI estimator and may increase the SE. We quantify, both algebraically and by simulation, the magnitude of bias and SE when either the exposure or outcome is incomplete. When the substantive analysis outcome is partially observed, the bias can be substantial, relative to the magnitude of the exposure coefficient. In settings in which a complete records analysis is valid, the bias is smaller when the exposure is partially observed. However, bias can be larger if the outcome also causes missingness in the exposure. When using MI, it is important to examine, through a combination of data exploration and considering plausible casual diagrams and missingness mechanisms, whether potential auxiliary variables are colliders.","PeriodicalId":73083,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in epidemiology","volume":"29 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135353695","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Community-driven research and capacity building to address environmental justice concerns with industrial air pollution in Curtis Bay, South Baltimore","authors":"Matthew A. Aubourg, Greg Sawtell, Lauren Deanes, Nicole Fabricant, Meleny Thomas, Kristoffer Spicer, Caila Wagar, Shashawnda Campbell, Abigail Ulman, Christopher D. Heaney","doi":"10.3389/fepid.2023.1198321","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fepid.2023.1198321","url":null,"abstract":"Curtis Bay (CB) is an environmental justice (EJ) community in South Baltimore. With a high concentration of industrial polluters and compounding non-chemical stressors, CB has experienced socioeconomic, quality of life, and health burdens for over 100 years. Today, these polluters include the open-air CSX Coal Terminal, waste-to-energy incinerators, and heavy diesel traffic through residential areas. The Community of Curtis Bay Association, Free Your Voice, and South Baltimore Community Land Trust are local organizations enacting a vision for equitable, healthy, and community-led development without industrial encroachment. In response to community-identified EJ concerns and an explosion at the CSX Coal Terminal, CB community groups partnered with academic researchers to develop a community-driven hyperlocal air monitoring and capacity building approach. This paper describes this approach to characterizing hyperlocal air quality in CB, building bridges between community residents and regulatory agencies, and nurturing a cohesive and effective community-academic partnership toward EJ.Using hyperlocal air monitoring, we are collecting real-time air pollution (particulate matter, black carbon, and ground-level gas species) and meteorological data from 15 low-cost sensors in residential and industrial areas of CB. We also use trail cameras to record activities at the CSX Coal Terminal. We merge air pollution and industrial activity data to evaluate the following: overall air quality in CB, multi-air pollutant profiles of elevated events, spatiotemporal changes in air quality in the community, patterns of industrial activity, and potential correlations between air quality and observed industrial activity. Members of our partnership also lead a high school course educating students about the history and ongoing efforts of the EJ movement in their community. Students in this course learn how to employ qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods to bring scientific support to community EJ concerns.Our hyperlocal air monitoring network and community-academic partnership are continuing to evolve and have already demonstrated the ability to respond to community-identified EJ issues with real-time data while developing future EJ leaders. Our reflections can assist other community and academic groups in developing strong and fruitful partnerships to address similar EJ issues.","PeriodicalId":73083,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in epidemiology","volume":"23 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135886195","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating the impact of sickle cell disease on COVID-19 susceptibility and severity: a retrospective cohort study based on electronic health record","authors":"Jiajun Luo, Johnny Powell, Sage Ross, Julie Johnson, Christopher O. Olopade, Jayant Pinto, Karen Kim, Habibul Ahsan, Briseis Aschebrook-Kilfoy","doi":"10.3389/fepid.2023.1241645","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fepid.2023.1241645","url":null,"abstract":"Background Sickle cell trait/disease (SCT/SCD) are enriched among Black people and associated with various comorbidities. The overrepresentation of these characteristics prevents traditional regression approach obtaining convincing evidence for the independent effect of SCT/SCD on other health outcomes. This study aims to investigate the association between SCT/SCD and COVID-19-related outcomes using causal inference approaches that balance the covariate. Methods We leveraged electronic health record (EHR) data from the University of Chicago Medicine between March 2020 and December 2021. Demographic characteristics were retrieved. Medical conditions were identified using ICD-10 codes. Five approaches, including two traditional regression approaches (unadjusted and adjusted) and three causal inference approaches [covariate balancing propensity score (CBPS) matching, CBPS weighting, and CBPS adjustment], were employed. Results A total of 112,334 patients were included in the study, among which 504 had SCT and 388 SCD. Patients with SCT/SCD were more likely to be non-Hispanic Black people, younger, female, non-smokers, and had a diagnosis of diabetes, heart failure, asthma, and cerebral infarction. Causal inference approaches achieved a balanced distribution of these covariates while traditional approaches failed. Across these approaches, SCD was consistently associated with COVID-19-related pneumonia (odds ratios (OR) estimates, 3.23 (95% CI: 2.13–4.89) to 2.57 (95% CI: 1.10–6.00)) and pain (OR estimates, 6.51 (95% CI: 4.68–9.06) to 2.47 (95% CI: 1.35–4.49)). While CBPS matching suggested an association between SCD and COVID-19-related acute respiratory distress syndrome (OR = 2.01, 95% CI: 0.97–4.17), this association was significant in other approaches (OR estimates, 2.96 (95% CI: 1.69–5.18) to 2.50 (95% CI: 1.43–4.37)). No association was observed between SCT and COVID-19-related outcomes in causal inference approaches. Conclusion Using causal inference approaches, we provide comprehensive evidence for the link between SCT/SCD and COVID-19-related outcomes.","PeriodicalId":73083,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in epidemiology","volume":"40 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135886376","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatial distribution of congenital syphilis in the state of Bahia, Brazil from 2009 to 2018.","authors":"Caroline Luz Vital, Renato Barbosa Reis, Jorgana Fernanda de Souza Soares, Diego Lopes Paim Miranda, Mitermayer Galvão Reis","doi":"10.3389/fepid.2023.1234580","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fepid.2023.1234580","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To describe the temporal trend and spatial distribution of congenital syphilis (CS) cases in the state of Bahia, Brazil between 2009 and 2018.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Mixed ecological study conducted through the analysis of data obtained from the Notifiable Diseases Information System and the Live Birth Information System. Global Moran Index I was performed in order to analyze spatial autocorrelation of CS cases in the municipalities of Bahia and the Local Spatial Association Indicator (LISA) was used to identify the formation of spatial regimes in the GeoDA software.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>8,786 cases of CS were registered in the period. An increasing growth in CS incidence, with a 511% increase between 2009 and 2018. Spatial autocorrelation was observed between the municipalities (I Moran = 0.452; <i>p</i> < 0.001) and four clusters were identified. More frequently, mothers were aged 20-29 years (50.7%); had incomplete primary education (54.9%); were Black and multiracial (93.2%); received prenatal care (82.2%); 49.0% were diagnosed with syphilis during prenatal care; 68.8% were not adequately treated, and 81.1% of their partners were not treated.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The results showed that CS consolidates as a serious public health problem in Bahia, with an incidence 8.4 times higher in the period than the WHO target of 0.5/1,000 live births, predominantly related to inadequate prenatal care and social vulnerability indicators: young mothers with low education levels, as well as individuals identified as Black and multiracial. Thus, programs aimed at women of childbearing age and pregnant women need to be intensified.</p>","PeriodicalId":73083,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":"1234580"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10956362/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43777786","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Editorial: Insights in research methods and advances in epidemiology: 2022.","authors":"Ralph Brinks","doi":"10.3389/fepid.2023.1274569","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fepid.2023.1274569","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":73083,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":"1274569"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10910963/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47189082","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Editorial: Epidemiology of epilepsy and seizures.","authors":"Zhibin Chen, Martin J Brodie, Ding Ding, Patrick Kwan","doi":"10.3389/fepid.2023.1273163","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fepid.2023.1273163","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":73083,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":"1273163"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10911047/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47229444","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"More than tears: associations between exposure to chemical agents used by law enforcement and adverse reproductive health outcomes.","authors":"Asha Hassan, Alison Ojanen-Goldsmith, Anna K Hing, Madeline Mahoney, Sarah Traxler, Christy M Boraas","doi":"10.3389/fepid.2023.1177874","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fepid.2023.1177874","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite routine law enforcement use of chemical agents for crowd control, the reproductive health safety profiles of these products are unknown. Moreover, limited evidence has documented a link between such exposures and adverse reproductive health outcomes including abnormal uterine bleeding and potential pregnancy disruption. This cross-sectional study examined reproductive outcomes in adults with uteri exposed to chemical agents used by law enforcement, more commonly known as \"tear gas\". Participants were recruited through social media in the wake of police violence protests. Of the 1,276 participants included in analysis, 83% reported experiencing at least one of the outcomes of interest, included uterine cramping (69%), early menstrual bleeding (55%), breast tenderness (30%), and delayed menstrual bleeding (19%). Chemical agent exposure was significantly associated with higher odds of an adverse reproductive health outcome, those with 5 days or more of exposure have 2.6 times the odds (CI: 1.61, 4.22) of adverse outcomes and having a perception that one's menstruation may fluctuate according to psychosocial stressors was associated (OR = 1.94, CI: 1.36, 2.79) with a higher odds of an adverse reproductive health experience. These findings suggest a potential relationship between exposure to chemical agents and adverse reproductive health outcomes. Given the pervasive use of these chemical agents and their potential for reproductive health harm, further investigation into the safety of these products and their impacts on individual and community health is warranted urgently.</p>","PeriodicalId":73083,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":"1177874"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10956352/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49002632","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The psychological syndrome associated with Long-COVID: A study protocol.","authors":"Raquel Gómez Bravo, Alexandre Infanti, Joël Billieux, Mark Ritzen, Claus Vögele, Charles Benoy","doi":"10.3389/fepid.2023.1193369","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fepid.2023.1193369","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Chronic post-viral syndromes, including Long-COVID, are characterized by a range of persistent symptoms that occur following a viral infection. Psychological symptoms are prevalent in Long-COVID patients and can have a significant impact on their quality of life. However, the specific patterns of psychological symptoms, their associations with physical symptoms, and the factors predicting their severity remain poorly understood.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>This study aims to explore and systematically assess psychological symptoms in Long-COVID, to identify syndrome clusters based on these symptoms, to examine their relationship with physical symptoms, and to investigate the influence of pandemic-related variables.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Descriptive, cross-sectional study with data collected through an online questionnaire across several EU countries, from February 2020 to December 2022. Participants were recruited using public relations, the social media and information campaigns directed at the public and health professionals using snowball sampling.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The findings will allow to phenotype Long-COVID related psychological symptom clusters based on self-reports. facilitating improved assessment and treatment approaches.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The results will provide important knowledge for the public health management of the public healh management of Long COVID. The findings will contribute to a better understanding of the psychological symptoms associated with Long-COVID and the development of specific treatment guidelines for psychological burden associated with Long-COVID, thereby supporting management strategies to combat the after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, enhancing their overall well-being and quality of life.</p>","PeriodicalId":73083,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":"1193369"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10910921/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43889670","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Household structure is independently associated with malaria risk in rural Sussundenga, Mozambique.","authors":"Kelly M Searle, Dominique Earland, Albino Francisco, Valy Muhiro, Anisío Novela, João Ferrão","doi":"10.3389/fepid.2023.1137040","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fepid.2023.1137040","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Mozambique has the fourth highest malaria cases and malaria mortality globally. Locally, malaria incidence increases from low in the southern region to high in the central and northern regions. Manica Province in central Mozambique has the fourth highest prevalence of malaria out of the 11 provinces, and the highest in the central region of the country. In this area where coverage of interventions has been limited, household level risk factors can be important for understanding the natural history of infection, as well as the implementation of current and future interventions. There has been indication that the relationship between household structure and malaria risk is actually a mediating one between the true relationship between household income and education and <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> infection. The objective of this study was to determine and quantify these complex relationships.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study in Sussundenga village. Sussundenga is a rural village, located in Sussundenga District, Manica Province, Mozambique. We enrolled 303 participants from 83 randomly selected households. We collected information on demographics, household construction, and administered a <i>P. falciparum</i> rapid diagnostic test (RDT). We constructed several generalized estimating equations logistic regression models to determine the independent effects of housing construction on malaria risk. We also constructed models separate from generalized estimating equations logistic mediation models to determine the proportion of effects mediated by household construction material in the relationship between head of household occupation and education and malaria risk.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The overall malaria prevalence among the study population by RDT was 30.8%. In the multivariable model adjusting for all individual and household factors as potential confounders, rudimentary roof structure was the only household structural variable that was statistically significantly associated with increased malaria risk [OR 2.41 (1.03-5.63)]. We found no evidence that household structure mediated the relationship between head of household education or employment and malaria risk in our study population.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Household structure was a significant risk factor for malaria infection in our study population. These findings are consistent with malaria being a disease of poverty and an area that could be targeted for future interventions that could have long-term impacts.</p>","PeriodicalId":73083,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":"1137040"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10911029/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46021278","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients in clinical settings in Douala, Cameroon.","authors":"Sylvie Kwedi Nolna, Miriam Niba, Cedric Djadda, Palmer Masumbe Netongo","doi":"10.3389/fepid.2023.1212220","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fepid.2023.1212220","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The asymptomatic nature of COVID-19 coupled with differential testing are confounders in the assessment of SARS-CoV-2 incidence among people living with HIV (PLWH). As various comorbidities increase the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, it is crucial to assess the potential contribution of HIV to the risk of acquiring COVID-19. Our study aimed to compare the anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG seroprevalence among people living with and without HIV.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>PLWH were enrolled in the HIV units of two health facilities in Douala, Cameroon. Participants were consecutively enrolled, among which 47 were people living with HIV and 31 were HIV-negative patients. SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests were performed on all participants. Overall, medical consultation was conducted. For HIV-positive participants only, viral load, antiretroviral regimen, duration of HIV infection, and duration of antiretroviral treatment were retrieved from medical records.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We found an overall SARS-CoV-2 IgG seroprevalence of 42.31% within the study population, with a SARS-CoV-2 IgG seroprevalence of 44.6% for PLWH and 38.7% among those without HIV infection; no significant statistical difference was observed. Adjusting for sex, HIV status, and BCG vaccination, the odds of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection were higher among married persons in the study population. Sex, BCG vaccination, and HIV status were not found to be associated with SARS-CoV-2 IgG seropositivity.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our findings support the lack of association between HIV status and susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection. The ARV regimen, suppressed viral load, and Tenofovir boasted ARV regimen might not affect the body's immune response after exposure to SARS-CoV-2 among PLWH. Thus, if HIV is well treated, the susceptibility to COVID-19 in PLWH would be like that of the general population.</p>","PeriodicalId":73083,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":"1212220"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10910930/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44053390","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}