Healio (12/15, Weldon) reported, “The rate of e-cigarette use increased more than fivefold among adolescents in late pregnancy from 2016 to 2021, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.” In the study, researchers “found that the weighted prevalence of exclusive e-cigarette use during late pregnancy increased from 0.8% in 2016 to 4.1% in 2021, whereas the prevalence of exclusive cigarette use decreased from 9.2% in 2017 to 3.2% in 2021.”

Related Links:

— “E-cigarette use increases among pregnant adolescents,” Rose Weldon, Healio, December 15, 2023

PatientEngagementHIT (12/15, Heath) reported, “About a million Medicare enrollees have opioid use disorder (OUD), but only 18 percent of them received medication to treat OUD, according to a new Office of Inspector General report that illustrates continued medication assisted treatment (MAT) access problems.” The report “also revealed disparities in OUD treatment access, with Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, low-income, and over-65 beneficiaries facing greater challenges.”

Related Links:

— “Medication Access for OUD Abysmal for Medicare Enrollees,” Sara Heath, Patient Engagement HIT, December 15, 2023

HealthDay (12/14, Mundell) says that unintentional firearm injuries “have occurred in American homes hundreds of times over the past two decades, killing 1,262 children, according to a sobering new report” from the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. According to researchers, firearms used in these incidents “were often stored loaded (74%) and unlocked (76%) and were most commonly accessed from nightstands and other sleeping areas.” The report was published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Related Links:

— “Too Often, Unlocked, Loaded Guns Are Fatal Playthings for America’s Children,” Ernie Mundell, HealthDay, December 14, 2023

Healio (12/14, Weldon) reports, “More than 60% of 12th graders who responded to a yearly survey of junior high and high school students reported not using alcohol, cannabis or nicotine in the past 30 days – the highest level of abstention in the survey’s history.” Notably, “rates of lifetime abstention … significantly increased in 2023 among 10th and 12th graders and were at or near the highest levels ever recorded by Monitoring the Future, a survey conducted yearly by the University of Michigan and funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.”

Related Links:

— “Survey: More US teens abstaining from drugs, alcohol,” Rose Weldon, Healio, December 14, 2023

Infectious Disease Advisor (12/14, Barowski, RN) reports, “Although HIV infection is associated with increased risk for mental” illnesses, “antiretroviral therapy mitigates this risk,” according to a study. The findings were published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

Related Links:

— “Antiretroviral Therapy Reduces Risk for Mental Health Disorders in HIV,” Janelle Barowski, Infectious Disease Advisor, December 14, 2023